Chapter 18: Mini Sports Day (2)
The trainees were watching the mini sports day unfold right before their eyes.
Ha Junseo looked back at the center where the filming was in full swing with a worried expression.
Do Seohan and Lee Junhyeok were standing face to face in a line.
Ha Junseo had sensed the strange tension between them.
He had sharp enough instincts to know that Lee Junhyeok openly disliked Do Seohan.
Ha Junseo also disliked Lee Junhyeok.
So naturally, he wanted Do Seohan to win, but this scene wasn’t what he had hoped for.
After Episode 2 aired, all sorts of speculative rumors started circulating about whether the team members were getting along.
Of course, the focus was on Junhyeok’s self-destruction, placing all the blame on him…
But public opinion could turn overnight.
The youngest, unusually quick-witted and sincere in everything he did.
He didn’t show it, but he always did his part silently.
Ha Junseo hoped Do Seohan would defuse the tense atmosphere gently.
“Let’s each say a few words to assert dominance!”
“…I’ll make sure to win.”
Lee Junhyeok’s cold smile was captured on camera.
“Whoaaa!”
“That was fire!”
Because it was being filmed, the serious mood was slightly eased by the cheering of the trainees in the background, but the concern remained.
That deadly look in Junhyeok’s eyes was sincere.
However, Do Seohan didn’t get caught up in Junhyeok’s provocation.
“I’m good at these kinds of things. I’ll win for us, hyung!”
“Let’s see….”
“That was already a strong opening! Let’s begin the match!”
Piii—
Han Dawon’s whistle echoed.
A stifling silence.
“Rock… Paper….”
A strange tension filled the air.
Ha Junseo stood next to Jin Sehyun, swallowing nervously as he watched the situation unfold.
He was worried that Lee Junhyeok might lose control and smash Do Seohan with the toy hammer.
He hoped Junhyeok wouldn’t lose control and go on a rampage.
If he were to fall, let him self-destruct gradually.
But then—
“Rock, paper, scissors!”
Whack!
“Rock… Paper… Scissors!”
Whack!
A bright sound rang out above Lee Junhyeok’s head.
Thwack!
“Ughhh!”
After winning every round of rock-paper-scissors in a flash, Do Seohan swiftly smacked him with the toy hammer.
There wasn’t a shred of hesitation or opening.
Whack!
Whack!
The focus in Junhyeok’s eyes quickly faded, and Do Seohan calmly led every match to his own victory.
An astonishingly overwhelming difference in reaction speed.
Should I say it showed the agility worthy of a main dancer?
Like a hamster that rings the bell and runs away—quick and accurate attacks.
Even his eyes, filled with competitive fire, sparkled as he fulfilled his role.
Whack!
Whack! Whack!
“Do Seohan wins!”
Only after Han Dawon declared the result—
“Yes!”
Do Seohan returned to his usual bright self and waved the toy hammer.
Total victory, a complete win!
Just how many times had he struck during that short match?
“What… is that guy?”
Ha Junseo stood with his mouth wide open, realizing his worry had been unnecessary.
Seohan, you’re the best.
The mini sports day continued late into the night.
Although it would be aired as a short clip on the actual broadcast, the filming took much longer than expected.
‘I hope they show as much as we suffered.’
Do Seohan mumbled to himself. The other trainees, already collapsed in exhaustion, were probably thinking the same.
“Ueueue, I think I’m gonna die….”
Seohan turned to look at Seo Haim, who had been poking his side for a while. But it wasn’t just Seo Haim who was in bad shape.
Even as everyone grew more exhausted, the sports day went on.
The next game.
The ‘Virtue’ game tested how well one could share what they had with others, but what followed was a seemingly unrelated flour-carrying game.
Sprinkle, sprinkle, sprinkle.
Thanks to Seo Haim’s trembling hands, Seohan, now covered in white flour, blinked like a snowman.
If it had been Lee Junhyeok, he would’ve gotten angry.
“…Wow. It actually suits you.”
This hyung was too cheerful to even get mad at.
The bigger twist was that it really did suit him when he looked in the mirror.
“You look like a hamster buried in a snowfield.”
“…Thanks for the compliment.”
“Wow, Haim’s even giving the youngest his screen time.”
“Haha… thanks for that too.”
After securing plenty of airtime, it was time for the final game.
Still dusted in flour, they moved on to the next round.
The grand finale of the mini sports day—the ‘Strength’ game.
Arm wrestling evaluation.
“Anyone confident?”
“Meeeee!”
“Oh, if it’s about strength, then it’s gotta be me….”
Just like any arm wrestling match, the designated show-offs from each team came out and bragged before stepping back.
Do Seohan, feeling like a mouse poking its head out of a hole, quietly observed the scene.
‘Ah, arm wrestling is a bit….’
If it were about reaction speed, maybe, but honestly, I had no confidence in this one.
I didn’t have much expectation either.
To be honest, it was a game that didn’t really matter whether I won or lost.
If I could pull off a decent scene with a bold comment, it would probably make it on air.
“Then let’s look forward to the final match from our ambitious boys!”
With Han Dawon’s hosting, the excitement rose again.
Even the trainees who looked like dead fish earlier started reacting.
“Waaaah!”
