Y13 [EN]: Chapter 109

Y13-109 Regular Season 2010-11

Emilie and Youngjae were both busy, with demanding jobs in different locations. Emilie was on location for the filming of *The Walking Dead* Season 2 at a farm in the midwestern United States, while Youngjae was traveling across the country for his NBA games.

After a road trip of three or four games, he was bound to be exhausted for a few days, even after returning home. Traveling from the West Coast to the East Coast was particularly draining. While going from East to West meant only a slight adjustment, the reverse trip meant waking up much earlier. To put it simply, imagine the difference between waking up at 8 or 9 a.m. versus 5 or 6 a.m. for someone who usually wakes up at 7 a.m.

Therefore, during Youngjae’s season, they decided that Emilie would brave the fatigue and visit him whenever he had consecutive home games, and Youngjae would visit Emilie during his off-season whenever he could.

“It’s tough being so far apart and having such different jobs. I’ve heard long-distance relationships are hard, but this is the first time I’ve really felt it.”

Youngjae wrapped his arms around Emilie from behind as she cooked stew, her blonde hair neatly tied back. He whispered in her ear so she could hear him. Emilie giggled, as if her ear was ticklish, and playfully pushed his face away, continuing to stir the stew.

“It tickles!”

“Really? I don’t think so.”

“I’ll whisper something *really* ticklish to you. Come here.”

However, there was no way Emilie, who was 5’4″ (164cm), could reach Youngjae’s ear when he was 6’5″ (196cm) tall and standing straight. With nearly a foot difference in height, Emilie could barely reach the top of Youngjae’s head even when she stretched her arms out. Eventually, after much effort, Youngjae sat down on a chair and lowered his neck slightly, and Emilie whispered in his ear for a long time, repeating, “Ticklish, right?”

In the end, the stew they were supposed to eat was burnt black, and Youngjae had no choice but to order a pizza. He ordered an extra-large, knowing his appetite. A regular large pizza simply wouldn’t be enough for him alone.

“Ah, stew… I wanted to eat the one you made for me.”

“…I’m sorry. Um! The pizza’s good, though, right? Try it!”

Emilie quickly shoved a piece of pizza into Youngjae’s mouth, perhaps feeling guilty about the burnt stew. After eating, they wrapped the remaining slices separately in plastic bags and put them in the freezer.

“Later, make sure to defrost it at room temperature before microwaving it.”

“Why?”

“If you defrost it in the microwave while it’s still frozen, the texture gets gummy, and it’s not good for digestion. It’s a tip from a chef I know at my favorite restaurant.”

Youngjae narrowed his eyes and stared at Emilie at the words “a chef I know.”

“Is that chef a man?”

“Of course! He’s not famous, but he’s a really good cook!”

It was hard to tell if she was genuinely clueless or pretending to be innocent. Emilie was usually so straightforward, but sometimes when she reacted like this, Youngjae couldn’t tell if she was trying to make him jealous or if she really didn’t realize how it sounded.

“Is that chef tall?”

“Hey, he’s shorter than Yoon.”

“Then, is he handsome?”

Emilie, who had been staring at Youngjae with sparkling eyes as he hesitated but asked everything, finally seemed to understand what he meant and started giggling, then burst out laughing.

“Ahahaha, that chef *is* handsome! He has a strong middle-aged charm, he’s really cool! Kya haha! Are you jealous? Right now?”

“No, well, it’s not that. I’m going with you later, so it’s good to know the chef, right? That’s all.”

Youngjae was momentarily flustered, but he mumbled vaguely, and Emilie laughed and let it go. Feeling cooped up at home, they decided to go out for some fresh air. It was already dark, but Youngjae thought it would be romantic to go for a drive, so he glanced outside and pulled his beloved SUV to the front of the house.

Emilie put on a hat and sunglasses, glanced around, and got into the SUV. Youngjae skillfully drove the SUV away from downtown Texas. Driving through the quiet outskirts, Emilie took off her hat and sunglasses and smiled as she felt the April night breeze, which already felt like early summer.

“Whew, it was hot during the day, but it’s cool at night, right?”

“Yeah. Besides, driving at night is romantic and nice, right?”

