The Doubles Match Setup
"Si-a, I'll head out first?"
"Yeah. See you later."
The break between third-period classes had just begun.
While the girls in the class changed into their gym uniforms, all the boys had already left the classroom for the playground.
She let Nam Yu-ri out first, the one who had finished changing last, and then started changing herself.
Han Si-a really didn't like showing her body to others.
After all, she had an explosive figure, so her outfit got exposed to stares no matter if it was a guy or a girl.
Those stares had piled up over time, and she'd grown sensitive about taking off her clothes in front of everyone.
That's why she always waited until the others had changed before she did during gym class.
"Urgh."
She pulled off the tank top that blocked the gazes aimed at her chest, one button at a time, the snaps straining and popping.
The oversized underwear for her age showed off, and she loosened the skirt as well.
"Where are the ankle and knee bands?"
She slipped out of her clothes and dug through her bag for the thin bands.
She'd started wearing them because she'd overworked her joints from dancing and practicing routines so hard.
Her trainer always said it was better to wear something like bands for management.
Especially during gym time, it was better to wear them.
If she got hurt during exercise, she'd end up missing practice.
She'd wear the bands before class most of the time and take them off after.
She wrapped the bands around her ankles and knees, then changed back into her clothes.
Walking down the empty hallway to the playground, she found all the other kids already out there except for her.
"Teacher, Si-a's here too~"
"Yeah. Good, now let's do the warm-up and start today's lesson."
After she arrived, Yu-ri reported to the gym teacher.
The scattered students gathered at the teacher's command.
After the warm-up, the gym teacher started explaining today's lesson.
"Our first semester will have a badmin performance evaluation."
"Oh. Badminton."
A few of the boys who liked the sport cheered.
Si-a didn't hate badminton either.
After all, she couldn't do something she disliked just because it used her body.
She was confident in most gym activities and preferred them.
"The basics from last time should have been covered. Now it's time for the real thing."
The teacher pointed to the court.
"A rally would be nice, but just doing it doesn't feel fun, right?"
"That's why a match would be better. It creates that competitive drive and is more enjoyable. Let's try playing a match today."
"But pairing boys and girls one-on-one wouldn't be fair."
"How about we divide into teams and have doubles matches? What do you think?"
The students cheered at the teacher's suggestion.
Unlike the boring drills, Si-a welcomed the idea of actual matches.
...So the real question was who would end up on the same team.
The gazes from the many boys in the class poured down.
So pure... so shameless.
She knew there were plenty of boys who wanted to be on her team.
To show off her cool side and score points...
Or even if not, just being on the same team as her carried its own meaning.
...She really didn't want to be paired with any of those guys.
She turned her head away because she hated doing doubles with boys who showed such obvious ulterior motives.
"Tae-jun. Let's do it together."
"Okay."
It seemed Nam Yu-ri had the same thought.
She went straight to Yoon Tae-jun, who sat right next to her, and suggested they be on the same team.
...Then she couldn't be with Tae-jun.
Naturally turning her head, she saw the guy standing stock-still beside her.
Seon Woo-hyun, with his dumb expression, scanning the surroundings, caught her eye.
And among the boys who found their courage, one approached Si-a and said,
"Hey. Si-a. If you don't have a partner, how about teaming up with me?"
A chorus of "Oh~" went up from the surrounding students, and the boy's face flushed red.
This wasn't some romance program.
She didn't have any bad feelings toward the boy, but accepting like this could get her into weird rumors.
Si-a didn't want to become a spectacle for everyone, so she just apologized to him.
"Sorry. I have someone I can do it with."
"Oh... really? Who's it?"
Her reply came a bit slow.
She had no choice but to reach over and gently grab Seon Woo-hyun's arm next to her.
"W-What? Whoa. You startled me. What the heck all of a sudden?"
"The guy next to me... he's the one I'll be doing it with."
It happened so fast that Seon Woo-hyun, dragged toward her, said with a foolish look on his face.
"Huh? Me?"
***
"The teacher said to divide into teams and do doubles matches. What do you think?"
