Strategic Mating Partner Chapter 111

“I’d like just the pain treatment, please.”

The moment the answer slipped past his lips, the air around them grew heavier. Anyone seeing this would think I cannot walk at all. Taehyun tried to crack a joke to change the atmosphere, but he closed his mouth again. It was clear that no matter what he said here, things would not go the way he wanted. So, it was better to just maintain a solemn silence.

“Right. You should do as you wish. That’s what will put your mind at ease.”

Most of the people in this place were individuals who had faced situations like this countless times. The interpreter who had joined as a volunteer might be a bit different, but for those who were athletes, or who worked in the periphery supporting them, injuries and their aftereffects were an inseparable fate. However, he had not expected it to choke him so suddenly like this. Even though his ankle had always been his sore spot, he could not stop his hand from trembling, as he had not anticipated this.

“……”

Taehyun tried his best to smile composedly, clenching his fist tight to hide the tremor.

“Yes, well, what can I do. This is all my destiny, I can’t blame anyone.”

It was ridiculous for him, who had reached a place most athletes who dreamed of this stage could not reach even once, three times over, to lament his life as an athlete. To climb to a place someone else has never even set foot on, and then to eat away at yourself asking why you could only come this far, would be nothing but hypocrisy. His own heart was a realm he had to pull together himself, and what was left was to show a finale that would not disappoint those who had watched over him until he reached this place.

‘That way, my own mind will be at ease.’

After finishing the long treatment and finally receiving permission to return to his accommodation, Taehyun let out a sigh. After going all the way to the consultation room and finishing the various complicated communications through the interpreter, time had flown by. There was an enormous number of missed calls from Sejin, who must have checked the match results that would have been posted as a brief breaking news article.

Fencing Joo Sejin
Is it hard to talk right now? 3:43 PM

Missed Call
Fencing Joo Sejin (27)

Fencing Joo Sejin
Please call me when you’re done 6:49 PM

The missed call indicators, stamped in a rush at almost 10-minute intervals between the two messages, were so funny. It was as if he had set up some kind of macro. Taehyun was about to press the call button to tell him it was nothing, when he let out a small “Ah,” a sound of realization. Then, he quickly searched for Sejin’s name in the portal site’s search bar.

Épée’s Golden Prospect Joo Sejin, Cruising Smoothly Without Issues
One Step Closer to the Gold Medal
The Épée Prince’s Winning Streak

Laughter burst out of him automatically as he looked at the breaking news photos posted by the sports reporters, which were practically pictorials. He knew it was not the time to laugh given the situation, but the sight of Sejin in the screen, standing blankly with a slightly nervous expression, his hand held by the referee, was just too funny. There was even a photo where, even in the moment he had to give a light hug as a sign of respect for his opponent, he could not hide his uncomfortable look, as if he was extremely reluctant to touch another person, so Taehyun quickly pressed the save button. Ah. He’s so cute. How can he be this cute? He felt like he could understand, just a tiny bit, the hearts of the people who wished for Sejin to retire quickly and live a second life as a celebrity, shooting lots of commercials.

‘Look at that expression, he looks like a real fool.’

He really liked that expression, which was a little dopey yet chilly-looking. I must never let him find out. I’ll make it my profile picture and show it off to the whole world after all the matches are over. Taehyun, who was devising a sinister plan, was startled by the incoming call screen that appeared at that moment.

Fencing Joo Sejin

What a surprise. Speak of the devil. He was dumbfounded by the call that came in as if it had psychically known he was thinking about him. Without waiting any longer, Taehyun pressed the receive button.

“Yeah, I just finished. I’m about to head to the accommodation with the coach now.”

In reality, Taehyun had two options. Staying at the athletes’ village to minimize movement, or getting permission for reasons of rest and treatment and continuing to lodge and board outside the athletes’ village. As a rule, it was mandatory to stay in the athletes’ village until all scheduled matches were over unless there were unavoidable circumstances at the team level, but in special cases like an injury, one could stay outside under the supervision of a designated auditor.

