Just a Little Longer
Just a little longer. My heart sank in that instant. I had no idea if Sera was okay.
"Sera, you alright?"
"Ugh...?"
In that moment, I felt her breath and warm body heat right in front of my face. The second I registered it, my mind went hazy.
Conscious of Yoo Sera now, I forced myself to act casual and looked away.
"S-Sera. You okay?"
"Ah... yeah..."
I could feel Sera holding onto me too. I tried to move, but she showed no sign of letting go.
"Sera?"
Instead, she pulled me closer, pressing her head against my chest.
"Just... just a little longer like this."
"A little longer? Uh... okay..."
She'd said just for a bit, but time dragged on strangely slow. It felt like we'd been like this forever, even though only a few seconds had passed.
My heart started pounding like mad. I tried my best to stay calm.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
But my heart wouldn't listen, beating so hard I swore Sera could hear it. And to top it off, the weather was hot, so heat kept rising from my body.
When I tried to slip away gently, Yoo Sera grabbed my shirt tight.
"You hate being like this with me?"
"N-No! It's not that..."
I shook my head hard in panic. Sera let out a small laugh.
"Then stay a little longer. I... like it."
I couldn't say a word after that. I just stood there frozen.
Her hand lightly gripped my shirt, and that sensation nagged at me oddly.
That was when it happened.
A voice suddenly came from the hallway.
"Ah! Forgot my book!"
Sera and I both flinched at the same time.
"Huh?"
"Huh...?"
We stared at each other in shock. Then reality snapped back.
Sera pulled away quickly with a startled look, and we both stepped back almost in sync. We separated so abruptly we couldn't even make eye contact.
I cleared my throat awkwardly and scratched my head.
"Ahem... you good?"
Sera nodded, her face still a bit flushed.
"Yeah... I'm fine. Thanks to you holding me, I didn't get hurt."
She glanced away slightly.
From the hallway, we heard someone open and close the classroom door.
We both furtively peeked toward the door at the same time.
A brief silence followed, then Sera gave a small laugh.
"That scared me..."
I laughed sheepishly too.
"Me too. It was someone from the next class..."
But my heart was still racing. The fact that I'd been holding Sera just moments ago lingered in my mind.
I stared out the window pointlessly and let out a deep breath.
"Maybe I should've just stayed still?"
"Huh? No way. That would've been too dangerous."
"I wouldn't have minded if we got caught?"
Her words made my heart pound again.
Since it was late, I parted ways with Yoo Sera in a rush and headed to baseball practice, limping a bit.
I hadn't noticed in the heat of the moment from tension, but as my mind settled, my knee started throbbing.
"Ah... damn."
The cause was simple. When Sera had tripped, I'd caught her urgently and taken the hit with my knee instead.
I'd brushed it off in the chaos, but it'd collided harder than I thought.
A sharp pain shot up every time I stepped.
Still, I headed to the baseball field.
As I neared the training area, the coach spotted me and waved.
"Hey, Jeong-ui. You're late."
I smiled awkwardly and approached.
"Coach."
I hesitated a moment before speaking up.
"Um... I was doing squats and fell forward."
"What?"
The coach gave me a baffled look.
"During squats?"
"Yeah. Right before coming here, I did a last set... my legs gave out, and I slammed my knee down."
I patted my knee casually as I explained.
The coach narrowed his eyes and inspected my leg.
"I see."
He thought for a second, then shrugged.
"Well... doesn't look like a major injury."
"Still, better safe than sorry, so I'm thinking of getting it checked at the hospital."
He nodded at my words.
"Good call. You're not the type to joke about this anyway."
He waved me off.
"I'll tell the director. Head out for today."
"Thanks."
I gave a quick bow and left the training area.
Once outside, the tension eased. But the knee pain sharpened.
"Hurts more than I thought..."
I sighed and headed home.
Mom spotted me in the living room when I got back.
"Huh? Practice end early?"
I kicked off my shoes.
"Nah. Banged my knee a bit, so heading to the hospital."
"Your knee?"
She looked alarmed.
"You okay?"
"Probably not serious... but just in case."
"Got it. I'll drive you. Let's go."
We got X-rays and a basic check at the hospital, then waited.
Back in the exam room, the doctor glanced at the monitor, then at me.
"You're an athlete, right?"
"Yes."
"Baseball?"
"Yes."
He nodded.
"Bones look fine..."
I started to sigh in relief, but his next words stopped me.
"But there's soft tissue damage in the knee."
"Pardon?"
"Not ligaments... but the surrounding tissue took a real hit. Pushing it could make it worse."
I asked cautiously.
"So... how long do I need to rest?"
He said it casually.
"Hmm... no sports for two months."
My mind went blank.
"...Two months?"
He nodded matter-of-factly.
"For regular folks, I'd say just walk it off. But for athletes, gotta be strict."
He pointed at the chart.
"Force it now, and it'll be a bigger problem. Live like a normal student for two months."
I couldn't respond.
"After that, start rehab slow, build up gradually. Got it?"
It took me a while to answer.
"...Yes."
Walking the hospital corridor, my head spun. Two months without baseball echoed endlessly.
"How do I even explain this..."
I let out a long sigh and left the hospital.
The next day, I arrived at school much later than usual—no morning run.
Opening the classroom door, I saw someone playing violin. Yoo Sera sat by the window, case on her desk.
She looked up at the sound, then averted her gaze briefly—remembering yesterday—before meeting my eyes. A shy expression.
Then she tilted her head suddenly.
"Jeong-ui, you're here? But why no run today?"
"Huh?"
She continued casually.
"You run every morning."
I hesitated, mumbling.
"That? Well... uh..."
Then curiosity hit.
"How'd you know I didn't?"
She looked at me like it was obvious.
"I watch you run every day on my way to school."
She shrugged lightly.
"So I know."
I was speechless for a second. Yoo Sera had been watching me run daily? Unexpected.
I pondered, then spoke.
"Anyway... uh..."
I said it slowly.
"Hurt my knee a bit yesterday. Can't exercise for a while."
Her bow stopped. She froze, then looked up slowly. Eyes wide.
"What?"
She asked carefully.
"Was it... from yesterday?"
I looked away.
"No... well, not exactly..."
"Don't lie. Where else would you get hurt?"
But she stared straight.
"It was because of that."
I shut my mouth briefly. No point denying.
"...Yeah."
I sighed softly.
"Sigh... pretty much."
Her eyes wavered. Tears welled up fast.
"I'm sorry..."
Her voice trembled.
"Because of me..."
She stood and approached. I waved my hands in panic.
"No, it's fine."
I tried to sound nonchalant.
"Just rest a month or two. No big deal."
She looked incredulous.
"How's that no big deal?"
Her voice shook.
"Missing two months at this crucial time. A week maybe, but two months is huge..."
I scratched my head.
"Uh... it'll be fine."
I forced a smile.
"They said it's not serious. Just rest."
I added lightly on purpose.
"Hey, thanks to this, I'll binge more anime. Win-win."
But she didn't smile. Instead, she stepped closer and hugged me tight.
She started sobbing softly.
"I'm sorry... Jeong-ui..."
I patted her back gently.
After a bit, she seemed calmer.
"Told you, it's okay."
"Still..."
"It's fine. Learned one thing from it."
"What?"
"Don't rush. That's the issue. Not your fault. Got it?"
"Yeah..."
Whew...
"Alright, then..."
As I tried to pull back, she gripped tighter.
"No. Wanna stay like this a little longer..."
...What can you do.
"Okay. Just a little longer..."
"Mhm..."