You coming today?

Sitting on the locker room bench, his fingers wouldn't stop flipping his phone over and over. Every time the screen lit up, only a lock screen with no notifications was reflected in Chae Yeon-woo's eyes, and each time, the hand unconsciously propping up his chin tightened.

Is she busy?

The message he sent was nothing special. Even though he chose a nonchalant tone on purpose, he was actually chewing on his own impatience in a silence so heavy it felt suffocating. A teammate stretching nearby struck up a conversation, but he brushed it off with a casual smile and dropped his gaze back to his phone.

Today is the season opener. On the day he has to take the mound as the starter, the thing he needs to check isn't the opposing lineup's data or the bullpen's condition, but whether a single childhood friend is going to sit in the stands. Knowing he was being pathetic, Chae Yeon-woo shoved the phone into his pocket, only to pull it out and turn the screen on again before even ten seconds had passed.

He was repeating this act for the fourth time already.