100과 1
100 and 1
Shin Yu-ri looked at Han Ye-rin with a bright smile still on her face.
"But, putting me aside, why did you call Da-ram?"
"Huh? Well... I thought she'd feel left out if I called you but not her."
"Hmm, I seeee."
I thought...
I thought she did it on purpose.
Shin Yu-ri let down the guard she hadn't even realized she'd put up.
She's just oblivious.
I mean, it's not like Han Ye-rin would invite both of us just to stage a love triangle, right?
Shin Yu-ri tried to calm her heated body.
I'm too excited.
Let's calm down a bit.
ㅡSqueak! Squeak!
With the sound of shoes scraping against the floor, the men on the court moved intensely.
"Here!"
"Block him!!!"
The oddballs who insisted on crawling out to school during vacation to play basketball were often more physically developed than the average male student.
Naturally, if you exercise every day, you tend to end up like that whether you like it or not.
Or maybe it's the influence of rom-coms.
It wouldn't do for the other men in the protagonist's hobby to be unwatchable.
Anyway, among the first-year high schoolers, the one who stood out even amidst the intense movements of the best-looking guys was definitely Kim Jae-hyun.
The first reason was his handsome appearance.
The second reason was his height.
It's not like Ahn Woo-jin was lacking in the looks department either.
But Kim Jae-hyun's face was more than 10cm higher than Ahn Woo-jin's, so he naturally stood out.
Actually, that wasn't everything.
Sports are a virtue of the body, after all.
"Wow, that physique."
Shin Yu-ri agreed with Choi Da-ram's comment once again.
The body hidden under his shirt was more stimulating than she had imagined.
It wasn't even clothes that emphasized his body.
It was just a regular-sized white short-sleeved t-shirt, but... it's nice.
"Pass."
His defined forearms.
"Blocked it!"
"Nice."
The prominent biceps on his folded arms.
"Hup."
"Shoot!!"
"Is it going in!!"
The triceps moving along his fully extended arm.
"Blocked."
"Dodge it!!!"
Even the clear curves reflected on his back, filled with tension.
Shin Yu-ri couldn't keep her focus amidst the harmony of wet clothes and pumped-up muscles.
I hadn't heard that he worked out regularly, but more importantly, how was that hidden?
Well, obviously it was hidden.
Muscles built without bulking up aren't as voluminous as you'd think.
Of course, if he wore form-fitting clothes like today, the shape would stand out, but Kim Jae-hyun had lived his life wearing nothing but school uniform shirts until now.
It wasn't meaningless, though; those muscles were all helping his clothes look better.
If the hanger is nice, the clothes look nice.
Especially shirts.
That's why Shin Yu-ri had always commented that Kim Jae-hyun had a blessed frame that made clothes look good.
When she was back-hugged and leaned against his chest, she thought, He's surprisingly muscular.
He didn't look that thick usually, and she was too flustered to really feel it properly.
But now she knew.
"Runnn!"
Wow, that physique.
It wasn't the clothes; the person himself was just well-built.
I was like that myself, so why didn't I know?
Shin Yu-ri had her doubts, but it was actually natural.
Men are more ignorant about women's bodies than you'd think, and women are the same.
The bodies of men and women are constructed more differently than one imagines, so unless you see and feel it directly, you can't really grasp the difference.
Since Shin Yu-ri was a virgin in body, mind, and spirit, she naturally couldn't have known.
Anyway, Shin Yu-ri was very excited.
The stock price of her prey was rising day by day, and Kim Jae-hyun, with his blood boiling from exercise, was just too good to look at.
The Kim Jae-hyun I wanted was right there.
His eyes were still calm, but they were full of power.
His skin was vibrant, and his body was pulled taut, giving off a firm feeling.
She liked the calm heat Kim Jae-hyun gave off, that solid atmosphere.
She had never been close to exercise in her life, and she had liked it even less, but she might have to change now.
That body wasn't built for free, so I should match his pace.
And maybe we can exercise together later... Hehehehe.
Shin Yu-ri flinched in sync with Kim Jae-hyun's movements and cheered at the sounds they made.
It wasn't that awkward.
Everyone around them was already doing the same, and it was behavior that suited her social personality.
The basketball game became even more intense and lively due to their cheering.
It would have been stranger if the boys at that age stayed the same after hearing girls' voices.
"Damn, look at these bastards getting all excited. Does it make it more fun now that the girls are cheering for you?"
"It's an everyday thing for you guys, right? It's our first time. So we're taking this round."
"If it's your first time, you should lose. You probably can't even find the hole."
"...I heard that wrong, right?"
"Nope? You heard it ri—!"
The trash talk that had unfolded to suppress the excited guys was cut off by the basketball Kim Jae-hyun threw.
"Hey, you crazy bastard. Stop right there."
Following that, Ahn Woo-jin grabbed Choi Jae-rim by the back of his neck and dragged him back.
"Sorry guys... We can't even control him..."
Lee Ju-yeong apologized out of habit.
With that seamless coordination, the opposing team stammered and accepted the apology.
"A rim hole is a hole too!! That's what I meant, ah!! Sorry!!! My bad!!"
Perhaps because of that trash talk, despite it being a big match in the semifinals, the opponents couldn't use their full strength and were helplessly pushed back until they faced defeat.
Having advanced to the finals so confidently(?), Class 8, Kim Jae-hyun and the kids, poured out all their stamina as if to apologize for the easy win in the semifinals.
"This is all thanks to my trash talk. Agreed?"
"Agreed."
"Well... if Jae-hyun agrees, I agree too. If you're riding the bus, you have to follow the driver's opinion. Honestly, we did win the semifinals easily."
"I don't agree, you vulgar bastard."
