# Chapter 61
The day of the sports festival finally came—the day all the students had been eagerly awaiting, while I alone desperately wished it wouldn’t arrive.
“Kyaaaah!”
And as expected, screams—no, ecstatic cheers—filled the field. The situation was so intense that the opening ceremony couldn’t properly proceed, prompting the teachers to step up and fulfill their duty for once. But the frenzy showed no signs of subsiding.
It was as if the entire student body had been waiting for the moment when Baek Han and Kwon Dojin would face off, causing an uproar, and I couldn’t help but sigh, being right in the middle of it all. Ironically, the two main figures themselves seemed rather indifferent.
“I find this world so fascinating…”
How could such madness flourish within this small school?
No matter how many times I thought about it, I couldn’t understand. The only thing I knew for certain was that the teenagers of this country took their hierarchy incredibly seriously.
“What are you suddenly talking about?”
“Doesn’t this situation seem strange to you guys?”
“Is there a problem?”
Kwon Dojin asked with a voice so gentle it made me realize this is what it sounds like when he deliberately adds warmth to his tone. But since it was clear he couldn’t sympathize with how I was feeling, I just let out a hollow laugh.
If it weren’t for the surrounding circumstances, they’d just seem like students who were good at fighting. But when I saw how naturally they accepted this environment, it truly hit me that these guys were ranked second and third in the school hierarchy, making me feel a sense of distance.
“The opening ceremony is boring. Should we go sit in the shade?”
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
Kwon Dojin immediately seized on Baek Han’s muttered words and slightly bent down to meet my eyes. After I’d gotten angry with him, Dojin had been carefully watching my reactions, and only today, after a week, had he returned to his normal self.
When I just stared at him silently as he waited for my response, Dojin tilted his head and slowly blinked.
“Habin?”
“I wonder if we’ll get in trouble for leaving our spots.”
Only after my name was called out, as if to urge me, did I finally speak.
“Us? Who would dare?”
Baek Han snorted as if I’d said something ridiculous. His attitude seemed beyond confident, bordering on arrogant, but considering these guys were ranked second and third, it made sense.
“The sun is too harsh. Let’s go, okay?”
Dojin spoke in a cute voice as he gently took my hand and pulled with light force. Honestly, the sun was beating down so strongly that it would be difficult to endure until the end of the opening ceremony, so I pretended to give in and followed him.
The moment Kwon Dojin and Baek Han started to move, those who couldn’t contain their excitement parted like the Red Sea. Not only the students around us, but also those in our path, orderly created enough space for the three of us to pass through.
The very students who wouldn’t listen even when teachers tried to control them showed incredible unity in this moment. As we passed by, I caught a glimpse of the PE teacher’s dejected expression.
Seeing that face made me feel somehow guilty, so I lowered my eyes in silent tribute to the teachers’ hard work. It was newly saddening to see the reality where one word from Kwon Dojin and Baek Han carried more weight than anything the teachers said.
Of course, I was glad I could be comfortable, but still.
“Lee Habin, you look quite the sight, don’t you?”
“Be quiet. I’m already feeling self-conscious about my current state.”
Baek Han’s comment reminded me of my outfit, which I’d been trying to ignore. The angel halo dangling above my head was annoyingly distracting. Every time I tried to hide the headband with the intention of getting rid of this irritating halo, Dojin would somehow notice and bring it back to put on me again.
“The quality of this is surprisingly good?”
“That’s what I’m saying. Why did they put so much effort into making it?”
The cloth draped down to my ankles, apparently trying to represent Roman-style clothing. In other words, it was essentially a dress. Although I was wearing shorts underneath, I couldn’t shake off the awkwardness due to the fabric brushing against my feet.
Meanwhile, the fabric wrapping my body felt so soft that it was hard to believe it was just a cheap t-shirt. Plus, the angel wings attached to my back, though small, were intricately detailed. In short, it was so high-quality that I had to acknowledge it, which made me even more irritated.
Damn this angel concept!
“You’re cute, Habin.”
“As I’ve said many times, what good does it do me to look cute to you…”
I want to throw away at least this halo, please.
The moment I grabbed the headband squeezing my head, Dojin subtly raised his arm to hold my hand, preventing me from taking it off.
“Why are you so interested in my headband?”
“Because the headband is the pinnacle of cuteness?”
Dojin laughed deeply and subtly wrapped his arm around my shoulders. Resting his cheek on my hair, he acted cutely.
“Just wear it for one hour, okay?”
“What will you give me if I keep the headband on for an hour?”
“I’ll give you anything you want.”
“Please stop dating in front of me.”
Baek Han let out an exhausted sigh and pressed his forehead. Since we’d seen this reaction many times before, both Dojin and I smoothly ignored it.
At the end of the clear path was the stand. Since it was in the shade, making it an optimal spot, we headed straight there without needing to look for another place.
