# Chapter 62
As the games continued, I had only one thought. If this keeps up, my eardrums might rupture. It seemed no one’s throat was getting sore as the cheering didn’t diminish at all—it only grew louder.
Of course, my eardrums weren’t the only things suffering. My eyes were also struggling with the placards positioned everywhere and the flashy cheering sticks. Actually, the cheering sticks were fine, but the high-quality placards with their written phrases made me cringe.
[Angel-smile Kwon Dojin], [Sculpture-handsome Kwon Dojin], [Tough outside, soft inside Baek Han], [Milk-white Baek Han], and so on—the phrases were worse than 2000s-era clichés. What was going through the mind of whoever wrote those sentences?
I’d vaguely heard about distributing placards and cheering sticks, but I’d foolishly assumed they would be crude since this was just a high school sports day. I cursed my past self for being so stupid.
It was a thought I kept having, but you should never underestimate the passion and money of students who take hierarchy seriously. If it weren’t for those phrases, I could have genuinely appreciated this.
“It’s even more ridiculous how smoothly this is going.”
I’m not sure if “smooth” is the right word, but at a glance, the students seemed fine. Really, just at a glance.
From the start of the sports day until now, games that were supposed to be held for other grades weren’t even considered, and only the games where Kwon Dojin and Baek Han were participating were taking place.
Usually, different events would be held by grade in different locations, or there would be preparations for the next event, but there was no sign of that. It looked as though all scheduled events had been canceled or postponed to focus on the competitions between Kwon Dojin and Baek Han.
As evidence, there was even an announcement before the start that the basketball game, which was supposed to be conducted in simplified form, would be played for all quarters with no time reduction.
“If Baek Han-nim scores just one more point, one more, he could take the lead—!”
“Dojin-nim wouldn’t just stand by and watch that happen!”
“Kyaaak—! Dojin-nim, Baek Han-nim! You’re so cool!”
Ah, that person must be a neutral fan who likes them both. The evidence was a placard with the ambiguous phrase [Can’t live without you!] fluttering delicately in the air with her enthusiastic gestures.
Is it cruel to like only one of them when both are so charming? Anyway, seeing them reminded me of what Kwon Dojin had said about how neutral fans helped maintain activities without major incidents.
“It’s not my concern anyway.”
Yawn, I couldn’t help but yawn due to lack of sleep. I’d gone to bed later than usual last night, thinking I should study a bit more in the evening since I wouldn’t be able to study during the day because of the sports day.
My eyelids felt heavy from fatigue, but I endured. Since I’d said I wanted to see Kwon Dojin exercise, Baek Han had also ended up participating in all events, so I couldn’t just take a peaceful nap by myself.
Above all, my ears were burning so much that even if I dozed off briefly, I’d wake up startled. Still, it was good that I could understand the situation through the sounds around me, even if I didn’t know how the game was progressing.
“Baek Han-nim! So cool! Please win like this!”
“No! Dojin-nim, please hang in there a little more!”
“Did you capture that layup shot in a photo? You did get Dojin-nim’s form properly, right?!”
This was beyond chaos. I covered my ears with my arms as they intensified their cheering, saying there wasn’t much time left. I should have brought earplugs if I’d known it would be like this.
“Tweeeeet—!”
When the hotly contested basketball game ended with a whistle, the reactions were starkly divided. Centered around the fan clubs, one side was filled with regret, lamentation, and sadness, while the other side overflowed with joy, cheers, and praise.
“Buzzer beater! Dojin-nim turned it around with a buzzer beater! We won!”
“Kyaaak—! You’re amazing, Dojin-nim!”
I clicked my tongue watching these people who were overheated beyond what one would expect for just a sports day basketball game, but in a situation where everyone was excited, I felt like maybe my reaction was the strange one since I was the only one detached.
I guess this is what they mean when they say a sane person among crazy people gets treated as the crazy one.
“I! Love! You! Kwon! Do! Jin!”
No, stop!
I shuddered at the chant timed to a beat. It was creepy enough to see those words written, but facing the reality of multiple people saying that phrase out loud was unbearable.
Ugh, maybe because it was hard to adapt to this situation, my body twisted unnecessarily. I wanted to go back to my classroom, but Kwon Dojin’s request to wait for him was holding me back.
Going to the classroom probably wouldn’t be a big problem, but somehow I was certain he would express all sorts of grievances. Like a puppy unable to go for a walk because of rain, he would whine about even the smallest things, so I had no choice.
“How was it?”
As soon as the game ended, Kwon Dojin ran to where I was, stood in front of me, and his eyes sparkled. His attitude created the illusion that a non-existent tail was wagging vigorously.
Seeing Kwon Dojin like this, Baek Han, who had been walking toward us with a deeply furrowed expression, stopped and turned around to head elsewhere. I guess he couldn’t bear to be next to Kwon Dojin.
