Lee Jiyoon Becomes a Bully #2
Lee Jiyoon Becomes a Bully #2
Cho-yul was visible, leaning her back against the wall with her head bowed.
I approached her. Seeing her, who was always healthy and vibrant, like that made me feel uneasy, so I composed myself.
"Are you resting because you're tired? Can I join you for a bit?"
"..."
Before she could even answer, Cho-yul stared blankly at me, who had sat down next to her. Far from common reactions like annoyance or amusement, her eyes were empty, devoid of any emotion.
"She's zoning out, which isn't like her. Well... it's fine if she just stays quiet."
Because I sensed something unusual, I deliberately acted more casually. People sometimes find greater comfort in seeing someone who smiles brightly and enjoys life, rather than being consoled themselves.
"Today, I learned about stretching, and there were many things I didn't know. Anyway, thanks to taking Advanced Physical Education, my future life is going to be enriched! Hmph."
I placed my hand on Cho-yul's thick thigh. It wasn't a creepy sexual harassment like last time, but a warm touch filled with sincerity. I felt Cho-yul's body heat on my palm.
"Your legs seem twice as big as mine? I can't even imagine how much you must have trained to build legs like these."
Perhaps because they had been exposed to the wind for quite a long time, the temperature of her thighs was severely low. My hand naturally warmed her cold, firm flesh.
"You know what? I lived without any preparation for the future, just looking for things to enjoy. Without a job I wanted to do or any special talent, you know."
Cho-yul lifted her head for the first time.
"But surprisingly, every day is enjoyable? Just last night, I was so excited and looking forward to tomorrow that I couldn't sleep."
"...Are you an idiot?"
"Is that so? Still, I'm probably less of an idiot than you, squatting here."
I didn't know why she was dispirited, but this was an opportunity. I had no intention of missing the opening the beauty presented.
'Oh God, I'm a terrible person for preying on a weakened woman, but if possible, please send me to heaven. ...I want to have sex with an angel too!'
Although I approached Cho-yul to win her over, it wasn't entirely deceitful, as I had spoken with sincerity, without a single lie so far.
'If you start with a lie, it gets complicated later... This is the obvious choice.'
Lies beget lies. If you make a slip of the tongue after finally getting close, everything will be for naught.
"...Hey, if you ever need a shoulder to lean on, you can lean on me. Even though I might not look like it, I'm confident in helping people release their emotions!"
This is true.
Once, a friend I had known for seven years suddenly thanked me.
'It's really a relief to have you...'
'Did you take drugs, you bastard?'
'...'
It turned out my friend had suffered from depression two years ago, but seeing me, who lived cheerfully without a care, they claimed to have gradually assimilated and been naturally cured.
'I always live a planned life... I've been tormented by all sorts of slanders!'
After that, I started being called by the strange nickname Mad Healing Factor among my friends. ...Now that I think about it, it seems like everyone around me was crazy. Seriously, everyone but me was crazy.
'Is this the hardship of a normal person who has become a minority...'
"If you want, I'll be an oasis just for you."
"......Are you an idiot? Even a middle schooler wouldn't say something so cringey."
She put up a meaningless resistance, but from the moment she reacted, the atmosphere had already shifted to my favor.
"Hide that smile and speak, you cheeky girl."
"?!!"
Cho-yul's empty expression was already tinged with faint amusement.
"Th-th-this is so absurd that a scoff just came out!!"
I've always thought this, but everyone who fell for my pace denied it. My mom said it was because their pride was hurt or something.
"Someone you can freely make fun of... That could be a kind of sanctuary in its own way!"
"Th-th-this punk bastard, what's he saying?!"
This time, she was genuinely serious. I showed her my palms and took a step back.
"Hey, calm down, I was just suggesting a possibility. And I have feelings for you too."
"...Are you hitting on me?"
"...Kkadegi? What does that mean?"
Cho-yul suddenly stood up and glared at me. Her eyes were fierce.
"Uh... I'm a little scared..."
I really thought I was going to get hit.
She lowered her hand and fiddled with my lips as I sat there.
...
*Kiss.*
"?!!"
"...Now g-get lost!"
With those words, Cho-yul ran away.
"No, you told me to get lost, so why are you running away?"
Perhaps because she was a track athlete, she disappeared in an instant.
"I didn't expect her to kiss me there... Why is she so cute?"
* * *
Athletes routinely repeat intense training and suffer from various illnesses or after-effects. It was also common for them to become slower than ordinary people after their athletic careers ended, the reason being that knee cartilage, which might barely wear out by the age of 70, would wear out at a young age.
Even so, one might think they'd be healthier than office workers who sit all day, but due to overtraining, their average lifespan was also shorter than that of ordinary people.
The funny thing is, even after undergoing such difficult training, the probability of succeeding as an athlete is slim. The probability of a baseball player entering the professional first team is 4% and for a soccer player, it's only 3%.
Of course, if they succeed, it is a profession that earns a tremendous amount of money. However, it is an environment that is too harsh and dismal to harbor illusions.
What's worse is the high risk for the future. If one joins a sports club at a young age and repeatedly trains and exercises, they naturally drift away from academics. If they fail as an athlete in this state, their career path becomes tragically twisted.
...Cho-yul didn't particularly want to become a track athlete.
It was just that when she played with her friends in childhood, running endlessly through agricultural areas was fun, so she just ran and ran.
The misfortune was that her running talent was exceptionally outstanding. Being noticed by a retired marathoner in her village was her first misfortune.
He instilled expectations in her parents, and as a result, she moved to the city alone at a young age and began living in a dormitory.
