However, hoping he wouldn’t look handsome while doing archery with that face was far too unconscionable and impossible a wish. The descendants of Silla who selected and raised Wonhwa and Hwarang, and the descendants of Go Jumong had lived together on the Korean Peninsula surrounded by sea on three sides, and that spirit and taste had continued to this day, so the archery competition at the IAC was truly an incredible spectacle.
“Wow…… My eyes are dazzled, they’re dazzled.”
Even the BNCZ members, who were confident their visual game wouldn’t lose anywhere as the face of their group, hesitated when they saw the visuals of each team standing in a row holding bows while wearing safety equipment. To them, who had lived believing Seonwoo Jin was the most handsome person in the world, this visual bombardment was quite a threatening picture.
Unfortunately, for safety reasons, archery wasn’t conducted simultaneously for the women’s and men’s divisions but consecutively, with the women’s division ending first before the men’s division match proceeded. It meant the risk of Seonwoo Jin watching pretty female idols increased.
“Ah, seriously annoying.”
Jion muttered quietly without realizing it. It was because the female idol who had boldly handed her contact info to Seonwoo Jin during lunchtime earlier was standing there.
I should have competed in archery.
Jion regretted it belatedly. But it was already too late for regrets. Jion, filled with jealousy, could do nothing but glare fiercely at Seonwoo Jin and monitor him. And very fortunately, after the Seong Jion scolding incident at lunchtime, Seonwoo Jin, whose spirit had been completely crushed, was maintaining an unprecedented expressionless face while only looking straight ahead.
I need to manage my gaze well……
He’d made a mistake earlier because he was flustered. Seonwoo Jin bit his lips tightly and made a solemn expression. The problem at lunchtime was that he’d been pleased that he came to get lunchboxes alone with Jion and had let his guard down for a moment. Normally, he wouldn’t have answered so absent-mindedly just because an unknown female idol talked to him.
He must have thought I don’t keep my promises.
Seonwoo Jin recalled Jion, who had put his hand in his pocket with a hardened face and pulled out the contact info. He’d been inwardly shocked because Jion had never shown him such an expression before, but when he saw him tear it to shreds in front of the person who gave it and scatter it in the trash, he even felt chills.
He’s really very angry.
Even without shouting, the contact info shredding performance alone would have been enough. While Seonwoo Jin felt hurt that Jion was angry at him, he was also aware that he hadn’t kept the promise he made with his members, so he didn’t dare voice his grievance.
Anyway, I should stay quiet without standing out. Don’t talk with other people, don’t exchange glances.
Seonwoo Jin stood looking only straight ahead with firm determination, maintaining a haughty expression that was difficult to approach.
But contrary to Jion’s wishes or his own goal, Seonwoo Jin, who modestly clasped his hands together and fixed his gaze forward, showing discipline like a military parade, caught people’s attention. The idle cameras turned toward Seonwoo Jin again and again as if magnets were attached, and even the cannons that had been photographing their biases pretended not to notice while taking one or two shots of Seonwoo Jin.
“Holy shit.”
“Amazing.”
“He’s handsome.”
Every time his handsomeness was captured as large as a door on the electronic display, sighs burst out from various places, but neither Seonwoo Jin nor Jion knew who was causing it. Seonwoo Jin had no time to look at the electronic display because he was only looking forward under hell’s—no, Jion’s—supervision, and Jion couldn’t pay attention to his surroundings because he was glaring at Seonwoo Jin. It was because the members sitting next to them didn’t tell them.
It couldn’t be helped. Since the BNCZ members believed Seonwoo Jin was the most handsome person on this field, they weren’t surprised at all that people were moved by his face. Rather, every time subtle exclamations came out, they reflexively looked at the electronic display, but when they saw Seonwoo Jin’s face appear, they nonchalantly turned their heads, showing overwhelming composure, and the members’ confident attitude gave fans of idols with somewhat disappointing visuals an indescribable envy.
“An oppa who boosts morale with his face, I can’t resist.”
Hayeon whispered in BengYeoju’s ear with satisfaction. But BengYeoju, who was a Jion bias and held Jion’s wang, was somewhat less interested in Seonwoo Jin, so she responded coldly to her gushing.
“Your oppa was boosting the morale of a cam room BJ though?”
“You son of a bitch.”
Hayeon, who flared up at BengYeoju’s mention of her ex-oppa Park Homin’s blunder, grabbed her friend’s collar. But since her heart had already cooled long ago, she was only scratched for a moment and the anger didn’t last long, and the two whispered in small voices while observing Jion, who was looking at Seonwoo Jin expressionlessly.
“But earlier when he yelled, it seemed like they fought?”
“Yeah. But for that, isn’t he keep looking at Woojin?”
