Ch.7575. Play Games to Win

After returning the tarot cards, I took Hwa Nabi’s hand and headed toward the grass field outside the shrine building.

“Nabi, what are we going to do outside?”

“Just wait, we’ll get there soon.”

Well, I’m sure Hwa Nabi has her reasons. Following behind her as she walked slightly ahead, I noticed the surroundings becoming increasingly noisy.

Wondering if something was happening, I looked around carefully and saw that the track team was hosting a competition program in the center of the field.

Spectators formed a circle around the track, shouting excitedly—that event seemed to be the source of all the commotion.

—Now, next is the couple game you’ve all been waiting for! Interested couples, please come up to the temporary stage!

Just then, the MC’s announcement reached us where we were standing. Hwa Nabi and I turned to look at each other simultaneously.

“Siwoo, did he say couple game?”

“Yeah, I heard it too.”

“Sounds fun. Should we participate?”

“Why not?”

We made our way through the crowd, excusing ourselves as we went, and climbed onto the temporary stage where the MC stood.

Looking around, I saw there were six pairs including us, and among them was a couple whose faces seemed familiar.

“Hey, Im Hansol. What are you doing here?”

“Oh, Han Siwoo?”

I called out on a hunch, and sure enough, I was right. The man who turned at my call was indeed Im Hansol. Wasn’t he supposed to be working? We exchanged silent glances after mentioning each other’s names.

‘Aren’t you supposed to be working?’

‘A friend came, so I got permission to step out for a bit. What about you?’

‘Friend?’

Just as our silent conversation reached that point, a female student peeked out from beside Im Hansol and looked at me.

She was wearing a uniform from a different school… a girl I’d never seen before. Who is she?

Curious, I forgot we were on stage and was about to step forward to ask. But a hand held me back.

Hwa Nabi, who had grabbed my wrist, asked me:

“Siwoo, where are you going?”

“Huh? Nowhere.”

—Well, since there don’t seem to be any more volunteers, let’s wrap this up. We have a total of seven couples participating in this game. Please welcome them with a round of applause!

Just as I was about to explain the situation, the MC coincidentally shouted in a loud voice. Clap, clap, clap, clap—the spectators followed the MC’s lead and applauded.

Since it didn’t seem like the right atmosphere to ask questions, I returned to my spot. Hwa Nabi looked back and forth between my face and Hansol’s direction, then whispered to me.

“Do you know her?”

“No, I don’t know her.”

“Really?”

Though I told her the truth, she didn’t seem convinced and kept looking in the girl’s direction with a suspicious gaze. Despite pretending not to care, she was clearly concerned.

I chuckled and patted her shoulder. I should clear things up before Hwa Nabi gets the wrong idea. I whispered in her ear.

“I really don’t know her, so don’t worry about it.”

“But still…”

“What, you don’t believe me?”

Directly saying something like “I only have eyes for you” would be childish. Instead, I covered Hwa Nabi’s ear with my hand and kissed her earlobe.

“…?!”

Startled by the sudden skinship, Hwa Nabi flinched. With slightly flushed cheeks, she gave me a reproachful look. But her eyes lacked any real anger, making her look cute instead.

—We have five games prepared. The couple who takes first place will receive an amazing prize!

“I wonder what the prize is.”

“…Are you confident we can win first place?”

“Well, if it’s something physical, I think we can.”

—Now, the first game we’ll play is… couple running!

“Couple running?”

“Maybe it’s like a three-legged race?”

While we were making various guesses, the MC continued his explanation. According to him, the couple running wasn’t a three-legged race but rather ‘men carrying women on their backs while running.’

The women immediately looked excited, anticipating fun, but the men’s faces instantly fell. That’s understandable, since all the physical strain would be on the men.

I wondered how this could be called couple running… but those were the rules, so what could we do? The men came down from the stage, each carrying their partner on their back, and lined up at the starting line.

The track was 50 meters long, and the last couple to finish would be automatically eliminated. It seemed they would eliminate four couples through four events, then determine the winning couple with the final event.

“Phew.”

As I was taking a deep breath to compose myself, feeling slightly nervous, Hwa Nabi, who was on my back, carefully asked:

“Siwoo, will you be okay?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Carrying me while running. If it’s too hard, we can just give up. You’re the one doing all the work.”

Seeing me sigh, she might have misunderstood, as her hands around my neck gradually loosened. I held her more firmly on my back and said:

“Don’t worry unnecessarily. Just hold on tight.”

“…Are you sure? You’re not pushing yourself?”

“Don’t you trust me? You’ve seen my body. I’m the kind of guy who could carry you up a mountain.”

During my two years of military service, my daily routine consisted of carrying military packs and mortars while running up and down mountains. For someone like me, carrying a light girl like Hwa Nabi was nothing.

