Chapter 226: A Rowdy Sports Day (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 226: A Rowdy Sports Day (7)
“Yes, you did say that…. I must have been out of my mind to forget. Good heavens.”
I felt the blood drain from my face. I had momentarily forgotten the harsh, jungle-like reality of society just because my seniors were being so kind to me. I sincerely repented.
“Wow, this is the first time I’ve seen I-wol look so flustered.”
“I’m not flustered; I’m just accepting my death.”
Polo burst into laughter.
“Was he really that scary in Idol Dynasty Annals? He’s not a difficult person to get along with, though.”
“A grand senior’s very breath carries the weight of decades of experience.”
It was then. Yur approached from a distance for the relay interviews.
Polo shook my arm and whispered.
“How about it? Do you want a shot of you two bonding? Should I set the stage?”
“N-th-nk-y-.”
Polo wiped away a fake tear as he watched me maintain a perfect smile while speaking through gritted teeth.
Yur was kind, even to someone like me who hadn't even offered the polite, empty promise of ‘Senior, we should grab a meal sometime!’
“Our first runners, I’m sure you feel a lot of pressure being the starters. Shall we say a word to our teammates?”
Starting from the inner rail, the athletes took turns offering words of encouragement to their members. Polo also gave a spirited interview, boldly telling his juniors to work hard.
“This is Spark’s first appearance at the Idol Unity Sports Day, and you’re putting up excellent results. I wonder if you’ll be able to finish strong.”
“We will do our best. And Spark, let’s not get hurt!”
At my words, Lee Cheong-hyeon, the third runner, started making a fuss from the sidelines. Choi Je-ho and Kang Gi-yeon, standing in the second and fourth runner lines, simply nodded.
“Runners, take your marks.”
The command rang out. With a bang, the relay—the flower of the sports day—began.
As it was the final event, the cheering was fierce. The shouts of fans supporting their respective idols echoed from all sides, and colorful banners flashed past my vision as I ran the course.
How long had I been running? I saw the name tag that read ‘D Je-ho.’
Well, that’s a relief. I didn't want to accidentally jam the baton into the back of his head.
“Choi Je-ho!”
When I called his name, his hand swiftly snatched the baton. His expression was more desperate than it had been during futsal or basketball. Even from a distance, I felt like I could hear the wind whistling past him.
“Why is he running so seriously?”
Whether he heard my mutter or not, Kang Gi-yeon answered as he handed me my jacket.
“Didn’t he hear you say earlier that we were short on medals?”
“I said that?”
Kang Gi-yeon nodded. I thought I had only said it in my head, but apparently, it slipped out. My social filter was completely broken.
The baton had already been passed to Lee Cheong-hyeon. Having shed his suit for a tracksuit, Lee Cheong-hyeon ran with a form so perfect it belonged in a textbook. What is with this guy? He’s just running, yet it feels like background music should be playing.
I stepped out of the way so Kang Gi-yeon could take the baton from Lee Cheong-hyeon. Then, I joined Jeong Seong-bin and Park Ju-woo to cheer them on.
『With a fierce battle for second and third place, Spark is steadily maintaining the lead!』
Kang Gi-yeon glanced back to check the distance between Lee Cheong-hyeon and the next runner. Then, seeing Lee Cheong-hyeon approaching, he began to build up speed.
“You can’t just run half a lap and quit! You have to do a full lap!”
Lee Cheong-hyeon barked nagging instructions as he handed the baton to Kang Gi-yeon.
“Does he think I’m Je-ho hyung?”
Kang Gi-yeon muttered. Beside me, Choi Je-ho’s eyebrow twitched.
『Gi-yeon already took the win in the short-distance sprint. I wonder if he has any stamina left… Ah, Gi-yeon is fast! He’s fast!』
Before the caster could even finish worrying about his stamina, Kang Gi-yeon tore down the line.
The kid has been dancing for years; of course he has stamina. Stamina is the one thing he has in spades.
Kang Gi-yeon’s hair fluttered. The name tag pinned to his chest flapped in the wind.
But all I could see were his two legs.
‘I went to the hospital, and they said I don’t need to come back anymore.’
‘Really?’
‘Yes. They said the inflammation is all gone. I just shouldn't overdo it.’
I couldn't describe the strange feeling in my heart when Kang Gi-yeon told me that.
When UA bought us all sneakers as a group, did you know that even as I picked the pair that looked the least slippery, I wasn't just anxious?
The white tape was stretched across the finish line. Kang Gi-yeon broke through it with a relaxed smile.
And so, with a final score of five gold medals, one silver, and one bronze, Spark achieved the overall championship for the Chuseok season.
≫ Let’s stop being Northern Duke Idols and be Athletic Idols instead
Our kids have more medals than members. They could juggle with them.
If this isn't an Athletic Idol, I don't know what is.
└ Lmao please hahahaha
└ Is this a major spoiler?
└ Yeah, Spark got 1st place overall. Just don't spread it outside the private accounts.
└ They said they even went to a training camp, there was a reason for it.
≫ Wasn't Park Ju-woo a baby chinchilla?
Since when did he become a grown-up capybara?
But then he becomes a chinchilla again only when he asks if the lenses are expensive. That’s so unfair.
└ No, Ju-woo is a chinchilla. He only threw the arrow because it didn't taste good. Protect Ju-woo’s chinchilla identity at all costs.
└ Park Ju-woo hitting 10-10-10, is this real life…? Ju-woo, let’s just shoot everyone who acts like sh*t with your bow from now on.
└ We don't need a ‘Do Not Feed’ sign; we need a ‘Do Not Provoke’ sign.
