Strategic Mating Partner Chapter 112

Seeing Sejin’s face, sulking as if he was unfairly kicked in the butt, would be cute, but he did not want to do that right now.

Okay.

At the declaration of surrender that finally came back, Taehyun smiled with satisfaction and said.

“And don’t show up in front of me until all the matches are over. Because if I see you, I think I’ll want to touch you.”

The expression was a bit explicit, but it was the truth. If he saw him, he would want to touch him, and if he touched him, he would want to kiss him. Even his slightly sulky expression would be cute, so he would end up kneading his cheeks a lot, and if he eventually got angry, he would obviously laugh and tease him. The sight of him shamelessly expressing how cute Sejin was with his whole body in front of others was a sight to be shown after all the matches were over.

Ah.

At Taehyun’s one sentence, Sejin could not say anything. Would he be embarrassed? Or would he just like it? It did not matter either way to Taehyun. He had to hang up the phone before he went crazy for his age and chased after Sejin to where he was right now.

“Then I’ll call you right after the match in two days.”

With those words as his last, Taehyun really hung up the phone. His heart was suddenly pounding so fast that his breath caught in his throat. He was staring blankly at the screen where the call had ended when the coach, who had finished preparing to move to the external accommodation, looked back at Taehyun and asked.

“What’s up? Who were you talking to?”

Fortunately, it seemed he had not heard the content of the call, but it seemed he knew that Taehyun had been on the phone with someone as he passed by. Taehyun could not give any answer.

“Your face is all red like you just came out of a sauna. Let’s hurry up and go. You need to go and rest to get some energy.”

At those words, he glanced at the metal decoration on the wall. It was not a mirror, so it was not clearly visible, but even so, his whole body was as red as a well-boiled octopus. Taehyun was so embarrassed he wanted to hide in a mouse hole. He could not believe that he had unknowingly uttered words that would cause a stir if someone passing by heard them, or that he had said such things to Sejin.

“Ha…”

What is this, really. Taehyun lowered his head and followed the official out of the hallway. Why was it more embarrassing after he said it than when he was saying it? Even after arriving at the accommodation, he could not fall asleep right away. Even though he was so tired his eyelids were trembling and he was mentally cornered, his heart kept pounding. Ah, really. Isn’t it because he keeps doing strange things that I’ve broken down too? He tried to blame Sejin, but Sejin, in his own way, was following Taehyun’s instructions well. There was not even a single text message, let alone a call. So, this was just a very inefficient act of being embarrassed after spitting out an awkward confession all by himself.

‘…I miss you.’

He was clearly not in his right mind. His injury was serious, and even if he won the next match, it was uncertain whether he could safely compete in the finals, and yet he was sleepless, his mind occupied not by the pressure of the match but by another problem. It was a pathetic state to be in. If he had to make an excuse, it was truly something he could not help. The Olympics, and Taehyun’s nearly twenty-year career as an athlete, would come to an end in two days, but his relationship with Sejin would be just beginning in earnest from then on.

‘Haaah…….’

Taehyun, with a troubled heart again, reached his hand toward the ceiling. They were under the same sky, a place he could go to meet him right now if he set his mind to it. So, let’s just endure it a little longer. As soon as he firmly resolved for the next time, his heart started pounding again. It was to the point where it was laughable that he had pointed out to Sejin that the sound of his heartbeat was so loud it was distracting. When you like someone, you really can’t help it, when you like someone…. This time, even holding his breath could not help him escape this overwhelming feeling. The sense of frustration from his injury did not even have a chance to squeeze into his thoughts.

Sung Taehyun, you’re really crazy. What are you doing, blinded by love? The fortunate thing was that Taehyun’s rationality was not so flimsy as to finally give in and pick up his phone. By the time he finally accepted his heavy eyelids and fell into a deep sleep, it was past midnight.

🤺

And the next morning. The moment to conclude his long athletic career had finally arrived. The semifinals were held at 2 PM, the bronze medal match at 6 PM, and the finals at 8 PM. The first of the two semifinal matches to be held was the one for the group Taehyun was not in. Taehyun sat in the waiting area and watched the first match with a calm, subdued expression, devoid of any smile.

