Chapter 49
His heart felt constricted, and he felt nauseous. Knowing what taekwondo meant to that guy… Han Taekyung not being able to practice taekwondo. That was essentially a death sentence. Surely things wouldn’t go that far… it was just one rut. Surely the heavens wouldn’t push him that far. Igeon shook his head.
“Instructor Kim, it won’t be that bad. That guy will overcome it. If it’s Han Taekyung…”
[I hope so too. Yes, it won’t come to that. Igeon, you’re right. He’ll overcome it. He will overcome it.]
From what he understood, Instructor Kim had been watching Han Taekyung since the beginning, when he first started taekwondo, just like Instructor Jin and himself. So it was clear how heartbreaking this situation must be for him. And naturally, he would know better than Seo Igeon what taekwondo meant to Han Taekyung, so his despair must be that much greater. Igeon said they should wait and see how things unfold, then ended the call.
Igeon gazed desolately at the gym. Soon it would be the Senior National Team selection tournament he’d dreamed of for so long. How hard had they worked for that dream? It didn’t matter who won the gold medal. What mattered was standing on that stage together. But now that dream was about to collapse in this absurd situation. Igeon prayed that Taekyung would hold on before hitting rock bottom. It would be too cruel for Han Taekyung to end like this.
â—†
More time passed, emptily. Truly knowing nothing, Igeon waited for Han Taekyung to contact him. He tried calling his phone, but it was turned off, and his messages went unread. And so summer ended. The coach was irritated that the promising athlete wasn’t showing up at school, stamping his feet in frustration that he might be expelled if this continued. Whenever this happened, Igeon trained even harder. He firmly believed Han Taekyung would return. So that when he came back, Igeon could spar with him and tease, “Your skills have deteriorated, huh?” But by the end of September… when a month had passed since that day, the coach gathered all the athletes in the morning.
“Han Taekyung has dropped out.”
Thud-
There was a commotion as everyone around him started murmuring. But everything just buzzed, and he couldn’t hear properly. What? Han Taekyung dropped out?
“That’s all. Train hard.”
The coach turned around as if he’d said everything he needed to say, and Igeon quickly followed behind and grabbed him.
“C-Coach. Is, is it true? Did Han Taekyung really-“
“Igeon. You need to work hard. At least you have to make it. The Olympics.”
No. That guy will go too. To the Olympics. So please wait just a little longer, he wanted to say, but the words wouldn’t come out. Igeon quietly watched as the coach turned away, then staggered into the bathroom, turned on the sink, and washed his face.
No. That can’t be. That guy wouldn’t just… without saying anything.
Although it was normally prohibited, Igeon had secretly kept his phone in his pocket in case Han Taekyung called. He took it out and pressed the call button. But as expected, the phone was still turned off. Usually, he’d press the end call button before the guidance message played, but today he didn’t want to.
As soon as he heard the beep indicating the recording had started, Igeon yelled.
“You bastard. You fucking asshole!! How could you do this?! Fuck!!!! Without saying a single word!!! How could you?! You!! To me!!! Hey Han Taekyung, say something. Say something!! Why didn’t you tell me anything!! Is imprinting all there is? Does this mean you don’t need friends anymore? Does this mean you don’t need me anymore? You fucking bastard. Fuck!!”
The beep sounded again, and after hearing the message that it had been recorded, Igeon ran his fingers through his wet hair, breathing heavily. Even after shouting and cursing to his heart’s content, he still didn’t feel better. He wanted to meet him right now, grab him by the collar, and throw a punch, but he couldn’t. He just wished he could see his face one more time and have a conversation. Han Taekyung.
â—†
He drank alcohol.
It was the first time since the freshman welcome party. He especially avoided alcohol because he had to take care of his body. But today, he felt like he couldn’t bear it without drinking… So he sat alone in front of the convenience store near school with two cans of beer and a bag of potato chips, sipping slowly.
He wasn’t good with alcohol, so even one can was difficult, but he kept drinking because he wanted to get drunk. After emptying both cans, he got up unsteadily and headed toward school. The walk to the dormitory was quite far, so it was good exercise… it was a way to clear his head and enjoy being drunk. Suddenly, his eyes caught sight of the gym, and he turned in that direction. Since his body was heated, should he practice a bit? With such a simple thought, he headed there. But of course, the gym door was locked. Igeon shook the locked door a few times, but his head started spinning, so he gave up and sat down in front of the gym door. It’s already fall, so it gets cold at night. And lonely.
