Does this even make sense?
‘No, it’s easy to say, but what if he gets hurt?’
If they clumsily let him join and he happened to fall wrong, it was clear they were thinking someone would get blamed and be ruined. For the same reason as when they were young, the club side seemed very uncomfortable with Hwan coming.
Back then it was parents being overzealous, but now the kids who knew enough knew, so they themselves were directly troubled.
Toward the kids exchanging such troubled glances among themselves, the PE teacher in charge of the soccer club made light of it as if there was nothing to worry about.
“It’s not like I’m telling you to take him into games and have him run. He’s helping. Give him odd jobs. Use him.”
“…Hey, how can we do that to His Highness the Prince?”
“What’s so great about being a prince? Isn’t that what you guys say like a habit these days?”
When the PE teacher pointed that out, the mouths of the kids who had been voicing complaints shut tight like clams.
Of course, it might not have been these soccer club kids in front of him who were mainly going around saying such things. However, even if that were the case, they couldn’t say they hadn’t inwardly agreed with the kids who were blabbing like that.
But when the stage was actually set like this, it was funny how they all hesitated and held back.
Because of that, a secret sneer leaked between Huiseo’s lips as he stood behind them.
“It’s true you’re short-handed until the tournament. Since we’ve already gotten permission from the Imperial Family, try it. Once. Bluntly speaking, if not now, when else would you guys get to use a prince?”
Though a playful remark was added, when he said that much, there was no other choice.
Though neither side seemed readily willing, somehow pushed by the PE teacher, homeroom teacher, and Huiseo in the middle, the ‘Lee Hwan Image Improvement Project’ began.
***
‘Is there really a need to go this far?’
On the other hand, Hwan, who hadn’t heard much of anything from Huiseo, made a sullen face at that thought.
When the other side made a picture of ‘reluctantly accepting’ with an unwilling air, the truth was it hurt his pride for no reason. Also, it wasn’t something he wanted to do in the first place.
‘This isn’t even volunteer work, what is this?’
When he first heard about the soccer club from Huiseo, he’d inwardly hoped he might kick the ball instead of an injured player. But that seemed to have been too ambitious a dream. Far from kicking the ball, when he actually came, he was a ball boy, an odd-job worker. Why should I be doing this here? He couldn’t be enthusiastic.
‘If it weren’t for Huiseo…’
That’s right. Really, if it weren’t for Huiseo, he would have run away long ago.
He didn’t even know why he was being made to do such things, but since Huiseo was making him do it, he was enduring for now.
Huiseo had actually thought it would be easier for him to get along with other kids if he wasn’t by his side, but since Hwan had such an indifferent attitude, he absolutely couldn’t help but stick by his side. Well, leaving Hwan alone was a pipe dream to begin with. Something unexpected might happen, so it was right that he should be positioned nearby.
For such reasons, Hwan and Huiseo came to help the after-school soccer club together.
Hwan became a reserve player, at least nominally, just in case, and Huiseo obtained a position similar to manager since they couldn’t have ‘this kind of’ reserve player even nominally.
Though that was the case, since there really wasn’t much of significance the two could do, honestly speaking, it was no different from being odd-job workers. They brought water or towels to players who had finished training, moved luggage, picked up balls, and filmed training footage to be used for feedback.
Other than that, sitting and watching the running players was no different from usual PE class.
Then Huiseo looked at Hwan beside him with a start.
Though they weren’t professional players, no, perhaps because they were peers instead, he thought there might be something that stimulated his heart even more. If Hwan hadn’t quit sports, he would have been wearing a uniform and running around freely like that too.
‘He must have liked it so much…’
Huiseo, who belatedly worried about Hwan’s feelings as he sat on the bench watching them, kept carefully observing him from the side.
At a glance, he even had his arms crossed with an indifferent expression.
However, his eyes chasing the ball and the players’ movements were moving rapidly without rest. As expected. He thought it was clear he still liked it. Though it was a dream given up long ago, he would still want to run. Huiseo knew he didn’t quit because he wanted to.
“You’ll be able to run together in practice soon enough.”
“…No, well, you don’t really have to go that far.”
To Huiseo’s words offered like comfort, Hwan answered primly like that. However, even saying that, he couldn’t hide his flushed expression, already excited. Seeing that honest appearance, Huiseo smiled silently once more.
“To do that, there’s something you need to do.”
“What?”
“Rock-paper-scissors with me.”
“What?”
