Lie Again! Chapter 71

Chapter 71. A New Face (1)

 

“This is the locker room. There’s a shower connected next to it, and if you head out from here, you’ll be right at the indoor courts.”

 

Following Amanda out of the locker room, Jin looked around the indoor court facility.

 

Two blue courts were painted over the green surface. While the nets showed their age and the lines were faded in places, the facility appeared meticulously maintained, without a single stray ball rolling around. 

 

According to Amanda, today was just an optional practice session, so it was relatively quiet. Sure enough, only two girls with tightly tied hair were playing a singles match on the right court, with a few others watching from the sidelines.

 

Each time the ball struck a racket, it made a sharp popping sound that caught the ear. As Jin watched with interest, Amanda added an explanation.

 

“Usually freshmen or kids who just started tennis practice indoors. There are four courts outside in total…”

 

“Amy!”

 

Jin, who had been listening to Amanda, turned her head at the sudden interruption.

 

Through the wide-open back door, under bright sunlight streaming in, a man appeared and rushed in without warning, throwing an arm around Amanda’s shoulders.

 

His nicely tanned bronze skin and brassy curly hair were damp with sweat, and his model-like tall frame was built with firm, lean muscle. 

 

He wasn’t holding a racket, but the white wristband on his arm and the dense muscles packed into his thighs beneath his white shorts made it easy to guess he was a tennis player.

 

He had a striking crescent-shaped eye-smile and exuded an overall lively energy.

 

As Jin studied him, she found herself meeting the brown eyes that were just as intently looking her over. The man crinkled his nose slightly and grinned.

 

“Why are you at school?”

 

Unlike the man, who seemed genuinely glad to see her, Amanda wrinkled her nose as if annoyed and casually shrugged off his arm.

 

“Try pretending you’re happy to see me. It’s been a while.”

 

“You want a warm welcome after getting knocked out in the quarterfinals in Australia?”

 

Even as he drooped his brows as though hurt, Amanda responded without missing a beat. The man shifted tactics.

 

“Ahem. Amy, aren’t you going to introduce your friend?”

 

Amy? Jin murmured inwardly at the unfamiliar nickname directed at Amanda. Hearing it, Amanda glanced at her and explained.

 

“It’s a nickname my family uses.”

 

“Family?”

 

“Say hi, Jin. This is James Wood—my cousin. And this is Jin Lee. A close friend of mine.”

 

“Hi. I’m James Wood. You can just call me James. If you’re Amy’s friend, that makes you my friend too.”

 

“Oh—uh, hi, James. I’m Jin Lee.”

 

As Jin blinked at the sudden appearance of Amanda’s cousin, the man who introduced himself as James extended his hand without hesitation. Jin quickly reached out and shook it.

 

The thick hand vigorously pumping hers was rough with calluses scattered across his palm. They must’ve formed from gripping a racket. With that thought, Jin tried to pull her hand back.

 

But the large hand that wrapped around hers didn’t budge. After a few attempts to withdraw her elbow, Jin shot him an uneasy look.

 

Unlike the flustered Jin, James simply squinted his eyes and smiled, clearly aware that she was in a difficult spot. He didn’t seem to mind the light sweat beginning to form between their joined palms.

 

A faint wrinkle formed over the smooth ridge of his nose as he grinned. Jin’s discomfort showed plainly in her eyes.

 

“Um, could you let go now—”

 

“So, what are you doing this weekend?”

 

“…Me? Uh, nothing in particular.”

 

Jin answered a beat late to the sudden question.

 

“Then want to go on a date with me?”

 

Instead of replying, Jin instinctively whipped her head toward Amanda.

 

She still wasn’t used to this sort of thing.

 

In a situation like this—and worse, when he was her friend’s family—she had no idea what the correct answer was.

 

Noticing her uncertain gaze, Amanda let out a sigh and stepped forward to separate their still-clasped hands. At the warning look from his cousin, James shrugged innocently.

 

Once her hand was finally free, Jin rubbed her sweaty palm against her clothes to ease the tension.

 

But what seemed like it would end there took an unexpected turn when Amanda, who had been silently studying James, opened her mouth.

 

“Jin, if you have time, you should go. He’s not a bad guy. And I’m not just saying that because he’s my cousin.”

 

“What?”

 

While Jin struggled to figure out how to respond, Amanda launched into what sounded like a product introduction on a home shopping channel.

 

“He’s a senior at our school, and as you can see, he’s a tennis player. Not like me, doing it for credentials—he’s one of the real prospects around here.”

 

“Hey, what do you mean ‘this region’? I’m at least national-scale. Please correct that.”

 

Interrupting Amanda, James shamelessly praised himself. Jin shot him a sideways glance.

 

“…It’s annoying to say it myself, but he’s a promising player who’s reached a career-high ATP singles world ranking of 258, was ranked 2nd in the world for juniors, and is even looking to break into the Grand Slams next year. I can personally vouch for his identity.”

 

“Ah… um, I…”

 

Seeing Jin flustered by the confusing situation and the explanation full of terms she’d never heard before, James let out a sigh and intervened. 

 

“Amanda, the way you’re saying it makes it sound like I just proposed to her.”

 

“I have to, because you look untrustworthy.” 

 

You even look like a fox.

 

James pretended not to hear Amanda’s disapproving muttering and turned to Jin with an easy smile. Jin, however, thought he resembled a fluffy retriever more than a fox—especially with all that thick, curly hair.

 

“Anyway, don’t feel pressured. I just meant let’s grab lunch together.” 

 

There was something light about his tone. The word “date” felt more like a joke, closer to simply sharing a meal without much weight behind it.

 

And indeed, James looked like a typical ‘people person’ American—more specifically, a Floridian who, thanks to the constant sunshine, didn’t seem to have a speck of gloom about him. 

 

If I refuse here, will I seem like I’m making a big deal out of it?

 

Glancing between James, who was smiling leisurely, and Amanda, who stood with her usual unreadable expression, Jin hesitated before finally nodding. The man’s bright eyes curved into perfect crescents.

 

* * *

 

A few days later, Jin sat at a terrace café near the coast, dressed in light blue jeans, a white T-shirt, and a blue knit cardigan.

 

The wind was still chilly, but it was a day where the sun poured down brilliantly as if it were summer. Perhaps because it was a weekend with rising temperatures, the small beach was quite crowded. 

 

Even if the weather felt warmer, few dared test the frigid February seawater. Most people simply stretched out on the sand, tanning under the dazzling sun. The brightness reached all the way beneath the café awning where Jin and James sat.

 

“So you’ve been in Australia?” 

 

“Yeah. After finishing the Australian Open and before Roland Garros, I had some time off. I wanted to stay in school until graduation, so I came back.”

 

Jin nodded at James’s words. She thought she had become familiar enough with most faces while attending Crawford, but she had no memory of seeing him at all. It was even more puzzling because his was a face not easily forgotten. 

 

Jin stole a glance at James as she sucked up her banana smoothie.