Suwon chuckled and pointed toward the other side of the court.
"Ono? He's over there showing off."
Jinkyung followed his finger and blinked in surprise.
"Is that even possible…?"
On the other side, Oh Inho was holding himself perfectly horizontal from the metal pole of the basketball hoop doing a human flag.
After a few seconds, he dropped down smoothly and landed in a superhero pose, doing it so smoothly.
"Cool for no damn reason," Suwon muttered, shaking his head.
"Wow," Jinkyung said, genuinely impressed. "He's like a gymnast."
Ono walked toward them.
"Hi, Oh Inho…!" Jinkyung greeted, a bit shy.
"Mm. Gangyeo," he replied flatly.
Jinkyung blinked.
…Gangyeo?
Strong woman?
Ono stopped in front of them, his usual blunt expression unchanged.
"Why are you exercising, anyway?" he asked. "Trying to lose weight?"
"Yeah," she admitted. "I wanna lose a little, but like… in a healthy way."
Ono studied her for a moment, his eyes briefly scanning her.
She's already naturally fit… trying to cut weight?
What for? Planning to leave nothing but muscle?
…Not a bad idea.
"I've just been skipping meals," Jinkyung added sheepishly. "But it's getting really tough. I don't think I can keep it up."
"That's the worst way to do it," Ono said bluntly. "The second you start eating again, everything you lost just comes right back."
"Really?" Jinkyung blinked in surprise.
Ono crossed his arms.
"Just do what I say. No complaining," he said. "You've got potential."
Her mind instantly drifted into a sparkly daydream
an image of herself, slim and glowing, her pink workout clothes fitting perfectly as people around her admired her.
If this goes well… I might actually end up like this!
Meanwhile, Ono's imagination was running in a completely different direction.
In his mind
Jinkyung stood tall, completely ripped. Muscles sharp and defined like a pro athlete. Arms flexed, abs carved, veins faintly visible.
Yeah…
he thought with quiet awe.
She's got insane potential.
Back in reality
the "training" had already begun.
Jinkyung was on the court floor, struggling through push-ups.
Sweat dripped from her forehead.
Her face was flushed bright red.
Her arms trembled violently as she tried to push herself up.
Ono crouched beside her, leaning in slightly, his face close to her ear as he spoke in a low voice.
"One more."
Behind him, Suwon watched in disbelief.
Jinkyung shook, barely holding herself up.
T-this isn't what I had in mind…
Ono's voice came again, calm but firm.
"Lower."
"Ughh"
"Don't puke. Just one more."
Suwon watch what's happening.
…As expected. He's a crazy bastard.
-
At the same time, over at a PC bang
Park Dong sat hunched in one of the cubicles, both hands gripping his head.
"I want to run away…!!" he groaned under his breath. "It's almost time for the meetup…"
His thoughts spiraled out of control.
Why the hell did I agree to this?
I don't even have anything to say!
He glanced at his reflection in the dark monitor and grimaced.
I'm the guy who literally ran away the second we made eye contact…
And now I suddenly show up, dressed like this?
He tugged awkwardly at his collar.
Anyone would think I'm about to confess or something…
He squeezed his cheeks with both hands, as if trying to force the nerves out.
I should've just worn sweatpants…
If it weren't for that damn letter…
The guy at the next computer gave him a side-eye and leaned toward his friend.
"Hey… the dude next to me's kinda weird."
His friend didn't even glance away from his screen.
"There are always weirdos at PC bangs. Ignore him."
Park Dong forced himself to look back at his monitor.
Damn it… just play and stop thinking about Irina…
His fingers tapped the keyboard.
Calm at first
Then turn to rapid tapping.
More frantic.
"Ugh, I'm gonna lose."
LOSE
The word flashed across the screen.
And suddenly
in his mind
Irina appeared, pointing at him and laughing.
"HAHA! I WIN!! LOSER! SUCKER~ HAHAHA!"
