episode_0014

[This station is the Sports Complex Station. The doors will open on the left side.]

“Jina, let’s get off here.”

As I was about to doze off from the rhythmic swaying of the subway, the announcement signaling the arrival echoed through the train.

Yisea shook me awake, my eyes half-closed.

“Uh.”

I blinked to clear my groggy mind.

Yisea teased me as I stretched after getting off the subway.

“Jin always sleeps whenever she can. What do you do at night?”

“I just have a lot of sleep genes.”

“Ha, joking?”

No, I’m serious.

Yisea took it as a joke, but I just nodded without bothering to argue.

“Seo Jin?”

As we swiped our cards and exited the station, Sung Yurin approached me.

“Huh? Why?”

“I’ll give this back to you.”

Sung Yurin handed me the transportation card I had given her earlier.

“Why? Just keep it. I won’t use it anyway.”

“Well, um.”

“Since there’s still money inside, just use it. We might need to take public transportation together in the future.”

“Okay, then.”

Hmm, is she feeling burdened?

Thinking so, I added, “Use up all the charged amount and then discard it.”

But Sung Yurin shook her head, denying it.

“No! I’ll keep it…”

As she firmly held onto the card and put it back in her pocket.

“…or something.”

* * *

As we stepped out of the subway station, the rain was pouring down.

“Oh, it’s already raining.”

Yoon Jiu handed me an umbrella from her bag and said.

“Hmm. It’s earlier than the time forecasted.”

“It’s always like that.”

I replied to Sung Yurin, who was looking at the sky.

It’s amazing how accurate the weather forecast is.

I teased Yoon Jiu as she opened the umbrella.

“Why did you bring a parasol instead of an umbrella?”

The umbrella Yoon Jiu opened was quite large.

“Well, in case someone forgot to bring an umbrella. I brought a big one so we can share.”

A ray of light flashed through my mind for a moment.

Indeed!

This guy is definitely the protagonist of a romantic comedy.

Calculating such events, what a formidable guy, Yoon Jiu.

But still, seeing him like this.

As expected of a protagonist, he seems interested in the heroines.

I don’t know if it’s one person, all of them, or who it is… but.

“Oh, Yoon Jiu.”

Look at that. Yisea is impressed too.

As we walked out of the subway with our umbrellas, we could see the Sports Complex where Hong Yeonseo was competing today.

“Is that the place? There’s a banner too.”

The small banner hanging at the entrance confirmed that this was indeed the place Hong Yeonseo mentioned.

“When does the game start?”

Isoyun asked.

“They said the game starts at 11. We should be able to leave around lunchtime after it’s over.”

Yisea replied after checking the time.

We gathered at 10 and took the subway here, so there was about 30 minutes left until the game started.

“There’s a sign over there. The gym is this way.”

Yoon Jiu pointed to the direction of the sign.

As we moved in that direction, a fairly large building came into view.

At the entrance, someone who seemed to be a staff member was controlling the entrance, but they let us in when we said we were here to support a friend from school.

Inside the gym, there were more people than I expected.

But there were enough seats available, so we could easily find a spot near the court.

“I see Yeonseo over there.”

Inside the gym, I could see the players warming up. Among them, the girl with striking red hair, Hong Yeonseo, stood out.

“Hong Yeonseo~ We’re here!”

“Shh! Be quiet, Yoon Jiu is a fool.”

When Yoon Jiwoo started acting up, everyone around us turned to look at us. Startled, Lee Soyun scolded Yoon Jiwoo in a hushed tone.

Nevertheless, thanks to Yoon Jiwoo’s antics, Hong Yeonseo also noticed us and waved cheerfully, focusing on warming up before the game.

“We should do this more often.”

“We can do it later, once the game starts…”

Setting aside the clash of opinions between the super insider Yoon Jiwoo and the timid Lee Soyun, I focused on Hong Yeonseo.

I had seen her game videos several times while running together in the morning. But seeing Hong Yeonseo with her sports uniform on, tying up her disheveled hair tightly once again, I felt a different emotion.

…She’s pretty.

I’m not just talking about her physical beauty. Of course, she was incredibly beautiful, but what stood out even more was her radiance on the field.

Her talent, effort, and the joy in her expression and movements, all of it shone brightly.

That, in itself, was beautiful.

“…Jina.”

“Hm?”

Suddenly, Lee Saeah, who was sitting next to me, called my name in a low voice.

“…No, it’s nothing. I just felt really focused.”

Unable to find the right words to reply, I scratched the back of my head.

During the brief moment of silence, Lee Saeah, who had been staring at me, turned her gaze back to the field.

What was that just now?

A small question sprouted in my mind, but I couldn’t find a clear reason and let it wither away.

—

The game ended with an overwhelming victory for Saebok High School.

Of course, Saebok High School’s handball team had a strong lineup. But at the center of it all, there was Hong Yeonseo’s monstrous performance.

