Original subtitles

RACKET BOYS

THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN SELECTED AS AN "EXCELLENT BROADCAST CONTENT" AND IS SUPPORTED

BY THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE, SPORTS, TOURISM AND THE KOREA CREATIVE CONTENT AGENCY

2016 OFF-SEASON SUMMER TRAINING

2016 OFF-SEASON NATIONAL TEAM'S SUMMER TRAINING

You're not as good as I thought, Hae-kang.

Want to play again later?

He has no idea you let him win.

If you win, you know he'll scold and haze all the juniors, right?

Se-yoon, did you even clean that up?

-I'm sorry. -Gosh.

This would've been unacceptable when I was in fourth grade.

Never back in my day.

SUMMER, 2016

All right. Attention, everyone!

I'm sure you know our badminton team won the National Junior Sports Festival.

Come on. Let's give them a hand.

Our classmate, Hae-kang, was selected the MVP.

-Let me tell you how impressive that is. -It's the baseball team!

-Congratulations. -Gosh, that's so cool.

Seriously?

They were only in fourth place.

How could they go to their semi-finals instead of our finals?

Gosh, this is so annoying.

And they always have team dinners.

You're still the best. Don't let it get to you.

Right. You're the MVP. You're incomparable to fourth place rubbish.

-It's so cool. -Isn't it so cool?

The junior competition is coming up, so don't get hurt.

We need all of you if we're going to compete. Okay?

-Yes, sir. -Yes, sir.

Sir, we heard that our team no longer has funding.

But we can still compete, right?

Just focus on the competition. Don't worry about that.

Right, Coach Yoon?

Yes.

Come on. Not you too.

All right. Warm up.

-Yes, sir. -Yes, sir.

Don't be such an amateur. The kids are here.

Yes. I am an amateur.

If we can't compete after losing our funding,

I won't get paid. And if I can't get paid,

I won't be able to feed Hae-kang and Hae-in a warm meal.

Gosh, stop it. Don't worry! That won't happen.

We lost funding from our school and the local government.

How are we supposed to compete?

I have a friend on the archery team at Suncheon Middle School.

His team also lost funding.

I heard they only get to eat gimbap for their meals. Plain gimbap.

What? Not even tuna gimbap? No cheese gimbap?

To get more funding, let's try to recruit more players.

Are you with us, Hae-kang?

No. Why would I do that? I'll just take a nap here.

You guys can take care of this.

I heard you guys are recruiting. Did you get any applicants?

It's killing us. We're barely holding onto Hae-kang.

He can't even go to the bathroom alone. Where is he going every night?

Right. I saw Hae-in leave with him.

Stop.

Gosh. That's all for show.

To hit a clear, keep your eyes on the shuttlecock

and hit it when your racket is at its peak.

It sounds different when you hit it properly.

You have three badminton players, so ask them.

I'll test you guys later.

-Okay. -Okay.

-That was so cool. -You're so cool.

So what we just did was a clear.

Hae-kang, go help In-sol.

-Me? -It's just the two of you here, isn't it?

Now.

Hey, nerd. I can help you if you need any.

Forget it, airhead.

Hey, sorry to break it to you,

but doing sports is nothing like studying. You can't excel at it just by trying hard.

Gosh, forget it. You wouldn't get it.

PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

That's it.

Okay. Next.

All right.

Gosh, Woo-chan. That sounds great.

What? That's not me.

It's not me. It's Hae-kang.

What? Me?

RACKET BOYS

Please park somewhere else. You can't park here.

GYMNASIUM

What? Who are you?

Even the President of our country can't do what he wants at the gymnasium.

Move your car now.

Come on.

-They lost a lot. You know… -I see.

Gosh.

Sir, you can't wear your shoes inside.

There he is.

-Who is he? -Say hello.

This is In-sol's father.

Councilman Jeong Byeong-hwi, the chairman of the council.

Hello.

Hello, sir. It's an honor to meet you.

All right. I'll leave you two to talk.

Pardon? Talk about what?

Sir, you have nothing to worry about.

I'm sure you know it, too. I have a son just like you.

I hope you understand.

Of course. We, fathers, want the best for our sons.

If you help me with this, I can promise you that

your team will be funded from that point on.

The school superintendent is my brother.

So, I'll ask for a bonus.

But…

you must keep this a secret from my son.

He's going through a rebellious phase now.

He hates it when I get involved in helping him.

Gosh. I know what that's like.

I'm sure you are busy with the council. I'll do my best to help him.

You talked to the councilman, right?

If you do what he asked, your team will be funded again.

But the competition is around the corner.

-We don't have much funding left. -Then, why don't you wrap up this one

and get a head start to prepare for the summer competition?

By then, you'd get the funding from the district and the Office of Education.

Are you saying…

They probably won't win anyway.

Use the remaining budget to pay Coach Yoon.

Mr. Jeong is looking out for your team.

Thank you.

I will take full responsibility in guiding In-sol.

And give the boys some other excuse.

-Rock, paper, scissors. -Rock, paper, scissors.

YOON-DAM, WOO-CHAN

Okay. I got it.

What are you guys doing?

-How many rounds are you playing? -A hundred and one.

Whoever takes 51 rounds wins.

There's one round left.

-What does the loser have to do? -Gosh.

