Chapter 134
Chapter 134
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 134
Chapter Title: Again, Writer
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Green Hye-jeong shook the small bag containing the chance card and asked.
For her, it didn't seem like a bad idea to use the chance.
"Let's save the chance. Worst case, we can use it after we lose."
"Oh, right!"
"Of course, that doesn't mean I plan on losing. Right?"
"We'll do our best!"
At Woo Ji-hyun's words, his younger colleagues let out a resounding cheer.
They responded in voices full of spirit, like fresh recruits in boot camp.
"Let's get started, then."
"Got it. We'll play just two quarters total. Think of it as first half and second half. Time will be ten minutes each, just like domestic pro basketball. Considering we're all amateurs, halftime will be three minutes."
"Is the strategy timeout once per team?"
"Do we even need it?"
Heo Gwang-su gave Woo Ji-hyun's question a skeptical look.
It was the face of someone thinking a neighborhood pickup game didn't need strategy timeouts.
"In case the production team wants one?"
"Hmm?"
Woo Ji-hyun spoke with a confident expression.
But at those words, Heo Gwang-su's face took on a strange cast.
"It's fine if we don't use it."
"Understood. But let's limit it to once per team. No need for multiples."
"Got it."
Amid the odd tension, Woo Ji-hyun nodded.
Then, to warm up, he gathered his younger colleagues.
First, they needed to assign positions.
But at his call, not just his colleagues but the Tiramisu members and Nam Hee-gyu came over too.
"Huh? Bro. Instead of Tae-jin hyung or Woo-jin hyung, wouldn't the manager here be better?"
"Hmm?"
Woo Ji-hyun, who had been eyeing Kang Tae-jin and Yeo Woo-jin—who were slinking closer with guilty consciences—with narrowed eyes, turned his head.
Lee Jang-hu's words had unconsciously drawn his gaze to Nam Hee-gyu.
"M-Me?"
"Yeah, are you a former player by any chance?"
"Not really. I'm just a manager."
"We're just writers too."
Lee Jang-hu shot back identically.
Nam Hee-gyu, at a loss for words, scratched his chin with a flustered face.
He seemed pretty thrown off.
"I hit the gym sometimes, but basketball? Never really played."
"That's bragging."
"My athleticism's not great."
"Then is Ji-hyun hyung the only one we can rely on? He loves soccer and basketball. And he trains jiu-jitsu consistently."
At the mention of jiu-jitsu, the Tiramisu members' eyes sparkled.
Woo Ji-hyun had put on the biggest show today, so their faces naturally filled with expectant expressions.
But even at Lee Jang-hu's words, Woo Ji-hyun shook his head darkly.
"Basketball or soccer, they're team games. I can score, but to win, defense is key. That's why Chae Chi-su nags Han Baek-ho about rebounds nonstop in Slam Dunk. And we're outsized too."
"Oh, yeah."
The production team's guys warming up looked mostly 180cm or taller.
From how they handled the ball, it was clear they'd played a fair bit.
Meanwhile, Woo Ji-hyun was the tallest writer there.
The rest were all middling 170s.
"You all know the basic rules, right?"
"We played in school, so yeah. But isn't domestic pro basketball different from the NBA?"
"It is, but since it's amateurs, the basics should be the same. Stick to basics, just basics. Let's assign positions first. And pick our marks. It'll be tough, but we're going man-to-man. Stick to one guy like glue. Play rough in the paint. Just no fouls. Especially don't slap at the opponent's hands."
Woo Ji-hyun quickly ran through basketball rules in his head.
But the real issue was positions.
Center, forward, guard—the basics. No one to play center.
Woo Ji-hyun was tallest, so he'd have to, but unfortunately, his natural spot was forward.
"Ready to start? Or need more time for strategy?"
"We're about set."
"Then change into the uniforms and let's go."
"Yes."
No way were they playing in their dressed-up clothes, so Woo Ji-hyun gladly took the sportswear from the production team.
And as soon as they changed, the game tipped off.
"Huff huff huff!"
"Urgh!"
No sooner had the first half started than it flew by.
Halftime passed even faster.
Just three minutes—it was over in a blink.
But even after halftime, the writers' faces showed no sign of calming.
"Whew, shouldn't we sub for the second half?"
"Our stamina's trash, isn't it?"
"Didn't expect to run this hard."
Lee Jang-hu placed both hands on his knees, staring at the production team celebrating a basket with high-fives.
He was so exhausted he could barely stand straight.
And the problem was, the other younger guys were in the same boat.
"We're getting crushed physically. Tall and great stamina too."
"Yeah. Feels like they planned to smoke us."
"While having fun on the side."
Woo Ji-hyun gave a wry smile and checked the scoreboard.
The gap had already hit double digits.
