Chapter 69
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 69
"And Woo-seong takes the shot~."
Ju Woo-seong, having thoroughly rattled my mental state before stepping up, fired his arrow and hit a 10.
[10 points! It’s a 10!]
"This is serious, so serious~."
Ju Woo-seong hummed a little tune. I let out a sigh, took my stance, and glared at the target.
In that moment… I suddenly remembered the look of pure horror on Kang Yi-chae’s face the day I was practicing my aegyo.
Thwack!
'Dammit!'
[Ah, an 8. An 8! So close~.]
[Has player Seo Ho-yun’s mental fortitude taken a massive hit??]
"Wahahaha!"
Ju Woo-seong burst into laughter beside me, clearly not intending to miss this opportunity to gloat. I shot him a silent glare.
I considered blackmailing him on the spot, but there were too many eyes on us for that to be a good idea….
"Oh dear, what ever shall we do?"
Ju Woo-seong kept up his annoying chirping, a pleasant smile plastered on his face. Without hesitation, he drew his bowstring again and hit the dead center—another 10.
Dammit……
He really was good.
[Wow, Ju Woo-seong’s experience as a gold medalist is really showing!!]
[Is Black Call going to secure first place again at this rate?]
First place.
I couldn't let those guys take first.
I took a deep breath.
"Visualize, visualize…. Remember the first time I picked up a bow…."
Ding!
[That was only a few weeks ago!]
'Shut up.'
The system window, which never missed a chance to be sarcastic, chirped at me while I was trying to focus.
I ignored it and pulled the memory back to the surface.
The hard texture of the bow, the tension of the string that required more strength than expected, the firm position of my left hand. I took a deep breath and let the sequence of movements flow naturally.
I can do this.
Whiz!
The moment I released the string, the arrow flew and pierced the target with precision.
[A teeeen! Seo Ho-yun has hit a 10 again!]
[Has he recovered his mental state~?!]
No, it wasn't just a recovery. Ju Woo-seong tilted his head in curiosity and raised his bow again. Another 10 for him.
The commentators were going wild, but it didn't faze me.
'I just need to do my job.'
I drew a new arrow. It flew through the air and embedded itself right in the center.
[Seo Ho-yun with two 10s in a row! It’s a 10!]
[Whoa! What’s the total score now?]
[It’s a tie at 52 points! We are tied!]
Ju Woo-seong let out a dry laugh and stepped forward to draw his bow. However, perhaps feeling the pressure of my consecutive 10s, his form wavered slightly, and he scored a 9.
[A 9! It’s a 9!]
[With this, Black Call’s final score is 61! If The Dawn hits a 10, it’s over!]
[Can player Seo Ho-yun overcome this pressure and record three 10s in a row?]
I brushed back my slightly sweat-dampened bangs. My face was captured in a tight close-up on the main screen, and the stadium was buzzing, but I didn't see any of it. Right now, only three things existed in my world: me, the bow, and that target.
Ding!
[Wait, are you really going to work this hard? I’m starting to feel a little bad.]
'I absolutely cannot be embarrassed any further than this.'
Never.
I gripped the bow and stepped onto the platform. I placed my left foot slightly forward and nocked the arrow firmly. I felt like everything was under my control.
"Whew…."
The target was 25 meters away.
I quietly raised my left arm and drew the string until it touched my lips. For a moment, I felt the world go silent.
The red line reflected in the center. The 10.
Aiming for that spot, I let go. The arrow seemed to fly in slow motion.
And then,
Crash!
I shattered the lens.
'…Done.'
As I slowly lowered the bow, the noise of the crowd came rushing back.
[…!! Seo Ho-yun!! He broke the lens!!]
[Beyond a 10—what?! For the first time ever in a final, Seo Ho-yun has smashed the lens!]
The flustered staff checked the lens and waved their arms. The commentators leaped to their feet.
[The Dawn! It’s a 10! With Black Call at 61 and The Dawn at 62, they take 1st place~!!]
[Whoa! That final shot is the highlight of this archery competition!]
