Chapter 225: A Boisterous Sports Day (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 225: A Boisterous Sports Day (6)
Lee Cheong-hyeon didn't reject my suggestion. In fact, he welcomed it. He said learning new things was fun.
And so, by day, he was caught by Choi Je-ho and spent his time sprinting across the field; by night, he sat under a mood lamp reading theory books. It was the literal definition of working by day and studying by night.
Lee Cheong-hyeon had what you might call an 'eye for the path.' Even though he hadn't played much, he caught on to the feel of the game instantly. He even figured out how to use the cushions to hit the balls on his own.
'This is actually really fun.'
He might seem impulsive, but Lee Cheong-hyeon actually loves acting based on calculations. Even when we were making that Goldberg device, didn't he stay up day and night with a happy smile on his face? For someone like him, billiards was a pretty fitting choice.
But it’s not an event if only you’re having fun.
I unwrapped the clothes Gu Ja-han had gifted me and handed them to him.
'What’s this?'
'Put them on and come out.'
'But these were a gift for you, Hyung.'
'Don't talk back, just do it.'
They say the "hanger" matters more than the clothes, but isn't it human nature to want to put wings on a high-quality hanger? It’s not like my relationship with Gu Ja-han is deep enough for me to worry about the sincerity of the giver, anyway.
Thanks to him growing to be about my height over the last few months, the length was a perfect fit. When he first tried them on, the width was a bit loose because he was thinner than me, but after working hard on bulking up during the training camp, he filled them out wonderfully.
I didn't hold back my applause as I looked at him dressed in a light suit setup.
'So, why did you tell me to wear this?'
'Wear that when you go out to play billiards.'
'What?'
Let’s shoot a fashion pictorial right here at the Idol Unity Sports Day. I’ll make it so the cameras have no choice but to capture you.
『Next up, representing Spark, it’s Cheong-hyeon!』
『Oh, my goodness...!』
Ha Seo-myeong was at a loss for words. In the distance, Lee Cheong-hyeon walked out onto the red-painted gym floor, boasting leg length that looked like it had been stretched out by a Photoplat.
He wore dress shoes that provided grip while maintaining his visuals, well-tailored slacks, and sleeves rolled up past his elbows so they wouldn't interfere with his shots. Since wearing just a shirt might make him look a bit like a delinquent, I had him add a vest. It was a look that wouldn't be out of place in any classic, traditional fashion pictorial.
He even wore a specialized billiards glove that covered only his thumb, index, and middle fingers. I wasn't aiming for a gear advantage; I just told him to wear it because fans seem to love that kind of thing.
I don't know why, but Sparklers seem to want us to wear every kind of glove in existence. Except for those smartphone-touch gloves.
As if my prediction was correct, a massive roar erupted from the Sparklers' section.
Everyone, are you happy? If you’re happy, I’m happy too.
“Cheong-hyeon, I can feel a tremendous amount of determination from your outfit.”
“It’s a strategy to make it look like skill rather than luck if I play well.”
“And if you don't play well? Wouldn't that be a bit embarrassing?”
“I came here with the mindset of at least giving the fans something nice to look at, so it’s fine!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Lee Cheong-hyeon flashed a dazzling smile.
That guy is great in every way; his only flaw is being born too late. If he’d been born about 200 years ago, he’d probably be registered as a national treasure of Korea by now, receiving global attention under state protection.
Because he was born in the 21st century, he has to go around showing off this face one by one, unless he gets a camera massage from the System. If the Louvre has the Mona Lisa, I could have countered that the Hanagaram Art Museum has Lee Cheong-hyeon.
Even in the area where the idols were sitting, whispers were constant. Everyone was focused on Lee Cheong-hyeon. Among them were Parte and the other druggie groups.
The more famous or talked about Lee Cheong-hyeon becomes, the more those guys will try to get close to him. Whether they need his name value to get drugs or they need more people because buying in bulk is cheaper.
'It doesn't look like they've started on the drugs yet... but I'll have to keep a close eye on them.'
After mentally marking each of their faces, the players began preparing for the game in earnest.
Following my instructions, Lee Cheong-hyeon stood facing the fan section and applied chalk to the tip of his cue.
Seriously, that guy should have been born around the year 1400 and put on display at the Hanagaram Art Museum with a title like 『Beautiful Man』.
Even his performance wasn't bad. It was just that his opponent showed incredible skill, even demonstrating professional techniques, but Cheong-hyeon showed a way of utilizing the cushions that was hard to believe for a beginner.
All he had learned was how to find the path, but his ability to apply it was remarkable. Both the caster and Yur couldn't hide their admiration.
Although the match ended in Lee Cheong-hyeon's defeat, it was a good game. Spark didn't hold back their praise for him after such an undeniably great match.
“What’s our current medal count?”
“One silver in high jump, one bronze in table tennis, one gold each in basketball and futsal...”
Park Ju-woo added medal drawings to the whiteboard he had brought from the dorm. I have no idea when he managed to pack that.
Choi Je-ho poked his head over Park Ju-woo’s shoulder and asked.
“What matches are left?”
“Gi-yeon’s short-distance finals, the archery finals... and the relay.”