Despite his solo efforts, the score kept widening.
"But hyung being here is a relief."
"I'm dying out there."
"Hahaha..."
Lee Jang-hu laughed awkwardly.
But the others couldn't even laugh—they couldn't lift their heads.
They knew all too well they were dead weight on the team.
"Subs first. Seong-il and Woo-hyuk, you're in."
Woo Ji-hyun signaled the subs.
Looked like they'd collapse on the court if they ran more.
But at that, Lee Jang-hu looked mortified.
"What about me?"
"Ask the manager."
"Yes!"
Leaving the maknae Kim Seon-woo in, Woo Ji-hyun racked his brain for strategy.
But no matter how he thought, no path to comeback appeared.
'If we just had one center or guard...'
With his colleagues' awkward shots, they couldn't run the offense.
So even playing center, Woo Ji-hyun had to orchestrate the whole game.
Despite not being a guard.
"Can we catch up?"
"We'll push till we can't. Can't skip dinner."
"Maybe just use the chance?"
Kang Tae-jin, subbed in with a dark face, spoke up.
Watching from outside, he'd seen the skill gap objectively.
Plus, the production team had way better bench depth.
"Giving up now after coming this far? That's the real joke."
"Right. If we'd bailed at the start, fine, but quitting midway? No. Even in defeat, give it your all—that's the spirit of sports."
"Nice words, but you know you've barely run, right?"
"I'll run till I drop!"
Kim Seon-woo's eyes gleamed.
His gaze still fixed on Tiramisu cheering hard courtside.
"Woo Ji-hyun sunbaenim. I'll take guard. When I play with friends, I'm usually guard."
"Really?"
"Yeah. And for center, Director Yeo Woo-jin with his build would be better. Short on height, but he can handle the physicality."
"That'll ease my load a ton."
"Yeah, so go wild."
Nam Hee-gyu smiled meaningfully.
As if he knew exactly what Woo Ji-hyun's position was.
"Eight minutes left—plenty of time."
"The production team's slacking too. Eleven points is big, but not impossible to flip in amateur ball."
"Fast break, Seon-woo. Pour everything into these last eight. Show Tiramisu something cool. Your rivals are all benched and passed out."
Woo Ji-hyun looked at Kim Seon-woo.
His eyes burned bright, ready to empty the tank, just as Woo Ji-hyun said.
"Strategy timeout? Even with subs, that's too long."
"Here we go."
Before the production team could finish, Woo Ji-hyun took the ball from Yeo Woo-jin and walked slowly toward their side.
Then passed back to Nam Hee-gyu behind him.
Handing off the point to Nam Hee-gyu, he plunged into the production team's defense.
Swoosh!
As soon as Nam Hee-gyu got the ball, Woo Ji-hyun unleashed sharp cuts.
Unlike before, off-ball and free to roam, his movements menaced the court.
He signaled his brothers and Seon-woo with glances too.
Basketball was about constant motion, finding space, scoring.
"Guard him!"
Even off-ball, more threatening than on-ball, Woo Ji-hyun drew the production team's best of the three—the sneaky dirty player—rushing to shadow him.
Their small forward knew Woo Ji-hyun couldn't roam free; he blocked with a grim face.
Keeping him inside the three-point line, away from his team's paint.
'Just stop Woo Ji-hyun. He's their only scorer.'
Four of the writers' six points were his.
So sealing him was the best play, he thought. Teammates agreed.
But the gap between guard-Woo Ji-hyun and natural position Woo Ji-hyun was huge.
Swoosh!
Free to focus purely on scoring, Woo Ji-hyun was ferocious.
And he proved it.
Forcing Kang Tae-jin into a screen, then taking Nam Hee-gyu's pass to drive baseline.
"Push him out!"
"Don't let him shoot!"
The production team panicked at his terrifying speed into the paint.
They'd already given up two on these moves.
Thud! Bounce!
But basketball was hard to stop even knowing it.
Proving the point, Woo Ji-hyun dribble-shook two defenders and finished with a layup.
"Nice!"
"Thanks for the pass."
Clean bucket. Woo Ji-hyun high-fived his teammates.
And thanked Nam Hee-gyu.
Perfect timing on the dish.
"No problem. But aren't you overpacing a bit?"
"Not much time left, so it's fine. Miss this momentum, comeback's dead."
"True."
Nam Hee-gyu nodded.
Time now under seven minutes.
Not much window for the win-or-bust.
"Fight! Fight!"
"Win for our team! Writers win!"
"We believe in you, oppas!"
Tiramisu cheered harder after Woo Ji-hyun's score.
Dinner on the line—they rooted desperately for the writers.
But Nam Hee-gyu didn't hear.
Instead, a strange competitive fire rose in his chest.
'We're in it—might as well win. Winners feel way better than losers.'