Even though he had drifted away from the reasons he originally wanted to claim Choi Jingi, he still found himself wanting him.
He didn’t quite know what that emotion was yet. For now, he just had to keep him close.
Jingi sent a message as he headed down the stairs. If it was about yesterday, it was probably regarding the police report, right? Maybe a message saying it was handled well.
”[I’m heading out now.]”
”[O: Come toward the fountain~ ^^]”
‘Thank god he’s calling me to a place with shade,’ Jingi sighed. On a hot day like this, standing under the blazing sun to talk was the last thing he wanted.
As he turned left toward the fountain, he saw the basketball team running laps around the playground. They were all tall as poles, but Go Yeol stood out instantly. Among the others who looked like roughly sketched drawings, he alone seemed to possess vibrant color.
As he stared, their eyes met. Go Yeol acknowledged him with a barely perceptible lift of an eyebrow. Jingi gave an awkward smile and waved, feeling like a schoolgirl fan cheering for an athlete.
Girl group music blasted from the speakers installed around the school, and students playing soccer in the center of the field often wiggled their hips to the dance moves. Then, as soon as the ball flew their way, they’d sprint to make a pass, and if they missed a goal, several of them would wave their arms and shout at each other.
It looked fun. ‘I heard Choi Jingi used to play soccer too. Maybe it wouldn’t be bad if I tried it?’
The students’ faces were so full of joy that it made him think so. Running and passing the ball as if liberated from everything, chatting with friends—it was a good sight. Jingi wiped a bit of sweat from his forehead and sighed.
Just as memories of his past life were about to surface, someone called out to him loudly.
“Ah, Jingi! Over here!”
He turned his head to see Hyeon-je ‘seonbae’. Sitting on a bench slightly away from the fountain, he waved welcomingly. Jingi bowed his head politely, feeling a bit nervous. And in that instant, the older boy’s face twisted into a scowl.
The ‘seonbae’ jumped up from his seat and sprinted over, waving his arms frantically. He opened his mouth and shouted something, but it couldn’t be heard. By then, his body was already tipping forward. ‘Ding, ding, ding.’ His head spun. Something had slammed into the back of his head with immense force.
His entire body stiffened as if momentarily paralyzed. His legs buckled, and his vision turned yellow. His limbs began to ache with a prickling sensation. Shouts asking if he was okay echoed loudly. He couldn’t move a muscle, as if all his senses were numb.
“Hey, hey! You okay?”
Then, a familiar pair of hands quickly scooped Jingi up. They were large and firm. Jingi tilted his head into the familiar yet strange embrace and fainted.
‘So the saying that the sky turns yellow right before you faint is true.’
Jingi stared blankly at the white ceiling, lost in trivial thoughts. Turning his head to the side, he saw someone sitting in a chair with their head bowed low. With soft-looking light blonde hair, Jingi soon realized it was Hyeon-je ‘seonbae’.
“Ah, fuck…”
As he sat up, a long ringing echoed in his ears. Gently rolling his palm over the back of his head, he felt a lump. Jingi let out a small curse, find it absurd. ‘These crazy bastards. Even if it’s a novel, hitting the protagonist in the head…’
“Are you awake? How’s your head?”
Hyeon-je, who he thought was sleeping, was already checking on him. As he pushed his shoulder-length hair back, his dark eyebrows were revealed. Seeing the worried look in his eyes, Jingi blinked a few times and pressed down on his throbbing head.
“…Yes. I’m okay. Except for being a bit dizzy. …But what hit me?”
“You got hit by a soccer ball.”
To think a guy with a 180cm frame collapsed from being hit by a soccer ball. He would have understood if it were his body from his past life, but the sturdy arms and legs he could see now didn’t suit fainting at all. He had collapsed like the protagonist of a romance manga. How ridiculous.
“And the school nurse said it looks like you have heat exhaustion too.”
“Heat exhaustion?”
“Yeah. Is it really that hot?”
Scratching his cheek, the ‘seonbae’ stood up and sat on the edge of the bed. Startled by the sudden proximity, Jingi pulled back. He fidgeted with the edge of the blanket and looked up at him. He’d noticed it yesterday too, but the guy was massive, fitting his exotic looks. He was likely around the same height as Go Yeol.
As he stared, he felt a sense of familiarity. Those exotic, unfamiliar features reminded him of someone.
“Um, about yesterday…”
“It was handled well, don’t worry. Turns out he’d been caught a few times before. You won’t be seeing him around here anymore.”
