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Kim Yooyeon. Yoon Seoyeon.
Two names that are almost always mentioned in the same sentence. The star setters in their respective volleyball teams from neighboring schools. Rivals who hate each other—at least that’s what everyone thinks.
Naturally, because they’re from neighboring schools, practice matches are often organized between them. The players from both teams have formed close bonds, even friendly rivalries, though none have become as intense as the rivalry between their setters.
Petty remarks. Sneers and jeers. Maybe even a shove or shoulder bump.
Of course, this is just what their teammates see. It’s evolved into this whole thing where the second years dramatized their rivalry to scare the freshmen, and rumors suddenly spread throughout both HausTech Prep and Modhaus High with the two being headliners for the school newspaper: Yoon Seoyeon and Kim Yooyeon: Beefing?!
The setters met at a beginner-friendly volleyball day camp in the summer before Seoyeon’s freshman year. After the coach explained the different positions in the sport, they were the only two campers who raised their hands for those who were interested in the role of setter: The Brain of the Team. Someone who orchestrated all the plays, who put the ball in action for their hitters to spike holes into the other side of the court. Someone who controlled the flow of the game. It was so cool to be the one who manipulates the outcome of the match.
They both learned the same things, the same basic strategies and the same steps, but Seoyeon has always been the more athletic one out of the two. Despite the fact that Yooyeon was inferior in speed and stamina, she could read patterns faster than Seoyeon could. Where Seoyeon could rush to pull off an almost impossible toss, Yooyeon would have already calculated that move and would be there several moments beforehand to defend against the unexpected spike. While Seoyeon relied on her instinct and skill, Yooyeon relied on her intellect and practice.
At the camp, they quickly became rivals because of their common goal to become the best setter. However, instead of always staying on opposite sides and fighting, the girls actually became closer than ever, even staying behind after the day’s activities concluded to practice or leaving together to get a cold dessert to help combat the blazing summer heat. Their shared rapid improvement in the sport caused the coaches to use them in demonstrations, either working with each other or against each other.
They are the perfect teammates, but also the perfect rivals.
They would be unstoppable had they ended up on the same team. Alas, Yooyeon was already at HausTech Prep, and Seoyeon was set to go to the school across from it: Modhaus High. If they were given the option to transfer schools, they would take it in a heartbeat even now—they were that close.
There’s another practice match between HausTech and Modhaus. It’s 22-24, favoring HausTech, and Yooyeon’s up to serve. She takes a deep breath, tosses the ball up, and deftly approaches with deliberate steps to hit a perfect floater just over the net. It’s skillfully placed—straight to the setter’s position in the front where Seoyeon is forced to make the first touch.
The players on HausTech visibly relax, which makes Seoyeon quirk the corner of her lips up in a small, cocky smirk, and she jumps up to toss an unprecedented quick-attack to her trusty ace, Nien, who blasts the ball straight down the center in between HausTech’s opposite hitter Nakyoung and their middle blocker Jiwoo.
The spike catches them off guard just as Seoyeon planned. Jiwoo panics and fumbles with her return, sending it to her right for their outside hitter Sohyun but accidentally bumping it too high, letting Modhaus’ middle blocker Xinyu easily jump and push the ball to the other side when it crossed the net before Sohyun could reach it.
23-24. Two more points.
Modhaus’ side cheers, and Nien and Xinyu do their ‘secret handshake’ in which the secret parts are just parts that change every time they do it.
Seoyeon turns around to face the net, where Yooyeon is already scoffing in disbelief at her. The younger grins, “Didn’t plan for that one, huh?”
The court suddenly turns cold and silent. Yooyeon narrows her eyes, an unspoken message conveyed between the setters, and she turns back to face her team. “We’ll get the next one, Seo.”
The next rally is long. Offensive plays are configured quickly by Seoyeon but are almost effortlessly taken down by the other side’s libero, Yubin, who then sends the ball into a perfect arc towards Yooyeon. Her eyes glint with purpose, shoes squeaking against the hardwood court to slot herself into her favorite position, and she glances at her own ace, Nakyoung, who loyally starts her running approach for her favorite toss. Dahyun, Xinyu, and Nien prepare to block, but as Yooyeon bends her knees to jump, Seoyeon’s eye twitches and she adjusts her defensive position quickly and just in time to receive the ball that her rival masterfully passed over the net herself and into the open left side of the court.
When Yooyeon lands, she makes eye contact with the other setter for a split second. The message Seoyeon sends is clear: You lose. Seoyeon then backs up, looks directly at Kaede, their libero, who nods, and then she does her own running approach for Kaede’s set. On the other side, Sullin and Yubin brace themselves for the heavy hit they’ve grown so accustomed to whenever Seoyeon spikes.