Students rushed off to form teams after the teacher's suggestion.
They each approached the opposite gender they had been eyeing or were close with.
I stood there stock-still, watching the scene unfold.
...If I were a boy, I'd just do it with Tae-jun. Why doubles between boys and girls?
The ordinary lesson details from the novel weren't something I'd remember.
Of course Seon Woo-hyun was close with most of the class.
Close, sure.
Honestly, it was because of Seon Woo-hyun, not because of me.
I could exchange a few words with him on the surface, but organizing a team like this wasn't easy for me at all.
Of course, the characters from the novel felt like family to me.
Even when they became real and appeared before my eyes, it didn't feel awkward.
It felt almost familiar.
But when it came to the other kids besides the characters, I was basically strangers, just like everyone else.
Moreover, while Seon Woo-hyun was friendly with everyone in the class, the direction of his friendships wasn't great.
With the boys, sure, but especially with the girls, he had that hostile vibe, like they were rivals.
About ten percent goodwill, and the rest rivals, opponents to fight.
It felt a lot like my relationship with Si-a.
...If she were to beg me to pair up with her, maybe, but I doubt she'd do it otherwise.
Maybe she'd ask me first.
Or if I were the one proposing, there probably wouldn't be many girls who'd readily agree to team up with me.
...Or should I ask Nam Yu-ri for help?
But there was that mentor-student bond with the teacher.
Still, it looked like Nam Yu-ri had already formed a team with Tae-jun.
The one saving grace about knowing the gym teacher was that part.
...Still, we'd figure out the pairings among ourselves. Just wait and see.
Teachers had different criteria for dividing teams.
This gym teacher seemed to value autonomy a lot.
First, they made teams with people who clicked, and if anyone was left, they randomly paired them up.
I had no choice but to wait for the random pairing.
Suddenly, a guy from far away walked over slowly and cleared his throat.
He walked past me and approached Si-a behind me.
"Hey. Si-a. If you don't have a partner, how about teaming up with me?"
He said it bravely, his cheeks flushed.
The surrounding students cheered with "Oh~" and Si-a's expression suddenly darkened.
It seemed she didn't want the attention focused on her.
...Yeah, Si-a was sensitive to stares.
As an idol trainee, she got a lot of attention at school, and from childhood she'd been pulled into romance-related incidents without meaning to.
Si-a was the type who avoided situations where someone might be interested or jealous.
'I'll definitely get caught.'
Plus, the guy wasn't even someone she was close with.
In this situation, actually flirting would mean she'd be caught for sure.
He was decent-looking enough.
Watching his well-maintained self-care as a current high school student, I clicked my tongue in pity.
What a tragic young man.
"Sorry. I have someone I can do it with."
And then came the rejection.
Whether it was pride or embarrassment, the guy clung stubbornly even after hearing the refusal.
"Oh... really? Who's it?"
Si-a seemed to glance around for a moment, then suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled it toward her.
"W-What? Whoa. You startled me. What the heck all of a sudden?"
"The guy next to me... he's the one I'll be doing it with."
I stood there quietly after being chosen.
But my opinion didn't matter anyway.
"Huh? Me?"
Of course, I didn't have anyone else if not her.
When I looked at her in confusion, she shot me a glare through her eyes.
I ended up nodding along under the pressure.
"Uh... okay. Sorry."
"Oh... really? So it's with Woo-hyun. Got it."
The boy who had been brave just now walked back to his seat with a dejected face.
Seeing his defeated shoulders from behind, I wanted to go over and cheer him up.
...I hadn't really wanted to beat him or anything.
If he thought he lost to someone like me, it would make it even worse.
"...Whoa. Si-a. That's awesome."
"Woo-hyun and I have been close... but you two, what do you think?"
The students' whispers floated through the air.
The envious eyes of the boys and the excited faces of the girls stood out.
Amid the hot gazes and curious speculations flying around, Si-a quickly pulled me out of the spot and away from the commotion.
"Don't listen to those useless words. Let's go grab some badminton rackets."
I was led by her hand and ended up on the same team as her.