* * *
Still, it wasn’t bad enough to stop the match.
It wasn’t broken, probably just a slight sprain.
After completing all his matches without further incident, Taehyun headed to the medical room, where he was greeted by the sight of his ankle, now red and swollen.
“The bone isn’t damaged. Let’s focus on reducing the swelling with some physical therapy for now.”
Thankfully, the swelling subsided by the next morning.
When he returned to the hospital for more therapy, the doctors assured him that it wasn’t a serious injury.
Taehyun felt relieved.
He’d had minor injuries before—like twisting his wrist after falling during an attack—but his legs, his primary weapon, had always been fine.
Now, he regretted not being more cautious.
He told himself he’d be more careful from now on.
But throughout the following training sessions, something continued to feel off.
“I keep having this strange tingling sensation….”
Then, in February, the situation escalated.
During a drill where he was supposed to deliver as many strikes as possible to a sandbag in a set time, the bag—secured loosely by its chain—suddenly toppled toward Taehyun.
If it had fallen on him directly, something would have broken for sure.
He dodged it in time, but as he landed again on his left foot, the pain in his ankle worsened.
At first, he thought it would go away after a few days of icing, but the pain lingered for a month.
In the end, he was prescribed a cast.
The cause was simple: overuse and stress applied in the wrong direction.
It was a common diagnosis for athletes.
And there was only one solution: stop using it.
The doctor recommended halting all training immediately, but Taehyun couldn’t.
“Doctor, it’s not that I want to ignore your advice, but the Olympics are less than a year away. I can’t rest now.”
So, despite wearing the cast, Taehyun continued to train as best he could, determined not to lose his edge.
A month later, however, the persistent pain led to an extreme measure: a two-week ban on all training.
“……”
Given the choice between resting now or on the day of the Olympics, the former was obviously the better option.
But with barely 100 days left until the Games, this felt like a disaster.
As Taehyun packed up, sighing deeply, his manager was on the phone with a superior, discussing the situation.
“……”
Taehyun waited with the guilt of a sinner as the manager finished his call.
What words of comfort could he offer when there was nothing he could do?
Telling himself not to worry or promising to win a medal when he recovered felt impossible.
After what felt like forever, the manager returned, looking somber.
“I talked it over with the director. It’s best for you to rest for now. Let us know if the pain gets worse. And don’t worry about coming into the center. Just take it easy.”
The manager’s expression was as dark as Taehyun’s mood.
He’d been responsible for Taehyun’s condition up to this point, so the call couldn’t have ended on a happy note.
Taehyun stared down at his feet and apologized to Hoyong.
“I’m sorry. I should’ve been more careful….”
“No, what are you talking about? It’s not like you got hurt on purpose. Just think of this as a break and rest up. I’ll drive you home today.”
“…Okay.”
Taehyun nodded, his face downcast.
Even if it was supposed to be a “break,” it didn’t feel good.
Resting like this might be easier on his body, but his mind felt weighed down by guilt.
As they headed to the parking lot, both of them in low spirits, another heavy sigh escaped Taehyun.
“……”
What could he do now?
Staring out the window the entire drive, Taehyun finally recognized the familiar surroundings of his neighborhood and asked his manager for a favor.
“You can let me out up ahead. I’ll walk from there.”
But Hoyong immediately scolded him.
“What are you saying? You need to move as little as possible right now. I’ll drop you off right at your villa. No arguing.”
His firm tone left no room for protest.
Feeling both uncomfortable and apologetic, Taehyun arrived at his apartment.
As soon as Hoyong left, Taehyun sank into his gloomy mood.
He knew that beating himself up about it wouldn’t change anything, but the heavy guilt hanging over him wouldn’t go away.
“……”
“What do I do now? Should I just move back to my family’s place?”
Taehyun, who had rented a room near the training center since the end of last year, still wasn’t used to living alone.
He spent most of his days at the agency’s training facility anyway, so his place was just somewhere to sleep, and that had been fine.
But now, the thought of being stuck in this small room for the next two weeks was already making him feel suffocated.
‘…Should I invite some friends over?’
He hadn’t had a proper housewarming because he was so busy preparing for competitions, and his friends had complained about it.
But the problem was, most of Taehyun’s friends were also active athletes, preparing for the once-in-a-lifetime event that is the Olympics.
No one in their right mind would get distracted by a housewarming party during such an important time.
‘…Sigh.’
So, what should he do?
Having dedicated his life entirely to sports, Taehyun didn’t have any hobbies.
If he wasn’t hanging out with friends, he had no idea what to do by himself.
It would’ve been perfect if he could at least work out to pass the time, but that wasn’t possible, not even light walking.
With a heavy sigh, Taehyun limped to his bed, his casted foot making his movements awkward.
‘I’m already so bored.’