The heavy hit never comes. Jiwoo and Sohyun jump up to block, but when Seoyeon jumps, she changes positions midair and tips the ball right over their hands.
The echo of the ball hitting and lightly bouncing on the court reverberates throughout the gym. Shion, #20 on HausTech’s side, flips the scoreboard for Modhaus’ side in amazement. 24-24—It’s a deuce.
What’s frightening is that neither of the setters say anything or even look at each other. They just take a breath, glance at their teammates, and get into position. On Modhaus’ side, Dahyun, Xinyu, and Nien are in the front, and Hyerin, Kaede, and Seoyeon are in the back, Seoyeon’s serve. On HausTech’s side, Sohyun, Jiwoo, and Nakyoung are in the front, and Sullin, Yubin, and Yooyeon are in the back, Yooyeon in the server’s slot.
Seoyeon flawlessly delivers her jump serve directly to Yooyeon who strangely looks more exhausted than usual. Despite her obvious and visible fatigue, she manages to receive the serve though not without some struggle. Seoyeon’s brow furrows when she sees the other girl stumble on her feet after bumping.
Something’s off, she thinks, observing the subtle differences in her rival’s behavior. Reacting a second later than usual, switching to safer attacks, moving more sluggishly. Something is wrong.
She’s not the only one who notices. Yubin, positioned next to Yooyeon, nudges her with her shoulder and quietly asks if she’s okay. The setter only nods slowly, redirecting her focus to the game. Dahyun smashes the ball over the net into a difficult spot, forcing HausTech to give them a free ball. Taking the rare opportunity to attack while their defense is all messed up, Seoyeon swiftly tosses the ball to the left where Hyerin hits with a pipe attack onto an empty spot. They win the point.
And then there’s a thud.
Seoyeon’s eyes widen, her vision zeroing in on Yooyeon’s collapsed form. Immediately, she sprints over to the other side, weaving through the opposing team to get to the setter, kneeling next to her and cradling her head with her right arm. With her free hand, she feels for a pulse, sighing in relief when she can feel faint thrumming under her pointer and middle finger. She then slides her left arm under Yooyeon’s thighs, adjusts her right arm’s position, and lifts her up like it’s nothing.
Actually, the fact that she could lift her isn’t what’s surprising to everyone. It’s the fact that she didn’t have an ounce of hesitation in her movements from the moment Yooyeon collapsed and on. Everyone in the court freezes, even the coaches. The opposing setters were supposed to be beefing. They’re supposed to hate each other. So why was Seoyeon’s first thought to check on her and carry her to lay down on the bleachers?
They call for a timeout that’ll last until they confirm that Yooyeon is okay. The coaches meet on the side to discuss something in private while Mayu, HausTech’s team manager, rushes to make sure Yooyeon is okay. At the bleachers, it’s Seoyeon, Yooyeon, and Mayu. Yooyeon wakes after another two minutes, at which Seoyeon immediately brings her in for a hug. The manager’s eyes open as wide as saucers, and the same could be said about everyone who’s watching the scene unfold.
“Are you okay, unnie?” she pulls away, eyes searching for hints of any extra pains.
Yooyeon blinks, her eyes adjusting to the light and to the face in front of her before bringing the younger into another hug. “Seoyeon.”
Seoyeon wraps her arms around the other’s shoulders, burying her face into the crook of Yooyeon’s neck. “I’m here. When was the last time you drank water?”
The older hums. “I think the last set.”
The younger smacks her shoulder, eliciting a yelp from the other girl. “You need to take care of yourself! How are we supposed to play properly when you’re all dehydrated?”
Right, hydration. Mayu leaves to get water for the setter. At this point, most of their teammates have turned away to give them privacy, though their ears are still wide open. The setters are probably going to headline the school newspaper again.
Seoyeon peels herself away from Yooyeon’s grip, crossing her arms. The older girl looks down with a slight pout. Unbelievable. “I know it’s only a practice match, but I want to work harder. After all, it’s my last year… and I want both HausTech and Modhaus to meet each other at Nationals again.”
Then, she mumbles something that everyone could hear because of the sheer silence and the fact that everyone is, in fact, eavesdropping on their conversation. Not that it’s very private, anyway. This something is shocking, so shocking, that almost everyone drops whatever they’re doing and practically teleports to where the duo sits on the bleachers.
This something, which Yooyeon bashfully let out her lips, goes as follows: “And… And, you said that you’d take me out on another date if we won against you guys today. We’ve been so busy that today is the first time we’ve seen each other for more than five minutes.”
