Capítulo 106: HS Terminator One.
(TL/n: Sorry for the past couple days, I'll be back to the usual schedule from now on.)
Swift's lips were soft, like biting into a perfectly chewy gummy. Han Sen didn't expect it to feel like this—his mind raced, and his heart began pounding, his hand instinctively moving upward.
Ding!
The oven's timer went off, breaking the tension instantly. They pulled apart, the heat of the moment dissipating like steam.
Han Sen quickly crossed his legs and cleared his throat. "Uh, the cake's ready."
Swift chuckled, brushing back a loose strand of hair as she moved toward the oven. "Right, the cake."
She pulled out the cheesecake, its golden crust perfectly baked. "Just needs to cool off in the fridge for a while."
There was a pause, the previous moment lingering in the air between them. Han shifted uncomfortably, unsure what to say next. Swift was the one to break the silence.
"Wait a minute... You've never dated before, have you?"
Han Sen scratched his head, a bit embarrassed. "I just haven't had the time," he said honestly.
Even though he wasn't a superstar just yet, his career had taken off enough that his schedule was packed. Between constant training, team practices, and games, finding time for a serious relationship was tough.
He thought briefly about the fact that, despite his fame, he'd never really been drawn to dating. Sure, there were opportunities, but his mind was always focused on basketball.
As a rising star in the NBA and a millionaire, getting a girlfriend wouldn't be hard, but sustaining a relationship? That was a different story. His lifestyle didn't leave room for anything that wasn't basketball.
Swift stared at him like he'd just grown a second head. "You're 21 and have never been in a relationship?" In the U.S., that was really rare.
"I mean," Han Sen shrugged, "it's not that I couldn't. I've never seriously thought about it."
Swift folded her arms and raised an eyebrow. "So, what kind of girl are you into? Maybe I can hook you up. I know a lot of people." She grinned, teasing him a little, clearly enjoying his discomfort.
Han Sen blinked in confusion. Was she actually offering to set him up? Or was this some kind of test? His mind raced through the possibilities.
Maybe Swift liked his kissing and wanted to see if he was interested? He was about to ask when he caught himself. Weren't they here to eat cake, not talk about his love life?
Even if he did have a girlfriend, would it make a difference with his schedule? At most, maybe he could handle a casual fling.
Trying to steer the conversation back on track, Han Sen quickly asked, "So, how's the tour going? Everything smooth?"
Swift's eyes lit up. She could talk about her music for hours, and Han Sen was relieved to have shifted the topic. Her energy bounced back as she gushed about the concerts, the fans, and how much she loved performing live.
After some time, the cake was finally cool, and they shared it in the bakery, sitting side by side on bar stools. Swift kicked her legs playfully, clearly enjoying the cheesecake she had baked.
When they finished, Han Sen and Swift left the bakery together, walking out into the cool night air. Swift had a flight to catch, and soon they were at the airport.
Before heading to her gate, Swift pulled him in for a quick hug. "Oh, and by the way, your kissing game... could use some work." She winked, whispering in his ear before pulling away.
Han Sen could only laugh awkwardly, shaking his head.
One of life's greatest delusions: I thought I was a good kisser.
---
Han Sen spent another week training with Grover, feeling stronger than ever. But now, he needed a sparring partner to truly test his progress.
"Tim, did you ever train Kobe before?" He asked Grover one day after a session.
"You want to train with Kobe?" Grover immediately caught on to Han Sen's idea.
Han nodded. One of his biggest regrets from not making the finals with the Cavaliers was not facing Kobe on the court.
"That might be tough. I think he's going to be very busy this summer. If I remember correctly, he's heading to China soon," Grover said.
Han Sen was reminded of Kobe's love for China, where he had a huge following, not just because of his basketball skills.
"But I can try to get in touch with someone else," he added.
"DW?" Han Sen guessed.
Grover shook his head. "KD."
