Just A Friend

#5

The once quiet classroom soon became noisy. Many boys, including Park Gyuhyeon, came in shirtless after physical education class. Nam Seonwoo turned away from the unpleasant sight, but Park Gyuhyeon approached him with a flushed face.

“Why didn’t you come? We formed teams for PE today.”

“What teams?”

“For the performance evaluation next week.”

Park Gyuhyeon explained that the PE evaluation was badminton. Teams of two had to hit the shuttlecock back and forth 50 times for a perfect score. Teams were formed on the spot with whoever was present. The content sounded familiar to Nam Seonwoo. In the past, he had deliberately suggested a partner sport, hoping to pair up with Kang Jihan, and had even raised his hand to be in Kang Jihan’s team when he wasn’t there.

“You’re paired with Kang Jihan. It ended up that way since you two were the only ones who didn’t come down.”

To think they’d be paired again this time too. If he had known, he would have gone down to the PE class today and teamed up with Park Gyuhyeon instead. It was a predicament.

Nam Seonwoo recalled practicing with Kang Jihan in the gym in the past. Although he had gotten his wish to be Kang Jihan’s partner, their performance evaluation score hadn’t been good. He simply couldn’t focus on the shuttlecock.

In the midsummer gym without fans, it was natural to take off shirts even for badminton. But Kang Jihan’s shirtless state was far from natural for Nam Seonwoo. With such a captivating body in front of him, how could a mere shuttlecock catch his attention? He had been hit by Kang Jihan’s serves multiple times while in a daze, and had even spent dozens of minutes in the bathroom trying to calm his flushed face.

He vividly remembered Kang Jihan’s gaze back then. It was a look as if he was seeing a useless burden who couldn’t even play badminton properly.

‘Come to think of it, that’s really irritating.’

Suddenly, his will blazed up. Since they were on the same team anyway, he thought he should show the skills he couldn’t demonstrate back then. After all, he had been the president of the staff badminton club.

When he looked at Kang Jihan, their eyes met immediately. Kang Jihan also seemed quite uncomfortable, probably having heard Park Gyuhyeon’s words.

“Hey.”

Seeing that annoying face made Nam Seonwoo’s competitive spirit burn even more.

“Are you free tomorrow?”

It happened to be a Saturday without classes. Although he didn’t like the idea of using his precious free Saturday on this guy… he needed to get into college.

As expected, Kang Jihan didn’t answer. But Nam Seonwoo could easily tell that his silence meant agreement.

* * *

The school was open even on Saturdays without classes. It was for the first and second-year students using the playground and third-year students studying. The gym was usually closed, but Nam Seonwoo could easily get the key from the PE department head. It was thanks to his good social skills, studiousness, and the favor he had curried with the teachers.

“What number are we on now?”

“Forty-eight.”

The sound of the shuttlecock hitting rackets echoed through the spacious gym. The sound of footsteps mixed in only occasionally. Forty-nine, fifty, fifty-one… Even with casual swings, they easily surpassed 50 hits.

He had intended to show off his years of experience, but it was just badminton after all. Moreover, it was awkward to demonstrate anything in practice for rallying rather than a match. Above all, because Kang Jihan was sending the shuttlecock so steadily, there wasn’t even a chance to show off his skills in saving the shuttlecock.

Catching the incoming shuttlecock with his hand, Nam Seonwoo plopped down on the floor.

“I think we don’t need to practice anymore. Let’s stop here. It’s too hot.”

Due to the humidity, he was sweating even though he hadn’t moved much. He took off his T-shirt and wiped the sweat flowing down his face. Kang Jihan silently gulped down some water.

The silence that would have suffocated him in the past now felt natural. His eyes, once focused solely on Kang Jihan, now took in other things. For instance, the sunlight coming through the high windows, the occasional noise from the playground, and the pale dust shimmering in the air.

There were so many shining scenes besides Kang Jihan. Nam Seonwoo chuckled at this newfound appreciation. He didn’t know who had sent him back to the past, but he thought that maybe this entity wanted him to realize things like this.

Nam Seonwoo’s previous life had been determined by everything related to Kang Jihan. All major schedules like taking a break from school, military service, and exam dates were all adjusted to fit Kang Jihan’s schedule. All to spend even a little more time with him.

‘What was I thinking?’

Why did he go to such lengths? Did he think he would spend his entire life with Kang Jihan? It wasn’t like they could be bound by the institution of marriage anyway. The idea of a relationship where only the other person was the priority in his youth now seemed unfamiliar.

‘A future without Kang Jihan.’

