Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Episode 2 Encountering the ■■■ of the Yuri Game.
“You’re heading out again today?”
“Good morning, Father.”
“It’s still dawn.”
Scratching his stomach, the man’s muscular build looked like he could step into a pro wrestling ring at any moment. My physique had clearly been inherited from him.
“You’re diligent even at dawn. Meeting a girl or something?”
“Nothing like that. If I had a girlfriend, I’d obviously introduce her to you first.”
“I suppose so.”
Then suddenly, Father tossed something in his hand toward me. I reflexively caught it. A thermos.
“Thanks. I forgot it.”
“You should take better care of your things.”
“Were you alright yesterday, Father? You looked pretty tired.”
“There was a little trouble with a client. I was exhausted, but it’s nothing I can’t endure for the sake of feeding you all.”
“That’s pretty cool.”
“So? Respect me now?”
“I wonder about that.”
Truthfully, I already respected him all the time. Could I possibly respect him even more? But saying something like that to his face would be embarrassing, so I kept it to myself.
“I’m off.”
“Make sure you’re back before breakfast. Don’t follow someone away just because they offer you candy.”
“Do I look like a little kid who’d fall for that?”
I had always liked moving my body. Maybe because I inherited Father’s blood, I was born with a healthy physique. It might sound self-absorbed, but I was fairly athletic too, and every time I exercised, I could physically feel myself improving. That sensation brought me immense joy.
Still, I never really wanted to devote myself to athletics professionally. After finding another dream, I eventually settled into jogging every morning.
Waking up at five in the morning, lightly running around the neighborhood, returning home before six, taking a shower, enjoying breakfast, then leisurely heading to school had somehow become my life routine.
Sweating buckets during a jog and washing it all away in the shower afterward felt so refreshing that before I knew it, I had become addicted to the sensation. That was one reason I never skipped my early morning jogs, though it wasn’t the only reason.
“So your baseball club couldn’t even make the semifinals because of poor performance, huh?”
“Shouldn’t the soccer club be more worried? A bunch of seniors graduated, so your loss in manpower looks serious. You struggled in your last match.”
“We just haven’t warmed up yet. Your side better not lose to some dark horse team again.”
Seeing the two seniors ahead of me running in step while bickering, I briefly considered escaping before they noticed me. Unfortunately, that hesitation proved fatal.
They spotted me immediately.
Damn it, why did there have to be a mirror there?
“Taeyang!!”
“So you’re jogging again today. Perfect timing!”
“Good morning, Sunbae Junwoo, Sunbae Gunwoo.”
Park Junwoo and Kim Gunwoo.
They were the captains of our school’s soccer and baseball clubs respectively. Both clubs were traditionally strong teams, regularly reaching championships and finals within the region.
And what happens when two traditionally dominant teams coexist in the same place, even if they’re different sports?
Naturally, rivalry flares up. Just like with these two seniors.
“Our Taeyang is so dependable as always! How about joining the soccer club while you’re at it? Let’s put that sturdy body and endless stamina of yours to good use.”
“What nonsense. Taeyang’s real strength isn’t just that. It’s his delicate hand control. With hands like his, he could handle any kind of ball freely. Why not join the baseball club and make the most of your talents?”
“How dare you cut in line!”
“It’s not like he’s labeled as your property.”
“Haa……”
Here they go again. I appreciated how friendly these seniors were, but couldn’t they tone down the fighting over me a little? It’s not like I disliked them, but having them argue over me every single time was exhausting.
“I appreciate the offer, but I don’t plan on joining athletics. I’ve said it many times already, but there’s something else I want to do.”
“I’ve heard it many times too, but it’s such a waste. Taeyang, you could become a giant in soccer.”
“No, baseball. But I agree it’s a waste of talent.”
“Thank you for thinking so highly of me. Rather than worrying about me, you should focus on raising your own promising juniors. You’ve got Jian and Bin, don’t you?”
At the mention of the second-year aces from soccer and baseball—both practically guaranteed to become future captains—the seniors’ expressions softened, though traces of regret still lingered.
“Of course Jian’s first-rate. But Taeyang, you’re still a waste. If Jian’s offensive power combined with your ball-keeping skills and stamina, our team’s offense would skyrocket.”
“Bin’s batting and speed are definitely huge strengths, but we still lack a pitcher who can properly support him. That’ll become an even bigger problem once the third-years graduate. We need a pitcher like you who can throw all sorts of pitches.”
“You’re overestimating me.”
I wasn’t some protagonist from a sports manga. Getting this many passionate recruitment offers honestly made me scared I’d disappoint everyone’s excessive expectations someday.
Well, hearing it still didn’t feel bad, but I genuinely had no plans to dive seriously into sports.
After eventually parting ways with the seniors and continuing my run for a while, I noticed another figure jogging ahead of me.
‘Who’s that?’
This time, though, it was someone I’d never seen before. On top of that, their running form was awful. They were staggering around like they’d collapse at any second, making me more worried than anything.
“Haa…! Hah, huup…!”
Wow, seeing them up close, they really looked like they were about to pass out. They must’ve been pushing themselves hard.
Maybe because the pitiful sight stirred my sympathy somehow, I unconsciously called out.
