In the end, only when Kwon Yunsu briefly went to the bathroom could Lee Euishin calmly and swiftly leave the playground. Baek Seunghyun, who understood that as a dismissal order, also left, Kim Wonwoo left too, and Lee Jihoon went his own way as well.
Left alone, Kwon Yunsu practiced shooting 100 times, then stopped by a convenience store to eat ramen before going home. He thought it was a weary and lonely life.
***
“…So the flourishing of Hellenistic culture influenced… and as a result, what kind of culture? That’s right, combined with the Orient, what relic from this period did we see last class? That’s right, Venus de Milo, and? Myeongeun? That’s right, Nike statue, and…”
History class endlessly went “that’s right, that’s right” while progressing through the material, and Kwon Yunsu did neck exercises by nodding off in rhythm. His average bedtime is 10 PM, so he’s doing well. Lee Euishin pushed away with his fingertips Kwon Yunsu’s forehead as it fell onto his shoulder and rolled his eyes. The drowsy face dripping with fatigue looked really pathetic. The guy was so pale that the blood vessels in his eyelids showed through bluish-green, so the dark circles under his eyes were quite a sight. Why does this bastard always have to doze off next to me? The guy who switched seats saying he had something to say passed out sleeping as soon as the class bell rang. Not a single attractive corner, and a bastard with not even a dog’s dick worth of usefulness.
No one would know that Lee Euishin, known as someone with a fundamentally fair and kind disposition who’s only slightly prickly, was actually such a mean bastard. At least not in this backwater. Lee Euishin really didn’t like this grandparents’ neighborhood that took an hour to get to his main house in Seoul. Even though it was a place surrounded by all kinds of convenience facilities from department stores to supermarkets with nothing lacking, this Seoul native raised in the heart of Gangnam had absolutely no intention of bending his prejudice.
Moreover, Lee Euishin wasn’t curious at all about what Kwon Yunsu had to say. It was obviously going to be bullshit nonsense starting with either the sports festival or soccer. Or an apology for being briefly grumpy earlier? Well, if it was that, he was willing to accept it. Who does that little shit think he is to be irritated at me?
‘Let’s just work on notdari and group jump rope and rest today.’
That kind of talk came up when they had P.E. in the morning. The performance evaluation ended faster than other classes, so a whole hour of P.E. became free time. Their self-practice, which started faster than any other class thanks to someone’s big talk, was entering its third week, and yet the sports festival still had three weeks left. This really isn’t something to do, it’s crazy. When he nodded to the girl who made the suggestion and turned around, Kwon Yunsu immediately caught his attention. It’s hard not to be caught when someone shoves their face right up close.
‘Then what about soccer?’
‘We’ll do it tomorrow.’
He answered simply.
‘But we still have to do soccer.’
It was the other guys who responded to that stubborn statement.
‘Hey, let’s rest today too. I’m really tired.’
‘My mom’s making a fuss asking why I keep skipping the academy.’
As Kwon Yunsu turned to look at the guys complaining, veins faintly rose on his forehead.
‘The guys who left first are talking bullshit, seriously!’
‘You said it’s not mandatory!’
‘Are you paying for my academy fees?!’
‘At least set up a practice match with another class or something, it’s always just us. We’re short on numbers but we awkwardly divide into teams—what are we even doing? There’s no system.’
‘It’s not even fun.’
It’s really true. You agree, right? When he looked at Kwon Yunsu, the guy still had a horned face and protested to Lee Euishin.
‘Then when do we practice soccer?!’
‘We do it every day.’
‘What do you mean every day?! Just bits and pieces…!’
‘Why is that the class president’s fault?’
‘Why is he getting angry at the class president? Really.’
When he stared down with a face that said, you heard that, right?, Kwon Yunsu went off to a distance with a fierce face. He even stomped his feet loudly. It was such an absurd venting that he didn’t even get worked up. Until the class bell rang, Kwon Yunsu didn’t come anywhere near, and at lunch, he ultimately said nothing to Lee Euishin, who was pondering how many of the three deep-fried fish cakes he’d been served to give him.
“……”
Now that he thought about it, it pissed him off. How dare this country bumpkin throw a tantrum and act up? Is it my fault that the kids won’t stay, that practice can’t happen, that he can’t exercise? Already anxious alone, going around with worry dangling from his eyes. Even leaving food. Saying he has something to say then just sleeping. Who does he think he is?
