Chapter 178: Joy (15) |
“What are you guys even doing!? Get it together! This isn't the place to space out!"
“You all must be seriously exhausted lately. What's been going on in your lives?"
“At this rate, they might just collapse before the sports day even kicks off."
My vision was blurry and unfocused as I caught glimpses of Joon-Hwan's hands waving in front of my eyes, trying to snap me back to reality. Despite my friends' concerned comments, it took me a moment to gather my wits and sharpen my gaze with a determined grunt.
“Hya!"
“It looks like Hyun-Woo's spirit has made a comeback."
“I’ve been out of it since the music video shoot. How have you guys been?" I asked. The trio then started sharing snippets of their week's adventures.
“Hey, would you mind giving me an autograph later?"
“An autograph?" I asked.
Goh Yoo-Joon was still battling the remnants of fatigue, listening quietly to our exchange.
Now that I thought about it, back in school, Yoo-Joon would often arrive in a similar daze during exam periods. However, he'd be back to his usual energetic self by lunchtime, just as I expected him to be today.
Drrr-
“Time to head back to your seats, everyone." The classroom door swung open, and Kun-Ho stepped in. His attire was more casual in sportswear compared to last week's formal getup.
“As mentioned in the newsletter last week, today is the day for Memory High's sports day."
“Yay!" Cheers filled the room, and the excitement was palpable. Despite being part of a broadcast, the classes we attended felt genuine. It seemed that even those who joined out of a longing for school life preferred playtime over lessons.
“Some of you have individual missions today. Please make sure to support those carrying out their tasks."
“Okay!"
“Alright, change into your gym outfits and meet in the auditorium by ten o'clock." After saying what he needed to say, Kun-Ho exited the classroom.
As soon as he left, the buzz of speculation about who had received missions for the day started. The front row's commotion suggested that this time, the mission recipients were among that group.
“Let's go change into our gym clothes. Come on, snap out of it, buddy." I gently tugged at Yoo-Joon, who was still somewhat dazed. Then, we both stood up.
“Ah, I'm awake. Ugh!" Goh Yoo-Joon stretched his arms and took charge like a true class president, ushering everyone to the changing room.
I lingered behind to lock the classroom door when he appeared, never missing a day to show his face.
“Hey, guys. Let's head to the changing room together," said On Ki-Hoon.
This time, I responded with a warm smile and a nod without any of the initial awkwardness. “Sure, let's go together."
I was still unsure about who I needed to keep an eye on. Ki-Hoon's actions might seem odd to everyone, but he hadn't done anything wrong. Therefore, avoiding him without a reason felt unjust, especially since Yoo-Joon and I had discussed how to interact with him and the rude student whose name we hadn't yet learned during our commute home last week.
“What's your name?" Daniele asked while looking at Ki-Hoon.
“I'm Ki-Hoon. Looking forward to getting to know you, Daniele."
And so, the six of us made our way to the changing room.
“Hyun-Woo, have you lost weight?"
“Oh? Yeah, a bit, I guess."
“Yoo-Joon, you too. Must be tough with all the preparations."
Yoo-Joon stretched and loosened his tight muscles. After that, he shook his head. “It's always tough, but I'm used to it now."
Then he turned, signaling Joon-Hwan and Hee-Su to hurry. “Why are you guys hanging back? Come on, hurry up."
“Okay, coming."
I hadn't noticed until Yoo-Joon pointed it out, but Ki-Hoon had subtly positioned himself to block Joon-Hwan and Hee-Su from joining us. Daniele was right beside us, but the other two naturally fell behind due to the obstruction.
Impressively, Yoo-Joon caught on and paused, so Joon-Hwan and Hee-Su eventually caught up, and only then did Ki-Hoon make room for them and resume his conversation. Ki-Hoon asked, “Wasn't waking up this morning tough?"
Shrugging, Yoo-Joon answered, “It's hard, but it's nothing compared to the days when I went to school. If anything, Hyun-Woo here has a much tougher time."
I nodded in agreement with Yoo-Joon's statement and turned to Joon-Hwan and Hee-Su, asking, “Weren’t you guys tired of commuting to school? Isn’t your home far away?”
“Yeah, it’s really far.”
“How long does it take?”
“About two hours by bus?”
Hee-Su’s response had Daniele gasping in shock. “Whoa! Seriously! If you are spending that long on the bus, you'd better catch some sleep during the ride!"
Yoo-Joon and I continued tossing questions to Hee-Su and Joon-Hwan until we reached the changing room. Inside, we spotted a student fiddling with his phone, not yet headed to the field. It was the guy who had a confrontation with us last week.