The loser has to ask him to join our badminton team.

We need as many players as we can get.

Hey, you think he'll join us?

I heard at the gym from a guy

who went to elementary school with him.

-Do you know why he started badminton? -Why?

Was it spring in fourth grade?

He got the second-highest mark during the performance assessment.

What does that have to do with starting badminton?

But after that day, he got private lessons every morning.

-So he got the highest mark in the end. -So what?

That's something only an annoying nerd would do.

But then, he started to get better at it and ended up crushing a middle schooler.

He's used to being first in everything, so he can't stand losing

or being humiliated.

Rock, paper, scissors!

Yes.

Go.

Hey, class president.

You're really good at badminton. How long have you been playing?

-Eight years. -No way.

-Do you still play? -When I get frustrated with my studies.

I clear my head when I play.

Are you going to keep interrupting my studies?

What is this about?

You know, we're recruiting new members for our team.

I'm sure you know about our team, the Racket Boys.

-So what? -In-sol,

do you want to join our team?

Our badminton team?

Well, you see…

Hey, forget it. Let's just go back.

I told you he wouldn't.

Why would he join us?

Hey, let's go before he nags us again.

All right. Gather around.

You know that they are selecting players for the national team in summer, right?

We'll prepare for the summer competition. Yoon-dam, let's aim for the quarterfinals.

Woo-chan, your posture is getting better,

so we'll be able to win at least one team match.

Think of it as a strategic hiatus.

Besides, the national junior competition isn't a big competition. Okay?

-Okay. -Okay.

Here's a 100% pure orange juice for our ace.

My gosh. You're so stingy. What about me?

Look. We only have a few left.

When did we drink all of them?

Gosh.

So did you get that?

You keep getting passed over for a spot on the national team

because of the region.

Haenam used to be recognized back in the day,

but we don't even have connections in the association.

Wouldn't I have a chance, if I worked harder with the guys?

I like it here.

I'm telling you this for your benefit.

It's great that you take care of the team and have a sense of responsibility.

But you must leave here.

I don't mean you have to leave right away. Okay?

In the end, it's a pyramid.

In the end, you'll have to beat each other.

In other words, all of you will be each other's rival someday.

That's not true. We're like best friends.

Here's what I'm trying to tell you.

You must figure out a way to survive on your own.

Your school friendships are

the most fragile and ephemeral aspects of your lives.

You might think your friendship will last forever now.

You won't understand me now, but you'll thank me later on.

-Are you ready? -Yes.

Playing badminton for recreation and competition are totally different.

When you're exhausted, a club lets you take breaks.

But athletes must work harder.

And when you really don't want to train, you must train no matter what.

-Did you get that? -Yes.

This tryout is more of a formality. So don't worry.

-Let's just try 50 laps for now. -What?

Did you not hear me?

Run 50 laps. You must sprint for the last 5 laps. Go!

Yes, sir.

Administrative chief, do we have any leftover budget?

Gosh. I'm sure you know we don't, Mr. Bae.

We can't get any more funding now.

Is there no other way? Can we get an advance?

Can you check on it?

I will. But it'll be better not to get your hopes up.

Besides, you know the principal must sign off, right?

Of course. If that doesn't work, I have one last card to play.

By the way, how's Councilman Jeong Byeong-hwi's son doing?

Coach Yoon is training him starting today.

But that news reached your office?

Of course. But isn't it odd?

Why did he cut off funding if he wants his son to do well?

He even got his superintendent brother involved.

HAENAM SEO MIDDLE SCHOOL

-Are you tired? -No.

Really?

Then, run 20 more laps to wrap up and clean the gym.

All right. Go!

Coach Yoon, do we have to take it this far?

Sir, we have no choice.

This is for our badminton team.

This way, we can get our funding back and the boys can train again.

You must be happy to get paid even when we're not going to compete.

And you'll get a bonus, too.

Of course…

Gosh, no! That's not it. What do you take me for?

Why don't you talk to him instead of torturing him?

I would love to do that,

but the councilman asked me to do this.

He asked me to make his son give up on badminton,

so he never wants to play badminton ever again.

I'll talk to him and tell him how difficult being an athlete is.

No.

Talking to him won't work.

Make him give up no matter what you have to do.

So he never expresses his wish to be an athlete again.

Okay.

We couldn't compete in the junior competition,

but we'll get more funding from now on.

So you have nothing to worry about. Just focus on your training. Okay?

-Yes, sir. -Yes, sir.

Yong-tae, when you play defense, you need to lower your stance.

Yes. Any luck?

Bend your knees more. Okay?

I'll buy you a treat. Thanks.

Anyway, for our next competition--

Coach Yoon. Boys. We'll be able to compete.

What?

-Yes. -Nice.

How? Funding was cut.

I just got a call from the admin office.

It seems we can use some funds in advance.

I hope you're not disappointed.

No. Of course, not.

It has nothing to do with Mr. Jeong's request. So don't worry.

Okay.

Boys, we can compete! We'll be able to compete!

Let's do our best! Let's do this!

Since we got our funding, let's focus on our competition.

Right. And our region is renowned for badminton.

Eight-streak wins in the Junior Sports competition.

What a way to rationalize this whole mess. Renown, my foot.

