Sports Day (4)
“What... what are you two doing?”
Lee Seol’s flustered voice burst out immediately.
I glanced sideways at U Hana.
Lee Seol looked back and forth between us, but her gaze lingered longest on U Hana. It wasn’t hard to figure out why. U Hana’s face was noticeably flushed. I’d thought it was more obvious up close, but out in the open, it stood out even more.
Anyone else seeing this would probably think it looked suspicious. A guy and girl just emerging from a narrow alley. And the girl’s face blatantly red to boot.
“No way, you two didn’t...”
“No.”
Before I could even say anything, U Hana drew the line first.
“I can guess what you’re thinking. But no.”
She acted like nothing had happened, tugging her slightly disheveled shirt back up over her shoulders and brushing off her pants lightly.
Her nonchalant tone clashed oddly with the blush she wasn’t even trying to hide. But coming from U Hana, that brazenness somehow felt convincing.
“Min-woo looked exhausted, so I was just messing with him a bit.”
“Exhausted...?”
“Yeah. He seemed super tired. He was running around trying to avoid people, right?”
“Oh.”
Only then did Lee Seol seem to grasp the situation.
But she quickly scanned us both with suspicious eyes again.
“What kind of prank makes your faces look like that?”
“My face?”
“No, you two just look...”
“Look like what?”
Lee Seol froze for a second.
U Hana’s lips quirked up, amused by the reaction.
“What, were you about to ask if we did something weird?”
Lee Seol’s eyebrows twitched at that.
U Hana continued without a care, her expression unfazed.
“Min-woo was trying to dodge people, so I just helped him out.”
...Did she? The first part was true, but the rest? It felt more like she’d dragged me into it for fun. I’d been pretty startled when she suddenly pulled me into the alley, after all.
“Helped him?”
“Yeah. He looked wiped out. So I helped by dragging him into the alley and...”
Lee Seol’s eyes widened again. As if she’d been waiting for it, U Hana tacked on:
“...telling him to hide.”
“...”
“Seol-ah, were you thinking something else?”
It was a lewd expression, but anyone could tell it was fake.
Still, Lee Seol smacked her lips and clammed up.
“No, but...”
Just as Lee Seol seemed about to press further.
“Seol-ah.”
U Hana cut her off. Her voice was as light as ever.
“You seem really curious, huh?”
Did those words carry some hidden meaning?
Lee Seol shut her mouth again. She wasn’t the type to drop a question that easily when something piqued her interest.
“Feeling left out?”
As soon as U Hana opened the floodgates, Lee Seol’s voice spilled out.
“Y-yeah. I thought you guys ditched me... and you were off doing this.”
“But you were with Jae-hyun.”
“...”
Lee Seol’s words stalled again.
I looked back and forth between them.
...The vibe felt off. Like it was teetering on that fine line between joking and something real. Or maybe it was just my imagination.
“Hana-ya, didn’t you say you hadn’t eaten?”
The two turned to me at once as I spoke up.
“Games are starting soon. You both need to eat something first. Seo-ha’s parents sponsored a ton of food.”
U Hana nodded at my addition.
Then she approached Lee Seol like nothing had happened.
“Yeah. Let’s go? Come with, Seol-ah. Oh yeah, where’d Jae-hyun and Hyun-su go?”
“...”
“Huh? Seol-ah?”
“...Dunno. Probably headed to the stands already.”
She answered, but Lee Seol looked a bit dazed.
“How’d you end up all the way out here...”
I threw out a line to lighten the mood, but her gaze snapped to me. Like she’d just remembered something she’d forgotten.
“...”
Our eyes met briefly, and she let out a long sigh.
“Ugh. Whatever, whatever.”
She grumbled and suddenly grabbed my arm. I felt her tugging me somewhere, so I followed without resisting for a few steps.
“...Where are we going?”
“To the snack bar. I forgot. Let’s grab something.”
“Suddenly?”
“Thanks for reminding me it was my turn for the shuttlecock kick earlier. What do you want to eat?”
“Uh...”
I trailed off in confusion and glanced back at U Hana.
She was staring at us, eyes wide.
Then her expression settled calmly, and she lowered her head, following behind us.
*
Lee Seol sat on the bleacher steps, mulling over lunch.
