Chapter 17
Chapter 17
Since Bom had volunteered, she and Jae-gyu were set to participate in the three-legged race. They were called to the starting line immediately and began preparing for the heat.
Sigh, maybe I shouldn't have volunteered.
Since she had never done a three-legged race before, Bom was a bundle of nerves, while Jae-gyu was the only one who seemed excited. Having just received an ankle strap from Teacher Chu, Jae-gyu was crouching at Bom’s feet, marveling at the sight.
"Wow, I thought my ankles were slender, but yours aren't even half the size of mine."
Jae-gyu bent his waist even further, pulling Bom’s ankle close to him.
Curled into a ball despite his massive frame, he focused intently on tying their ankles together tightly with the red strap.
"I didn't expect us to run a race together. I really am a lucky boy."
"Um, isn't it a bit too tight?"
Jae-gyu wound the strap around three times and finished it off with a bow. Only after tugging on it to ensure it wouldn't come undone did he stand up.
"If we tie this loosely and it comes off while we're running, we'll trip and fall."
"Oh, I see..."
Bom’s face was currently flushed bright red. Because their ankles were tied together, their bare legs were touching, creating a strange sensation.
Jae-gyu’s protruding ankle bone was pressed firmly against her soft skin, and she could feel his body heat radiating through. As expected, he was incredibly warm today as well.
Doesn't this feel weird to him?
While Bom’s entire focus was on her ankle, Jae-gyu seemed preoccupied with something else. He looked like a man who had been waiting for this moment, fully immersed in the race preparations.
"Vice Principal. So, you're saying we should run in this order?"
He was asking the White Team’s three-legged race participants about their strategy.
"That's right. Since it's a relay with five pairs in total."
Vice Principal Seok Gwan-su began to explain his "strategy"—if it could even be called that—with a look of grim determination.
"The residents will go first, one after another. Then Teacher Bom and Han-gyeol’s uncle will run, and our ace will handle the grand finale."
It was a truly bizarre combination.
The first three pairs were local residents, the fourth pair was Bom and Jae-gyu, and the fifth pair was the "ace" the Vice Principal had mentioned.
That ace turned out to be Vice Principal Seok Gwan-su himself and Choi Yi-jun.
I can't believe I'm seeing Mr. Choi Yi-jun again...
She hadn't expected him to come. Seeing him dressed in a crisp dress shirt and tie, it looked as though Yi-jun had dropped by briefly only to have his ankle literally caught by the Vice Principal.
The deep scowl on his face confirmed her suspicion.
While Yi-jun’s appearance was surprising, there was something else that shocked her even more.
"Hey. Long time no see, Choi Yi-jun."
"Yeah. You haven't changed a bit, Seon Jae-gyu."
It was the fact that Seon Jae-gyu and Choi Yi-jun knew each other. Bom tried not to let it show as she glanced between the two, but they didn't seem to be on particularly good terms.
She couldn't imagine what they could possibly have in common; it was the most mismatched pair she had ever seen. Bom observed them with fascination.
The two were like summer and winter, the sun and the moon, makgeolli and whiskey... In any case, they were total opposites.
Where on earth did they meet?
It felt awkward to ask in front of them, so Bom kept her curiosity to herself. They probably weren't childhood friends from the neighborhood. She vaguely recalled hearing that Jae-gyu had moved here from another region.
"The race is about to start! Everyone, get in line!"
Her thoughts didn't last long. Teacher Chu immediately lined up the five pairs from each team in order.
"Alright, the highlight of the afternoon! We are starting the three-legged race! Is everyone ready?"
"Yes!"
"One, two, three! Go!"
With the sound of a gong—wherever they had found one—the White Team’s lead pair began to run.
"...?"
To be precise, they were walking.
"Oh my! Jihye’s mom! Walk slowly!"
Even though they were losing, the cheers were nonsensical. The residents fanned themselves and grumbled.
"She has rheumatoid arthritis, why did she even go out there?"
"I heard Eun-seo’s mom talked her into it. She’ll be regretting it herself soon enough."
What was going on? Thanks to the lead runners who were as slow as turtles, Bom’s tension completely evaporated.
As she stood there blankly, Jae-gyu looked down at her and spoke suggestively.
"Bored, aren't you?"
"Yes, a little..."
"I figured. It'll be a while before it's our turn, so why don't we practice a bit? We need to get our rhythm down. Here, hold onto me."
Maybe we should practice just a little. Since she couldn't bring herself to wrap her arm around Jae-gyu’s waist, she gripped the fabric of his shirt on his back.
"That's it! We just need to sync our steps."
She was occasionally startled by the rippling muscles in Jae-gyu’s back, but as they marched in place, chanting "Left, right, left, right," it was surprisingly fun.
When Bom started following along well, Jae-gyu attempted to walk away from their spot.
Using the Vice Principal and Yi-jun, who were waiting behind them, as makeshift pylons, the two circled them while chanting "Left, right, left, right."
