Love for Love’s Sake - Chapter 46

Chapter 46

The brightly shining stars falling resembled a painting.

Happiness. Cha Yeowoon wanted that common and obvious thing so desperately that my heart inevitably ached.

I finally understood.

[ Mission: Make Cha Yeowoon happy. ]

This was also his wish.

When I closed my eyes and opened them, it was the bus again. I disembarked at the last stop.

Having escaped the hallucination of a meteor shower, the night sky of another city appeared. Instead of the scent of trees, there was the smell of dust and oil.

Cha Yeowoon’s confession followed belatedly and repeated in my ears.

“I like you.”

My knees buckled.

Unable to climb the excessively steep alley, I sat down right there.

My lone shadow on the asphalt drew a horizontal line beneath the lamplight. The pouring light felt heavy.

“You’ve lost it, haven’t you, Tae Myeongha.”

I talked to myself like I was swearing.

Cha Yeowoon was too dazzling and heavy. When I raised my head, the city’s starlight struck me.

Ah, what should I do?

Feelings that I couldn’t bear to name pierced my chest.

Messages blinked in the sky above the power lines.

[ !Sub-Mission triggered. ]

[ Q: What is necessary for a happy life?

A: Days without worries. ]

[ Sub-Mission: $2250 ]

One, ten, hundred, thousand…I opened my mouth wide in astonishment. The number $2250 blinked in the air along with the stars.

What was this?

4. The Cause and Effect of a First Love and a Kiss

[ Favorability: 36 ]

Cha Yeowoon was breathless.

A whistle rang out. His foot pushed off the starting block.

Muscles in his entire body expanded with heat. His heart pumped vigorously and his thighs ached stiffly. The surroundings’ vision flowed like water.

Fast.

He could feel it himself. Right now, it was a good speed.

Reaching the destination point, he stopped.

“10 seconds! Cha Yeowoon, your form has improved lately. You’re in good condition today!”

Cha Yeowoon wiped his sweat and nodded at the coach’s praise.

“Your records have been really good lately. Did something good happen? You’re in great shape.”

“I guess it’s the result of hard training.”

Cha Yeowoon dryly replied to the coach’s teasing. What good thing?

He had experienced his first heartbreak.

If he didn’t run, he felt like his heart was constantly beating wrong. It seemed as if it had lost its original rhythm.

It was easier to forget if his chest felt like it was going to burst.

“Teacher, can I run with Yeowoon?”

A shout came from the group of 2nd year students who had been watching from behind.

“Cheon Sangwon. Why do you always want to run with our ace?”

“I want to be stimulated. I want to work hard because of that stimulation.”

Although it sounded like nonsense, the coach allowed Cheon Sangwon to run in the lane next to Cha Yeowoon. Anyone could see that Cheon Sangwon was the exception in many ways.

Despite having joined late, his decent performance must have won the coach’s heart. Cha Yeowoon had also heard him sincerely regret not starting track and field earlier.

Did they really kiss?

Cha Yeowoon persistently looked back on the memories of that day. He remembered Tae Myeongha’s puzzled gaze at Cheon Sangwon, the furrowed brow, the back hand on the forehead, and even the lips that spoke rapidly.

Soon, the coach blew the whistle.

The start was a bit delayed. Cheon Sangwon took the lead. Until the halfway point of the 200m, Cha Yeowoon ran one step behind Cheon Sangwon.

And as they passed the halfway point, Cha Yeowoon surged forward.

The distance continued to widen. Cheon Sangwon, who was trailing, was no longer visible. The view to the finish line was clear.

A moment later, Cheon Sangwon, crossing the finish line, stamped his feet and struck the air with his fist.

“So fast! Are you human? How can you stay ahead like that?”

“You’re just slow.”

“Oh, it’s unlucky to speak so confidently.”

Cha Yeowoon ignored the jeers as he relaxed his ankles. If he maintained this performance, he could easily place in the autumn national championship. If he won next year’s Asia U20 Junior Games, it wouldn’t be difficult to earn a scholarship to a university.

Now that the slump had passed, he just had to not overdo it or get injured. He gently massaged his warm knees and stretched his calves.

“Why hasn’t brother Myeongha been coming to watch practice these days? Did you guys fight? You did.”

“No.”

“Then are you dating?”

Cha Yeowoon wiped the sweat from his eyes and glanced at Cheon Sangwon with a disdainful gaze. It was okay to be rude to him, but he didn’t like that he was disrespectful to Tae Myeongha.

“Don’t look at me like that, I was also rejected by him.”

Cha Yeowoon, who was about to enter the track and field team room, stopped for a moment at those words.

“I really mean it when I say I want to be friends, Cha Yeowoon. I’m just curious.”

Cheon Sangwon caught up with Cha Yeowoon again.

“What is it about you that makes Tae Myeongha’s expression change so much whenever he talks about you? Cha Yeowoon, are you that special?”

Cha Yeowoon was asked about Tae Myeongha several times. Why him? Him, why?

Now it didn’t matter what the reason was.