Being stuck in absolute rest for two whole weeks… his joints might rust at this rate.
As he was mulling over the idea of practicing some pull-ups just to move his body a bit, a message from his manager came in.
Manager:
Don’t even think about doing anything weird. Just rest at home.
4:12 PM
‘His instincts are always spot-on,’ Taehyun thought, dismissing his manager’s concerns as he approached the pull-up bar mounted in his doorframe.
This would be fine.
He could do it with just one foot.
Gripping the bar tightly, he lowered his shoulders and pulled his body up, but the sound of his phone ringing loudly startled him.
He let go and dropped back down before he had the chance to answer the call.
A missed call notification appeared on the screen, quickly followed by another message.
Manager:
I told you to rest!
4:16 PM
(angry emoji)
4:16 PM
Seeing the emoji of an ugly duck throwing a phone in a fit of rage made Taehyun burst out laughing.
‘Alright, alright. If that’s what you want so badly… I guess I can grant you this one wish.’
‘Though, I’m going to die of boredom at this rate.’
Taehyun had always been the mischievous type, filling his bucket list with things he wasn’t supposed to do.
He had toned it down since becoming an athlete, needing to set a good example for the younger students at his coach’s dojo, but his playful, active nature hadn’t gone anywhere.
Luckily, two days later, a small glimmer of hope came for restless Taehyun.
°❀•°❀°•❀°
[Why do you think the person I love is your son?]
[What are you talking about? I…]
[From the moment I entered this house, there’s only been one person I loved. Don’t you know who it is?]
[I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. You should leave now.]
[Mother!]
‘Wow… this drama is insane.’
On day two of his forced rest, Taehyun had already binge-watched three seasons of a notoriously dramatic series on a popular OTT platform while sipping on zero-calorie drinks, eyes glued to the screen.
°❀•°❀°•❀°
It’s not like he could invite his non-athlete friends over for good food or go out to sightsee.
Stuck at home, Taehyun found himself turning to TV dramas as the only thing to do.
Having dedicated so much of his life to training, he had barely interacted with media outside of occasionally managing his personal SNS.
Now, all these over-the-top shows were overwhelming him.
‘So, this is why people get obsessed with dramas.’
Taehyun recalled how some athletes would watch variety shows or dramas on screens while doing cardio.
Back then, he thought it seemed distracting, but now, he understood.
The endless flow of dramatic scenes was keeping him thoroughly entertained.
After who knows how long of binge-watching the latest season, Taehyun found himself nodding off during a scene where the husband, after discovering his wife’s true intentions, began plotting his revenge.
He drifted off into sleep, leaving the autoplay running.
But he was suddenly jolted awake by the buzzing of his phone.
“Huh…?”
Who could it be this time?
Probably one of his friends, trying to tease him about being stuck at home.
Taehyun groggily checked the screen, only to see his manager’s name flashing.
While it was true his manager didn’t fully trust him to stay out of trouble, a surprise call like this was unusual.
Pausing the show, Taehyun answered the phone.
“Hello, hyung? What’s up?”
Manager:
Hey, Taehyun. How’s your ankle? Feeling any better?
Glancing down at his ankle, Taehyun saw the cast holding it firmly in place.
It wasn’t painful as long as he didn’t put weight on it, but the confinement was making him restless.
“It’s the same as always. Since I’m not using it, there’s no pain.”
It was hard to say how things would turn out, like waiting for a coin to drop.
The uncertainty was making him anxious, which is partly why he had thrown himself into dramatic shows.
But there was no use rambling, so he kept it short.
Manager:
Well, like the doctor said, all you can do is wait and avoid using it. But is everything else okay? No issues living at home?
‘Is he trying to check if I’m really resting?’
Taehyun carefully considered his response.
Aside from not being able to walk much, his days were spent lying down, watching TV, and heating up pre-packaged meals, so there really wasn’t much discomfort.
“No, everything’s fine. I’m just watching TV all day, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
Feeling guilty for making his manager stress during such an important time, Taehyun wanted to reassure him.
But then, his manager said something that made him pause.
Manager:
You can still walk around the house, right? Don’t stay cooped up too much. You’ll feel trapped. Try to get some fresh air, even if it’s just going to the convenience store.
Taehyun blinked.
Was this a test?
If he agreed, would his manager yell at him for even thinking about going out?
Just as Taehyun was getting suspicious, his manager carefully introduced the real reason for his call.
Manager:
“So… I was wondering if you could help me out. You must be bored, right? Someone like you, always moving around, must be restless staying at home. Could you maybe do me a favor?”
“What? A favor?”
Taehyun couldn’t believe his ears.
‘Help someone out? In this condition?’
His curiosity piqued, he listened closely to what his manager had to say.
Manager:
You know Song Inkyung, right? The ex-badminton player, CEO, and your coach’s junior?
* * *
…
….