Perhaps the assertion of the marathoner from the village wasn't an exaggeration, as Cho-yul, from a young age, with overwhelming skill, broke existing youth running records.
Now, not only in her hometown but also people from all over the country who saw articles or videos began to notice and support her.
Due to the high expectations of many, she was always anxious about making a mistake, and engulfed in despair that her life would be ruined if she got injured and retired, she forced herself through each day with a nervous heart.
Once, her parents subtly asked if she wanted to receive Elite Sports training, and she had to vehemently oppose it.
The problem with Elite Sports is that it completely disregards all other academic curricula besides sports. If one receives elite education but fails as an athlete, their life completely plummets into ruin.
She always kept in mind that she might fail. The reason she still clung to running, which was no longer enjoyable, was also due to anxiety about the future.
The turning point in her life was being admitted as a sports scholarship student to the Queen Valtz Academy, which had an absolute reputation.
After receiving the Queen Valtz admission notice, she couldn't express how happy she was for a whole week. She believed that the anxiety clinging to her spine would now disappear.
...After entering Queen Valtz Academy, she truly never imagined that the expectations of her parents and others would grow even larger.
No matter how many new records she set before, only one or two articles would appear, but after entering Queen Valtz, they swelled to dozens. Before, she was treated as a common prospect, but now she was treated no differently than a professional athlete.
On the first day of the [Advanced Physical Education] department, she received the full attention of her fellow sports scholarship students. Everywhere she went, gazes of jealousy and admiration clung to her.
Humans are social animals. Therefore, what makes humans happy and sad all stems from relationships with others.
...Hell is truly nothing special. When people become fearful, that place becomes hell. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't escape this hell.
"...I think I'm slowly going crazy too."
She wanted to run away. She wanted to live somewhere with no one, free from anyone's gaze. Even the narrow dormitory bed, where no one else was, had never been comfortable.
The only time she had recently laughed was the day she first talked to that crazy girl, Lee Ji-yoon. Since she sexually harassed her right after they met, she initially thought she was a crazy bitch. ...Thinking about it again, she was indeed a crazy bitch.
The problem was that she was a transcendent beauty who could outshine most celebrities. Far from feeling bad about being openly sexually harassed, her body was subtly aroused, which embarrassed her.
Exchanging sticky glances with a woman... Such a deviation was a first in her life.
"...I'm not a lesbian."
To shake off distracting thoughts, she shook her head.
Avoiding people, she leaned her back against a shaded wall between buildings.
Her records were particularly bad today. If things continued like this, it wouldn't be long before she'd be treated as a has-been and all sorts of malicious articles would pour out as if they had been waiting for this moment.
There was no meaning in living. Even her family, who used to be so close in the past, had their eyes turn greedy at the word "athlete," and after being separated for a long time, they had become distant.
As time passed, common ground disappeared, and conversations couldn't last longer than a minute. Her schools changed frequently, so she had few friends she kept in touch with. Even those relationships weren't pure friendships but closer to one-sided admiration, making it hard to endure.
It was hard to breathe.
The only place she could breathe was a shaded spot where no one was around.
Her mind became hazy.
......
...
"Are you resting because you're tired? Can I join you for a bit?"
A needlessly bright voice echoed in her ears.
She ignored it. No, she tried to ignore it.
"...Anyway, thanks to taking Advanced Physical Education, my future life is going to be enriched! Hmph."
After chattering enthusiastically to herself, she suddenly placed her hand on her thigh.
'This punk is sexually harassing me again!'
...She was about to curse, but something felt strange. Without the same creepiness as before, she felt a warm body heat, as if trying to soothe her heart.
Due to the nature of the sports world, exposure to violence was frequent, and there was a practice of enforcing strict discipline through violence, so she was used to physical skinship, but this was new.
"...If you ever need a shoulder to lean on, you can lean on me."
She looked at her. She saw a desire that she tried hard to hide but couldn't completely conceal. Strangely, her desire wasn't unpleasant. Instead, a ripple spread through her heart, like a stone thrown into a calm lake.
Cho-yul, feeling embarrassed by this unfamiliar sensation she experienced for the first time in her life, acted contrary to her true feelings.
...Above all, Lee Ji-yoon was subtly annoying. It seemed she was playing with her.
'Is she messing with me?'
Her suspicion deepened. She was curious about Lee Ji-yoon's true intentions.
"...And I have feelings for you too."
"......"
With just one word, her body heated up. It was hard to control the rising emotions.
Perhaps... just perhaps... could Lee Ji-yoon become a sanctuary for her to escape to?
Her nipples hardened. It was a relief she was wearing a sports bra. Thanks to it, she could hide her excitement.
"Uh... I'm a little scared..."
She always seemed confident, so I thought she had no fear, but she was more timid than I expected. ...Even her trembling in fear was fatally cute.
She had been so clingy to me, yet it was funny how flustered she got when I actually approached her.
I touched her lips. They were soft, like touching a down jacket.
*Kiss.*
When she came to her senses, she had already kissed Lee Ji-yoon.
"...Now g-get lost!"
Cho-yul ran away after saying that. She simply couldn't bring herself to look at Lee Ji-yoon's face.
*Whoosh-.*
"What was that just now? A motorcycle?"
...In the past, there was a debate about whether it was speeding if Husain Bolt ran in a children's area. The conclusion was that since he wasn't a vehicle, he couldn't be legally punished, but the important thing was that a track athlete's full sprint was much faster than expected.
"...I think I was, was outrun."
That day, a false rumor spread in the village that a wild boar had come down.