We're the whole team and on the verge of getting disbanded.

No. We just have to win some matches in our competitions.

Our opponents seem quite easy.

Let's pass the first round

and get Wi-Fi installed.

With that in mind, let's bring it in.

I won't do it.

Hae-kang, come on. Join us.

Gosh, I said, no. Come on.

Racket!

-Boys -Boys

That's so lame!

So lame.

Boys, how are you feeling?

That's right. Let's give it our all!

So you guys really wanted to enter this competition?

I checked our opponents, and I think we can win at least one match.

-We might even pass the first round. -Yes.

We're in trouble. I only booked two nights for our lodging.

-What? -Come on, Coach.

You don't think we can pass the preliminary round?

We'll advance no matter what!

How many days did you book?

Us? Of course, our rooms are booked for five days. We'll go to the finals.

Then, if we pass the first round this time,

where are we going to sleep?

It'll be hard to book rooms once the competition starts.

High schoolers and adults will play next.

Hey, don't worry. I bet they'll get eliminated right away.

They don't have to unpack.

Well, with Yoon-dam, they'll at least have one win for men's singles.

Hey, is my mom meeting you there?

Hey, don't call her Mom. She's our coach.

Know when to keep things formal.

Can't I even call my mom Mom?

Then, should I call her Coach Ra Yeong-ja? That's absurd.

She always gets there before us.

Why? Is it to meet the old farts from the association?

A kid like you doesn't need to know what his mommy does for work.

I won't wash my hands.

COME AS TWO, LEAVE AS THREE

"Come as Two, Leave as Three"? Gosh, there are kids here.

Sir, here are our cell phones.

All right. You turned in your phones, right?

-Captain, keep yours just in case. -Yes, sir.

Everyone, go and get some rest.

Coach Ra is in a meeting, so she'll call you, Se-yoon.

Dinner's at the restaurant across the street. Got it?

-Yes, sir. -Yes, sir.

-Go in. -All right. Go.

Go in. And don't watch weird channels in there.

We should let them keep their phones like the girls.

Do you want them to play games all day? Because they will.

Or try to hang out with other kids.

-And the girls don't do that? -Who knows?

But she must let them keep their phones for a reason.

-You don't even know how your wife is? -No. I find her scary, too.

Very.

Hello. We're from Haenam Seo Middle School

and Haenam Jeil Girls' Middle School.

Let me see. Haenam Jeil Girls' Middle School. Here you go.

You're with Ms. Ra, right?

Yes. More girls will arrive later.

Okay. And Haenam Seo Middle School?

-Here. -Thank you.

If you sneak out to go to a bowling alley or drink at night,

I'll tell your teachers.

I even caught Hwang Jin-man and Lee Yong-dae when they were here.

-Okay. -Okay.

Not you girls.

You boys. You'd better behave.

-Go upstairs and rest up. -Thank you.

Thank you.

By the way, which room did Lee Yong-dae stay in?

-I'm using the bathroom first. -Okay.

It's hot.

It's so hot.

The water pressure is good. And there's hot water.

Se-yoon, we got hot water.

"Curvaceous Coffee Shop"?

-Gosh -It's freezing.

There's no hot water.

Hey.

Boys.

Keep yourselves in tip-top shape. Do you guys need anything?

There are so many that I don't know where to start.

-This place reeks of cigarette smoke. -This will be a part of your fun memories.

Just think of it as a school trip.

Just get some rest for two days. Okay?

Coach, I keep hearing weird noises here.

It's coming from the next room. I think someone is in pain.

How should I put it? It sounds a bit peculiar.

I don't hear anything.

Gosh. Toilet paper.

All right.

Don't waste your energy on silly things before the competition.

Your stamina is important. Okay?

Guys. But…

What does toilet paper have to do with our stamina?

-You're with Ms. Ra from Haenam, right? -Yes.

Over there.

Sir, we ordered the same thing.

I know that.

You guys are with Mr. Yoon from Haenam Seo Middle School, right?

Here's your dessert.

Sir, they didn't get the marinated crabs and the spicy, stir-fried octopus.

Neither the jeon nor yogurt drinks.

Don't worry about it. Enjoy your meal. Tell me if you need anything.

-Thanks for the meal. -Thanks for the meal.

We all ordered the same rice meal sets,

but they got doenjang soup and we got seaweed soup.

Did we get free food?

Hae-kang, you still don't get it?

What? What is it?

Your mom… Coach Ra prepared all of this.

What do you mean?

My mom can't cook like this. I'm sure of that.

That's not what she meant.

So we don't get a stomach ache before the competition,

she asked him to remove spicy or greasy food.

Same goes for the yogurt drinks.

Do you think she came here six hours early for nothing?

She came here early to check on the rooms.

She checks if the room has hot water, reeks of cigarette smoke,

is soundproofed, or clean.

And she also checked the menu in this restaurant. Got that, kid?

Then, why did we get seaweed soup when you got doenjang soup?

It's not spicy or oily.

Gosh, it's slippery.

This is some good seaweed. It's nice and slippery…

-Sir! Doenjang soup, please! -Sir! Doenjang soup, please!

The spicy octopus was great.

Do you want to play a game at the PC cafe later?

Or let's go bowling.

Of course.

We can't stay in our room when we came all the way here.