Two golds, one silver, and one bronze. Can we win the overall championship by winning a few more medals? I wouldn't know, since I've never watched the Idol Unity Sports Day all the way to the end.
As long as there were no fluctuations in Park Ju-woo’s skill, it seemed like we’d get a good result in archery. I didn't want to put too much pressure on Kang Gi-yeon, so I’d pass on him for a moment.
The only thing left was the relay... but I wondered if these guys would have any teamwork. I found myself regretting that we didn't get to practice the relay much due to lack of time.
I wasn't worried about Lee Cheong-hyeon or Kang Gi-yeon. They’d do fine on their own. It’d be a miracle if I didn't accidentally jam the baton into Choi Je-ho’s head while running.
“Don't go anywhere else during the archery match; just wait here quietly. And keep your distance from everyone except the Berion sunbaes.”
“Why only lower the guard for the Berion sunbaes? Is it because you’re close with them, Hyung?”
“Fine, stay away from them too, then.”
“Sorry.”
Lee Cheong-hyeon gracefully accepted defeat. With the remaining guys being Choi Je-ho, Lee Cheong-hyeon, and Kang Gi-yeon... my heart felt heavy at the reality that the only one I could trust was the youngest.
Fortunately, the matches went smoothly. Unlike Gu Ja-han, Jeong Seong-bin, who was a true slow starter, rode the momentum and fired arrows at a speed that pressured the opposing team. Park Ju-woo had a blast shattering camera lenses, blowing through the Idol Unity Sports Day production budget.
And as for me...
『Iwol, that’s a score as excellent as your form!』
...I finished my turn safely without damaging the team's reputation. And so, Spark secured another gold medal.
When we returned to our seats, Lee Cheong-hyeon welcomed us with open arms. He was rambling about the second coming of Jumong or Apollo becoming human; I wished he’d just pick one.
But after all is said and done, isn't the highlight of any sports day the running?
We each draped a slogan over ourselves—and as promised, we tied a slogan to each of the gold medal hero Park Ju-woo’s wrists and ankles—and cheered for Kang Gi-yeon’s short-distance sprint.
“Don't you think Kang-gyeon only got longer in the legs as he grew?”
Lee Cheong-hyeon said, watching Kang Gi-yeon stretching on the track.
“You’re the same.”
“I grew like I was holding down the Shift key, but it looks like he only stretched his lower body vertically.”
“So you’re saying you grew uniformly, then?”
Either way, in my eyes, all of you have proportions that could put you on a runway. Who are you to talk about leg length?
“Still, Gi-yeon... he’s so gentle and cute when he’s with us. Seeing him standing there with everyone else, he looks a little scary.”
Park Ju-woo laughed while saying something quite harsh. It was funny that he ever saw him as cute in the first place, though. I guess Ju-woo needs to see him from a distance to realize Gi-yeon's true nature.
Just as I was waiting anxiously for the signal, the starting pistol went off. Maybe it was because I hadn't seen the preliminaries, but Kang Gi-yeon was fast. Right, that guy always did have exceptionally elastic legs.
After a battle that lasted less than a minute, Kang Gi-yeon proudly took the gold medal. Another gold medal drawing was added to Park Ju-woo’s whiteboard.
I met Polo again at the relay line. This was because both Polo and I were the first runners.
“Spark’s physicals are just cheating. How is the whole team like this?”
“You flatter us, Sunbae-nim.”
“To call it flattery, you should look at your team’s medal count.”
But Spark is UA’s collection of athletes, hand-picked for being tall, handsome, and cool-headed. It was already like this before I even got here.
“Is Ga-un sunbae the last runner for Team A?”
“Ga-un is small, but he runs well. He was the fastest among us.”
I’d seen him during the sprint earlier. He came in second, just a hair behind Kang Gi-yeon.
“Is your goal the overall championship, by any chance?”
“It’s not something you get just by aiming for it, but it would be nice if we could.”
Actually, I’m aiming for it with everything I’ve got. I came here with the mindset that it’s either the overall win or death. I live only for the victory.
As if he’d read the look in my eyes, Polo gave a smirk.
“Iwol, you know you’re really sly, right?”
“Me?”
“Including that part.”
Polo laughed cheerfully.
“I saw you doing the interview with Berion earlier. You’re quite popular, aren't you, Iwol?”
“Everyone has been very kind to me.”
“Well, you are an exceptionally charming junior.”
Between Jeong Seong-bin’s recent 'praise time'—which was actually a high-level roast—and this, I don't know why people have been making me so embarrassed lately. Repeated praise usually makes a person suspicious.
“So, speaking of which, are you going to eat with my Hyung too?”
“Pardon?”
“I mean Yur-hyung. He said he texted you to grab a meal after the Idol Dynasty Annals ended?”
Oh, right. He did.
It was an emergency. I had suddenly become the junior who coolly ghosted a dinner invitation from a massive industry senior.
And this was a senior who had even checked in on me when he heard I was injured.
I’m sorry, Sunbae-nim. From this moment on, I will show you the sight of me slamming my head on the floor in apology right here, where a million cameras are rolling.