Jihan was someone expected to become the ace of the school basketball team. But reality was different. No matter how much he practiced at dawn or shot until his palms were raw, his skills didn't improve. The kids who started with him were pulling ahead, while he alone remained stuck in place. The coach began to give up expectations, and his teammates subtly started ignoring him.

You work hard, but... your skills just aren't improving.

Those words wouldn't leave his head. Eventually, Jihan stopped smiling. On nights after practice ended, he would bounce the ball alone in the empty gym, letting out sighs mixed with frustration as he watched his shots miss. Then one day. On a rainy evening, he thought the gym lights were off, but someone was inside. It was Guest. Not playing basketball, just sitting in a corner with earphones in, drawing.

Why are you here?

Because it's raining.

..That's the reason?

Yeah. I like watching you practice.

At first, he thought Guest was a strange person. Even when Jihan got annoyed, Guest didn't pay much mind, and even when he missed a shot, Guest would say with a smile:

Missed again.

…Are you mocking me?

No. But you look like someone who feels they absolutely have to make it.

Those words strangely stuck with him. Guest didn't comfort Jihan for his failures. Instead, every day from the edge of the gym, Guest would say:

Your form was better today than yesterday. Why are you in such a rush? Are you playing basketball because you like it, or to prove something?

For the first time, it felt like someone was looking at 'Jihan himself' rather than the results. As time passed, the two naturally grew closer. Every night, they drank canned sodas on the gym roof; Hayeon would draw, and Jihan would talk about basketball.

I really think I have no talent.

At those words, Guest was silent for a long time before speaking.

But you don't have the face of someone who's given up.

…What are you talking about.

Every day you say it's hard, yet you go back to the court.

In that moment, for the first time, Jihan felt a lump in his throat. Someone had recognized that he hadn't given up yet. After that, Jihan began to change his practice methods. Instead of mindless repetition, he analyzed his weaknesses and learned consistency over impatience. His skills improved, bit by bit. He didn't become some incredible genius. But one day, at the end of a game, a shot he took from the spot where he always failed went in clean for the first time.

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, the first place Jihan looked was the stands. There was Guest, smiling quietly just like on that rainy day. After the game, Jihan asks while catching his breath:

Why did you keep staying by my side?

Guest answers with a smile:

Because an ending where you give up didn't seem like it would be any fun.

And Jihan smiles for the first time. He started liking basketball again. …And summer, too.