Chapter 70 – Sports Festival (1)
“Now then… we will begin the first-year sports festival.”
With the principal’s opening speech, the grand curtain rose on Animation High’s first-year sports festival.
Comic Creation Department.
Animation Department.
Video Content Department.
Game Production Department.
A total of four classes, one hundred students—everyone had imagined a heart-pounding, majestic battle…
But once the matches actually began, a bizarre picture started to unfold.
“Kyaaaah!”
“Niceeee!”
“Switch defense!”
“Quick attack! Quick attack!”
“Wait, why is that guy so fast?!”
From dodgeball to basketball.
The skill levels among the Comic Creation, Animation, and Video departments were generally not that far apart.
After all, they were all people who had gathered here with little to no connection to physical activities… so in a way, it was only natural.
But as always, there are exceptions to every rule.
“Dodgeball! Game Department wins!”
“Niceeee!”
“Strongest Game! Strongest Game!”
Every time a tournament-style match concluded in each event—
In dodgeball, basketball, and the other prepared events… the Game Department kept winning one after another.
And most of the time, by overwhelming margins.
“What the hell—do those guys just play sports all day instead of making games?”
“First place… feels impossible now.”
Was the pizza slipping away right before their eyes?
The faces of the Comic Creation kids were filled with the expressions of defeated soldiers, their shoulders drooping powerlessly.
Even worse—
“Ahahaha! Everyone get ready to buy drinks!”
“Why are they so good at everything…?”
“Teacher Yang, did you make the kids train sports instead of working?”
The first-year homeroom teachers’ fighting spirit was steadily being crushed under the Game Department homeroom teacher’s taunting.
Min-hyuk, who had been sitting and cheering, scratched his forehead.
‘If the score gap gets this wide… even if I do well, we’re not getting pizza anyway, right?’
The only events left now were futsal and badminton.
For the time being, the Comic Creation Department had taken second place in many events, so they were still holding onto second overall in the total points…
But looking at the momentum alone, beating the Game Department felt impossible.
If the Game Department won futsal too, structurally speaking, it would become completely impossible for Comic Creation to take first.
But.
‘Actually… I might feel more at ease that way.’
Either way, if that happens, it won’t be because of me that we can’t eat pizza, right? It’s a little regrettable after all the training we did, though.
A thick wave of loser energy rose in his chest, making the corners of Min-hyuk’s mouth twitch involuntarily.
Just as the atmosphere was sinking heavily—
Swoosh!
“Oii oii, minna! It’s still too early to give up!”
“…You.”
Oh Dong-gyo appeared in his gym clothes, holding a ball in one hand. With the other, he adjusted his glasses.
In that moment, sunlight streaming through the window outside the gym glinted off his lenses.
It looked almost… like the descent of a messiah.
‘…He’s unnecessarily cool.’
Min-hyuk turned his head and looked the other way.
Futsal—first round opponent for Comic Creation: five players from the Video Content Department.
“Heh heh heh, we’ll tear them apart.”
“Comic Creation or whatever…”
They all had lean, agile-looking builds.
At a glance, it seemed like Comic Creation had an overwhelming advantage.
If they lost here, the timeline where Comic Creation took first place would vanish completely.
But then something unexpected happened.
“Haaah!”
“Block him!”
Suddenly, Oh Dong-gyo charged forward like a madman.
One player quickly stuck to him.
Tap! Taaat!
One, two.
With just two deft foot movements, he shook off the defender and broke through.
“Wh-what the…?”
Perhaps shocked by the footwork that didn’t match his appearance at all,
Bewilderment appeared on the faces of the Video Department players.
After that, it was a complete rout.
“Hup!”
A sharp side pass from Oh Dong-gyo.
He immediately sprinted straight forward, bursting into the open space.
“Dong-gyo!”
A high floating ball came flying.
In that instant, Oh Dong-gyo stomped the ground.
Baaaang!
“Uraaa!”
With a flashy bicycle kick, he split the goalposts.
“Huuu…”
“Nice!”
Oh Dong-gyo calmly stood up and adjusted his glasses once more.
The Video Department kids, as if possessed by a ghost, just blinked in stunned silence.