“You did well. Good job.”
Actually, this time it felt like exhibition basketball too. Kwon Dojin had the ball for an overwhelmingly long time. But the same was true for Baek Han’s side, and since Baek Han and Kwon Dojin were facing each other, it was a much more interesting game than playing against other classes.
Unlike others who became intimidated because Kwon Dojin and Baek Han were opponents, the two had no reservations when dealing with each other.
“Are we playing soccer right away?”
“It starts in 10 minutes. I heard they need time to set up.”
Kwon Dojin, who had settled next to me, brushed his sweat-soaked hair up. Whew, after exhaling a long breath, he leaned back with his arms supporting him on the ground.
Just then, a gust of wind passed by, sweeping through his hair. Playful wind scattered his hair, blocking my view. Disliking that brief moment, I tucked the disheveled strands behind my ear.
“Habin-ah.”
“What?”
I turned my body, which had been half-turned, completely toward where Kwon Dojin was. I folded one leg up on the stand and let the other hang down.
“What if I win two or more games—will you go on a date with me?”
I saw his face smiling gently as he looked at me. After staring blankly at him, who had casually used the word “date,” I was about to part my lips when someone interrupted.
“Dojin-nim! You looked so cool playing basketball! This is prepared by the fan club!”
With flushed cheeks, someone held out a towel, drinks, snacks, and other items. Kwon Dojin straightened his posture, showed a neat smile, and extended his arm to receive the items.
“Thank you. I’m always getting help from you.”
“Heok! No, not at all! I’m just doing what I should!”
While the representative frantically spoke, those around were in ecstasy. When one person seemed about to collapse and staggered, someone next to them supported them, but they didn’t seem to be in good condition either, resulting in both of them wobbling.
“Then we’ll be going now!”
Probably thinking that someone might actually faint at this rate, the representative hurriedly gathered those around and left. And that was the right choice. Most of them either sat down or really collapsed not far away.
As if their condition didn’t concern him at all, Kwon Dojin took out the towel and wiped his sweat. With the towel hanging around his neck, the sight of him dabbing away the beads of sweat on his forehead and neck was so handsome it could have been an advertisement.
Then, as if his throat was dry, Kwon Dojin opened an iced drink and emptied half of it in one go. Even though he drank somewhat hastily, even that appearance didn’t give an unpleasant impression. Newly realizing the power of his beauty, I turned my head away.
It was because a warning bell was ringing in my mind that I shouldn’t keep staring. With nothing in particular to look at, I stared at those who were busy preparing for the next game on the dusty field.
“You’re still wearing this.”
Startled by the touch brushing my earlobe, I reflexively turned to look at him. With his eyes gently curved, he touched the halo on my head with his fingertips.
Only then did I realize I hadn’t thrown this damn halo in the trash, and I hurriedly pressed down on the headband with my arm. I should have gotten rid of it before Kwon Dojin returned, but it was too late.
“You really are cute. No, should I say beautiful?”
The hand that was fiddling with the headband came down and stroked my cheek. The gentle touch then tucked my side hair behind my ear and subtly caressed my earlobe.
“I really think an angel has descended from heaven.”
He—he must be crazy.
I quickly knocked away Kwon Dojin’s arm that was caressing my sensitive ear and turned my head. I’d clearly heard such words many times before, but today my cheeks were particularly burning.
“Habin-ah? What’s wrong—”
I knew my reaction was different from usual. Before Kwon Dojin, who was leaning toward me with a puzzled look, could finish speaking, I cut in to stop him.
“I’ll—”
“Hmm?”
“I think I’ll go to the classroom. Because I’m tired…”
It was completely unrelated to the current situation. Perhaps because of that, a moment of silence followed, but I didn’t have the courage to look at Kwon Dojin, so I lowered my gaze.
“Are you very tired?”
The voice that broke the silence was filled with concern. Kwon Dojin covered the back of my hand that was on the ground.
“Not that much. It’s just that I went to bed late yesterday, went to bed late.”
Even to me, the excuse was flimsy. No, it was true that I was tired, and it was true that I wanted to go to the classroom. But in this moment, it sounded like a weak excuse.
I don’t know if Kwon Dojin would feel the same way, though.
“Then let’s go to the infirmary and rest. Lying down on a bed will help relieve some of your fatigue.”
“You don’t have to go that far. Besides, we’d need the school nurse’s permission—”
“I want to do that for you. The teacher won’t say anything. So please listen to me just this once, okay?”
He held my cheek and slowly stroked under my eye with his thumb. The cheek where his touch landed felt ticklish, and I gently bit my lip.
“…Alright.”
In front of him with his subtle pleading, the answer I could give didn’t need consideration—perhaps from the beginning, there was only one option.
