At match point, Layla tears her calf muscle. The referee offers a medical timeout. Joon-hyuk kneels beside her.

She serves. He smashes. The shuttlecock lands perfectly on the line.

Now, in the present, Joon-hyuk serves. The shuttlecock flies like a white comet. Layla dives, returns it with a reverse slice. He misses. The crowd gasps. She wins the set.

They win.

Layla Han, a 22-year Syrian-Korean athlete, grips her racket. Sweat drips down her temple. Across the net stands her opponent—and secret first love—Yoo Joon-hyuk, the national champion who once told her she didn’t belong in competitive sports.