Chapter 67 – Sports Festival… You Say?
During morning homeroom.
Min-hyuk, with a slightly flustered expression, whispered to Dong-gyo beside him.
“Hey, sports festival… Was there any talk about that? This is literally the first I’m hearing of it.”
“What are you talking about? There are posters plastered all over the hallway bulletin board.”
“Bulletin board? Does anyone even look at that thing?”
“Isn’t it weirder if you don’t look at it?”
Dong-gyo furrowed his brows as he shot back—right at that moment.
“You two—Dong-gyo, Min-hyuk. Quiet down.”
“Ah, yes!”
“Sorry!”
At Choi Jung-an’s sharp call-out, both of them immediately zipped their mouths shut.
A faint trace of worry crept onto Min-hyuk’s face.
‘A sports festival, huh… Kind of a hassle.’
He was already struggling with the grade project, and now the thought of having to participate in something physical made his chest feel a little tight.
On top of that, having walked the path of comics his entire life (?), he had never really been close to anything involving physical activity.
Well, if he tried to look on the bright side…
‘Maybe it’ll help spark some ideas for the sports comic?’
Though honestly, it was just a coincidence that the timing lined up.
While Min-hyuk was scratching his head, Choi Jung-an spoke up.
“This year’s sports festival will be held on the first Tuesday of June. The events are futsal, basketball, relay race, dodgeball, foot volleyball, doubles table tennis, and mixed badminton—seven events in total.”
Tap tap tap!
Choi Jung-an wrote the names of the events in large letters across the blackboard, dividing it into five sections.
Somehow, an ominous feeling settled in.
“Everyone in our first-year Comic Creation Department must participate in at least one of the events listed here. First up… dodgeball—eight people?”
“Me!”
“Wanna do it together?”
“Should I?”
As if playing a game of chicken, the students slowly began raising their hands one by one.
Min-hyuk let out a small snort through his nose.
‘Do we really have to pick at least one?’
If he had to choose something he was even remotely decent at, it would probably be basketball from his university days or foot volleyball from his military service.
‘Ugh, whatever. My head already hurts just thinking about the project.’
While Min-hyuk was blankly scratching his head,
“Okay, next—futsal? We need five people.”
At that exact moment—
Whoosh!
“Ooooh! I’ll do it!”
Dong-gyo, who had been sitting right next to him, shot up from his seat and shouted with enough force to seemingly shatter the ceiling.
“Great, Dong-gyo and… anyone else?”
“Me too!”
“I’ll join!”
Tap tap tap!
In no time, the blackboard filled up with names for the futsal team.
Min-hyuk scratched his forehead and asked,
“Dong-gyo… you actually like futsal?”
“Like it? Not at all.”
“Then why’d you pick it?”
For some reason, the image just didn’t match futsal at all.
When Min-hyuk expressed his doubt, Dong-gyo wagged his finger and answered firmly.
“I’m good at it. Not that I like it.”
“Huh?”
“Sigh… Min-hyuk-kun, back in middle school, this body was called ‘Otaku Park Ji-sung.’”
“Why?”
“I told you—I’m good.”
Dong-gyo adjusted his glasses, and for some reason a dramatic white glint reflected off the lenses as he struck a confident pose.
No, wait… what?
“You’re joking, right?”
“One hundred percent serious.”
“For real?”
“I’m telling you. Min-hyuk-kun, your observational skills are terrible. Doesn’t anyone who looks at me instantly think, ‘Ah, this guy has natural athletic talent written all over his face and body’?”
Dong-gyo pointed both thumbs at himself and flashed a toothy grin.
‘No… he looks about as far from futsal as humanly possible…’
Min-hyuk had a mountain of things he wanted to say but couldn’t bring himself to voice them.
Perhaps sensing Min-hyuk’s lingering doubt and feeling a bit hurt by it,
“Let me start by explaining when I first started kicking a ball… We have to go back to the 2002 World Cup. The quarterfinal against Germany, I think.”
“No, you really don’t need to go that far back—”
As if adding insult to injury, Dong-gyo began reciting the entire origin story of his ball-kicking career(?).
Min-hyuk’s mind drifted so far it felt like it had left the planet entirely—right then…
Choi Jung-an’s voice cut through.
“Alright, now only mixed badminton is left.”
