Chapter 44 : Chapter 44

"...."

I almost died of embarrassment during lunchtime.

No, to be more precise, it was probably more accurate to say that I almost died because my heart, which was beating excessively, felt like it was about to burst.

Seriously, having two beautiful girls on either side feeding me—what man in the world wouldn't like that?

Of course, in my previous life, if something like that had happened, I'd have felt fear and panic instead of joy.

Regardless of how close we were, an adult and a teenager together was just asking for trouble with the law.

And if rumors about us "dating" started to spread, that would be the end of my life.

Not that such a thing would have ever happened to me in my past life.

Anyway, after spending all of lunch feeling mentally drained from those two, I decided to dial things back for the afternoon classes.

Thinking back, there was no reason for me to have Ha-neul sit on top of me or for me to sit on Ha-neul during first period.

While the teacher might have scolded her for moving her desk to mine, it was a different story for me to move my desk closer to hers.

I wasn't about to move my chair while I was sitting on it, after all.

If I had acted this way from the beginning, maybe the other kids wouldn't have paid as much attention.

Still, thanks to the rather provocative display during first period, just sitting next to each other in the afternoon was enough to make the other kids glance over at us.

...And then, during the next break, Soo-ah came over to our class and suggested it might be more effective for me to sit next to her.

In the end, I headed to her classroom for the next class.

Naturally, there wasn't a spare desk, so I had to drag a chair by myself.

If someone tried to help, a teacher would surely show up and put a stop to it, so I had to move it alone.

Once I finished dragging it over and sat next to Soo-ah, she immediately pulled my left arm and tucked it into her right side.

And we stayed like that throughout the entire class.

It wasn't as embarrassing as when Ha-neul had sat on my lap, but it was still pretty mortifying.

Of course, it was just as effective in attracting everyone's attention.

*

"...Why do you look so exhausted before you've even started running?"

Seeing me lying flat on the ground after the class, completely drained from the mental overload I experienced multiple times, Nam Da-un asked me.

"I had my reasons."

Sprawled out on the floor in my gym clothes, I answered that way.

Until now, when I changed in the locker room, I focused solely on changing quickly in front of my locker without looking around as much as possible.

Since no one around me paid any particular attention to me, I got used to changing faster than I expected.

Just as they treated me like a rock, I treated them like rocks too.

However, when we changed into gym clothes for running after school, it was just me, Ha-neul, and Soo-ah in the locker room.

The soccer team had changed before we arrived, and besides, there weren't many girls in the group.

There were enough boys to form a team, but there weren't many girls who actually wanted to play soccer, so they were only included as part of the training process.

...Though, when you followed those girls' gazes to Nam Da-un, it was pretty clear that soccer wasn't their main goal.

Anyway, the point was that it was mostly just the three of us when we changed clothes.

In the past, I was too preoccupied with figuring out how to survive, so I never had time to notice anything else when I was changing after school.

How to get away from the chairman—that's all I ever thought about.

Changing clothes in a quiet place was a good time for such thoughts.

So, I never really paid attention to the sounds of Ha-neul or Soo-ah changing clothes—until now.

Shush, shush.

Having been in such close contact with them all day in various ways—no matter how strange that sounds, it's just the truth—I couldn't help but become aware of the sound of fabric brushing against their skin as they changed.

Their bodies were warm.

I didn't know if it was because Ye Sara's body temperature was lower, or if it was because they were slightly embarrassed too, but wherever we had been in contact—mainly where our arms were linked and sides touched—felt slightly damp with warmth.

And, though I didn't mean to, I could tell what their figures were like beneath their clothes.

Seeing someone with your eyes and sensing their body through touch are completely different experiences.

I had unintentionally learned just how good their bodies were today.

So, before I could dwell on it any longer, I quickly finished changing and went outside to lie down on the track.

Ah, I just wanted to take a nap like this.

Even though the ground was hard.

"It was just one of those things."

"Yeah, it seems like it was."

Nam Da-un said, plopping down a few steps away from my head.

Then, slightly furrowing his brow, he asked,

"Do you know rumors are spreading?"

"Rumors?"

Ah, of course, rumors were spreading.

Soo-ah had already told me.

There were kids in her class gossiping about me and Ha-neul.

"How are they spreading?"

I shot up and asked him, and after thinking for a moment, Nam Da-un answered.

"Well, like, there's talk that you were clinging to some girl in a really inappropriate way during class."

That was pretty accurate.

"And that you poured water on the head of that famous bald teacher."

Another objective description of the situation.

"And apparently, people think you're trying to get yourself another girlfriend… Wait, what's that expression?"

Seeing me grinning, Nam Da-un looked at me with a slightly displeased expression.

"Oh, no, it's just… whoever spread those rumors was really accurate."

"Really?"

Nam Da-un's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"Yes. It's all true. Everything happened today."

I felt truly proud.

If I'd known it would be this effective, I would have done it sooner.

Well, maybe I couldn't have gotten away with clinging to another girl, but I could have at least poured water on the teacher's head.

"What made you do something like that?"

Nam Da-un asked with a genuinely puzzled expression.

"I just got tired of being ignored."

I said, turning my gaze toward the other soccer team members.

From a distance, the other members, who had been watching curiously, quickly looked away when they met my eyes.

"So, you just wanted attention?"

"It's not just about wanting attention. Honestly, there's a bit of frustration too."

Especially towards those adults, like the teachers, who took the lead in ignoring Ye Sara.

"Huh."

Nam Da-un let out a sound.