"It's already been processed as an agreement by majority vote. If you don't like it, go up to the North."
The result was a crushing victory.
Thanks to finishing the previous game quickly, they had more stamina than the opposing team, and Class 8 had the upper hand in skill as well.
Above all, Kim Jae-hyun was flying solo.
As if he had been hiding his strength until now, he suddenly started shooting 3-pointers continuously, and since almost all of them went in, the opposing team eventually broke down.
"Fuck it... I surrender!!!"
"We got so crushed I don't even feel like saying anything. You guys take it."
In front of the slumped opponents, they struck a winner's pose.
"Okay. Then we get the pre-booking rights."
"You cowardly bastards. Daring to aim for when Kim Jae-hyun wasn't there?"
"But looking at what Jae-hyun did today, it seems like that's the right call..."
"Hey Ju-yeong friend. Shut up."
And so, the hastily organized vacation, 2nd semester auditorium pre-emption battle ended with Class 8's victory.
"Now that it's over, let's grab a bite and head out. I feel gross."
Choi Jae-rim said, slumped over as if he hadn't just been excited.
It made sense, as they had been exercising for hours in a row, so even with his usually trained stamina, he was over his limit now that the exercise was over.
"Do we really have to eat... I just want to go home."
"Even food? I'm out. I'm busy because I carved out time to come here."
Ahn Woo-jin and Kim Jae-hyun declared they were leaving without hesitation.
"Damn, you heartless... actually, you did come out and work hard today. Fine, I'll let you go today. Ahn Woo-jin, you stay."
The time was already nearing 2 o'clock, so for Kim Jae-hyun, he had to go home and wash up immediately.
"Anyone have a spare towel?"
"I have one left, but... wow, how are you going to hang out with Han Ye-rin in this state?"
"I thought it would be fine since there's AC. And I have to stop by home anyway, so I'll wash up then. The problem is the walk home... Ah, should I walk a bit further away?"
Kim Jae-hyun glanced at the whining Lee Ju-yeong and handed him his towel.
"Use this."
"Oh? What is this, it's almost new? Thanks! I'll wash it and give it back!"
"He's strangely kind to Lee Ju-yeong."
"That's because he's the least annoying one."
"Are we annoying?! Oppa!!! How could you—... Sorry, let's talk this out."
"Wow, look at that fierce expression."
Just then, a figure approached them as they were chatting.
"Jae-rim-ah, what on earth did you say to make Jae-hyun look like that?"
It was Shin Yu-ri, who had finally taken a step forward after just watching from the sidelines.
It was hard to tell when she had ever been hesitant, but after confirming her feelings, it wasn't as easy for her to approach him as before.
Let's not forget.
It had only been a few months since she started approaching Kim Jae-hyun.
Shin Yu-ri was a coward who had hovered around Kim Jae-hyun for a whopping 3 years and only recently started to approach him.
She was even a coward who disguised that hovering as awkwardness.
Of course, calling her a coward was a stretch given how aggressive she had been since approaching him, but that was behavior from when she didn't know her own feelings, so it didn't count as courage.
Just as you don't call it a design when a cow steps on a mouse by walking backward.
Anyway, she mustered up the courage for the first time in her life to approach Kim Jae-hyun.
Even then, she couldn't go straight to Kim Jae-hyun, but it was courage in its own way.
"Oh, Yu-ri, hi."
While Choi Jae-rim was greeting her, Ahn Woo-jin spoke up.
"I didn't say much, but his expression really was unwatchable."
"What about my face."
"It's ugly."
"Ha... Sorry, but I'm only like this because I'm between you guys; if I just stand next to Lee Ju-yeong, I'm decent!!!"
"Jae-rim-ah, you're a handsome guy. Just need to be a bit taller, right?"
"Look at that, you trash. This is a woman's accurate perspective... Wait, height? Ha, yeah, anyway, look. I got acknowledged."
Choi Jae-rim was startled by the cold blade that struck him for a moment, but he boasted that his looks had been acknowledged first.
"I can't accept this. The other person is Shin Yu-ri. Would any bad words come out of her mouth?"
"Tsk tsk, pathetic. Just quietly accept the facts."
Choi Jae-rim shrugged his shoulders with an annoyed expression.
"Really? Then I'll ask it like this."
Ahn Woo-jin said that and stepped one step to the side.
Then, Kim Jae-hyun, who had been sitting on the mat playing with his phone, was revealed.
"Me?"
He looked up at the sudden attention.
"Kim Jae-hyun and Choi Jae-rim. If you compare their looks, what's the difference? If you set Kim Jae-hyun at 100."
Everyone was shocked by that cruel question.
"Woo-jin-ah, this is a bit..."
"Hey, did my words sting that much? Even so, comparing me to Jae-hyun, you bastard."
Lee Ju-yeong and Choi Jae-rim reacted as if it were absurd.
"If you were going to do this, why didn't you compare it to your own face? Ah, was that because you didn't want to seem narcissistic?"
"Why do you do that no matter what comparison you make?"
Choi Da-ram and Han Ye-rin, who had approached at some point, had similar reactions.
After all, Choi Jae-rim was a person with looks that had no flaws, and Kim Jae-hyun was a person with looks that reached the extreme of having no flaws.
He was the owner of looks that could be described as neat, with nothing to criticize anywhere.
Since he asked to compare those two, and he asked Shin Yu-ri of all people, the surrounding reaction couldn't be good.
Especially for the guys who only knew Shin Yu-ri's performative personality.
"That is true, though."
Just as Ahn Woo-jin, feeling a bit awkward, scratched his neck and tried to retract his words.
"Comparing him to Jae-hyun is a waste of even 1 point."
The content didn't match the light tone, which sounded as if it had been thrown out carelessly.
Silence fell among them.