BOT Chapter 05

Chapter 05

 

The physical examination went smoothly. After completing height and weight measurements, all that was left was running a few laps around the track. Thankfully, there was nothing that would strain his wrist. However, since injuries could happen anytime during exercise, I kept a close eye on Evan. As expected, his fragile frame made him an easy target, and he was constantly swaying from bumping into other students. He looked so precarious.

“Want some water?”

I ran beside him protectively. The moment I stepped in, the students who had been colliding with Evan instinctively backed away. My sturdy frame pushed others aside, but I never got pushed back.

“Hyle, did you already finish running?”

“Yeah. Well, this much is nothing….”

Even after completing the required distance, I was still full of energy. The dripping sweat was unpleasant, but my body still felt light.

“Haah… it’s hot.”

Beads of sweat trickled down my thick neck, pooling on my large chest muscles before dripping away. I tugged at my sweat-soaked gym clothes, shaking them. Each time the fabric clung and then separated from my skin, I felt a cool relief. I swept my silver hair, which kept obstructing my vision, completely back. Meanwhile, in the distance, Carmen was becoming one with the track’s sand. His deathly pale face looked like he was on the verge of collapse.

If I didn’t have this main character physique, I’d be rolling in the dirt with Carmen right now, with sweat-drenched bodies covered in sand. Ugh, just imagining it is disgusting.

Evan wasn’t nearly as close to death as Carmen, but his breathing was rough. His face, usually pale white and bloodless-looking, had turned slightly red. I worried he might get heatstroke.

“Are you exhausted?”

Maybe he was too out of breath to answer. Evan just stared at me blankly. I quickly waved my hand like a fan, but it didn’t create much of a breeze.

As we reached the corner of the track, he gradually slowed down. His slender legs, barely half the size of mine, trembled. It was obvious he needed a break.

I pulled him off the track. His body was so light that it took almost no effort. To avoid prying eyes, I led him behind the gym storage shed. The shade from the building made it much cooler than the scorching track.

“Hyle. I still have one lap left.”

“You look exhausted. You can rest a little before running again.”

Leaning against the gym storage wall, a musty smell wafted over me. The scent of mold was unpleasant, but the cool concrete felt nice. I plopped down onto the ground, and after some hesitation, Evan followed suit. He stared at me for a while, as if fascinated by the act of slacking off.

Beyond the shaded asphalt, a patch of vibrant green grass spread out before us. While pretending to observe the blades of grass, I discreetly glanced at Evan. Unlike the noisy, sunlit track beyond the wall, this place was quiet.

Being alone with Evan was an everyday occurrence, yet today, it felt strangely awkward. Maybe it was because we were sweating. As I gazed at his flawless, porcelain skin, I looked up at the sky instead. It was a brilliant blue.

“If it’s already like this, we’re gonna roast alive in the summer—hck, what are you doing?”

“I was wiping your sweat.”

I flinched at the sudden touch. But Evan, unfazed, traced his finger along the bead of sweat rolling down my skin. The sensation followed the droplet’s path, stopping only when it seeped into the neckline of my shirt.

Instead, his navy-blue gym jacket dropped onto my chest. I picked it up, puzzled. Meanwhile, Evan had shed his loose outerwear, leaving him in just a thin white T-shirt.

“Wear this, Hyle.”

“Huh?”

“Your body is showing through.”

At his words, I glanced down. My sweat-soaked shirt clung to my torso like an undershirt, faintly revealing my skin.

“Raise your arms.”

“U-um… okay…”

I hesitantly slipped my arms into the jacket’s sleeves. What had been oversized for Evan was comically tight on me. My broad shoulders instinctively hunched as the fabric squeezed around me.

“Um…”

“The other arm.”

“I don’t think it’ll fit me…”

“The other arm.”

Ignoring my protests, Evan firmly pulled up the zipper. It struggled past my chest before coming to a halt.

“Hyle, you’re big here.”

Evan pointed with his finger at my chest area. B-big! I gaped at Evan’s unexpected comment. Reflexively, I wrapped my arms around myself, pressing against my firm pecs. It was just my natural build and muscles, but for some reason, I felt embarrassed.

“Try squeezing them together. The zipper won’t go up.”

“S-squeeze what together… what…?”

“Here.”

Evan said such things so nonchalantly—no, even with a bright smile. Without hesitation, Evan gestured at my chest. His cheerful smile only made my embarrassment worse.

“I don’t need to wear it! It’s just a bit see-through, it’s not like—”

“But it’s sexy.”

“S-sexy… no one thinks that way. Who would think of me in that way…”

“Me.”

