SAV Chapter 16

 

I quickly ran over to Choi Jeha’s side during the commotion.

 

“Where are you hurting?”

 

Choi Jeha glanced at me with an expression that seemed to say, “You’re back again?” I gently ignored his look and sat down next to him.

 

“Is it because of me earlier? What did I do wrong?”

 

Choi Jeha avoided my gaze as if he had no reason to answer my question. Sensing he didn’t want to talk, I stopped asking but still stayed beside him instead of returning to my seat.

 

A moment later.

 

“He can’t stand participating in PE.”

 

“Why does he always get sick during gym class?”

 

“He probably doesn’t want to do anything that doesn’t count toward his grades.”

 

“Such an annoying model student.”

 

From the students’ whispers as they looked our way, I realized that Choi Jeha’s reason for not participating in dodgeball had nothing to do with me.

 

About 20 minutes passed after that.

 

The sunlight pouring down on the stands was intense, without a spot of shade. The air was particularly still today, causing sweat to form quickly. When it touched my wound, it stung and itched.

 

I squirmed uncomfortably and frowned, which made Choi Jeha, who had been avoiding eye contact, glance at me.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“It stings.”

 

“Where?”

 

“My wound hasn’t fully healed, and I think sweat got into it.”

 

“The place you got hurt before?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Choi Jeha leaned back slightly and examined my shoulder.

 

“Does this help a bit?”

 

He grabbed the edge of my clothes and fanned them to create a breeze. His expression looked quite serious. It was interesting how he always ignored me and acted coldly, yet whenever I mentioned the injury that was his fault, he showed concern.

 

The pain had subsided, but I pretended it still hurt because I didn’t mind his attention.

 

That’s when it happened.

 

“Cha Eunseong!”

 

With a shrill whistle blow, the PE teacher called out loudly. I quickly raised my head, wondering what I’d done wrong.

 

“You died early, so you’re not tired at all, right? Get out there again!”

 

Since Choi Jeha had dropped out from the second group, the teacher was looking for a volunteer from the first group to play again. When no one raised their hand, the PE teacher gestured at me-who had the least activity-to come out.

 

“Ah, what the hell. Am I Ttolcha’s enemy or something?”

 

Kim Juyoung looked at me with a sympathetic expression.

 

Our class had more students than Class 7, so one person had to join the Class 7 team. It seemed I was picked for that. It was a lose-lose situation-I’d be criticized whether we won or lost-but I readily agreed since I was substituting for Choi Jeha, who wasn’t feeling well. If someone had to take abuse, better me than him.

 

Besides, my body was aching to do something after failing to make any impact in the first game.

 

Though my shoulder pain was a concern, I figured I could use this to score some points with Choi Jeha.

 

“Just rest. Your big brother here will crush them all…”

 

As I stood up and dusted the dirt off my pants-

 

“Sit down.”

 

Choi Jeha pulled on the hem of my clothes.

 

“Huh?”

 

“You’re hurt, aren’t you?”

 

 

Choi Jeha pulled me down forcefully to sit, then stood up from the stands with a sigh. Just moments ago, who was it that said they couldn’t participate because they weren’t feeling well?

 

“You…”

 

I was about to ask if there was another reason he didn’t usually participate in PE classes, but it felt too intrusive, so I changed my question.

 

“I thought you weren’t feeling well? Was that a lie?”

 

Choi Jeha, now standing, looked down at me.

 

His unmoving black eyes stared at me intently. Perhaps because the day was hot and dusty, my throat felt dry.

 

“Yeah, it was a lie,” he murmured softly before walking down from the stands.

 

Lee Gyusung, who was already positioned on the court, looked at Choi Jeha with disgust as he entered.

 

“What’s with this guy? First this, then that. What a pain in the ass.”

 

Lee Gyusung grumbled loudly enough for Choi Jeha to hear. Kim Juyoung frowned and nudged Lee Gyusung’s arm.

 

“Did you rinse your mouth with a dirty rag or something?”

 

When Lee Gyusung glared and raised his fist at Kim Juyoung, the PE teacher blew his whistle and gave him a warning. The teacher was known for his fiery temper and was also on the parents’ committee, which meant he had frequent contact with the parents. Lee Gyusung could only twitch his upper lip without further defiance.

 

“Don’t cry when you get hit by the ball,” Lee Gyusung threatened.

 

Choi Jeha acted as if he hadn’t heard a thing.

 

Even among the students warming up, Choi Jeha’s presence was overwhelming. His physique would draw attention anywhere. Perhaps that’s why the gym uniform suited him so well, as if it had been tailored for him. As I stared blankly at him stretching, I suddenly wondered why he had avoided participating in PE activities until now.

 

‘He seems too diligent to skip just because it doesn’t affect his grades.’

 

And since a teacher was supervising, he wouldn’t be subjected to much bullying during class either.

 

*Tweet!*

 

The whistle sounded, and the second group’s game began.

 

Choi Jeha’s admission that his “poor condition” was a lie proved to be true. As soon as the game started, it turned into Choi Jeha’s one-man show. People were asking why he wasn’t a dominant Alpha, given his performance. Though his manifestation might be late, his body already met the conditions of a dominant Alpha. I knew this fact but didn’t reveal it.

