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“Let Woosung treat everyone~.”
Joo Woosung finally stripped my mental resolve and shot first, scoring 10 points.
– “10 points! It’s 10 points!”
“Serious stuff, serious stuff~.”
Joo Woosung hummed a tune. I sighed and took my stance, staring at the target.
Suddenly… I remembered the day when Kang Ichae looked at me with a frightened expression after seeing me practicing my aegyo.
Thump!
Damn!
– “Oh, 8 points, 8 points, what a shame~.”
– “Did Player Seo Hoyun suffer a significant blow to his mental strength??”
“Hahaha!”
Joo Woosung wouldn’t miss the chance to laugh heartily beside me. I stared at him quietly.
I wondered if I should threaten him, but with so many watching eyes, I hesitated…
“Oh dear, what to do.”
Joo Woosung kept grinning and swaggering. He then pulled the bowstring without hesitation and scored 10 points right in the center again.
Damn… He really performed well.
– “Wow, Joo Woosung is a gold medalist, not to be underestimated~!!”
– “Will Black Call retain the first place again?”
First place.
They shouldn’t get first place.
I took a deep breath.
“Let’s recall, let’s recall… when I first held the bow….”
Ding!
[It’s just an event that happened a few weeks ago!]
Shut up.
I grumbled quietly, and the system window didn’t miss the opportunity to chime in.
Ignoring it, I recalled the memories from that time.
The hard feeling of the bow, the bowstring that needed more strength than I thought, and the position of my left hand that had to be firmly fixed. I took a deep breath and naturally went through the series of actions.
I could do this.
Swoosh!
I let go of the string at that moment, and the arrow flew accurately into the target.
– “10 points! Another 10 points by Seo Hoyun!”
– “Has his mental state recovered~?!”
No, it wasn’t just a recovery. Joo Woosung glanced at me, and I raised my bow again, scoring another 10 points.
The commentators went wild, but I didn’t give a damn.
I just need to do my job.
I also pulled a new string, and the arrow flew into the center again.
– “Two consecutive 10-point shots by Seo Hoyun! It’s 10 points!”
– “Wow! What’s the total score now?”
– “It’s a tie with 52 points! It’s a tie!”
Joo Woosung laughed, then stepped forward and pulled the bowstring. However, my consecutive 10-point shots seemed to have affected him, causing his posture to waver slightly, and he scored 9 points.
– “9 points! It’s 9 points!”
– “With this, Black Call’s final score is 61 points! If The Dawn scores 10 points, it’s over!”
– “Can Player Seo Hoyun overcome this pressure and score three consecutive 10-point shots?”
I gently brushed my damp forehead. My face was focused on the main screen, the audience stirring, but I didn’t see it. Right now, there are only three things in this world for me: myself, the bow, and the target.
Ding!
[Should you really work this hard? I’m starting to feel sorry.]
I can’t be embarrassed any further.
Absolutely not.
I grabbed the bow and stepped onto the podium. I slightly placed my left foot forward and firmly held the arrow. I felt like everything was in my hands.
“Huh…”
The target was 25 meters away.
I quietly raised my left arm, pulled the bowstring until it touched my lips, and at that moment, I felt the surroundings become quiet.
The red line in the center, 10 points.
I aimed for that spot and let go of the string. The arrow seemed to fly in slow motion.
And then,
Clang!
I broke the lens.
…Done.
As I slowly put down the bow, I heard the surrounding noise again.
– “…Shit! Seo Hoyun broke the lens!!”
– “He scored over 10 points?! This is the first time in the finals that Seo Hoyun has broken a lens!”
The flustered staff members checked the lens once again, then waved their arms. The broadcast team quickly stood up.
– “It’s The Dawn! 10 points confirmed! Black Call has 61 points, and The Dawn takes 1st place with 62 points~!!”
– “Wow! The last scene is definitely the highlight of this archery competition!”
– “Seo Hoyun’s release of the arrow looked so artistic.”