“Teacher, Kwon Yunsu isn’t listening to class at all and is just sleeping.”
Lee Euishin confidently raised his hand and snitched on Kwon Yunsu. At that refreshingly ringing voice, Kwon Yunsu’s eyes snapped open, and that day too he stayed to do punishment cleaning. Watching him mop like a mistreated Cinderella improved Lee Euishin’s mood just a little bit.
“So we’re resting today, right?”
When he returned to the classroom dragging a not-fully-wrung mop, the class president was locking the windows. Even with a face dripping with annoyance, he does his work well enough that the homeroom teacher now occasionally makes that guy lock up.
“They all left already.”
Lee Euishin jerked his chin as if asking about something obvious and smiled slightly. He’s so handsome that even that becomes a picture. Really annoying.
“Soccer practice…”
“Do it alone. You have a lot to do.”
Lee Euishin deliberately replied annoyingly. Kwon Yunsu, who immediately caught the spite, threw down the mop and spun around sharply. Then,
“…I need to know what to do and how.”
He said in a very sullen tone.
“……”
At this point, Lee Euishin became a little anxious. Though he didn’t want to admit it, it was a somewhat familiar pattern.
If Kwon Yunsu had responded in a more sensitive tone, Lee Euishin would have intended to scratch at the guy’s insides once more. How can he look so good even saying things like that—he wanted to flip over those clearly readable insides again. Does soccer even have a chance of winning? Wouldn’t it be better to focus on other team events instead? This time he should smile really brightly.
But Kwon Yunsu’s face was that of a child who was too dejected. Clichéd drama lines like “when is mom coming?” or “where’s dad?” echoed hollowly in his head, and Lee Euishin became dumbfounded on his own. What the hell is this bastard doing? He was a guy who had no clue and acted purely according to his own dick.
Lee Euishin, who had been frowning with displeasure, finally opened his mouth after some deliberation.
“Do you have plans today?”
I don’t. Kwon Yunsu shook his head.
“Then stay for a bit.”
“Why?”
“I’ll organize the classroom, so take the ball and go to the playground.”
When he ordered coldly, Kwon Yunsu opened his mouth slightly then mumbled a response.
“Wha, what is this? Are you asking me on a date? You handsome guy.”
Then he quickly grabbed the ball and left the classroom.
Holding the key from the teacher’s desk, Lee Euishin snorted. Crazy bastard. Why are you blushing there of all places, damn it?
Lee Euishin hated exercise.
That doesn’t mean he hated all physical activities. He was just deliberately avoiding them out of anger at not being able to fulfill what he wanted. Unlike his own wish to learn martial arts like boxing, judo, or kendo, his parents insisted on only team ball sports, worried about his sociability. While bringing up shitty, tiresome words like cooperation and unity. In the end, after considerable noise, he quit everything and was only doing occasional training. He never dreamed he’d end up doing this kind of thing after being exiled to this backwater. That he’d end up babysitting an idiot who can’t even train alone.
“First do warm-ups. Do the exercises exactly as you do in P.E. class, then run two laps around the playground.”
“What?”
“I’m going home.”
“No, don’t. Wait. Stay right there and wait.”
And Kwon Yunsu did as Lee Euishin told him. He kept looking back this way like a puppy that needed to pee, but he ran around the playground faithfully and came back. Seeing him panting heavily, Lee Euishin thought he was glad he said two laps instead of three.
“What’s next?”
“You know this, right? Lift your knees and twist your torso the opposite way.”
When he lightly demonstrated, Kwon Yunsu nodded as if pleased.
“I’ve seen it a lot on sports news.”
“…Do it. From here to there. Come back doing side hops. Repeat 3 times.”
Kwon Yunsu again did as told. He’s a simple guy like a picture.
“Phew, ha, whe, when do I kick the ball?”
“Now.”
Lee Euishin threw the ball.
“Try some instep juggling.”
Kwon Yunsu nodded his head and positioned himself in front of Lee Euishin. Then he said,
“This is fun.”
“…Haven’t you been to a soccer club?”
“Nah. Life’s been busy.”