"..!!"
Park Dong grabbed his keyboard and lifted it toward his wide-open mouth like he was about to scream into it.
"NOW I'M THINKING ABOUT HER EVEN MORE, DAMN IT!!!"
The guy beside him flinched.
"No, seriously, he's weird…"
"Just ignore it, dude," his friend replied calmly. "He's clearly going through something."
Park Dong slumped back into his chair, staring blankly at the glowing monitor.
His thoughts slowed.
Then shifted.
…Okay.
Time to ask myself honestly.
Do I really like Irina enough to confess?
He frowned.
If I hadn't made her cry by accident back then…
Would I have even started liking her at all?
He leaned back, thinking.
They say a woman's tears are a weapon…
I was just caught off guard. That's all.
His ears slowly turned red as her face came to mind.
There's no way I'd like a brat like her under normal circumstances…
Does that even make sense?
He nodded to himself, trying to convince his own mind and feelings.
Her voice is high-pitched, shrill, and loud.
She's tiny but eats like a freaking black hole.
At this rate, even smokers might be healthier than her..
And she's so emotionally unstable.
One minute she's mad, the next she's laughing…
He groaned quietly.
Ugh… just thinking about her is exhausting…
Park Dong fixed his hair, staring at his reflection for a second.
Listing out her flaws does calm me down a bit…
Honestly, maybe I don't actually like her that much after all.
Yeah…
I shouldn't go confessing carelessly anyway…
"Park Dong!!"
He turned his head toward the voice
and froze.
Irina stood a few steps away from him.
She wore an oversized blue long-sleeve shirt tucked into tan khaki pants, held up by a patterned belt only the loose end peeking out beneath the fabric.
Pink and white high-top sneakers completed the look, and a lanyard with a small silver charm swayed lightly against her chest.
She rubbed the back of her head, half-glaring at him.
"What kind of idiot makes plans at a PC bang? You better not just be here to play games."
Then she stretched her arms behind her neck, glancing away with a faint blush.
"…I'm hungry."
Park Dong stared at her.
His ears turned bright red.
LET'S JUST CONFESS.
They walked out together, heading down the hallway toward the exit to find something to eat.
Irina walked beside him, but her thoughts were just as chaotic.
Geez…
seriously…
Meeting up, just the two of us at this hour…
We've never done this before…
She shyly covered her mouth with her fist, clearing her throat.
Honestly…
ever since I saw that letter, I kind of figured what this was about…
I even thought it over and picked out my outfit carefully…
Didn't want to look too dressed up though…
She glanced sideways at Park Dong.
But this guy…
He's the one who asked me out, and yet…
why does he look so spaced out?
Meanwhile, Park Dong was deep in his own spiral.
Okay… just breathe.
You'll find the right moment.
Maybe after food.
No before food.
No, during?
Damn it… when's the right time to say it?
"Hey," Irina called, snapping him out of his daze. "What are you even doing?"
They reached the elevator.
The doors slid open with a soft chime.
"Huh? Oh uh… where were we going again?" he asked absentmindedly.
Irina's face twisted in disbelief.
"Cannoa! We literally decided that less than thirty seconds ago!!"
She stomped inside, arms crossed.
Park Dong followed, scratching the back of his neck.
"Right, right… Cannoa."
Irina glanced at him.
He's totally out of it.
Inside the elevator, Park Dong went quiet again, eyes distant as he sank back into his thoughts.
How do I even start this confession?
Get it together, you idiot…
Ughhh… but just thinking about it freezes my mouth…
I wish I could just open my eyes and be home already…
But soon, at Cannoa, we'll be sitting face to face, talking
AAAAAAAHH.
It's not even my first confession in life…
Beside him, Irina frowned.
"Hey… are you ignoring me?"
No response.
It seem he didn't even hear her.
The mood will come naturally…
That's when I'll say it…
"PARK DONG!"
Actually, I… L-L-LI-Lik...