GBH 127

He hoped the children would cheer for him. Though not one to enjoy being the center of attention, recognition for effort was always welcome. His sneakers confidently stretched out on the track. His imagination spread its wings, attaching them to his shoes. Song Yi-heon hoped the children would cheer for him.

Himself leading the Blue Team to victory! Himself blessed by the goddess of victory! Himself, the all-around sportsman!

However, contrary to Yi-heon’s expectations, the children weren’t looking at him. They were all entranced, staring elsewhere.

What’s going on? Where are they looking? Forgetting he was in the middle of a race, Yi-heon followed their gaze in confusion. It was behind him. Yi-heon’s eyes widened in shock.

“…!”

Choi Se-kyung, who should have been at school, was running on the track. His usually fluttering bangs that covered his forehead were pushed back, revealing his shapely forehead, and his thighs bulged, stretching his uniform pants taut. He was running at such full speed that his shirt tails had come untucked and were flapping. Unlike Yi-heon, who easily bared his upper body, Se-kyung’s usually well-covered skin revealed bumpy, pale abs. A body that didn’t match his delicate, pretty face.

“…Choi Se-kyung.”

Someone called his name. It was one of the students who had been wearing an expression that said, ‘Why is that senior here?’ Like in Kim Chun-soo’s poem where calling a name makes it a flower, when Se-kyung’s name was called, his presence brightened like a flower.

“…Choi Se-kyung!”

Then, as if infected, the students began to wave their arms and chant Se-kyung’s name without prompting.

“Choi Se-kyung! Choi Se-kyung!”

There wasn’t a student who didn’t know Se-kyung, who had been the student council president last year, known for being handsome, kind, and good at studying. Se-kyung was running with the white baton passed to him by the White Team’s relay runner, and the White Team began cheering for him in earnest.

Se-kyung smiled brightly, and Yi-heon was dumbfounded. Yi-heon was now running not to win, but to avoid Choi Se-kyung. However, there was a big difference in their physiques. With legs much longer than Yi-heon’s, Se-kyung quickly caught up when he ran at full speed.

“This is fun.” Se-kyung’s low voice brushed past Yi-heon’s ear. 

Like another line from Kim Chun-soo’s poem, Se-kyung was now a dangerous beast. His smile, which deepened when he was angry, was proof of that. Behind his bright eye-smile, deep anger swirled in his dark eyes.

“You look good too.”

Unlike Se-kyung, who had abstained from food and drink despite it being just lunch, Yi-heon’s face shone with the glow of jajangmyeon, various snacks, and even an ion drink. Yi-heon ran, squeezing out all those calories, while Se-kyung chased him, fueled by anger.

“You, damn it, Choi Se-kyung…!”

“Did I interfere?” Se-kyung deliberately didn’t overtake Yi-heon, instead whispering right behind him. 

The White Team, unaware of the situation, cheered as Se-kyung caught up, while the Blue Team shouted encouragement.

“Run, Deuk-pal!”

Pfft, Se-kyung sneered upon hearing the name the Blue Team children called Yi-heon. As the laughter reached the nape of his neck, Yi-heon’s feet automatically sped up, his body heating with embarrassment for reasons he didn’t understand.

What was so embarrassing? The uncool soul name? Pretending to be a second-year and participating in the juniors’ sports day? The fact that of all people, Choi Se-kyung caught him?

The more he tried to analyze each cause, the more comprehensively embarrassed he felt.

“You should run more. You ran away well, but you shouldn’t get caught.” Se-kyung deliberately lowered his voice so only Yi-heon could hear it over the cheers. 

Yi-heon turned back, goosebumps rising on his neck, and was startled to see Se-kyung. Madness flickered in his pitch-black eyes. It was an example of how terrifying it is when someone gentle goes mad. Yi-heon, who had been running to win until now, was now running for his life.

“You, damn… Just go ahead!”

“No, I want to do more, play tag. Run faster. Run more, Yi-heon.” Se-kyung could have overtaken Yi-heon but deliberately stayed behind, whispering. 

Seeing Yi-heon, whom he had worried about so much his heart felt like it was burning, running happily on the track looking perfectly fine, Se-kyung’s reason snapped. Deep anger drove him to invade the relay track.

“Don’t get caught, Yi-heon. I might eat you if I catch you.”