We ought to help out the local economy.

Yong-tae, just one round.

Nice! One round leads to two. And two leads to ten.

I'll go get some stuff at the convenience store. Go ahead.

I don't feel good about it. Count me out.

What if our coach comes and checks on us?

Never.

Don't worry.

You have nothing to worry about. Why?

Let me pour you a drink. All right.

-Gosh. -I can pour it myself.

Sir, one more bottle of soju and beer.

No. We should go now. That's enough.

Just one more drink.

It's been so long since I met my juniors. Please?

Ms. Ra, I'll drop him off later. Don't worry.

You know coaches hash out the night before the competition.

Fine. Take care of him.

-Okay. -Okay.

-Let's go. -Bye.

-Gosh. -Don't worry about me.

-Bye. -Bye.

I'm buying tonight! Order anything you want. All right.

-Cheers. -Cheers.

DELUXE HANMAEUM MOTEL

Oops.

Sorry, kid.

Gosh. What's the hurry, man?

I see.

IMPATIENT MAEUM MOTEL

"Change of plans. Come to the rooftop."

CHANGE OF PLANS COME TO THE ROOFTOP

Why do they want to meet here?

Hae-kang, join us.

Hae-kang. Come on.

Hurry. Join us.

Want it?

I thought you wanted to play some games. What is this?

Of course, I wanted to play.

But tomorrow's match is more important.

So we're just not playing this once.

If we pass the first round,

they won't threaten to cut our funding again.

Right? Don't you agree, Hae-kang?

What?

Whatever. I don't care.

What about you? You guys have your phones.

Han-sol, don't you want to be on your phone?

Yes, I would love to be on my phone right now.

I want to shop online, find trendy places, and hit a lot of likes.

Right. You can do that.

Why are you sweating like a pig here?

Well, do I have to?

-What? -You know,

I don't have to be on my phone today.

We trained every day all year round.

We practice the same swing and footwork.

It's so boring and hard, but we do all of that for competitions.

Are you writing a diary? Why did you suddenly think about that?

This thought didn't come overnight. We experienced it.

Whatever it is, it's what we decided.

So don't we have the tiniest obligation to give it our all?

You guys are so annoying.

Who on earth taught you that?

I know I always scold you girls.

But I know that you are working really hard.

I noticed earlier that the court floor was slippery.

So you might slip more easily. Just be careful with that.

Let's try harder tomorrow. Okay?

-Okay. -Okay.

Those who aren't competing tomorrow will play the day after.

You all need to stay focused.

Han-sol, how's your injured finger?

It's all good. It's recovered now.

Good.

I know I said this before coming here.

If you're on your period or coming down with the flu,

you must tell me right away.

There's a way to handle that. So suffering in pain and not telling me

is not being cool. It's being foolish. Understood?

-Yes, ma'am. -Yes, ma'am.

What?

Sir, one more bottle of soju.

No, sir. We're going to leave soon.

You traitor! Let's get another drink.

Gosh. We can't drink this much tonight. Tomorrow is the competition.

Do you think I'm here on vacation? My team is competing, too.

And they're going first at 9 a.m.

Exactly. Let's call it a night.

Your team is up against Daegunam Middle School.

They got the full support from Coach Fang of the national youth team.

What? Coach Fang?

That jerk is the head coach of the national youth team?

Hyeon-jong, watch what you say. Don't you know how influential he is?

Hey, back when we were athletes, I crushed him. Don't you know that?

-Gosh. Yes. -Of course. We know that.

-Okay. We know that. -You know,

-I could beat him even with my left hand. -Come on.

-Hey. What are you guys doing? -I had fun today.

-What are you doing? Hey. -No.

-Let's go. -You know, I could

-beat him even with my feet. -Let's go. All right.

Daegu's captain is good at singles.

He's short, but his feet are super-fast.

Even so, he doesn't hold up to Yoon-dam.

Besides, we have Hae-kang. So we really have a shot this time.

Hey, don't pressure Hae-kang.

I'm grateful that he came all the way here for us

even if he's sleeping like that.

I agree. I can't ask him to do his best.

Without Hae-kang, we wouldn't have been able to compete.

Besides, their doubles seemed weak.

Yong-tae might be slightly shorter and uglier than their youngest,

but we have a shot.

Why are you bringing up my looks now? I should crush you.

Let's see if you can.

Come on, Woo-chan. Don't just watch.

-Help me already. -I'll help.

Hey.

It hurts! I said it hurts.

#YOON_ASLEEP_AGAIN #YOONS_SLEEPCAM_FRONTROW

#CANT_EVEN_IMAGINE_BACKINTHEDAY

HANMAEUM MOTEL

Coach! Are you up?

Coach!

I'm alive.

Coach, our match is at 9 a.m.

We're running late if we want to warm up and stretch.

-What time is it? -It's 8 a.m.

Okay. I'll wash my face and come down.

I'll see you at the parking lot in ten.

Yesterday the GPS said it only takes ten minutes.

Coach, the GPS on my phone says it takes 20 minutes.

We'll be fine. I'm a great driver. What about Mr. Bae?

He left around 7 a.m.

Is that so?

Okay. I was super-tired that I didn't even know he had left.

Get the boys ready.

Gosh. It's 8:30 a.m. already.

