Taeyang's Vacation (3)
“Hey, can I go one more round with Noona?”
“Huh?”
The dojang owner blinked in surprise for a moment before realizing there was nothing wrong with my condition.
“Any more than that and it could get dangerous. You don't want to push too hard and turn this into an accident.”
“Oh, okay?”
Well, no helping it then. She's the expert.
“Hey, Unnie, hold on a sec.”
Iri Noona approached the owner and whispered something. As if that would convince her.
“Hmm… if you're saying it that strongly, then. Kids, you okay with that?”
It worked? What the hell did she say?
The other trainees agreed readily enough. The guys didn't care either way, while the girls were thrilled at the chance to see more of Iri Noona in action.
“What'd you say to convince her?”
“Told her I wanted to show you how scary I can be so you'd never challenge me again.”
If that was it, the owner would've dragged Iri Noona out right then and there. The owner emphasized safety one more time before stepping back.
The rematch began.
Of course, I didn't think I'd win. If the owner trusted her with beginners, Iri Noona's skills had to be the real deal.
Still, going down without a fight felt too pathetic. Letting my image as a weakling solidify? My male pride wouldn't allow it. I could already picture Iri Noona teasing me mercilessly if I just rolled over.
Just hold out for a few minutes. Come on.
I psyched myself up.
“Begin.”
We bowed and sparred again.
This time, I didn't hit the mat right away. We stood off for a while.
“Nngh… ugh…”
“Hehe~”
But I couldn't budge Iri Noona either. Was I always this weak?
Since the start, she'd just stood there like a mountain.
That's when I finally noticed her expression.
“Noona, what're you doing?”
“We're sparring, aren't we?”
She had that infuriating, smug look—like she was brimming with leisure. Unlike the first round, she was dragging it out, just standing there.
This was perfect fodder for her to tease me later.
“Unnie, just finish it already.”
“Isn't he pushing too hard?”
“He can't win anyway. What's with the stubbornness?”
The whispers from the sidelines made my face burn with embarrassment.
“Taeyang, you're gonna throw your back out like that.”
“Shut up! I'm gonna make you budge somehow!”
It felt like an egg against a rock, but frustration drove me to give it everything.
“Ughhhh…!!!”
Heat rushed to my face.
“Nngh…!!”
The noisy dojang fell quiet for a moment.
“Urghhh…”
“……”
“Urgh… huh?”
I must've stepped wrong—my balance crumbled, and I staggered.
Thud!
“Ow…”
I hit the ground and looked up to see an arm holding me steady. Iri Noona had fallen with me but caught me safely.
“Oh my, Taeyang won?”
“W-Wow~ Guess I lost~”
The owner said it, and Iri Noona scratched her head with a goofy grin, playing along late.
“Anyone can see that's rigged.”
“Huh?”
So they'd planned this from the start, and that's why the owner didn't stop it. Felt like I'd been played.
But seeing Iri Noona who'd caught my fall, I suddenly felt like a total brat for insisting on sparring.
“Thanks for catching me when I fell.”
My pride stung from the fake match, but I figured I didn't have the right to complain.
A bit sulky, I bowed again and headed back to my spot.
Plus… she was subtly worried about me when I got up. Hard to stay mad at that.
“Wonder if I'll ever show my face here again after that embarrassment.”
And with that, my brief judo experience ended.
Training over, the girls headed to the changing room to get ready to go home. True to their lively middle-school age, they chattered away—but inside, they whispered about what just happened.
“Iri Unnie was amazing today, right?”
“Yeah, flipping that boy like it was nothing… so thrilling.”
“But hey, wasn't that short guy kinda cute?”
“Totally. His face all red, grunting away trying not to lose… it was adorable, threw me off.”
“Yeah, everyone went quiet watching him.”
Surprisingly, my reputation got a little boost.
Amid the cheerful talk, one girl blurted excitedly.
“Right? That's why shotas are the best~!”
“Huh? Shota?”
“What's that?”
“Oops, uh… n-nothing. Slip of the tongue.”