It felt good to feel the wind on her face and her hair blowing in the wind. The daytime wind felt stuffy, but the night wind felt quite cool. Youngjae, who had been driving with the window open, told her to close it.

“If you get too much wind, you’ll catch a cold. There’s a saying in our country that even dogs don’t get summer colds.”

“I’m not a child, how could I catch a cold from this?”

Although she grumbled, Emilie smiled at Youngjae’s joking remark and closed the window. Meanwhile, Youngjae pulled the car over to the side of the road and handed her a cup of steaming Americano from a thermos he had brought from home. Emilie felt her body relax from the warmth and comfort.

“Shall we go back and sleep now?”

“Yeah… let’s go.”

The two of them returned home and finished the day. They would share intimate moments, kisses, and leisurely deep kisses when they were awake, but Youngjae strictly separated bedtime.

And he never joined her in bed.

“This is Yoon’s house… I’d feel too sorry if we did that.”

Emilie’s stubbornness was surprisingly strong. Even though it was his house, Youngjae insisted he would sleep on the sofa instead of the perfectly good bed, so Emilie didn’t lie down and sat next to Youngjae to persuade him.

“I’m okay. Actually, I don’t sleep in the bed when I’m alone.”

“Liar! Who would leave the bed and sleep on the sofa on purpose!”

“Someone here. I’m not lying.”

That was a blatant lie. The sofa was long, but it was uncomfortable because Youngjae’s toes stuck out when he stretched his legs out. So Youngjae didn’t usually lie on the sofa.

“…Am I making you uncomfortable?”

“Oh, no. Emilie, that’s not it at all.”

Youngjae wrapped his arms around Emilie’s shoulders and whispered.

“I just want to cherish you. And this bed is a single size. It’s too small for two people to sleep in.”

“…”

Emilie nodded without saying anything and lay down on the bed. She couldn’t say anything because she thought that insisting any further would take away from Youngjae’s sleep. It seemed like they would have to buy another bed next time.

“You have to wake up early. Sleep well.”

After secretly dating Emilie the day before, Youngjae felt like he had newfound strength. In his past life, he would feel weak and exhausted after sleeping with a woman and playing a game, but meeting Emilie was becoming a perfect tonic for Youngjae.

“Oh, you look good today? Can I expect something from today’s game?”

Tyson Chandler, who arrived at the court for team practice at 9 a.m. as usual, greeted Youngjae, who was already shooting in the gym.

“Your shooting touch is good today. It won’t be bad. Overall, my body condition is good.”

“Well, we have to win today’s game to beat San Antonio and secure first place in the West. I’d be excited. There can’t be many rookies who play for the first-place team in the regular season from their debut season.”

“Ugh, and if we fall to second place, there’s a high chance that our opponent will be Memphis. Playing against them is incredibly stressful and exhausting all day long. And I also helped our team to be number one, right?”

“I admit that. By the way, Memphis is annoying… I don’t know. Ah, well, their guards are a bit clingy. I don’t really want to meet [Zach] Randolph either.”

Chandler picked up a ball and started practicing free throws. Other players came one by one to prepare themselves and sharpen their shooting skills, burning with enthusiasm for the final game.

Before long, coach Rick Carlisle arrived and began briefing the tactical aspects of the home game against the New Orleans Hornets, which they would face last.

“The final game means the end of the regular league, but it also means the beginning of the upcoming playoffs. Therefore, today I’m going to check everyone’s game sense and condition. There are only two days off after the last game and then the first game of the playoffs. If we lose the last game, it won’t be good for the playoffs.”

Certainly, the high average age of the Dallas players was acting as a detriment in the second half of the season. Of course, thanks to Youngjae, who showed the best performance among this year’s draftees, [Brendan] Haywood’s recovery from injury, and [Jose Juan] Barea’s awakening, the guards [Jason] Kidd and [Jason] Terry were relatively better. However, the recovery rate from the increasingly accumulated fatigue of the forwards and centers, including [Shawn] Marion and [Dirk] Nowitzki, was bound to be slower than that of the younger players.

