Strategic Mating Partner Chapter 25

Eighteen, twenty-four, spring, 25°C

“Wow, the weather’s crazy. Isn’t it totally summer?”

“I’m going to melt, I’m going to melt.”

Even though it was only April, the midday sun was scorching. The asphalt was already sizzling, the news kept talking about the severity of the drought, and the dry sky didn’t offer a single drop of rain. It felt like midsummer.

“If it’s this hot already, how hot will it be in the summer?”

“It’s supposed to rain this weekend, though.”

“I’ll be dead from dehydration before then.”

Taehyun, leaning against a bench, half-listened to the passing pedestrians’ chatter. A moment later, he shot up at the sound of his name.

“Sung Taehyun, please come to Examination Room 2.”

Called by the nurse, Taehyun entered the examination room, his left ankle tightly wrapped in a cast. Fortunately, it wasn’t completely immobile, so he limped inside without crutches. The doctor, a familiar face, saw Taehyun and clicked his tongue with a regretful expression.

“The X-rays don’t look too bad. But the fact that the pain isn’t subsiding means there’s still inflammation, so it’s not a very positive situation. Let’s try absolute rest first. Then we’ll decide what to do.”

Taehyun’s face immediately went pale at the explanation. Hadn’t the doctor said he might be able to remove the cast today? Taehyun looked at him with a frustrated expression, as if asking why he had changed his mind. The doctor, his head half-balding, pushed up his thick-rimmed glasses and added,

“There hasn’t been much improvement. I thought it might be okay to combine it with rehabilitation, but looking at your current state, I don’t think that will work. Starting today, don’t do anything and refrain from even walking too much. Consider yourself grounded for about two weeks, minimize any physical activity, and let’s see how it goes.”

What kind of a bolt from the blue was this? Taehyun immediately protested in despair.

“What? Doctor, I have to enter the athletes’ village next month.”

This was absurd. With less than six months left until the Olympics, and the national team selection already completed, he had to stop all training for at least two weeks? Taehyun desperately tried to deny reality as he questioned the doctor again. The doctor, with a stern expression, admonished him,

“Look, Sung Taehyun. Your ankle is not in a state where you should be worried about training right now! You might not even be able to participate in the Olympics at this rate. Is skipping training now more important than not being able to go to the Olympics?”

Taehyun couldn’t say anything at the doctor’s exasperated outburst. Of course, if he had to choose between the two, he would choose to skip training now. But… to be confined to rest during this golden time when others were pushing themselves, every second precious for training… It was a despairing situation that made Taehyun’s vision darken.

“Anyway, absolute rest for two weeks! No cardio, and you shouldn’t walk more than 3,000 steps a day. Think of yourself as a little mermaid prince who can’t walk, and rest.”

“Yes….”

Taehyun finally gave in to the doctor’s advice. He had no choice but to comply, even if he didn’t want to. The doctor’s nagging continued as Taehyun sighed and left the examination room.

“Don’t even dream of thinking that you can do other exercises as long as you don’t run. Any exercise that puts weight on your feet will strain your ankle. Bench press, planks, all of that is off-limits! You shouldn’t do anything other than breathing exercises!”

Taehyun wanted to ignore the doctor’s advice, but he eventually nodded. I’m screwed. He cursed a god he didn’t even believe in, wondering why this was happening to him, and then slumped down on the bench in front of the reception desk. As Taehyun exhaled deeply, waiting for his name to be called again, someone cast a shadow over him from behind.

“….?”

Taehyun tilted his head back to see a familiar face.

“Are you done with your appointment? Did you pay?”

It was Shin Hoyong, the manager sent by We Sports, the sports agency that managed Taehyun. Taehyun greeted Hoyong listlessly and relayed what he had just heard in the examination room.

“Not yet. They’ll probably call my name soon.”

“What did the doctor say? He can’t remove the cast today?”

At Hoyong’s worried expression, Taehyun nodded, his face equally devoid of energy.

“No, he said it’s hard to tell yet, and that I should refrain from any exercise for two weeks and just rest.”

“Oh dear… This is a big problem….”

Hoyong immediately expressed his concern at Taehyun’s reply. It was understandable. Taehyun was We Sports’ star athlete and one of the promising athletes expected to win a gold medal at the upcoming 202X Istanbul Olympics. On top of that, with the previous Olympics’ judging controversy, he had the entire nation’s support to redeem himself this time. Two weeks of rest was a devastating instruction for the management as well.

“Is there really no other way? What if we recast it so that there’s less pressure on the ankle…?”

Hoyong asked hopefully, but Taehyun immediately shook his head.

“He said I shouldn’t put any weight on my ankle at all. Even bench presses are out, so…. I can’t even walk more than 3,000 steps a day.”

“Huh….”

Hoyong frowned again at the continued string of bad news. It was a situation that required “absolute rest.” If that was the best course of action, then following the doctor’s orders was the right thing to do.

“This is a big problem. For now, just rest well and pray for a speedy recovery. Try everything that’s good for your bones.”

He knew that collagen, calcium, and the like would just be broken down into calories anyway, but he voiced those superstitions because the situation was so dire. Taehyun, feeling like a sinner even though he hadn’t done anything wrong, slowly nodded.

The injury started at an international competition organized by the World Taekwondo Federation at the end of last year. It was the last qualifying tournament for the Olympics, so all the athletes participated with a desperate resolve. Taehyun had already met the other selection criteria, so all he had to do was finish in the top 16 in this competition to secure his spot in the Olympics. Admittedly, this had made him a bit complacent.

The last time, the result was an unfair judging error. After that, he had succeeded in becoming the champion at the Asian Games, and since then, Taehyun had never relinquished his top spot in the World Taekwondo Federation’s -80kg category rankings. With all the athletes aiming to defeat him, he hadn’t expected any upset in such a low-pressure competition. Taehyun lived up to everyone’s expectations and won the gold medal. The problem started after that.

All athletes, including Taehyun, had a preferred leg. Just as there were left-handed and right-handed people when writing, Taehyun’s specialty was a spinning kick to the head, using his left foot as an axis, firmly planted on the ground, and kicking up with his right foot. He didn’t know when he had developed this habit, but by the time he emerged as a prominent youth medalist, attacking with his right foot had become ingrained. He tried to fix it several times, but it wasn’t easy.

Of course, rotating with his right foot as the axis wasn’t that difficult. But in the crucial 0.1 seconds when he had to decide how to deliver the most powerful attack, Taehyun instinctively relied on his right foot.

This time too, Taehyun firmly planted his left foot on the mat and kicked up his right foot with all his might. Just as he gracefully kicked his opponent’s headgear and was about to land back on the mat, Taehyun felt something was amiss. The opponent he had just kicked was now crouched where he was supposed to land.

Taehyun had to make a split-second decision. Should he use his opponent’s body as a cushion and step on him, or should he change his posture and land on the other foot? Even though self-preservation was paramount during a match, Taehyun couldn’t choose the former. As he quickly shifted his center of gravity and landed on a spot further away, he winced at the sharp pain in his ankle as it twisted.