Without even changing his expression, Evan casually dropped a bombshell. When I questioned what he meant, his answer was even more outrageous.

“I think Hyle is sexy.”

My face burned like an exploding bomb. Even now, Evan was slowly pulling up the zipper that kept slipping down. It inched up my sweat-dampened T-shirt before stopping once more at my chest.

“What if others think the same? That would be a problem.”

“T-That’s…”

“I can’t just gouge out everyone’s eyes, can I?”

Gouge out…?

What a terrifying joke to make. Yet his face remained bright and cheerful. Just as I was beginning to feel the cool sensation creeping back…

“Or do you just not like wearing my clothes?”

“I-It’s not that. It’s just… too small. No—never mind. I’ll wear it.”

I saw drooping puppy ears above Evan’s dejected face. Don’t make such a face while saying such things. You know I’m weak to your expressions.

I pushed my shoulders forward, though they barely moved under the tight fabric of my clothes. The contracting muscles felt unfamiliar. The fact that something so trivial felt so humiliating—it had to be because I was in front of Evan.

“Like this?”

What the hell am I even doing? A whistle sounded in the distance. There wasn’t much time left before the end of the physical examination. My heart grew more anxious, but Evan remained as relaxed as ever.

“A little more.”

“E-Evan, we have to go now.”

“Hold your breath, Hyle.”

The slow zip of the jacket sounded unbearably teasing. It felt like if I loosened my grip even slightly, it would snap open again. The tighter the jacket closed, the more suffocating it felt. The more I tensed my body, the more the gaps between my muscles became pronounced.

“All done.”

At those words, I finally let out the breath I had been holding. The logo on my tracksuit stretched to its limit. I stood up carefully, afraid the fabric would burst at any moment.

“…Even with clothes on, it still looks sexy.”

“Ah.”

A soft popping sound followed. The tight fabric that had been holding me in loosened abruptly. I stared blankly at the broken zipper before covering my face with my hands. My heart pounded wildly, and over the sound of my own pulse, I faintly heard someone calling for Evan and me.

I barely remembered how I left the field after that. Covering my torso with the tattered tracksuit, I let Evan drag me through the hallways.The stares we received burned into me, but I couldn’t lift my head. Somehow, we made it back to the dorm.

The sound of the shower running was refreshingly clear. Neatly folded clothes belonging to Evan sat by the door. I pulled the blanket over my head and closed my eyes. My body was exhausted, but my mind refused to sleep.

 

“I think Hyle is sexy.”

 

I never imagined I’d hear something like that in my life. And from Evan, no less.

Just thinking about it made my toes curl and my chest tingle. Evan wouldn’t say something like that to just anyone, would he? No, he wouldn’t. Then why did he say it to me…

A buzzing sound suddenly came from my phone, which I had tossed beside me. I reached an arm out from under the blanket and grabbed it.

[Carmen: HyleHyleHyle]

[Carmen: Dude, seriously, I’m in big trouble.]

I glared at the screen with half-open eyes. My head was already hurting because of Evan, and now what’s up with this guy?

[Hyle: What]

The reply came instantly.

[Carmen: Did I do something wrong to Evan??]

Evan. Just seeing his name made my heart jump again.

[Hyle: How would I know]

[Carmen: I made eye contact with him today, and I legit thought I was gonna die… his glare was terrifying…]

[Carmen: Aren’t you dating Evan? Please ask him for me ㅠㅠ If you guys ditch me, I’ll have to eat with my annoying roommate ㅠㅠ ㅠㅠ]

The phone slipped from my fingers.

Thud—right onto my nose.

“Ugh!”

I rubbed my stinging nose and hurriedly checked the screen again. My body froze at the words staring back at me.

[Aren’t you dating Evan?]

I scrambled to type a reply.

[Hyle: Why would I be dating Evan]

My typo-filled message conveyed my bewilderment perfectly. Carmen, not satisfied with shocking me once, sent back an even more outrageous response.

[Carmen: ?? You’re not dating? Oh, then you’re just in the talking stage?]

I was so dumbfounded I couldn’t even speak.

Where the hell was he getting these ideas from?

[Hyle: No we’re not]

[Carmen: Then what are you?]

[Hyle: We’re friends, what else]

After a brief silence, my phone went crazy with notifications.

[Carmen: Friiiieeends??]

[Carmen: With his arm around your waist every time you meet in the morning, and love dripping from your eyes when you eat together? Do you know how hard it’s been for me to witness that salt-rubbing-in-wounds display, you jerk]

[Carmen: If that’s friendship, then I have no friends]

What’s he so worked up about?

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