Only the minimum amount of taping for the match was done on his ankle. It was already impossible to prevent the injury issue from becoming public, but there was no need to openly reveal that his condition was serious. Anyway, in about half a day from now, everything would be over. After it’s over, I’m going to knead Joo Sejin’s cheeks a lot. Thinking that made him feel a little more at ease. It was a thought that the people watching Taehyun with a stern expression could never imagine.

‘…Squishy.’

While he was thinking of the silly onomatopoeia in his head, the preceding match ended, and Taehyun also got up from his seat and moved at the official’s call.

“Athlete, please come this way.”

As the Korean volunteer assisting with the proceedings guided him with a smile, Taehyun nodded and walked.

“You must be nervous, right? No matter what the result is, everyone is cheering for you, so please don’t feel too burdened and do your best.”

Seeing that Taehyun’s expression was not as bright as his image in the media, the volunteer seemed to think he was feeling burdened by nervousness and was clearly trying to ease Taehyun’s tension. No, I was just thinking about touching the cheeks of my prospective boyfriend who is six years younger than me. Taehyun did not bother to reveal his pathetic thoughts and smiled bitterly.

“Thank you. I will do my best to show a good performance until the very end.”

Then, he headed to the arena with composure. Spotlights shone down intensely from the ceiling of the stadium, and the arena was filled with an audience of dark-haired people. It would be a lie to say he did not feel pressured. When you feel pressured, you do not want to betray expectations, and to not betray them, you have to do well. He had to win. He had lived like that for nearly twenty years. A life where other people would love him, like him, and cheer for him only if he won. Now, there was someone who would stay by his side even if he could not win. So now, the only important thing was to get a result that he himself could be satisfied with.

“Attention!”

Following the referee’s signal, both athletes stood in their proper positions. The air, entangled with the gazes of countless spectators, was heavy. With the sound of the whistle, the declaration signaling the start rang out. The opposing athlete, from South America, was glaring at Taehyun with a tense expression. Anyone could predict what he would try to induce. Taehyun’s ankle was already at its limit, and it was an obvious fact that if he could just completely break this ankle, Taehyun would be left defenseless. Taehyun planned to proceed with the match in a way that would spare his left ankle as much as possible, no matter which direction the opponent came from. Don’t fall for it. Don’t fall for it.

As he tensed up again and lightly lowered his upper body for a check, the opposing athlete first dug into his right side, aiming for his torso. Fortunately, his movements were not that fast, so he was able to avoid it without much difficulty.

‘Hoo….’

The opposing athlete was a little taller than Taehyun and had a lanky build. Seeing that they were in the same weight class meant that there was not much difference in their actual weight, which made him wonder where all that weight came from.

“Hah!”

The opposing athlete, whose first attack had failed, put some distance between them again and let out a spirited shout before Taehyun could even aim for an opening. Although his career was shorter than Taehyun’s, he had steadily built up experience starting from smaller competitions that Taehyun had not participated in, so he did not think the match would end easily.

‘I guess I have no choice but to go in seriously too.’

Not that he had ever taken it lightly in the first place. Taehyun took advantage of the moment the opposing athlete swallowed dryly with a face full of tension, gulp, to dig in to the right and kick up his right foot powerfully. The kick aimed at the chin unfortunately did not hit, but it was enough to break the opponent’s balance. As the opposing athlete tried to avoid the kick and momentarily staggered, wobble, Taehyun took advantage of the defenseless opening, immediately bent the leg he had raised, and then thrust it out again, aiming for the torso. As the first point was recorded, cheers erupted from the audience.

To be honest, he could not hear clearly what they were shouting. It did not really matter anyway. The only important things now were the opponent and himself. Taehyun blocked the attack that came rushing in again and, without realizing it, pulled the corners of his mouth up into a smile. He himself did not know why he smiled. He did not even remember what kind of face the opposing athlete made.

When the whistle finally blew, signaling the end of the match, Taehyun’s hand was raised high toward the ceiling.