Thinking about the life he needed to plan anew, he felt more anticipation than emptiness. There were many options. For example, he didn’t have to choose a job with vacations but terrible pay just to spend more time with Kang Jihan.

…But for that, he needed to do well in college admissions first.

Although academic background wasn’t everything in life, he knew very well how useful it could be. Even getting the gym key was because he was a good student with good grades. Nam Seonwoo tossed his sweat-soaked shirt on the floor and stood up.

“Shall we have one last match?”

The upper body revealed above the gray shorts was unusually pale for a high school boy. His naturally long frame combined with light pigmentation made him look even thinner, which had been a complex for Nam Seonwoo. But having long passed the innocent puberty stage, he now felt no hesitation.

“The loser cleans up and leaves. How about it?”

“If practice is over, I’m leaving.”

Kang Jihan replied, crumpling the empty water bottle in one hand. Nam Seonwoo had expected the refusal. But he had no intention of accepting it. As Kang Jihan turned away, Nam Seonwoo hit a strong serve, creating a big gust of air.

“Oh, nice reflexes.”

Nam Seonwoo whistled at Kang Jihan, who had reflexively hit the shuttlecock back. Kang Jihan frowned as if bewildered. But the fact that he kept returning the shuttlecock was amusing, and Nam Seonwoo burst out laughing.

“You’re pretty good?”

“Can’t we stop?”

“Why? If you think you’re going to lose, just quit.”

Something in those words must have triggered Kang Jihan, as he started hitting the shuttlecock harder. As expected, even Kang Jihan was still a high schooler after all. Now that it was finally getting interesting, Nam Seonwoo’s smile deepened. He kept hitting the shuttlecock towards Kang Jihan’s face, and finally, his tightly closed mouth opened.

“What are you trying to do?”

Nam Seonwoo laughed again. It looked like he might hit someone at this rate, but he was just a high schooler after all, not scary at all. Like an annoying uncle teasing his nephew, Nam Seonwoo mimicked Kang Jihan’s words, saying “What am I trying to do?” It was then that the shuttlecock sliced past the side of his face and stuck in the floor.

“…Huh?”

Nam Seonwoo blinked blankly at the sound, almost like an arrow passing by. He touched his cheek, wondering if it had been cut, but it was just his imagination.

“Clean up and go.”

Looking at Kang Jihan standing there arrogantly, no, hearing that subtly confident voice, Nam Seonwoo couldn’t just let it go. He brazenly replied.

“One to zero.”

“…”

“What? Koreans play best of three, don’t they?”

This time, Kang Jihan could have ignored him and left without a word. But he returned Nam Seonwoo’s serve without comment, though he looked like he had lost his words.

‘Still the same.’

No, he wondered if “still the same” was the right expression. A bitter taste filled his mouth at the sudden memory.

There was a time when his heart had raced madly at such behavior. He had liked this occasional softness hidden within the indifference. It had felt like proof that he was someone special to Kang Jihan. Now he knew too well that it wasn’t something worth attaching so much meaning to.

Kang Jihan had a younger brother. Although they couldn’t meet often due to circumstances, Nam Seonwoo knew that Kang Jihan took extremely good care of his brother. Kang Jihan’s indulgence of Nam Seonwoo’s childish behavior was purely due to that influence.

‘Ah, here I go again.’

When he let his guard down for a moment, his thoughts drifted to Kang Jihan. Trying to lift his sinking mood, Nam Seonwoo deliberately spoke cheerfully.

“By the way, why don’t you call me hyung?”

“Why should I?”

“This is downright theft. If you received tutoring, you should pay for it, right?”

“I never asked for it.”

The crisp sound of the shuttlecock going back and forth was faster and more lively than during the rally. Occasionally, conversation mixed in with the sound of footsteps.

The hastily started match was 2:1 in Nam Seonwoo’s favor. Although it might have hurt his pride to use all his strength to win against a high schooler, Nam Seonwoo’s smile showed no sign of fading at the victory he was about to grasp.

It was then that Nam Seonwoo, jumping to return Kang Jihan’s strong serve, lost his balance after tripping on the shirt he had thrown on the floor. Almost falling, he managed to hit the shuttlecock back while saying, “Whoa.” Although Kang Jihan could have taken advantage of the opening, he seemed to take pity on the flailing Nam Seonwoo and lifted the shuttlecock upwards.

The shuttlecock came down slowly like a parachute. But Nam Seonwoo, being disoriented, didn’t see it coming. The moment the shuttlecock landed softly on top of his head, Nam Seonwoo sensed something was wrong.

‘…Huh?’

But that was the last thought he could manage.

With that gentle sensation as his last, Nam Seonwoo collapsed.