"Racket Boys" episode 8: Promo hints at Hae-kang's injury; can he play despite it?

In Racket Boys, Haenam Seo Middle School badminton club's ace player Hae-kyung (Tang Joon-sang) may get injured in episode 8.

Hae-kyung is currently the ace player among the five-member team consisting of Yoon-dam (Son Sang-yeon), Yeong-tae (Kim Kang-hoon), Woo-Chan (Choi Hyun-wook) and In-sol (Kim Min-ki).

His matches at the Summer Games are ones that opponents are interested in.

Especially, a player from Busan seems to have no qualms about how he wins against Hae-kang, as long as he does. This becomes clear with the promo for the upcoming episode of "Racket Boys" that was released.

Will Hae-kang be able to move past an injury in "Racket Boys"?

In the promo of Racket Boys episode 8, it was clear that Hae-kang got injured. Something about his ankle troubled him enough to double down in pain. However it was not clear if the ankle was sprained.

However, it can be guessed that Hae-kang will move past this obstacle too. That is what it looks like from the way he addresses his father. The two were in a dark hallway in "Racket Boys" episode 8 when this conversation took place.

At this time, Hae-kang tells his father that he should show everyone who did not believe in their team what they are capable of. He seems dead set on not only playing the match, but winning it too.

Hae-kang seems like a young man who is determined with a fiery temper. This is what pushed him to play badminton again.

In addition to this, his competitiveness kept him active within the club. He had a goal, and to achieve it, he was ready to do his best. Now, Hae-kang seems to have found a new goal.

This goal is what will push him to play despite the pain he will experience if he is injured. The promo doesn't just feature Hae-kang's resolve. Another member of the team also faces a conflict of his own.

What could have made Woo-chan angry?

Woo-chan is the only member of the team whose talent is yet to be spotlighted. In the promo, Woo-chan looks extremely angry and ready to throw a tantrum. He seems resolved too.

His coach, Hyeon-Jong (Kim Sang-kyung), asks Woo-chan if everything is alright. The only response that the promo reveals is Woo-chan tells his coach that he wants to show his talent.

Considering how he was placed last after an internal evaluation in Haenam Seo, it makes sense that he would want to use the Summer Games in "Racket Boys" as an opportunity to prove himself. This doesn't answer why Woo-chan's temper seems all over the place.

It also poses the question, could Woo-chan really prove his talent and continue on playing badminton in "Racket Boys?" As of now, Woo-chan is unaware of his father's plan. When he returned home, and his father for once did not speak about playing badminton, he assumed that his father may have changed.

However, in Racket Boys episode 8, he might learn the truth. His father plans on letting him play the game for just this year before he forces Woo-chan to give up on the sport for academics. Can this serve as a much-needed push for Woo-chan?

Racket Boys Episode 8 will air on June 22nd, on SBS at 10 PM Korean time and will be streamed on Netflix.