Chapter 40: Sports Day (2)

After classes were over and the time for extracurricular activities rolled around, the homeroom teacher called for Na Gyu-Rin, the class president.

“Gyu-Rin, you know we have the sports day and the festival at the end of the month, right?”

“Yes,” Gyu-Rin replied.

“We have to select the members to participate in the sports day, so don’t do any extracurricular activities today and work on this. It needs to be submitted by the end of the day.”

There was not much time left until the sports day. Gyu-Rin had received homework as the class president. She stood in front of the classroom and started to explain how the sports day would progress while the vice president jotted down the sports events on the blackboard.

“Football, basketball, volleyball, jokgu, dodgeball, jump rope, badminton, and a relay race. One person can’t participate in every event. They can only participate in two, maximum.”

Every class had a student whose specialty was sports. The students that were talented in sports would monopolize and dominate all the sports, so unlimited participation had been banned.

“Boys, have you decided your football and basketball team members?”

“We have, but...”

They could not help but be disappointed because...

“It’d be nice if Ra-Eun could join.”

“Yeah.”

They wanted Ra-Eun to be added into the basketball or football teams, but the idea was denied by the girls.

“Ra-Eun needs to be on the dodgeball and relay race teams,” Gyu-Rin explained.

Ra-Eun had been placed in the girls’ dodgeball and girls’ relay race events, because the two teams would be far too weak if she wasn’t in them. The football or basketball teams could make do without Ra-Eun.

The boys were disappointed, but they had no choice, since both dodgeball and the relay race were worth a significant amount of points. It was a necessary sacrifice for the class to earn as many points as they could. Ra-Eun had also been disappointed, but they needed to strategize for the sake of the class’s victory.

“I’ll help out when needed, so don’t be so disappointed,” Ra-Eun expressed.

The boys’ smiles returned thanks to Ra-Eun’s words. The mood of their practice sessions were completely different based on whether Ra-Eun was present or not. It was obviously better to practice with Ra-Eun than with a bunch of boys reeking of sweat. Although Ra-Eun wouldn’t be able to join their team, they decided to be satisfied with the fact that she would be joining their practices.

***

A day before the sports day, Ra-Eun was practicing with her dodgeball teammates after school.

“Ro-Mi!” she exclaimed.

Choi Ro-Mi just barely managed to receive Ra-Eun’s pass, and threw the ball at one of the girls in the court.

Tap!

Her throw accurately hit the girl on the shoulder. The last survivor was called out.

“Nice!” Ra-Eun said while giving Ro-Mi a thumbs-up.

However, Ro-Mi could only smile awkwardly.

“Ra-Eun, could you pass the ball a little lighter? My hands hurt every time I receive your passes.”

“If I do, the opposing team would all run away before you even have a chance to throw. You don’t want that, do you?”

“That’s true, but...”

The only girl on their team who could handle Ra-Eun’s passes was Ro-Mi, so all of Ra-Eun’s passes couldn’t help but be directed at her.

~

After dodgeball practice, she headed straight to the basketball court.

“Yeong-Gyo, pass!”

Choi Sang-Woon received the ball from Kim Yeong-Gyo and raced into the area underneath the hoop at lightning speed. He jumped and performed a hook shot. The ball went cleanly into the hoop. He had already scored twenty points by himself. Ra-Eun smiled, satisfied with Sang-Woon’s performance.

“Good job, Sang-Woon.”

Sang-Woon blushed from Ra-Eun’s compliment.

“When did you get here?” he asked.

“Just now. I wanted to give this back to you.”

“This is...”

It was the handkerchief that Sang-Woon had lent to Ra-Eun.

“I properly washed it, so don’t think that it’s dirty,” Ra-Eun remarked.

“O-Of course not!”

He had thought nothing of the sort. In fact, he was actually more disappointed by the fact that she had washed it.

Ra-Eun headed back to where Ro-Mi was after she handed Sang-Woon back the handkerchief.

“Good luck on your practice.”

She also did not forget to cheer him on. Sang-Woon was lost for words as he gazed at Ra-Eun getting further away.

“Hey, Sang-Woon, aren’t you gonna catch the ball?” Yeong-Gyo asked.

Sang-Woon shook his head and said, “I’m not in the mood.”

“What’s gotten into you? You were speeding around the court just a few seconds ago.”

“Yeong-Gyo, I...” Sang-Woon’s eyes were still on Ra-Eun. “I’m thinking of confessing to Ra-Eun after the sports day. What do you think?”

Yeong-Gyo spat out the water that he was drinking. After a few coughs, he asked Sang-Woon for confirmation.

“You’re gonna c-confess to Ra-Eun?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re insane. You’re not actually expecting her to accept your confession when she rejected even Se-Woon, are you? Quit dreaming.”

One was better off not even looking up at a tree that they could not climb, since they wouldn’t have any regrets that way. However, Sang-Woon had already looked up at the peerlessly beautiful tree.

“Sigh... Screw it. Do as you like.”

Yeong-Gyo had been planning on dissuading Sang-Woon until he completely gave up on the idea, but Sang-Woon would never be able to give up on his desire like that. It looked like there was no other choice but for him to confess and get rejected with no room for ambiguity.

