GoT Chp 21.1: The one who advances and the one who stops #0

Translator: Pineapple

Editor: Oer

'How did it get to this point?'

The two players' level of activity weren't that different. Even though Andrew is taller, he needs less steps to get to where he wants, that difference of energy consumption shouldn't amount to this much. But the two statuses in front of Han Woo Jin's eyes clearly show the physical difference between these two.

Choi Yeon Hyuk's stamina was dropping way faster than Andrew.

HP 700/2600

HP 1040/2440

Han Woo Jin stared at the court curiously and the game began to flow completely in Andrew's pace. It was at the point that now, Choi Yeon Hyuk's four game lead was now meaningless.

"Game Andrew!"

The first one that reaches their limits loses. That was definite. If your opponent can no longer move, then you don't need to move that much either.

"Game Andrew!"

No matter how much Han Woo Jin thought about it, he couldn't understand. Andrew and Choi Yeon Hyuk's skill levels were roughly similar. Although he didn't check their physical statuses at the beginning of the match, Choi Yeon Hyuk's HP is higher than Andrew.

Seeing that Han Woo Jin was confused, Coach Jeon began speaking. Coach Jeon wanted him to figure it out on his own but it seemed like he was expecting too much from him. He might have been able to figure it out if he were in Choi Yeon Hyuk's shoes, running around on the court.

"Are you curious as to why Yeon Hyuk is more exhausted?"

"…Yes."

He was curious. Coach Jeon looked as if it wasn't that big of a deal to know the reason as he put his hands behind his head in a relaxed manner. He then spoke in a casual voice.

"It's simple, You guys and Andrew had different starting points."

"Starting point?… Ah!"

Han Woo JIn was surprised. Now he realized what he missed. Why Coach Jeon told them that their ATP matches will gradually grow more difficult.

Because of their three preliminary games.

"Now do you realize why you guys need to have a preliminary pa.s.s?"

Coach Jeon said as he spit out the gum he was chewing on a napkin. He was someone who didn't underestimate the ATP tour and expected his players to rank low in this tournament. Coming this far is already very good. They have already shown their potential by reaching this far.

Of course, if they could, they wanted to get past the top 16. But how easy would it be to live life if their dreams come true so easily?

"It isn't just those three preliminary matches, while you guys were playing those three matches, Andrew was just practicing and waiting for his first match."

The tight schedule could also be a factor as they had to play everyday without rest. Normally, if they need two days to rest their muscles after day of training, then they would need four days of rest after a real match.

"Game Andrew!"

It's been a while since they've heard Yeon Hyuk's name get called out. They only heard Andrew's name multiple times in a row. From 0-4, it was now 4-4. On top of losing many games in a row, his HP is still very low.

It's normally like this. When it gets to a certain point, your stamina will only continue to decrease and not increase. It might be different if he is allowed to take a break and didn't move at all to recover stamina, but the game is in full swing so there is no hope for recovery for him.

Choi Yeon Hyuk's Metz Open ends here.

"This is pretty good for his first run. His luck was just too bad, but getting this far is quite decent. If he doesn't break from this experience, this will be a good foundation/experience for his future."

Coach Jeon wasn't just focusing on this match, compared to a player who only concentrates on the match and opponent before them, he was considering the future. In another aspect, this could be considered, cold-hearted. This means that he already decided the outcome of this match would be a loss.

That's why Han Woo Jin couldn't help but be upset.

He once again looked at the Choi Yeon Hyuk who was on the court, swinging his racket with the little strength he had left.

"Game Andrew!"

5-4, the score has reversed.

Their companions, sitting next to them didn't make a sound as they watched the match. When they heard Coach Jeon, it was natural for them to accept the outcome. Choi Joon Sung who was watching the game quietly, stood up with a dark expression.

"Where are you going?"

"… it will probably end soon. I should go down in case he has difficulty walking and help him."

Coach Jeon asked him snappily and Choi Joon Sung answered in a depressed tone. Choi Joon Sung was right. Athletes who are in an exhausted condition are extremely close to their limits.

The group looked at Choi Joon Sung's back who was heading to the player area and looked back at the game.

Choi Yeon Hyuk continued moving even though he lost the game. He looked depressed because he tried his best to hit the ball but finally the end arrived.

"Game Andrew! Match won by Andrew Murray!"

This was his first lost after debuting as a pro player.

"Go get some rest."

"Coach Jeon…"

Choi Yeon Hyuk was about to speak to the Coach but was cut off and told to go rest. Coach Jeon, stopped Choi Yeon Hyuk from watching Han Woo Jin's game, because he could barely walk, so he is in no condition to watch a match.

"You did well. Even though you lost, you did well."

"Then…"

"However, if you do well, do well until the very end. Maintaining your condition is a basic thing for a pro. Is nagging you about your tired body my problem? Why aren't you thinking about your own body?"

He was currently different from the usual yelling Coach. That's why his voice was very scary sounding. Choi Yeon Hyuk, unable to reply, went back. Han Woo Jin, thought that his back looked half as big because of the defeat.

It was a failure they expected. It was commendable that they made it this far. He is Andrew Murray. Choi Yeon Hyuk was able to get to deuce against Andrew Murray and even pushed him hard in two sets.

But why is he so down?

'I don't know.'