≫ What on earth was the Oldest Line doing during basketball?
Everyone who went is now a slave to basketball.
Nobody is talking about the score; they’re all just talking about the sleeveless shirts.
└ The score doesn't matter… What matters is that the boys were sweating and dribbling in sleeveless shirts.
└ Kim I-wol, fck, he looks so gentle but then he goes berserk during basketball. It makes me so mad. Fck, it was so hot I watched the game in just a t-shirt.
└ Were YOU the one running? haLOL ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
≫ Ha, Seong-bin.
Do you have any idea that if you just turn off your eye-sparkle like that in public, people will misunderstand and think you’re a cold-hearted handsome guy and avoid you?
Do you know that our Seong-bin is the warmest person ever, but all the other idols are parting like the Red Sea around him!!!
└ At this point, Sparklers need to admit their leader isn't a ‘warm’ handsome guy…
└ I thought this was a fake rumor, but it’s real?? hahahaha
└ Shut up, our Seong-bin is still a mini bungeo-ppang. He’s fresh out of the oven and toasty.
└ What’s the point of being a bungeo-ppang if the mold is an ice tray?
└ I said shut up.
≫ The hyungs’ faces watching the maknae during the relay.jpg
[[IMG_1]]
Aren't they way too shocked? hahahahahahahahahahahaha
└ They probably didn't realize our maknae was such an Amazonian beast.
└ Look at the baby chinchilla’s eyes going wide, even though he’s the one who broke eight lenses.
└ hahahahahahahahahaha
└ Wait, did the official account release this?
└ Yeah, the broadcasting station’s official account posted a four-cut preview.
└ Those stingy bastards. Chuseok is right around the corner, and they only give us four cuts?
└ They want us to watch the main broadcast… Fine, but my grandma has the remote at my house.
└ We’ll be lucky if she doesn't put on a Chuseok special movie instead.
Even before the show aired, things were chaotic with photos released by the station, outfits posted on Spark’s official account, and fan reviews.
But more importantly, I had to check the system rewards.
In the car on the way back, I checked the system messages that had popped up one after another.
+
[SYSTEM] ‘Kim I-wol’ is awarded ‘Porcelain-like Fair Skin.’
▷ Effect: Skin troubles and pigmentation are reduced for ‘Kim I-wol’ only.
[SYSTEM] ‘Choi Je-ho’ is awarded ‘Eye-catching Charm.’
▷ Effect: Attention levels increase when in a group of 10 or more for ‘Choi Je-ho’ only. (No expiration, Permanent)
[SYSTEM] ‘Park Ju-woo’ is awarded ‘Transparent Eyes that Convey Sincerity.’
▷ Effect: Expression delivery increases during close-ups of 2 seconds or more for ‘Park Ju-woo’ only. (No expiration, Permanent)
[SYSTEM] ‘Lee Cheong-hyeon’ is awarded ‘Inner Glow that Shines from Within.’
▷ Effect: Luxurious and natural inner-glow skin is maintained for ‘Lee Cheong-hyeon’ only. (No expiration, Permanent)
[SYSTEM] ‘Kang Gi-yeon’ is awarded ‘Mature Charm Appeal.’
▷ Effect: Depth of expressive power increases for ‘Kang Gi-yeon’ only. (No expiration, Permanent)
+
I felt a bit slighted that I was the only one without a permanent reward, but this was enough. The important thing was that these guys all received pretty good rewards.
And above all….
+
[SYSTEM] ‘Spark’ is awarded ‘Camera Massage.’
▷ Effect: When ‘Spark’ is exposed to media, the distortion that occurs between reality and the screen is reduced. (No expiration, Permanent)
+
…We got the Camera Massage. Honestly, wasn't this the whole reason for the overall win? With this, I didn't even need the other rewards.
Thanks to everyone’s hard work, I was able to raid the Welfare Mall. I couldn't have been more proud.
‘Is Lee Cheong-hyeon’s inner glow the only thing I can check right away?’
As soon as we get to the dorm, I’ll have to lay him down and turn on the lights. The LED beauty mirror I ordered from the company—just in case we filmed a self-makeup piece of content—was finally going to see the light of day.
If there was one other thing on my mind… it was the ‘Morning Star Smile’ that appeared during the interview before the archery match.
That phrase only appeared when I mentioned the episode with Hee-rang. It wasn't like I hadn't been smiling on set before that.
‘Is there a specific condition? Or will the same phrase appear if I smile exactly like I did then?’
Since it came up as a sort of guide, maybe if I give the Morning Star Smile ten times, my assigned KPI will decrease a bit.
With a glimmer of hope, I called out to Lee Cheong-hyeon in the front seat.
“Did you call me?”
When Lee Cheong-hyeon turned around, I tried to replicate the smile as best as I could from memory.
“What the. What’s with that face? You’re creeping me out.”
“…….”
Regrettably, the message didn't pop up. Instead, I received a ‘dubious look’ from Lee Cheong-hyeon.
What exactly is a Morning Star Smile? The system has never given me anything useless. Am I going to get hit with something unexpected again?
While all sorts of thoughts were racing through my head, Lee Cheong-hyeon’s eyes widened. He even turned his whole body around to face me.
“Who told you to sit with your waist twisted like that? Your spine will get out of align—”
“Hyung, did you wash off all your makeup earlier?”
“Huh? Yeah, I thought it would be bad if it mixed with the sweat….”
Before I could even finish, Lee Cheong-hyeon placed a hand on each of my cheeks. A wet slap echoed from my face.
“No way. This is the first time I’ve seen your face without dark circles!”
…What?
I haven't even seen my own face like that yet.