The Real Final | winrina

The sudden confession

January, the start of the year. Also means, the start of new Super Series tournament. Minjeong is making her comeback after failing to qualify for Super Series The Final in December. The whole nation are eagerly anticipating Minjeong back into the court. As an official sport doctor, Jimin has the pass to sit behind the court together with the head coach. And as expected, a smooth journey for Minjeong to reach the final. In badminton, a player must win all six rounds before reaching the final which is round of 64 (R64), 48 (R48), 32 (R32), 16 (1/8), quarter-finals (1/4), semi-finals (1/2) and final (F). Her teammates however failed to reach the final as their mix double and women's double were halted at quarter-finals, men's double at semi-finals and the new men's single at R48. Jimin is watching the pre-match press conference which involves both of the finalists and their respective coach.

"How does it feels to be back on court, Kim seonsu?"

"Well. I feel good."

"You meet Carolina Marin again in the final, your ultimate rival. How does it feels?"
"Well. Should I feel anxious?" Everyone laughed.

"Well, I think you should. Based on your head-to-head record, you lose more than win." Minjeong felt her temperature started to rise.

"Oh, really? I didn't know about that. Did you know about that, miss Carolina?" Her opponent shrugged while laughing.

"For your information, out of 42 matches, your record is 19 wins and 23 lose." The reporter smirked.

"Woah, what a HUGE GAP to lose 4 times more, right?" She slightly raised her voice at the 'huge gap' words.

"Well, in my humble opinion, I think it's a good gap to show how much our Kim seonsu has improved." Karina came out of nowhere.

"Hello, I'm Karina-gija of AE news. I'm sorry I'm late, there's miscommunication with the securites which delayed my arrival." She found her way to her seat before proceeding.

"This is a FORMAL press conference, Karina gija-nim. You should talk when you're allowed to." The reporter warned her but she continues.

"Kim seonsu defeat record was when she in her early stage. Levelling up from junior championship to adult championship sure need some time to adapt right? Ah, talking about formality, it's actually my turn to talk." She pointed to the red buzzer on her table.

Minjeong feels like they are in 'A Quiet Place' movie. She knows that Karina is a 'unique' reporter but she doesn't expect her to be that unique. This girl didn't hesitates even an inch which makes her nervous. She pursed her lips before slowly exhales through the hole between them.

"I guessed we're enjoying badminton too much to the point even we ourselves never knew about those record, right, miss Kim?" Carolina chuckled. Minjeong guesses her opponent can't stand the awkward situation right now.

"Yeah." She chuckled.

"Well, see you on court, miss Kim." She reached her hand out.

"Yeah. Give me your best shot." Minjeong shook her hand.

Minjeong, Jimin and her coach are in the changing room before being called to the court. She stands against her locker, staring at her own reflection. Although she had been in numerous final match before, she still can't shake away her nervousness. Plus, the big expectation from the KBA, her coach, her team and the Koreans contributes more to her nervousness. People say one of thing that make they all in love with her is her calm face when she's on the court, but in reality, she's not that calm. She deliberately hides her trembles with a poker face and a calm tone just because she doesn't want to show her weak side.

"How long until you being called?"

She turns to the source of the sound. In front of her is a girl with pink tracksuit and around her neck is a lanyard with words 'MEDICAL' written on it.