“You can’t beat me.”

Cha Yeowoon said decisively and entered the team room.

“Whether it’s running or senior. Because I’m much more sincere.”

Cheon Sangwon, who was about to enter the team room a step late, stopped.

“Both you and brother are really annoying.”

Standing in front of the team room door, Cheon Sangwon twisted his lips. Cha Yeowoon didn’t respond and changed his shoes. The bright blue track shoes were placed in his sports bag.

“I envy you, fuck…”

Curses were heard from behind. The feeling wasn’t bad at all.

School, training, home. The daily routine hadn’t changed from before, but time was passing quickly. There was no time to dawdle.

Once home, he would solve the workbook given by Tae Myeongha and maybe call him, citing an excuse of not understanding a problem. It was nice to hear the calmly explained voice.

Even if Tae Myeongha didn’t like him as much as he did, he was still friendly. He remained by his side. That alone was a luxury.

And as long as he improved himself…

If he ran well, went to college, became an adult, became someone worthy of Tae Myeongha. Maybe someday.

He climbed the outdoor stairs of his apartment. When he saw his home, his heart raced.

Stepping on the top step, he stopped for a moment. A strange sense of discomfort arose at the thought that the scenery should be the same as before.

Thump, thump.

His heart was pounding. It was a different unpleasant beat than when he thought of Tae Myeongha.

Memories resurfaced. He used to live like this, always with this feeling. Before meeting his senior.

He stepped onto the rooftop. Overturned empty flower pots that his grandmother had used to grow plants in were scattered in the corner.

The front door was slightly open. With a feeling of entering a known trap, he pulled the door open. The lock should have been changed long ago. At least, it should have been changed after his grandmother passed away.

Distracted and anxious, he forgot to be cautious.

On the dirt-covered entrance, his shoes, which he had taken off, were crumpled and pushed aside.

He could no longer move.

Inside was dim without much sunlight. The smell of alcohol wafted from a distance. The sound of carelessly weighted footsteps wandered across the floor, making noises.

The back of his neck felt cold. The sweat on the way up cooled. A man who came out of the room stood at an angle, glaring at the entrance. He bit the inside of his mouth, feeling the metallic taste of blood.

His father was back.

* * *

“Thank you.”

I bowed to the owner of the lunchbox shop, came out, and opened the envelope I had just received.

Inside the white envelope was a thick stack of bills. When I took them out and counted, it was about $300.

Labor laws were strict for those under 18. I had to report working on holidays separately, so I was only paid in cash. In many ways, it was inconvenient to work.

Normally, children of my age should be protected, studying and playing rather than working. But considering my situation, it couldn’t be helped.

I sat down without properly checking the electronic display to see if the bus was coming.

On paydays, I should be in a good mood, but I felt uneasy.

I stared at the numbers on the mobile banking app for a long time. How nice it would be if this number could rise like favorability. A staring contest was futile unless the situation changed.

“I’m not earning fast enough.”

There was only about $820 in my bank account.

Since my part-time jobs were all during weekends and I would give half of my salary to my grandmother, it was hard to save money.

“But what kind of mission is this?”

Suddenly, without any explanation, just showing a number. What kind of mission was this where there was no hint.

[ Sub-Mission: $2250 ($820) ]

Judging by the fact that my bank balance was displayed next to it, it seemed to be telling me to collect money.

With these unsettling days, what did collecting money have to do with anything? Of course, having money was reassuring.

“Should I take on more part-time jobs?”

I didn’t plan to improve my grades much, so I might not need to spend time studying. If I only pay attention to my attendance and work on weekdays, I might be able to collect the remaining by the end of summer vacation.

Looking at the cases so far, it seemed like there was no time limit for the Sub-Missions. I wondered if I could leisurely collect the money.

Anyway, let’s think about this later.

Now that I had received my salary, I thought about treating Cha Yeowoon to meat. While thinking leisurely, I boarded the village bus I always took.

However, the call to Cha Yeowoon didn’t connect.

“He’s not answering his phone.”

Maybe he was working at the church. Leaning against the window at the back of the bus, I was about to leave him a message.

[ 3m to Love Supremacy Zone. ]

Outside the window, Cha Yeowoon passed by on the street.

The bus was just about to pass the bus stop. Without another thought, I ran down the back door.

“Mister! I’m getting off here.”

I urgently pressed the stop button and shouted. The driver retorted that I should have pressed it in advance. As I disembarked after apologizing, I could see the back of Cha Yeowoon’s head in the distance.

“Where are you going? You didn’t answer your phone.”

Before Cha Yeowoon got further away, I ran at full speed and caught up to him.

“Senior?”

Cha Yeowoon asked in a daze, fumbling his pockets.

“Ah…I think I left my phone at home.”

“What’s going on?”

His reaction was strange. He seemed to have lost his mind rather than his phone.

At my questioning, he quickly put on a smile.

It was strange. The Cha Yeowoon I knew wasn’t the type to smile his way out of a situation.

Was something serious going on? That sudden thought crossed my mind.