I decided to avoid Kim Noeul’s questioning.
“Why the greeting….”
“We met before.”
“When?”
“Before the opening ceremony.”
“We met on the bus and started talking after helping a grandmother.”
“…”
Kim Noeul stared intently at me.
Her dark eyes had never felt so ominous.
“You know Seo Yoon’s personality, right?”
“She’s not the type to cause trouble first like the other executives.”
“She doesn’t attack us without orders and treats us normally.”
“Right now, even I, who faced her directly, am unharmed, right?”
Hearing my words, Kim Noeul crossed her arms.
And she sank into deep thought.
“I can roughly tell she’s different from Je Galyeonhwa or Lee Jihye from our conversation just now.”
“But does she need to greet you?”
“If it was because you’re a senior, she didn’t greet me?”
“Maybe she recognized you as a rival.”
“There’s the matter of this sports festival too.”
“Hmm…”
Kim Noeul let out a nasal sound, tilted her head, and then finally sighed.
“Don’t look so scared.”
“I was just worried about you.”
“Worried about what Seo Yoon might have done to you.”
Kim Noeul’s concern was justified, but it had little effect on me.
Knowing Seo Yoon’s personality, I didn’t think she would ever intimidate me.
“The qualifiers are coming up soon, so let’s practice the three-legged race starting tomorrow.”
I changed the subject to the qualifiers.
Since the sports festival runs for a limited time, they don’t conduct everything starting from the preliminaries.
Qualifiers are held before the sports festival, and only a small number of students with good results compete on the day of the sports festival.
Of course, there are also events held entirely on the day of the sports festival without qualifiers.
Anyway, the three-legged race has qualifiers.
Kim Noeul and I needed to synchronize our steps starting now.
Thus, a day passed, and Kim Noeul and I gathered at the sports field after school for practice.
Na Yuna, having nothing else to do, followed us to watch.
“Noeul, don’t lean on Maru too much.”
“You’re heavy.”
“How can I run without leaning?”
“And I’m light.”
The two women engaged in a battle of wills even before starting.
Only when I looked at them with a pathetic expression did they finally stop fighting.
“Alright, let’s start slowly at first.”
Kim Noeul and I started walking, calling out counts.
Getting used to each other’s rhythm, we walked smoothly without falling.
“Not bad.”
“Now, let’s try jogging.”
At my suggestion, Kim Noeul started running lightly.
I also moved my legs, matching her breathing.
Unlike when walking, the sound of her breathing was unusually loud.
“Oh, isn’t our coordination good?”
The jogging Kim Noeul exclaimed in admiration.
I also agreed with her opinion.
We lightly ran one lap around the field without any major incidents.
“C-congratulations….”
“Your coordination is good…”
Na Yuna praised us, but gritted her teeth with an expression that showed she wasn’t pleased somewhere.
“Well, I’m the partner Maru acknowledged.”
“What does that mean?”
“Why emphasize the word ‘partner’?”
Na Yuna threw a fit at Kim Noeul’s remark.
Deliberately ignoring their argument, I watched the archery practice taking place in a corner of the field.
“Nice~.”
“Doa hits well.”
“She does have the image of being good at this kind of thing.”
Students wearing safety gear and drawing bowstrings were visible.
Among them, Han Doa’s figure was particularly noticeable.
Han Doa, drawing the bowstring with measured movements and a calm, expressionless face, radiated an outstanding spirit reminiscent of warriors of the past.
‘Even the ponytail is a hairstyle that looks like it could come from a historical drama.’
Thwack!
When Han Doa released her hand, the arrow flew in a parabolic trajectory and landed inside the smallest circle.
Gasps erupted from the surroundings.
“At this rate, our school will win a prize in archery.”
A female student watching Han Doa’s archery fussed.
“Doa, good work.”
“Now other people need to practice too, so let’s take a short break.”
“Yes.”
As the teacher said, Han Doa wiped her nape with a towel and came out of the practice area.
Coming outside, her eyes met mine.
“Maru?”
“Were you watching by any chance?”
She asked, her face slightly flushed.
