Chapter 6
“Hey, are you hurt somewhere?”
As Seo Igeon urgently spoke up, Han Taekyung’s footsteps halted, and Igeon quickly grabbed his arm. There was a knife cut on the sleeve of his high-quality coat—one could tell it was expensive just by touching it.
“Wait, take off your coat.”
Igeon swiftly removed Taekyung’s coat and examined the arm area. The sleeve of the school uniform underneath also showed signs of being cut by a knife, with blood stains visible.
“Hey, you’re bleeding!!”
“It’s fine.”
“What do you mean it’s fine? You got stabbed.”
“Really, it’s okay.”
“Well, I’m not okay with it!”
Igeon quickly grabbed Taekyung and went back into the police station. He asked the detective who had been handling their case for a first aid kit and sat down on a bench in the hallway.
“Sit down beside me.”
Igeon patted the spot next to him and opened the first aid kit. Fortunately, it contained all the basics: disinfectant, bandages, and gauze. When Taekyung sat down beside him, Igeon took out and opened a sterilized gauze pad.
“Roll up your sleeve. Quickly.”
Taekyung did as Igeon said and rolled up his sleeve.
“Haah….”
Thankfully, the wound was really just a slight scratch.
“See? It’s nothing.”
When Taekyung smiled and tried to roll his sleeve back down, Igeon quickly stopped him.
“What do you mean nothing? It was made with a knife. This could have been serious.”
Igeon quickly wiped Taekyung’s wound with disinfectant on the gauze. Though it must have stung, Taekyung said nothing and simply remained still as Igeon worked. It was quiet. So quiet that it felt awkward.
“Um… I’m sorry. You got hurt because of me.”
“Why are you sorry?”
Taekyung asked as if genuinely curious.
“Well, if I hadn’t asked you for help…”
“It’s not like you forced me to help you. I helped you of my own free will. So don’t say things like that. I got hurt because I let my guard down for a moment. So, Seo Igeon, this is not your fault.”
Somehow, hearing him say that was reassuring. Well… he’s a good guy. Igeon scratched his cheek and put a bandage on Taekyung’s wound.
“…By the way, you knew who I was.”
Taekyung said carefully.
“Huh? Me?”
Is he asking me? Taekyung nodded at Igeon’s words.
“At the cafe earlier, you seemed not to recognize me, so I thought you didn’t know me.”
“Ah… that’s not it. Of course I know who you are. But in that situation… we’ve never actually greeted each other before, so it would have been awkward to act like I knew you, right?”
“I guess so… Maybe I approached too familiarly. I’ve watched a lot of videos of your matches and heard a lot about you, so strangely enough, it didn’t feel like I was meeting you for the first time.”
What’s with this guy… Coming on so suddenly like this is a bit disconcerting.
But deep down, Igeon didn’t dislike it. He’d thought that someone so accomplished wouldn’t be interested in him, but apparently that wasn’t the case.
“You watched videos of my matches?”
“Of course.”
Suddenly, Igeon wanted to find a hole to hide in.
“I’ve always wanted to spar with you, but never really had the chance, which was disappointing.”
He smiled in a way Igeon had never seen before. Wow, he’s really handsome. From competition videos and interviews, he’d seemed stoic and like someone who rarely smiled, but that wasn’t the case.
“So I’m happy to be talking with you like this now. I don’t know how you feel about it.”
“…Ah, I… I feel the same way.”
It was so embarrassing… Igeon didn’t know how to respond. In truth, Taekyung’s extreme frankness was rather flustering. But Igeon knew well that honesty should be met with honesty. Seo Igeon gritted his teeth and, despite his embarrassment, replied, which made Taekyung smile again with satisfaction.
“I’m glad.”
“Haha…”
This guy’s a player. Definitely a player. Igeon wanted to quickly change the subject due to his embarrassment. While racking his brain for something else to talk about, something suddenly occurred to him.
“Come to think of it, what happened to the coffee?”
“Ah, I was going to just abandon it… but that would have been wasteful. It was brewed so nicely. So I gave it to a passerby, who thankfully accepted it.”
“Ah… Wasn’t it meant for someone?”
“Yes, I was going to give it to my father.”
“Won’t he be waiting for it?”
“No, I was planning to surprise him. He doesn’t know I was coming.”
“That’s good then.”
“Can I ask when you’ll be there next?”
“Hmm?”
“At the cafe.”
“Ah… next weekend?”
Weekdays were for practice, after all.
“Can I come say hello then?”
“Ah… Yes, I’ll greet you too.”
Taekyung smiled once more. Has he always smiled this easily? Just as Igeon wondered this, his phone vibrated in his pocket. It was the cafe manager. Come to think of it, he hadn’t contacted them since rushing out like that. Igeon sighed and quickly answered the manager’s call, explaining everything that had happened.
[You really did something big.]
“Is Yeonwoo okay?”
[Yes, I got a call saying she’s stable at the hospital. She was looking for you.]
“That’s a relief.”
[It’s almost time to close the cafe. What about your things?]
“Ah, I’ll come get them! Please wait a little!”
[Okay, I’ll wait, so take your time.]
