Strategic Mating Partner Chapter 47

Eighteen and Twenty-Four, a Late Spring at 26°C

Even though the time hadn’t yet come, the cicadas were crying up a storm. It wasn’t even full-blown summer yet, but Taehyun awoke from his sleep, blocking his ears from the chirp, chirp, chirp of the noise. How could it be this loud? Bewildered, he got out of bed, and there, stuck right on the window of his studio apartment, was a cicada.

“Go on, get out of here.”

Whether you’re doing a courtship dance or singing a song, don’t do it on someone else’s window. After opening the window and shooing the cicada away, peace was finally restored. It had been quite some time since April had started. Taehyun looked down at the cast that was still constricting his ankle and sighed. It had already been over two weeks since he was placed on confinement. If things had gone as originally planned, this was the time he should have had his cast removed and started full-scale training again, but unfortunately, Taehyun’s ankle was still sealed up.

“Still stings a little, doesn’t it?”

When the doctor asked as he tapped Taehyun’s ankle—thump, thump—with a rubber mallet, Taehyun flinched and moved his ankle reflexively. It certainly felt a bit less sensitive than before, but there was still a very subtle sense of discomfort remaining. It was difficult for Taehyun himself to distinguish whether this was a feeling of unfamiliarity from having his ankle immobilized for so long or if it was actual pain, so in the end, his two-week training ban was extended. At this rate, was he any different from that kid who was excluded from team training for beating up a senior? Of course, that one wasn’t by choice, and this one… no, it wasn’t like this happened because he wanted it to, either. Anyway. With a whole month suddenly freed up, Taehyun was at a complete loss.

If there was a silver lining, it was that the cast tightly wrapped around his ankle had been replaced with a removable brace instead of the traditional solid plaster one. Furthermore, while exercises that required heavy use of his ankle were still difficult, he had received permission to do upper body strength training that mainly used his torso and back muscles, as well as simple outdoor activities, so he was no longer in a situation where he had to be as careful with his body as before. That alone was a relief for now. Thanks to that, the babysitting duty for the eighteen-year-old that Taehyun had been suddenly saddled with was also extended, and at the same time, its nature changed slightly. As Taehyun became able to do some simple physical conditioning, he started to affectionately pester Sejin about various things.

‘Should I be your spotter?’

Taehyun asked Sejin as soon as his cast was replaced with a brace. Although he hadn’t graduated yet, Taehyun’s major was Physical Education. He was attending a university particularly famous for its curriculum that trained sports for all instructors. He could provide simple assistance with more than enough competence.

There was a story behind his choice of major as well. Taehyun attended one of the few prestigious universities that had a proper Taekwondo department, yet he had a history of turning the senior athletes and coaches around him upside down by enrolling in the Physical Education department instead of the Taekwondo department. Nevertheless, Taehyun had never regretted his choice. He liked Taekwondo, and he had dedicated his whole life to it ever since being picked up by the Director, but he wasn’t confident that he could continue to do so for the rest of his life. To Taehyun, Taekwondo was a means. A way to prove his worth and be acknowledged. If he had been able to blend in naturally among people, it might not have been much different even if he had pursued a different sport instead of Taekwondo.

If Taehyun, who had already risen to stardom as a Taekwondo athlete, said such a thing, everyone would be shocked, but Taehyun didn’t care. It wasn’t a secret that would be found out by others anyway, so he just had to hide it as a personal matter known only to himself. In any case, as the Director had said, Taehyun was overflowing with talent, and it was fortunate that, thanks to the Director, he was able to meet excellent coaches and get good opportunities afterward. However, he similarly didn’t want to make Taekwondo his major, so he had deliberately applied to a different department.

When Taehyun’s university major became known, people around him were surprised and offered their comments, but Taehyun let them in one ear and out the other. It was great to be able to interact with athletes from various sports he had never met before after enrolling in the Physical Education department, and the condition of receiving a teacher’s license that would allow him to work as a teacher in the future if he completed the teaching course was also quite appealing. Though if he were to actually work as a teacher at a school… he wasn’t confident he would be good at it. Taehyun thought of the teachers he met when he was a student and thought that it might not be so bad.

