The air in the national training center was sterile and cool, smelling of floor wax, rubber, and the sharp, metallic tang of athletic equipment. For Ji-hye, the facility had always been a place of absolute discipline—a sanctuary where the only thing that mattered was the trajectory of a ball and the precision of a movement. But as she stepped into the women's changing room, the familiarity of the space felt jarringly different.
She moved with a subtle, rhythmic stiffness, her gait lacking its usual effortless grace. Every step she took felt heavy, her body humming with a lingering, dull ache that radiated from her core. As she reached her locker and began to undress, the physical reminders of the previous night flooded back.