And for good reason…
‘Oh Dong-gyo, the “Otaku Park Ji-sung” thing… it was actually real…’
Even Min-hyuk, who was watching this unfold with his own two eyes, could hardly believe the scene in front of him.
At that moment, Han Yu-ra, sitting beside him, scratched her forehead and asked,
“Why is he so good at this?”
“…Because of comics, apparently.”
“Comics?”
Min-hyuk recalled the conversation he once had with Dong-gyo and explained,
“He said he was deeply moved after reading an old Japanese soccer comic called Captain Tsuba○… and that’s when he started playing soccer seriously or something.”
“…What?”
Han Yu-ra tilted her head, looking genuinely baffled.
A mix of bewilderment and sheer incredulity.
‘Yeah, I feel the same way.’
When Min-hyuk gave a small nod, Yu-ra continued,
“At that level… shouldn’t he be playing soccer instead of drawing comics?”
“Liking something and having talent for it are two different things. And Dong-gyo is really good at comics too.”
“…True, I guess.”
While the two were talking—
“Ura-chacha!”
“Block himmmm!”
Baaang! Baaang!
Whenever Oh Dong-gyo got the ball, he effortlessly shook off at least two defenders and ripped the net apart.
Utterly unstoppable.
He was literally Lü Bu on the field.
Piiiiip!
“9–2! Comic Creation wins!”
The moment the referee declared victory—
“Pig-seong! Pig-seong! Pig-seong!”
“That’s our Oh Dong-gyo!”
A bizarre nickname twisting the name of a certain Korean soccer player rang out, followed by the kids’ wild cheers.
And the next match should have been the bloody showdown against the Game Department…
Piiiiip!
“7–2! Comic Creation wiiiins!”
Yet again, Oh Dong-gyo and the team completely crushed the Game Department in overwhelming fashion.
“I, Oh Dong-gyo, am a man who knows no defeat.”
“…Niiiiice!”
In the center of the court, Dong-gyo struck a dramatic comic-book pose while reciting a line, and his classmates swarmed him—ruffling his hair, slapping his back, cheering wildly.
“We won.”
“Yeah.”
For various reasons, Min-hyuk felt a genuine shiver(?) run through him.
Han Yu-ra also wore a subtly strange expression, clearly thrown off.
And with this upset came one very natural consequence.
“Wait… doesn’t this mean we actually have a shot at first place now?”
“Oh right! If we win badminton, we take the championship!”
“Ooooooh!”
Min-hyuk glanced at the scoreboard across the auditorium.
It was real… If they just won badminton, the Comic Creation Department would take first place by the slimmest of margins.
“Umm……”
Something about this felt off.
As Min-hyuk scratched his forehead—
“Min-hyuk! Yu-ra!”
“Yes?”
“……”
Suddenly, Choi Jung-an came rushing over and grabbed both of their hands tightly.
With an almost desperate expression, her eyes sparkling intensely, she said,
“You can… get first place, right?”
“Uh… honestly, I’m not sure…”
“Please do it. Alcohol—no, I mean… pizza is on the line here.”
No, this is way too much pressure.
While Min-hyuk blinked in confusion—
“Hey, Min-hyuk-kun, Yu-ra-san! The last one… we’re counting on you.”
Tap tap!
Suddenly Oh Dong-gyo patted Min-hyuk on the shoulder and flashed a thumbs-up.
“Han Yu-ra! Kang Min-hyuk! Han Yu-ra! Kang Min-hyuk!”
“Fight for pizza!”
“Pizza! Pizza! Pi-za!”
As Kim Rok-hee shouted excitedly, her voice spread like an infectious disease, filling the entire auditorium.
“What’s with them?”
“Looks like Comic Creation’s mixed badminton pair is up.”
Even the kids from other departments turned their attention this way.
‘This is so burdensome…’
Anyone watching would think they were about to represent the country at the Olympics.
At that moment, a teacher up front blew the whistle and shouted,
“Comic Creation badminton team—step forward!”
Han Yu-ra stared straight at Kang Min-hyuk and said,
“Let’s go.”
“Ah, yeah.”
The two hurried toward the court.
“Kang Min-hyuk! Han Yu-ra! Kang Min-hyuk! Han Yu-ra!”
“So handsome!”
“So pretty!”
