Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Sports Festival #7
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Amid the runners bursting out like springs with a loud bang, Yoon Jiu surged ahead.
Seeing him running with gritted teeth, I couldn't help but clap.
Kid, you do it when it counts, huh.
Back in the day, he always liked stepping up, but he never really gave the impression of being athletic.
Before I knew it, Yoon Jiu had passed the midpoint and sprinted all the way to where the next runner was in sight.
That's when the accident happened.
Whether something struck his foot, a trailing runner bumped him, or he tripped over his own leg.
I didn't know the exact cause, but Yoon Jiu—who had been running smoothly in the lead—suddenly tumbled down.
"Ugh!"
With a short cry, the other runners passed him by.
A few of them looked like they were considering helping Yoon Jiu up. But with the next runner waiting, they only slowed down a bit—no one actually stopped.
The moment I wondered if even I should go help, seeing Yoon Jiu struggling to get up.
"Jiu!"
Lee Sea, who had been waiting for Yoon Jiu at the next starting line, and Teacher Jeong Chaeyeon, who had been cheering beside her, rushed out.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I don't know what passed between them, but after a short while, Lee Sea picked up the dropped baton and started running.
Even from far away where I stood, her face was visibly filled with worry.
Yoon Jiu headed to the infirmary set up in the sports field, supported by the teacher.
"Why'd he fall like that when he was running so well?"
"Dunno."
Various murmurs rose from the kids nearby who had watched the scene.
I just clicked my tongue once and watched Lee Sea, waiting for my turn.
I'm not brazen enough to butt into strangers gossiping and tell them to knock it off.
...Focus on the race for now.
Even if it was just a practice relay, losing powerlessly to some fluke accident rubbed me the wrong way.
The other class's runners had already taken off, and with Lee Sea's relatively slow pace, the gap was only widening further.
At least the accident had been handled quickly, so it wasn't an impossible gap to close—but it sure looked tough.
I dragged my feet back bit by bit.
To take the baton from Lee Sea even a little sooner.
The PE teacher shot me a glare, but didn't intervene.
Having seen what just happened, he must have figured this was within bounds.
A moment later, Lee Sea—looking much like she had right after the badminton match, panting and trembling—raised her shaky arm to pass me the baton.
"Good job."
"Hah... haa..."
With Lee Sea's oddly limp cheer, I snatched the baton, powered my legs, and kicked off the ground to run.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Whoa. Crazy. Who the hell is that guy?"
"He caught up halfway? Who's he?"
"That's him. The top guy."
"Ah! Right, Seo Ijin from Class C."
Murmurs rippled through the spectator seats.
Seo Ijin's performance had been that jaw-dropping.
He'd massively closed the gap—nearly half a lap—with the other class.
You might wonder how any human could run that fast.
But in a relay, where your segment is long, it's possible.
Seo Ijin had gone full sprint the entire way, so naturally he outpaced the others who paced themselves until the final stretch.
...And watching from the stands, Lee Soyun's eyes sparkled.
"A-amazing..."
"Soyun's boyfriend runs real good, huh?"
"M-my boyfriend...? N-no, he's not..."
She denied it with words, but couldn't hide her rising smile.
Even though her usual group was all out in the relay, Lee Soyun wasn't alone.
Her cute looks and demeanor had earned her plenty of friends.
It wasn't just her story, either.
Excluding Seo Ijin and Seong Yurin, Lee Sea and Hong Yeonseo were popular too.
And most of the class had a rough idea of their relationships with Seo Ijin.
The school was full of rumors, thanks to how chatty the Class C girls could be.
"But... is Jiu okay? He fell pretty hard."
"Yeah. Hope that handsome face doesn't get messed up."
"Totally."
Lee Soyun had watched all the way to Seo Ijin passing the baton to Seong Yurin and kneeling to catch his breath. Hearing the chatter around her, worry for Yoon Jiu finally welled up inside.
