I Returned as a High School Girl

Chapter 38: Kang Ra-Eun, Goddess of Basketball (2)

From middle school all the way up to university, Kang Ra-Eun loved playing ball games with friends. She played mainly football and basketball in university, and was obsessed with jokgu during his army days.

As Park Geon-Woo, Ra-Eun had always loved working up a sweat, so she had always participated whenever her friends wanted to do something. However, after her friends one by one started getting employed, getting married, and having kids, opportunities to play football or basketball had become infrequent.

She had planned on leaving it as just a beautiful memory, but she had now returned to the past.

‘I should enjoy what I can to the fullest.’

However, the problem was that she was now a high school girl. High school girls usually didn’t gather in groups to play football, basketball or jokgu, but there was no rule that a high school girl couldn’t play those sports. She could play if she wanted to.

The two teams had exactly five members after Ra-Eun joined. A casual game of basketball with friends did not involve designating positions such as center or point guard. Everyone just did as they liked. As long as they scored, anyone could become the hero of their team.

Ra-Eun was confident, because her nickname back in her past school days was ‘God of Basketball’, GOB for short. Ra-Eun lightly stretched before the match began. Her stamina had been reduced considerably after becoming a high school girl, but there were some good points about such a body as well.

‘My range of motion has increased a lot since I’m so flexible now.’

The moment that Ra-Eun leaned backward, the gazes of the boys shot toward her upper body. Her bustline was clearly visible. They all turned away as if they didn’t look as Ra-Eun finished stretching.

“Are we starting right away?” Ra-Eun asked.

.

“Y-Yeah, we should.”

“Let us know if you get tired midway, Ra-Eun.”

The boys answered while stuttering. It was common courtesy for them to be considerate toward Ra-Eun, but she decided to just appreciate the thought. Since she had stepped up to the challenge...

‘I have to see it through.’

It had been a long time since Ra-Eun’s competitive spirit had set ablaze. It was Team Ra-Eun’s turn to attack. She moved to the edge of the court as she was studying the opposing team.

Fwip.

Ra-Eun raised her hand to signal for a pass. If she shouted “Here!”, everyone on the court, both her own team and the opposing team, would realize her position. Hence, she chose to go with a hand signal.

The boy on the same team who had possession of the ball hesitated as he noticed Ra-Eun raising her hand. He thought about whether it was really okay to give her the ball or not.

The physical difference between a man and a woman, especially between students, was undoubtedly large. It was obvious that a girl would be overpowered in tussles for the ball, but the boy decided to try trusting Ra-Eun.

Toss—!

Ra-Eun lightly jumped to catch the ball flying over her head.

“Nice catch!” one of her teammates shouted.

Ra-Eun landed from her jump. She was unmarked, since the opposing team had never even expected her to get the ball. She was completely free to take the shot.

‘Alright!’

Ra-Eun got into position and went for a three-pointer. The basketball flew straight toward the hoop. The angle, timing, everything was perfect... or so she had thought. Not only did it not even touch the rim, but it ended up as an air ball and dropped straight to the ground.

“Huh...?”

Ra-Eun was dumbstruck because she was sure that it would go in. She felt more embarrassed as the one who took the shot. The ball ended up in the opposing team’s possession because of Ra-Eun’s miss. She and her teammates scrambled to get back into formation, but the opposing team scored the first goal with a layup before they could.

“Sorry.”

Ra-Eun apologized, which then her teammates reassured her, saying that it was okay. The reason for the air ball was likely because...

‘I’m lacking strength.’

She would be able to get the hang of it after a few practice attempts, but she couldn’t afford to practice in the middle of a match. In that case...

‘Change of plan.’

She decided to go with Plan B.

***

Concerned about Ra-Eun playing basketball with the boys, Seo Yi-Seo, Na Gyu-Rin and Choi Ro-Mi stopped playing badminton and headed to the basketball court. They were worried that Ra-Eun could get hurt while playing with them.

“That’s Ra-Eun over there, isn’t it?”

She was really playing basketball with the boys. Ra-Eun had tied her long hair back and was attentively observing the opposing team’s formation. After studying her mark’s movements, she suddenly stepped to the left.

‘Oh, no you don’t!’?the boy thought.

There was nothing more humiliating than letting a girl get through his defense. The boy also stepped in the same direction as her, but it had been a feint.

“Huh?”

Ra-Eun, whom he thought was heading left, suddenly switched directions to the right. She had gotten through a defender in a flash. Other defenders belatedly tried to mark her, but they could not catch up to her speed.

Leap... Toss!

Ra-Eun tossed the ball straight into the hoop. If she couldn’t score three-pointers, then she just needed to score via layups. Her teammates cheered as Ra-Eun penetrated the opposing team’s defenses and scored.