We're cutting it close.

He said it'd take only ten minutes.

I don't think we'd be late.

Exactly. As long as we get there in time,

that's plenty of time to warm up and stretch.

Hey, stop shaking your leg.

All right.

The GPS guidance will begin.

Guys, don't worry. I even started the GPS navigation.

Okay?

-Yes, sir. -Yes, sir.

Let's get going now.

Is this the wrong route?

Gosh. Why isn't this GPS working?

UNSTABLE NETWORK

I can see it now.

-Mr. Bae. -Where are you guys?

You have ten minutes left. Why aren't you here?

Sir, we're almost there.

We'll be there in five. It'll only be a jiffy.

If you're not on court five minutes after being called, you're disqualified.

I submitted the order form. I'll try to stall time.

-But be here by 9 a.m. -Yes, sir.

We're almost there. See you soon.

GUNSAN INDOOR GYMNASIUM

I bought you ten minutes. But that's it!

They'll call us soon.

We're in the parking lot. We're coming in now.

Guys, hurry up!

First men's singles for Haenam Seo Middle School and Daegunam Middle School.

Come to Court Two.

Hey, run!

KOREA JUNIOR BADMINTON FEDERATION MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS NATIONALS

I'm so sorry.

The boys worked hard and trained for this competition.

Everything is my fault.

I would be so grateful if you give them another chance.

Listen. As a fellow head coach, I can understand your pain.

But what will the kids learn from this?

Do you have anything to say for yourself?

I had no idea that there were two gyms.

It was my first time here, so I didn't know my way around.

Anyway, I'm so sorry.

Okay. I'll let it slide this time.

They can't compete in other matches if they get disqualified for one.

Thank you for being so understanding.

Then, it's settled.

-I'll inform the box seats. -What are you talking about?

We should follow the rules.

-Damn, Coach Fang. -Sir. It's not what you think

Yes, it is!

-Is this the best you can do? -It's for the kids who worked really hard.

Do you think that's really helping the kids?

If he cared about the kids, he wouldn't have been late in the first place. Right?

Besides, we tell the kids to play fair and follow the rules.

We can't show them changing the rules and making compromises as we please.

Even if they don't play today,

they'd be better off learning the basic rules for their future.

Do you think the rest of the coaching staff and athletes

come early in the morning and follow the rules for nothing?

-And you. -Yes, sir.

Since when did you become so generous?

Your school isn't interested in fostering athletes for the national team?

-Is that so? -No, sir.

Let us please stick to the rules.

Hey, Yoon Hyeon-jong.

Yes.

You punk. You still haven't changed, have you?

Aren't you embarrassed to see them? What? Do you think this is a joke?

I got your point. That's enough.

Gosh. And you still have a nasty temper.

Your school's reputation is dwindling.

Do you think your school can produce even one athlete on the national team?

You really need to get your act together.

Get a grip.

Goodness.

Damn it.

Guys, I'm really sorry.

I should have gotten up early.

It's okay, Coach. You didn't do it on purpose.

You are so kind. Thank you for being understanding.

Coach, but we can participate in the summer competition, right?

We have a budget for that, right?

Of course. Don't worry.

And I'll get up at dawn to get ready.

Also, order anything you want to eat at the rest stop. Okay?

-Okay. -Okay.

Let's eat sausage and rice cake skewers.

I'll eat some cheesy hotteok.

Maybe, this all worked out for the better. They always lose.

It could have hurt their feelings more.

We would have lost the whole thing anyway.

Is that so?

It's not like they are some elite players who find meaning in participating.

They must win to make it meaningful.

Of course, all the teams want to do more than just participate.

And winning rewards hard work.

But you see…

if they don't even have a chance to participate,

our boys would be losing even without starting anything.

They become losers even before they try.

The boys need a goal to keep up with our training.

Gosh, no. It seems the boys were happy, too.

Don't worry too much. I'll finish up with In-sol tomorrow

and keep an eye on the boys.

Son, I sent you the money. From Mom.

Hello.

Hello.

Hello.

HAENAM TRANSPORTATION

We'll play games during our training today.

-Nice! -Nice!

Hey, let's duke it out after our training today. Deal?

-Deal! -Deal!

Let's play until we get kicked out

and get tteokbokki with tempura and some juice to down it.

Sure. The competition is over. Let's have some fun.

GYMNASIUM

In-sol.

Why'd you come all the way to school?

In-sol.

If you really want to play sports, how about golf or horseback riding?

Badminton isn't a real sport.

You're not going to be a pro athlete. It's just to de-stress.

-Dad, you have no idea. -What?

Do you even know what I like

and what I want to do?

Yes. I started it because when I played, I didn't have to think about anything.

But I have another reason to play now.

You played badminton when you were in school.

When did you want to quit badminton?

Me? Every single day.

A parent asked me to persuade his son to quit badminton.

But this boy is pretty tenacious.

Why worry?

Did you make him run laps around the gym?

That was my first trick.

But he's a good runner and has good endurance.

So he's getting stronger every time he runs.

Make him clean.

I'm sure you'll find something to nag about.

To top it off, he's thorough and obedient. He does everything I ask.

Then, you shouldn't ask him to do anything.

-But honey, -Yes?

shouldn't you train him to be an athlete

if he's that strong, thorough, and desperate to play badminton?

