Chapter 76
The sports festival was, in a word, a complete shitshow. For one thing, neither Hyunjae nor I placed first in anything. Most of the guys just scooped up the girls and sprinted off with them. The class president and Go Hankyul yelled themselves hoarse, screaming about unfairness, but it didn’t change a damn thing. And honestly, it was pointless—because in the end, even Hyunjae ended up hauling me over his shoulder and running. I’d never once stopped to think about what it’d feel like to be lifted like that, slung over someone’s back. The sensation was… stranger than I’d imagined.
“Damn, Yu Hyunjae’s strong as hell.”
“No kidding. I mean, Yu Chanhee’s kinda short, but he’s all muscle, right?”
“Nah, he’s not that short.”
Go Hankyul and the class president kept glancing between me and Hyunjae, sizing up the height difference. I didn’t have a comeback, so I just kept my mouth shut.
“But how the hell did we not win a single thing?”
“Seriously. We could’ve at least crushed the relay.”
“Yeah, right. Running with a bald guy? How’s that fair? How?”
“There’s the principal.”
“Sure there is.”
Go Hankyul shot me a look like I was delusional. By the time we finished cleaning up, the sun had already sunk halfway below the horizon. The PE director barked at us not to slack off, and we all scattered. Hyunjae and I grabbed a massive trash bag and headed toward the incinerator.
“Yu Chanhee!”
Someone called my name from a distance. I turned to see Lee Joohyun, drenched in sweat, his gym clothes rolled up.
“Why’s it so hard to run into you?”
“Here to rub it in that you came in first?”
“Not for something that petty.”
Joohyun flicked a glance at Hyunjae before continuing.
“You good after that time?”
“Oh, right. Thanks for that.”
“Didn’t do much. The teacher showed up right after and took over.”
“Teacher? What teacher? The nurse?”
“No, the special instructor.”
“The special instructor came? Why?”
“No clue. He just barged in, said he had to take you, and that was that.”
“Me? I heard you were the one who took me to the National Mana Research Institute.”
“Yeah, I was in the teacher’s car with you on the way to the hospital, but then there was a crash. The teacher had to deal with that, and you looked bad—really bad—so I just took you to the nearest place, which was National Mana Research.”
“But why there? Normally you’d go to a hospital.”
“The special instructor said it was probably a mana issue. We were actually headed to the Hansung Hospital Mana Research Center first.”
A chill ran down my spine. Hansung Hospital? If this wasn’t some insane coincidence, then the special instructor showing up at the infirmary to take me to Hansung Hospital had to be deliberate.
“So the spy…”
“Huh? Spy?”
“Nothing. Thanks, anyway.”
Hyunjae seemed to catch on, his expression darkening as he looked at Joohyun.
“But what’s up with your mana that you were bleeding like that?”
“Just… a chronic condition.”
“A chronic condition?”
I’d tossed the words out casually, but Joohyun’s eyes widened. I gave a vague nod, trying to brush it off, but he wasn’t letting it go.
“You were really messed up that time. If you keep pushing it, it’s gonna screw with your hunter work later.”
“Nah, it’s fine. The National Mana Research Institute’s been helping me out.”
“Oh?”
Joohyun gave me a strange look.
“Guess being a gold spoon has its perks.”
It wasn’t outright hostile, but it wasn’t exactly friendly either. The inevitable rivalry and inferiority complex among the top tier—it seemed Joohyun already had that planted in him. I forced a stiff laugh and waved him off.
“Hey, we gotta dump this and go. You should head out too.”
I pulled Hyunjae along and walked past Joohyun.
“That guy’s got a mouth on him.”
“He just doesn’t know any better.”
“Well, I don’t know shit, and I still don’t think of you like that.”
“That’s because you…”
…like me. I swallowed the rest and stayed silent.
“Because I like you?”
Hyunjae finished the sentence I’d left hanging. I didn’t nod or laugh—it felt too awkward in the moment. I wasn’t shameless enough to say something like, You like me, don’t you? to someone who still had feelings for me.
