Sweet Morning Surprise and the Unexpected Call
With a casual wave of his hand, Jung Tae-woo opened the door. The young man at the entrance hesitated for a moment before stepping inside.
“Um… that…”
Jang Da-min suddenly threw herself at him with a look of determination. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her face close to his chest.
“I kept the promise we made when we were little. The ceremony was really cool.”
Before he could finish speaking, she hugged him tightly. The familiar scent of her hair and the warmth of her body enveloped him completely.
“Th-that’s enough. I’m leaving.”
Her cheeks flushed bright red as she quickly slipped into the dorm room and disappeared inside.
Jung Tae-woo stood there for a long time after she vanished, unable to move. He still wasn’t sure if this was a dream or reality.
“Whee—!”
He shook his head, the cool night breeze finally clearing his mind.
“Ah, I should head home too.”
After a few minutes of walking, he arrived at the front door, opened it, and heard his mother’s voice coming from the living room.
“Tae-woo? You’re back?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Who did you meet? A friend?”
His mother asked cheerfully. Friend? Da-min was his girlfriend now… but she was still a friend, right?
“Da-min. She said she’s debuting with Queendom, so I treated her to dinner.”
“Really? Bring her over later. I want to see her face.”
“Of course.”
“And make sure to get some rest before school tomorrow.”
“Yes, Mom. Goodnight.”
After his short conversation with his mother, Jung Tae-woo lay down on his bed and replayed the day’s events in his mind.
“I want to see Da-min…”
Ding!
Who was this at this hour?
Da-min: Did you just arrive home?
Funny enough, it seemed like even lovers could read each other’s minds.
Da-min: You looked at my chat?
Da-min: Do you not want to see me?
Da-min: I only thought of you after I got home.
Seeing Da-min’s reaction, Jung Tae-woo couldn’t help but smile.
Da-min: Don’t call me that. Say something else.
Da-min: Call me something else… like “honey.”
Da-min: Honey… goodnight.
Jung Tae-woo: Don’t you call me “husband”? If you do, I’ll sleep like a baby.
Jung Tae-woo’s message was clearly read. The reply never came, but Jung Tae-woo could already picture Da-min’s cheeks turning bright red.
Still, she was too adorable. The thought made him grin even wider.
Meanwhile, in the Queendom dorm:
“Kyaaah!”
Da-min buried her face in her pillow and let out a muffled scream, her phone clutched tightly against her chest.
“Hehehe… calling me husband…”
She giggled and kicked the blanket with her foot, her whole face glowing with happiness.
“Ahh… I’m so happy…”
A sleepy voice suddenly came from the next bed.
“Are we raising a baby rabbit in our dorm? Go to sleep.”
“Eek!”
Da-min quickly pulled the blanket over her head, trying to act calm.
But the flutter in her heart refused to settle down.
When she checked her phone again, a new message from Jung Tae-woo waited.
Jung Tae-woo: Don’t you call me “husband”? If you do, I’ll sleep like a baby.
Her fingers trembled as she typed back.
Da-min: Husband ❤️
Da-min: Don’t you call me “husband”? If you do, I’ll sleep like a baby.
…
At dawn the next morning:
“Pee-pipipipi—”
Jung Tae-woo’s eyes snapped open at the alarm. He really didn’t want to get up.
“Ah… just five more minutes…”
That was his usual morning routine. He always promised himself “just five minutes” or “just one more,” but then he never actually woke up.
“Tae-woo! Get up and eat breakfast!”
His mother’s voice jolted him awake.
When he checked his phone, thirty minutes had already passed.
“What? Already?”
Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he shuffled toward the bathroom. Even after his amazing Olympic performance, he was still just an ordinary high-school student.
“Hehe… I’m not ordinary anymore. I have a beautiful girlfriend now.”
The thought of Da-min made him smile.
“Jung Tae-woo! Hurry up and come out!”
“Yes, coming!”
“First, let’s eat and think about everything.”
“Uwaa, that was so good!”
“Go eat and come back, sweetie.”