He's talented and eager.

I see. Well, that's not the whole story.

I'd love to scout him. Our match is starting now. Bye.

WIFE

What's your real reason for joining the badminton team?

-I want to be with them. -With who?

I want to be one of those guys.

I want to hang out with them, eat meals with them,

train together, and so on.

You know better than anyone that I don't have any friends.

I know that you're always trying to help me

by asking my teachers and other parents, so I can make friends.

I'm doing that all for you.

You might not understand it now, but my influence is your asset, too.

I know that, too.

But…

I want to get into the badminton team on my own.

I don't think I can stand hearing I took advantage of your influence ever again.

Dad…

let me do this my way, instead of the adult way.

I know I can do this.

Who's there?

That was a nice nap.

Hey, airhead. How much of that did you hear?

What? Hear what? I was taking a nap here.

I'm serious. Why would I lie about that?

I really didn't know your father came. Oops.

Don't tell anyone what you heard. If you do, I'll kill you.

Hey, nerd. I won't tell anyone.

It's not for you, per se.

How should I put it? I'm not that interested in you.

So you have nothing to worry about.

I just talked to him.

I don't think this will work.

I see.

Can you go and keep an eye on their training?

Okay.

It's about the budget.

A lot of teams are getting disbanded.

BADMINTON

Then, what should we do? Isn't this a big problem?

Are you worried you won't get paid since the team might get disbanded?

Don't worry. I'm sure we'll find a way.

It's not about me. What if the boys find out?

We must keep it from them.

You saw them when they heard funding was cut.

This will bother them a lot.

Yong-tae, what are you doing there?

Coach, the drink…

Well…

I'm sorry.

Did you hear what we were saying?

No. I didn't hear anything.

I'll clean this up.

No. Just leave it, Yong-tae.

And…

there's no training today.

Go and eat something delicious with the guys. Okay?

Yes. Go ahead.

Thank you.

Go on.

We’re not getting disbanded, are we?

Gosh. No. What are you talking about?

Nothing has been decided.

Then, it means there's a chance that it might be.

BADMINTON

Darn! What do we do?

That was close. We almost had it.

Want to play another one?

We don't have enough money.

Yong-tae said that Head Coach Bae gave us 50,000 won.

One more round, right? Invite me.

I'm done for today.

-I'm tired. -I'm done, too.

Traitors.

Yong-tae and I will play one more round and eat fried chicken. Right?

Come on in.

Hae-kang, I'm done for today, too.

By the way,

I heard that In-sol's dad cut our funding. Why do you think he did that?

Because we dropped our class average?

Even so. There's no way they'd disband us.

Don't worry.

Other teams that lose funding and players

-still keep the team together. -Right?

Did you hear anything, Hae-kang?

What?

I don't know. I hate that nerd.

Don't worry, guys.

I'm sure we'll be okay.

I just got a message from my friends in Suncheon.

The archery team that lost their funding?

What did they say? Did they get funding again?

-Did they recruit more people? -I heard they got disbanded.

I'm just saying.

I'm going to sleep.

GYMNASIUM

Woo-chan!

Hey, Woo-chan!

Woo-chan, what's wrong? Come on, get up.

Woo-chan, can you hear me?

Somebody, call 911.

Okay. Where's my phone?

Gosh. What's wrong, Woo-chan?

Can you hear me?

Today's Yong-tae's birthday. It's a birthday prank for him.

Gosh. You scared me! You should have at least told me.

I'm telling you now.

Let me light the candles. Go and scare him a bit more.

Woo-chan. Woo-chan!

Woo-chan!

-Woo-chan… -Is Woo-chan going to be okay?

After my parents got divorced,

he was the first friend who prepared a birthday meal for me.

And it's my birthday today.

Yong-tae, Woo-chan is okay.

Woo-chan is more than a friend to me.

You guys are the only family I have.

I can't live without you guys.

Gosh. If God or Buddha is listening to me,

please don't take him away from me! Please!

Gosh. Are you listening up there?

Woo-chan, get ready to transfer schools.

I've been deployed to Haenam.

And why don't you quit playing badminton?

No, Woo-chan. You'll just transfer to a new school.

Keep playing it at the new school. It's okay.

WOO-CHAN, 2ND YEAR OF MIDDLE SCHOOL

Na Woo-chan.

-Yes. -I got dispatched to Nonsan this time.

Say your goodbyes to the teachers and move out of the dorm.

No.

Does that sound like I'm asking you?

I will keep playing badminton

and will not transfer.

For what?

If you like the sport, play it at the new school.

Why does it have to be Haenam?

I'm sorry.

Sorry.

I'm sorry.

Baby, baby, baby.

The councilman asked me for my help.

I apologize for not informing you sooner.

Gosh. Don't worry about formalities.

I'm glad everyone got back safely.

I know that our budget got cut, but you let us get an advance.

I don't know how to thank you.

What? What are you talking about?

I heard that we got an advance on our budget.

You gave us your approval.

I did approve it,

but did you really believe that you could get an advance on the budget?

I only approved

the budget for the competition to come out of Mr. Bae's salary.

Pardon?

From Mr. Bae's salary?

You didn't know?

Mr. Bae paid for this competition out of his own pocket.