When I nodded, an earthquake struck Han Doa’s eyes.
“Th-that was just practice, so I shot roughly.”
“I can do better.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Rather, I thought you shot well.”
“Really…?”
“We don’t have to worry about Senior Doa then.”
“You’ll definitely bring victory points to our school.”
“I will meet expectations.”
Having finished speaking, Han Doa lingered around me as if she still had something to say.
“Is there something you want to say?”
“Um, well…”
Hesitating, she took a deep breath and opened her mouth.
“You know my form of address for you changed after that day, right?”
“You started not adding ‘junior’ at the end.”
“What about it?”
“…I changed, but you still haven’t changed.”
Hearing her words, I recalled my own speech habit.
I had been calling Han Doa ‘Doa sunbae’.
“Doa sunbae?”
“This address?”
“Yes.”
“We’re not distant like before, yet that address seems too formal.”
Surely she wasn’t asking me to call her ‘Doa’, so then….
“…Noona?” (what a younger guy calls an older sister or close older female)
“…”
Hearing my mutter, Han Doa’s body trembled violently.
The bow she was holding also shook along with her.
“…Try calling me that, just once, as a test.”
Han Doa demanded, swallowing dryly.
Her expression was scary, so I did as she asked.
“Doa noona.”
As soon as my words ended, Han Doa hung her head low.
Clutching the bow tightly with both hands for a long while, she slowly lifted her face after the trembling subsided.
“Hoo….”
“The destructive power is immense.”
“What destructive power?”
Kim Noeul, who had approached unnoticed, glared at Han Doa.
Han Doa jumped up in surprise from her spot.
“I didn’t sense your presence, since when?!”
“I was curious what you two were doing, so I approached carefully.”
“So, what destructive power?”
“Junior Noeul doesn’t need to know.”
Kim Noeul, perhaps thinking she wouldn’t get the desired answer from Han Doa, changed her target to me.
“Maru, what destructive power is she talking about?”
“I don’t know either.”
Actually, I barely heard what Han Doa said.
Since she muttered quietly, only Kim Noeul, who was nearby, must have heard it.
“…Whatever, let’s start practicing again.”
“I’ll tie it.”
Kim Noeul walked over to me and tied our ankles together with a towel.
After tying it skillfully, she placed her hand on my shoulder.
“Wait, why are you putting your hand up?”
Han Doa, who had been watching silently, interjected.
“Then should I not put it up?”
“The event description even shows this picture.”
Kim Noeul retorted with a dumbfounded expression.
Her counter-argument was reasonable, so Han Doa just chewed her lip.
“Why did junior Noeul team up with Maru in the first place?”
“Could it be that junior Noeul threatened him?”
“Delusional level…”
Kim Noeul narrowed her brow and looked at Han Doa pathetically.
I, standing beside her, explained to restore Kim Noeul’s honor.
“I suggested it first.”
“…Why?”
“Because we’ve worked together the longest.”
“I thought our coordination would be good.”
Hearing my explanation, Han Doa’s complexion darkened.
Na Yuna, who was far away, shouted.
“Why aren’t you two running~!”
“Hurry up and start~!”
“Going~.”
“Let’s go then.”
As Kim Noeul got into position, I also moved my legs.
We matched our breathing a few more times after that and finished practice.
Time passed like that, and the day of the qualifiers arrived.
The qualifiers for events like archery, relay race, and the three-legged race were held at Choyeon High.
‘So it turned out like this…’
Choyeon High was the school Seo Yoon attended.
Perhaps this story was deliberately set up like this to create contact with Kim Noeul.
We took the bus chartered by Haneul High and headed to Choyeon High.
Kim Noeul, Han Doa, and I were in the very back seats.
“At times like this, I envy Yuna.”
Han Doa, complaining of slight motion sickness, muttered weakly.
She suffered from the bus’s poor ride quality.
“The bag toss event doesn’t have qualifiers, so she doesn’t need to go far for qualifiers like us.”
The bag toss is an event where the team that throws bags into a large box hanging above and bursts it faster wins.
