Love for Love’s Sake - Chapter 22

Chapter 22

I was certain Cha Yeowoon didn’t dislike me.

[Cha Yeowoon] : I have morning practice, so I’ll leave first

[Cha Yeowoon] : Don’t watch my practice from now on

But why was he acting like this?

He had disappeared after leaving behind only these texts, so I had been restless since morning. We practically slept together in my cramped room. How did he manage to slip out without me knowing?

Despite me having woken up fairly early, he was already gone, seemingly before the crack of dawn. Did he even sleep?

I felt guilty thinking I might have dragged back a child who didn’t want to stay at my place.

[Tae Myeongha] : How was morning practice?

[Tae Myeongha] : Are you hungry? How about some bread from the canteen?

I tried to start a conversation, but Cha Yeowoon’s response was brief.

[Cha Yeowoon] : I’m okay.

His clear rejection left me at a loss. Despite the occasional awkwardness, our mutual feelings had been steadily growing, and our atmosphere had been fine?

So why was he pushing me away like this?

I couldn’t even begin to guess what had made him cold all of a sudden. Was it because of his track and field performance?

[ Mission: Make Cha Yeowoon happy. ]

[ Penalty: Death ]

I sighed when I saw the messages that had appeared as if pressing me. Regardless, Cha Yeowoon seemed far from happy right now.

“Excuse me, senior.”

“Ehm?”

As I looked away from the message window, I saw Tak Jungyeong sitting with both legs together. He looked rather big curled in the plastic chair by the canteen.

“Why did you call me?”

When in doubt, ask directly. If you knew your enemy and yourself, you would win every battle, and if you didn’t know something, it was best to ask someone who did.

“Jungyeong.”

“Yes?”

I offered Tak Jungyeong the 20-cent apple juice I had purchased from the canteen, and he accepted it modestly.

“When is Yeowoon’s competition?”

“It should be next Monday.”

“How does the track and field team usually go to competitions?”

“When we go as a group, we rent a bus. But for individual events, we usually make our own way to the venue. Sometimes the coach arranges transportation.”

“How is Yeowoon getting there?”

“I think he’ll take a bus to the venue and meet the coach there. The competition is small…”

“Where is the venue?”

“Gyeonggi Province, Hwaseong.”

The name Hwaseong struck my throat. I unconsciously swallowed my saliva. It was an unpleasant place.

“Near Jebudo?”

“What? Yes. Hwaseong. They have a sports complex there.”

“You made plans to go there before Yeowoon replaced you, so you should know how to get there, right? Send me the address.”

“Okay.”

“Does Yeowoon seem to be in a bad condition these days?”

“Huh? Um…”

“Be honest. You’re on the track and field team.”

“…He doesn’t seem to be doing well these days.”

“That bad?”

“Lately, his results have been almost half of what it used to be.”

Was it that bad? He did seem to be struggling during practice yesterday. As I furrowed my brow in thought, Tak Jungyeong shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

“What should I do when he’s like that?”

“…I don’t know.”

“If your performance drops, your brother will take care of you, won’t he? You guys seem to get along well. Isn’t there a source of strength in such moments, that kind of thing?”

“iPad…”

“Huh?”

“It was nice that he bought me an iPad.”

When I stared at Tak Jungyeong in disbelief, he rolled his eyes.

It made sense after I thought about it.

What kind of touching support could I give Cha Yeowoon, who I had met less than a year ago? There was nothing more certain than money to fill the shortcomings.

“What do high school students like these days? Besides iPads.”

Tak Jungyeong glanced at me as if I was from another planet. Perhaps it was a strange question to ask from a 3rd year student in high school.

“Do you know what I can give Cha Yeowoon? Any idea what he might like?”

“We’re not that close.”

“That’s true. You’re not close. You used to bully him.”

Tak Jungyeong’s eyes rolled as he listened to my realistic assessment. As if he had finished thinking, he finally gave an answer.

“Spikes.”

“Huh?”

“Track and field shoes. I think his current shoes are almost worn out.”

My eyes lit up. Of course, just like boxers wore boxing gloves, track and field athletes naturally wore special shoes.

“But, Jungyeong.”

“Yes?”

“What kind of shoes are good?”

The problem was, I had no idea what kind of shoes would be good.

Sure, if I did a bit of internet searching, I would probably find a long list of recommendations. But this wasn’t just for some amateur who might start jogging tomorrow; I needed shoes that would suit Cha Yeowoon, a national-level athlete.

“It varies for each person.”

“What is Cha Yeowoon wearing right now?”

“Him? Uh, what was it? Supernova, I think.”

“What’s that? Can’t I just ask for running shoes?”

“If you go and ask for running shoes, I think they’ll be marathon running shoes. You have to specify that they’re for track and field. For short-distance it’s track spikes.”

The more I listened, the more maddening it became. I should have tried short-distance running myself in the past to better understand the current situation.

“Do you happen to know Cha Yeowoon’s shoe size?”

Tak Jungyeong shook his head.

I didn’t know Cha Yeowoon’s shoe size.

It was like trying to hit a target blindfolded. The ideal option would be to take Cha Yeowoon to the shoe store in person, but that was futile given that he wasn’t even responding to my texts.

Just mentioning that I would buy him new shoes would probably cause him to panic and run away. It might even lead to the first instance of giving a gift and witnessing a sharp decline in favorability.

