Strategic Mating Partner Chapter 123

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And the next day. Without Sejin’s knowledge, Taehyun headed to the stadium, leaning on a simple crutch. In the morning, he went around watching matches where other athletes from the same agency were competing, then rested for a bit in a junior athlete’s room. Hoyong, who had flown in to handle on-site management for the agency, nagged him relentlessly, but since his athletic career was now over and only the retirement announcement remained, it was enough to let it go in one ear and out the other. The moment he was spotted by people, he knew he would be held up for a while with congratulations and other things, so he pulled his hat down low and even wore a mask to cover his face, but too many people recognized him.

“Do I stand out that much?”

When Taehyun asked, sounding a little wronged, a junior athlete he had become friends with at the Asian Games answered with a smile.

“Right now, any Korean athlete walking around with a cast on their left foot is probably you, oppa? Do you think an athlete with a freshly broken ankle is a common sight?”

That was right. His unmistakable appearance revealed a very distinguishing feature. Taehyun tried his best to move by hiding himself in a direction where he wouldn’t see any Korean athletes, but time and again, he was caught by the scruff of his neck by familiar faces.

“Hey! What are you doing scurrying around like this with an injured leg? I heard you might retire, is that true?”

Most were there to offer congratulations, but there were also those who wanted to satisfy their personal curiosity like this. It wasn’t a story he needed to hide anymore, but since it hadn’t been officially announced anywhere before the formal press conference, Taehyun skillfully changed the subject.

“Oh, yeah, I couldn’t stand just sitting still, I was getting restless.”

Then, as he was about to hurry into the stadium, as is unavoidable in a place with many Koreans, there was another familiar face.

“Oh, hyung…!”

If I get caught by that one again, he’ll start prying with trivial questions. Taehyun pretended not to hear, pulled his hat down deeper, and quickly headed for the cheering section designated for officials. When he said he would go to a match with as few Korean spectators as possible, it was indeed a match where the officials’ section was unusually empty. The officials’ section was usually assigned to the athlete’s close acquaintances, relatives, or officials from their affiliated organization, so the number of spectators often varied by match.

‘Pistol shooting, huh….’

Thanks to receiving a military exemption as a medal reward early on, the only shooting Taehyun had ever learned was the short course he took during basic military training. Still, he was above average. Since it wasn’t a sport he was confident in, the athletes lined up in their spots just looked fascinating to him. Their heights and weights were all different. Among them, the one who stood out by far was the Korean athlete wearing the Taegeuk mark. He was tall, had a solid build, and his sharp features were quite handsome, making him naturally look like a crane among chickens.

He was from the same agency as Taehyun and was the protagonist of an incident that had been all over the news quite some time ago. He thought he had seen news a few years ago that he had cleared his name and made a comeback, but he found it amazing that he had joined the national team, beating out active athletes. Taehyun was admiring the stadium and the athletes for a short while when a rather loud noise came from the entrance of the officials’ section.

<I can! I can walk! Daddy, go away!>

<No, no, no, the stairs here are high, if you fall, you’ll get a boo-boo. Daddy will hold you, okay?>

<No!>

A girl who looked to be about two or three years old and her foreign father were arguing, as if they had just returned from the restroom after leaving their things at their seats. The child was so strong that she kicked several times to shake off her dad, and it wasn’t a case of ‘how much could it hurt for a kid to kick,’ it really looked painful.

<Ouch, let’s go with Daddy, okay?>

Is that guy okay? Taehyun tried his best not to look in their direction so as not to embarrass the father, but he couldn’t just stand by as the child suddenly ran in the direction where Taehyun was sitting.

<You have to be careful.>

In the end, Taehyun lightly blocked the child’s path and stopped her, and her father urgently pushed past the seats and ran over to pick her up.

<Gasp, I’m sorry. You didn’t bump into him, did you?>

The way he ran over in surprise somehow felt like looking at his future self. Taehyun laughed it off lightly and answered.