“Is he cursing him……”
Hayeon, who had unconsciously muttered harsh words, quickly slapped her own lips. Our angel-like Jion would never do such a thing! In any case, the two people’s common opinion was that Seonwoo Jin must have done something wrong.
“Woojin shouldn’t have just stood there.”
“Right. He should have sat down.”
While the two were mindlessly taking Jion’s side, the women’s archery competition finally ended. It was time for Jangseung Woojin, who had been standing like an underground general, to be active.
* * *
A beautiful face and long limbs, masculine fingers with distinct joints, hand backs with sexy veins. On top of that, the elegant motion of nocking an arrow, the refreshing figure of pulling the bowstring with all his strength, and even the precise expression of closing one eye and biting his lips for aiming. Seonwoo Jin showed everything that could be shown in the IAC archery event. Which means he failed to pass the preliminaries.
“Sorry……”
Seonwoo Jin, who had only shot 4 points consecutively and weakly put down his bow, returned to the group while reading the room.
“Ah, how did you not hit any of them properly?”
“No, Woojin. I think you hit them properly.”
Jinyeong comforted Seonwoo Jin with puzzling words, and Ryu Geon also agreed with Jinyeong’s words and patted his drooping shoulders. Originally, no one thought it would be possible to advance to the finals without even practicing properly for an unfamiliar event like archery that they had no opportunity to try normally.
“We didn’t go out to hit the target, right? We went out to hit the hearts of girls beyond the screen.”
Jinyeong comforted Seonwoo Jin that way, and Jion, who was listening to those words nearby, nodded without realizing it. That’s right. Anyway, Seonwoo Jin held the bow to show off his face, not to hit an X10.
“……Good work.”
Jion awkwardly greeted Seonwoo Jin and retied his sneaker laces. The next event was finally the last event BNCZ was participating in, kinball.
The only event conducted as mixed gender at the IAC, this belonged to relatively new sports that hadn’t been around very long. It was a game where a mixed team of four people repeated offense and defense with a giant ball, and was a large-scale game where three teams had to proceed at once.
“Now, shall we try shouting each team’s name?”
To proceed with the game, each team’s name had to be decided, and true to the production team who absolutely had to include a mixed gender game that everyone hated to be satisfied, the team names were incredibly tacky.
“Now, our Baldoong-i Team!”
“Baldoong…… baldoong…… haa……”
“Let’s go again. Now, Baldoong-i Team!”
“Baldoong…… baldooong…… fighting……”
Wow, I hate this.
The team name “Baldoong-i” that was trying to be cute without rhyme or reason, and even the cheer “Baldoong baldoong fighting.” Jion sensed the disaster coming to their team and squeezed his eyes shut.
“Now! Next, our Balnyaang Team! Shall we try shouting the cheer once?”
“……”
If only they’d decided on the cheer as “Balnyaang balnyaang fighting,” the shame would have been somewhat lessened by “Baldoong baldoong fighting” before them, but the broadcast writers demonstrated creativity in another weird place.
“Meow meow balmeow……”
“What? I can’t hear you, what did you say?”
“……Meow meow……”
The script even had them make cute gestures by moving their hands next to their faces like cats. Jion, who wanted to succeed but was still insufficiently prepared for this kind of contrived aegyo, muttered the cheer in a crawling voice.
“Ah, BNCZ’s Jion-ssi! Aren’t you being too shy all alone?”
And the persistent MC began to specifically tease Jion, who had a quiet voice and passive attitude. Jion felt like he was going crazy at the camera that kept asking him to do it again and even got a one-shot.
If only it weren’t for the two people on either side, I would have closed my eyes tight and done it.
Jion ground his teeth inwardly. Which bastard arranged the groups like this? The members of the Balnyaang Team that Jion belonged to were atrocious. One member from the female idol group who had handed her contact info to Seonwoo Jin during lunchtime earlier, and another female idol whose name and face he didn’t know well. And lastly, the worst member.
“Ah, shit. Acting all high and mighty when you’re a nugu.”
Park Homin with his fucking rotten personality, muttering curses loud enough to be heard.
I have to act cute in front of this bastard. He just lip-synced the meow meow.
Unfairly, Park Homin didn’t even do the aegyo properly, saying it would ruin his swag. The MC, who couldn’t drag on with Park Homin who was as seasoned as could be, continued to demand aegyo from the easy target Jion, and in the end, Jion had to shout the cheer solo in front of the camera with a bright red face.
“Meooow, meooooow…… Balmeooooow……”
Jion, who still hadn’t realized that drawing out his words while being embarrassed looked even cuter, was inwardly fermenting his rage and reality check like jeotgal.
Jeotgal (젓갈) – (Korean fermented seafood)
Jangseung (장승) – (Korean traditional totem pole/guardian post)
Wang (왼) – (fan term meaning “left” bias position in photos)