Since such events don’t require qualifiers, Na Yuna couldn’t ride this bus.
Instead, she is currently meeting with staff at the SC building to discuss the next magazine schedule.
Finishing her words, Han Doa closed her eyes to reduce motion sickness.
Kim Noeul rested her chin on her hand and gazed blankly out the window.
Then she asked me.
“Seo Yoon will be there too, right?”
“If she chose a sports festival event, then yes.”
In effect, both of us were convinced we would meet Seo Yoon.
Seo Yoon boasted the largest physique within Ojakgyo, and fittingly, her athletic sense was also extraordinary.
It would actually be strange if she didn’t perform well in this competition.
“Unless she breaks something somewhere, she’ll definitely participate.”
At my confident assertion, Kim Noeul gently closed her eyes.
After that, the three of us didn’t exchange conversation on the way to Choyeon High.
After arriving at Choyeon High, we scattered to the locations where our respective event qualifiers were held.
Han Doa headed to the indoor gymnasium for the archery qualifiers, while Kim Noeul and I headed to the sports field.
“Relay race and three-legged race are here~!”
The guiding voices of students wearing Choyeon High gym uniforms were heard.
As we revealed ourselves there, the gazes of the surrounding students focused on us.
“Are those the famous…”
“Their faces look so different from ours?”
The interest towards us only subsided after the qualifiers began.
A teacher wearing gym clothes appeared and explained the rules.
“First, we’ll proceed with the relay race, and the three-legged race will be held afterwards.”
“Only relay race participants remain, the rest go to the stands.”
Since both Kim Noeul and I participated in the relay race, we stood still on the field.
As students participating only in the three-legged race left, only a small number of students remained.
Kim Noeul spotted a tall girl mixed in the crowd of Choyeon High students.
Her physique was special, so she stood out easily.
“As expected, she participated in the relay race…”
I heard Kim Noeul mutter.
Although it’s said that a large physique is disadvantageous due to wind resistance, the stride length is also wider, which is an advantage.
Seo Yoon was standing at the very back, presumably as the last runner.
Perhaps feeling our intense stares, Seo Yoon gazed back at us.
“…What are you glaring at so intently.”
Seo Yoon tried to ignore it, but perhaps because Kim Noeul glared so fiercely, she eventually opened her mouth.
“Worried Ojakgyo might have pulled some trick this time too?”
Seo Yoon frowned at Kim Noeul’s nagging tone.
“We have neither the reason nor the ability.”
“The sports festival will proceed fairly.”
“Don’t misunderstand just because the committee chair is Eun Yuri sunbae-nim.”
Pausing briefly, Seo Yoon caught her breath and continued.
“Besides, I’ll win even without cheating.”
“…What?”
Kim Noeul retorted coldly.
Seo Yoon checked the position where Kim Noeul was standing.
Kim Noeul was also standing at the very back among the Haneul High students.
Meaning, like Seo Yoon, she was the last runner.
Just as the conflict between Kim Noeul and Seo Yoon was about to intensify, the teacher’s command began.
“Among the 8 schools gathered here, only the top four teams will compete on the day of the sports festival!”
“Prizes are up to 3rd place!”
“Victory adds to the team score!”
“For details, check the Hakdo homepage or each school’s eta (everytime app/student community)!”
Finishing the explanation, the teacher prepared to blow the whistle.
The first runners from each school got into starting position.
All were boys.
‘Runners 1, 3, 5 are boys…. And runners 2, 4, 6 are girls…’
In effect, victory or defeat is decided based on the skills of the even-numbered female runners.
If the variable named me didn’t exist.
Tweet-!
The whistle blew, and each runner shot out.
The male students gritted their teeth and ran, but unfortunately, by my standards, their speed was yawn-inducing.
Runners exchanged batons one after another, and finally, it was my turn, the 5th runner.
Haneul High was currently in 4th place.
‘Looks like I need to put in some effort.’
Receiving the baton from the previous female student, I ran hard.
As I instantly overtook 3rd place and eyed the 2nd place spot, cheers erupted from the stands.