Stepping out of the house, Jung Tae-woo walked the familiar route to school. Everything looked the same, yet somehow it felt brand new.
“Hey! Tae-woo!”
A bright voice rang out behind him. Lee Tae-yang came sprinting over with a huge grin.
“I only ate breakfast a little while ago, so I can’t even look at your face properly.”
“What? You’re seeing the best-looking Olympic ace from the Korean national team. That’s an honor.”
Jung Tae-woo chuckled and shook his head.
“If we go to school, all the students will recognize us, right?”
Lee Tae-yang asked excitedly.
“High-school students should be more focused on studying than sports.”
“We’re not the type to study.”
“That’s because we have the right head for soccer.”
Passing through the school gate, the two boys spotted a massive banner hanging on the school building.
“Congratulations to our proud Olympic heroes, Jung Tae-woo and Lee Tae-yang!”
The banner featured large photos of both players and a short summary of their Olympic glory.
Jung Tae-woo: Ace striker of Poongwol High School and the ultimate Korean idol. Blocked only one goal in the entire Olympic tournament, raising the school’s status to new heights.
Lee Tae-yang: Striker of Poongwol High School. His perfect passing, intense pressure, and decisive goals announced the excellence of the team to the whole world.
The boys exchanged glances.
“Ah… did they really have to make it this big?”
Jung Tae-woo frowned, feeling a little awkward. This was his first time dealing with such public attention after the Kim Chan-ki days.
When he scored the goal for the U-20 team and came back to school, the same banner had hung there.
Students had whispered:
“Wow, he’s actually ugly.”
“Haha, if he’s that handsome, he must be really good at soccer. Otherwise his life would suck.”
They had said it right in front of him while he was walking to school.
“Yeah… things are different now.”
His face was so well-known now that it made fans blush. Still, there were always some unpleasant people who couldn’t accept his looks.
He glanced around carefully, but Lee Tae-yang was staring at the banner with sparkling eyes.
“Whoa! He’s so handsome! Ladies and gentlemen, I am Lee Tae-yang, the Olympic ace and the ultimate handsome guy! Hahaha!”
“You don’t even care what people think, do you?”
“Haha, yeah! I’m the Olympic ace and the best-looking guy in the world!”
“Eh? The best-looking guy in the Olympics is Tae-woo, not you!”
“Whoa!”
“Hahahaha!”
Jung Tae-woo watched the whole scene with a small smile.
“Yeah… a lot has changed.”
Now he had a beautiful girlfriend and friends who celebrated his success with him.
“Tae-woo!”
Lee Tae-yang suddenly punched his shoulder lightly.
“Let’s both say we’re the best-looking guys, okay?”
“Tae-yang, our levels are completely different.”
At that moment, Jung Tae-woo felt the dark shadow of his past finally starting to lift.
They were still chatting when their homeroom teacher entered the classroom.
“Ah… another nap time song…”
The teacher’s monotonous voice filled the room.
“Yeah… let’s survive this one.”
“…”
“…”
School classes were basically a powerful sleeping pill even for insomniacs.
“Tae-woo.”
“Tae-woo.”
“Hey, shut up! Who is it?”
Jung Tae-woo muttered sleepily and looked up. He blinked in surprise.
“Coach? There’s no training today…”
He straightened up quickly.
“Huh? Sorry.”
His coach smiled gently and shook his head.
“It’s fine, Tae-woo. Someone came to see you. Hahaha.”
“Did you see this scene somewhere before?”
“Indeed.”
Jung Tae-woo stood up and followed his coach out of the classroom.
“What is this time? Agency? Or… could it be the good person Seo-jin mentioned?”
It was a very possible scenario. A player who had just become famous after the Olympics would definitely want a quick agency.
After a short while, the coach opened the door and stepped inside. Jung Tae-woo followed closely.
“A woman?”
The person sitting on the chair in front of him looked exactly like a professional career woman — neat suit, stylish hair.
“It’s been a while since I saw you, Jung Tae-woo.”
“Eh? Are you… a good person?”
“Yes?”