Kevin Durant? Han Sen was surprised. He didn't know Grover had a connection with Durant.
"He once approached me to be his personal trainer," he explained.
That wasn't too shocking, given Durant's well-known stamina issues and Grover's expertise in conditioning.
"But you didn't agree to train him?" Han Sen was curious since Durant's talent seemed like a perfect opportunity.
"I couldn't help him," Grover admitted. "His stamina problem isn't about training; it's his body type. The NBA's never had a shooting guard built like him."
Standing at 6'10" and often making cuts and dribbles like a guard, Durant's body was both a blessing and a curse.
"Is he not busy this summer?" Han Sen wondered. Despite not being on Kobe's level, Durant had finished second in the MVP race last season, so his summer should be packed.
"He's a gym rat," Grover smiled. A gym rat is someone who practically lives in the gym, sometimes even sleeping there.
"Alright, see if you can reach out to him," Han said. He wasn't worried about any awkwardness from their past encounters. At the end of the day, competition was just that—competition.
---
Two days later, Han Sen didn't hear from Durant, but Thomas returned to Memphis with an Under Armour (UA) representative.
The prototype of Han Sen's first signature shoe was ready.
When Han saw the sample, he was thrilled. During the design phase, UA had asked for his input, and he had suggested something similar to Paul George's PG1 model. The result was a sneaker with about 80% of the same style.
Han had chosen PG1's style for a reason. When they first came out, they didn't make much noise internationally, but back home, they blew up.
If you were thinking global appeal, they weren't the best choice, but for the Far Eastern market? Perfect.
Moreover, after improvements were made to address his criticism for the shoe's lack of lateral stability, Han tried them on, and the comfort was noticeably better.
UA had shown him the respect he deserved throughout the process.
It seemed like his days of wearing other brands' shoes were finally coming to an end. He already had plans for the season opener: he was going to rock the boldest violet colorway.
The shoe would be called 'Handsome One' or the 'HS Terminator One'.
'Terminator' was the name of the line, inspired by Barkley's shout during a game: 'Scoreboard Terminator'. The nickname had started to stick.
The name 'Handsome' also played well back home, so if anyone asked him what he was wearing, it would lead to some funny conversations.
As for the sample shoes, Han decided to keep them.
He could take this chance to test their comfort more thoroughly, and if he found any issues, they could still be tweaked before mass production.
---
The next day, while Han was still getting a feel for the shoes, Grover showed up at the gym with someone who had a backpack slung over his shoulder.
It was Durant, striding in like he owned the place.
"Let's go, one-on-one!" Durant tossed his backpack aside, wasting no time throwing down the challenge.
It wasn't surprising at all that KD was willing to come to Memphis.
Besides Grover mentioning that Durant was a 'gym rat', the more important reason was that he could play against Han!
Since they were in different conferences, they only faced each other twice a season, and Han's trash talk during those games had always left Durant seething.
He didn't consider it just on-court competition.
If he hadn't had some commitments recently, he would have flown to Memphis the day he got Grover's call.
It was clear he wasn't here for a casual visit.
But Han wasn't in a rush: "Let's hit the gym first."
Durant almost lost his temper—he hadn't flown all the way from Oklahoma just to train with Han.
"He's right, let's train first," Grover chimed in, and Durant had no choice but to hold back.
After a full day of Grover's grueling training, Han was impressed by Durant's work ethic.
Durant was cruising through the drills. It was no joke—Grover's training was intense—but Durant made it look easy. Han could see why they called him a 'gym rat', and it made Han feel the heat too.
Durant may have been known for his so-called lack of stamina, but he still led the league in scoring last season, putting up over 30 points a game. Given the same amount of touches, Han couldn't do that—at least, not yet.
When the day's training was finally over, Durant wasted no time. He dragged Han to the half-court, practically begging for a one-on-one.
"What's with those flashy shoes?" Durant asked, his eyes locked on Han's new kicks.
