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.