"Sigh..."
Yi-jun let out a heavy sigh and glared at the two people circling him.
"What are you two doing?"
"Left, right, left, right!"
"Left, right, left, right! You're doing great!"
The two were already in a trance, and Yi-jun’s words didn't register. They circled Yi-jun five more times before finally returning to their spot.
Unaware of the stinging gaze fixed on the back of her head, Bom bounced on her feet.
"Oh, what do we do? We're next."
"You were doing incredibly well. Just do exactly what we practiced."
"We start with this foot, right?"
"That's it. Wow, look how tiny your feet are. What's your shoe size?"
"Me? I'm a 230."
"I'm a 300. Shall we compare?"
The two stood side-by-side, aligning their heels to compare foot sizes. She knew his feet would be large since he was so tall, but she hadn't realized the difference was this staggering. Bom was shocked as she looked at Jae-gyu’s massive foot.
"How are your feet so big...?"
"It's not just my feet that are big."
As he listened to their conversation, the furrow in Yi-jun’s brow deepened.
"I can't listen to this anymore."
"Waaaaah!"
At the same time Yi-jun spoke, a thunderous cheer erupted. Bom grabbed Jae-gyu’s arm and shouted.
"Oh, oh! They're coming! They're coming!"
The third pair was just coming in, gasping for breath.
"What do we do!"
"Just get that first step right."
The third pair barely crossed the line, sounding like they were at death's door. Bom and Jae-gyu received the baton.
"Alright, don't let go and hold onto me tight, okay?"
"Yes!"
As they started, Jae-gyu’s heavy arm firmly pulled Bom’s slender waist toward him.
Being suddenly pulled into Jae-gyu’s embrace, a raw, masculine scent washed over her.
Bom’s head began to spin.
"Bom, I told you to hold onto me tight."
Jae-gyu’s rough breathing, his scent, and his heat were making Bom dizzy.
"Left, right! Bom-bom. What's wrong?"
"Oh, no, it's nothing."
When they failed to pick up speed, Jae-gyu pulled Bom even deeper into his chest.
Held firmly against him, Bom was practically being carried in his arms. Her mind went even blanker.
"This isn't working. Just hang onto me. Keep your legs straight."
She did as she was told and gripped Jae-gyu’s waist tightly.
"That's it! You're doing great! Left, right! Left, right!"
With her body stabilized, their speed doubled. Her heart rate doubled as well.
Passing the orange cone, the two managed to cross the finish line just as the Blue Team’s final runner was starting.
"White Team’s fourth pair is in!"
Jae-gyu reached out and handed the baton to Yi-jun. It hadn't seemed like much, but Bom was panting heavily.
"Haa... haa..."
Thump, thump, thump...
Bom pressed a hand against her pounding chest and wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.
Cheers erupted as the Vice Principal and Yi-jun, who ran next, managed to pull off a comeback. But Bom didn't have the mental capacity to care about that.
Why am I like this?
The race was over, but her heart was beating so fast it worried her every time Jae-gyu’s breath brushed past her.
Her frantic heart only returned to its normal rhythm around the time of the closing ceremony.
⋆★⋆
"Pfft..."
Leaning against the back seat of the rattling bus, bathed in the glow of the sunset, Bom let out a small laugh.
On the screen of the phone in her hand was a photo she had taken earlier of Jae-gyu during the bean bag toss. He really was a unique person.
By the way, did something happen?
Jae-gyu had suddenly received a phone call from somewhere, and after letting out a string of curses, he had left before the games were even over.
[I wanted to stay and run the relay too, but I have to go. I'm sorry.]
[Oh, it's okay. Go take care of your business.]
She had been curious to see him run, so she felt a bit disappointed.
He had claimed he was faster than a KTX train. The high expectations she’d had from Jae-gyu’s boast had crumbled weakly. But still...
Today was really fun.
Bom had been lost in the lingering excitement of the sports day for a long time, and by the time she got off the bus, it was already pitch black.
"Whew..."
Bom dragged her exhausted body up the stairs. The elderly couple who owned the house and had said they were going to their son's place in Seoul didn't seem to be back yet. Since the lights had been off for a while, it was always a bit scary when she came home.
"Maybe I should install a digital door lock..."
After thinking about it for a moment, Bom changed her mind. It wasn't a house she would be staying in for long anyway, so using a key was probably fine. Bom fumbled in her bag, pulled out her key, inserted it into the doorknob, and entered the dark house.
The accumulated fatigue eased slightly once she was inside. First, she washed the dust and dirt off her body.
Dressed in light loungewear, she sat on the sofa feeling refreshed. She turned on the TV for a moment, but it was only showing a dating reality show that she didn't particularly enjoy. It was then.
"Huh? What's this?"
There was no reason for her to get a call at this hour. The phone she had placed face-down on the coffee table was vibrating loudly.
Could it be Jae-gyu? Bom hurriedly picked up the phone.