Huiseo said something truly absurd again. Because of that, Hwan blinked his eyes slowly for a moment.
Actually, from being here doing this out of the blue, nothing wasn’t absurd and bewildering. Yet as if that wasn’t enough, when Huiseo tried to scheme something more here, Hwan looked at him for a moment with an incomprehensible gaze.
But without any particular explanation about that, Huiseo just raised his hand.
“Rock, paper, scissors!”
Startled by the shouting, Hwan reflexively thrust out his fist.
But contrary to the spirited start, wasn’t Huiseo firmly holding out a pathetic scissors?
“……”
“……”
Then, as if thinking this wasn’t it, he glanced at Hwan and surreptitiously spread the remaining three fingers.
“Hey now.”
Though he didn’t know what the situation was, cheating wasn’t allowed. An indignant Hwan grabbed his arm, half-joking, half-serious, asking where he was pulling from the bottom of the deck, but Huiseo opened his mouth calmly without blinking an eye.
“Actually, it was best two out of three.”
“I don’t think it was?”
“Isn’t that what Korean people do without saying?”
At that shamelessness, Hwan let out a chuckle.
“Right, let’s see, you’ll definitely say let’s do best three out of five.”
“No way.”
Huiseo spoke so confidently, even snorting.
However, after a moment, as if Hwan’s words were a prophecy, Huiseo was devastated, having won only 2 out of 5 games. Why? He’d calculated even the probability and approached it with utmost care.
He seemed unable to understand the fact that he lost to Hwan who just threw out moves without much thought. Huiseo just stared blankly at his own fingers for a moment. As Hwan burst into a snicker seeing that ridiculous sight.
Huiseo suddenly raised his eyes and spoke unreasonably to Hwan.
“Since Your Highness won, Your Highness should buy ice cream.”
“What? What’s that again…”
Hwan, who had been continuing his words, fell into thought for a moment looking at Huiseo’s sullen face.
‘Suddenly thrusting rock-paper-scissors at me or whatever.’
To buy ice cream?
He thought this might have been what Huiseo wanted to do all along. If he had won, he would have been triumphant and said so with his nose in the air. However, since he failed spectacularly and ended up being unreasonable like this, it was natural to be dissatisfied.
Seeing such Huiseo, Hwan couldn’t hold back his laughter.
‘I would have done it even if you just told me to.’
The sloppy scheme was cute and funny.
Actually, where would Hwan have money? It would be with Imperial Family money anyway.
Though he must have meticulously gotten permission in advance, he acted so charmingly like that. It seemed he wanted to attach Hwan’s name and secure that justification. Hwan shook his head from side to side, then soon played along.
“Ah, right. Since I’m in a good mood, I should treat. Huiseo, what do you want to eat? Just say it.”
When he even shrugged his shoulders exaggerating like that, Huiseo raised the corners of his mouth as if his mood had lifted a bit.
“The prince is treating!”
How could you dislike someone who gives you something cool and sweet to put in your mouth after hard training?
Everyone noisily crowded around the delivered ice cream and each picked one they liked. Among them, the particularly simple and playful kids were especially beaming, unhesitatingly offering greetings to Hwan like “We’ll eat well, Your Highness.”
“…Sure.”
Though he answered gruffly like that, his shyness was completely revealed through his bright red ears.
Watching that scene from a step behind, Huiseo was pleased.
But the commotion that seemed like it would end pleasantly continued after distributing ice cream to everyone, when Hwan suddenly stood before Huiseo as if he had business.
“Why? Should I give you a different one?”
“No, that’s not it.”
“Then?”
“Doesn’t the person who lost have to do something?”
“…What?”
“You lost at rock-paper-scissors earlier. Are you going to pretend you don’t know?”
Because of Hwan suddenly pointing out an important fact, Huiseo lost his words for a moment and looked at him.
So that’s why he followed along so smoothly—it was all because he had such schemes. It was when Huiseo, feeling a slight sense of betrayal, was lightly biting his tongue.
Meanwhile, Hwan pressed Huiseo, saying it was astounding that the winner even bought ice cream but the loser was trying to wipe their mouth clean and pass by. Coming out like that clearly meant he too had something he wanted and wanted one thing granted.
‘…This is why I desperately wanted to win.’
But since he couldn’t, what could he do?
Finally, Huiseo clicked his tongue and gestured for him to say it.
Seeing Huiseo’s reaction, the corners of Hwan’s mouth rose sharply.
And what he took out was none other than his phone.