After letting Tak Jungyeong go, I took a sip of my juice and pulled out my phone. Among the few names in my contacts, my finger stopped on a particular name.

Coincidently, I had the perfect person to help me choose the right shoes.

[Tae Myeongha] : Do you happen to know Cha Yeowoon’s shoe size?

[Ahn Sia] : ?ㅋㅋYes.

As soon as I received Ahn Sia’s response, I clenched my fist. This was it.

* * *

[Tae Myeongha] : Are you training?

[Tae Myeongha] : Did you eat well today?

[Tae Myeongha] : (Photo)

[Tae Myeongha] : Yeowoon~ The weather is nice today, and the wildflowers are beautiful…ㅎ

[Tae Myeongha] : I’m in an emergency situation right now

Ah, Cha Yeowoon definitely never checked his texts.

I started with the usual greetings, then tried to appeal to his sentiment by sending pictures of the flowers I had come across, and had even told some outright lies. But he remained silent.

“Are you chatting with your girlfriend?”

While lost in thought looking at my phone screen, Ahn Sia peeked over next to me.

My part-time job needed me to be in the studio today. Ahn Sia, my employer and a model herself, provided a very tolerant working environment.

Next to the rented studio were rows of clothes I had diligently hung on the hangers. The clothes Ahn Sia would wear today, as well as the tripods, cameras, and lighting equipment, were the luggage to be moved.

It was just a matter of exerting physical effort, and everyone I was working with were acquaintances. Me as the laborer, Ahn Gyeonghun as the photographer, and Ahn Sia as the model. We had even managed to find some breaks between shoots. Just like now.

“I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“No?”

“I don’t.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know either. I just don’t. When are you free? Can you help me choose shoes tomorrow?”

“What about the day after tomorrow? It’s not urgent, is it?”

“Ehm. I heard you shouldn’t wear new shoes to competitions anyway.”

“Can I really choose? It’s best to choose with the athlete themself or the coach.”

“What are you two talking about? While I wasn’t looking, the two of you seem to have gotten along lately.”

The uninvited guest I always seemed to encounter these days appeared from the emergency stairway. The atmosphere became stuffy when Cheon Sangwon arrived. It was the unmistakable smell of cigarettes.

“Driving without a license, doing as you please, and even smoking…”

“Brother lectures way too much. It doesn’t suit you.”

“Students should act like students. Don’t you know that? Instead of fooling around, you should work hard.”

“I didn’t come here to work today; I came to have fun, so it’s fine.”

“Sure, good for you. Enjoy yourself while others are working hard.”

“You two are a perfect match.”

“Do you think we look good together?”

“Sia, please don’t let him come again in the future.”

“Oh! We’ve already been on break for 10 minutes. I’ll go get change.”

Ahn Sia left to change her clothes without further involvement in the conversation with Cheon Sangwon. It took living resolutely like that to become a great person.

“But brother, why are you working part-time?”

“I’m saving up to buy something.”

Cheon Sangwon didn’t relent and talked to me annoyingly. I hesitated to reply, but I answered because I thought it might make things more bothersome. This was why I couldn’t become a great person.

“What is it? A motorcycle?”

“That’s you. I have to carry the lighting now. I’m leaving.”

“Oh, what is it? Let me know and I’ll move it for you.”

“I’m going to buy a talisman to ward you off.”

Ignoring the guy muttering behind me, I approached the lighting equipment. Ahn Gyeonghoon had been constantly adjusting the camera, which he had set up on a tripod.

“Should I move the lights?”

“Ah, Myeongha. This time, we’re only using the 800-watt softbox, so, um, this one. Can you move it to that position?”

“Yes.”

I followed Ahn Gyeonghun’s instructions to organize and arrange the several lighting equipment. Strobe, monolight, he explained each one, although the names were mostly unfamiliar to me.

“I didn’t know you were into photography.”

“It’s just a hobby.”

Ahn Gyeonghun said sheepishly. Although it was a family business, if he was earning money by taking photos for a shopping mall, it didn’t strike me as just a hobby to me, but if he said so.

“C-Can I take a photo of you later?”

“If you have time.”

I didn’t particularly enjoy being photographed, but refusing felt strange, so I responded casually.

“Myeongha, by the way, cigarettes…”

“Cigarettes? Do I smell like cigarettes? Oh, Cheon Sangwon.”

“Do you want me to spray this?”

Ahn Sia, who had changed her hairstyle and makeup and switched from a dress to a jumpsuit, sprayed a small mist onto my neck. A sweet scent burst forth.

“Why is it so sweet? It smells like candy.”

“I’m testing a new perfume for my upcoming launch! Do you like it?”

“Do you think it suits me?”

“Ehm. You smell great. Big brother smells so sweet.”

I was speechless. After working hard in the studio with the scent of candy, it was dark outside by the time I left.

My envelope with the daily wage I had earned was reassuring. Having lived on my own and as a worker for much longer than as a student, I still felt relaxed when I was working.

After getting on the bus to go home, I checked my phone and saw a missed call. It was from Cha Yeowoon.

Cha Yeowoon calling me? What was going on? I called back, and he answered right away.

“Did you call me?”

– “I heard it’s an emergency.”

“Oh, that. Because you didn’t answer me.”

– “Senior, have you heard of the boy who cried wolf?”

“…I’m sorry. But if you had answered my calls…”

– “That’s enough excuses. I’m near senior’s home.”

“Huh?”