Against all odds, Han Sol takes a leap of faith and wins her match with Nara in the finals of the National Juniors Sports Festival.
Even with everyone’s doubts, Han Sol proceeds in competing with Nara who is considered as the second best badminton player in Korea. Se Yoon’s absence disheartens the girls’ team of Jeonnam, believing that winning in the NJSF is impossible. However, Han Sol proves them wrong and ends up being the MVP.
Marcie Line watches Racket Boys on Netflix
Episode recaps: 01 & 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 & 06 | 07 & 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14
Racket Boys Episode 14 Key Moments
“In my opinion, it’s you who don’t trust the girls. You’re not giving them a proper strategy. And you’re holding cigarettes when you don’t smoke.”
Out for a smoke, Coach Ra overhears other coaches talking about how uninteresting the final match is because of Se Yoon’s absence. Coach Ra cuts off their conversation, but she is confronted by one of the coaches telling how she also seems to have also given up on the matches because Se Yoon would not be playing.
Because of that conversation, Coach Ra realizes how her behavior affects the team so she comes back to the court more determined to coach Han Sol to win the match.
Despite winning the match, Coach Ra expresses her guilt and disappointment to herself for giving up on her team because Se Yoon is not playing. Coach Yoon comforts her by telling her that she and her team all worked hard.
The girls’ team also visits her, and they celebrate their win together. The girls reassure Coach Ra that they never hated her and that they know how hard she works as their coach.
“I’m sure you guys already know that sometimes, your effort doesn’t guarantee good results. Our talents and conditions are all different. So some players get a head start. And working hard will not guarantee that you’ll be successful.”
Coach Yoon sits with the boys’ and girls’ team of Jeonnam, and he encourages them to cheer for Han Sol. In the first set, Han Sol loses, but she succeeds in beating Nara.
For the third set, Coach Ra suggests to Han Sol to play while thinking about the person she deeply cares about. Han Sol remembers her past of feeling isolated from the others because of the odd number. She realizes how Se Yoon was always by her side, and also recalls the warm words Se Yoon’s mother recently relayed to her.
Se Yoon arrives in the court, and cheers for Han Sol. Winning in the final match, Se Yoon and the girls’ team run to hug Han Sol. In an interview, Han Sol proudly tells the reporter that Se Yoon is her only friend.
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“It’s just sports, you know. Tomorrow’s match is more important than my new phone or my pride. We trained really hard, so we’ll win no matter what.”
Outnumbered by a team of baseball players from Seongmin Middle School, the boys’ badminton team of Jeonnam is in trouble because of their encounter with the baseball team in the laundry shop. The captain of the baseball team defames badminton as a sport and insults In Sol for being a benchwarmer.
Hae Kang arrives in the scene, and it turns out he knows the captain of the baseball team, Kim Seong-hun. Everyone is shocked, and Hae Kang defends badminton and In Sol from the insults Seong-hun said.
The rest of the badminton team is released, and Hae Kang walks in an alley with Seong-hun and two other members from the baseball team. Hae Kang decides to surrender his new cellphone to Seong-hun instead of crawling or withdrawing in their match the next day.
“Don’t think money can buy everything.”
A company is interested in building a golf course in Haenam, and they try to persuade the elders to agree with their offer. The elders oppose the proposal even when offered a large amount of money because the land is where their ancestors have settled.
The CEO of the company arrives in Haenam, and it is revealed to be one of the visiting hikers that caused trouble from episodes 7 and 8.
“He could put up with all the bullying, but not when he badmouthed you.”
Coach Bae tries to ask a favor from Coach Fang in lifting Kang Tae-seon’s suspension from the national team. However, Coach Fang tells Coach Bae that there is nothing he can do since Tae-seon was never suspended to begin with.
He reveals that Tae-seon punched his teammate before because of badmouthing Coach Bae. Coach Fang reminds Coach Bae that Tae-seon will still need to gather points at competitions in order to enter the national team again.
“I can’t see well again. Just like before.”
In the boys’ badminton semi-finals, the stadium becomes lively as people from Haenam come to cheer. Hae Kang wins his match against Lee Seung Heon from Busan. With that win, the boys’ team of Jeonnam moves forward for the finals in the NJSF.
After their match, Seung Heon talks with Hae Kang and tells him that he knows about his difficulty with vision. However, he assures Hae Kang that he will keep it a secret.
Se Yoon also tells Hae Kang that she noticed it during his match with Seung Heon, and suggests that he tell it to Coach Yoon. Following what Se Yoon suggested, Hae Kang admits to Coach Yoon and his team that he has difficulty with his vision again.
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Racket Boys Episode 14 Musings
Just like in the past episodes, Racket Boys has again taught viewers to embrace both success and loss. Coach Yoon’s words remind people of the reality that working hard does not always guarantee good results.
However, this episode does not discourage people from working hard, but instead stresses that hardwork paired with faith in other’s abilities can work miracles.
We see that Coach Ra has already given up when she was informed that Se Yoon would not be playing, and it’s saddening how it affected Han Sol and the team’s atmosphere. Upon realizing how her behavior affects the team, Coach Ra regains her faith in possibly winning the final match.
What happened with Coach Ra emphasizes the impact of prematurely giving up. Aside from hardwork, it’s also important to believe that people are capable of success.
Lee Seung Heon, the arrogant player from Busan, has character growth evident in this episode. Before, he only enjoyed winning, but in this episode, he became more friendly and open to losing.
Hae Kang has also grown into becoming braver in professing his feelings for Se Yoon when he argued with the guy in the bus stop for badmouthing Se Yoon.
Finale Episodes Coming Up!
For the last two episodes, viewers shall look forward to the result of the final match given that Hae Kang has vision impairment. In the preview, it hints that there will be a fierce atmosphere with Yong Tae, Woo Chan, and their ex-teammate Jae-seok.
We shall also expect to see the development of Hae Kang and Se Yoon’s relationship. Moreover, the outcome of the dispute with land of Haenam, which is at risk of becoming a golf course, will also be anticipated in the remaining episodes of Racket Boys.
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Catch the final two episodes of Racket Boys on SBS. English subtitles for international fans are available on Netflix.
Photos: SBS