<Yes, I’m fine. Are your seats over there?>

<Ah, yes, yes!>

As Taehyun stood up from his seat to make way for the father and daughter to sit down easily, the father bowed his head deeply. Blond hair and blue eyes. The appearance he glimpsed was so obviously that of a foreigner that for a moment he wondered if a foreign athlete had gotten the seats through connections. But when he saw his face properly, it was someone whose name and face he knew, even though he had never actually met him.

“Oh.”

That’s that person. The Korean-American F1 driver. He was from the same agency as Taehyun, so he had seen his picture hanging up a few times while coming and going from the company building. Taehyun’s gaze naturally turned to the athlete from Team Korea who was about to start the match.

‘Oh….’

So that family has two active athletes for dads too. He could sort of guess where the energy that even his well-built father couldn’t handle came from. This might really not be someone else’s problem. Taehyun felt a slight sense of fear and placed a hand on his stomach. He wasn’t even sure if there was anything there yet, but he could only hope that the personality would take after Sejin. Because that dad seemed to have caused less trouble than himself. A bad personality could be taught little by little with a carrot and a stick, but there was no solution for being unable to control one’s strength.

“…….”

While Taehyun was lost in rather useless thoughts and worries, the match had already begun with the sound of a whistle. The rules were relatively simple, but since several athletes competed at once, it was incredibly chaotic compared to sports like taekwondo where a simple 1:1 match took place. After the entire process was finally over and he had watched until the national anthem played, Taehyun was able to leave the stadium with a light heart.

‘Do I have to go rest in someone else’s room for a bit again….’

There was still quite some time before Sejin’s match started, so he was standing alone near the stadium exit and had just picked up his phone when.

“Hyung!”

“Ugh.”

Someone spoke to him, suddenly throwing an arm around his shoulders from behind.

“Is your leg okay!? I heard you went straight to the hospital, I was so worried!”

The voice ringing loudly in his ear was familiar. Taehyun, thinking that Jimin would be busy with match preparations and it wouldn’t happen, but still afraid Sejin might see, quickly broke free from the arm wrapped around his neck and smiled wryly.

“Oh, it’s been a while. I’m fine, of course. It’s not the first or second time my leg has hurt.”

As he subtly leaned against the wall to create some distance, the guy, completely oblivious, moved closer to Taehyun again.

“Were you on your way somewhere? Should I help you?”

The offer was more troublesome than grateful, and Taehyun immediately shook his head.

“No, it’s fine. I’m used to the crutch now, so this is much more comfortable. Crutches are made well these days, so it’s easy to get around alone.”

With that, he widened the gap between them again. Only then did Jimin’s expression darken, as if he had finally noticed that Taehyun was uncomfortable with him being close. Taehyun was relieved by the visible reaction. However, what followed was an unexpected sentence.

“Hyung, are you doing this because of that rumor? Are you worried that there will be more strange talk?”

What is he talking about now? The moment Taehyun, not understanding, had a question mark appear on his face, Jimin added a ridiculous explanation.

“I’m fine. I mean, what does it matter what others misunderstand. I know you’re not that kind of person, hyung.”

“Ah.”

Only then did Taehyun realize that Jimin was talking about the strange rumor circulating on the internet, and he let out a dumbfounded laugh.

“Ah, well…. I found it absurd too. I’ve been devoted to preparing for the games for years, so what the…. But you don’t have to worry about it either.”

Then, as if he had interpreted that in a positive way, Jimin’s expression was about to brighten when Taehyun quickly cut him off and fled. There was no reason to be held up here any longer.

“Anyway, I have to go now, so I’ll be on my way. If you have any matches left, fighting.”

At the exit where Taehyun had hastily cut his tail and run, only Jimin was left, tilting his head in confusion. Left alone, Jimin muttered the question he hadn’t been able to ask before Taehyun left.

“I was going to ask if you were really an Alpha….”

It was only natural that his trivial question did not reach Taehyun.