Chapter 172: Joy (9)

Despite it being the start of the PE session, we were ushered directly to the sports field without any formal orientation.

'I can't remember the last time I had a PE class.'

To be honest, PE was never my cup of tea. However, it seemed like Goh Yoo-Joon would invest all the energy he'd saved from dozing off in other classes into PE.

“Hello there, I believe this is our first meeting, isn't it? Allow me to introduce myself as your teacher."

“We know who you are!”

“Whoa, you gave me quite the startle!" The teacher's hearty laughter echoed across the field as he brushed off the students' enthusiastic responses with a casual wave. His bronze skin glistened under the sun, complemented by his sporty haircut.

How could we not recognize him? He was the celebrated soccer star Chu Gap-San, who became a national hero after breaking the record for the most goals in the last World Cup.

As a national icon, he was highly sought after. However, he surprisingly made appearances on a variety of shows, which made him a familiar face on television.

Now, it seemed that he had taken on the role of PE teacher for

Graduating.

And naturally, his inaugural lesson plan was straightforward…

“Alright, kids. How about we play some soccer?"

“Yessss!!!!"

Soccer, of course. And just like that, I was on the verge of tears because...

“Um, teacher. About me..."

“Yes, Hyun-Woo? What seems to be the issue?"

“I've got a back injury..."

How was I supposed to make this interesting and get more screen time? Honestly, when did anything ever go as planned?

When I voiced my concern, Gap-San acknowledged it with a nod. “In that case, you will join me after the warm-up stretch, Hyun-Woo. We can watch the game together."

“Okay…” I wondered if I should have prepared a banner. Now, I needed to strategize on how to make the most of my time, watching my friends play soccer.

“Let's get started with the warm-up. Please pair up."

I tried to shake off my gloomy mood and make my way to Goh Yoo-Joon's side.

“What's with the long face?" Goh Yoo-Joon asked

Since he had asked, I shared my feelings of dullness with him. “Man, I feel like I'm the most boring person alive."

“What are you even talking about?"

“Everyone, follow along with the teacher!"

Goh Yoo-Joon and I backed up against each other, intertwining our arms to mimic the teacher's movements.

“Trust me, you are one of the funniest people I know."

“No, I seriously think I'm just plain boring."

“The person on the right, please bend forward and stretch the back of the person on the left!"

Heeding the teacher's instructions, Goh Yoo-Joon bent forward. As I leaned back, my back stretched out incrementally.

“No, you are genuinely funny. You have a knack for making people laugh without even trying. That whole serious-but-hilarious vibe? That's all you."

Was this supposed to be stretching? My back somehow bent even further, my legs lifted off the ground, and my muscles were stretched to their limits. This sent a wave of discomfort through my body. “Ouch! Hey, ease up with the bending! Agh!"

Here I was, unable to even laugh because of my stiffness. Goh Yoo-Joon halted his movement and then slowly straightened up. “Is it the back pain or just stiffness? You react the same either way, so it's hard to tell."

“Uh, well, it's not really painful..."

I was reluctant to admit my lack of flexibility. Goh Yoo-Joon just cracked a sly grin and bent over once more after a brief pause.

“Aggh!"

“The fans love seeing you flinch and fuss over your inflexibility."

He was being ridiculous! It was all fun and games for him! As Goh Yoo-Joon lifted me again and I flailed helplessly, he burst into laughter once more while still in his bent position.

“This isn't the time for jokes! Next up, let's switch. Now, the person on the left, bend and help the person on the right stretch."

Though I was wary of re-injuring myself if I played soccer, Goh Yoo-Joon knew my back was nearly healed, so he continued to tease me about my flexibility. Leg splits, bending from a standing position… There seemed to be an excessive focus on bending exercises today.

By the time we wrapped up our stretching routine, my hair had transformed from neatly styled to a wild, tousled mess. I saw Goh Yoo-Joon's teasing smirk. He indeed couldn't resist poking fun at me with just a hint of mischief in his grin.

“Looks like we've got plenty of screen time for Hyun-Woo today, huh?" said Goh Yoo-Joon.

That little troublemaker.

“Alright, let's get the soccer game rolling. We will split into teams right here. Just divide yourselves in half from where you are standing! Hyun-Woo, you are with me.”

As the soccer game kicked off among the other students, I shuffled over to the teacher. My body still quivered from the intense stretching session, so Gap-San playfully thumped me on the back, his tone a mix of jest and mild reprimand. “It seems like you and Goh Yoo-Joon turned the stretching session into a full-blown workout, didn't you?"

“Um, yes?" I replied, slightly bemused.

“It looked like you two were having quite the blast, goofing around together."

As I felt slightly indignant, I retorted, “It's all Goh Yoo-Joon's doing. He always teases me about my inflexibility."

“From my perspective, you both seemed to be enjoying yourselves. But tell me, how did you end up hurting your back?"

“In the midst of a performance. I was pushing myself and just twisted it the wrong way.”

