Chick Magnet
5 a.m.
By now, waking up at this hour had become second nature. I no longer had to force my eyes open; my body simply rose on its own with a quiet, automatic ease.
"Haaahm."
I let out a small yawn, finished getting ready for my workout, and headed outside. Morning exercise had become far more enjoyable than before. Humming under my breath and grinning to myself, I slipped on my sneakers and stepped out through the front door.
It's thanks to Seo Da-eun, isn't it?
That was the thought that crossed my mind. My unofficial personal coach from the track-and-field team. Because of her, my running had improved at a ridiculous pace. Every time we finished a lap around Yeongseong Stream, she would give me feedback on my form or my breathing.
With that kind of guidance, of course my skill shot up. Even on stretches where I would have given up if I'd been alone, knowing Seo Da-eun was right there watching—and running alongside me—let me push farther. Thanks to that, my stamina felt like it was climbing much faster too.
"Exercise is definitely more fun when you do it with someone."
I jogged lightly to warm up as I made my way toward the entrance of Yeongseong Stream. I'd felt the same thing playing badminton: working out alone just couldn't compare to doing it with someone else. And if that someone happened to be a gorgeous girl who was absurdly good at sports? Even better.
"What was that?"
"Jesus—you scared the hell out of me. Make some noise when you walk, will you? You always jump me like this."
I'd been muttering that nonsense to myself when someone came up from behind. Seo Da-eun took one look at my startled face and let out a low, amused chuckle.
"I do it on purpose. The way you freak out when I sneak up on you is just too good."
"You're a real piece of work, you know that?"
Regarding the fact that my running coach was a total sadist. I ignored her mischievous grin and we both started our warm-ups at the same time, light and easy.
By now the whole routine happened without a single word—natural, automatic. I could feel, without even trying, just how used to running together we'd become.
"We've gotten pretty comfortable with each other, huh?"
"You're only noticing that now?"
"No, I mean—back at the start it was awkward. But look at us now, doing warm-ups side by side without saying anything."
"Oh, that day? The one where you screamed like a weirdo and wiped out?"
Come to think of it, that really had been our first meeting. The shark-character band-aid she'd stuck on me floated up in my memory. She laughed again, soft and cute, as if replaying the moment.
"…Just forget that ever happened. My bad."
The closer we got, the more I felt like I was turning into her personal punching bag with perfect impact feedback. Was that just my imagination? She kept teasing for a bit, then finally picked up what I'd said.
"Still, it's almost two months now. Since we started running together."
"Yeah."
"The first month we just ran side by side. Then this month I started teaching you for real."
"Right. And I've improved a ton because of it."
Unlike before, the days were flying by. No—time had always moved fast. The difference was that back then I spent every waking hour working and never got to use any of it for myself.
Now I was studying and training at the same time, watching my life get steadily healthier, and every single day felt rewarding. A month or two slipped past like it was nothing.
"But you still pretend you don't know me at school."
"So that hurt your feelings?"
"No. Not like that."
"Pfft. It totally did."
"I said it didn't."
"I could say hi if you want, but if I only talk to you it'll stand out. I barely talk to anyone in class as it is."
The truth was, she spent most of her school hours asleep. She didn't bother with regular studying because she needed every scrap of focus for after-school track practice. Even though she came out for these morning runs, I knew she was still training late into the night. She was probably half-asleep right now.
I roughly understood why she didn't get close to the other kids. Most of the time she was too busy sleeping to chat, and the usual girl hobbies—fashion, makeup, accessories, idols—didn't interest her half as much as sports. There simply wasn't much common ground.
Almost no girls ran, so going up to them and launching into a lecture about hamstrings or running form would just bore everyone involved.
In that sense she was a lot like Han Si-ah. Of course Si-ah was an idol trainee who actually liked dressing up, so she could still find things to talk about and got along fine. Seo Da-eun, on the other hand, really had nothing to say to anyone outside the track team.
If I hadn't started running, I probably never would have spoken to her either.
Looking at it that way, becoming friends with her had been pure luck. I'd known she ran every morning, but I hadn't known she used this route. I hadn't come out here on purpose, yet we'd still run into each other by chance.
"Forget it. No point in saying hi. Just keep things the way they are. Running together is enough."
"Yeah? If you're fine with that."