“How is that guy so fast!?”
“Was he in the track club?”
“I thought he was a study bug…”
Of course, thinking that being faster than the girls of this world might cause troublesome aftermath, I moderately controlled my pace while running.
Even so, I was faster than the other male students.
The male student from Choyeon High shouted when I snatched 2nd place from him.
“Being fast at running too is cheating~!”
As I neared the finish line, I saw Kim Noeul’s ecstatic expression, and Seo Yoon’s face looking surprised at me.
‘Kim Noeul, you’re not human if you lose this.’
I handed the baton to Kim Noeul.
Kim Noeul ran off without looking back.
Her long hair fluttered in the wind.
After I handed her the baton, about 2 seconds later, Seo Yoon also received her baton and started.
Seo Yoon chased Kim Noeul with large strides.
“Seo Yoon, run!”
“Good!”
“The gap is shrinking little by little!”
The distance between Kim Noeul and Seo Yoon sometimes decreased, sometimes increased.
Considering the physique difference, Kim Noeul was running extremely well.
Ultimately, Seo Yoon couldn’t overtake and crossed the finish line in 3rd place.
Kim Noeul was 2nd.
“Haa….”
“Haa…”
I approached the heavily breathing Kim Noeul and handed her water.
“Good job.”
“Just run like that on the day of the sports festival too.”
“Thanks.”
“But you’re incredibly fast?”
“I ran hard because I thought you might lose, but there was no need.”
Seo Yoon, catching her breath near us, glared at us with a dark expression.
She particularly seemed to regard me as a person of interest, her gaze fixed on me.
“It was a good match.”
When Kim Noeul said a word to Seo Yoon, Seo Yoon bit her lip.
“I heard you’re participating in basketball.”
Seo Yoon continued speaking towards Kim Noeul.
“That will be different.”
The basketball qualifiers are tomorrow.
Since I can’t follow along, I’ll have to hear the results after the qualifiers end.
In the three-legged race held after the relay, Kim Noeul and I also advanced to the main competition without issue.
Our first goal was achieved.
Having finished our tasks, we returned to the bus.
Han Doa was already sitting in the seat she occupied earlier, sitting upright and using her phone.
Spotting us, Han Doa put her phone in her skirt pocket.
“How did it go?”
“What about you, Senior?”
Han Doa sighed when Kim Noeul asked back.
“I asked first, but….”
“Anyway, I advanced to the main competition.”
“We also participate in the main competition for both the relay and the three-legged race.”
“It would have been fine to drop out of the three-legged race though.”
“What did you say?”
“I didn’t say anything.”
Han Doa, feigning innocence at Kim Noeul’s question, said she was tired and closed her eyes.
And she quickly fell asleep.
Even her sleeping posture was perfectly straight.
“Are you confident about basketball tomorrow?”
Kim Noeul immediately answered my question.
“I need to firmly secure the victory.”
“I have no intention of being careless just because I won the relay race.”
Actually, since the relay race has higher points, losing in basketball isn’t a huge loss, but winning if possible was better.
“Okay.”
“I’ll look forward to it.”
Having spoken, I also closed my eyes like Han Doa.
Running two races in one day was tiring.
And the next day, after school, a message came to my phone.
[Gu Miho: Sunbae-nim, did you see this?]
[Gu Miho: (Hakdo Gallery Link)]
I touched the Hakdo gallery post and entered the website.
Reading the title of the post, my mind went hazy.
-Haneul High basketball team advances to the main competition with 2nd place result. 1st place is Choyeon High!
[Me: What is this]
[Gu Miho: Senior Noeul aimed for a buzzer-beater, but a Choyeon High student who slipped on the floor accidentally hit Senior Noeul’s leg]
[Gu Miho: Because of that, the 3-point shot failed, and they ultimately lost by 2 points…]
[Me: Isn’t that a foul?]
[Didn’t they give her a chance?]
[Gu Miho: It was a bit ambiguous, but in the end, the referee just ended the game]
It didn’t matter since they advanced to the main competition anyway, but I felt uneasy for some reason.