The mood turned awkward as the girl who'd nearly outed her tastes scrambled to change the subject.
“Anyway, did you see Iri Unnie's face?”
“Yeah, she blanked out staring at him just like us.”
“Even when she was teasing him, her eyes were all hearts.”
“But he's just her close dongsaeng, right? No way she'd date him.”
“Don't wanna lose our unnie.”
“…But an one-shota isn't bad either.”
Ignoring the whispers, the girls decided to ask Iri directly. As they left the changing room, Min Iri was cleaning up the dojang with the owner.
“You close with that boy?”
“Huh? Yeah, we've been friends since we were kids— he's like a little brother.”
“Do you like him?”
“Eek! W-Why would you… Ow… bit my tongue…”
Seeing Iri flustered enough to bite her tongue, the girls nodded knowingly.
“Sigh~ So Unnie's a girl after all…”
“Our unnie… turned into a maiden.”
Some even pretended to tear up, panicking Iri. Not real tears, just teasing.
“H-Hey, we're not anything yet!”
“Yet?”
“Yet?”
“Yet?”
“…One-shota bait confirmed.”
“I-It’s not like that!!!”
As Iri denied it to the end, one girl grinned mischievously and probed.
“Then introduce him to me!”
“What?”
“He was cute. Wanna meet him. No big deal, right?”
“………What the hell? You kids with no life experience! Back off! Train more instead of chasing boys!”
She sputtered and bolted.
“Wow~ So obvious.”
“Bye, Iri Unnie. Thanks for everything.”
“But if she starts dating and skips dojang, won't we lose trainees?”
The girls prepared to bid farewell to their idol. The owner, who'd overheard from afar, approached Iri after holding back laughter.
“Good work, Iri.”
“…Yeah. You too, Unnie.”
She placed a gentle hand on Iri's shoulder.
“I'll cheer you on, so go for it.”
“Th-Thanks… Wait, cheer what!?!”
“It was obvious from how hard you pushed for that spar.”
“No, he provoked me!!”
“You don't even spar with beginners.”
“…Th-That's… Ow! Bit my tongue again.”
Iri huffed about going home, and the owner's teasing finally stopped.
The next morning, I woke up in bed and tried to get up…
“Ughhh!! My back…”
Should've listened to Iri Noona. Pushed too hard, and now my back's killing me.
“Sigh~ What an idiot move on day one.”
I called the owner to say I couldn't make it today.
“Oh dear, did we push you too hard? I'm really sorry.”
“No, it's my fault for being stubborn.”
“I'll refund today's fee.”
“No need, really.”
“You got hurt at our dojang. Tomorrow okay?”
“Yeah, with a patch on today, I should be fine.”
“Still, take it easy for a bit. I'll give Iri a good scolding!”
Makes sense—she provoked me, so she deserves it.
Then I chatted with Iri Noona too.
I didn't stop her from coming.
“Sigh~ More worried about Gahee Noona finding out than the pain.”
I asked Hayan Noona not to tell Gahee Noona either. If she found out, I'd be hauled to a hospital bed. Not full lockdown, but she'd stick to me like glue, suffocating pressure. Scary just thinking about it.
Anyway, stuck at home today. Scrolling my phone for something fun, a chat popped up.
She seemed in good spirits. Glad her mood's improved lately. SNS only since vacation started, but still.
Chats used to start with “What do I doㅠㅠ” vibes.
I never thought sending her to counseling would fix everything. FridayAngel had to step up where needed.
I thought I'd been supportive during trip planning.
Expected that. No biggie.
Key progress: her adapting even with me around.
And her worry? No big deal.
Your call. But cutting her off cold? Couldn't. Thought it over seriously.
Her skipping the trip means no flag to worry about. Easier for me, smooth sailing for Seonwoo's Juyeon route.
Best to ditch her here? But isolating from friends, relying only on counseling…
Still, this flag's risky.
I hadn't even answered yet?
She mistook my confusion for agreement and locked in the trip.
Of course. If it was that simple, she wouldn't chat me.