episode_0056

“Ah, so, sister…! That’s not it, Ji-eun kept trying to run away so he stopped…”

“You were the one who hugged people who were trying to run away to catch them. I’ve seen you for over 3 years, but today is the first time I learned this?”

“No.. Uhmmm… Hah, Hahah… I guess-☆”

“Oh, pretending to be cute? Looks like you still have some free time, Oh Yoon-ah?”

“Hehe! I’m sorry…”

At first, we had a fight outside, but the stares from those around us were so annoying that we had no choice but to move to the room assigned to us.

It was even more so because Hong Seol and Oh Yoon-ah were having an honest conversation(?). They are the standard beauties who call each other the best at a school named Raon, so how could they not be attracted to each other?

First of all, the first thing to say is that Hong Seol and Oh Yoon Ah already knew each other. Did you say that when Hongseol, who was attending Raon Middle School, was in the third-year student council, Oh Yoon-ah joined as a new member? From then on, we knew each other as seniors and juniors, and we could see that they had a close relationship.

I was curious about the story at that time, but I couldn’t find such a story even when I searched the original work or setting books. However, in the secondary creations that are floating around, you can often find a meme of Hong Seol throwing a ‘slap in the head’ to Oh Yoon-ah.

Even though it was a secondary creation, considering the current chemistry between the two, it seemed like it couldn’t be dismissed as something that didn’t exist. I’ll definitely have to ask later. It’s gonna be fun.

“What did you do so well that you’re eating popcorn like that, junior??”

Why are sparks suddenly flying at me? Did you at least read my mind again? I had no choice but to hastily put down the popcorn in my hand. Next time, I should bring caramel instead of consommé.

“Anyway, I’m really, really sorry, Hongseol! If I had known it was my sister’s boyfriend, I wouldn’t have done that in the first place!!”

What, since when was Hong Seol my girlfriend? Has something happened without my knowledge? It seems like he is mistaken, but shouldn’t the person involved make some corrections?

“Big, big! Okay, you should never do that next time? Are you going to just let it go this time?”

Hey, look at this guy. Why are you so calmly clearing your throat and agreeing to Oh Yoon-ah’s words? This is someone who will scam you without even blinking.

“Why on earth are you just ignoring this, senior? We didn’t have that kind of relationship to begin with.”

“What, what! Aren’t senior Ji-woon and Hong-seol dating?”

“Not at all? Why did you think that way in the first place?”

“No, that’s right…! Since Hongseol was so angry, I thought for sure they were dating??”

When Oh Yoon-ah glared at Hong Seol with suspicion, it was our leading manager who seemed to have turned the situation around and avoided her gaze. Are you still the leader of the leading department? Instead of being a role model for students, they are taking the lead in inciting and fabricating??

Amman said it was my influence, but I wonder if the characters are changing too quickly, Hongseol Hongseol…

“…I’m not dating.”

“What is it, sister!! Then why on earth did you say something to me!!!”

“But that junior was hugging my sister and touching her breasts.”

“Wow. That’s what I saw, you’re really trash, senior.”

Suddenly, another situation reversal occurred. But don’t you usually say you didn’t see it that way in times like this? Did you just see me as trash from the beginning??

As I complained about the injustice and told the story about what happened with Hong Seol, the eyes turned to Hong Seol again.

“Sister is a complete fraud. Appetite. Disqualification from student council.”

“Huh, I like the way our Yoona teases me. It was hard to bear.”

“Hong Seol is so annoying! I’m just going to go to the room where my friends are.”

“Goodbye. But, can you give me your ears for a moment?”

It was Oh Yoon-ah who had been teased by Hong Seol several times, but this time, she was the one who gave him an ear without any learning ability. Then again, I didn’t know if he would use the ear blowing skill he learned from me on Oh Yoon-ah.

However.

“But if you touch your body again, you will really die.”

“Huh profit…!!”

“If you understand, just nod your head.”

“Woo, wow…(nod)”

I feel like I overheard some words I shouldn’t have heard. In the end, Hong Seol’s true feelings, disguised as a joke, were not conveyed to Oh Yoon Ah until the very end. For some reason, the idol’s face was more tense than usual, and it didn’t seem to be due to his mood.

“Ugh, be scared.”

“Did you hear it?”

“No, I didn’t hear anything.”

“Hehe, I’m glad.”

I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear anything. That seemed better for Hong Seol and me. Because I didn’t have the hobby of poking a beehive full of wasps for no reason.

By the way, is it really time to study now? Can’t we just give them a little more grace time? I don’t think I’m fully mentally prepared yet.

“That kid is really annoying, isn’t he?”

Words like sweet rain in a drought came to me. It seemed that Oh Yoon-ah’s rice cake had not cooled down yet, so I grabbed Hong Seol’s horse and lifted it to the surface.

Thank you for now, Oh Yoon-ah…!

“After the club experience, it was really annoying to follow along. Of course, I don’t think it’s over yet.”

“You’re still doing scouting for the soccer team.”

“…Did you know?”

“I’ve been seeing Yoona for several years, but I wonder if you don’t know the truth that even you know. Since I have a very good eye for vision, I was the one who recommended scouting in the first place.”

“Then why are you a supporter?”

“It’s just because I want to do it. Because he’s a kid who enjoys being in the spotlight in one way or another.”

Hongseol was quenching her thirst by sipping the vitamin drink I brought. This behind-the-scenes story was something I couldn’t hear when playing as Dong-gun Yoon, so it was quite an interesting topic.

