Cold morning air rushed in when Seung-ho got into the driver's seat.

Hyo-bin sat in the passenger seat. The heater was blowing loud, dry air into the narrow cabin as they drove down the street. Neither of them spoke.

Seung-ho sniffed and rubbed his face. "There are tissues in the glove compartment. Can you give me one?"

Hyo-bin watched people walking along the gray pavement outside the passenger window. "Get it yourself."

Seung-ho sighed and leaned forward to pull a tissue from the compartment. He wiped his eyes and blew his nose.

Engine noise filled the cabin while they waited at a red light. Hyo-bin continued looking through the glass. "What happened to you? Did you have a funeral or something?"

When the traffic light turned green, Seung-ho pressed the accelerator. "Why? Are you gonna comfort me?"

"Comfort you?" Hyo-bin asked. "I'm just asking because you look pathetic. Crying doesn't suit you at all, spoiled bitch."

Seung-ho held the steering wheel firmly. "I look pathetic?" he asked, raising his voice. "You dragged me here this morning because you couldn't even afford bus fare, but I'm the pathetic one?"

"I didn't drag you here. I told you not to come. Watch your mouth, Seo Seung-ho."

"Or what?" Seung-ho asked. "You're gonna smash my face in? You act tough at school, but you're just a broke kid who begs for rides."

The car was moving down the busy street when Hyo-bin swung his hand and hit Seung-ho's shoulder.

The car swerved across the lane.

Seung-ho slammed on the brakes, and the tires screeched against the asphalt. He pulled toward the right curb and shoved the gearshift into park. Turning toward Hyo-bin, he grabbed the collar of his jacket. "You motherfucker! Are you fucking trying to kill us?"

Hyo-bin caught his wrists and pushed him back against the seat. "Let go of me, you bastard!"

"You hit me first while I was driving!" Seung-ho shouted as he shoved Hyo-bin's chest.

Hyo-bin's back hit the passenger-side window. "Because you don't know when to shut the fuck up!" He grabbed Seung-ho's shirt, pulled him closer, and punched his shoulder.

Seung-ho caught his hair and shoved his head back. "You and your fake pride, Choi Hyo-bin!"

They struggled in the narrow space between the front seats. Hyo-bin kicked the dashboard and pushed him away. After opening the door, he stepped out into the cold air. Morning traffic moved past the parked car as he stood on the pavement. "Fuck off, Seo Seung-ho!"

He slammed the car door and walked down the street.

Seung-ho's hands were shaking as he started the car. "Fucking idiot!" he yelled before driving past Hyo-bin.

As Hyo-bin watched the car disappear, he felt so angry he could throw up.

Now I have to walk even farther.

On top of that, heavy rain began to fall. By the time he ran into a nearby store, his eyes were wet. He could still hear Seung-ho's voice in his head.

Hyo-bin walked around the store for ten minutes, waiting for the rain to stop.

He stopped in front of the food shelf and looked at the triangle kimbap. Bright "1+1" stickers covered the plastic wrappers. His empty stomach twisted, and the cashier was already watching him with impatience.

Hyo-bin walked outside slowly. As he took out his phone to call Soo-bin, he saw Seung-ho approaching him.

They stood facing each other while the rain soaked their clothes.

Seung-ho looked at him. "Get in the car."

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Hyo-bin yelled. "I don't wanna get in your car. Why don't you fucking leave?" He turned his back.

"Fuck!" Seung-ho went after him and caught his arm. "Get in the fucking car, Hyo-bin!"

Hyo-bin had not understood Seung-ho's reasons since that morning, but he gave up. "Okay. Just don't touch me!"

—

They sat in a quiet corner of Lane 9 Cafe, across from the school.

Seung-ho stood. "I'm gonna get some coffee. What do you want?"

"I don't want anything."

"Ya, I'm sorry for saying those things, okay?" Seung-ho said. "I was just really stressed out. I just wanna finish this project, so tell me what you wanna drink."

"I told you I don't want anything to drink."

"Okay." Seung-ho walked to the register.

Hyo-bin watched him walk away. He looked at Seung-ho's clothes, his hair, and the confidence in the way he carried himself. Then he looked at the expensive laptop and car keys Seung-ho had left on the table.

The national team is the only way I'll ever make it.

He took his own cheap laptop from his bag and opened it.

When Seung-ho returned, he was carrying two black Americanos. "Figured you still hated sugar."

Hyo-bin pushed the coffee to the side of the table. Turning his laptop toward Seung-ho, he read the topics from the screen. "Some of the things we need to research are Psychological Pressure and Anxiety About the Future, Injury and Quality of Treatment, and Nutrition and Supplements."

His stomach made a loud noise.

Seung-ho looked at him. "Are you hungry?"

"None of your business. I'll go eat something after we finish this."

"But you have no money."

Hyo-bin sighed. "Anyway, back to the topics, Seo Seung-ho. Private Tutoring Culture. Barriers to Entry and Access to Equipment. Add to these if you can think of anything else."

"I guess we'll go over these," Seung-ho said.

Hyo-bin leaned back and looked at him. "Ya, I have an offer for you. I'll do the whole project myself. This tim-peul¹ grade is important for me to graduate. That way, we won't have to meet again until the presentation."

"What?" Seung-ho leaned back in his chair. "This was my topic anyway. You can't do it by yourself."

Hyo-bin leaned forward. "I'm trying to do you a favor. You can focus better on practice this way."

Seung-ho rubbed his forehead. "Ya, why do you have to be so difficult, Choi Hyo-bin?" he asked. "I don't even care about practice. I just wanna do my project."

Hyo-bin grinned. "Ya, do you have no hope left of beating me?"

"What?" Seung-ho asked. "What do you think? You think I don't beat you because I can't beat you?"

This time, Hyo-bin looked surprised. "What did you say?"

"You heard me, asshole. You think I've been losing to you because I can't win?"

Hyo-bin laughed. "Ya, Seo Seung-ho, it's impossible for you to beat me. You know that."

Seung-ho looked at him with nothing but hate in his eyes. "Yeah? All right, let's make a deal. Tonight at practice, if I beat you in the relay, we'll do the project together. If I don't beat you, then I'll do it on my own. You in?"

"You're dreaming," Hyo-bin said. "There's no way you're gonna beat me. This isn't high school, idiot."

"I'll see you at practice."

Seung-ho slammed his laptop shut and put it in his bag. Then he took the coffee from the table in front of Hyo-bin and stood. As he walked out the door, he threw the cup into the trash can by the wall.

"See you at practice," Hyo-bin muttered behind him.

¹ 팀플 (tim-peul) A Korean slang term shortened from "team project" or "teamplay." It refers to the collective effort and social coordination required in group work. It often implies the burden of responsibility and the messy interpersonal dynamics that come with being part of a team.