“Are you okay?”
“Huh……? Hah, haa, haa……”
“You’ll collapse if you sweat that much. Here, drink this at least. Staying hydrated is important.”
“Ugh…… gulp, gulp!”
Maybe because they were so thirsty, the younger-looking boy nearly emptied the entire thermos, greedily gulping down my chilled homemade sports drink.
Well, considering how much he had sweated, he really could’ve collapsed from dehydration.
“Kyaah! ……Haa, huu……”
“It’s good to work hard, but if you overdo it, you’ll collapse. Doesn’t look like you exercise often either. Overworking yourself on day one will only wreck your body.”
“……I’ll remember that.”
“You should head home for today. Your parents or friends will worry if you collapse.”
Leaving behind one final reminder to rest properly, I ran ahead, leaving the younger-looking boy behind.
Of course, I properly put my thermos back into my pocket. I bought that thing just three weeks ago. No way I was losing it.
‘I wasted too much time. Better pick up the pace.’
Talking with the seniors and that boy earlier had taken more time than usual. If I wanted to get home on time, shower, and eat breakfast, I needed to speed things up.
“Alright then, let’s really run!”
Blowing an imaginary whistle in my head, I kicked off the ground and accelerated. Not a full sprint that would overstrain me, but one step faster than my usual pace as I raced along the jogging route.
Feeling the refreshing wind strike my skin while beads of sweat rolled down my body, the heat radiating from me and the cooling breeze created an exhilarating rhythm.
And then once again, another person’s back appeared before my eyes.
This time, however, it belonged to someone familiar.
“Jeong Misook? Isn’t that Jeong Misook?”
“Ah?”
When I called her name from behind, Jeong Misook turned around and spotted me. Her neatly cut black hair swayed at shoulder length as she looked back.
“Taeyang Op…… no, Sunbae.”
“What’s with the cold ‘Sunbae’? You can call me Oppa.”
“If I casually call a famous senior like you something friendly, I’ll end up becoming part of the rumors too.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Rumors?”
“You didn’t know? You’re famous among the juniors in many ways, Sunbae.”
Hearing Misook say that, I suddenly wanted desperately to know exactly what kind of rumors were spreading about me. Had some weird nonsense started circulating among the juniors without me knowing!?
“What kind of rumors exactly?”
“……Pfft.”
“No, don’t just laugh, tell me! That makes me even more worried!”
“I’ll just say they’re not completely false.”
“That’s even worse!?”
Rumors mixed cleverly with bits of truth were the hardest to clear away!
“…….”
“What?”
“No, it’s just.”
The thought “I’m glad she’s brighter now” rose to my throat. Maybe because the last time I saw her had left such a strong impression on me, I’d honestly been worried. Thankfully, she seemed alright now. In fact, she looked much better.
“I’m planning to join the volleyball club.”
“……So you decided not to quit volleyball after all.”
“Yes. Because some meddlesome person lectured me.”
“Who would do that? Sounds like a huge busybody.”
“That’s right. A massive busybody.”
I wonder who that could be.
“If you join our school’s volleyball club, that’ll be reassuring. Compared to the soccer and baseball clubs, our volleyball club is really weak. Our recent performance has been awful.”
“Are you trying to pressure me right now? You’re planning to blame me if we fail, aren’t you, you cowardly senior.”
“Hey, why are you interpreting it like that? I believe in you, young ace.”
People like you actually perform better under a bit of pressure. And that wasn’t empty praise either. For a girl, Jeong Misook was tall, with excellent jumping ability, speed, and stamina.
She had been amazing in middle school too. There’d been a bit of trouble at the end, but I was certain she was already skilled enough to become a starter immediately.
“……Seriously, this is exactly why those rumors exist, you playboy.”
“Huh? What rumors are they really!?”
“I’m not telling you.”
“You’ve lost your cuteness. You used to follow me around calling me Oppa.”
“Who did? Stop rewriting history.”
Judging by the sharpness in her words, she really did seem completely fine now. I decided to tolerate this much grumbling for the sake of my cute junior.
Though honestly, her respect for seniors was garbage. But she was the ace who’d lead our volleyball club to nationals someday.
“I’ll head out first.”
“Yeah, take care. See you at school if we run into each other.”
“No thanks. I don’t want people misunderstanding me as someone close to you.”
“Seriously.”
Watching Jeong Misook disappear around the corner, a smile naturally rose to my lips. Did she think I wouldn’t notice? Her original jogging route wasn’t even here. The girl whose house was on the complete opposite side had deliberately come all the way here just to run into me on my jogging course.
‘Having a tsundere junior sure is tough.’
Pretending not to notice was probably the considerate thing for a senior to do.
“Eh, why?”
“Hm?”
“Ah, aaah……!”
Who’s that now? It was my first time seeing her today, yet somehow she didn’t feel unfamiliar. Had I seen her somewhere before?
The girl stared at me and Jeong Misook running side by side with eyes widened as though she’d been struck by a slingshot. The moment our eyes met, her shoulders trembled violently before she suddenly—
“No way!!!?”
“Huh? Wait, you!”
No, why did she suddenly sprint away the moment she saw my face?
What a weird girl.