“Hm?”
When Min-hyuk turned his head forward again, the blackboard was already densely packed with students’ names.
‘Oh no…’
While he had been distracted nitpicking Dong-gyo’s soccer history, he had clearly missed the last train.
His plan to quietly slip into some easy event had spectacularly fallen apart.
“The only remaining spot is… one mixed-gender badminton team. Right now—who here still hasn’t chosen any event?”
“Huuuuh… Me.”
Damn it, of all things, the last remaining event had to be mixed badminton.
Min-hyuk raised his hand with a sigh.
‘Well, let’s think positively. Badminton is… at least something I’m not terrible at.’
At that moment, Choi Jung-an smiled brightly and said,
“Perfect, just the two of you then.”
“Two… people?”
“Yes, two.”
Min-hyuk turned his head to the side.
There, someone was half-heartedly raising their hand.
Wearing a bread-shaped cap, glaring at him with an expression mixed with clear irritation.
‘Han Yu-ra?’
The number-one most prickly, most difficult person in the entire classroom—all-time champion.
The future great comic artist herself, Han Yu-ra.
“…I have to do it with Yu-ra?”
“I’m not exactly thrilled about teaming up with Kang Min-hyuk either.”
Both Min-hyuk and Yu-ra threw out curt, grumpy remarks in turn.
Choi Jung-an gave a small smile, raised her hand slightly, and said,
“Anyone willing to take Min-hyuk’s or Yu-ra’s place… for badminton?”
“…….”
As expected, only silence filled the classroom.
‘Team up with Han Yu-ra for badminton? I’d rather die.’
‘This is so burdensome…….’
The boys thought one thing,
‘I can’t be the only one separated from the others.’
‘I don’t even particularly like badminton.’
And the girls thought another—none of them so much as twitched.
Choi Jung-an clapped her hands together as if the matter was settled.
“Aigoo, no helping it then. How about the two of you use this chance to get closer?”
“…No, that’s—”
“Haaaaah…….”
Finally realizing there was no escape, resignation settled over Min-hyuk’s and Yu-ra’s faces—each in their own characteristic way.
Choi Jung-an quickly changed the subject.
“Alright, alright—from now on, the Ani-Sports gym (the auditorium) will be open during lunch and after school, so feel free to practice whenever. And… if our class gets first place in the sports festival, I’ll treat everyone to pizza! So do your best!”
“Pizza?”
“Woaah, jackpot!”
“Choi Jung-an! Choi Jung-an! Choi Jung-an!”
Perhaps thanks to Choi Jung-an’s bombshell pizza promise,
Her name echoed loudly throughout the classroom.
Of course.
‘My head hurts.’
Min-hyuk’s mind, completely unrelated to the excitement, was slowly starting to heat up with stress.
……
……
A short while later.
Ding-dong-daeng-dong!
“Everyone, break time.”
The first period ended quickly, and break time arrived.
Immediately,
“Hey, we’re practicing dodgeball today, right?”
“Sounds good? If we want first place, we’ve gotta go hard.”
“Krrrrr, yeah—might as well aim for first place since we’re doing it anyway, right?”
The students gathered in small groups and started chattering excitedly.
Thanks to Choi Jung-an’s “pizza declaration(?)” just moments ago, everyone looked strangely hyped.
Even Oh Dong-gyo…
“Sigh… Let’s hold a strategy meeting too. If we’re aiming for ‘victory,’ that is.”
“Ooooh! Yes!”
He had somehow already squeezed himself into the futsal group and was acting like their coach.
Seeing this scene, Min-hyuk couldn’t help but think…
‘They really are just high schoolers, huh.’
Watching them get so innocently excited and happy about something like this (though honestly, pizza was probably 70% of it) made the corners of his mouth lift without him realizing.
Of course, the problem was that if he turned his head just a little…
There was Han Yu-ra glaring at him with a face full of displeasure.
‘Why did it have to be her, of all people… when there are so many others.’
When fate decides to screw with you, it really goes all out.
Min-hyuk was starting to feel like the word “sports” itself was becoming a little distasteful.
And right in the middle of that sour mood—
“P.E. timeeee!”
As if the universe was conspiring against him, it just so happened that today’s afternoon period was physical education.