***

The morning of the sports day dawned. Ra-Eun had come to school in her sports uniform instead of her school uniform, and stretched along with her classmates. All of the girls’ dodgeball matches were scheduled in the morning. All Ra-Eun needed to do today was to finish her dodgeball matches in the morning, and participate in the relay race, which was the final event of the sports day.

There was naturally no girl more exceptional in the girls’ dodgeball matches than Ra-Eun. A girl was called out every time she threw the ball. Her team advanced to the finals in an instant, which they obviously won. Ra-Eun’s team had seized victory in the girls’ dodgeball event all too easily.

“You were amazing, Ra-Eun!”

“That’s our class’s ace for you!”

The girls celebrated their victory while hugging Ra-Eun. She was completely overwhelmed by the sudden skinship from high school girls, which she found to be far more exhausting than the dodgeball matches.

~

Ra-Eun had nothing to do, so she decided to use her free time to watch the boys’ basketball and football matches until her turn for the relay race came.

Her class’s football team had advanced all the way to the finals, but victory had escaped from their grasp by just one point. Although the basketball team had also advanced to the finals...

“They got through! Block them!”

“No way. How did that go in?”

“Goddammit...”

Things were not looking good at all. They were fifteen points behind, with not much time remaining on the clock. In the midst of their imminent loss, Ra-Eun raised her voice.

“Time-out!”

The entire court went up in a stir because of Ra-Eun’s sudden strategic time-out, but since there was no rule that a time-out couldn’t be called, the match was temporarily halted. Since the point gap would only widen with their momentum completely gone, Ra-Eun had decided to call for a time-out to break the flow of the game.

She did not have a strategy for them. What they needed most was a shift in gears.

“You’re on par with them in terms of skill. There’s absolutely no reason for you guys to be falling behind, but you are because you’re being pressured by the point gap and can’t bring out the plays that you want to make. Understood?”

Sang-Woon, Yeong-Gyo and the other members nodded.

“Okay, let's cheer before you get back in it. Put your hands together.”

Ra-Eun put her hand out into the middle of the circle first, which then Sang-Woon placed his own over hers. He had touched her hand for the first time, and it was soft and warm.

“You got this!” Ra-Eun exclaimed.

“Let’s do thissss!”

Sang-Woon’s expression changed thanks to Ra-Eun’s cheer.

“Yeong-Gyo, pass me the ball whenever you get it. I’ll make sure to score, whatever it takes.”

“Are you sure you can do it?” Yeong-Gyo asked.

“It’s not about whether I can do it or not. I have to do it.”

Yeong-Gyo couldn’t help but smile at Sang-Woon blazing with morale.

“Okay, you got it.”

The match had begun again after a shift in gears. Sang-Woon received Yeong-Gyo’s pass and attempted a three-pointer after getting into position. The ball flew in a perfect arc and went into the hoop after ricocheting off the backboard.

They were 12 points behind now, but it was only the beginning. The difference continued to shorten thanks to Sang-Woon’s performance until...

“Only two points behind! Keep it up!”

The cheers of their classmates raised the team’s morale even higher. There were only fifteen seconds remaining. Sang-Woon once again attempted a three-pointer after stalling for time. Before shooting, he looked over at Ra-Eun. The fact that she was watching him hardened his determination.

‘I have to score this!’

He threw the ball. It flew into the air, and...

Swish!

It just barely managed to make it in.

Phwee!

The whistle of the referee marked the end of the match. Sang-Woon’s team had won by a one-point difference.

“Sang-Woon!!!”

“Son of a bitch, you did it!”

“You were amazing, you bastard!”

Sang-Woon was hailed as the class hero after scoring the overturning goal. As Ra-Eun was also about to give him some words of praise, Sang-Woon opened his mouth first.

“Ra-Eun, can we talk by the outdoor faucet? Privately, if possible.”

She couldn’t tell what it was about at all.

“Well... okay.”

Regardless, she decided to say yes for now.

***

Ra-Eun arrived at the outdoor faucet at Sang-Woon’s request.

“Th-There was something that I wanted to tell you, no matter what,” Sang-Woon said with a trembling voice.

“Something that you wanted to tell me? What is it?” Ra-Eun asked.

“W-Well, the thing is...”

His heart felt like it was about to burst, but he managed to open his mouth after rebuking himself in his mind that he only needs to be brave just this once.

“I-I... l-like you.”

Once Ra-Eun heard that, she had finally realized what Kang Ra-Hyuk was trying to tell her a few days back.

‘Shit, I fucked up.’

She had not treated Sang-Woon well because she had romantic feelings toward him. It was simply in the capacity of a friend, nothing more, nothing less.

However, her actions had caused great emotional change in Sang-Woon. Just a slight touch from Ra-Eun made him imagine dating, marrying, and even having grandchildren with her.

As Ra-Eun pondered over how to turn him down with an awkward smile on her face, a certain line flashed in her mind.

“I’m sorry. I’d like us to just stay friends.”

She had never even dreamed that a day when she said this infamous line would come.

1. This is a Korean idiom that means one shouldn’t even try to do something that is beyond their ability.