And crucially, the longer Oh Yoon-ah’s story gets longer, the less time she spends studying. That made me listen even more. During exam time, it’s fun just to watch ants passing by, but what about the idols in Raon Middle School? I can’t stand this~

“But don’t think of it as too much of a bother. Because everyone is thinking of you, even spending their time chasing after you.”

“Because you were thinking of me? Hey, I think that went a bit too far.”

“Hmph, do you really think that?”

Hongseol smiled slightly. A smile that seemed a little bitter for some reason, not out of happiness.

It seemed as if he was sad about something.

“I am the person who most regrets seeing people who can bloom just wither away. A child named Oh Yoon-ah.”

“You suddenly set the mood. Something happened to her?”

“It’s work.. It’s a more common story than you might think. A very promising sports player from a young age goes to hell in an instant due to an injury.”

Hongseol said that Oh Yoon-ah showed outstanding talent in track and field since elementary school, and in recognition of that talent, she worked as a track athlete at Raon Middle School. It wasn’t just that he could play as a player, but that he was capable of standing out in the field.

It is said that Oh Yoon-ah at that time really shined so brightly. Even though he is a track and field athlete, he is sincere and does not give up on his studies. And in the meantime, he served as a student council member and served as a good example to many students.

But, did they say that God is fair? No, to be more precise, it would have been better to say it was cold-hearted, which would better fit this context.

“While running, my feet crossed and I rolled a few laps, which led to a pretty serious injury. Because I had to take a break from training for over a year.”

“For a player, one year is…”

“For a professional player who has already reached the top, one year is an acceptable time. However, it was extremely harsh for youth players who had to continue growing day by day in order not to fall behind.”

“So, did you retire then?”

“Yes, I had a hard time holding on. What can I say about Yoona at that time… she looked really dangerous. Although it seems like everything has been overcome now.”

It was a much heavier topic than I thought. At first, I thought he was just a terminally active patient of princess disease, but I never thought there was a hidden story behind it.

Not being able to challenge what you want to do. Because I knew the pain well, I couldn’t just listen to this story and ignore it. That experience was a painful scar that I live with buried in a corner of my heart.

“Even now, when I talk to Yoona, that topic comes up once in a while. I want Yoona to come back as a player again, so I try to persuade her every time, but every time I do that, she just shakes her head. He said he wanted to do it too, but the results wouldn’t be good.”

“Are you feeling better?”

“No problem now. However, they said, what’s the use of running again when the competitors have already gone far away? I was always a positive kid, but when this topic comes up, things quickly get dark. I still like running more than anyone else.”

“….You still like to run?”

“At least, among the kids I’ve seen in my life, he’s the best. Even now, when the track and field team is empty, I run on the track alone several times.”

Even though he still loves running so much, he was smiling as if nothing had happened.

The role of a player scout may have actually started with the desire to prevent others from suffering the same wounds that he suffered. He must have put in a lot of effort, even for me, who looks scary, in order to keep talented students from withering away like he did.

A person who knows the pain of wounds, so he goes out of his way to help others. I thought he was the type of person who lives without thinking, but he was such a hard-working guy that I felt very sorry for my assumption.

“Oh my, I guess I talked too long. Let’s open the book. I have to study.”

“…That’s how it should be.”

I opened the book and continued studying for the first time in a long time, but the frustration in my heart did not go away.

Although she pretended that everything was over on her own, she actually wanted to return to being a player more than anyone else. Even now, if I were to secretly run on the track, I couldn’t even imagine how much pain I was carrying in my heart.

As someone who wanted to become a singer a long time ago but was unable to realize that dream due to family circumstances, I couldn’t help but feel deep regret over Oh Yoon-ah’s past. Isn’t there a stark difference between trying something and failing brilliantly and failing to even try in the first place?

And although she may not know it, Oh Yoon-ah was still a young person standing at that crossroads. It was too early to say she was giving up, and she was a teenage girl with a passionate heart that had not yet disappeared.

“That’s it for now. I’ll be going to school for a bit later on because I have student council work to do, so I’m reviewing what I taught you. I’ll be back soon.”

“Yes.”

“Why is our junior so obedient? Am I getting more worried for no reason?”

Hong Seol makes a playful joke and leaves. Not long after she left, I also quietly walked out of the room.

It wasn’t for pranks or trickery. It wasn’t even like I wanted to get some fresh air. I just thought that if I left the room now, I might meet a girl who was quietly wandering around without me knowing.

“Heeheehee. senior! Did you think you could run away from me??”

“…….”

“This time, I won’t just let you go like before! Until I join the soccer team…”

“Shall we run a little?”

As she spoke, pointing outward with her thumb, Oh Yoon-ah’s face, which had been shaking, gradually hardened. It was Oh Yoon-ah who was looking at me as if she was watching me for some reason, but she didn’t seem to have noticed my intentions yet.

“…Why all of a sudden, senior?”

“It’s frustrating. Since I’m still trapped here, my body feels tired.”

“Ha, really.. Isn’t that right? But suddenly jumping is a bit…”

“Hey.”

In an instant, I forged my eyes with all my might. Even Oh Yoon-ah, who has gotten used to me for a few days, can be scared.

Even if Lee Ji-woon’s parents come, they probably won’t be able to easily accept my face right now. As expected, Oh Yoon-ah’s complexion immediately began to turn pale at the shocking visual.

“Why.. Why are you like this, suddenly…!!?”

“From now on, I will chase you, but if you get caught, you will really die. I’m serious about this.”

“Heui profit…!! Why, why are you doing this! Let’s talk a little bit…”

“3.”

“You’re giving me four or three minutes..?”

“…this….thing….”

“Aaaah!!!!”

An untimely game of tag began.