"What! You always made something like the Mona Lisa, when did you practice that? We got a perfect score! Look at the points! We beat the White Team, huh?"
As they returned with an unprecedented perfect score, a gleeful Haewoon hugged Sihyun. His face, which had been filled with joy since the score reversed in favor of the White Team after he fell off the balance beam, was incredibly happy.
On the way back to their seats, Sihyun, who had already been accosted by several people, took on Haewoon's antics without complaint. Whether Haewoon clung to him, jumped, or leaned on his shoulder, watching the game regardless, a helping hand reached out from behind.
Geonu, who continued to stick to Haewoon, handed Sihyun a chocolate bar. As he began to eat it, the real Haewoon watched the game. It was like a master and his tamed beast.
Expressing his gratitude to Geonu with a nod, Sihyun quietly admired Seowoo's performance as she nobly painted with platinum paint. Being glamorous herself, it was impossible not to look at her splendid performance.
He thought she would also receive a pretty high score, but fortunately, the performance victory went to the Green Team. Haewoon's exuberance subsided as he calmed down and inadvertently scanned the audience, spotting Haehyuk rising from his seat. While looking at him, he also noticed a man wearing sunglasses, who was looking at Haehyuk just like him.
With hair that could be called blue or even purple, it was a dark-haired man wearing sunglasses. He seemed to be observing him for some reason, but before Sihyun could figure it out, the teacher's voice calling his name came from below. It was a reminder to prepare for track and field now that the individual events were almost over.
Since the 100m sprint marked the beginning of track and field, Sihyun, who had loosened up his body, stood behind the white starting line, following the guidance of the teachers. Considering that the school gathered only those with exceptional stamina, he didn't even aspire to be in the top ranks.
He just wanted to avoid falling clumsily. Bang! With the gunshot, the children from Group 3 all dashed forward simultaneously.
"Congratulations on first place!"
"..."
Thinking only of not falling while running, he suddenly found a first-place stamp on the back of his hand amidst the waves. It was a record that was two seconds faster than the second place. Listening to the cheers of the children, Sihyun, with a bewildered expression, accepted the stamp marked with '1'. Being in Class A, he didn't think of himself as particularly fast, but it seemed that his track and field physique hadn't completely disappeared.
"Kang Sihyun!"
Since he had to participate in the semi-finals after winning first place in the first round, he sat in the corner of the field waiting in line when someone called out my name.
"Senior Jaei?"
As he turned his head to check, Jaei, who was smiling brightly, appeared. Since he had never seen him run, Sihyun guessed that he was probably in Group 4 or 5 behind him, so he waved along with him. It was just a greeting, but for some reason, Jaei, who approached, apologized to the people sitting in front and began to talk to him. Swept up in the conversation with him, Sihyun was able to pass the waiting time without boredom, thanks to Jaei, who told him all sorts of interesting stories, starting with performance talk.
"Please warm up and get ready for the semi-finals."
Finally, the semi-finals, where only the winners of each group ran, had begun after finishing the last round. In this race, where the participants were divided into halves to run, only one out of the four who placed within the top two could advance to the finals.
With curiosity whether he could once again take first place, Sihyun began the race, and amidst the competitive spirit among the eight contestants, he triumphed in first place. The number '1' was stamped on his left hand as well, just like on his right. He had no more hands left.
When Jaei, who came in second in the second group, asked where to stamp his victory mark for the finals, he was surprised to hear that they would receive medals this time.
"But we didn't get medals for the performance either?"
"It's just a medal for formality. It's not real gold or anything. It's more for distinction and honor."
"Ah."
He sighed briefly, feeling like he understood the meaning, and thoroughly stretched his body during the remaining five-minute break. Despite his initial mindset of not aiming for the top ranks, he ended up winning in the finals.
"I did it..."
Although running was like poison to him, living as Kang Sihyun led to experiences like this. With the glorious first-place medal hanging around his neck, as he tried to leave, the teachers stopped the students. According to what he heard, they had to sit on the first floor rather than the second from now on because of the obstacle course race.
The teachers, who explained that there would be no danger now that both ball games and performance competitions were over, seated the children in chairs inside the tent set up outside the stadium. Heading back to the seats for Class A of the Green Team, Sihyun came face to face with Down, who was in the adjacent tent.
After confirming the medal hanging around Sihyun's neck, Down made a subtle expression before smiling faintly. Thanking him for the compliment, Sihyun turned his head quickly after glancing at Down's phone screen.