—Alright, get ready!

“R-really, are you sure?”

“Yes, just watch.”

—Go!

The MC’s booming voice echoed throughout the field through the speakers.

And at that moment, I kicked off from the ground.

Though I wasn’t familiar with grass fields, the basics of running remained the same. I secured her firmly to avoid wobbling, maintained my center of gravity forward, and ran with all my might.

For a 10th-grade boy who’s decent at running, it typically takes about 8 seconds to sprint 50 meters, so carrying someone should take about three times that—around 30 seconds. That would be normal, and probably the actual case.

But… I’m different.

—Wow, do you see that fifth couple? What incredible speed! They’ve taken an overwhelming lead right from the start!

It seemed like I had just heard the MC’s comment, but the finish line was already in sight. The distance was only 50 meters, so I reached it quickly.

Resisting the urge to look back, I continued running and crossed the finish line. Still carrying Hwa Nabi on my back, I finally looked behind.

—The first place in the first game goes to the fifth couple! Now, which couple will have the honor of second place?

Judging by their expressions, everyone was running hard, but they had just passed the halfway point. The gap between them and me was already enormous.

In reality, since we’re all high school students, the difference in physical abilities shouldn’t be that significant, but it was the running technique that determined the rankings. This is why experience matters.

“Alright, get down.”

I let Hwa Nabi down from my back and rotated my shoulders to relax the tense muscles. She approached me and placed her hands on my shoulders.

“Siwoo, just a moment. Let me massage you.”

“Huh? No, it’s fine.”

“Don’t refuse. I want to do this for you.”

“Oh… really? Okay then.”

Kneading gently, Hwa Nabi pressed my shoulder blades with her delicate hands.

This probably wouldn’t have much effect, but the fact that Hwa Nabi was doing this for me felt good.

“Does it feel good?”

“Yeah, it’s nice.”

As I was enjoying Hwa Nabi’s service, the other couples started arriving one by one.

Three, four, five… Excluding us, the sixth and last couple to arrive was an unknown pair. Judging by their different badge colors, they were second-year students.

—I’m sorry, but the seventh couple to arrive is eliminated! Please step off the track!

“Seriously, why are you so slow?”

“Hey, try carrying me on your back and run! See if you can still talk like that!”

The second-year couple left while bickering, leaving six pairs including us. As I was looking at the other men’s faces to gauge their condition, I suddenly sensed someone approaching.

“Han Siwoo, you run really well, huh?”

The person who spoke was none other than Im Hansol. At a glance, his breathing was steady and his complexion good. He seemed perfectly fine despite having just sprinted 50 meters at full speed.

“You ran pretty well yourself.”

Yes, as I said, Hansol came in second. I took about 13 seconds, while Hansol took about twice that—around 25 seconds. For someone with no technique, that was impressively fast. If I hadn’t been there, Hansol would probably have won.

“Hearing that from the first-place winner somehow feels like I’m being mocked.”

I was about to respond with something like ‘That wasn’t my intention.’ At that moment, suddenly, someone popped out from behind Hansol. Caught off guard, I was startled and stepped back.

“Hansol, who is this person?”

A girl with light brown hair and eyes as big as Hwa Nabi’s blinked and asked Hansol. He looked back and forth between me and the girl and said:

“You two haven’t met before, right? This is my childhood friend, and this is my classmate.”

“So you’re Hansol’s classmate. Hi!”

“Ah, yes. Hello.”

Perhaps because I was inwardly flustered, I unconsciously used formal speech. Hansol’s childhood friend looked at me and smiled faintly.

“What’s this? Why so formal? Be comfortable. If you’re Hansol’s friend, you’re my friend too.”

“Ah… should I?”

“Um, hello.”

Just as I was about to switch to casual speech in the somewhat awkward atmosphere, Hwa Nabi, who had been silently observing the situation behind me, spoke up.

“Um… hi?”

She returned the greeting since one was offered, but the atmosphere remained awkward.

Hmm, come to think of it, they’re meeting for the first time too, right? I stepped forward and opened my mouth.

“Ah, this is my…”

During that brief moment, several words swirled in my mind.

Friend, classmate, acquaintance… none of these were incorrect, but I wondered if it was right to define my relationship with Hwa Nabi so simply.

No, more precisely, I didn’t want to.

“Um… your what?”

Hansol’s childhood friend asked, but I couldn’t answer as I was internally searching for the right words. She looked at me with confusion as I suddenly stopped mid-sentence. Hansol took a sip of water he had been handed.

I took a quick breath and answered briefly.

“The woman I’m going to marry, my girlfriend.”

“…Huh?”

“…?!”

Hansol spat out the water he was drinking.