[The way Seo Ho-yun released the bow was pure art.]
[I thought I was watching a movie. With that solemn face, the camera angle, and his expression—it was a masterpiece.]
I clenched and unclenched my slightly sweaty hands a few times before the stadium announcer rushed over for an interview.
"Seo Ho-yun! You smashed the lens and hit three 10s in a row to take the gold medal! Please give us your thoughts!"
"Ah……. My thoughts."
Right. Thoughts.
"Yes! Your mental state wavered for a moment due to Ju Woo-seong’s sabotage, but you miraculously regained your focus and hit those 10s."
Snapped back to reality, I looked around blankly. The members of The Dawn were already shoulder-to-shoulder, waving their arms frantically. Meanwhile, Ju Woo-seong… was looking this way with a slightly fed-up expression.
…Fed-up?
You’re the last person who should be making that face.
'Ha, this guy…. Is this how he repays my kindness?'
Anger flared up belatedly.
Couldn't he just, you know, let his junior have 1st place? Did he really have to go that far with the sabotage just to beat me?
I flicked my hand, and the system window, sensing my intent perfectly, rushed over.
[At your service!]
Ding!
[Choices:
Thanks.
I made my choice and spoke shamelessly while locking eyes with Ju Woo-seong.
"Ho-yun-ie is~."
"……Pardon?"
"He’s just~ naturally good at archery, even without doing stuff like that."
Recalling the aegyo I’d done before, I openly mocked his sabotage. Then, with a smile that was bound to look obnoxious, I brushed back my bangs that kept sliding down from the sweat.
"……."
"It’s really quite a bother~ when other people play dirty."
For the record, that last part was said of my own volition, without a dialogue box.
I gave Ju Woo-seong a polite smile and walked away. Ju Woo-seong shook his head, looking like he’d just seen something he wished he could unsee.
I knew this scene would probably end up as the biggest meme of the competition under a title like [Ho-yun really hated that], but I couldn't help myself.
'I win.'
No one would be able to tease me about my dark past now. Having become so shameless I might as well have plated my face in gold, I was now immune to the damage of an aegyo attack.
Ding!
[(You won the gold, but the aegyo…) An ambiguous loss for Seo Ho-yun!]
Shut up.
[‘Victory is Mine’ Quest
Number of 1st place wins: 2/3]
One more to go.
* * *
"Ho-yun-ie is the best~."
"He’s just naturally good at archery~."
When I returned with the gold medal, the members went wild. I ignored their teasing and took my seat.
I laced my fingers together and muttered quietly.
"I just need to get 1st place one more time."
"But Hyung, what’s your criteria for 1st place?"
"I just need three…."
The members, not knowing why I was so obsessed with winning, just exchanged puzzled glances.
[The flower of 'Victory is Mine'! The relay race is starting!]
Finally, the moment for the last event, the relay, had arrived.
White Cherry, seemingly determined this time, had taken the gold in the women’s 400m relay.
However, they couldn't celebrate fully. A member from another group had almost fallen because the floor was slippery.
"Oh boy."
"Looks like it’s a bit slick…."
We tied our shoelaces as tight as they could go.
For some reason, I felt uneasy about Jeong Da-jun. The other members seemed like they’d be fine, but Jeong Da-jun, who was practically vibrating with competitive fire, felt like a child playing near a cliff….
"Hey, you be careful."
"It does seem a bit slippery, doesn't it…?"
"Try it out, and if it feels dangerous, you don't have to get 1st place. Just run slowly. Got it?"
"Um… Yes, sir!"
He answered brightly, but he still looked precarious.
"I asked if you got it."
"Ah, I got it, Hyung. You worry too much."
I checked if Jeong Da-jun’s laces were tight and gave him a firm pat on the back. The first runner was Seong Ji-won. After him were Kang Yi-chae, me, and Kim Seong-hyeon, with Jeong Da-jun as the anchor.
[Another highlight following the women’s 400m! It’s the men’s 500m relay!]