Staying in the athletes’ village would save time, energy, and his ankle, but as long as he lived in the athletes’ village, the seriousness of his injury would inevitably be exposed to those around him. Fewer people were unaware that Taehyun had been suffering from a chronic ankle problem, but the majority of people did not know that it was serious enough to affect the immediate match results and, of course, leave future aftereffects. Once rumors started to spread, he would likely get embroiled in gossip for things he did not even do, with people saying, ‘He’s laying the groundwork in advance because he doesn’t think he can win the gold medal.’

So, he did not feel inclined toward either option, and after much thought, he chose to stay outside. It was because he was not confident he could fend off the crowds of people who would constantly come knocking on his door. It was not that he could not do it, but they would immediately notice that something was definitely wrong. Therefore, even if it was a bit physically tiring, it was better to be mentally comfortable. Taehyun thought he should let Sejin know as well and waited for Sejin’s response.

…….

However, for some reason, there was no sound from the other end of the receiver for a long time. Only static, a noise that could have been the wind or breathing, could be heard intermittently as proof that the call was connected, and then only silence.

“……”

For a moment, Taehyun was about to ask, ‘Can you not hear my voice?’ but then he heard a sniffle, the sound of someone sniffling, and he urgently held his breath.

Gasp.

But it was not enough to block out all the noise, and the sound of his own held breath reflecting back into his ear finally caused him to burst out laughing.

“Pfft, ha, pffft…”

As Taehyun finally laughed openly, Sejin’s voice finally reached his ear.

Don’t laugh.

Taehyun immediately asked bluntly.

“Are you crying?”

Then, there was silence again. Even the sound of the wind could not be heard, as if he had covered the microphone part of the phone. Taehyun gasped for breath, his shoulders trembling so hard, and shouted again.

“Hey, if anyone’s going to cry, it should be me, why are you crying! Huh? You won your match just fine, what are you so sad about?”

As Taehyun shot back with a laugh, Sejin retorted in a way that made it perfectly clear what kind of face he was making.

You weren’t answering your phone, and I didn’t know if you were okay, and the articles kept coming out, how could I possibly be okay!

At the completely raised tone, Taehyun, on the contrary, regained his composure. Just a moment ago, he had been struggling to pretend to be composed himself due to anxiety about the future, but now that there was someone who was flying off the handle on his behalf, he felt a sense of peace in return. Thinking about it, maybe it was not such a big deal after all.

“That’s why the first thing I did as soon as I came out of the treatment room was check the call from you. Did I get disqualified? Did I withdraw? It’s not a disaster that could be called the worst, so it’s okay.”

That was the literal truth. It was true that the situation had turned out worse than he had expected, but he had already experienced a lower bottom than this twice before. As long as the opportunity was not taken away from him entirely, there was hope. As he thought about how to convey those words to calm Sejin down, his heart grew peaceful.

How can it be okay. Should I go to where you’re staying, hyung? Is there anything I can help with?

Regardless of whether Taehyun was trying to calm him down by saying it was okay, Sejin was on the verge of rushing over immediately, even if it meant ditching his own match. No, that would not do. Taehyun firmly grasped his reason, which had returned to its place, and stopped Sejin.

“Forget it, don’t come. If you come, it won’t do any good for either of us, it’ll just mess up our conditions. It’s better for you to compete well in your matches.”

In fact, with Taehyun’s personality, he was not the type to refuse help so directly, but this time he had no choice. If he said something ambiguous like, ‘You don’t have to push yourself too much,’ he knew the guy would really come running right now. His ankle was a concern, and with the finals right around the corner, it was a hundred times better to watch Sejin’s flawless match results with satisfaction than to do something tiring again because his pheromone levels rose.

…….

“Really, don’t come. If you come, I’ll kick you in the butt and throw you out right away.”

This was not a threat, but the truth.