Normally, a shy word of thanks would have come back from Seonha. When only the combo shouts of some American uncle kept being heard repeatedly, the smile disappeared from Hongdan’s face. The leisure he’d been showing while standing with his weight on one leg crookedly was nowhere to be found. His toes also couldn’t stay still and were tapping to an anxious rhythm.
Despite Hongdan’s sharp shout, Seonha still kept his mouth firmly shut and only answered with his score. A number that had already far exceeded 40 was blinking on the scoreboard. And not even 20 seconds had passed yet. The shadow of defeat fell over Hongdan.
20 combos!
“…Fuuuuck…”
Hongdan bit his lips tightly. Tap tap tap. The sound of his feet kicking the floor, filled with dissatisfaction, also grew fiercer.
21 combos!
Just four more points and it would be the second half, the bonus round. In Hongdan’s arcade life of well over ten years, he’d only experienced the second half where the basket starts moving a handful of times. Even those had been barely achieved amid all kinds of contempt by choosing quantity over quality with the so-called ‘both hands technique.’
And this bastard negates my past like this in one go?
Along with a sense of crisis, fury welled up. Hongdan suppressed the desire to interrogate whether Seonha had deceived him and quietly observed the bleak reality. That was how to preserve even a speck of remaining pride.
Ba-ra-ra-bam- ba-bam!
“Woow…”
The two minutes that felt like two hours finally ended, and Seonha looked at the scoreboard with an even more dazed expression than Hongdan. With tears even welling up, he seemed moved by his own score.
Watching that absurd sight, Hongdan seriously pondered. Whether to display meager sportsmanship and earnestly engage in a game that was already hopeless, or pretend to be magnanimous to avoid becoming more unsightly and acknowledge defeat.
First of all, the biggest problem was that he had no idea what Seonha’s wish was. If it wasn’t very difficult, the conclusion would come quickly, but if there was even a hint of something devious, he’d have to secure victory using both hands—no, both feet if necessary.
To get a hint about his wish, Hongdan casually called out to Seonha, who was completely intoxicated with himself.
“…Hey.”
“Huh? Oh, right. Hongdan, you have to go. Sorry, I didn’t know I’d be this good either.”
Is this bastard teasing me right now?
At the showing off that came out as naturally as breathing, Hongdan, who was momentarily choked up, continued speaking in a deliberately calm tone.
“Yeah, I didn’t know either.”
“Huh, what?”
“No, it’s nothing. More than that, you.”
…Ah, this won’t do.
When Seonha turned completely toward him, his lips came into view first. They were twitching in a strange curve. Seeing those annoying muscles, Hongdan became certain in an instant.
“…Never mind. I heard the answer well.”
If I lose, I’m fucked.
“Huh? I didn’t say anything though?”
When he can’t hide his excitement like that, there’s no way it’s a wish I can easily grant. There was definitely a devious intention hidden behind that smile.
“It was enough. Don’t worry.”
Hongdan passed by Seonha and picked up the basketball. Then, with it held against his forehead, he kept chanting.
Please. Please, you bastard god. No, God. God of basketball. Give me Seo Tae-woong’s soul. If that’s difficult, at least bestow your fucking blessing. Just a breath—one breath.
When Hongdan became as quiet as a dead mouse, Seonha poked his shoulder.
“Hongdan, are you…?”
“Please fuck Yeon Seonha over.”
“…Hongdan?”
“Yeah. I just went to see my ancestors for a bit.”
The expression on Hongdan’s face when he raised his head was quite resolute. Even Seonha was pressured enough by that momentum to step back.
Hongdan slowly raised his arms. He narrowed his eyes and even drew a virtual parabola. Of course, he was a humanities student who’d never learned geometry, but still, hadn’t he spun the compass a bit in his youth? He recalled that vague memory and gauged the optimal angle.
After constantly waving his arms, Hongdan stopped in a stance as if worshipping and gestured with his chin toward Seonha. It seemed to be to maintain the angle.
“Hey, come put money in. It’s here in my right pocket.”
“Huh? Oh, okay.”
When Seonha hesitated, Hongdan tilted his right hip and urged him. It seemed Seonha had bitten his lip for a moment.
Unlike usual, Seonha only stretched out his arm while keeping some distance and fumbled in Hongdan’s coat pocket. Momentarily, Seonha’s pheromones, which had been flowing calmly, suddenly grew thick. However, since Seonha releasing pheromones wasn’t particularly noteworthy, he didn’t pay it much mind. The single-minded determination to defend this game was dominating his head.
Zziing- tu-du-dung.
The machine that had swallowed the blue bill blinked its borders and released the same sound as before. Hongdan swallowed his dry saliva.
3, 2, 1.
The left hand only assists. The left hand only assists. The left hand…
Let’s start!
Assists…!
But was this ultimately the limit of a humanities student?
Thud-
Fuck.
Or was it because he’d mocked Seonha but then forgotten an eternal truth himself?