Nowitzki, who played for 37-38 minutes at the beginning of the season, gradually reduced his playing time in the second half, and recently it has been reduced to 31 minutes in the last 5 games. With [Corey] Brewer’s addition, Marion’s playing time at the 4 position [power forward] increased, and Nowitzki’s burden was reduced as the guards played well. Kidd and Terry also played in the early 30s, but in the second half, their playing time was reduced to the late 20s. Therefore, Coach Carlisle’s choice was not simply to throw the game away, but to re-examine the players’ condition in order to create Plan B.

“New Orleans’ Chris Paul has returned, but he hasn’t been back from injury for long, so it will be difficult for him to play for a long time. Therefore, Chris Paul must be marked individually. Even if he is not in perfect condition, Chris Paul is Chris Paul. Yoon, he’s the opponent you have to stop.”

Youngjae nodded. Chris Paul, the number one point guard of the current era, whose skills are undeniable, but an unlucky player who has no connection with championships or MVPs [Most Valuable Player awards]. Youngjae’s whole body began to tingle at the thought of facing Chris Paul again in the final game.

Carlisle’s explanation was not very long. The basic data had already been delivered through the coaches. However, the players knew that Carlisle’s short words contained a lot of meaning, so they did not lose their concentration.

“Ugh!”

After eating lunch, there was still a lot of time left until the game. Nowitzki yawned and approached Youngjae, Chandler, Haywood, Brewer, and others, opening his mouth.

“Aren’t you tired?”

“I’m tired, but even if I sleep, I don’t feel refreshed. Ugh, am I already old?”

Nowitzki maintained a straight face and flicked the back of Chandler’s head. Chandler grumbled, asking why, but Nowitzki apologized and said nonchalantly, “I just felt a little weird.”

“But if you’re tired, get some sleep. Anyway, there are still almost seven hours left until the game. Don’t let your legs give out during the game because you’re tired.”

============================ Author’s Notes ============================

★Thank you to those who gave me advance reservations, recommendations, comments, and coupons!!

@The problem of jet lag is one of the most difficult things for rookies in American sports. College basketball and minor leagues are only in similar areas, but MLB [Major League Baseball] and NBA [National Basketball Association] are for the entire United States. The east and west ends of the United States are 4 hours apart. That’s why Portland is said to be the most disadvantaged in terms of jet lag. It’s all alone at the end of the northwest.

abcdGanaDarra-nim/// Thank you for the first comment!!

Eunsinseolya-nim, Laytime-nim, huhcafe-nim, GoddessYuriPraise-nim/// Thank you for your comments!!

Caebabam-nim/// Thank you for pointing out the typo. I don’t know why I missed it when I was correcting it.

Mackerel-nim/// From this offseason, it will be very different from reality. I’ve been researching that part for a long time and have a rough salary table.

H0h-nim/// Haha… I’m sorry, but please bear with me a little bit ㅎㅎ

-DarkANGEL-nim, Jizoncheonha-nim, misscherry-nim, Kundara-nim, Financia-nim, Omarion-nim/// Thank you for always commenting~~

Moyongsamooggji-nim/// Somehow a cute image ㅋㅋㅋ

ㅡMinTㅡnim/// It’s a good amount of seasoning and it’s good for changing the atmosphere ㅋㅋㅋ

Chaikopusuki-nim/// Thank you for your compliments!

SnowflakeScentEum-nim/// It’s still fresh ㅋㅋㅋ Early in a relationship ㅋㅋㅋ

Moon’sWaterdropºHeaven-nim/// Yao Ming suffers a major injury this season. And he retires right after this season. It will be around July 2011. Still, Youngjae is less because he went to high school and NCAA [National Collegiate Athletic Association] in the United States and is not a big man. And if you smell like a superstar, it’s a little less. Yao Ming’s body is so fraudulent that he was checked even more severely. If he had been from the United States, he could have been more than Shaquille O’Neal. Youngjae also suffers some localism.

Coltes45-nim/// Well, it’s not a lot. Still, it is said to be healthier than what ordinary Koreans think. In particular, athletes are said to be healthier than in Korea. Of course, you shouldn’t generalize it. Moreover, Youngjae should be seen as having Korean ideas as his foundation.