“Good job, Ra-Eun!”

“Nice!”

“You’re so good at basketball, Ra-Eun!”

Ra-Eun’s teammates honestly had little expectations for her. They had just taken her into their team to fill the headcount, but she had become their ace before they knew it.

***

Team Ra-Eun was ahead by twice the points of the opposing team. Ra-Eun charged in yet again.

“Hey! Block her!”

“You think we’re not trying?”

They also desperately wanted to block Ra-Eun’s charge, but not only was she fast, but they were hesitant to get close to her since she was a girl. They could be branded as perverts if they touched the wrong place by accident. Ra-Eun did not give a damn, but the boys couldn’t help but be conscious of it.

This was Ra-Eun’s last chance to attack before the bell rang. She charged into the area right underneath the hoop, soared into the air and turned her body to make an under-the-basket shot. Her hair band came undone, allowing her long hair to flutter beautifully in mid-air.

Rattle!

The ball once again went perfectly into the hoop. Ra-Eun had perfectly recreated an advanced shot, making her truly seem like the incarnation of the goddess of basketball. However, even goddesses made errors. Ra-Eun lost her balance during the landing and fell on her butt.

“Ouch!”

“Ra-Eun!”

“A-Are you okay?”

The boys rushed toward her. Yi-Seo, Gyu-Rin and Ro-Mi also came to check if she was alright.

“Phew, you should be more careful!” Gyu-Rin said as she brushed the dirt off Ra-Eun’s butt.

Thankfully, she did not seem to have been hurt.

“Thanks,” Ra-Eun expressed.

She had almost gotten hurt at the end, but she felt amazing after having been able to work up a sweat while playing a ball game after so long.

***

Ra-Eun’s hidden basketball skills had been revealed to her classmates, and its effect was far-reaching.

“Ra-Eun.”

A few of the boys who Ra-Eun played basketball with called out to her as she was talking with Yi-Seo during lunch.

“What, are we playing basketball again?” she asked.

Ra-Eun was always welcome to join, but...

“No, it’s not about that.”

“Actually, we had bet something on that basketball match. The losing team was going to pay for the PC Room fees, but since you probably won\'t go, we were thinking of just paying you with money. What do you think?”

She had not heard anything about there being a bet, but since her team had won, the boys had given her the choice of what she wanted to do.

“What do you guys usually play at the PC Room?” she asked.

“Starcraft, of course.”

There weren’t many games more fun to play with friends than Starcraft.

“Really? Then I’ll go too,” Ra-Eun said.

“Go where?”

“The PC Room.”

“...”

The boys were lost for words. They could not piece together the words ‘Kang Ra-Eun’ and ‘PC Room. The same went for Yi-Seo.

“Are you serious?”

“Yup, I love going to PC Rooms.”

She had never once gone to a PC Room since she had become a high school girl, because she had nobody to go with. Now that she had made friends to go with, she wanted to once again experience the PC Rooms of 15 years ago.

The confused boys belatedly nodded.

“O-Okay, then. I’ll let the other guys know.”

“Alright, see you in a bit,” Ra-Eun said.

For her, this was nothing out of the ordinary in the past, but now, there were way more people staring at her in astonishment.

***

“I’m home.”

Ra-Eun had come back right before sunset. Kang Ra-Hyuk tilted his head since she had returned later than usual.

“You’re awfully late today,” Ra-Hyuk remarked.

“I went to a PC Room with some classmates. Our team won a bet in a basketball match.”

“Wait. A basketball match, and... what? A PC Room?”

“Yup.”

“What did you do there? Online chatting?”

“Starcraft, of course. What else?”

“You know how to play that game?”

Ra-Hyuk had never seen Ra-Eun play games in his life. He could not help but doubt his ears at his little sister’s mention of Starcraft.

“I’m good at it, too. I pwned every single one of them. Producing zerglings and mutalisks was all it took me to win.”

Ra-Eun had actually been so good that her team had won every single game, to the point that she had earned a new nickname of Balance Breaker along with the title of Goddess of Basketball that she already had.

As Ra-Eun proudly bragged about her exploits, she looked nothing like a high school girl, but a playful high school boy. Seeing that, Ra-Hyuk exasperatedly clicked his tongue.

‘I sometimes can’t tell if she’s even my little sister.’

She was undoubtedly a beautiful girl on the outside, but her actions exactly reflected that of a high school boy. But...

‘Well, I guess it’s fine as long as Ra-Eun is enjoying herself.’

No matter how Ra-Eun acted, it did not change the fact that she was his most precious little sister.

1. Jokgu is a Korean sport which combines aspects of football and volleyball.

2. A PC Room is a LAN gaming center in South Korea where people can play multiplayer computer games for an hourly fee.