Chapter 1.1: The First Test
TL: Pinapple
Editor: Isalee
"15! 30!"
Han Woo Jin was shocked by the sudden yelling. There was no one else in his studio. Who the h.e.l.l was screaming? Strangely, his half-lit room was suddenly very bright.
"You there! Stay there!"
"Yes?"
He turned his head to see who had spoken and he saw a person pointing at him. His eyes immediately widened in surprise because he knew exactly who that person was. It was Jung Sang Shik; the manager who had asked him if he wanted to be a coach instead of a player.
"Mmanager Jeon Sang Shik?"
"What?"
Jeon Sang Shik replied in a cold manner. It was a reaction as if he were seeing a person for the first time. The manager was rough and spoke coldly, and while the the players worked hard, he was the hardest worker who actively tried his utmost for those players. He was also Han Woo Jin"s greatest benefactor that allowed him to stay on the team for ten whole years even with his poor record.
With a reminiscent face, Coach Jeon Sang Shik had a much younger face than he remembered, with less wrinkles. He couldn"t help but stare blankly at him.
"Why aren"t you saying anything after calling me? What"s your name?"
"I-I"m Han Woo Jin."
"Alright, Han Woo Jin. I"ll remember you. Work hard."
After saying those words, he walked with a serious face over to the coaches" bench area. Han Woo Jin blankly stared at Jung Sang Shik"s back until someone woke him up from his daze with a pat on his shoulder.
"Han Woo Jin ssi, are you nervous?"
"Choi Yeon Hyuk…"
It was the main character of Wimbledon who was the runner-up of the tournament. Korea"s Prince of Tennis still looked the same with the goofy smile on his face just like in the past. Han Woo Jin still couldn"t come to terms with what was going on.
"What in the world happened? How did I suddenly move out from my single room while staring at my computer? Where is this place? What situation is this? Why is Choi Yeon Hyuk in front of me?"
Questions were running at light speed in his mind.
Choi Yeon Hyuk caught his words and stepped back a bit.
"Ah, we"re not that close to be calling each other by our first names right? But you can call me by my name casually."
"Ah… it"s whatever. You can call me Woo Jin."
He replied without thinking before realizing what he had done after hearing Choi Yeon Hyuk"s younger voice as he looked at his surroundings.
"This… is the time for the entrance test for NK company."
It was different from what he remembered. He was very nervous back then and he just waited for his name to be called; he didn"t talk to anyone. He had never spoken to Choi like that before. He also just realized that he was sitting next to him. Regardless of his confusion, the situation continued.
The examinees went forward as the coaches called their names and they would play against a random opponent. NK company"s entrance examination was very famous for its uniqueness and harshness. They didn"t have much time so they played only one set and then they would decide if they pa.s.sed or not.
"I remember my opponent wasn"t very good."
Han Woo Jin didn"t even remember his opponent"s name that lost to him 6-3 even though Han Woo Jin didn"t play that well either. Thanks to that, he was able to join NK company quite easily and started to live his dream as a pro.
He suddenly thought of the man that wanted to buy the racket.
Prince of Wimbledon: It"s not a big deal. But if you wanted to make a wish, what would you wish for?
"No way…?"
He tilted his head. "Meeting someone at an internet cafe sent me back 10 years back to the entrance exam? Is this possible?"
Han Woo Jin shook his head. After a while, he knew that his name would be called so he went to grab his racket.
"I-it"s gone!"
He let out a small scream. The racket with Ivan Lendyl"s autograph. He couldn"t find the racket that hadn"t left his hands since his childhood. As he was flipping through his bag, he recalled his words.
Prince of Wimbledon: That"s fine, so are you going to trade?
"Did I pay for it with that racket?"
It was obvious that the price for being sent back 10 years into the past was the racket which was amazingly great for him but, he never expected for this to actually happen. It was a simple conversation on the internet, but then a sharp voice in his ear interrupted his train of thought.
"Han Woo Jin! Applicant Han Woo Jin!"
"Yes, yes!"
The other applicants laughed when they saw him raise his hand like a school student. He also went down to take the test but he didn"t bring a racket. Seeing his empty hands, those behind him ridiculed him.
"He didn"t even bring a racket? Is he going to take the test with one of those rackets that are lying around?"
"Wow, how confident. I want to do that."
"I don"t know why he"s so confident."
But Han Woo Jin wasn"t listening to the conversations behind him. He was already confused enough and had no time to pay attention to them. However, Han Woo Jin decided to solve the problem that was already in front of him as he picked up one of the old rackets.
It was at that moment.
"…What is this?"
[Han Woo Jin]
Strength 48/ Stamina 45/ Dexterity 39
HP: 1730/1800 SP: 310/310
Forehand: 9/20
Backhand: 4/20
Serve: 8/20
Volley: 3/20
Smash: 7/20
Special Skill: None
"It feels completely different from what I see." Han Woo Jin felt like these words being printed into his mind about his tennis skills weren"t accurately portrayed. It was an objective numerical table that showed that Han Woo Jin had no forehand style, no reflexes, no usage of volleys, and only showed his most basic skills.
"If this is real… how come there isn"t a drop shot or lob in the skillset? Is it because I haven"t used it?"
Han Woo Jin"s ability to measure distance deteriorated; therefore, he rarely used drop shots and lobs in his matches. Serving was a skill that that one could become good at with enough time and practice. However, drop shots and lobs were useful when the player needed to adjust the distance and speed of the ball, so those moves weren"t suited for Han Woo Jin.
Considering the unidentifiable status screen in his mind, Han Woo Jin turned to look at his opponent.
"Of course."
He was able to see his opponent"s stats across from him.
[Lee Jin Seob]
Strength 50/ Stamina 38/ Agility 32
HP 1330/1520 SP 210/210
Forehand: 4/20
Backhand: 3/20
Serve: 4/20
Volley: 3/20
Smash: 4/20
Drop Shot: 1/20
Lob: 1/20
Special Skill: None
"If he only has this much, I can easily win this." Han Woo Jin was a person that never won anything despite the tremendous amount of effort he put in. Therefore, this caused him to have low self-esteem. However, when facing an opponent when he had a clear advantage reignited his self-confidence.
Han Woo Jin got up and stretched his waist. His hand stopped trembling as he firmly gripped the practice racket. The countenance of the nervous looking student that he portrayed earlier was nowhere to be seen.
There was one person that saw his demeanor change.
"…What"s wrong with that kid? If you look at him, he looks like he already has the aura of a pro."
Coach Jeon Sang Shik clearly remembered the name and face of the rookie that called out to him earlier. As soon as he heard Han Woo Jin being called out to the court, he threw his gaze on over. Jeon Sang Shik observed the face of the young man that had no trace of anxiety.
To live as a professional player in the tennis world, one required a sponsor. If you were not from a wealthy family, you could always find a sponsor to support your athletic career.
In short, it was not an exaggeration to say that this examination was a test on whether you would become a pro or not.
Pros would often supervise these examinations.
Coach Jeon Sang Shik stared at Han Woo Jin with a complex expression.
"It"s not like he"s overflowing with confidence but he"s not too nervous either. He looks like a veteran that"s played hundreds of matches."
Coach Jeon Sang Shik wanted to find out more about Han Woo Jin and went through the player doc.u.ments and applications. There was nothing impressive about his resume. He wasn"t particularly outstanding and didn"t seem to have much potential.
But he was the type that leaned towards seeing is believing rather than relying on paperwork. In the eyes of the coach, Han Woo Jin was someone that tickled his senses.
"Now, are both of you ready?"
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