"Beat me, and I'll tell you," Han shot back, his tone full of confidence.
"Five minutes, tops, and I'll know the name of those shoes," Durant fired back, unafraid. He came to Memphis to teach Han a lesson, and he wasn't about to leave empty-handed.
Rondo started filming with a camera.
This could very well become classic footage someday.
The one-on-one began, playing by American rules, with Durant getting the first possession.
He started off aggressively, driving before stopping on a dime for a pull-up jumper. It was clear from his pace that he'd leveled up since their last regular-season encounter.
Durant nailed the first bucket right over Han, then let out a yell and stared Han down.
Scoring title and leading his team from a 23-win season to 50 wins—that kind of leap boosted his game and his confidence.
Durant might not be top five in the league just yet, but he was definitely top ten.
Han wasn't fazed. In fact, he looked fired up.
The reason he wanted to train with Kobe was to push himself to new limits and Durant's current strength was not much weaker than Kobe's, which suited him just fine.
In the next possession, Han stuck to Durant like glue, not giving him any breathing room. Durant tried to power through, but Han timed it perfectly and poked the ball loose.
Han's body felt different since training with Grover—quicker, more explosive. It was like he had morphed into a 6'6" Tony Allen.
Durant was caught off guard, but he wasn't going to back down. With the ball now in Han's possession, Durant locked in on defense.
He was fully engaged now, and though surprised, his mind kept replaying all the trash talk Han had thrown his way in the past, along with the remarks on social media.
Han went into his bag, using a quick crossover to create some space, but Durant's long arms still loomed over him, cutting off his angles.
Durant's physical gifts meant that when he was fully committed, he was an elite defender.
Han used two dribbles but didn't find a good opportunity. He used his last dribble to pull back and create separation for a floater.
It was the same move he had used to ice the Celtics in Game 5.
Kevin Garnett couldn't contest it back then, and though Durant got closer, he still couldn't reach it.
"Swish!"
The ball ripped through the net.
With his improved physical condition, Han had become even more confident in this move.
"Need me to set a timer for you?" Han taunted, grinning.
[Hater Points +1.5]
Before Han had even finished his sentence, the Hater System flashed a new number.
Durant was clearly serious this time.
However... that 1.5 point wasn't much.
But then again, he had only recently led his team to the playoffs for the first time, so he wasn't exactly a big star yet.
The back-and-forth didn't stop, and the trash talk got more intense.
"You really think you can hang with me?" Durant snapped, frustration creeping in.
"Bro, I've been hanging on you like a cheap suit all day," Han shot back. "And guess what? It still fits."
Durant rolled his eyes, but you could see the fire in them. He might have laughed it off, but you could tell he was taking it personally.
Grover, watching from the sidelines, shook his head. He hadn't paid much attention to the backstory between these two, but it was clear now—they had history.
But Han Sen hadn't mentioned anything before.
The one-on-one raged on for over ten minutes, with Durant finally edging Han out 11 to 9.
The result wasn't a surprise. Durant was built for one-on-one matchups, while Han's wins came more from strategy than brute skill.
And Durant wasn't just any player now—he was in the conversation for the league's top ten. If Han could beat him easily, then he'd already be considered in that elite group.
Rondo was about to delete the video, thinking it was just a practice session.
"Don't even think about it," Han called out. "I'm not LeBron."
Being away from Cleveland had its perks—Han could take jabs at James freely.
But the real reason Han stopped him was because that footage could be useful later.
Turning back to Durant, Han nodded. "You got me this time," he admitted. "But since you fought hard for it, here's the scoop: these kicks? They're UA, HS Terminator One—my first signature shoe."
Durant looked stunned, like he'd just been sold an infomercial. "Seriously, dude? Did I just get played into a sneaker ad?"
Before he could wrap his head around it, Han was already at the three-point line with the ball in his hands. "Let's go. Round two."
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