I see.

And Councilman Jeong will continue to support the budget.

And he will leave it up to you regarding In-sol's matter.

But you know what he means, right?

Persuade him to quit.

He said he would give you a big bonus.

-Excuse me. -Go ahead.

It's okay. I don't know this number.

No. The councilman said he would call you.

Go ahead. Answer it.

I need to attend a meeting.

Yoon Hyeon-jong speaking.

Is this Yoon Hyeon-jong, Haenam Seo Middle School's coach?

Yes, it is. Who's calling?

This is the owner of Come as Two, Leave as Three.

Pardon? Where?

I'm calling from the motel, Come as Two, Leave as Three.

I see. But what is this about?

We stayed at the motel next to yours.

You booked rooms at our motel, too, but I didn't hear from you.

I didn't book rooms there.

I see. You didn't know.

The kids came to book the rooms.

What?

-Please. Just one room. -Please, sir.

Please.

No. No way. All the rooms are booked.

Besides, I don't think you'll pass the first round.

You're killing me, sir.

We'll advance no matter what.

I know you have some vacant rooms.

Come on, sir. Do you want us to forfeit the game

because we don't have a place to sleep?

Gosh. I told you all the rooms are booked.

We're really putting our lives on this competition.

He's a former Junior Nationals' MVP.

And I got all the way to the singles' quarter-finals.

Come on, sir. Can you please give us a room?

You're so heavy!

-Please. -Fine.

Fine!

They were so adorable. I put aside two rooms for them.

I'm calling the number the kids left me.

By now, it should've been confirmed if you passed it or not.

Sir. Why didn't you tell me?

So you talked with the principal? What's the point of telling you?

My goal was to keep the badminton team going.

That way, I can get paid and keep my job.

But I don't know what to do now.

Come on. This isn't like you.

It's not like me?

What should I do now?

If I were you,

I would think about what the kids need the most right now.

Well, like a new teammate and some attention from us?

Yes. They need more teammates and our attention.

But in my opinion,

the kids need you.

They need a real coach.

Who's snoring in my class? Is that you, Hae-kang?

Come on, sir! I'm paying attention. We're on page 52.

No, we're on page 55. At least, you're not sleeping.

Then, is it you, Yoon-dam?

Sir. I'm wide awake, too.

Then, who's snoring?

Sir, should I wake In-sol up?

No. Leave him be.

Hae-kang!

-Did you guys go to the competition? -Yes.

I'm glad the grades came out before that.

Gosh, sir. The problem is that I just don't study.

I get good grades when I do.

Right. The cutoff line was 40 points and you scored exactly 41 points.

That's all right. You did well.

It's all thanks to you.

I heard that you asked the nerd… I mean, you asked In-sol to tutor me.

What? In-sol?

Yes. He helped me study before the exams.

That's right.

But I didn't ask him to do it. He volunteered to tutor you.

What?

It was the first time he ever volunteered to do something.

Especially helping other students at that. I'm sure you know that, too.

Right.

From now on, I will never be late to our competitions. I promise you.

And we have great news. Starting today,

he will join our team.

You all know him, right? Give him a hand.

You guys can welcome him

and teach him a lot.

-Yes, sir! -Yes, sir!

Okay.

In-sol, I'm really glad and grateful that you're joining us.

-But why out of the blue? -What?

Now that I think about it.

You hated us because athletes were airheads

and dropped our class average.

Gosh, your face is red as a tomato.

I just got curious, too.

We're going to train, eat, and sleep together all the time now.

Can you tell us the truth?

Well, the thing is…

Actually,

I wanted to--

I asked him.

I asked him to prove to people that not all athletes are airheads.

So I asked him to join us.

-I see. Got it. -I see. Got it.

Our room is getting crowded

with In-sol moving in with us.

Why would I? I won't sleep there with you guys.

It's not hygienic. And I have private lessons, too.

What?

Nerd.

Right. My parents are visiting someone at the hospital.

The girls are coming back tomorrow.

Good for them. They always win.

Anyway, go without me.

Hae-in has been pestering me for jelly. I'll go downtown and sweep all the jelly.

Let's go.

No, the bus!

Damn!

Gosh, that was so mean!

The driver definitely saw me.

I think he did.

Gosh. How long do I have to wait?

HAENAM DISTRICT OFFICE

Hello.

You just missed the bus. You'll probably have to wait a while.

It's okay. You don't have to give me a ride.

-Thank you, though. -What? Did anyone offer him a ride?

We're busy, too. We're going to the garden fair in Suncheon.

Right. I'm going to see some flowers before my time is up.

Gosh. Why would you say that?

What's wrong with that? What?

Don't I get to say what I want?

-Bye. -Bye.

Okay.

Hello.

Where are you going?

I'm going home.

Gosh, I feel awful.

We're on our way for a very important meeting. So we can't give you a ride.

No, it's okay. I'm all right.

-I'm sorry. -It's okay.

Drive safely.

-Right? -I can smell it.

It sort of smells like…

Are you playing hide-and-seek?

This is lame. Come on out now.

Hae-in!

Bang!

Woo-chan. Yong-tae.

Dad, what's up at this hour?

What?

HAENAM HOSPITAL

-Goodness. This is awful. -My goodness.