“Fucking cool!”
Thanks to the unbelievably chaotic and overwhelming cheers coming from behind, concentration was proving impossible.
In the midst of that noise, Han Yu-ra spoke in a low, calm voice.
“Let’s just do exactly what we practiced.”
“……”
Was it because of that characteristically cool tone of hers?
Or because the words themselves made perfect sense?
Either way, Min-hyuk felt himself settling down, his nerves gradually calming.
He turned to Yu-ra again and asked,
“You’re not nervous at all?”
“Why would I be nervous? If we don’t get first, that’s it. We’re not national representatives or anything.”
“…Huh?”
“If they really want pizza that badly, they can buy it with their own money.”
Her voice carried cynicism bordering on outright grumpiness.
Hearing it, Min-hyuk couldn’t help but let out a small snort of amusement.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Nothing… just felt very ‘you.’”
“Nonsense.”
By the time their brief exchange ended, they had already reached the court.
On the opposite side stood two students from the Video Content Department.
Tall, with long limbs that stretched out impressively—they gave off the vibe of being pretty formidable just by standing there.
Looking at them, Min-hyuk thought,
‘Still… since we’re doing this, I want to win.’
A strange, fluttering emotion rose in his chest—hard to put into words.
From his previous life all the way to now, after being reborn.
For the past several years, he had lived almost entirely immersed in comics.
Because he had chased his dream late, he had been desperate, and pouring all his seriousness into it had always left little energy for anything else.
‘For the first time in forever… I’m getting serious about something else too.’
It was just badminton. Just a ball game.
Even if they won, all it meant was that their classmates would be a little happy, and they’d get some pizza.
Something he could buy hundreds of with his own money—nothing special at all.
But now that he was actually standing on the court, the desire to win surged up inside him.
It wasn’t just simple competitiveness.
It was the expectations of the classmates cheering them on from behind.
It was Teacher Choi Jung-an, who had supported his Brave King serialization and school life so much—her drinking money was on the line too.
And even Han Yu-ra, the one he had bickered and argued with while syncing up for this very moment.
He wanted to put a proper period at the end of all of it.
If he could do that, then really…
‘It would be fun.’
The feeling that coming to Animation High had been the right choice filled his chest completely.
‘Alright. Let’s get serious.’
Min-hyuk wiped the smile from his face and spoke in a calm voice.
“Those guys probably have long reach, so they’ll likely send it to the far corners a lot. Let’s stay really aware of the backcourt.”
“…Yeah.”
Yu-ra nodded, naturally taking her stance and gripping the racket.
After that, they settled the toss with rock-paper-scissors.
“Alright, Video Department serves first.”
“Yes.”
Immediately, the boy from Video gripped the shuttlecock and…
Thuuud!
…smashed it with force.
Just as expected, it flew toward the far edge of the court—an extremely precarious spot.
The precise landing point was—
‘Yu-ra’s side.’
Without needing to say a word, without even meeting eyes,
Yu-ra’s feet were already moving toward it first.
Taaang!
She quickly sent it back to the opposite side.
Taang! Taang! Taang!
The rally continued.
Then—
Taaaaang!
A high ball came floating from the other side, heading toward the net.
In that instant, Han Yu-ra’s and Min-hyuk’s gazes met for the briefest moment.
And at the same time, the same thought rose in both their minds.
—When a high ball comes toward the net, the person who can run straight to it should smash. That way we can add more speed and power.
—Yeah… not a bad idea.
Just as they had agreed, Yu-ra charged straight forward, leaped high with full force—
Fwaaaaaang!
—and slammed the shuttlecock straight down into the floor.
Then…
“Grr!”
The girl from Video stretched her racket out to receive it, but because of the sheer speed, it flew right past her and hit the floor on their side.
Piiiiip!
“Comic Creation scores!”
The referee’s whistle and call rang out.
“Waaaaah!”
“Han Yu-ra! Han Yu-ra!”
Kim Rok-hee jumped up and down from her seat, shouting excitedly.
Han Yu-ra looked at Kang Min-hyuk and said,
“Just do what we practiced. Then we win.”
“…Yeah. Let’s do that.”
Confidence, certainty, and trust in each other were rising clearly on both their faces.
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