“Thank you!”
Igeon finished his call with the manager and stood up quickly.
“I need to get back to the cafe. I’ll return the first aid kit to the detective.”
“Want me to take you there?”
“What? No need. The cafe is right behind here.”
I’m not an omega or anything… Swallowing the words that were about to naturally follow, Igeon said goodbye.
“I’ll go ahead.”
“Okay. Take care.”
“Thanks so much for today!”
Han Taekyung sighed as he watched Seo Igeon grab the first aid kit, run to the detective, and then dash toward the exit. He looked at his rolled-up sleeve and the clumsily attached bandage, pressed it firmly, and then rolled his sleeve back down. Judging by the state of his clothes, he’d probably have to throw them away. If he went home like this, his parents would worry, so he took out his phone from his pocket, thinking he should discard the coat on his way. Just then, his younger brother called.
[Taekyung hyung, where are you?]
“Ah, I’m about to head home. Where are father and dad?”
[They said they’re having dinner out and told us to eat without them.]
“So you haven’t had dinner yet?”
[No, that’s why I called you. If you haven’t eaten either, let’s eat together.]
“Okay. I’m coming home now. It’ll take about 30 minutes.”
[Okay! But… hyung.]
“Hmm?”
Taekyung, who had risen from the chair and was checking his wristwatch to calculate when he’d get home, questioned his brother’s curious tone.
[Did something good happen?]
“Why?”
[Your voice sounds happy.]
“Does it?”
[Yes.]
“Maybe so. I met a hero today.”
[A hero?]
“Yeah, I’ll tell you about it when I get home.”
[I’ll be waiting!]
After ending the call with his brother, Han Taekyung looked back toward the direction of the cafe where Seo Igeon had headed before going home. He hoped he might catch one more glimpse of Seo Igeon, but unfortunately, such luck didn’t follow.
“Ah, I should have asked for his number.”
Though he felt belated regret, he’d be able to see him again on the weekend anyway. Han Taekyung walked in a direction different from the one Igeon had taken, looking forward to that day.
â—†
“What? You did what with Han Taekyung?”
As soon as they got to school, Igeon told Gyeongsu about what had happened over the weekend. Gyeongsu looked at Igeon with suspicion, clearly unable to believe it, while Igeon lamented that he should have kept some evidence.
“Alright, I believe you. It’s not like you’re someone who makes things up.”
“Thaaank you! You jerk.”
“So, what’s Han Taekyung like?”
“What do you mean?”
“You know, since you saw him in person, maybe his face doesn’t look as good on screen, or his voice was manipulated, something like that.”
I know what you want. Han Taekyung is so perfect that you’re hoping there’s at least one flaw—the foolish desire of a mere mortal. Seo Igeon had thought the same before meeting Han Taekyung in person, that there must be something wrong with him.
“Unfortunately, he’s much better in person than in videos.”
“Wow, really?”
“Yeah, his face is much better than on screen, and I can see why he’s so popular.”
“The world is unfair.”
“Tell me about it. But he’s not a bad guy, so I don’t even feel jealous.”
“If you’re saying that, he must really be a good guy.”
Seo Igeon nodded and gulped down his milk.
“I want to spar with him soon.”
“With Han Taekyung?”
“Yeah. When we caught that trashy thug, I saw that his form was really good. Plus, he perfectly understood my special moves… No, no, that’s not the important part. Thinking about it now, it seemed like he had already simulated how to fight to his advantage. He chose the best option and directed… He’s going to be great.”
“You’re crazy.”
Kim Gyeongsu listened to Seo Igeon’s story and responded with disbelief.
“He’s your rival, you idiot.”
“Even if he’s my rival, I’ll acknowledge what deserves acknowledgment.”
“Must be nice to be so broad-minded.”
While enduring Gyeongsu’s sarcasm, Seo Igeon checked his phone. A message had come from Instructor Jin an hour ago. It seemed the selection tournament schedule had finally been released. As Igeon checked the attached file, his brow furrowed progressively.
“Wow, this is insane.”
“Hmm? What’s wrong?”
“I should have noticed when the written test was added… A lot has changed and been added.”
While the basic three-stage test remained unchanged, many detailed rules and test methods had been modified. For Seo Igeon, who had practiced and prepared according to the previous testing format, it was nothing but confusing. Instructor Jin was probably drinking in the afternoon and cursing the association right now.
“Ah.”
Speak of the devil—a call came from Instructor Jin, and Igeon quickly pressed the answer button.
“Yes, Instructor. I just checked what you sent.”
[Igeon.]
“Yes?”
What’s this? Something about the atmosphere…
[You need to come to the hospital right now.]
“Hospital?”
[Yes, your father has been in an accident.]
Ah…
For a moment, Igeon’s mind went blank. No, it felt like a huge boulder had collapsed on his head. Everything went dark. His whole body trembled, and he felt like he couldn’t breathe. Suddenly, it seemed like everything in the world had disappeared. Holding back tears that threatened to spill, Igeon quickly explained the situation to Gyeongsu and rushed to the hospital Instructor Jin had mentioned.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
