# Chapter 67
I let out a long sigh, placing my hand on my full stomach. The braised cutlassfish was spicy, but it was so delicious that I unknowingly overate.
“Your nerves are made of steel wire, seriously.”
Baek Han clicked his tongue beside me. I wasn’t sure why, but both Baek Han and Dojin had eaten less than they normally would, and I wondered if that was why he was grumbling.
“You ate less than usual today. Was it because it was spicy? You could have ordered a drink and eaten more.”
“You think I’m like this because of that?”
“Then what’s the reason?”
Baek Han had an expression that suggested he had a lot to say. So I calmly waited for his next words, but when Dojin shook his head at Baek Han, he tightly closed his mouth.
“I’ve already given up. Just get used to it.”
“Hmph.”
Baek Han made an unintelligible sound and then suddenly ruffled my hair roughly.
“Ugh, what!”
“It’s a compliment, a compliment. Let’s just hurry and go.”
I reflexively pressed down on my hair and ducked to avoid his hand. Baek Han withdrew his arm obediently and muttered softly.
“Let’s see if I ever come back here.”
“Huh, why? Wasn’t it delicious? I want to come back to eat here again.”
Before I could finish speaking, he glared at me with wide eyes. Surprised by his intense gaze, I flinched and instinctively used Dojin as a shield.
“Then should we come back, just the two of us?”
Dojin casually met Baek Han’s glare and showed composure by even asking me a question. Baek Han clicked his tongue and turned his head away.
“Sure! I think it would be perfect to come here when I want something spicy. Especially the radish was soft and delicious.”
“That’s what they call being oblivious.”
“Who?”
“You! You, you idiot, you!”
As Baek Han pointed at me, Dojin wrapped his arm around my shoulder and hid me behind him. Thanks to that, I didn’t have to see Baek Han’s expression. If I had seen it, I might have gotten hiccups. That’s how fierce Baek Han’s demeanor was.
“Well, let’s just go back to school.”
Dojin turned his back on Baek Han and walked toward the school with his arm around my shoulder. I heard a “Ah, geez” sound from behind, and not long after, Baek Han followed us.
“Weren’t you bothered at all? Even though that bastard Ji Haecheon kept staring at our table?”
“Ji Haecheon? He did?”
“…Don’t tell me you didn’t know?”
“Well, Habin was sitting with his back to him, so it makes sense he wouldn’t know.”
Of course I didn’t know. I had been focused only on eating, and since I hadn’t left the table for reasons like going to the bathroom, I couldn’t have known. As Dojin said, I had my back to him.
“Wait, Dojin, you were also sitting with your back to him.”
“I’m just sensitive to gazes, that’s all.”
“Was I the only one who didn’t know?”
“You think I said I’m never coming back for no reason? Huh?”
As Baek Han was acting like a delinquent, I smiled awkwardly and leaned toward Dojin’s side. It had been a while since I’d seen this kind of attitude from him, so I wasn’t used to it.
“Let’s go now. They say lunch break is almost over.”
Dojin lowered the arm that was around my shoulder and wrapped it around my waist. Wondering if this was appropriate, I looked up at him, but Dojin looked at me with a nonchalant face—no, rather with mild curiosity.
“…It’s nothing.”
I shook my head belatedly. Looking at his face, my thoughts, which were already not properly organized into language, scattered completely.
“Alright.”
With that short reply, we followed Baek Han, who had already gone far ahead. By now, he could have released the arm wrapped around my waist, but Dojin still held me tightly.
Moreover, Dojin was so nonchalant that it made me feel like I was being overly sensitive for asking him to let go or trying to pull away. In the end, we reached the school gate with Dojin’s arm around my waist.
Baek Han grimaced at the sight of us, but Dojin was shameless, and I had no particular thoughts. More precisely, I had given up thinking about it.
“Can we go home after the relay race is over?”
“Yeah. They say all the other events are finished too.”
It was typical to place the relay race, the highlight of the sports festival, as the final event. What was surprising, though, was that despite spending so much time on events that Baek Han and Dojin participated in, the sports festival was still proceeding according to schedule.
“Did they finish everything in the hour we were gone?”
“We were gone for longer than that, weren’t we? And whether they finished or not, what does it matter? As long as we can go home, it’s fine.”
Baek Han’s indifferent attitude gave me an odd feeling. It felt somewhat deceptive, to hear someone who could come and go from school as they pleased regardless of the school schedule say such things.
“What’s with that look? It’s disrespectful.”
“It’s nothing. Since we’re finishing early today, you’re going to play with Poppo, right?”
“Of course. I promised Poppo that we’d run for three hours at the Han River today.”
My mouth involuntarily fell open at the scale that I couldn’t even contemplate. He had participated in basketball and soccer since this morning, and would soon run in the relay race, yet after all that, he would run for three hours with Poppo?
It was a schedule that would have left me collapsed long ago, but it seemed the title of third-ranked wasn’t worn in vain. While I was sticking out my tongue at Baek Han’s stamina, a group of several people approached Baek Han and Dojin.
“Dojin-nim, Baek Han-nim!”
“They say preparations for the relay race are almost complete. You should get ready!”