“...Yooyeon-unnie, everyone heard you,” Seoyeon responds, a flaming blush overtaking her features. “I thought you wanted to play along with those rivalry rumors.”
With the weight of their teammates’ gazes on them, Seoyeon takes Yooyeon’s hand anyway and presses a kiss to each of her knuckles, earning various gasps from different people. If they’re already exposed, might as well make a show out of it and turn it into what’s essentially a hard launch. “You know we were going to go on a date after today, anyway,” she claims, her voice dropping to a softer, almost shy tone, “And um, my mom’s expecting you for dinner, too.”
The teams’ reactions are explosive. Nakyoung and Jiwoo shake Yooyeon back and forth, and Nien lifts Seoyeon up onto her shoulders, running laps around the court while firing questions about her relationship at her, Chaeyeon following close behind.
Eventually, they end up sitting in rows, with the couple(?) sitting in front of them. How they ended up like this, not even Kaede knows. Mayu finally comes back with water for everyone, like she knew they were going to be condensed like this. They answer questions as if they were in the classroom, funnily enough.
Xinyu’s hand raises first. “How long have you been dating?”
Yooyeon answers, “Since the start of Seoyeon’s second year.”
“That’s when all the rivalry rumors started,” Sohyun notes.
Next to her, Nakyoung’s jaw drops. “It’s been a year and a half?!”
Murmurs spread throughout the crowd, both confused and astonished.
Jiwoo raises her hand but doesn’t wait to ask her question. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
Seoyeon answers this time, “Because we thought it’d be funny to act like we hated each other,” she shrugs, “I mean, you guys just assumed we did because of the petty shit we say to each other.”
The middle blocker smiles, then turns to Yubin who’s sitting behind her, “Ha! Told you! Where’s my 50 bucks?”
She hears a groan from the libero, followed by a smack to her forehead.
They finish the set, though not without some teasing remarks thrown at both Seoyeon and Yooyeon. Seoyeon, in her flustered state, fumbles some of her plays because of the teasing from the other side. Whether or not she lost the points on purpose to appease her girlfriend, only she knows.
Today’s practice match ends with HausTech’s win, and Seoyeon, true to her word, takes Yooyeon out for ice cream just like old times.
(Days later, the duo are lounging around in Yooyeon’s bedroom when both of their phones start pinging like crazy. Yooyeon groans, so Seoyeon’s the one who checks her phone, albeit begrudgingly, too comfortable with Yooyeon’s head nestled in her lap.
“Unnie, we’ve made it back onto the school newspaper headlines.”
“What?”
The younger shows her phone screen which displays a picture of the latest issue of HausTech’s school newspaper. The headline reads:
“THIS JUST IN: Kim Yooyeon and Yoon Seoyeon, supposed volleyball rivals, reported to be DATING?!
written by Joo Bin, freshman and manager of the volleyball team
Ever heard of Kim Yooyeon, the cold genius, both academically and volleyball-ically, the setter of our beloved volleyball team? Well then you’ve probably heard of Yoon Seoyeon, the star setter of our rival school Modhaus High’s volleyball team! Everyone thought they were destined rivals who hated each other, but it turns out they’re very much in love! Maybe those looks full of hatred they share on the court are really just looks of affection! Here are some student reactions below:
“I never would’ve guessed,” says Jeong Hayeon, #19 on our team.
“I lost 50 bucks to Lee Jiwoo because I didn’t believe they were together,” says Gong Yubin, #8 on our team.
“I always saw something between them, but I gaslighted myself into thinking I was schizophrenic for seeing romantic tension between them,” says Seo Dahyun, #10 on Modhaus High’s volleyball team.
“I’m so shocked. Like seriously, so shocked. Whenever we had practice matches and I had to hand them the coin to flip, I swear they were glaring daggers at each other, it scared me. I’m happy for them though, it must suck being on opposite sides and having everyone think they want to kill each other,” says Mayu, Modhaus’s volleyball team manager.
Who knows what will happen next? Will they soften their demeanors now that they’re public? Or will their competitiveness and rivalry get even stronger? This is Joo Bin, and I’ll see you in the next issue of HausTech News!”
Yooyeon sighs. “I think we need to start disguising ourselves when we’re on dates. Like idols.”
Seoyeon moves a piece of Yooyeon’s hair out of her face and giggles in fondness. “It was fun while it lasted, my rival.”
“Indeed. But now I can tell all those admirers of yours to fuck off like I’ve been wanting to, right? ‘Seoyeon’s so cool’ this, ‘I want Seoyeon so bad’ that, only I can say that.”
“...Uh huh.”)