Han Woo Jin felt displeased at Yeon Hyuk's att.i.tude. Han Woo Jin watched the next match while gripping and letting go of his racket.

If he was standing on the court, he would forget about it.

Time flew by really fast after Choi Yeon Hyuk's match. Han Woo Jin felt like second hand on a clock.

He didn't realize how fast time was going until it was his turn to step on the court for the 9th match of the day.

That's how deeply their match affected him. It was because the two future top players were in the beginning of the tournament. Han Woo Jin was confused about his emotions for Choi Yeon Hyuk, whether he felt inferior to him or respect for him.

He tried not to think about it but his mind kept wandering to those thoughts.

He felt his mind freshen when someone called out his name and made him lose his thoughts.

"Mr. Han! Woojin Han!"

Han Woo Jin stood up and waved his hand at the person calling out his name. Coach Jeon spoke to him, as he grabbed his racket and went down to the court.

"Don't think about anything else."

"……yes."

Is he a mindreader?

It felt like Coach Jeon could read my heart. Han Woo Jin moved his foot forward that paused momentarily. Even though, his opponent John Walter had lower skill than him, there isn't that much of a difference. If he made one or two mistakes he could lose.

As soon as he got onto the court, his opponent also began to observe him. John had very sunken cheeks which made him look gaunt and tired. It looked as if he had a really tough match previously.

It even showed in his status.

Strength 58 / Stamina 59 / Agility 55

HP 1620/2360 SP 600/600

Forehand: 9/20

Backhand: 9/20

Serve: 8/20

Volley: 9/20

Smash: 7/20

Drop shot: 9/20

Lob: 9/20

'His condition is a mess.'

John and Han Woo Jin's condition was similar. But Han Woo Jin defeated Herbert pretty easily in his previous match, so he had a bit more stamina. In contrast, John, looked like he had a pretty difficult match beforehand. He wouldn't have been able to rest to his peak condition in a single day.

That's why their starting points of rest in this match isn't the same. Obviously, Woo Jin had the advantage.

"Woojin Han on my right! John Walter on my left!"

They decided who will serve first with a coin flip. He had a gut feeling that luck was on John's side today. Because he's had too much of a goodluck streak so far, he felt that his luck was about to end and was feeling a bit paranoid.

"Woojin Han to serve!"

Hearing the referee's voice, he got into position.

However, he should feel good that he is able to serve first. He's probably feeling this way because he was sensitive of Choi Yeon Hyuk's loss.

First he should focus on his match.

It was time for him to forget about Choi Yeon Hyuk and Andrew.

Finally, the referee signalled to begin.

"Love all! Play!"

He tossed up the ball.

The light green ball went up into the air.

"Are you really okay? You're not hurting anywhere?"

"Hyung, I'm just tired. You don't have to worry about me."

Choi Joon Sung drove the car to the hotel and kept on talking to Choi Yeon Hyuk worriedly. He felt that Choi Yeon Hyuk was absent-minded after finis.h.i.+ng in the top 32. But he kept on replying to him promptly.

Choi Yeon Hyuk looked out the window silently. The top 32 games began at 10 AM in the morning, but it was now already past 2 PM after he finished his match. He was still feeling the intensity of his match with Andrew.

'…s.h.i.+t!'

Thankfully his voice was low and couldn't be heard from the front. Choi Yeon Hyuk gripped his fist tightly as if it could break bones. Anger filled his entire body.

He was regretful.

This was the first time he did everything he could and still lost. He even utilized body shots and still lost. He even used all of his techniques and failed. He had no excuses as it was a complete defeat.

What would have happened if he was able to get a seeded placement?

What if he won the first set?

What if he won the second set?

Endless 'What if?' questions came up in his mind.

Choi Yeon Hyuk knew that these thoughts were useless, but he wanted an excuse. He couldn't accept the fact that his defeat was predetermined. He didn't like that.

"Joon Sung hyung."

"Uh? What? Do you feel sick somewhere?"

"No, nothing like that."

Choi Yeon Hyuk decided.

He first wanted an excuse for the loss. Because he began playing from the preliminaries, that's why he lost. If he got a seeded placement and played against Andrew with the same condition as him, he would have won.

So first, let's even the playing field. Let's reach the same peak condition as him.

"Can you find out any tours/tournaments that I can play after this Metz Open? It doesn't matter if I have to play as soon as I get back to Korea."

He needed more points so that he can get into the main tournament without needing to play in the preliminaries. He at least needs his ATP single ranking to be in the top 100.

Choi Yeon Hyuk decided to first rack up points in the challenger league. He realized why Coach Jeon was worried about their first ATP tour.

Choi Joon Sung also nodded his head due to Choi Yeon Hyuk's att.i.tude and determination. An agent needed to put in as much effort as his player.

"…alright. But first you should rest completely today. Coach Jeon also told you this."

"Yes."

Yeon Hyuk answered quietly. He already began closing his eyes to sleep. He used up enough stamina that it would take several days of rest to completely be restored to full condition. At least he didn't want to do anything else today.

'I'm curious about Woo Jin's match… I guess I'll watch later.'

Was her name s.h.i.+n Sae Yeon? If it's her she should record the entire match. I'll have to ask her to borrow the recording.

He closed his eyes. His eyes rested heavily. He realized one thing right before he fell asleep.

Regardless of how his game went or who he played against, losing is the worst feeling.

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