Why is everyone coming to me?
Their destinations couldn't have been me, but the three pairs of eyes were squarely fixed on me. Before I could properly grasp the situation, they simultaneously reached out to me. Kang Sihyun blinked as he saw the three differently shaped hands. He couldn't keep up with the unfolding events.
With a glance, Sihyun surveyed the notes Seowoo, Hamin, and Haru held. What could possibly be written there to make them all come after me? Unless the instructions on the notes were "Quadruple" or "Kang Sihyun," or something like "Healer Class Awakener," it was hard to comprehend.
As they took more than 10 seconds to decide, other players also arrived at the note basket, and the cheers grew louder. Sensing Hamin's impatience, Sihyun looked at him, who was wearing a dumber expression than usual, and furrowed his brows.
"Are you really hesitating? What team are you on?"
The annoyed tone brought him back to reality. Grasping Hamin's hand belatedly, he joined hands with the others and dashed to the finish line. Lacking in experience, Sihyun only glanced at his laughter, looking cheerful next to Hamin. If this world had skill windows, he would have been a max-level jester.
While he was running alongside Hamin because they were on the same team, it would be a lie to say that he wasn't concerned about the remaining two. Unsure of what they might be up to, he turned around, only to see a flustered Haru grabbing Haewoon's hand reluctantly. Seowoo was helping Geonu up. It seemed like all the White team members were choosing the Green team.
Turning back to face forward as they menacingly pursued, he sighed. Hamin, who glanced backward to check the situation, opened his mouth without even catching his breath.
"We're caught. Can you run a bit faster?"
"What? Faster here?"
He was already running fast enough, so Sihyun responded in disbelief. Seeing his reluctance, Hamin pointed out that they didn't know Ban Haru well enough, urging him to run faster. Despite being a short-distance runner and feeling his stamina waning, there was no time to hesitate.
Gripping Hamin's hand as if it were a lifeline, Sihyun stuck close. Even if he stumbled and fell, it would all be blamed on him.
Even if I embarrassingly stumble and fall, make sure you hold on tight.
He wanted to say that, but he was out of breath to speak. Assuming that Hamin would hold on well enough, he ran with a determined expression. Increasing his sprint speed, Hamin passed through the obstacles and sprinted all the way to the finish line.
Finally, the white finish line touched his abdomen. Cheers erupted, and Sihyun collapsed to the ground.
"Wow..."
Swallowing a long-forgotten curse, he lay on the grass. Two seconds later, Haru, who came in second, arrived, and Seowoo took third place. It was an astonishing physical ability that might have been overtaken if Hamin hadn't sped up, as he said.
Moreover, Haru was carrying Haewoon. Most likely, Haewoon, exhausted from running, complained and was carried. By now, Sihyun began to doubt if he was the same kind of person as him.
In fact, Haru might be the irregular, not him. While pondering such trivial thoughts, a hand that suddenly popped up blocked part of the blue sky from view. Gazing at the thick-fingered hand, Sihyun raised his eyes.
"Don't you know you shouldn't collapse right after running? Weren't you in the track team?"
"I don't know. I've never done track."
"What? Are you crazy?"
Kang Sihyun spoke eloquently. After spinning his head with a mix of jest and earnestness, he grabbed the outstretched hand and rose to his feet. From performing to running through obstacles, he had exhausted his energy.
As he stood up, grass sticking to him, Hamin grabbed Sihyun and brushed off the grass stuck to his body. Then he offered a water bottle, glancing between Haru and Seowoo with a sly grin, seeming quite satisfied with having cunningly clinched first place.
His breath somewhat restored, Sihyun drank water to quench his thirst. Watching the fifth and sixth runners fiercely compete, Sihyun suddenly had an idea and reached out to Hamin. Hesitating for a moment with a puzzled expression, Hamin finally placed his hand on top of Sihyun's.
"Why?"
Laughing at the audacity of choosing the wrong answer and then brazenly asking again, Sihyun casually slapped Hamin's hand away and once again extended his palm. Hamin looked puzzled.
"Show me the note, not your hand."
"You should have said that earlier instead of confusing me. What's with the attitude?"
With a tone of petulance, Hamin took out the note from his pocket. Then, as he extended it to hand it over, he suddenly pulled it back behind his back. It wasn't like he snatched it away, but rather hesitated to give it, leaving Sihyun dumbfounded.
"What are you doing?"
"We need to check if this is right after the race, don't we?"
"Then check it later. Stop looking at this."
"What's the matter with you?"
After the last runner came in, it was the rule for the host to collect the notes and announce their contents. Since bringing someone who didn't match the instructions would result in disqualification, it seemed like they would naturally find out after some time, so knowing in advance was a big deal.
Reaching out again to ask for clarification, Hamin turned his head pretending not to hear. It was infuriating to have run together only to be so standoffish.
"Ah! This is really..."
