Strategic Mating Partner chapter 2

“Is this really the right thing to do…?”

Upon arriving at a neat business hotel on the outskirts of Seoul, Taehyun parked his car and gripped the steering wheel tightly, lost in deep thought.

‘Should I call and cancel, saying I can’t do this?’

He’d already picked up and put down his phone five times, and now the time for the meeting was quickly approaching.

[Sung Taehyun, twenty-eight years old, a national Taekwondo athlete.]

[An elite player about to enter the training center, now stuck in the underground parking lot of a business hotel, unable to make a decision, all due to a bit of a backstory.]

[Will Taekwondo star Sung Taehyun succeed in his quest for Olympic gold this time?]

[Asian Games Taekwondo gold medalist Sung Taehyun: Confident in his Olympic challenge.]

[Sports entertainment star Kim Sia, Sung Taehyun, and Park Sehee set out to challenge for Olympic gold.]

[Taekwondo national team member Sung Taehyun: His third Olympic challenge. Can he avenge his past?]

With the Olympics less than six months away, daily news articles about Taehyun’s chances of winning gold were flooding in.

Would Sung Taehyun finally succeed in capturing the gold medal this time?

The relentless attention that had followed him for the past eight years was both a source of gratitude and a suffocating burden.

At twenty, Taehyun had made his Olympic debut at the perfect age—neither too young nor too experienced.

Discovered at an early age by an excellent coach, he quickly entered the elite path, building a strong physique early on and accumulating numerous international awards before the Olympics even began.

His skills, combined with his handsome appearance and cheerful, down-to-earth attitude, made him more popular than any idol debuting that year.

On top of that, he became the nation’s sweetheart after being the victim of a highly controversial and chaotic bad call in his first Olympics, drawing widespread support and encouragement.

The attention and spotlight that poured in after the Olympics could have overwhelmed an ordinary athlete, but Taehyun navigated his newfound fame with a friendly and humble demeanor.

When he finally overcame the injustice and swept most international competitions the following year, culminating in an Asian Games gold medal, the entire nation celebrated as if it were their personal victory.

Moreover, the sports entertainment landscape had already been paved by senior athletes, allowing Taehyun to appear as a guest on ten different shows that year alone.

With endorsements and sponsorships pouring in, Taehyun firmly established himself as one of Korea’s top sports stars.

The weight of the crown is heavy, and one must struggle to bear it, so not all of the attention led to good things.

But Taehyun didn’t mind being loved by the public.

Who wouldn’t like a structure where showing your hard work and rewarding the support with your skills brings you wealth and fame?

Four years after the bitter experience of his first Olympics, Taehyun was once again stepping onto the Olympic stage.

But things don’t always go as planned.

The injury from the previous tournament worsened during the preliminaries, leading to a serious injury that required a long rehabilitation period.

After a year of struggling to walk due to post-surgery complications and focusing solely on rehabilitation, he recovered enough to participate in domestic competitions two years later and finally secured a spot for his third Olympics.

However, the series of unfortunate events left Taehyun with shattered confidence.

“He’s done it twice already, but isn’t it embarrassing to hog a spot in a sport that doesn’t even get far, without winning a medal for eight years? LOL”

“Isn’t it unfair for someone who hasn’t won a medal to compete in three consecutive Olympics? Shouldn’t he think about his juniors, instead of clinging on for so long? The federation must have his back. After all, he’s the poster boy, so they can’t afford not to support him.”

“Popularity, popularity, popularity, popularity, popularity, popularity, popularity, popularity.”

“If medals were won based on popularity, he would’ve won gold ages ago LOL.”

“Isn’t it embarrassing for an athlete to live off his looks? LOL We can see how shallow his fans are, turning him into a real athlete LOL.”

Most people viewed Taehyun as a handsome athlete who had been wronged out of a medal and struggled with injuries but ultimately overcame them.

However, as his third Olympic appearance was confirmed, different opinions began to surface.

Despite Taehyun’s skills being proven in numerous competitions, his lack of results on the grand stage of the Olympics led to speculation about corruption within the federation.

Despite the rumors, Taehyun remained the most beloved male sports star in South Korea.

“I really can’t afford to fail this time.”

That was why the pressure weighed so heavily on him.

He had to win a medal this time, not just to avoid disappointing those who believed in him, but to meet the expectations that had been placed on him.

He had to achieve the results that the entire nation hoped for.

But how?

Apart from his appearances on variety shows, Taehyun had devoted all of his remaining time to training with unwavering diligence.

He had never slacked off in maintaining his weight for his weight class or in basic training.

In fact, the left ankle that had barely recovered from the injury needed to be used sparingly to maintain his condition, so there was nothing more he could do.

The pressure mounted, and with this being his final opportunity both physically and publicly, Taehyun was willing to grasp at straws as long as it wasn’t illegal.

The agency’s suggestion wasn’t illegal, but it made Taehyun uneasy.

“I never wanted to go this far…”

Of course, if it worked, it would be great.

But Taehyun didn’t want to do anything he couldn’t proudly stand by, and his mind was in turmoil, wavering countless times a day.

Even if he did it, would it make a difference?

But then, he’d think, now isn’t the time to be picky, and anxiety would surge again.

Why did I have to be born with this kind of disposition?

He resented his constitution, which had never been helpful in his life, but nothing changed.

After all that turmoil, Taehyun was once again sitting in his car in the hotel parking lot, wrestling with his thoughts. It wouldn’t be polite to just turn around and leave.

‘Maybe I’ll just meet them and leave after apologizing, saying it’s not right.’

Apologizing face-to-face seemed like the least he could do for someone he didn’t even know.

‘Yeah, I’ll just apologize and leave.’

But when Taehyun finally went up to the room and saw the person waiting for him in the room he was given, he was at a loss for words.

“What’s this? Is this some kind of hidden camera experiment?”

Four years ago, the person sitting before him had been an extremely prickly eighteen-year-old kid.

Now, he had grown into a much more polished figure.

“……”

Taehyun tried hard to ignore the king-sized bed occupying the center of the room and instead sat on the edge of the sofa, staring at the floor.

He thought to himself, ‘I really should’ve kept my mouth shut.’

He had often advised his juniors, “You never know how life will turn out, so treat those around you well.”

Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that advice would come back to haunt him like this.

“……”

What’s with this atmosphere?

Taehyun found the silence that had persisted in the hotel room for over ten minutes suffocatingly awkward.

‘Should I say something?’

But what could he say in this situation?

No matter what he did, it would only add to the awkwardness, so the silence continued.

Still, they couldn’t just waste time like this.

It would be better to get it over with quickly, like ripping off a band-aid.

Unable to stand the stillness, Taehyun finally decided to act, shutting his eyes tightly and making a desperate move to escape the situation.

“Um… I’m sorry if I’ve disappointed you. I know you might have expected something, but it seems like we’re both uncomfortable just sitting here like this. Can I leave now?”

Awkwardly scratching the back of his head, Taehyun stood up, knowing that making small talk like “It’s been a while” wouldn’t help anything.

At that moment, the transparent gaze that had been fixated on the floor suddenly shifted to Taehyun’s face.

Flinching, Taehyun internally broke out in cold sweat as he noticed the clearly displeased expression on the other’s face.

The person in front of Taehyun was a fellow athlete, six years his junior, who, although in a different sport, was also training as a national team member.

Taehyun had once helped him out in his own way.

‘Yeah, I bet this situation is just as unpleasant for you, huh?’

Taehyun suppressed another long sigh, avoiding their gaze.