What kind of emotion did that sound hold?

Admiration?

Sigh?

At that point, I stood up.

As I dusted off my bottom, Nam Da-un, who followed suit, stretched and said,

"So, shall we start running now?"

"No."

"Huh?"

When I flatly refused, Nam Da-un made that sound.

"By the way, when does the soccer team start training? They're not just going to stand around all day, are they?"

"Well."

Nam Da-un lowered his hands and glanced at the group of soccer players gathered far away, then spoke.

"These days, they start training after you guys leave. Technically, I'm still part of the team, so I have to train with them."

"You don't seem to be that into your club activities."

"Well, yeah."

Nam Da-un shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm only on the team because the captain begged me to stay."

"How serious is that captain about soccer?"

At my question, Nam Da-un narrowed his eyes and stared at me.

"...Just don't get in the way during training. That guy might seem easygoing, but he's terrifying when he gets angry."

Well, unless I broke someone's leg, it seemed like that guy would just keep ignoring me.

Although, I was planning to put an end to that today.

"I'm not planning to make anyone angry."

I smiled at Nam Da-un as I answered.

"By the way, where's the soccer ball?"

*

"Already done?"

The captain asked as Nam Da-un trudged over with his hands in his uniform pockets.

"She said he doesn't feel like running today. She's just going to exercise on her own over there… so, yeah."

Nam Da-un gave a slight shrug.

"She'll probably finish up on her own."

"I see…"

The captain glanced over to where Ye Sara was wandering near the storage shed.

She looked a bit uncertain, but it didn't seem like she was about to cause any trouble just yet.

"Hey, by the way."

The captain lowered his voice and asked.

"Did you ask about that rumor? You know, those girls sticking together all through class…"

"...."

When Nam Da-un gave the captain a look that said, "Are you serious?" the captain quickly straightened up and cleared his throat loudly.

"Ahem, ahem! Alright, now that everyone's gathered, let's get started with today's practice!"

"Huh…."

Nam Da-un just let out a short sound in disbelief at the captain's miraculous change in attitude.

*

And so, soccer practice began.

The soccer team captain was serious about soccer, but not to the point of risking his life over it.

Even though Hwayoung High School's soccer team was pretty strong, very few players went on to become professionals.

Most of the students were preparing to take over their family businesses, so soccer was just a way to make some high school memories.

The fact that the team accepted a few girls stemmed from this.

Since they weren't counting on the girls to be serious contributors to the team's strength, the girls were just included as part of the hobby activity.

Even the captain planned to inherit his father's company, so if there was anyone on the team who could go pro, it would be Nam Da-un.

It was a shame to let such talent go to waste, which is why the captain begged him to stay on as a member.

But, to be honest, Nam Da-un didn't seem particularly interested in pursuing soccer, despite his talent.

Anyway, a soccer team was still a soccer team.

The captain intended to play hard until graduation, which is why he was sincere about the practice sessions.

...Yes, he was very sincere.

Even during dribbling practice, he gave each girl serious instruction.

The girls who had probably come just to see Nam Da-un gradually improved under the captain's steady guidance.

Some quit soon after, but surprisingly, a few girls developed a genuine interest and continued practicing.

The captain found joy in teaching and seeing them improve.

...Or at least, he had.

Until he saw the three people playing with a soccer ball near the girls practicing dribbling.

Of the three, two had a bit of athletic sense.

They weren't at a player's level, but they were as good as some of the other girls who had passed through.

But one girl in particular.

She kept losing the battle with the soccer ball.

"Ugh!"

As she tried to kick the ball, she stepped on it and fell flat onto the artificial turf.

The two girls next to her were startled and quickly ran over to help her.

That girl who fell was Ye Sara.

The one he had to ignore no matter what, given everything that had happened.

"...."

The ball she had stepped on rolled to a stop right by the captain's feet.

He subtly stepped aside, as if he hadn't seen the ball.

Then, Ye Sara quickly stood up and ran over to start kicking the ball again, glancing at the other girls playing soccer.

But she was completely hopeless.

It wasn't just about her kicking.

Everything about the way she moved was awkward—from how she stepped to how she balanced her body.

"...."

The captain clenched his fists.

He wanted to say something.

He desperately wanted to say something.

After a year of leading the soccer team and teaching other girls, seeing Ye Sara move like that made him feel like his love for soccer was being outright denied—like watching a squid wobbling around.

"Ugh!"

This time, she tried to kick the ball but fell sideways before even touching it.

"...."

Getting up again, Ye Sara nudged the ball with her foot, trying to dribble, but the ball rolled off in a completely unexpected direction.

"...."

Chasing after the ball, Ye Sara picked it up, tossed it into the air, and tried to head it, but the ball sailed far over her head.

...And she did that three more times.

Three times, exactly the same.

Then, after picking up the ball again—

"That's not how you do it!"

—the captain couldn't help but shout.

"...Ah."

And he immediately regretted it.

His shout had clearly been directed at Ye Sara.

"...."

Ye Sara, holding the ball, was looking straight at the captain.

Then, she smiled slightly and ran toward him.

"That's not how you do it?"

"Ah, no, um."

The sounds of everyone around them gradually died down.

They were all staring at him now.

Everyone's mouths hung open in disbelief as they looked at the captain.

"Then how should I do it?"

He was doomed.

The captain could feel sweat beading on his forehead.

"Will you teach me?"

The 'walking disaster' smiled sweetly up at him.

Ironically, there wasn't a hint of malice in that smile.