When he retaliated out of revenge and stepped on his foot, Hamin frowned and turned to look at him. This time, it was Sihyun who feigned ignorance. Hearing Hamin's muffled laughter, Sihyun looked at the host holding the microphone and focused on the note announcement. Among the notes brought by the runners, the host picked one up.
"We will now reveal the note of the first-place winner, Hamin!"
Of course, the first place meant the results were announced first. Seeing Hamin's visible confusion, Sihyun chuckled and then widened his eyes as he listened to the announcement.
"The note reads, 'Your closest friend!'"
Surprised by the unexpected result, he looked at Hamin. Avoiding his gaze, Hamin scratched the back of his neck. His neck turned red as he felt embarrassed. His embarrassed demeanor was quite amusing.
"Shall we check if the command is correct? If the note of the friend who came with Hamin is correct, please nod your head!"
They had hired a good recreation instructor. Whether he was pretending not to answer out of curiosity or pretending to answer, Hamin, who looked at Sihyun's eyes for an answer, urged him with his gaze. If he was going to put on such a shameless act, he should at least not blush. He was better at hiding his expression than a bear.
After hesitating to give him a hint, Hamin nodded his head as his thick eyebrows twitched upwards. Only then did Hamin raise his chin with a smug look. Listening to the host's appropriate remark, Sihyun glanced at the boy next to him, avoiding his gaze.
Honestly, it was unexpected.
Although he had thought about various possibilities based on the note, he didn't expect it to be his closest friend. If someone were to ask who he could get along with the most due to his narrow social circles, it would probably be Hamin, but wasn't he not him?
In fact, it was surprising that the result of the announcement made Haewoon, who had heard the result, say, "Ah! I'm the closest with Min!" He complained unjustly, boasting loudly without a mic. Meanwhile, Sihyun leaned towards Hamin.
"You were too embarrassed to tell me, huh?"
"Keep quiet."
"Earlier, I saw you coming straight to me without any hesitation. If I hadn't run with you, you would have felt upset."
"Stop being so presumptuous."
When he took advantage of the rare opportunity and lingered, Hamin warned him in a low voice. Nevertheless, it didn't have much effect on the face of someone who was clearly embarrassed.
Teasing Hamin about his embarrassment, Sihyun was once again surprised by the second announcement. Haru's note read 'the most precious person,' and Seowoo's note read 'a person with blue.'
The most precious person. Now he understood why Haru had such a desperate expression earlier, why he looked so embarrassed, and why he sought out companions to go with him.
Feeling regretful for not going with him after knowing the contents of the note, he decided to pat him on the back with affection after the sports festival ended. His gaze turned to the boy with platinum blonde hair who had been next to Haru.
Looking at him, Sihyun furrowed his brows and then sighed deeply.
"A person with blue."
I couldn't understand why he came to me with that clear-eyed blue wall Geonu. Wondering if the answer would come if I stared at that face, I fixed my gaze on him until Seowoo, sensing my stare, turned to look at Sihyun.
They locked eyes from about 30 meters away. Unlike himself, who showed no reaction and remained still, Geonu seemed relaxed. Uncomfortable with that, Sihyun turned his head first. Throughout the announcer's results announcement, he could feel his gaze.
On the way back to the first-year tent after the game, when Sihyun reunited with the three from earlier, he hugged Haru, patted his back, and stroked his head, teasing Hamin once more. But there was nothing to say to Seowoo. When their eyes met, Seowoo, who had just stopped chatting with Hamin, smiled faintly, as if it didn't matter, and spoke first.
"Do you have nothing to say to me?"
It wasn't easy for him to ask directly like that. When he answered that he didn't have anything to say, the conversation ended. It wasn't that there wasn't anything he wanted to ask, but he didn't know how to ask or in what tone, so an unintended silence ensued.
Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Hamin looked back and forth between Sihyun and Seowoo, then suggested they leave, turning his steps toward the tent. Haru, who had hesitated after hearing Hamin's command, eventually grabbed his hand and followed him. As the distance between them and Sihyun widened, he also looked at the tent. Just as he was about to move, a soft voice stopped him.
"If you're curious about something, just ask, Sihyun. Don't make it so obvious with your expression."
He said it as if this situation was amusing. The tip of his long fingers tapped lightly at the corner of his mouth. Thinking he was maintaining a decent expression, Sihyun felt his facial muscles, narrowing his eyes in puzzlement. He didn't seem to be making any strange expressions.
"Sihyun."
"What?"
"You really have nothing to say?"
"...No."
"Okay."
He answered in a low voice, then seemed to ponder something, tilting his eyes to the left before humming softly. His gaze sank to the floor and then rose to meet mine. Finally, he broke the eerie silence.
"Do you know your lip trembles when you lie?"
"...?"
"I hope it's just me who noticed."
His calm voice pointed out something unexpected. Startled by the unfamiliar words, Sihyun's mouth twitched as the boy leaned against the box of supplies and chuckled, intertwining his fingers.
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