Y13 [EN]: Chapter 132

Y13-132 2010-2011 Semi-Conference Final

Emilie, Melli, Steve, and their Aztec friends were worried and contacted Youngjae, checking on him through calls and social media, despite their busy schedules. Emilie, in particular, sounded like she was on the verge of tears, apologizing for not being able to visit, which flustered Youngjae.

– I’ll finish as quickly as possible and come see you… I’m sorry I can’t come right away. –

Youngjae found renewed strength at the thought of Emilie’s visit. He wanted to recover from his injury before she arrived and show her that he had regained his form on the court. Since he had asked her to come watch the game if he made it to the Finals, Youngjae focused all his attention on fully recovering.

[Andrew Bynum Apologizes to Youngjae Yoon]

2011.05.11

Andrew Bynum showed no remorse in the post-game interview.

“We were getting crushed so badly that I was fouling anyone. I was angry that a rookie kept driving to the basket and making layups.”

This was Bynum’s statement after the 4th game. However, Bynum officially apologized to Youngjae Yoon through a press conference today, likely because the media continued to criticize him, and those around him pressured him to apologize.

“My behavior did not represent who I am or my team. I apologize to Youngjae Yoon. I’m glad he wasn’t seriously injured. I’ll probably get disciplined by the league. But I don’t want to be disciplined.”

He shouldn’t have said that last part. His expression made it seem like he was being forced to say it, and by adding that last sentence, his forced apology became an apology that wasn’t really an apology.

[ESPN = Dave McMenamin.]

Re: Wow, is that an apology? You can’t find any sincerity even if you try.

Re: Maybe the team or his agent made him apologize. It doesn’t seem like he apologized willingly.

Re: The timing is already late. It seems like he’s trying to smooth things over belatedly and reduce his punishment because he’s afraid of being disciplined.

Re: “I don’t want to be disciplined”? This apology is so transparent that it would have been better not to do it at all.

Re: Sorry? Sorry my ass… Fix your mentality and come back, you jerk!

Inside the Dallas Mavericks’ arena, a few men were gathered, facing each other. Microphones were pointed at one man, as if they were trying to interview him.

“Did you see the article about Bynum’s apology today?”

“Do you have anything to say about his apology?”

Youngjae couldn’t help but laugh. He hadn’t even been able to properly train yet. Nevertheless, the reporters seemed more interested in hearing his comments on Bynum’s apology than his injury. Of course, the team had announced that Youngjae’s injury wasn’t severe, and he had done a brief interview about it. To be honest, the injury wasn’t serious enough to be considered a major one. Moreover, the team had taken care to gather only a few reporters for a short interview.

“Yes, I saw it. Bynum’s foul was not a legitimate play in basketball. But sometimes things like that happen. So I have to be prepared every time I drive to the basket because you never know what might happen.”

“Your performance in the Lakers game was truly amazing. Do you think the Lakers players were targeting you?”

The reporters kept asking sensitive questions, as if they still didn’t have enough news material. It was a question based on rumors that Youngjae was quite familiar with. He had heard from his teammates that such rumors were circulating online because the Lakers’ fouls were concentrated on him and Nowitzki.

“Things like that happen sometimes. I don’t particularly resent the Lakers players. Bynum committed such fouls on two other players besides me, and [Ron] Artest [Metta Sandiford-Artest] didn’t just do that to me either. They’ve probably shown the replay more than 10 times on TV. I did get hit pretty hard, but I’m really glad I wasn’t seriously injured. I’ll be a little sore for a few days, but I’m just happy that our team won. Right now, all I’m thinking about is the game against Oklahoma City.”

[Andrew Bynum Suspended for 5 Games]

2011.05.12

The punishment for Andrew Bynum, who was ejected for a flagrant foul [an unsportsmanlike foul involving excessive or violent contact] on Youngjae Yoon in the 4th game of the second round of the playoffs against Dallas, has been confirmed. He will be suspended for 5 games and fined $25,000. In addition to the fine, Bynum will lose approximately $670,000 in salary due to the game suspension.