Their relationship had cooled a bit lately, but he'd been a friend for a long—long—time.
Even with all his recent bad behavior, plenty of good memories lingered, so she couldn't help worrying.
He'll be okay...
For old times' sake, she hoped Yoon Jiu wasn't hurt bad.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Hah... huff.
Almost died there.
I'd planned to jog it out easy, but that unplanned sprint left my heart pounding like it would explode—first time in forever.
Underestimated the relay, figured whatever, and went for it... but when Seong Yurin didn't show up quick, I realized oh shit.
Barely passed the baton right before my stamina tanked, finishing my leg.
"You okay?"
"Hah... gonna die..."
Hong Yeonseo handed me a water bottle from somewhere.
As the anchor, she still had plenty of time.
"Still, you closed a ton of ground for us. Yurin’s fast too—think we can pull off the overtake?"
Catching my breath, I handed the bottle back and replied.
"Other class is hustling too. No slacking."
"I never slack."
Grinning, she straightened her back, planted her feet firmly, and stood tall—pure general vibes.
How does that slender frame radiate such command?
Bright sunlight reflected off her red hair, gleaming wildly.
Her smile was enchantingly alluring, enough to charm anyone.
...Anyway, looking at her, I was dead certain we wouldn't lose.
And that hunch was spot on.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Thanks to everyone's all-out efforts, by Hong Yeonseo's leg, Class C was firmly in contention.
With her signature flying stride, she breezed past the seven or so runners ahead and crossed the finish line in proud first place.
The speed gap was so blatant, you could clearly see the former leader gaping in shock.
"Kyaa! Hong Yeonseo!"
"Hong Yeonseo! Hong Yeonseo!"
Cheers for Hong Yeonseo erupted from Class C.
"Whoa, seriously. Class C too OP?"
"They fell at the start and still won?"
Resigned groans alternated from the other classes.
We celebrated the win with the other runners waiting at the finish line.
"...That said. Shouldn't we check on Jiu? Guys?"
Sorry to rain on the parade, but with an injured teammate, I couldn't shake the worry.
Lee Sea nodded at my words and took the lead toward the infirmary.
No ceremony since it was practice—we just told the PE teacher and bounced.
Following Lee Sea, we bumped into Teacher Jeong Chaeyeon walking from the opposite way.
"Ah, Teacher?"
"Oh, kids. Race over?"
"Yes! We won!"
"Really? Impressive. Gap must've been massive."
A faint smile flickered on the teacher's lips, then faded.
"...What about Jiu?"
Her face darkened at my question.
"Hmm... Nurse said she couldn't diagnose properly with the gear here. They just took him to the hospital. Wanted to go myself, but another teacher's with him—said it'd be fine."
"Where's he hurt?"
"Mild case, probably sprained ankle or muscle shock... Worst case, hairline fracture."
"Ugh..."
One of the girls shuddered, clearly imagining the worst.
"Sports fest right around the corner... big mess. Worried about the guy."
"Yeah... No clue how it'll shake out, so we'll need subs for vice president's events."
We headed back to the class huddle with the teacher.
Hearing the full story from her, the classmates fretted over Yoon Jiu.
For all his faults, the guy was still popular.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "...J-Jia?"
"Yeah."
"Wanna go see Jiu?"
"...Well, should visit. Got stuff to pass on anyway."
After school, we got club clearance and headed to visit Yoon Jiu.
He'd gone to the hospital so suddenly—we had his stuff to drop off.
That said... why had Lee Sea been peeking at me so nervously when she spoke up?
Hong Yeonseo said she was the one most awkward with Yoon Jiu these days.
Heck, it'd feel more natural if I or Lee Soyun suggested it while watching her reaction.
...Yeah. Even after all that, they're ten-year childhood friends.
I couldn't read Lee Sea's mind exactly, but she seemed to have shaken off some of that awkwardness toward Yoon Jiu.
Hope the man himself bounces back that fast too.