# Chapter 63
At my single response, Kwon Dojin smiled brightly, got up, and extended his hand. After staring at the large, sturdy hand before me, I took it. With just the right amount of force, he pulled me up from my seat and began walking toward the infirmary.
“Dojin-nim! The match is about to start.”
Someone approached Dojin to remind him of the schedule, but he merely waved his hand.
“Later. Tell them to wait ten more minutes.”
“What? But Baek Han-nim—”
There was a brief argument, but when Dojin silently looked down at the other person, it ended instantly. Being behind Dojin, I couldn’t see his expression, but judging by the atmosphere, I could only guess it was quite intimidating.
“Is it really okay to make everyone wait? The entire student body?”
“Why wouldn’t it be? It’s what I want to do.”
Dojin wore a faint smile and was completely confident. As if influenced by his attitude, I found myself nodding.
Right, if the second-ranked wants it, surely they can delay things for about ten minutes, can’t they? It was just for a brief moment, but I actually thought this way.
“My common sense is starting to crumble…”
“Hmm?”
Since I had muttered quietly, he probably didn’t hear me properly. I shook my head at Dojin, who had half-turned to look at me, indicating it was nothing.
“I’ll make sure no one enters the infirmary. When the soccer match ends, I’ll postpone the remaining matches and come back, so get plenty of rest until then.”
“You don’t need to go that far.”
“I’m doing it because I want to.”
When he put it that way, there was nothing more to say. If it’s what he wanted to do, and it wasn’t causing me any harm, I decided to think selfishly.
We climbed the stairs and opened the door at the right end of the second-floor corridor, where the infirmary was. The door was open as if it was natural, and whenever I saw things like this, I couldn’t help but think that high schools in webtoons were truly different.
Upon entering the infirmary, Dojin released my hand and naturally began rummaging through the drawers. He acted as if he was opening drawers in his own home, so at first, I didn’t even realize anything was wrong.
“What are you doing?”
“Looking for the key. The nurse always leaves it here.”
Dojin showed me the key proudly and led me to the bed. Before I could stutter a response, I had taken off my shoes, laid down on the bed, and was neatly covered with a blanket. Dojin, who had directed this entire process, patted my chest.
“I’ll be back. I’ll lock the door when I leave, so lie down comfortably.”
Is this right? Is this really okay?
The rational part of me that had already been through high school once was screaming that this situation made no sense at all. Just as I was about to properly react, Dojin, having finished everything at lightning speed, was already standing near the door.
“I’ll win this time too and come back, so wait just a little, okay?”
Before I could stop him, he opened the door and left, locking it as he had promised. Since I could open it from the inside anyway, it didn’t matter, but I couldn’t hide my bewilderment.
“Is this really right…”
I had spoken carelessly and now faced an unusual situation. My head spun, and I pressed my forehead. Still, what was done was done, and reminding myself that I could go back whenever I wanted, I tried to calm myself down.
While I was still processing my emotions, I heard cheers or shouts from the field. It seemed that they were starting as soon as Dojin arrived.
Since I wasn’t particularly sleepy, I dropped my legs off the bed. I found the shoes Dojin had put away, roughly slipped them on, and went to the window. Since there was nothing on the windowsill, I sat there and opened the window where the sound was coming from.
“Kyaaaa!”
“Dojin-nim! Please win this time too!”
“What are you saying! Baek Han-nim will win this time!”
“Anyone with spare camera memory! I used all mine filming the basketball game!”
“What have you been doing without bringing extras? The fan club president is giving out spares, go get them quickly!”
Hmm, it’s no different from when the basketball game started.
The atmosphere was already lively even though the whistle hadn’t blown yet. Perhaps because I was looking down from above, unlike when I was in the stands, I felt psychologically distant.
They say tragedy up close becomes comedy from afar. Even watching situations that made me nearly die from cringing, I couldn’t help but chuckle. Of course, it was still cringe-worthy. It’s just that distance made it bearable.
I leaned my head against the glass. The posture was more comfortable than I expected, and it gave a good view.
“Tweet!”
The familiar whistle sound echoed all the way to the infirmary. Baek Han’s team had the first possession as he dribbled the ball toward the goal. As those beside him cleared the path like escorts, Baek Han dashed forward quickly.
Naturally, it was Dojin who blocked Baek Han’s unstoppable advance. After what seemed like a brief scuffle, Dojin quickly stole the ball and ran in the opposite direction.