He noticed our arrival and hesitated for a moment before pocketing his phone and looking our way. We merely glanced at him before entering the changing room to get dressed. Just like before, our conversation flowed uninterrupted. However, he didn't pick a fight like last time. Instead, he left the changing room without saying a word. It was almost as if he was wary of us, his sharp gaze seeming to gauge our reactions.
***
After engaging in a lively discussion in the changing room, we made our way to the auditorium. In the midst of frosty January, our breaths formed visible clouds in the air inside.
Huddled together, we attempted to stave off the chill with conversations about the cold. Then, Kun-Ho and the PE teacher entered, each with a whistle around their neck.
"Let's get on our feet, everyone. Form up into six lines, please," Kun-Ho instructed, taking their positions in front of us students.
We all found our spots immediately, arranging ourselves into six orderly lines in proximity to one another. The PE teacher then observed the group and took his stand between the third and fourth rows. “I will be dividing you into teams from where I stand. Those in rows three and four, could you space out a bit more?"
The students in rows three and four moved to create some distance between them with a casual stride, and the rest of us adjusted accordingly, ensuring everyone was evenly spaced.
“Rows one to three will form Team A, and rows four to six, Team B."
Yoo-Joon and I found ourselves in the first and second rows, marking us as members of Team A.
“Let's be mindful not to get hurt, alright? Shall we begin?"
“Yes!"
“We will start with some stretching exercises."
My resolve for the warm-up was unparalleled. Ever since Yoo-Joon teased me about my flexibility last week, I had been intensifying my stretching routines during practice. It was time to demonstrate my enhanced flexibility and the resilience of my almost-healed back.
“Follow along with me, starting with the neck. To the right. Now to the left…"
We stretched from the neck to the shoulders, down to the waist, and finally to the legs, following a seamless top-to-bottom sequence. The PE teacher then took us through a more demanding stretch and bent forward to touch our toes.
“Try to bend as far as you can without bending the knees."
My fingertips managed to graze my calves. “Ugh."
“Now, gently rise and stretch backward."
Immediately, a collective sigh escaped from the students.
The teacher chuckled lightly and then suggested we pair up for the next set of stretches. “Pair up for this next part."
Yoo-Joon sauntered over with a teasing glint in his eye. “Hey there, Mr. 'I-Don't-Do-Flexibility-Training' Suh Hyun-Woo."
“Look who's talking. If people didn’t know any better, they’d think you were a yoga master."
“Better than you, at least~"
“Nope, not really."
“One person will sit and spread their legs as wide as they can, while the other helps by gently pressing down on your back."
Yoo-Joon gestured for me to sit. I complied and stretched my legs to my current maximum. If my record was once ninety-eight degrees down, today I pushed it to about one hundred and ten degrees.
Just as I was feeling proud, suddenly a significant weight bore down on my back. “Ow! Wait! Hold on a second! Get off!"
Yoo-Joon decided to sit on my back and leveraged his full weight. “Can't believe this is all you've got, even with me pushing down."
Yoo-Joon's laughter echoed in my ears. However, I was too focused on the pain to retort. My legs were stretched to their limit, and my face flushed with the effort. It was only when I finally gave in and collapsed sideways that Yoo-Joon relented.
“Now, let's switch roles. The one who was standing will sit, and vice versa." Prompted by the teacher's words, I quickly stood up and motioned for Yoo-Joon to take his turn sitting. He chuckled and shrugged nonchalantly before sitting down and spreading his legs.
He was surprisingly flexible, but I still smirked and returned the favor, pressing down on Goh Yoo-Joon's back with gusto. I said, “Ouch! Sorry, sorry! I genuinely didn't mean it!"
Yoo-Joon might have been more flexible than me, but he still found the stretch painful. It was evident from his loud protests.
I glanced around and wondered if we were being overly dramatic, but it seemed like everyone was in the same boat. We were all happily crushing our partners under our weight. What started as a warm-up had quickly turned into playful antics.
The PE teacher, somewhat bemused by our antics, blew his whistle to regain control. “Don't play around too much, you might get hurt! Properly warm up, everyone."
After a few more stretches, we concluded our warm-up session. As the teacher gathered us back into lines, Kun-Ho, who had been watching with a content smile, handed the teacher a large placard.
“Focus on the board, everyone. Today's sports day will proceed as follows."
1. Dodgeball
2. Charades[1]
3. Tug of War
4. Relay Race
5. Talent Show
6. Mafia Game
Among the six events, the ones fitting a traditional sports day were dodgeball, tug of war, and the relay race, and the rest resembled games you’d typically find on variety shows. Of particular importance to Yoo-Joon and I was the fifth event, the talent show. Not only would students showcase their prepared performances, but Chronos would unveil an unofficial new song there.
1. A word-guessing game where one player has to act out a word or action without speaking and other players have to guess what the action is. ☜