Gosh. Isn't that Hae-kang?

WARD 35

-Hae-kang. -I told you to stay home.

Drop it. How's Hae-in?

Is she okay?

Hae-in. Are you okay?

Hae-in, your parents aren't here today. Let's watch TV all we want.

Hae-kang is going to bring the jelly you like…

Hae-in. Yoon Hae-in!

Hae-in!

The ambulance is out on dispatch? It'll take an hour and a half to arrive?

Oh, my. I'll text you their number just in case. Give them a call.

You can't even get sick in the boondocks.

It'll take forever for the ambulance to arrive.

Ma'am, I don't think we can go see the flowers today.

Step on it. We should get there as fast as possible.

Hold on tight. I'll step on it.

I'll carry her.

HAENAM HOSPITAL

My gosh. The poor thing has asthma.

Thank you, everyone.

How is she doing?

She's stable now.

-That's good to hear. -Gosh.

-Thank you. -What a relief.

-That's great. -You must've been so scared.

-You must be relieved. -Thank you.

-Thank you. -That's great.

She was lucky.

It was an acute seizure, but they brought her to the hospital right away.

It's all thanks to the boys.

I'm really grateful.

It's all my fault.

I failed to take care of them because I'm busy.

How's Hae-kang doing these days?

Well, he isn't skipping out on practice.

By the way, do you remember why Hae-kang quit badminton?

Was it after the National Junior Sports Festival?

He went to school after winning the MVP award.

He quit because the baseball team was more popular.

That makes no sense.

Hae-kang was as popular as Se-yoon back then.

But how did you get him to play?

I told him I would install Wi-Fi if they win at least one team match.

He's always on his phone. As it so happens, he has a rival, too.

But we tried to get him to play again by offering all sorts of things.

We offered to buy a new phone and grant him all of his wishes.

But he didn't even come to the court.

He's playing badminton again for Wi-Fi and to beat his rival?

Hae-kang of all people?

No. I'm sure there's another reason behind it.

Those baseball team losers.

They only won fourth place.

Hae-kang. But you're not going to quit badminton, right?

I'm not a kid. It's not like this hasn't happened to me before.

Okay. Bye.

Hey, doesn't Hae-kang's dad suck?

His son won and was selected the MVP.

How could he just buy us burgers?

Is he broke or something?

Hey, have you seen Hae-kang's mom lately?

You haven't, right? Did they get a divorce?

I got a text that Gyeong-guk's dad is buying us meat.

Nice! Let's go.

Let's go.

-What now? -Did you like the burgers?

It was a pretty big deal for me.

-Did the kids like the burgers? -Yes.

Yes. They liked the burgers and thanked you.

Yes. I knew it. You kids prefer burgers to meat.

See you later, son.

BATHROOM

Hey. Isn't it a bit much to ask us to wait outside the bathroom at night?

At least, we don't have to come for number one.

Gosh. Look at the stars.

What? You've never seen the stars before?

We're sick of them because we always see them.

This is amazing. It looks like the stars are about to rain down on us.

What? Look at this.

Is that a firefly?

Awesome. I've never seen this before.

Look at this.

Hey, look at this!

Wait.

Hey.

Don't close the door yet. Gosh.

Gosh. Is that for the boys?

Let me peel them. You'll hurt your fingers.

Go back inside.

I want to peel the apples for them tonight.

Here's a guy. He's dead.

I'm dead.

Back. Go back.

Boys, have some apples.

What?

Boys, have some food.

Eat up.

Ma'am, do you have any corn? I'm craving corn.

My gosh. Are you a thief or a thug?

Wait here. I'll bring you some corn.

-Thank you. -My gosh.

Goodness. It's so nice to see this room full of kids.

My gosh, Hae-kang. You deserve a beating.

How could you keep this from us?

Hae-kang, that was pretty mean. Don't you agree?

Guys. I'll do my best from now on.

Be it gaming or whatever.

You said you'd do your best. How can you miss that?

-Hurry up. -Sorry.

-Hae-kang, get the drink here. -What? Okay.

-Where is it? Nice. -No, it's here.

-The blue one. - Hey, get that.

-Left. Gosh, come on! -No way, come on!

-Hey, what was that? -Come on.

-Hey. -Wait. I got it.

Hey.

What are you doing here?

How's your sister?

She's okay.

Thank you for today.

Gosh. Don't mention it. I didn't do much.

Have fun in the playroom.

-By the way… -Yes?

I want to bring a few more kids later.

Can I?

Gosh. What happened?

So who are these kids?

Who are they?

My friends.

They're my friends.

Subtitle translation by: Won-hyang Son

RACKET BOYS

-I told Yoon-dam how I feel. -What did he say?

You guys will get second place

-for this year's relay race again. -Anyone up for a race?

Our biggest goal is building strong teamwork.

-Are you kidding me? -Listen to your captain!

This won't end. Both of them have big egos.

All three got rejected

-by the same girl. -Who?

-Se-yoon. -Se-yoon? The Se-yoon I know?

The competition is in Jakarta. The locals make it so hard for visitors.

I thought she was single because she only cares about badminton.

-Se-yoon really wants to date. -Then, why is she single?

She hasn't met a guy she likes yet.

Ripped and synced by TTEOKBOKKIsubs