The students, hyped up by the pizza offering, changed into their gym clothes and stormed into the gym in a noisy rush.
“Today is sports festival practice—do whatever you want on your own. Use the equipment, and make sure to put everything back where it belongs when you’re done.”
“Yessss!”
At the P.E. teacher’s words, the kids scattered excitedly.
Before long, they had gathered in their little groups…
“Attack formation: the first wave will be four or five people, then in the second set… you know that move from Dodgeball King Tong○? The Five Grain Star Pass…”
“Five Grain Star Pass, nice.”
“Why, is there no one here who can shoot a Flame Shot?”
They were having oddly otaku-flavored conversations while taking their training surprisingly seriously.
And if there was one thing that felt slightly out of place in this scene…
In one corner of the gym…
Right in front of the small goalpost set up for futsal practice.
“Shuk! Shuk! Shushushuk!”
“Crazy, why is Oh Dong-gyo so fast?!”
Dong-gyo was weaving through flashy footwork, effortlessly dribbling past the kids in front of him…
Baaaang!
“Yes!”
…and casually splitting the net with the ball.
“Insane, he’s actually really good. Is he Park Ji-sung or what?”
“Looks like Dong-gyo should be the striker, huh?”
The overwhelmed kids wiped the sweat from their foreheads and reluctantly acknowledged Dong-gyo’s skill.
‘…So when he said he was good… he was actually serious?’
No, is this for real?
Min-hyuk blinked in disbelief at the sight.
While he was caught in all sorts of confusion for various reasons…
“Hey, catch.”
“Hm?”
Han Yu-ra held out a badminton racket toward Min-hyuk and said,
“We have to practice, don’t we? You gonna do it or not?”
“…Ah, thanks.”
For some reason, she sounded unusually proactive.
Min-hyuk took the racket with a mix of suspicion and curiosity, then stepped onto the court.
Han Yu-ra gripped the shuttlecock.
Baaang!
She fired it like a cannonball.
He tried to react, but—
Fwoosh!
It grazed past Min-hyuk’s hair and slammed into the opposite side.
He flicked his eyes over.
Ssssss!
The embedded shuttlecock was somehow emitting faint white steam from the floor.
Min-hyuk’s eyebrow twitched as he asked,
“That last one—you were trying to hit me on purpose, right?”
“No? I was trying to win.”
“Huuuuh……”
Calm down, calm down…
What’s the point of getting mad at a kid like this?
‘Besides… I’ve played a lot of badminton too, you know.’
Min-hyuk focused his senses…
Taaaang!
…and smashed the serve with force.
Tang! Taaaang! Tang! Taaaang!
The shuttlecock flew back and forth rapidly between Han Yu-ra and Min-hyuk.
After about six or seven exchanges in the rally…
“Uraaaah!”
Fwaaang!
Min-hyuk’s smash landed dead center in Han Yu-ra’s court.
Her hair fluttered wildly, and a deep crease formed between her brows.
Whatever.
“Nice!”
Min-hyuk pumped his fist into the air and shouted.
“Grr……”
When Han Yu-ra’s eyebrow twitched, Min-hyuk lifted the corner of his mouth and said,
“How’s the taste of my smash?”
“Let’s… keep going.”
Baaang! Baaang! Bang! Baaaang!
From then on, the shuttlecock flew back and forth between them without pause.
“Uwaaa!”
“Grrr!”
They dashed left and right, unleashing smash after smash while yelling at the top of their lungs.
From the intensity alone, you’d think they were competing in the nationals.
Sweat drenched their foreheads, hair flying everywhere.
And every time one of them scored a point—
“You’re not that good just because you won some award, huh?”
“Your athletic sense isn’t as great as I thought?”
They didn’t even need anyone else to prompt them—they were too busy provoking each other.
As the trash talk and rallies continued without end…
Before long, the kids from the Comic Creation Department had gathered around to watch their fierce battle.
“Hey, what’s up with those two? Why are they so good?”
“Right? If you’re good at comics… does that mean you’re good at badminton too?”
And the more eyes turned toward them…
‘No way I’m losing to a brat like that!’
‘To someone like Kang Min-hyuk, no less!’
Absolutely… not losing!
Gritting their teeth even harder, the two of them smashed the shuttlecock across the court with renewed fury.
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