“Yeah. Guess so.”
Hyunjae accepted it plainly and started walking ahead of me. I quickened my pace to follow. Maybe this was the right distance between us.
***
[Chanhee, did you have fun at the sports festival?]
The message was absurdly gentle. I put my phone down without replying again. Han Jaemin sent texts like this once or twice a day, as if checking in, but there had never been any physical contact—whether because of my father’s influence or some other scheme, I didn’t know.
I tried to figure out if the special instructor was one of Han Jaemin’s people. He was always the type to act like the world was a nuisance, sitting somewhere and teaching only by the prescribed curriculum. It was hard to imagine him being under Han Jaemin’s thumb for any reason. More than anything, he had no special connection to me. He’d never intentionally crossed paths with me or struck up conversations.
I tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep easily. Hyunjae had said he was leaving for England in a month. Even with such a tight schedule, my father acted like it was no big deal. Hyunjae, too. I stared fixedly at the sticker photo propped up in the corner of my bookshelf. The Chanhee and Hyunjae in the photo were smiling brightly, like strangers.
Should I tell him not to go?
I imagined myself stopping Hyunjae at the last minute. But it was just a fantasy. I couldn’t bring myself to hold back someone who wanted to come back stronger.
Do I just have to let him go?
And if I die again,
will we just go back to that time…?
The thought jolted me awake. Something flashed through my mind. Without thinking, I shouted into the empty air:
“System!”
Silence. As always.
“Hurry up and show yourself.”
And there it was. As always. It posed the appropriate question for the situation.
[Do you wish to save? (2/3) Y/N]
I answered dryly.
“Save it.”
The Y flickered red. A loading screen appeared, and then a notification chimed—save complete. Only then did I let out the breath I’d been holding. Now, no matter what, I’d return to this date, this bed. If something went wrong, I could come back and stop Hyunjae from leaving. I wouldn’t have to experience the moment he reset his feelings for me all over again. The thought strangely soothed me, and my eyes grew heavy. I drifted off, clinging to that single thought.
***
Even though the sports festival had been just the day before, we still had to attend the special instructor’s class without exception. The instructor, as always, wore a blank expression as he put us through “physical training” that was really just endurance torture. After a set, I cautiously approached him first.
“Um, Teacher.”
The instructor, sitting on a folding chair and scrolling on his phone, glanced up at me.
“I heard you helped me when I collapsed.”
“Who said that?”
“Joohyun.”
“Ah.”
The instructor glanced at Joohyun, then back at his phone.
“I just got caught up in a collision on the way and paid the damages. Didn’t actually help.”
“But he said you were the one who knew it was a mana issue.”
“Yeah, you got that right.”
The instructor waved his phone at me like a pointer.
“What the hell’s your excuse for your mana being unstable? You’re not some kid who can’t control it.”
This wasn’t the reaction I expected. I rubbed the back of my neck, playing dumb.
“I don’t really… Anyway, I’m working on fixing it.”
“Speaking of which, Yu Chanhee, don’t come to training until that condition or whatever clears up.”
“Huh?”
“What if you collapse during training and start puking blood? What then?”
“No, that won’t happen again…”
“How do you know? Look, since we’re on the subject, just go home now.”
“Wait, what? Why?”
Our commotion drew the attention of everyone resting nearby. Hyunjae was no exception.
“I said go. The kids still have four more sets.”
The instructor clearly had no intention of taking it back. I clenched my jaw, then finally backed out of the gym. The murmurs followed, but I ignored them and crossed the field toward the school building. That guy, who finds everything a hassle, is Han Jaemin’s lackey? The thought of that man, who’d balk at the slightest responsibility, being involved in something like this was laughable. I cursed the instructor under my breath as I returned to the classroom. The other students and the teacher were visibly startled to see me back so suddenly. I just gave an awkward smile and quietly took my seat.