Maybe it’s because he was always with Han Taekyung. He hadn’t felt lonely since his father passed away, but being alone was cold. Alone… Am I alone? Am I alone now?
“You’ll catch a cold.”
He must be drunk. He’s even hearing things.
“Seo Igeon.”
“I’m drunk.”
Igeon chuckled and dropped his head. But soon realizing that the moonlight had been blocked, Igeon slowly raised his head. A man in a black hoodie. He should have been startled, thinking it was a cockroach or something, but he couldn’t because the man’s eyes were amber… and the gaze in those eyes was so tender and pained. Wondering if it was a dream, Seo Igeon raised his hand and grabbed the man’s face. The startled eyes soon showed a hint of smile as the man nuzzled his face against Igeon’s large hand.
“Han… Taekyung?”
The man didn’t answer. He just buried his face in Igeon’s hand. It felt like a large black panther being affectionate, and Igeon found it strange. On the other hand, realizing that the person he was facing really existed and was right in front of him, Igeon slowly applied force, clenched his fist, and struck the man’s face.
“You bastard!!”
Despite his voice resonating loudly, his body was drunk and couldn’t maintain balance properly. He couldn’t strike the man’s body effectively and almost lost his balance and fell, but Han Taekyung caught him. That made him even angrier. Igeon raised his fist again and threw it at Han Taekyung. The uppercut seemed to connect properly, but he didn’t budge. Han Taekyung had no intention of avoiding it. Igeon was just not doing it properly. After throwing punches into the air several times, he managed to graze Han Taekyung just twice before dizziness made him sit heavily on the ground. Han Taekyung looked down at him.
“You fucking bastard… Where have you been? Fuck!! Where have you been?!”
“I’m sorry.”
“Is it really Han Taekyung? Huh? Fuck, am I… am I so crazy that I’m dreaming this?”
When Seo Igeon expressed his disbelief, Han Taekyung sat opposite him and their eyes met.
“It’s real. It’s me. Han Taekyung.”
“…Don’t put your face in front of mine! Bastard. What did you do right?”
“Haha.”
“…You find this funny? What happened? Huh? Tell me what happened.”
“…It’s a long story.”
“…From where don’t I know the story?”
Could he possibly remember that incident? Unable to ask directly, he asked indirectly.
“My last memory… ends when I was fighting those bastards. I think I vaguely heard your voice, but I can’t remember. No matter how hard I try. I can’t remember.”
“Then where does your memory start again?”
“…The hospital.”
“…Hospital… you say?”
“I can’t remember anything that happened in between.”
Is that fortunate? Or not?
“Then let me ask. Is it true that you imprinted with Senior Kang Yuhan?”
Finally, he was able to ask the person directly what he had wanted to confirm so badly. Even though he knew it would break his heart.
“…I’m sorry.”
And the answer that came down crushed Igeon’s heart like a heavy stone.
“I don’t know what happened either. When I woke up, that man was beside me. He said we had imprinted and the imprint test was already over. I said that couldn’t be possible because I would have verified it myself… that couldn’t be possible…”
Han Taekyung covered his face with both hands as if in agony and spoke. He muttered “that couldn’t be possible” over and over again. Han Taekyung had no feelings for that senior. It must be painful to imprint with someone you don’t have feelings for. But the senior… the senior loves him. Is this really for the best?
And why am I more heartbroken about you than about the senior I liked who imprinted with a man who doesn’t love him?
“Ugh-!”
“Han Taekyung?”
Suddenly, Han Taekyung started hyperventilating and collapsed onto the floor. Igeon was startled and grabbed his shoulders. When Han Taekyung slowly raised his head, Igeon could see his eyes gradually turning red. He knew these eyes. And at the same time, Han Taekyung’s pheromones began to flow out little by little. Those pheromones that had weighed down heavily – but they didn’t explode explosively. They were felt, then not felt. It was like walking on a precarious line. Igeon’s body tensed up completely. He couldn’t help it. The memory of that time hadn’t yet faded… and his body remembered. The pheromones of the alpha who had dominated him. Still, he didn’t want to run away. Just like before, he thought he needed to protect this guy.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
