After the Rain, the Ground Hardens.
After the Rain, the Ground Hardens.
I stepped off the bench and onto the snow piled on the ground, heading toward the cafe.
Kim Tae-oh naturally took off his own gloves and handed them over when he saw how red my hands were.
"Thanks."
My hands were on the small side compared to pretty much anyone's, so the gloves Kim Tae-oh gave me were big.
Kim Tae-oh tagged along behind me like a puppy.
Since HSW and Tae-oh's family both work out of our apartment building, I headed to a cafe outside to avoid being seen.
Once we got to the cafe, I ordered a few things and then sat down at the table Tae-oh had grabbed.
Kim Tae-oh, sitting at the table...
Kim Tae-oh, whose superior looks even catch the attention of other men.
Even with my face half-hidden by my puffer jacket, most people kept sneaking glances our way because of Kim Tae-oh.
When I looked at Kim Tae-oh, he avoided my eyes.
"Um... first of all, I'm sorry. For saying all that."
"...It's fine."
"Well, everything I said about not liking you was true, but I didn't totally despise it, either."
"....."
"So... I wanted to explain why I said it."
Kim Tae-oh nodded, his head drooping low with a disappointed look in his eyes.
"Let's get into the real talk once the coffee gets here."
But Kim Tae-oh had apparently been pretty torn up about it, because his expression made it clear he wanted me to talk fast.
I held up one hand and spread all five fingers toward Kim Tae-oh as I spoke.
"If you want me to rate how much I like people on a scale based on ordinary folks, I've got five levels total."
He looked like he was trying to figure out what I was talking about.
"And Da-yeon is level five, honestly—like, I'd lay down my life for her."
"....."
"You're level three. But the number of people I'd put at level four or above is under fifteen."
I saw Kim Tae-oh's expression turn complicated.
"Anyway, the reason I'm telling you all this... oh, the coffee's here."
"I'll go get—"
I didn't catch the rest of what Kim Tae-oh said and went up first with the buzzer to get the coffee.
"Thanks for the food..."
I took a long sip of my yogurt smoothie, savored the taste, and then spoke.
"You know, too. That Da-yeon likes you."
"....."
"So if you react to me like that, what do you think happens to me? When Da-yeon, who I like way more than you, is right next to me."
Kim Tae-oh flinched at my words.
"The more you act like that, the more my opinion of you rockets straight into the gutter—like, enough to make me wish you'd just disappear."
When I closed all five of my spread fingers into a fist, Kim Tae-oh couldn't say a word and just let out a long sigh.
"To put it simply, that's how it is. You know my memory's good, right?"
Kim Tae-oh nodded without a word.
"Da-yeon cried a lot, because of what you said... 'a protection detail shouldn't get emotionally involved'? Honestly, you were done with me from that point on. Because you made Da-yeon cry."
"....."
"Sure, I get that you were young and maybe that's why. But, a kid you secretly like a lot shows interest in my friend... did you ever once stop and think about how timid Da-yeon would take that?"
Kim Tae-oh stared silently at the floor, like he was admitting fault.
"You still know Da-yeon likes you, and yet the fact that you like me was so frustrating that I said some harsh stuff to you—to make you understand, to tell you to cut it out."
"I'm sorry."
Since I was on the subject, I figured I might as well lay out the hard facts.
"And about fifty percent of it was true—you really aren't my type."
"....."
"You act exactly like Park Ji-hoon. Common sense says you wouldn't be my type, right? I'm saying this because I'm worried you're starting to turn into an idiot."
"Ah..."
Kim Tae-oh's expression shifted to something dead serious. I let out a snicker as I spoke to him.
"But someone like Park Ji-hoon, I like him as a friend."
"....."
"He's fun, right? And it's the same with you. Honestly, it was fun hanging out. So please, just stop liking me like that, stop confessing, and just think of me as a girl friend—the same way I think of you."
"Honestly... I think that'll be hard..."
In this situation, did "hard" mean he couldn't even bear to see me at all...?
I decided to test the waters with Kim Tae-oh a little more.
"Hey, it's awkward for me to say this myself, but you and I both have killer looks that are pretty similar, so 'hard' is... You'll meet someone nice, even if she isn't prettier than I am."
"Haha... I don't care about looks either."
"Bullshit. What's so great about my personality... don't tell me... a masochist..."
"Don't say ridiculous crap!"
"Ahaha."
"Haa..."
Seeing Kim Tae-oh's expression, it looked like the "I think it'll be hard" was just something he blurted out because he couldn't control his emotions in the moment.
And what I'd said to Kim Tae-oh back when I was looking for Da-yeon was still nagging at me.
"Anyway, I really was sorry back then. More than anything, I didn't mean to put you down."
"It's fine... I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking about your feelings at all..."
"Damn right, you selfish bastard."
"Could you... just answer normally for once?"
"Why, too good for you? You maso?"
"You're insane...."