Gap-San's expression softened with a sympathetic understanding. He knew all too well the disappointment of being sidelined in one's prime. The pain was similar whether it happened on the soccer field or the dance floor.

Together, we ambled over to a set of stone steps where we could sit and catch our breath.

“Looking at how you were stretching earlier, I think you are making good progress on your recovery."

“Yes, I'm gearing up for a performance, but I'm treading carefully to avoid any setbacks that can derail our comeback... I've been advised to take it easy," I stated.

“That must have weighed heavily on you. I've experienced something similar myself.”

With an awkward shrug, I confessed, “I tried to keep a brave face, but the thought of letting down my members and failing our fans burdened me a lot."

Conversing with someone who had experienced similar challenges was a solace I hadn't realized I needed. As a result, in the midst of filming, I found myself pouring out my heart about those challenging times more freely than I had anticipated.

Just then, Goh Yoo-Joon, who had been casually kicking a soccer ball around, approached me. “Hold on to this for a moment, will you?" he asked, passing me the ball.

“What's this?" I counter asked with a puzzled look.

Goh Yoo-Joon then fished something out of his pocket and handed it over to me. It was an MP3 player and a pair of earphones. “I forgot to leave it in the locker room.”

I nodded, and Goh Yoo-Joon dashed back to the heart of the field. He must have been memorizing lyrics from the playlist and accidentally brought the MP3 player along in his PE shorts.

“Just take it easy here," Gap-San advised and gave my back a gentle tap before heading off to join the kids in their game.

As the soccer match unfolded, I seized a moment for myself amidst the kids skillfully navigating the field and the teacher occasionally demonstrating some dazzling moves. I powered up the MP3 player Goh Yoo-Joon had entrusted to me.

Among the numerous playlists, I selected a new song and nestled the earphones snugly into my ears. After all, this footage wouldn't be aired until after our comeback date anyway.

I hummed softly to the tune, but my reverie was abruptly interrupted when one of the earbuds was yanked out, and someone took a seat beside me.

“Why are you sitting all by yourself over here, looking so lonely?" It was Kun-Ho. My heart skipped a beat in surprise, but I managed to compose myself and responded with feigned calmness.

“Senio—I mean, Teacher."

“What brings you over here? The others are all engrossed in the game."

“Well, the thing is... I injured my back a while ago," I explained somewhat sheepishly.

“Oh dear," he sighed, his face mirroring the same empathetic concern as Gap-San’s. “I understand. You were giving it your all and ended up getting hurt. Was the humming I overheard part of your new track? I heard you are preparing for a comeback."

“Yes! It's coming up really soon, so I'm quite anxious about it."

“Nah, you have been doing well so far, so you will do great this time as well.”

At Kun-Ho’s encouraging words, I paused momentarily with my eyes widening and asked, “Have you… umm… ever seen our performances? Umm… No, never mind.”

“Of course. You guys are my direct juniors from the same agency,” replied Kun-Ho as he nodded confidently. “I've heard quite a bit of praise about you guys here and there."

“Thank you so much! I really look up to you, Senior... I truly appreciate it." We continued the conversation, and I revealed my genuine admiration and fan-like enthusiasm for him in between our talks. Indeed, I found it more natural to address Kun-Ho as a respected senior rather than just a teacher.

He plugged one of the earphones into his ear with a chuckle and then bobbed his head to the rhythm before breaking into a smile. “This is a track by Producer Do, isn't it? Did Joo-Han participate in composing it as well?"

“Yes, Joo-Han hyung and Producer Do led the creation, and I contributed a bit too."

“Ah, I see." Kun-Ho fell silent for a while, seemingly engrossed in listening to the song through the earphones. Seeing this scene, I remained quiet and let him take in the music.

After a moment, a faint high note leaked from the earphones. It seemed to be the part where I hit the high notes—a section I had aced during our year-end stage. I was quite proud of how well it turned out in our new song.

I found myself eagerly watching Kun-Ho's reaction as I was curious about his thoughts on my performance. He paused, and a hint of surprise crossed his face before it relaxed into a warm smile. “You sing really well. You are the main vocalist, right?"

“Yes."

“I can see why she likes you so much."

“Sorry? Who are you referring to?"

Kun-Ho gave me a meaningful look, his expression inscrutable. “Oh, it seems like you haven't heard the story yet. In that case, I shouldn't say more."

He then handed back the earphones and MP3 player. “You are quite skilled at hitting those high notes, but it seems you haven't been doing it for long. You will need to be careful during live performances."

“Ah, yes... It's not very stable yet, so I need more practice."

“Since we've met, I will take a look at it for you at the company later. I will see you then. I'm off."

“Wait, what?"

What did he mean? What was he planning to do? Kun-Ho's parting words left me in a daze, and I simply stared at the spot where he had disappeared.

Why the sudden offer to help with my practice? It seemed that I wouldn't fully grasp his intentions until I met him again at the company tonight.

I turned to glance at our manager, who was deep in conversation with Producer Do at a distance. I pondered whether our manager was aware of this development. It seemed there were plans in progress that we hadn't been informed about yet.