Oof. Cool as ice. I wasn't exactly the type to cling to social connections either, but the way she treated it like it truly didn't matter was on another level. …Did this girl even have a human heart? Or was running just that much more important?
Seo Da-eun checked the time on her phone, then dropped into a starting stance.
"We're going to be late at this rate. Save the chat for while we run."
"Yeah. Let's go."
Crazy running machine, as always. And just like that, today's run began.
"Hoo… hoo…"
His breathing sounded far more stable now. They'd already been running for well over thirty minutes, yet Seon Woo-hyun's pace remained steady. The big, clumsy strides, the shifting center of gravity, the ragged breathing—every problem that had been obvious just a few weeks ago had vanished like a ghost.
No. Saying they'd vanished would be a lie. He was constantly giving himself feedback. Whenever his form started to break down he corrected it exactly the way she'd taught him.
Whenever his breathing got uneven he lifted his chin higher. Running beside him, she could see how hard he was listening and how hard he was trying to follow every word.
…Lately running actually tastes good because of this guy.
Seo Da-eun never showed it on her face, but that was what she thought. Morning runs used to be nothing more than a peaceful part of her routine—something as ordinary and automatic as going to school. It had been calm and comfortable, sure, but exciting? That would have been a lie.
Ever since this guy Seon Woo-hyun entered her life, though, morning runs had changed. What should she teach him today? Yesterday he'd hit fifty minutes—could he manage fifty-five now? There was a new protein powder out; would he like it if she recommended it?
Or should she tell him to join a gym after this? Basic strength work mattered for running too. Maybe she should make him switch shoes. Better ones existed, and his current pair was completely worn out. She stared at those battered running shoes and let the thoughts keep spinning.
At first she hadn't known what the feeling was. Only recently had she figured it out.
Vicarious satisfaction? A sense of accomplishment? Something like that.
She didn't game much, but she recognized the sensation people online called "raising a newbie." In running, Seo Da-eun herself was a veteran. An hour and a half of morning jogging no longer improved her; it was pure maintenance.
Seon Woo-hyun, who had barely exercised before, was different. She corrected his form and his times kept climbing even from short runs. Watching him grow so easily reminded her of her own early days, when progress had come in leaps, and it simply felt endearing.
She had hit a plateau; he was still shooting upward. That contrast alone made watching his growth fun.
He listens better than the track juniors, too.
Sometimes she coached the underclassmen at school. Kids who already had their own fixed ideas often ignored the right advice, so their growth stalled. He, on the other hand, followed her instructions so completely it was like he'd switched off his ego.
From a coach's perspective, nothing felt better. No teacher in the world would feel bad watching a student improve this fast by doing exactly what they were told.
The way he tries so hard to follow my words is kind of cute. And even without that, he's a good conversation partner.
It wasn't only that. Just having someone running beside her often felt reassuring. Running was a battle against yourself, sure, but marathons had pace-makers for a reason.
Someone next to you, a little pointless chatter when you got bored, then afterward drinking water together, checking the day's record, tossing out a bit of praise—those little rituals were the real charm of exercise, and she was rediscovering them after a long time.
…Her life had no room for spare time, so she'd never bothered making friends. No time to hang out anyway. But a friend you met for the same purpose? That might not be so bad.
Maybe that was why.
Seo Da-eun suddenly found herself curious. Why had this guy Seon Woo-hyun suddenly started running? What had made him step into the sport she loved most? She'd never seriously asked even the other track kids, but because he wasn't a real athlete she could ask without pressure.
"Seon Woo-hyun."
"Yeah?"
Sweat beading on his face, focused straight ahead, he turned his head slightly at her voice. No heavy gasping—he still had plenty of stamina left. Talking was fine.
"Hey. Why did you suddenly start running?"
"Huh?"
"You never used to run. What made you start all of a sudden?"
Everyone had their own reason for running. She had hers. He clearly hadn't expected the question; for a second his eyes looked flustered. Then he chewed over her words and answered.
"Hmm. If I have to say why I started…"
"Yeah."
She was honestly a little curious. What purpose had driven her excellent student to take up running? Looking at how seriously he approached it, she'd figured he must have some real goal.
"…Probably the most important reason is that."
"That?"
"To pick up girls."
"Ha?"
That was an answer she had absolutely not seen coming.