"Maybe I should tell your brother~"
"What?! Don't you dare!"
Kim Tae-oh glared at me with a red face.
Yeah, if he went over and confessed to that part-timer sneaking glances at him from the back right now, with that face, it'd be a hundred percent success.
He really was disgustingly handsome.
I mean, compared to my dad, our dad would look like an average person...
"Or how about Deputy Director Kim Dong-hoon?"
"Hey!"
The third-years' graduation ceremony was coming up, and the manga club president clung to me begging me to come, so all four of the manga club members went to the third-years' graduation.
We took pictures and then ate beef with the president's parents.
The president's dad had the same job as my dad—a building owner—and his mom was a professor, same as Ji-hoon's mom.
"Wow... were you really that close with my son?"
"Of course."
"Ahaha... I'm genuinely a fan, especially of your father."
"Thank you~"
As time passed, Lunar New Year approached, and I went and slept over at my grandfather's house.
I was now fifteen years old... the age when the black flame dragon in my right hand would start to stir.
On a peaceful weekend morning, Dad woke up before me and suggested we go to the baseball stadium with Da-yeon's family.
"The ballpark? Sure~ whatever, let's go. Which team do you like, Dad?"
"Da-yeon's family asked... which team we like, since we're Hanseong..."
"Ah... right?"
In the end, I brought the Hanseong uniform I'd gotten at Kim Seon-hwa's request from home and put it on.
Then my phone rang. Park Ji-hoon.
- "Hey, my mom and dad are asking if we want to watch the baseball game together. Said they have extra tickets."
"It is baseball season, I guess. When?"
- "Tomorrow."
"...?"
I double-checked the game date.
Hanseong's opponent was Daesan.
Park Ji-hoon's dad: Park Jeong-ho, the superstar of the Korean baseball world.
The name of the team Mr. Park Jeong-ho had played for was Daesan.
I looked at Dad and said,
"Dad?"
"Yeah?"
"Ji-hoon's family are Daesan fans... they're asking if we want to watch together?"
"...Huh?"
Of all things, Hanseong and Daesan were bitter rivals in the Korean professional baseball league.
Daesan had dominated their past head-to-head matchups, but their strength had weakened when Park Jeong-ho retired, and Hanseong had started to overtake them.
We arrived at the stadium...
We were currently in a pretty awkward coexistence.
Ji-hoon's family, wearing Daesan uniforms.
And our family and Da-yeon's family, wearing Hanseong uniforms.
I was wearing a Hanseong uniform as I greeted Ji-hoon's parents.
"Hello."
That look in their eyes as they looked at me, like they were looking at a traitor...
But betrayal aside, it had been a while since they'd seen me, so Ji-hoon's parents marveled at how much taller I'd gotten and at my short hair.
When I'd gone over to Da-yeon's place with my hair cut short, Kim Seon-hwa and Lee Jin-seok had also been impressed, and Jeong-yeon had turned red.
"Oh my... hasn't Si-yoon gotten so pretty?"
"Thank you."
The older I got, the more noticeably my superior face and body developed.
Of course... you can't compare me to Da-yeon, but still, every time I feel my underwear getting tighter, I feel pretty proud.
Wearing a fitted inner top that matched my Hanseong uniform made my figure, which was usually hidden, stand out even more.
The game started, and when Hanseong took the lead, Lee Jin-seok tensed his arm hard.
Seeing that, Kim Seon-hwa glanced nervously at Park Jeong-ho, and when Hanseong struck out, this time Park Jeong-ho flexed his arm.
Only the wives of the two fiercely competitive men exchanged awkward smiles and glanced at each other.
And as if it were fated, today's game started heating up more and more, like it was trying to become a legend.
A thunderous roar echoed through the stadium, but.
Apart from Lee Jin-seok and Park Jeong-ho, everyone was just watching the game while walking on eggshells.
And... it wasn't quite the Three Admirals from One Piece, but.
This spot where Lee Jin-seok, Kim Ji-ho, and Park Jeong-ho were sitting together...
There was no way the cameras would miss it.
Dad awkwardly smiled and waved on the giant screen, and the stadium erupted in commotion.
Lee Jin-seok's family, seated to Dad's left, and Park Jeong-ho's family, to his right, awkwardly looked at the camera and waved.
The people sitting in the row in front of us also checked the camera, then started sneaking glances back at us, and when they spotted me, they made surprised faces.
And then... as if I, who had been sitting in the front row out of the camera's view, was the highlight of the broadcast, the focus zeroed in on me.
As if rewarding their anticipation, a mixed roar of overwhelmingly male cheers and sighs rang out...
And then a wave of cheers followed.
I figured it was better to do something rather than keep sitting there awkwardly,
so I struck an awkward V-sign toward the camera with Da-yeon, who was sitting to my left.
And Park Ji-hoon, sitting to my right.
Because of his size, he looked like a grown man sitting with a bunch of little kids.