Taehyun had a soft spot for young kids. He especially couldn’t just leave wandering children alone. Part of it was that he couldn’t tune them out because he himself had returned to the right path thanks to someone else’s help. After all, if the Director hadn’t shown a somewhat obsessive interest in him that day, Taehyun would have continued to cause trouble without ever knowing he had a talent for sports. To Taehyun, the Director was a lifelong benefactor. The one who let him know that he didn’t have to live the same life as his father, that such a possibility existed. If he hadn’t met him, Taehyun would have grown older and subconsciously followed what he had seen and learned.

That’s why he kept prodding kids like Sejin. Because that kid, just like him, might be able to change with someone’s very small act of kindness. Indeed, looking at Sejin, a lot had changed in just two weeks. The kid who had at first completely ignored his existence and spouted incomprehensible words had now progressed to the point of bowing his head in greeting when Taehyun entered the training room. It was funny and cute how he was conscious of Taehyun from the moment he opened the door so as not to miss the timing, even though he probably wasn’t used to the Korean-style nod, having lived abroad his whole life.

‘Is he trying to show that we’ve gotten close in his own way…’

That said, there was no great progress, such as him accepting Taehyun’s assistance or engaging in friendly conversation, but for now, that alone was enough. At the very least, he would probably think that he now had one more person to consult with besides the existing coaches and members of the fencing national team if a problem arose. That small difference alone was enough to provide a breath of fresh air. Because that’s how it was for the young Taehyun.

Anyway, today was, as always, a day to go see Sejin. Taehyun stretched his body lightly to warm up, washed his face simply, and then stood in front of the mirror. A neat, handsome young man was looking at Taehyun from the mirror.

‘You’ve really come a long way, Sung Taehyun.’

It’s a bit funny to think that about himself. The nine-year-old Taehyun never dreamed that his future self would become this kind of adult. With no interest in studying and no adult to properly look after him, he just thought he’d continue to be treated like a punk and end up as a gangster like in the movies or dramas. After all, he was confident in one thing: fighting.

However, the Taehyun of today was neither a ruffian who threw his fists at just anyone, nor a penniless man who had to live from hand to mouth. Commercials for products with his face on them aired on TV, and he even had a fan club that cheered for him. When Taehyun appeared on an entertainment show, the ratings rose on that fact alone, and there were many people who didn’t even know he was an athlete and thought he was a witty and good-natured celebrity.

Taehyun briefly thought of the many people who helped him get to where he was. People cannot live alone; everyone lives by organically receiving help from others. That was the reason he was going to see that prickly kid again today.

Taehyun, dressed in light workout clothes, left his house and arrived at the center not long after. He wanted to take the stairs for a change, but going up and down the stairs with his braced foot was a little uncomfortable, so he ended up taking the elevator. Ding. Along with the cheerful notification sound, he arrived on the 5th floor, and a shadow flickered from beyond the door of the personal training room. The shadow, visible through the door with its translucent film, vanished—swoosh—as Taehyun approached.

“Good morning.”

As Taehyun opened the door and greeted him, Sejin, who had been looking elsewhere as if he hadn’t been watching—swoosh—looked at Taehyun and bowed his head. Then, with an indifferent face again, he silently continued his workout. It was absurd how he pretended he wasn’t listening, when he had clearly been paying attention to the sound of Taehyun approaching.

“How’s your condition today?”

Taehyun tried adding another word, but Sejin just looked at him without speaking. At that attitude, which seemed to say, “Can’t you tell by looking?”, Taehyun suppressed a laugh and shrugged his shoulders. Whether Sejin answered or not, Taehyun didn’t care and continued to chatter.

“Starting this week, I’m allowed to do upper body workouts, so I’m going to start working out today too, so don’t mind me too much. I’ll use equipment that doesn’t overlap with what you’re using.”