 

“Hey, get that bastard! What are you doing, idiot!”

 

“Kill Choi Jeha first! Focus all balls on Choi Jeha!”

 

“For fuck’s sake, stop dodging so much!”

 

“Damn, he’s like a slippery rat!”

 

“That’s legendary. He got another one.”

 

The entire opposing team was frantically moving to try to eliminate just one person: Choi Jeha.

 

“Isn’t that guy a dominant Alpha?”

 

“If he were a dominant Alpha, he couldn’t stay at this school.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“Kim Juyoung is an Omega, right? Unless the school administration is completely insane, they wouldn’t keep an unmanifested Alpha and Omega together.”

 

After overhearing the students’ conversation, I wondered if the reason Choi Jeha hadn’t properly participated in PE classes might be because of Kim Juyoung.

 

Students with opposing traits couldn’t be at the same school. Though Choi Jeha hadn’t manifested yet, if he showed signs of manifesting, the school would have to send one of them to a different school as a precaution, to keep them separated.

 

If that happened, Choi Jeha wouldn’t be able to see Kim Juyoung until after graduation. Was he thinking that enduring bullying was better than being separated from Kim Juyoung?

 

 

Hmm.

 

I tilted my head slightly and watched Choi Jeha as he moved around with his arms crossed.

 

“You son of a bitch!”

 

I had been staring blankly at Choi Jeha’s face when Lee Gyusung’s sudden burst of profanity snapped me back to reality.

 

Lee Gyusung was covering his reddened face with his palms while glaring at Choi Jeha. Since I had only been watching Choi Jeha, I didn’t fully grasp the situation, so I asked the student sitting in front of me what had happened.

 

The guy told me that Lee Gyusung had been hit squarely in the face by a ball that Choi Jeha had thrown with all his might.

 

With that temper of his, and being hit in front of so many students.

 

‘It’s understandable that he’d be furious.’

 

“You little piece of shit, are you trying to die?!”

 

The enraged Lee Gyusung immediately started cursing and rushed forward to grab Choi Jeha by the collar. In response, Choi Jeha calmly pointed to the white line on the floor.

 

“Cross that line and you’re out.”

 

He reminded Lee Gyusung of the rules in a calm voice, as Lee seemed to have forgotten them in his excitement.

 

Lee Gyusung gritted his teeth. The PE teacher stepped in front of him as he was charging forward with bloodshot eyes.

 

“Screw this. Your life is what’s out, you bastard.”

 

“Can’t you see me? How dare you curse in front of a teacher?”

 

The PE teacher gestured for Lee Gyusung to return to his position.

 

“But teacher, that bastard…!”

 

“Are you not listening?”

 

“Ha, teacher, that bastard did it on purpose!”

 

“I told you to go back to your place, didn’t I?”

 

“Teacher!”

 

“If I have to tell you one more time to go back, you’ll be going to the faculty office instead of your position.”

 

At the PE teacher’s firm voice, Lee Gyusung couldn’t swing his clenched fist at Choi Jeha and returned to his place. Perhaps overcome with anger, he twisted his body and let out a loud “Argh!”

 

“Jeha, apologize to Gyusung too.”

 

At the PE teacher’s words, Choi Jeha picked up the ball that had hit Lee Gyusung’s face and bounced away, tossed it back to him, and opened his mouth.

 

“Sorry.”

 

Thinking he had mediated enough, the PE teacher stepped back and blew his whistle to resume the game.

 

“You should have dodged when the ball came flying.”

 

Choi Jeha muttered something. It was too far away to hear.

 

“Ah, damn it. That…!”

 

Whatever Choi Jeha had said, it made Lee Gyusung, who was turning to take his position, explode with anger once more. Then, noticing the PE teacher glaring while subtly pointing at himself, Lee Gyusung muttered something just like Choi Jeha had done, and turned away abruptly.

 

“Screw it, you’re dead after class. You.”

 

Lee Gyusung clenched his molars as he gripped the ball so tightly it looked like it might burst. Then he threw it with all his might toward Choi Jeha’s face.

 

Thwack!

 

Choi Jeha caught the fast-moving ball with one hand and, without a moment’s hesitation, immediately threw it back at Lee Gyusung.

 

Thud!

 

The ball hit Lee Gyusung’s back and bounced into the outfield. It happened so quickly that Lee Gyusung had no time to dodge.

 

“Damn it!”

 

 

Lee Gyusung, unable to suppress his frustration, let out a shrill cry and kicked at the innocent sand on the field.

 

Even after that, Choi Jeha caught all the balls aimed at him and turned them into points. By the latter half of the game, the number of attacks against him had drastically decreased. After all, there was no point in attacking him.

 

Later, when balls stopped coming his way, he became the ruler of the court, even catching balls aimed at his teammates and turning them into opportunities to attack.

 

Just now, he had caught a ball flying toward a physically weaker teammate with one hand and thrown it at an opponent standing in front. It was quite a powerful fastball.

 

*Thud!*

 

The ball hit someone’s body and flew far away. The impact must have been so hard that the atmosphere on the field instantly turned cold. I felt the same way. The moment I recognized the face of the student hit by Choi Jeha’s ball, my cheering voice crawled back into my vocal cords.