The camera moved elsewhere, and I looked at my poor dad, who seemed to be stuck between the adults and reading the room.
"Dad, come down here."
"Nah..."
"Quickly."
As expected, Dad was uncomfortable, so he pretended he couldn't win and shuffled over to sit next to me.
Dad moved his stuff and sat down between Da-yeon and me.
I looked up at him with a teasing glint in my eye and whispered,
"Be honest, it's awkward up there, right?"
"...No, it's not~"
"Sure it's not~"
I was chatting with Dad when suddenly the camera swung back around.
That cameraman must've just decided to stake out this spot entirely. He wasn't even looking anywhere else.
Next to me, Park Ji-hoon was utterly absorbed in emptying a bucket of chicken.
Dad saw that and smiled contentedly.
"He eats well."
"Fanksforyerhoshtashun."
"Si-yoon should eat that well, too."
"You want me to?"
"....."
I spoke with a teasing smile, but Dad, who had been staring intently at me, wore that unreadable emotional expression again at my face, which was looking more and more like Mom's in the photos.
Especially the earrings I'd worn today—they were the ones Dad had given me as a gift, with black diamonds that sat flush against the ear.
Dad touched my ear and smiled awkwardly.
I spoke to him, meaning "don't be too sad."
"We're outside, so don't cry and embarrass your daughter."
"...Okay."
Dad gave a bitter smile at my words.
Dad tried to turn his attention back to the baseball.
Right then, the kiss cam started, and it immediately landed on Dad and me.
Dad hadn't noticed the camera, so I grabbed his chin, lifted it, and kissed him on the cheek.
Caught off guard by my sudden action, Dad checked the screen.
Then he grabbed my head with both hands and tried to forcibly kiss my forehead, so I blocked him with my palm.
"Defense~"
The screen was filled with Dad grabbing my head and trying to kiss me somehow, and me blocking him with my palm.
Dad cheered up and was smiling brightly, and he waved at the camera.
Time passed, and Dad went to the restroom with Lee Jin-seok.
Next to me, Ji-hoon, who had been stuffing his face like a maniac, was now snoring.
His head started bobbing a little, and then suddenly he leaned it on my shoulder.
The thought that Park Ji-hoon's parents were watching from behind meant, regrettably, that I couldn't let my knuckle sandwich fly,
and I just stared at Park Ji-hoon wordlessly.
But then... this son of a bitch suddenly starts drooling.
'The fuck?!'
I saw the drool streaming down onto my chest and jerked my shoulder hard enough to wake Park Ji-hoon up.
"Ugh, that's fucking gross..."
Park Ji-hoon came to his senses and looked around.
Then he stared intently at the wet spot on my chest.
"Got milk?"
Thwack.
In a split second, with a small sound, Ji-hoon's head tilted to the other side and he started sleeping again.
This bastard was clearly a total lunatic, and I felt very strongly that this goddamn idiot did not deserve any respectful treatment whatsoever.
I wiped the stinky drool with a tissue.
If only Ji-hoon's parents hadn't been right behind us,
I would've put Ji-hoon into a groggy state with my knuckle sandwich and then repeatedly kneed him in the face until he woke up... such a shame.
The game started heating up even more, and I couldn't take my eyes off one of the cheerleaders.
A cheerleader with the name Joo Seo-hyeon printed on her uniform.
The dolphin pants she was wearing were striking, and the tight dolphin pants had Hanseong written across the butt.
I was admiring the beautiful movement of flesh shaking or folding from the dancing and gravity.
Then Ga-yeon, now a third-grader in elementary school, came over next to me and sat down between Da-yeon and me.
"Si-yoon! Eat this!"
Ga-yeon held out a chocolate to me.
I'd been feeling like my blood sugar was crashing because of Ji-hoon, so I accepted the chocolate Ga-yeon gave me and ate it.
"That means you're going out with me now!"
I patted Ga-yeon's head as he said it so adorably, and replied,
"I'm not going out with anyone."
"...But you ate my chocolate..."
"Well, then from now on, when you say it, you should say 'If you eat this, you're going out with me~', like that, okay?"
"I did!"
"No, thirty-two seconds ago, you said, 'Si-yoon! Eat this!' You sat here forty-two seconds ago, right?"
"....."
I laughed and ruffled the hair of Ga-yeon, who had suddenly gotten very gloomy.
Next to me, Da-yeon was looking at Ga-yeon with disapproval.
And Jeong-yeon was sending envious looks at the sight of Ga-yeon childishly hitting on me.
Just then, Dad and Lee Jin-seok seemed to have finished their business and were heading back this way together.
Ga-yeon naturally gave up his seat so Dad could sit next to me, and Dad stared at the sleeping Park Ji-hoon.
"Ji-hoon's still asleep?"
"Yeah, I helped him out."
"...Huh? What do you mean, helped him out?"
"Something like that."