The race itself proceeded quickly. Perhaps considering the length of the event, the relay was held as a single final heat, so everyone participated and cheered with the desperation of it being the grand finale.
[The Dawn looks very solemn right now! Expectations are high, especially with Kim Seong-hyeon on the team.]
[Lane 1, The Dawn! What is The Dawn’s team name? ‘The-the-the-the-Dawn’? Is that supposed to sound like the thumping of feet?]
"Who came up with that?"
"……."
Seong Ji-won sheepishly raised his hand and confessed.
"Right…. Right, well, I guess that could happen."
"That is some serious discrimination."
Kang Yi-chae muttered uncomfortably as he moved to his starting position, but we couldn't afford to dampen the spirits of Seong Ji-won, who was about to start the relay. Watching Ji-won approach the line and take his starting pose, I also moved to my spot.
[Alright, the 500m relay begins!]
Bang!
It started.
[Seong Ji-won, oh, Seong Ji-won is fast!]
[Unbelievable! His movements aren't large, but his speed is outstanding!]
Of course it was. Seong Ji-won was good at everything except being a decent human being. He was fast and had incredible stamina. Seeing Ji-won’s baton approaching Kang Yi-chae, I took my position and got ready.
[The Dawn and Refined are currently battling for 1st! And here, Seong Ji-won passes the baton to Kang Yi-chae!]
They were quite far away, so I couldn't see clearly, but Kang Yi-chae snatched the baton like a pro and came charging toward me.
[Kang Yi-chae! He’s opening up an overwhelming lead!]
[Kang Yi-chae even does somersaults on stage! He’s practically flying here, flying!]
Kang Yi-chae was running with everything he had. I was reminded of the eSports notification.
'Kang Yi-chae cannot be stopped!'
"Hyung!"
Kang Yi-chae called out to me, stretching out his hand with the baton. I felt the members of other groups watching, but I slowly started moving forward, timing the handoff perfectly. The moment the baton touched my hand, I kicked off with all my might.
[Whoa! Seo Ho-yun is fast too!]
[He’s not just good at archery! Seo Ho-yun’s physicality is a problem, a real problem!]
I heard someone mimicking my aegyo from earlier, but it did zero damage. The bigger issue was….
'The floor is….'
It was slippery.
A cold sweat broke out, but I focused on looking straight ahead. If I became too conscious of something being wrong, I’d lose my pace.
As I rounded the corner where Noeul was sitting, a roar of cheers erupted.
[Is it because all the members of The Dawn are quite tall? They’re really eating up the track!]
"Seo Ho-yun!"
"Yeah!"
[Oh, is it the 'Thief-Catching Duo'! Kim Seong-hyeon and Seo Ho-yun! A very stable baton pass!]
Kim Seong-hyeon also took the baton and sprinted off, nearly slipping once, but he quickly regained his balance.
'Ah…….'
Panting for breath, I joined Seong Ji-won and Kang Yi-chae, who had already finished their legs.
"How is it?"
"We’re in 1st."
"Seong-hyeon is really fast."
[Kim Seong-hyeon! He’s going wild!]
[The Dawn is insane today!]
There was almost a half-lap difference between us and the other groups. Everyone was buzzing since such a large gap was unprecedented, but a small thorn of unease kept pricking at the back of my mind.
'I have a bad feeling about this….'
[Kim Seong-hyeon makes the pass!]
[There’s a half-lap lead! This is as good as won!]
Kim Seong-hyeon, putting on a final burst of speed, kicked off the ground and handed the baton to Jeong Da-jun.
"Jeong Da-jun!"
"Yes!"
Jeong Da-jun could have run slowly, but he gave it his all until the end. And then, with about half the distance to the finish line remaining…
Suddenly, perhaps because he put too much power into his step, Jeong Da-jun slipped.
Crash!
"……!!"
He fell flat on his face. He instinctively raised his arms to protect his head, but he tumbled forward two or three times.
Fuck, I knew that slippery floor was bad news!
"Jeong Da-jun!"
We all leaped to our feet.