– “I thought it was a movie. Such a solemn face, both the camera angle and expression were truly artistic.”
I clenched and unclenched my sweaty hands a few times, and the announcer in the stadium rushed over for an interview.
“Seo Hoyun, you broke the lens and scored three consecutive 10-pointers to win the gold medal! Please tell us how you feel!”
“Ah… My feelings.”
My feelings. Right.
“Yes! You momentarily wavered because of Joo Woosung’s sabotage strategy but quickly regained focus and hit a 10-pointer.”
I quickly came back to reality and looked around in surprise. The Dawn members were already celebrating, waving their arms. Meanwhile, Joo Woosung was looking at me with a slightly annoyed expression.
…Annoyed?
Isn’t that the wrong expression for you?
Sigh, this bastard… repaying my kindness like this?
Late anger came over me.
How could you try to beat me like this, even risking your reputation with such sabotage? Just let your hoobae win once, will you?
As I snapped my fingers, the system window that astoundingly caught my intentions came flying.
[I will obey your command!]
Ding!
[Options:
- Hoyunnie~ just happens to be good at archery, right?
- Did you see my amazing archery skills?]
Thank you.
I made my choice, and, with a straight face, I spoke to Joo Woosung.
“Hoyunnie~.”
“…Yes, yes?”
“Just happen to be good at archery, right.”
Recalling my previous aegyo, I blatantly mocked his sabotage strategy. Then, I brushed back my sweaty bangs that kept sliding down my forehead with a clearly annoying smile.
“…”
“It’s really troublesome when others act like this~.”
By the way, this was said not because of a dialogue window but by my own choice.
I kindly smiled at Joo Woosung and left my seat. Woosung looked away as if he couldn’t stand seeing my aegyo.
This scene would probably circulate with the title “Hoyun really hated it” as the biggest output of this competition, but I couldn’t help it.
It’s my victory.
No one would dare to mock my dark past. My face had thickened so much that I was now immune to aegyo attacks.
Ding!
[You won, but your aegyo is… Seo Hoyun’s mysterious 1st loss!]
Shut up.
[Victory is Mine quest 1st place count: 2/3]
One more.
***
“Hoyunnie is the best~.”
“He~ just happens to be good at archery.”
When I returned with the gold medal, my fellow members went wild. I ignored their teasing and took my seat.
With my fingers crossed, I quietly muttered.
“I just need to win one more time.”
“But, what’s your standard for winning, hyung?”
“I only need to do it three times….”
My fellow members, who didn’t understand why I was so obsessed with winning, just exchanged confused glances.
– “The flower of my victory! The relay race begins!”
Finally, the moment for the relay race had come.
White Cherry, set on winning, claimed a gold medal in the women’s 400m relay.
But we couldn’t just be happy about it. Other group members nearly slipped and fell, apparently because the ground was slippery.
“Oh, dear.”
“It seems a bit slippery….”
We all tied our shoelaces extra tight.
For some reason, Jeong Dajun looked a bit uneasy. The other members seemed fine, but Dajun, burning for victory and nervously pacing, resembled a child left on the water’s edge…
“Hey, you be careful.”
“Seems a bit slippery, right?”
“Just try it, and if it seems too dangerous, you don’t need to get 1st place. Just run slowly. Got it?”
“Uh… Yes!”
He answers so innocently, but it’s still somewhat precarious.
“Did you get that?”
“Ah, I got it, hyung. Don’t worry so much.”
I checked that Jeong Dajun’s shoelaces were tightly tied and patted his back. Seong Jiwon was the first to bat, followed by Kang Ichae, me, Kim Seonghyeon, and lastly, Jeong Dajun.
– “Another highlight race following the women’s 400m! The men’s 500m relay race!”
The race itself proceeded quickly. Since the relay only took place once, considering the length of time, people participated and cheered desperately, feeling it was their last chance.