Making dozens of attempts until his forearm ached meaningless, the ball Hongdan threw struck the rim directly. The results of the subsequent shots also didn’t differ much.
Thud-thud-
2 points!
Thwoong-
“Damn it!”
With each shot, what little leisure remained evaporated as sweat drops.
Thud-
2 points!
Thud-
“Isn’t this higher than before?”
Thud-thud-thud-
“Ah, seriously!”
Hongdan was already practicing the first virtue of a loser. Blaming the innocent machine.
He felt wronged in his own way. His condition today wasn’t even half of usual. Though what he called condition was a modest level that couldn’t even present a business card, half of the given 45 seconds had already passed but Hongdan’s scoreboard still had three zeros. In fact, from this point the result was obvious without even checking, so he didn’t even want to confirm it with his eyes.
In the end.
Ba-ra-ra-bam-ba-bam!
[GAME OVER]
“Ha…”
28 points.
Hongdan was defeated with a score that was exactly, no more no less, precisely 100 points behind Yeon Seonha.
How pathetic 28 points was could be known just by looking at Seonha’s current state. Even he couldn’t celebrate victory and just repeated babbling “uh uh…” like a newborn.
“It’s, it’s okay, Hongdan…”
Hongdan couldn’t escape from that spot until the baby who was about 348 months old learned to speak again.
***
Whether it was the humiliation of an unexpected crushing defeat, Hongdan was in a dazed state. It took quite a while to even notice that Seonha’s mouth had been shut the entire way home. Only when the familiar dark red bricks came into view did Hongdan stop walking abruptly and call out to Seonha.
“Hey.”
“Uh, huh?”
Mm… I didn’t want to make him watch my mood this much.
Seonha’s shoulders flinched at just this much of a call. He probably hadn’t even expected him to talk to him. He’d been subdued the whole time despite winning the bet.
Feeling inwardly sorry, Hongdan softened his voice gently and asked.
“What’s your wish, anyway?”
“…Ah.”
At the unexpected question, Seonha’s eyes rolled around. Both when he’d shown that subtle smile earlier and now, seeing how he was moving his lips right away, there was definitely something he’d thought of. Hongdan, who became anxious, quickly added.
“By the way, you know I don’t have money. I can’t do anything expensive.”
“It’s no-ot like that.”
“Then?”
“It’s simple. Just…”
What the hell does he want that he’s dragging it out this much? A small wrinkle formed between Hongdan’s brows.
“Just what.”
“Um, will you close your eyes for just 10 seconds?”
“What kind of trick is this, again?”
It was a highly suspicious wish. Naturally, Hongdan’s eyes narrowed. The wrinkle between his brows also created a deeper groove. Seonha hurriedly waved his hands, denying his craftiness.
“Ah, it’s not like that! If you’re really suspicious, you can cover your mouth too.”
“…Really not?”
Hongdan tilted his head crookedly, still not letting go of his suspicion. Seonha also raised both hands as if he were truly innocent.
“Yeah, it’s not!”
“Hmm…”
Looking closely at the face directed uprightly toward him, it didn’t seem like a lie. Only then did Hongdan put away his suspicion and turned his body toward Seonha.
“Okay, then. Starting when. From now?”
“Uh… yeah!”
Seonha flapped his head while blushing to the tip of his cheeks. Capturing that appearance as the last thing in his vision, Hongdan closed his eyes. Since he said covering his mouth was okay too, he covered his lower face with both hands, creating a barrier that wasn’t quite a barrier.
Seonha really didn’t stop that defensive stance. Rather, a small laugh that seemed joyful flowed out. That playful sound tickled Hongdan’s hearing, which had become extremely sensitive due to his blocked vision.
Hongdan pressed down on his Adam’s apple. A deliberately serious voice rang through the peaceful Sunday afternoon villa neighborhood.
“I’m counting. 10.”
9, 8, 7.
…It was quiet.
Aside from the usual natural sounds and city noise, no sound could be heard. However, only Seonha’s breathing was felt too vividly. Then how close had he approached right now?
“6…”
The scent of ripe coconut.
I remember the day I first smelled this pheromone. No, the day I finally recognized this as Yeon Seonha’s pheromone.
At some point, there was a heavy tropical scent subtly lingering at the tip of my nose. Unable to know what it was, I pointlessly washed my innocent school uniform several times. One day, at the beginning of winter like now, Seonha kept squeezing throughout class time, saying he’d warm my frozen hands. Thanks to that, his scent lingered on my hands all day.
I couldn’t help but realize. Because Hongdan actually hated sweet smells.
“5…”
When did this start feeling only sweet? Was it the first day we mixed bodies? The moment he grabbed my hand, saying let’s get married? Or when I’d just turned twenty, that time when he threw a punch instead at my dad who was about to raise his hand at me?
“4.”
I don’t know.
“3.”
I don’t even want to know.
“2.”
Even if I retrace it now, only things to regret will increase.
“1.”
Really, no help at all…
Smooch-
Huh?
