Group Activity (2)
"Pina, did you prepare the script?"
Today was the day before the Korean language performance assessment presentation.
Since Pina hadn't given me her personal contact information at all, I had to get everything done at school.
So I struck up a conversation first thing in the morning, but she frowned as she turned around.
Don't you think you hate me a bit too much, Pina? Could you please relax your face?
"I have prepared the script."
"Great. Then let's compare our presentation topics and scripts."
"Do you actually have a script as well?"
"Well, I prepared one for now."
"For now?"
"You'll see when you look at it."
Looking at the script, Pina's expression clearly said, What on earth is this?
Even I would get a little depressed seeing someone look that openly disgusted.
"Did you honestly prepare this and call it a script?"
"No matter how I look at it, isn't this just a bunch of scribbles rather than a script?"
"It's a script in my own way."
"Please shut your mouth. If you wrote this thinking it was a real script..."
"...then the time you spent writing it was a complete waste."
Oof. Pina's words were especially harsh today.
And she was making a genuinely pathetic face at me while saying it.
Even I had to admit the script was a lost cause.
But I really did present just by writing down summaries without a full script.
"If you write the script in too much detail, it doesn't look good to just read along, you know?"
"This is a presentation for an evaluation, not a show. I think the content of the presentation is more important than the presentation itself."
"And it is much more efficient to organize what you are going to say in advance."
"Aren't you just rationalizing your own laziness?"
"Urgh. I have nothing to say to that."
Should I rewrite the script now?
It's so annoying, though...
"Well, I suppose it doesn't matter since the basic content is there."
"Besides, hearing you talk, you seem to have a silver tongue, at least."
"Is that a compliment on my speaking skills? I think I've said this before, but I'll always accept compliments with gratitude."
"...Do you have no pride?"
"Huh?"
Pina lowered her head as she spoke.
Why was she suddenly walking on eggshells around me?
"Even if I am only speaking the truth, surely you must have some pride, right?"
"I am speaking in a way that completely disregards your pride."
So she was aware that she spoke harshly?
But why was she talking like that?
The fact that she was asking me this meant she didn't completely disregard other people's feelings.
"Why would my pride be hurt?"
"First of all, most of what you say is true."
"Though I do think it's a bit harsh."
"...! If so..."
"That's that, and this is this."
"The fact that you spoke the truth means I was wrong."
"Since I was wrong, I need to accept what you said."
"So I have no reason to feel hurt."
"It's like getting a question wrong on a test. There's no reason to lose your pride over it."
"If you have time to feel hurt, you should use that time to study instead and do better on the next test."
"And my pride isn't so cheap that it would be hurt by something like this."
"What is that... In the end, you're just weird. Hehe."
"Oh? You laughed! You just laughed, didn't you?"
"I didn't laugh."
"You did laugh, though?"
"I said I didn't!"
I finally saw her laugh.
As expected, you look the best when you laugh, Pina.
She only laughed because she was dumbfounded just now, but one day, I will make her laugh from the bottom of her heart.
Seeing Pina laugh in the morning... today was going to be a good day.
"Hey! Pass it! I'm open over here!"
"I'll block Hanbyul, so cut off the passing lane!"
Sung and I were playing basketball with absolute fervor.
If it were just about passion, we were practically pros. How did things suddenly end up like this?
To explain this situation, we have to go back about two hours.
During the break after the third period, we were putting together basketball teams.
Basically, we split Sung and me into different teams before picking the rest.
Maybe because we had done judo for so long, both of us were quite athletic.
So when it came to basketball, the two of us were the best in our class.
They said it wouldn't even be a game if we were on the same team, or something like that.
Anyway, the two of us weren't the type to obsess over winning or losing.
It should have been the same today. If only someone hadn't said those words during the break.
"Hey, you guys want to make a bet today?"
One of the guys we always played basketball with suggested.
"A bet all of a sudden?"
"Think about it. Between Hanbyul and Sung, who's better at basketball?"
"Sung has a great build and reflexes, but Hanbyul is faster and has a better dribble."
"Now that you mention it, yeah. I wonder who's better?"
This atmosphere wasn't good.
I didn't really care, but Park Sung got dead serious whenever a bet was involved.
Maybe it was because he trained as an athlete. He didn't care for casual games, but it was a different story when it came to bets or real matches.
"...What's the bet?"
Please let the stakes be simple.
"Buying ice cream from the snack bar and bringing the ball beforehand for a week. How about that?"
"If it's just that much."
"Hey! Girls, come watch our class play basketball today because we have a bet on it! It's probably going to be pretty fun today!"
Uh, hey, no, don't do that.
"Are Sung and Hanbyul playing too?"
"Yeah, yeah, they are."
The moment she heard Sung's name, Kim Dahi immediately whipped her head around and asked.
"Sung, can I go watch too?"
