= 𝑭𝑳𝒀 = 【날기】

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚢-𝙵𝚒𝚟𝚎

Two minutes go by, and the teams are back on the court. Now, the atmosphere is tenser than ever.  Will Ikjin finally take the first set?  Or will Tancheok make a break and steal the set?
-
=Two and a half weeks ago=18:08 (6:08 PM)=

"Yerin-ah!  What's got you so occupied?" Eunbi asked her teammate.  The pinch server found the setter sitting by herself on the edge of one court.  The rest were already eating their dinner but Yerin stayed behind.

Yerin slowly turned to Eunbi and nervously laughed it off, "A-ah, nothing!"

Eunbi frowned.  "It's not nothing!  You skipped dinner," she took a seat next to Yerin.  "What's wrong?  You acted so off today too..." She worriedly asked.

Yerin stayed quiet.  Eunbi patiently waited and leaned her head on the latter's shoulder.  They both stared at the court in silence.  "Do you ever wonder if I'll be as good as Y/N-ssi?" Eunbi was taken aback by the question but she sighed and nuzzled her forehead into Yerin's neck.

"I think-"

"Be honest, please." Yerin stared at her.  Eunbi chuckled and held Yerin's shaking hand.

"I do think about that.  I think about everything that is related to you," she smiled, Yerin looked away with her face flushed.  "Why are you self-doubting your own skills, Yerin-ah?" Eunbi frowned.

"I-I'm not!  It's just," Yerin let out a long sigh.   She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her arms on them, "Watching Y/N-shi on court is... it's so- it gives you this rush.  And I feel so small compared to her..." she faced Eunbi with a distant look, "... especially since I'm older and she's my dongsaeng. Don't you think it's a bit embarrassing for me to be inferior to Y/N-ssi?"

Eunbi smiled and shook her head. "I believe that you two are very different setters. With very different skillsets, strengths, and weaknesses," she spoke softly and wrapped her arms around Yerin. "She's on a different path and so are you. Your paths just happen to be right alongside each other for now... and," Eunbi pulled back a strand of Yerin's hair. "You know why Y/N-ah is like that right?" She tilted her head.

"Ani... I barely talk to her..."

The pinch server nodded. "She just happens to have a very different mindset. One where she believes there are no limits to her abilities," she said. "She wasn't born with talent and skill in volleyball. Y/N-ah keeps building and building on top of what she has..." Yerin slowly nodded, remembering Solar's brief explanation on Y/N's background. "Sure, there are some things she's better at. But there are things you are better at too!" She smiles. Yerin looks at her confused.

"Like what?"

Eunbi laughed and kissed Yerin's cheek, "It's not up to me to say what you're good at. It's up to you."

=Present=

Yerin nervously looked at Eunbi on the bench- but instead of one thumbs-up, she found two. One from Eunbi and the other from Y/N. "YOU GOT THIS YERIN-SSI!" Y/N yelled then laughed after. Yerin smiled and chuckled to herself.

"Eunbi-nie is right..." She thought and prepared herself for the incoming serve from Sana.

"SERVICE ACEEE!" Nayeon screamed.  The whistle blew and Sana began her approach for another float serve.

"It's my job to know what I'm good at and to build on it.  But it's like Y/N-ah just does everything- so why can't I do the same?" she internally spoke to herself.  Yerin side-glanced at Y/N and found Y/N's eager eyes.  Looking at her made it feel like something struck to her head.  A pang of realization.  "That's right..." Yerin moved her focus to the incoming ball.  She quickly shuffled over to the place of receive and jumped.  Ikjin's eyes widened as Yuju and Moonbyul made their approach at the exact same tempo. Yerin moves her head and receive-sets the ball backwards at Yuju. She quickly looked over at Ikjin's blockers and they had scorned expressions. "I'm not Y/N-ah."

SLAM!

Yuju had hit a straight perfectly and aimed at the line, right where Chaeyoung's position is. Chaeyoung felt her knees buckle and she tsked. "It's moments like these, where I already have been defeated," she watches the ball slowly come right past her. "It's moments like these, when reality sets in," the ball is already past her arm. "What was I thinking? What were WE thinking? We're the lowest of the low in high school volleyball. Why did we think we-" Chaeyoung was pushed aside to the floor and the ball went high up. She became dazed but a hand reached out to her.

"GET UP, CHAEYOUNG-AH! THIS ISN'T OVER!" Jihyo yelled and pulled Chaeyoung back up on her feet.

Tancheok was surprised by Jihyo's persistence. They didn't expect for the captain to shove Chaeyoung aside to receive the ball. "It's not just a ball!" Jihyo grinned at Momo, the setter having sparkles in her eyes. "It's the tool to prove that we are just as good as the rest of the teams here!"

Y/N's eyes brighten with excitement as she sees the familiar technique that she taught to Momo once.

=12 days ago=21:11 (9:11 PM)=

"I never pegged you as the stay-up-late type."

"Ah, anneong..." Momo turned to see Y/N leaning against the gym's doorway. She sighed and held the ball in her hand. "Why are you up this late?" She asked.

Y/N chuckled and walked towards her. "I would ask you the same thing. But, I was just up to try to practice a move," she grabbed another ball from the ball cart that Momo had out. She stood next to Momo and stared at her ball, "Minnie-unnie taught me this move long ago... it was never my kind of setting though," she turned to Momo, "... it's called 'the perfect set.' I can teach you."

Momo raised her eyebrow and met Y/N's eyes. They held eye contact for a while then both of them looked away. Momo cleared her throat and nodded. "I... I would appreciate it." She nodded.

=Present=

Momo could feel a certain pair of eyes on her and she smirks. "A small step that requires minimal movement," she took a small step in front of her, whilst keeping an eye on the ball. "Then, jump and flow into the ball," she lightly jumped off her feet and the ball sat perfectly on her fingers. Y/N beamed as Momo then set backwards towards Jeongyeon, "The perfect set!"

"RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

+

i just checked the demographics of this story out of curiosity and found out that about half of the people who read this story are from the Philippines- KUMUSTA KA~ (my tagalog sucks, pls spare me)

also, school season is starting up again so i figured i can give u guys this update to make up for the weeks i may miss

anyways, love u all muah <3

- 𝒌𝒚𝒆