(Omitted)

Since the LA Lakers have been eliminated from the playoffs, this 5-game suspension will be applied to the 2011-2012 season next year.

[www.nba.com Official]

Re: Isn’t this punishment too lenient? He should be suspended for 20 games…

Re: But I predicted exactly 5 games. It’s the same punishment as always. As long as the league doesn’t see a punch, the maximum is 5 games regardless of the severity of the hard foul. If you punch someone, the minimum is 5 games, but he didn’t punch anyone.

Re: I agree. Considering the previous punishments, I expected about 2-3 games, but this is more severe than I thought.

Re: With this level of punishment, there may be more victims of Bynum. [Rasheed] Wallace, [Michael] Beasley, and Yoon were all really in danger… The league will probably change its attitude only when a player’s career is ended.

Re: I want to say something to Wallace, Beasley, and Yoon. Two of them recovered too quickly, and the other one is fine… That’s why Bynum keeps thinking it’s no big deal and keeps doing it.

Swish-

“Hoo…”

Four days later, when light shooting practice was allowed, Youngjae began shooting, one shot at a time. At first, his chest tightened, and his left elbow tingled just from lifting his right arm, causing him to grimace. But after a day, it was bearable, and after two days, the stiff muscles that had been tight and unused began to loosen, and his shooting gradually returned to normal.

“You’re recovering quickly. Is it because you’re a young player? Your recovery speed seems twice as fast as I thought.”

“Well, I’m still young, so I recover quickly. And I took good care of myself and rested as much as possible, in addition to following the doctor’s prescriptions, for a quick recovery.”

The team doctor nodded approvingly, as if proud of Youngjae’s words. There was no more satisfying result than his team player recovering in a shorter period than his own prediction.

“We’ll have to check one last time on the day of the game, but depending on the situation, you may have to rest or adjust your playing time for the first 1-2 games at home. I’ve already conveyed my opinion to Coach [Rick] Carlisle.”

Youngjae nodded, as if he understood. According to his memories from his past life, Dallas would advance to the Finals and even win the championship. Of course, [DeShawn] Stevenson, who had been a solid player, wasn’t even a rotation member in his place, and [Jose Juan] Barea and [Jason] Terry’s playing time and roles had changed a lot because of him. In short, the Dallas in his memory and the current Dallas were very different teams. It was absurd to think that they would go to the Finals as they did in the past without him.

Also, considering that the Conference Finals opponent was Oklahoma City, they were an opponent that should never be underestimated. Previously, DeShawn had defended [Russell] Westbrook well, but now that he was out, there was no suitable player on the Dallas roster to guard Russell. Perhaps the only alternative was to put [Corey] Brewer in the starting lineup to guard Westbrook.

“We’ll gradually increase the amount of training Yoon can handle each day and check the pain in his elbow and chest. No matter how much you want to play, you must faithfully participate in the checkups and tell us about your condition without leaving anything out. You’ll obviously be willing to endure some pain to play, but for the sake of your future, you need to know when to rest if it hurts too much.”

“I understand. I know that athletes live on painkillers, but I don’t want to gamble with my future. I also know that this is only my first season.”

Youngjae continued his training and returned home. As Youngjae arrived home in his SUV, he couldn’t help but feel tense, as if someone was inside.

‘What is it? A thief in broad daylight?!’

Youngjae swallowed hard, just in case, and looked around before grabbing the broom he used to clean around the house in his right hand and slowly opening the door.

Creak-

“…”

Tuk-tuk-tuk-

The sound of someone cutting something with a knife. Youngjae was even more horrified at the thought that the person who had entered his house had a knife. To experience this when his left arm and ribs weren’t in good condition! Youngjae moistened his parched lips with his tongue and tiptoed slowly towards the sound.

The sound was coming from the kitchen. Before going to the kitchen, Youngjae glanced at his room, noticing that his door was open.

“?!”

The drawers were all open, and the clothes were taken out. It must be a thief. This could only be the work of a thief…

‘Strike first, gain the advantage!’