Look at that. There was no way Kim Dahi, who went crazy at the mere mention of Park Sung, wouldn't react.
She was probably going to watch because she knew Park Sung got serious during bets.
It was rare to see Sung serious on a normal day.
Maybe because he had a bit of a complex about his face, Sung usually walked around with a smile.
But even he would turn completely expressionless when he got serious.
A stone-faced Park Sung... you probably wouldn't see that outside of tournaments.
"Uh, of course you can come watch."
Furthermore, Park Sung was at his most serious when Kim Dahi was cheering him on.
Well, it would be weirder for a guy not to take it seriously when his girlfriend was cheering for him.
So, returning to the present.
"Hey, Park Sung, do you really have to go this far?"
"Of course. Dahi said she's watching."
"Kyaaa~! Sung~! So cool! Blow away that idiot Lee Hanbyul!"
"Hanbyul, fight on too!!!"
"I think Hanbyul and Sung are really cool."
"Right, right? Both of them are practically model-tier."
"They're both handsome too. Sung looks a bit scary, but he's unexpectedly super sweet. Hanbyul looks kind of cute, but the way he talks and acts is totally sharp."
"Yeah, he's basically polite to girls and just as sweet as Sung. Sung already has Dahi, but Hanbyul doesn't have a girlfriend yet, right?"
"Drop dead, Lee Hanbyul! You too, Park Sung!"
Wait, why are those guys suddenly cursing at us?
You guys were the ones who brought the girls over.
And I didn't think I looked all that great. Sung just looked a bit intimidating, but he was actually handsome if you looked closely. As for me, I wasn't ugly, but I thought I was just average.
"You guys are playing on the same court as us!"
"Why are you suddenly swearing at us? Sure, Park Sung is handsome, but I'm not that different from you guys."
"You deceptive bastard! Drop dead, Lee Hanbyul!"
I'd deal with those guys later. For now, the problem was Park Sung in front of me.
Sung was taller than me, but he was a bit slower.
Since we made a bet, I had to win, right?
"Here I come, Sung!"
"Anytime!"
Before we knew it, the game was entering its final stages.
The score was tied at 25-25. This possession would likely decide the game.
I'll fake right, drive left, and finish with a layup.
I shifted my upper body to the right and immediately cut left, but just when it seemed Sung was fooled by my movement, he twisted his body back to the left.
He reacted to that?
The moment I took a step back to reset my dribble, Sung's hand swiped toward the ball.
I barely managed to avoid his hand.
"Isn't that a bit too predictable? Hanbyul, how many years have I been playing basketball with you?"
So it wasn't reaction, but anticipation? Park Sung was really making this fun.
Since it had come to this, I had my own pride to protect. I couldn't just lose easily.
I stopped my drive and went into a shooting motion.
As I went up for the shot, Park Sung stepped forward and jumped to block it.
If it came down to a simple battle of height, I could never beat Sung.
Even so, I had wanted Sung to jump.
Sorry, Sung. This is what I was aiming for.
At the same time Sung jumped, I shifted my center of gravity backward and released the shot.
The exact name of the technique is the fadeaway jumper. (It's more commonly known as just a fadeaway.)
I was still practicing it and didn't want to show it off yet, but this was my only option right now.
"Yes! It's in!"
"When did you practice a fadeaway?"
"I only started practicing it recently. I wasn't going to use it, but you were being way too serious."
My fadeaway shot put us in the lead.
There was about a minute left. If we could just hold out for one minute, we would win.
"Catch! Sung, let's blow away that deceptive bastard!"
Seriously, why am I the deceptive one?
Wait, where is the ball going?
The ball passed to Sung flew so fast and high that even he couldn't catch it.
That guy threw it with way too much emotion.
Fortunately, there were no girls cheering in the direction the ball was flying.
Since lunch was almost over, only the kids from our class were out on the schoolyard.
That was how it should have been, but... Pina, why are you there?
Pina was walking toward the school building to go back to her classroom, right in the path of the flying ball.
"Watch out!"
Hearing my voice, Pina turned her head, but it was already too late to dodge.
The moment I saw Pina, I bolted.
I pulled Pina into my arms, shielding her.
"Pina, are you okay?"
"Y-Yes, I'm fine."
"Hey! Throw the ball straight!"
"Um... I appreciate you shielding me, but when are you going to let go?"
"Oh? S-Sorry. I didn't mean to do that on purpose."
"But Pina, your face is really red. Are you sure you're okay?"
Is she pretending to be fine even though she got hit somewhere?
I reached my hand toward Pina's face to check.
Pina slapped my hand away.
"Ugh, d-don't touch me...!"
"Sorry, I thought you might have been hit."
"If you apologize like that... Well, thank you for now."
"Ha Pina... What's her deal, always hovering around Hanbyul?"
"For a dirty bitch..."