U Hana’s words had felt oddly cold. She couldn’t know... know what?
Lee Seol questioned her own thought. What did U Hana know?
It had popped into her head, but she couldn’t pin down what it meant.
No, she had to know. That’s why she’d dragged Lee Min-woo away right in front of U Hana out of spite.
Spite about what?
The more she probed herself, the more tangled her mind got.
In front of the stands, the two-person three-legged race was in full swing on the field.
With ankles tied together, pairs hobbled along everywhere. Mostly same-gender—guys with guys, girls with girls—but the rare mixed pairs stood out.
They leaned shoulders for balance, wrapped arms around waists, hands fumbling to sync steps.
Stumbling on the verge of falling, then bursting into laughter... total chaos.
Lee Seol watched Lee Min-woo and U Hana prep for their race with a sour expression.
Actors should know better. Even if they’re close, groping a girl like that... Though they’d fall without it.
Still...
The stares from other kids confirmed she wasn’t alone in thinking that.
It was just a game, but... didn’t they care? The world wasn’t that forgiving. She knew all too well how hate could stick to celebrities.
Her eyes kept drifting back. Not because she wanted to look, but they wouldn’t pull away.
Surprisingly, they synced well. Wobbly at first, but they took first in the prelims.
Crossing the finish line, they grinned, high-fived. Friends swarmed, cheering and laughing.
Only then did Lee Seol look away.
And bowed her head.
She felt pathetic. Couldn’t even define her own feelings, just stewing in complaints. So petty.
After a long while, she lifted her head.
“I should’ve just done the three-legged race too...”
“Huh?”
Her mumble got a response right beside her.
U Hana had returned from the field, sipping a drink, now next to her.
Lee Seol flinched unnecessarily.
“No, shuttlecock finals take forever to wait for. Wanted to get it over with and rest.”
U Hana tilted her head slightly. Her face looked calm in the sunlight, making her even harder to read.
“Why explain to me?”
“...”
As Lee Seol went quiet, U Hana watched her a moment, then slid closer and sat.
No light laugh or forced cheer like usual. Instead, a steady voice.
“Seol-ah, I still remember something you said to me before.”
“What?”
“Being honest with your feelings is great, but only in moderation. Pushing your emotions without considering the other person isn’t honesty—it’s just being stubborn. There’s such a thing as acceptable honesty.”
It was from a long talk about Seo Jae-hyun. She’d said it offhand back then, but hearing it now felt strangely foreign.
Lee Seol rolled her eyes a bit before replying.
“...Did I say that?”
“You did. And you asked me what I thought. Which side I preferred.”
Lee Seol fell silent.
“I like people who are honest with their feelings. Like if they like you, they say it; if not, they don’t. Clear-cut is easier.”
It sounded like mere preference. But bringing it up now was definitely weird.
U Hana lowered her gaze lightly and added slowly, like it was no big deal.
“But like you said, being honest isn’t always easy.”
Lee Seol’s eyes shook ever so slightly.
“Sometimes ignorance is bliss. Knowing can make things awkward.”
“Awkward how?”
“Just... between people?”
U Hana’s voice stayed soft.
“No one’s really wrong, but bad timing makes it uncomfortable anyway.”
U Hana glanced at her, then smiled a bit lighter.
“I don’t like that. Complicating things that could be fine with a little care.”
“...”
A warning.
Lee Seol felt it like one. Not overtly sharp, of course.
It sounded so reasonable.
That’s what irked her most. Like U Hana was the one keeping boundaries, and she might cross them.
As if she hadn’t agonized over it.
Did she look like some homewrecker chasing her friend’s crush? Like U Hana was preemptively drawing lines.
Normal U Hana wouldn’t say that, no matter how indirect.
This was because she’d dragged Lee Min-woo off earlier.
Mad over that? Just that?
Lee Seol bit her lip hard, then said:
“I... hate making people uncomfortable like that too.”
After all the thinking she’d done. Why was she so wishy-washy...
Her words sticking earlier, her heart flip-flopping lately—it all felt judged arbitrarily.
That sparked defiance.
Lee Seol met U Hana’s eyes squarely and said firmly:
“It’ll never happen, so no need to say more.”