Jingi hesitated then nodded. Since it wasn’t something he had personally experienced, he didn’t feel particularly moved, happy, or angry.
“Thank you. For yesterday, and… for bringing me here…”
“Oh? No, no. The person who carried you here on his back was someone else. He seemed to be your friend. The most handsome guy on the basketball team.”
“Ah.”
The familiar embrace had been Go Yeol’s. It seemed he had sprinted over in the middle of his laps. ‘I should thank him later,’ Jingi thought as he moistened his dry lips. Then, the ‘seonbae’ handed him a paper cup from the nightstand.
“Here, water. And did you not save my number?”
“Ah, that… no.”
“Meeting like this is fate, so save it, you rascal. I was so flustered when I called and you asked who I was.”
Since the other person had been the one to help, Jingi nodded apologetically and replied with a soft, “Okay.” Then, the guy called him once more. Feeling the vibration in his pocket, Jingi pulled out his phone, and the ‘seonbae’ gestured with his chin for him to save the number.
“By any chance, is your last name…”
“Ju. It’s Ju Hyeon-je.”
“Ah, y-yes.”
‘Ju Hyeon-je seonbae.’ His hesitant fingers moved quickly to type the name, but it felt as if something had suddenly struck his mind. Staring at the name, it felt like it was right on the tip of his tongue.
‘Who is it? Ju Hyeon-je. Ju Hyeon-je.’ No matter how many times he looked at it, he could only recall that it was familiar. Was he a supporting character from the original work, or someone who appeared in the latter half? He had skimmed through the latter half, so he couldn’t remember clearly. In truth, even if he read a novel from start to finish, his poor brain would often forget the protagonist’s name, so the fact that he’d remembered this much was a miracle.
It was likely thanks to his efforts to read thoroughly because Kim Hyeyeon had even sent him a chicken gift icon, begging him to read it. Jingi bit the inside of his lip and saved the number, figured it would come to him eventually.
“I’ll head to class then. You lie down a bit longer before you go. The nurse is out for a bit, too.”
“Ah, yes!”
As Ju Hyeon-je stood up, his hair flowed forward over his neck. A blonde bob. It was the kind of hair only an actor could pull off. As expected, as long as you have the face, the hair doesn’t matter; the long hair suited him perfectly. Jingi tried to get up from the bed but was pushed back down by the older boy’s hand.
“Stay seated. You’re the one who fainted.”
“Ah, no. It was just a bit of heat exhaustion. And you came here even though you’re busy.”
“It’s fine. I’m good at studying. It’s okay even if I skip all my classes.”
‘That wasn’t really my concern…’
With a confident smirk, Ju Hyeon-je patted Jingi’s shoulder. Having somehow ended up trapped within the space of the older boy’s arms, Jingi looked up from within his shadow before nodding and lowering his gaze.
“Just forget about what happened and move on. It might keep coming to mind, but I know someone who can handle it properly, so it’ll be okay.”
“No, it’s fine. I don’t really mind.”
“Your house is close, so walk whenever possible. Got it?”
“Yes…”
Ju Hyeon-je gave Jingi’s hair a final playful ruffle before pulling back the curtain and leaving the infirmary. Only once the sound of the door closing echoed did Jingi finally breathe.
“Sigh…”
He slid down and hid under the covers.
‘Fainting after getting hit by a ball even with heat exhaustion, crazy. I’m not some shoujo manga protagonist. I thought this body was in good shape, but I guess not? Do I need to exercise?’
He squeezed his arms under the blanket, but the muscles were firm. There wasn’t a bit of fat on his stomach either.
‘I really hate exercising. Seriously. I hate sweating. But then again, I hate being a weakling who collapses like this. I don’t want to live discouraged like I did in my past life.’
Jingi weighed the dread of sweating through exercise against his health, but no answer came. He hated both. In the end, he just curled up, wrapped in the blanket. The air conditioning was strong, making him feel a bit chilly.
He closed his eyes, thinking he’d sleep a bit more, but it was noisy outside the infirmary. He hadn’t heard a bell, but it seemed to be break time.
There were two voices outside, biting at each other in low tones as if arguing. Distracted by the sound, Jingi turned toward the door and blinked blankly.
One of the voices was particularly familiar. They weren’t swearing or fighting physically. The reason it felt like an argument despite their calm exchange was likely due to the tone of their voices.
“Ah, I can’t fall asleep…”