– “The Dawn is very serious right now! There’s even more anticipation because Kim Seonghyeon is playing.”
– “1st lane, The Dawn! What’s their team name, The Dawn? ‘The-the-the-the Dawn’? Is it a play on words for ‘da-da-da jumping?”[1]
“Who came up with that?”
“…”
Seong Jiwon shyly raised his hand and confessed.
“Well… well, that’s possible.”
“That’s seriously unfair.”
Kang Ichae grumbled nervously as he moved to his starting position, but at any rate, we couldn’t let Seong Jiwon’s morale drop since he was the one starting the relay. As Seong Jiwon approached the line and assumed his starting pose, I also moved to my spot.
– “Now, the 500m relay is starting!”
Baaang!
It began.
– “Seong Jiwon, oh my, Seong Jiwon is so fast!”
– “No way! His movements are not big, but his speed is outstanding!”
Of course, Seong Jiwon is good at everything except being kind. Seong Jiwon was not only fast but also had excellent stamina. I quickly got into position, confirming that Seong Jiwon’s baton was reaching Kang Ichae.
– “The Dawn and Refined are fighting for 1st place right now! No, Seong Jiwon hands the baton directly to Kang Ichae!”
I couldn’t see clearly because the distance was quite far, but Kang Ichae caught the baton like a ghost and ran toward me.
– “Kang Ichae is overwhelmingly widening the gap!”
– “Kang Ichae even shows off tumbling on stage! He’s flying around here, too, flying around!”
Kang Ichae ran very diligently. I thought of the e-sports alert.
Kang Ichae is unstoppable!
“Hyung!”
Kang Ichae called me and reached out with the hand holding the baton. I felt the gaze of other group members, but I stealthily moved forward and chose the best time to receive the baton. When the baton touched my hand, I dashed out with all my might.
– “Woah! Seo Hoyun is also fast!”
– “It’s not just his archery skills that are good! Seo Hoyun’s physical abilities are troublesome, troublesome!”
I heard the words mimicking my aegyo from earlier, but it was already a zero impact. The problem was…
This floor is…
Slippery.
I broke into a cold sweat instantly, but I kept looking forward and running. My pace would crumble as soon as I became conscious of something strange.
As I turned the corner where Noeul was sitting, screams poured out.
– “Is it because The Dawn members are all quite tall? They’re stretching out so much!”
“Seo Hoyun!”
“Uh!”
– “Oh my, this is the combo that caught the thief! Kim Seonghyeon and Seo Hoyun! They passed the baton very stably!”
Kim Seonghyeon also received the baton and started running but stumbled and almost fell, quickly regaining his balance.
Ah…
I panted and joined Seong Jiwon and Kang Ichae.
“How is it?”
“We’re in 1st place right now.”
“Seonghyeon is really fast.”
– “Kim Seonghyeon is going crazy running fast!”
– “Today, The Dawn is crazy!”
There was almost half a lap difference between the other group members. Everyone was buzzing since it was the first time there had been such a big gap, but in my heart, a tiny thorn seemed stuck, making me uncomfortable.
I have a bad feeling about this…
– “Kim Seonghyeon hands it over!”
– “There’s a half-lap difference. Is this basically the same as winning?”
Kim Seonghyeon, who sprinted to the last moment, kicked the floor and handed the baton over to Jeong Dajun.
“Jeong Dajun!”
“Yes!”
Jeong Dajun could have run slowly, but he gave it his all until the end. And when there was about half of the finish line left…
At that moment, Jeong Dajun put too much force on his foot, slipped, and whoosh!
“…!!”
He fell forward. He raised his arm to cover his head for a split second, but he tumbled forward for two or three spins.
Shit, I knew the slippery floor was uneasy!
“Jeong Dajun!”
We all jumped up.
[1] 더더더더던 (“The-the-the-the Dawn”) is almost the same as 다다다 뛴다는 (“Da-da-da jumping”). Tbh, it’s slightly funnier in Korean.
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