Youngjae ran to the kitchen in one breath. Whoever the culprit was, if they were looking back…

“?!”

A very familiar back. Youngjae hurriedly threw the broom he was holding to the side and let out a hollow laugh.

Thud-

“Oh? Yoon!”

Emilie was cutting vegetables with a knife when she heard the sound of the broom falling and found Youngjae. Youngjae smiled and hugged Emilie from behind. In a funny turn of events, Youngjae felt so embarrassed that he had thought of Emilie as a thief that he put his chin on the top of Emilie’s head and opened and closed his mouth.

“Ah, ah! What are you doing!”

Tap-tap-tap-

“Ouch! My crown hurts! I’m not tall to begin with, are you trying to make me even smaller…”

At Emilie’s grumbling, Youngjae tapped a few more times before lightly kissing Emilie on the cheek.

“How did you get in?”

“I told you the password. The door lock.”

Youngjae made an ‘Ah!’ sound and smiled awkwardly.

“Really, you told me to come in whenever I wanted. But you always forget, don’t you?”

Emilie spoke petulantly, as if she were sulking, and Youngjae couldn’t help but laugh apologetically.

“Still, there’s one thing I don’t forget.”

Emilie was about to turn her head to say, “What is it?” when Youngjae’s lips touched hers, making her eyes as round as a rabbit’s. But soon, she closed her eyes slightly and kissed for a long time, following Youngjae’s lead.

“Eup, eupp!”

Emilie was still not immune to Youngjae’s kiss, which was so skillful and passionate that it was hard to believe it was a 20-year-old’s kiss. Just a little lip contact would turn her ears red, and her whole body would feel hot, not just her face, and soon her body would tremble to the point where she couldn’t control herself. Moreover, whenever she tried to pull away slightly to calm herself down, Youngjae would gently wrap his arms around her waist and neck, making it impossible for her to escape.

“Haa, haa…”

In the end, when their lips parted, Emilie’s eyes were slightly watery and her gaze was slightly unfocused, unable to escape the lingering feeling for a while. Youngjae sometimes wondered if he was being too much when he saw Emilie like that, but he couldn’t help but kiss her mischievously because of her scent, her touch, and the feeling that he didn’t want to let go.

“Is the filming over?”

Youngjae, sitting in a chair with Emilie, who hadn’t yet recovered from the lingering feeling, handed her a cold Americano [iced coffee] and asked. Emilie took a sip of the cold coffee and seemed to come to her senses, glaring at Youngjae before poking him in the side and nodding.

“Yes! I came as soon as it was over to see some guy who’s having fun teasing me!”

“Hahaha! Are you sulking? Huh?”

“No! I’m not sulking! I just wanted Yoon to get better quickly, so I cooked, took out the damp clothes in the drawers, and aired out the room, but as soon as Yoon saw me…”

Youngjae brought his face close to Emilie’s, so close that she could feel his breath.

“Ah…”

“I made you sulk, so should we do it again? Without teasing… for real.”

Emilie couldn’t control her heart, which was pounding like crazy, as she looked at Youngjae, who had become impossible to resist. In the end, Emilie, who was just gaping like a goldfish, closed her eyes slightly with half anticipation and half nervousness.

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

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

★Thank you, Silver Wind and Cloud, for the sponsorship coupon!!

@The foul by Odom and Bynum in the previous episode is exactly as it happened in reality. The only slight change is that Bynum fouled Youngjae instead of Barea, and Youngjae kicked Bynum a bit and went to the hospital with an injury, unlike Barea. In reality, Barea was slammed to the ground like that and got up a few minutes later and played perfectly fine on the court. He played without injury in the next game against Oklahoma City as well. He really seemed to be a tough guy. To fall and get hit that hard and not get injured.

@Youngjae’s interview in this episode was also based on Barea’s interview. Barea was praised for his mental strength because of that interview ㅋㅋ. The only difference is that Barea’s interview came before Bynum’s apology in reality.