After responding with thanks, he moved to his seat. Even though he had decided to toughen up, he couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed smiling in front of Down, who had been watching Kang Sihyun's track and field competition.
"What happened?"
"It's nothing."
Answering Hamin's question, who noticed even the slightest change in expression, he checked the schedule. Since the next race was the obstacle course race, when Hamin jokingly told him to do well and come back, he chuckled and grabbed Sihyun's medal.
"I'll bring back the same thing, so watch out."
"Don't be so flashy."
"Don't people usually cheer in these situations?"
"You just did."
"You really..."
"Do well and come back."
Seeing him about to raise his voice, Sihyun quickly shook his hand, and Hamin, with a stern expression, grabbed Sihyun's cheek. It felt like he was exerting more force than usual, making his cheek tingle. Although he had been enduring it for three seconds for a past misdeed, after the three seconds passed, he quickly raised his nails over Hamin's back of the hand. The effect was immediate.
"Ow! Didn't I tell you not to do that?"
"Who asked you to pull my cheek? Go quickly. They're calling you."
As the teacher, who was calling out the participants for the obstacle course race one by one, called out Hamin's name and gestured, Haewoon, who was beside him, shrugged his shoulders at Hamin's annoyed expression.
"Min is a fool. Why does he always challenge when he knows he can't win?"
"Hey, do I look like I can't beat him? I'm just letting him win... as a favor."
"Is there a student named Hamin Lee?"
"They're calling you. Are you not going to run?"
Worried that he might be disqualified if he was any later, Sihyun pushed his back, reluctantly watching as Hamin moved away with a small smile.
Lately, thanks to Haewoon's teasing, he had been losing to himself often. Knowing that it was more of a feeling of letting him win, he decided to enjoy playing around with whimsical favors. Of course, he was trying to control himself so as not to overdo it like a teenager going through puberty.
As I wondered how long his attention toward me would last, the obstacle race for first-year students began. There were hurdles to jump over, ropes to climb, and even trampolines. Finally, there were teachers holding baskets filled with white papers.
As I chuckled, suspecting what it might be, Haewoon, who was beside me, insisted on seeing it together, saying it was amusing. Pushing him away, who had no idea of my mood, I observed the first group of athletes running. Amidst the shock of watching those who jumped over the trampoline land first, they arrived at the teachers holding the baskets.
Observing them check the contents written on each paper and then look towards the first-floor seats, Sihyun nodded. It seemed that his idea of the final obstacle was correct.
Children holding notes slipped in among the students watching the race and roamed around. There were instances where they silently approached and took the hands of certain students before leaving. Seeing the excitement building up around them, it was clear that these moments were significant.
The highlight of the obstacle race, finding partners.
According to the instructions on the notes, it was a system where participants ran with someone who met the criteria. If there were words like "someone you like" written on the note, it could indirectly be a confession, making it an exciting event to watch.
This system, which had come out numerous times at Inso, had also made its appearance in the Catastrophe Class. Watching the players who had infiltrated the stands each run with someone in tow was refreshing. As they watched them cross the finish line, contemplating what might be written on the notes, it was the turn of the second group after the first group's race ended. As three members from each team, the White and Green teams, began, he sat down, recognizing familiar faces.
His gaze wandered towards the tent where Down was supposed to be.
Although he knew it was unlikely, if a note like "someone you like" appeared, it was highly probable that it would go to Down.
With a mixed feeling of excitement and awkwardness, he looked at Haru, Seowoo, and Hamin, who were standing at the starting line. With the participation of the most famous individuals from the first year, the cheers from the spectators and students watching increased.
Listening to the unified shouts of support for Hamin, who represented the Green Team, Sihyun finally forgot about the noise and focused on the race when the starting gun sounded.
The speeds of the three were similar. While other children fell behind, these three passed through the obstacles at an astonishingly consistent pace. He had thought Seowoo might be the slowest among them, but it didn't seem so.
As Hamin took the lead at times and Haru surged ahead at others, the three ran evenly. They arrived at the teachers holding the baskets faster than the previous team. Watching the students eagerly anticipate their chosen notes was amusing.
As he glanced around to confirm the reactions, suddenly, cheers erupted louder, and Sihyun, who turned to look, blinked at the sight of three students from Class A running towards him with notes in hand.
...It couldn't be.
Even as he thought so, a sense of unease crept over him, and Sihyun subtly leaned back in his chair, his gaze gradually focusing on the approaching faces.
Seowoo, Hamin, and Haru.
The three central figures of this race were running towards him as if they had made some kind of promise.
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