Even Running with My Junior, I'm Still an Outsider

The day after I’d spent the entire day goofing off at the pool with three juniors.

It was early morning.

A time when I’d normally still be fast asleep.

-Ring-ring, ring-ring-ring!

My phone alarm blared out.

I blinked awake, rubbed at my messy hair, and checked the time.

6:45 a.m.

“……”

I’d set it for 6:30, so why was it 15 minutes late?

I must’ve slept through the first alarm.

...They said they’d arrive around seven.

Anyway, if I didn’t want to be late, I’d better get up and get moving now.

Dragging my sluggish body out of bed, my muscles still paying for yesterday’s overexcited chaos, I splashed water on my face, changed clothes, and called it good.

Since I was going running, I threw on a T-shirt and shorts.

I didn’t need a wallet, so I grabbed only my phone and a bottle of water, then headed out toward the park near my studio apartment, where we’d agreed to meet.

“Good morning.”

To my surprise, Chae Songha had already arrived five minutes before me and was stretching.

To get here from her neighborhood to our school area, which is to say all the way out here, would’ve taken at least two hours.

“Morning. You got here early.”

I gave her a light wave as I greeted her.

“You were already warming up?”

“Yes. A warm-up is essential before running.”

Chae Songha nodded, speaking in her usual calm, matter-of-fact way.

So athletes really did think about warming up properly. If I’d been the one coming from far away, I’d have been scrambling just to make it by seven.

Wow…

Feeling a little chastened by my own laziness, I started warming up too.

First my upper body, then my lower body.

And then, all at once, her outfit caught my eye.

A sleeveless top short enough to show her navel. Tight black leggings that clung to every line of her legs.

She had a running belt strapped around her waist, with a black jersey layered over it.

It was the textbook look of a girl who’d come out to run.

“Senior Lee Sunwoo. Have you ever done anything like marathon running or regular running before?”

That was Chae Songha, casually asking while she was loosening up her lower body.

I was about to shake my head, then remembered the morning runs I’d had to do in the army because of some new company commander who showed up and ruined even my late-service peace, and I ended up nodding instead.

“I used to run three kilometers every day in the military.”

“Really? So you had experience. Then ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠let’s just do ten kilometers today.”

“Songha. I said three kilometers. Not thirty.”

“It’s fine. If you ran three kilometers every day, you can run ten.”

Wow. She was worse than our company commander.

Ten kilometers before the day even really began, the kind of run we wouldn’t even have done during an intensive physical training week. I stared at Chae Songha with my eyes wide open without even realizing it.

I’d intended that stare as a full-on protest, but—

“Drink some water before we start, senior.”

Maybe she thought I was joking. Chae Songha gave a faint grin and casually held out her own water bottle.

Well, since she was offering, I took it, wet my lips, and handed it back.

“Ten kilometers will kill a person, you know?”

“You’re finished stretching, right?”

Chae Songha took a small sip herself, just enough to moisten her lips, then tucked the bottle into her belt.

So, yes, we’d just indirectly kissed.

“And besides, I’m going full throttle today.”

At that point, being told to run ten kilometers first thing in the morning made that sort of thing impossible to care about.

“Me too. Then shall we go?”

“No, not ‘then.’ Songha? Ten kilometers right from the start is way too much.”

Ignoring my complaint, Chae Songha slowly began walking ahead.

So I followed after her, thinking to myself,

She said all that, but she’s not seriously going to make me finish the full ten kilometers, right?

“Did you have breakfast, senior?”

“……”

Well, she had a point. I was the senior here. If I’d already said that much, I figured she’d adjust the pace on her own.

“Nope. Did you?”

“Me neither. I was planning to eat with you, senior.”

“Oh? Really? Then after we finish this workout….”

And that trust was betrayed.

Using the tracking function on the smartwatch strapped to her wrist, Chae Songha ended today’s run only after we had precisely hit ten kilometers…….

I collapsed onto a bench in the park and sucked in ragged breaths.

“Hah… whoa….”

I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d run this long.

Not since I’d practiced running to qualify as a special forces soldier, I guessed. So, what, almost six months ago…?

Maybe because I was so exhausted, my thoughts felt a little hazy, and all I could do was keep letting out heavy sighs. Then Chae Songha came over and sat down beside me.

Not too far, not too close—just enough space between us for two fists to fit.

“Good work, senior Lee Sunwoo.”

“Yeah. Sure….”

I didn’t even have the energy to answer properly right now.

I draped my arms over the back of the bench as if I were slinging one arm around an invisible shoulder, and after resting for a while, I finally started feeling a little better and managed to speak again.

“How ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠do you do this every day, Songha…?”

Running like I’d just done had nearly killed me, and that was only the equivalent of a normal jog. She did this and then trained separately after it, too, didn’t she?

Thinking about that made the person sitting next to me feel all the more impressive, and I looked at her with genuine admiration.

“You’re amazing. Seriously amazing….”

“……”

“It’s nothing. Everybody does this.”

That was Chae Songha, repeating a line she’d used before.

