Chapter Text
“Welcome everyone! Welcome to the 1st game of round 3 of the V.B. League Division 1 playoffs here in the Olympic Park Arena!” The caster says.
“We have a great game between the GenG Black Jackals and SKT Red Falcons here for you guys today. These two teams might be the two we see in the finals, unfortunately in this game we are going to have to see one of them drop down to the losers bracket.” The other caster comments as the teams line up to bow.
“There’s a couple new players in both teams that have shown loads of potential this season so far.”
“Mun Hyunjun, Lee Minhyung and Ryu Minseok on SKT, who have been scouted from college teams. In addition, Choi Wooje, who was in SKTs division 2 team last year.”
“Very excited to see how this combination of players are able to play together.” They continue to commentate as the team's huddle up to decide final strategies. “Minhyung and Hyunjun were from the same college too!”
“That is true, they were known as a very powerful defensive offensive duo.”
“Ryu Minseok, their new libero on the other hand, was on the same team as GenG’s new middle blocker, Jung Jihoon, right?”
“Yes, they were the backbone of DRX’s defence. Them in addition to GenG’s middle blocker that joined last year, Choi Hyunjoon, were the reason that the college was known for their defensive abilities.”
“There is another player in GenG that is new this season. Kim Suhwan, who was called up from their own Division 2 team. He was known as a very good offensive player and it seems like he’s living up to that name.”
The whistle blows, signaling the start of the game.
“Jung Jihoon is up to serve.” The caster continues. “He’s recently been doing very well since being called to the starting rotation for GenG.”
The player throws the ball up in the air and runs towards it. “Let’s see how he does against the offensive storm that is SKT.”
The sound of the player's palm hitting the ball rings through the stadium as the game officially starts.
Sanghyeok sees the ball fly to the back line. Although the serve was powerful, Minhyung– their own middle blocker– was able to receive it. The ball soars up and descends towards the SKT setter, Wangho.
The setter pushes it up in the air, and it zips in Sanghyeok’s direction at impressive speed. It’s perfect, even the most powerful blockers would have trouble with this attack.
His palm smacks the center of the ball, spiking it right into—
their own court.
As he hears the ball land next to him, Sanghyeok looks up and sees the culprit. GenG’s new middle blocker, Jung Jihoon, standing there proudly smirking at him.
The crowd goes absolutely wild.
“GenG’s rookie middle blocker has blocked the spike of SKT’s shotgun Lee Sanghyeok!!” The caster screams.
“Shotgun?” Jihoon says, rubbing the place on his arm where the ball hit. “Weaker than I expected.”
Sanghyeok’s jaw nearly drops at the audacity of this new player.
How dare he? First this dude blocks his spike and now he’s trash talking said spike right in front of him?
Sanghyeok just glares at the opposing player and goes back to his starting position. They’ll just have to get the next point.
Jihoon serves once again, and it’s again received by their team. As Wango sets the ball, he jumps for it, but the ball doesn’t come to him. It’s passed to Minhyung for a pipe. The ball shoots from Minhyung’s hand to the center of the other team’s court, 1-1.
“Nice!” Wangho claps Minhyung on the back as they rotate. Which means it’s Sanghyeok’s turn to serve.
The whistle blows, and he bounces the ball on the ground a couple times while he scopes the other team out. It seems like Jihoon has also rotated to the back.
A service ace or two would be nice.
He throws the ball up, and hits it so it sharply curves from one side of the court to the other, right in between where Jihoon and one of GenG’s opposite hitters, Dohyeon, is. It hits into a perfect arch.
Perfectly into the center of Jihoon’s wrists, that is.
The ball flies up in the air and into the palms of their setter, Kiin, who dumps it into their court.
Luckily, it seems like their own libero, Minseok was able to read it quick enough to just barely slide a couple fingertips under the ball.
It lands on top of the net and barely tips onto the side of GenG.
It was their point, but it was so unsatisfying. How did this new guy receive his serve so perfectly?
When he gets the ball to serve again, he sees red. He wants to hit the ball straight into Jihoon’s stupid face. The whistle blows, he throws, aims, and hits it into another perfect curve. Jihoon dashes into its path again, but ends up avoiding it at the last moment.
The referee on that side indicates it’s an out, giving the point to GenG.
Sanghyeok sighs in frustration. He lost his cool for a moment there.
“Hyung?” Minseok asks, “You good?”
“Just perfect.” Sanghyeok grits out through clenched teeth. When he looks to the other side of the net, Jihoon is already looking back at him with an annoyingly satisfied expression.
GenG wins that set 30-28.
Although SKT is able to get a set off of them, they eventually lose the game 3-1. Even worse, 90% of Sanghyeok’s spikes are blocked by that asshole of a rookie middle blocker, and he didn’t get a single service ace.
An irritating amount of spikes, blocks and serves are scored by none other than Jihoon himself. Other people on the team score points, of course, but every point scored by Jihoon seemed like a personal attack.
“I thought this would be a harder game,” Jihoon sneers loudly to the GenG libero, Siwoo, after the teams shake hands. “You said that SKT was a difficult opponent.”
The older libero starts hitting Jihoon’s shoulder, spouting something about sportsmanship as Sanghyeok turns around to face him.
“What's your deal?” Sanghyeok says, grabbing the net between them in frustration.
Jihoon approaches them, appraising Sanghyeok by looking him up and down.
“I want to break you,” He says. “I am a blocker, you are the so-called ultimate weapon.”
The boldness of his next words sends a chill down Sanghyeok’s spine.
“I’m going to make sure that SKTs weapon is rendered useless.”