Yi-heon understood why Se-kyung was acting so creepily like a madman, and couldn’t even get angry. He knew he shouldn’t have sneaked into the sports day. He also knew he should contact the school since they would be worried. But the sports day was incredibly fun.

Running with friends, cheering, cooperating, immersing himself, crying and laughing at the results – being able to play together without a care in the world like that was only possible within the confines of a school at that age.

The joy of running and playing was so vibrant it pulsed, to the extent that it would have been a shame not to have experienced it before dying.

If he had contacted the school, he would have been dragged back in the middle of the sports day. That’s why he deliberately didn’t check his phone. He wanted to participate in the sports day, his first and last, until the very end.

Indeed, he didn’t want to get caught like this.

“Eek…!”

In the end, Yi-heon ran off the track to shake off Se-kyung. It was in the completely opposite direction from the finish line.

“Deuk-pal! That’s not the way!”

“Come back!”

Yi-heon, having left the track, darted off in a strange direction. From the cheering students’ perspective, it was maddening to see him suddenly change direction when the finish line was right in front of him. If there was any silver lining, it was that Choi Se-kyung also followed Yi-heon like a crazy runaway train.

* * *

The sports day ended with the Blue Team’s victory. It was thanks to Yi-heon, who seemed to be going in a different direction but managed to come to his senses and return to the track, winning the relay race. Se-kyung chased Yi-heon and crossed the finish line by a hair’s breadth.

The White Team children regretted that narrow margin, and only Yi-heon knew that Se-kyung had deliberately come in a step late.

With the revelation of the identity of Song Yi-heon, the third-year student who had participated in the sports day under the false name Kim Deuk-pal, Choi Se-kyung’s appearance was explained. The second-year students, upon learning they had participated in a sports day with a third-year senior, seemed not to believe it at first, but later the White Team belatedly claimed it violated fairness. They insisted that since a non-player third-year student had joined, the game should be invalidated and the win-loss should be redetermined.

However, looking at the day’s activities, there wasn’t a single second-year class that Yi-heon hadn’t participated in. For example, he had participated as a player in ball bouncing for Class 2-1, chicken fights for Class 2-2, bridge stepping for Class 2-3, soccer finals for Class 2-4, and so on, with each class having one event where Yi-heon had participated as a player.

When second-year students asked, “Who’s that guy?” about Yi-heon, the comic club kids would pass by saying, “A transfer student,” making it possible. Like an urban legend of unknown origin, the rumor that he was a transfer student spread widely without a known source.

Regardless of whether it was the White Team or the Blue Team, Yi-heon had participated once in every class, benefiting all, so there was no issue with fairness. The win-loss remained unchanged, and only the cheerleading captain of Class 2-6, who had engaged in a cheering battle with Class 2-5, glared at Yi-heon for a long time with bloodshot eyes.

The children, who had been running around and cheering all day under the scorching sun, gathered exhausted for the closing ceremony. The grand prize went to the victorious Blue Team, and gold, silver, and bronze medals were awarded by grade level. Various awards such as the Cheering Award, Cooperation Award, Cleaning Excellence Award, etc., were distributed evenly to many classes, regardless of Blue or White Team. There were also individual awards like the Popularity Award.

As the closing ceremony ended, the second-year head teacher and Jeong Eun-chae discussed how to handle Song Yi-heon.

“Yes, yes. That’s right. Let’s talk about the rest at school.”

“Yes, thank you for your hard work.”

The nearby second-year homeroom teachers gave Jeong Eun-chae, Yi-heon’s homeroom teacher, sympathetic looks. A third-year student sneaking into the second-year sports day… Just hearing about it made their heads ache, imagining how much trouble the homeroom teacher must go through on a daily basis.

“Thank you for looking after Yi-heon. Then I’ll be going first.” Jeong Eun-chae kept bowing to the second-year teachers, smiling apologetically for the trouble and embarrassment caused. 

Even as she turned away, she continued to express her thanks with an embarrassed smile, but once she was far enough away, she transformed into a demon.

“Song Yi-heon!” She searched for Yi-heon with a gaze that could shoot lasers from her eyes. 

Yi-heon, who had been sitting out under Se-kyung’s supervision, stood up and bowed deeply.

“Teacher, you’re here.”

His attitude, showing he would serve her meticulously, was like a gangster serving his boss, yet also like a country puppy caught after running away, looking cowed.