“Alright, here we go!”
“Hey, you go!”
“Let’s go, let’s go.”
There was no need to push too hard and get injured—just doing your best was enough for this match.
Having been covered in white flour during the previous game, I didn’t plan to overdo it here.
Seo Haim, who had come back trembling after putting in all her strength, and Jin Sehyun, who quietly won and returned with ease.
I had been quietly watching my teammates, and only when my name was called did I finally step forward.
“The player who conquered the first toy hammer game with faster reaction speed than a hamster.”
“Waaaah!”
“Yes, and the next player to face Mam-Seohan is… wow! Individual trainee Seo Ian!”
But.
The moment Han Dawon called the opponent’s name, my gaze wavered quickly.
Blinking as he sluggishly crawled out, his face appeared.
With a gentle rabbit-like face and a timid voice, he came out as an individual trainee—but he was someone all too familiar.
“…Huh?”
Seo Ian.
The trainee whose name was called slowly looked up at me with hesitant eyes.
I could read the meaning in those eyes.
‘It’s been a while.’
That’s clearly what they were saying.
It was the same emotion I felt.
Before we could say anything more, Han Dawon’s excited voice cut in.
“Now, Seo Ian trainee, are you confident?”
“Y-Yes…!”
If Ha Junseo was the image of a righteous angel, Seo Ian-hyung felt like soft tofu that could crumble at any moment.
I already knew he was on this program, and it’s not like we’d never crossed paths, but there had been no real chance to be in the same place.
We had been pretending not to know each other.
A slightly complicated acquaintance.
I gave a faint smile and nodded.
“Ah, I’m really looking forward to this!”
“We’ll change the tape real quick!”
Before the slate was clapped, and in the moment the camera stopped rolling—
I slightly leaned my body toward Seo Ian.
Far away from the cameras.
Just in case it picked up on the mic, I kept my voice as low as possible.
“Good to see you, hyung.”
“Oh…yeah.”
The person most closely connected to the story KJ wanted to dig into so badly.
But even without all the complicated backstory, he was someone I was honestly glad to see.
I gave a faint smile.
How had he been, why did he come on this show, what had happened since then—
It was a smile that carried all those unspoken questions.
“Okay, let’s get back to it. Get ready!”
My eyes sparkled calmly.
“Let’s give it our all.”
I whispered quietly and clenched my fist.
The final arm wrestling match.
It was a close battle.
Even while trembling, I put all my strength into it.
Just like I hoped, Seo Ian gave it his all too.
We gritted our teeth as the match swung back and forth.
Han Dawon did his part as MC and continued to raise the tension.
“Mam-Seohan! Ohh, just a little more strength and he might do it…!”
“Oh dear, his arm’s shaking. Now, now! Seo Ian is making a comeback!”
“Ughhh!”
The result was Seo Ian’s victory.
“Good job.”
“Yeah, fighting!”
Seo Ian nodded toward me with a calm smile and returned my greeting.
Thanks to that, he got his first solo interview.
Until now, he had barely appeared on camera, so luckily, it looked like he’d finally get a little screen time.
It was only a moment, but I knew.
That he had let me win.
When Seo Ian first came here, he had been trembling.
Standing on stage had been his long-time dream.
He hadn’t fully let go of his lingering attachment, so even though this was his last chance, he couldn’t shout it out with confidence.
Broadcasting was unfamiliar to him, and standing out among trainees brimming with variety talent was even harder.
That’s why even getting a solo shot on camera, and facing Do Seohan—whom he might’ve preferred to avoid—
It was a little scary, since it had been a while.
Had he been caught hesitating like that?
“Let’s give it our all.”
Oddly enough, that one sentence had calmed him down.
Even if it was too abstract coming from someone two years younger than him, it strangely made sense.
He had always been mature like that.
Seo Ian walked out of the filming site, clutching his throbbing head.
“…Still the same.”
Seo Ian murmured under his breath with a bitter smile.
Still stupidly kind.
It was truly a pity.
In this world, that kind of person ends up broken.
He didn’t even know that.
“…Like me.”
Seo Ian turned his head after taking a gulp of water.
He thought it might be best to work even harder now, since he’d at least secured a scene worth airing.
Just like Do Seohan said.
With sincerity.
Seo Ian unknowingly smiled faintly and repeated Seohan’s words to himself.
That’s when it happened.
A sudden shadow fell over his head.
“You’re Seo Ian, right?”
“Huh?”
Seo Ian was startled.
Because a completely unfamiliar face was standing in front of him.
Lee Junhyeok.
They had barely interacted at the filming site, but he had already gotten a clear picture of him from Episodes 1 and 2.
That cocky face from the same team as Do Seohan, Lee Junhyeok pushed his face in uncomfortably.
Seo Ian turned to look at him with visible discomfort.
“Is there… something you need?”
“You’re from KJ, right?”
Tap.
Lee Junhyeok jumped straight to the point.
He grabbed a water bottle and casually sat down beside him.
There was no courtesy or consideration in his manner.
A gut-level discomfort surged up from Seo Ian’s throat.
He frowned without realizing it and said,
“H-How did you know that?”
“Do you know Do Seohan?”
Lee Junhyeok grinned and asked in return.