“This is, well, a baton prepared by the fan club!”
My goodness, they even prepared a baton? This time I was surprised by the fan club’s thoroughness in preparation. This world continued to amaze me.
“Thank you, I’ll use it well.”
“Not bad. I’ll use it.”
Though they had the same number of words, the responses from Dojin and Baek Han were clearly different. Having already adapted to their attitudes, or perhaps satisfied just to have heard their voices, the huddled group let out ecstatic moans.
Those who had been watching the two with flushed cheeks quickly regained their composure, left greetings, and hastily withdrew. Of course, they didn’t forget to act dramatic while leaving.
“I didn’t expect them to be so dedicated as to prepare a baton.”
“They probably started preparing the moment we said we were going to compete.”
“They probably prepared soccer balls and basketballs too. They couldn’t use them because the fan clubs were competing with each other.”
I was doubtful at first, but thinking about the fervor of fan clubs in webtoons, I realized it was entirely possible and shook my head.
I knew that good quality soccer balls and basketballs were quite expensive. If they had been custom-made to match the characteristics of the two, the price might have doubled. It was such a waste that they couldn’t be used because of competition.
“They could have used them if they changed the ball every quarter in basketball, and switched balls for the first and second half in soccer.”
“Gasp!”
“Oh my God, such a method—”
“Ah! To think I didn’t come up with that! I’m unqualified to be a fan club president!”
The reactions around me were intense to my casually muttered words. I was dumbfounded, wondering if no one had really thought of it.
“We were so focused on fighting!”
“We should have compromised instead of fighting…”
Was this the result of fans’ hearts that couldn’t yield an inch when it came to their bias? Indeed, liking someone is a frightening thing.
Anyway, regardless of the fans’ despair, preparations were steadily completed, and students from each class came looking for Dojin and Baek Han. As a bonus, I heard that the relay schedules for other grades had already finished.
“The other classes have forfeited.”
“Only Dojin-nim’s class and Baek Han-nim’s class will compete.”
They’re really serious. The kids at our school are hardcore…
How did all the classes decide to forfeit? Aren’t students of this age usually full of competitive spirit? Perhaps the names of the second and third-ranked were strong enough to suppress competitive spirit. More precisely, it was the power of the fan clubs.
“I’ll be back.”
“Take care of our stuff.”
Neither the consistently affectionate Dojin nor Baek Han, who threw his outer clothes and waved his arms nonchalantly, showed even a hint of tension. After waving goodbye to the two composed individuals, I sat on the stands.
Holding Baek Han’s outer clothes and Dojin’s phone in my arms, I looked out at the field. Dojin and Baek Han would naturally be the last runners, so the outcome could differ depending on how well the preceding runners performed.
“The first-year relay race will now begin. All athletes, please stand in your positions and get ready.”
A voice that was a bit too young to be a teacher’s flowed through the speaker. It seemed that broadcasting club members had seized the microphone again for commentary.
Tweet!
While I was lost in thought, the whistle sound echoed. At the same time, as if they had been waiting, the athletes sprinted out, and cheers erupted.
Each class had five members who had to run one lap each. Given the significant distance, I had expected that the outcome might be determined by the early lead, but my prediction was shattered not long after.
“This is incredible! The gap still hasn’t widened! With such fierce competition now, it seems impossible to predict the winner! As expected, the ranking will probably be determined by Dojin-nim and Baek Han-nim’s showdown!”
They’re really gritting their teeth.
It seemed that their determination to uphold the honor of the two hadn’t faded until the end. The distance between runners didn’t widen even once until it was Dojin and Baek Han’s turn.
The batons, decorated in Dojin and Baek Han’s symbolic colors to be both flashy and comfortable to hold, were passed to their hands simultaneously.
“Kyaaaah!”
“Dojin-nim! Fighting!!”
“Baek Han-nim! Please win this time!!”
The moment Dojin and Baek Han grasped the batons, a huge roar filled the school, as if to show that all the cheering until now had been a joke. I quickly covered my ears and worried about whether there would be complaints from the neighborhood.
“The finish line, the finish line is near! The gap still hasn’t widened! Will this match end in a draw like the soccer match? Or will it be decided at the last moment!”
The amazing commentary further fueled the already blazing fire. My head throbbed from the enormous cheers that were too loud to block even with covered ears.
“This is real madness…”
Rather than being irritated, I felt transcendent. Just as I had the illusion of my soul leaving my body, Baek Han and Dojin were right at the finish line. Honestly, I was also curious about which of them would cross first, so I focused on the finish line.
“T-this can’t be! It’s a draw, a draw!”
“Kyaaaah! Unbelievable!”
“I thought Dojin-nim would win…”
“Baek Han-nim, Baek Han-nim…”
To the naked eye, Dojin and Baek Han crossed the finish line at the same time. Since we couldn’t have a video review for a mere school sports festival, it had to be judged as a draw.
“Amazing, truly.”
Wailing sounds echoed from all directions. In some corners, there were even people crying because they couldn’t overcome their sadness, which says it all.
Seeing such reactions, I thought that although it was a draw again, in a way, this might have been the best result. Though disappointed Dojin or irritated Baek Han might not think so.