“If you’re going to make demands, ask for something grand.”
Baek Han encouraged me to extract something substantial, when just moments ago he was telling us not to date in front of him.
“I’d rather just get this halo out of my sight than anything else. I don’t even need to ask for anything.”
“Why not? Ask him to be your bag carrier or something.”
“…Him?”
A bag carrier? It was such an absurd request that my expression immediately twisted. Looking at Baek Han while pointing at Dojin with my thumb, he nodded firmly to drive the point home.
“If Habin wants it—”
Dojin spoke pitifully, like a puppy drenched in rain. Though I knew the trembling in his eyes was deliberately created, I couldn’t ignore it.
“I don’t want it. I don’t need anything like that. So stop making that expression.”
Upon my immediate denial, Dojin rested his chin on my shoulder and slowly fluttered his eyelids.
“Really?”
“Yes, really.”
I stretched out my arm and patted Dojin’s back. While Dojin docilely received my touch, I felt the need to change the subject and racked my brain.
“Baek Han, you’re in Class 3, right?”
“Why?”
“Is it okay for you to be here? Don’t you need to go to your class?”
“What’s the problem with that?”
Baek Han snorted at my question. Since I pretty much knew what answer would come, I just nodded vaguely and let it go.
“I wonder when the opening ceremony will end—”
Looking at the still-excited atmosphere, it seemed like it would take a considerable amount of time for the opening ceremony to conclude. Out of boredom, I swung my legs back and forth, making the hem of my outfit rustle.
Meanwhile, I saw a teacher climb onto the stage with a resolute expression. Suddenly committing insubordination by snatching the microphone from the principal, the teacher shouted:
“Be quiet! If the opening ceremony gets delayed, the match between Baek Han and Kwon Dojin will also be delayed!”
Like a switch being flipped, all the noise from the student body stopped at once. It became so silent that it was almost scary, like a power outage caused by a fuse blowing. It was a scene that showed just how significant the symbolism of Dojin and Baek Han was to the students.
“Oh. That’s good.”
“Yeah. That was effective.”
While I was too surprised to close my mouth, Baek Han and Dojin merely expressed admiration for the effective method of control. Their attitude showed they were well aware of how powerful their influence was.
“This is truly madness…”
As silence descended, the teachers quickly moved to start the opening ceremony. Since much time had already been wasted, they proceeded rapidly, skipping as much as possible.
Even the principal’s closing remarks, the last item on the agenda, ended in less than three minutes, showing just how rushed they were.
“We’ve decided to change the scheduled order a bit. We’ll start with the first-year basketball finals, soccer finals, and obstacle race.”
“Kyaaaah!”
“Finally, finally we can see it!”
“What about cameras? We need to take pictures and videos!”
“Distribute the placards and cheer sticks! Quickly!”
Is this what they call conditioning using the carrot and the stick?
After quelling the disturbance by bringing up Dojin and Baek Han, they brought them up again to raise the atmosphere. Actually, it might be more accurate to say they revived the suppressed frenzy rather than raising the atmosphere.
I watched with disgusted eyes as the students moved in unison while raging like mad dogs.
“…I wanted to see Habin like this for an hour.”
Dojin rubbed his cheek against my shoulder with a gloomy expression. I don’t know why he wanted to watch me for a whole hour, but the fact that his events were scheduled consecutively was good news. I could throw away this damn halo while Dojin was gone.
“You have to welcome me back wearing the halo when I return, understand?”
“No way. I’m going to throw it in the trash as soon as you leave.”
Why doesn’t this school have an incinerator? Some high schools in webtoons have them. If there was one, I’d have put the headband in and immediately lit the fire.
At my firm attitude, Dojin pretended to cry as if burdened with all sorts of sorrows. Reacting to this, Baek Han grimaced and quickly got up to head toward the field.
“This crazy bastard has gotten even crazier lately.”
Baek Han’s disgusted mutter carried on the wind. Both Dojin and I heard it, but I kept quiet to preserve the peace around me, and Dojin ignored it because he was busy clinging to me.
“You really are something else.”
“Hm?”
I clicked my tongue at Dojin’s behavior as he tilted his head with an innocent face.
“Nothing. They’re calling you, go quickly.”
“This time I’ll definitely win and come back. Just wait a little.”
Dojin held both my hands and whispered. As he slightly lowered his eyes, his unusually long eyelashes came into view. After staring at them fluttering lightly like butterfly wings, I slowly turned my head toward the field when the announcement came.
They seemed to have already finished preparations, as only basketball players were on the field. Since they were waiting for Dojin to come, I pulled my hands free from his grasp.
“Good luck.”
“Yeah, I’ll be back.”
With a faint smile on his lips, he got up and headed toward the field. After watching Dojin walk toward the center with relaxed movements, I raised my knees and rested my face against them.
For some reason I couldn’t understand, he looked unnecessarily cool.