The defeated expressions on the opposing team’s faces made me feel sorry for them involuntarily, indicating the extent of her destructive power.

And then there was clueless Yoon Jiwoo.

In the first half, she was cheering loudly, but by the second half, she was sitting quietly, clearly intimidated.

Regardless of the half, Hong Yeonseo flew around the court, dominating the game with her aggressive throws.

The way the ball curved and flew was astonishing.

I didn’t know handball could be so intense and exciting.

According to Hong Yeonseo, she applies something to her hands before throwing, resulting in those trajectories.

I don’t really understand it.

But anyway, thanks to Hong Yeonseo’s performance, the game, despite being overwhelmingly one-sided, was enjoyable to watch.

“Handball is really fun, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, the game is so thrilling.”

Even those in our group who weren’t particularly interested in sports watched the game with shining eyes.

After the game, the two teams exchanged pleasantries and left the court to applause from the spectators.

Waiting until the stands were half empty, Hong Yeonseo appeared from the back.

Freshly showered and changed into clean clothes, she carried a duffel bag that probably contained her changed clothes.

“Hey there, guys! How was it? Did you enjoy watching?”

“Yeah! You were amazing, Yeonseo.”

Lee Saeah held Hong Yeonseo’s hand and complimented her.

“It was… fine. Well.”

Even the usually bickering Seong Yurin managed to praise her while blushing.

“Hehe. Thanks for coming to cheer for me. Come watch again next time!”

“Yeah, if you call us, we’ll definitely come.”

Lee Saeah nodded.

Then Yoon Jiwoo added a few words.

“Right. I didn’t know handball could be so fun.”

“Isn’t it?”

Feeling like the small talk was coming to an end, I stood up from my seat.

“Let’s go grab some food then. Yeonseo, do you like Western food?”

“Of course, it’s fine. Since you came to cheer me on, I’ll treat today!”

We followed behind Hong Yeonseo as she confidently entered the stadium, waving her arms like a god.

* * *

Drip, drop

The sound of rain hitting the plastic roof at the entrance was loud.

“Ugh! What, it’s already raining?”

Hong Yeonseo, who had stopped at the entrance of the stadium, grumbled in annoyance.

She then took out a small umbrella from her duffel bag.

“I have an umbrella…”

Yoon Jiwu, who looked disappointed at his failed attempt to be gallant, sighed.

Following behind Hong Yeonseo, Lee Saeah held up her phone and said, “It’s this way. It’s right in the next alley.”

They were discussing a restaurant for lunch.

It was said to be a famous family restaurant in the area.

As we passed through the relatively narrow sidewalk and alley, we followed in a single file like baby birds following their mother bird.

When we arrived at the restaurant, it was bustling with people despite the rainy weather.

Still, fortunately, there was no waiting line, so we could go in right away.

“Order whatever you want to eat! If there’s leftovers, I’ll eat them.”

…It might be strange to hear a high school girl say she’ll eat the leftovers, but we all knew Hong Yeonseo’s appetite, so we just nodded calmly.

Lee Saeah ordered carbonara pasta, Seong Yurin and Lee Soyun ordered hamburger steak.

I ordered omurice.

…Yoon Jiwu ordered the most expensive steak plate.

‘Ugh, clueless guy.’

We cautiously glanced at Hong Yeonseo and Yoon Jiwu, but Hong Yeonseo’s expression remained unchanged, so we secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

“Alright. Here~”

Hong Yeonseo added salads, pilaf, and other items to our checked menu.

“What should we do after lunch?”

Hong Yeonseo asked, resting her chin on her hand.

“It’s raining, so… going home…”

As I was about to speak, I saw Hong Yeonseo glaring at me as if she wanted to kill me.

“…It’ll be lonely if we go home, so where should we go to have fun? Haha… ha.”

Finally, Hong Yeonseo’s expression softened, and she smiled beautifully as if nothing had happened.

It was a truly beautiful smile, but it sent shivers down my spine.

“Sounds good~”

“It’s unusual for Seo Yijin not to suggest going home.”

“Uh… you should’ve seen the look in Hong Yeonseo’s eyes, Jiwoo.”

“Uh-huh. An escape room cafe, or karaoke? Since we’re limited to indoor activities, there aren’t many options.”

Lee Saeah said, focusing her attention.

“Both are fine, right? If everyone’s okay with it, let’s hang out until evening and then part ways. Okay?”

Hong Yeonseo seemed eager to go anywhere as long as it wasn’t too physically demanding.

“Well, as long as it’s not too active, anywhere is fine.”

“Yep, me too.”

Lee Soyun and I agreed.

“Then, let’s decide without worrying about me. I got permission to come in a bit later today…”

Seong Yurin also showed her approval.

Come to think of it, Seong Yurin might not have been to a place like that before.

As I pondered whether to ask Seong Yurin about it, the food we had ordered arrived.