@Bynum’s punishment is also exactly as it was in reality. I wrote about the racial discrimination part in detail in the recomments section. I would appreciate it if others could read it and give their opinions if they have time.

Kingdom Brothers, Cup in Cup///I saw that article too. As far as I know, this is a problem caused by the termination of the Toto support fund [a sports promotion fund]. The amount of money to be given to the national team has decreased, but there are 9 national teams formed this year. By age group or Universiade [an international multi-sport event for university athletes], etc. So the men’s national team couldn’t hire two translators and managers this time, so they’re hiring someone who can do both jobs. In addition, two teams have to use one training ground, so they’re adjusting the time;;; It’s also because the KBL [Korean Basketball League] and the Basketball Association don’t respect each other. In addition, the government cut off the Toto support fund, which reduced the reason for the two organizations to cooperate. In many ways, the current men’s basketball is in the worst situation. The situation of the men’s national team before this season is not that bad. Therefore, I don’t think the environment of the national team in the novel is that bad. I wouldn’t say it’s particularly good, though.

Financia, Severance and Goma, CountOfDark, Kundara, Vanishing Soul, Tonight Overtime, Omarion, huhcafe/// Thank you for your comments as always. Have a happy Friday!!

Cebabam/// The secretariat has traditionally been lenient with punishments for such fouls.

Magara/// ㅋㅋㅋ Still… mercy

Zigichacha/// Haha… In reality, Oklahoma takes revenge the following season. 4:0. Will it be in the novel…?

Look Away/// Thank you for the coupon!!

Rapir and Jint, ㅎ0ㅎ, Papilion, Gahan可汗/// First of all, we assumed that this part was a kind of trash talk. In other words, there is no physical evidence. Even if it is a national broadcast, not every word spoken by the players on the court is broadcast. Usually, racial slurs do not come to the surface unless it is an official occasion. [Donald] Sterling, the owner of the team, [Bruce] Levenson, the owner of the team, and Danny Ferry, the general manager, were fired because of physical evidence such as recordings, emails, and press conferences. In fact, it seems that there have been no players who have directly made racial slurs in the NBA in recent years. And trash talk usually comes out through autobiographies or interviews with players, but this is a situation where there is only circumstantial evidence and no physical evidence. A situation where the other party can deny it. In addition, Youngjae was not in his right mind, and it was assumed that [Tyson] Chandler was the only one who heard Bynum’s words. It was assumed that Chandler was too angry to hear Bynum’s words properly. This is what we think, but if it is too awkward or unnatural, please give your opinion in the comments of this episode. We will think about ways to modify it more naturally. The NBA does not have good data on players who have recently committed racial discrimination. It seems that there is some in overseas soccer. So, if it’s awkward, we’re considering removing that word. We will also consider various methods after seeing your comments.

Bad Guys/// The NBA is more lenient with hard fouls than I thought;; It’s frustrating for the fans who watch it, but there hasn’t been a change for quite some time. Even when players are injured due to excessive plays by players like [Patrick] Beverly or [Matthew] Dellavedova, there is no punishment or it is lenient.

Misscherry/// It was all real ㄷㄷ. The reactions of the fans of those players when they saw it live;;;

Yabes/// It seemed impossible for Youngjae to dunk on Bynum in your face due to his specs, so I tried it this way.

Omen/// In reality, Odom does that and then tells his agent that he wants to go to Dallas the very next season ㅋㅋ. But Cuban accepts it again. I don’t know if Odom or Cuban didn’t see it that seriously at the time;; Anyway, in the novel, it probably won’t happen.

Shooting Start/// Yao Ming was… there was even a sneer that he would foul just by breathing. I don’t know if the secretariat is working too much with popularity in mind, but it seems that the weak punishment has been a long-standing practice. The maximum has been 5 games suspension for countless hard fouls in the meantime. If you only look at the secretariat’s punishment, it is a structure where only the victims lose. I don’t know why they haven’t changed it yet.

Goimosp/// In particular, some players do that throughout their careers. I really can’t look at them in a good way.