It was a very modest answer, but truthfully, everyone does this? How many people are actually out there working that hard every single day toward the national team and getting real results?

“And… you keep working out regularly too, senior.”

“Me? Oh, come on, I’m just doing it as a hobby.”

At best, it was only a hobby.

It was almost embarrassing to even say I worked out regularly in front of Chae Songha, someone who treated training like her profession.

“You also did really well for your first time today. And you finished the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠whole run.”

“Yeah. Finished and then immediately collapsed.”

“The important thing is that you ran it all. People your size have a harder time running to begin with, senior.”

“Are you trying to say I’m struggling because I got fat?”

“Huh? Ah, no. That’s not what I meant….”

When I teased her back, Chae Songha looked flustered.

Given her usual personality, I’d expected her to answer with that same cool detachment. Since she didn’t, the reaction felt surprisingly cute.

“Sounds like that’s exactly what you meant.”

“...No, it isn’t. I don’t tease people about stuff like that.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Really. I was pretty stocky until elementary school too….”

“Oh, so you were a little chubby?”

“No. Not even that….”

Chae Songha hesitated.

“I was... r-really. Fat.”

Really fat?

What?

Was that true?

Looking at her build now, I couldn’t imagine her ever being fat as a child at all.

It wasn’t suspicion so much as curiosity, and I shifted my posture to sit more properly.

“Really? So you lost it through exercise and got to be like this?”

“...Yes. I lost weight through exercise. ...The boys used to make fun of me for being fat.”

Embarrassed to be talking about it, she kept squirming and glancing at me anxiously.

“...So I wanted to lose it because I hated that. ...I’d never, ever make fun of someone for something like that. Never.”

But when she added that, I was honestly impressed.

Wow.

She hated being teased by boys about her body, so she lost the weight. And because she hated that kind of behavior, she would never do it to anyone else.

I’d thought she was only good at sports, but apparently she’d already finished building her character too.

“Now I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠get why you’re so popular with guys.”

I wanted to clap for her, honestly. But that might’ve embarrassed her too much, so I just said that and kept looking at her.

And maybe my feelings really had come through in my eyes, because when our gazes met, Chae Songha lowered her head, looking embarrassed.

“……”

Still, she really is incredible.

The anonymous community articles I’d seen online had been filled with stuff like “the new hope of Korean track and field” and “a prodigy,” so I’d naturally assumed her achievements came from some kind of born genius.

But no—it was all the product of sheer effort.

The more I got to know Chae Songha, the more I respected her. At this point, maybe it wouldn’t be strange to make her my role model?

I was seriously mulling it over when Chae Songha, still looking awkward and avoiding my eyes, muttered softly,

“...You don’t have proper running shoes, senior?”

“Huh? Running shoes?”

“...Yes. It looks like you’re just wearing regular athletic shoes.”

Her gaze dropped to my feet.

And she was right—I was just wearing ordinary sneakers.

Of course I was. If running were part of my workout routine like it was for Chae Songha, I would’ve bought some by now. But since it wasn’t, I hadn’t really needed them.

“Ah. No, I don’t.”

“...In that case, why don’t you buy a pair while you’re at it?”

“Hmm, running shoes?”

“Yes. There’s a big difference between having them and not having them. If you’re going to keep running like today, it’d be good to have at least one pair or two.”

I see.

Come to think of it, I’d heard somewhere that ordinary sneakers and running shoes felt completely different to wear. I’d never actually tried a proper pair, so I couldn’t say for sure.

“Got it. I’ll look into it.”

“If you want recommendations, let me know. I know a lot of decent running shoes.”

“Oh, really? If you recommend some, I’d be grateful. Could I ask you to?”

“Yes. Understood. I’ll send you a list on chat later.”

And just like that, our resting conversation came to an end.

We’d rested enough by now. Chae Songha and I got up from the bench and prepared to head back.

For the record, where we were going back to was my studio apartment.

The gym wasn’t open this early, so after running, the only place we could shower was my place.

I’d been a little worried about how it would look if I offered first, so I’d just stayed quiet. Then Chae Songha happened to ask, “Would it be okay if I shower at your place, senior?” and I told her sure.

“I’ll leave the towel here. Call me if you need anything else.”

“Thank you. I’ll be out in a minute.”

“No, take your time. Really.”

We still had plenty of time before first period, so there was no need to rush.

-Click.

Chae Songha opened the bathroom door and went inside.

Right after that, I could hear the rustle of sweaty clothes being peeled off one layer at a time.

“……”

Why am I even eavesdropping on this?

I coughed loudly on purpose and went into the bedroom.

And then, just to keep myself from thinking about the sound of water starting up in the bathroom, I was about to put on a funny video on my phone when—

-Buzzzzz!

A call came in.

The caller was none other than my mother.

Huh?

What’s Mom doing calling at this hour?

Still puzzled, I answered, and her familiar voice came through.

“Hello? Mom?”

“Yeah. I’m awake.”

“Uh… why?”

“...?!”