Honestly, given the distance, it was difficult to accurately identify who was who. Yes, that would normally be the case.
“That’s strange.”
Baek Han was recognizable by his distinctive white hair, or more precisely, his pale yellowish-white hair that was impossible to miss even if you wanted to. In contrast, Dojin’s blue-black hair blended with the black hair of most students at this distance between the infirmary and the field, making him hardly noticeable.
“But why is he so clear?”
Even if I lost sight of him, I could quickly find him again if I tried. No, even without trying, I naturally noticed where he was and looked there. Unintentionally.
I rolled my eyes around, watching those who were running around busily. With the infirmary at the right end, I could see the entire field without much effort.
“Just the first half, I’ll just watch that.”
And then I’d lie down on the bed. Even just the first half was 45 minutes, but that was fine. I hummed a tune in the empty space. All sorts of noise came over, as if to disrupt me, but it wasn’t loud enough to pound my eardrums, so it was okay.
Even as time passed, points were hard to come by. This was due to the formidable skills displayed not only by Baek Han and Dojin but also by those moving for the sake of their honor, which wasn’t really honor.
They say it’s more fun when points aren’t easily scored, but honestly, I had no interest in sports, so I yawned spontaneously. I didn’t bother holding it back and yawned while covering my mouth.
Had 20 minutes passed already? The feeling that time wasn’t moving made me turn my head away from the soccer field. People were swinging placards in rhythm, or waving glow sticks that shone even in the bright outdoors, or taking what could have been photos or videos with their cameras.
“It’s like being at a concert.”
Although I’d never been to one, wouldn’t the atmosphere be similar? What was going on here was soccer, not music, but the audience reaction was exactly like a concert.
No, since the cheer squad was even bringing in music, most of the conditions of a concert were actually being met.
“Do they even have a cheer song for those guys?”
Or was it prepared for the sports festival? There were even people singing cheer songs with their arms around each other’s shoulders to music that was now familiar to me. The speaker volume was so good that the accompaniment could be heard all the way here.
While I was fed up with the activities of these incredible fan clubs, I was also curious about how far they would go. I shook my head and laughed briefly, then looked back at the ongoing soccer match.
Once again, I quickly found Dojin and followed him with my gaze. This time, Dojin was separated from Baek Han and surrounded by quite a few people.
I don’t know exactly what was happening. But it was clear that Dojin’s side was in a quite advantageous situation. They were close to the goal where they needed to score.
“Tweet!”
For some reason, the whistle suddenly blew across the field. Everyone who heard it stopped instantly. They all caught their breath or walked slowly, gradually taking new positions.
“Hmm?”
I’d been looking elsewhere and didn’t notice, but when I turned my head in Dojin’s direction, he seemed to be looking this way.
“Ah, we did make eye contact.”
At first, I thought it was my imagination, but seeing him standing still with his body fixed toward the direction of the infirmary, it wasn’t a mistake. Since they were preparing for a corner kick at that moment, no one thought it strange that he was standing still.
Since our eyes had met anyway, I waved my hand gently as if to say hello. I wasn’t sure what expression he had, but somehow I felt like he might be making an interesting face.
Bang! I could almost hear the sound of the ball being kicked. The corner kick had failed, and everyone started moving busily, but Dojin remained firmly in place. At the sight of him like that, my eyes widened.
Move, why aren’t you moving?
I wasn’t the only one thinking this; I could hear murmurs. I leaned my body slightly forward and stared intensely in Dojin’s direction, but nothing changed.
Since he wasn’t moving, some of our classmates circled around him. Still, he didn’t move, and at this rate, they would be forced into a situation where they would concede a point.
“What are you doing—”
I grew anxious and bit my lower lip. I stiffened my body, which had been relaxed while leaning against the window, and straightened my back. I placed my hand on the glass. As if representing my anxious heart, my fingers tapped on the glass.
When Dojin remained motionless for too long, Baek Han approached him and tapped him on the shoulder. Only then did Dojin turn toward Baek Han.
The two stood still for a while, conversing. Then, when both Dojin and Baek Han looked in my direction, I flinched in surprise, my shoulders jerking.
The two fixed their gaze here and remained still, saying something I couldn’t hear. Then, after Dojin roughly ruffled his hair, he finally started to move.
Those who had been half-heartedly playing while keeping an eye on Dojin and Baek Han also began to run earnestly, following the actions of the two.
“What was that all about?”
I really couldn’t understand.
