LOVE:ZERO

Hunter, indifferent to the states around him, casually brushed off Jake’s gaze as well. He walked to a nearby empty table, set down the icebox, and pulled out a couple of water bottles. Jiyu followed him, placing her canvas bag on the table before settling into a seat.

The waiting room buzzed with tournament players and their companions. On one side, there was a small concession stand with vending machines and a shop selling assorted tennis gear.

“Still playing tennis these days?”

Jake asked, as if suddenly remembering.

“Yes, I take group lessons twice a week on Randall’s Island.”

“Oh, really? That’s good. You said your goal was to make the high school varsity team, right? Just keep at it as long as you don’t stop, you’ll get there.”

As Hunter fully immersed himself in the national-level tournament circuit, Jake, his dedicated coach, also became busier. As a result, the extra lessons he used to give Jiyu at the Hamilton residence’s basement court had to stop. Still, thanks to learning from a skilled coach, Jiyu had built a solid foundation.

Not wanting her past training to go to waste, Aejeong enrolled Jiyu in group classes twice a week at the tennis academy Hunter attended. She had heard somewhere that becoming captain of the varsity team would help with Ivy League college admissions.

Even if making the varsity team was possible through hard work, captain? That was a whole different story. It wasn’t just about skill… leadership mattered too. For Jiyu, who struggled just being in front of people, fulfilling Aejeong’s high hopes felt harder than anything else.

Jake turned his attention to Hunter.

“Hunter, you already stretched, right? We’ve got 30 minutes before the match starts… let’s go warm up.”

Hunter nodded, tapping the table with his knuckles.

“I’ll come back after the semifinals, so stay here and do your homework.”

Before Jiyu could respond, he turned and followed Jake out.

“Hey… Hunter!”

Just as he was about to leave the waiting room, Jiyu impulsively called out to him. She hadn’t even raised her voice much, but somehow, Hunter heard and stopped. He turned his head slightly, staring blankly as if asking what she wanted.

‘Ugh, I should’ve just stayed quiet.’

Until now, whenever Hunter competed in tournaments, she had just accepted it as normal… she’d never genuinely cheered for him. Sometimes, she even hoped he’d lose miserably, just because he annoyed her so much.

But since she’d come all this way as his lucky charm, she felt obligated to say something. She mustered her courage, though she was already regretting it.

“What, you need something?”

His impatient tone pressured her. He was already in game mode and his expression was completely different from before.

“It’s nothing. Um, good luck in the semifinals… I mean, win.”

Her voice, already quiet, faded even more toward the end. Unable to bear his sharp gaze, she lowered her eyes. It was just a simple cheer, but she felt as awkward as if she were confessing something.

Yet, Hunter didn’t react for a long moment. Thinking he might have left without a word, she peeked up only to see him looking at her, the corner of his mouth twitching. He quickly averted his eyes, covering his mouth with his fist as he cleared his throat.

“Obviously.”

With his usual confident, easygoing smirk, he turned away.

Jake, who had been watching the exchange with amusement, grinned widely and waved.

“See you later, Olivia.”

On her way back from buying a water bottle at the vending machine, Jiyu paused in front of the tennis shop. A small accessory displayed behind the glass had caught her eye.

After hesitating briefly, she opened the door and stepped inside. Picking up a dampener from the shelf, she stifled a giggle.

‘If this is the real lucky charm for the finals, what would Hunter Hamilton say if I attached it to his racket? Would he yell at me, calling me an idiot?’

Until last year, Hunter had struggled to control his anger when opponents taunted him or when he lost due to clever fouls. He’d often rage on the court, even smashing his racket in half.

Fed up, Jake had recorded one of these outbursts and shown it to Hunter.

Aejeong, who knew everything about the Hamiltons, later shared that he had been so shocked he skipped practice for three days. His pride had taken a serious hit.

After receiving an SOS from Lauren, Jake rushed over and showed Hunter footage of his favorite player, Roger Federer, during his teenage years…vwhen he, too, had exploded in anger and broken rackets.

Jake’s advice that Federer overcame this to become a legend, and that Hunter needed to channel his emotions into controlled energy stuck with him.

Since then, Hunter voluntarily started seeing a renowned sports psychologist once a month, learning about sportsmanship, composure under pressure, and mental discipline.

It must have worked, because lately, his explosive outbursts had become rare. If anything, his lack of reaction never showing frustration was almost annoying.

Jiyu handed the dampener to the cashier. It was an impulse buy, but she didn’t care. If Hunter got mad and refused it, she could always use it on her own racket.

Back at the table, she smirked at the dampener. It was cute and girly pale pink with a red lip print, just like the kiss stickers she used to stick on her palms as a kid.

After tucking it into her copy of Death of a Salesman, she opened her laptop and dove into her homework.