Strategic Mating Partner Chapter 51

The director and his wife had no children. It wasn’t that they hadn’t tried to have a child, but after more than ten years of living without one, they seemed to have given up hope. As a young boy, Taehyun had once arrogantly thought that if the director and his wife had a child, he might no longer be needed. However, that thought soon turned into hope that such a child might become like a younger sibling, similar to those his friends had. In any case, the couple never had a child, and since they cherished Taehyun almost like an adopted son, whenever misunderstandings arose, the director would laugh and make a joke.

“Oh, does it look that way? I’m not quite old enough to have a son as big as this guy yet.”

Even after the misunderstanding was cleared up, Taehyun followed the director more closely than most biological children would. If he could, he felt like he would even give up one of his organs, as real families might do. The director would surely scold him for such thoughts if he heard them, though.

Eventually, not long after Taehyun competed in his first Olympics, the director passed away due to illness, and Taehyun’s habit of taking photos faded away. Still, whenever there was something worth commemorating, he always opened the camera app. It took no more than five minutes to capture a joyful moment on the screen. Looking back at those photos and reminiscing about the good times spent was far longer-lasting than the fleeting moment itself.

This photo would likely be the same. Someday, it would bring a smile as he recalled that such a moment had existed. Taehyun looked at the slightly blurry photo of Sejin, who seemed a bit out of it, and laughed.

🤺

After a day of breaking from routine, Sejin’s daily life returned to normal. In about a week, he would be able to join group training. That meant the tiresome individual training, which felt no different from practicing alone against a wall without a coach, would finally end. No longer would he have to train alone facing a wall; he could spar with real opponents and keep his senses sharp. Since the person who caused trouble with Sejin wasn’t an épée athlete, he figured the other athletes wouldn’t refuse to practice with him.

So, time passing quickly was a good thing for Sejin. Yet, for some reason, he couldn’t help but feel that the week had ended too soon.

“What’s this all about…”

Something was definitely wrong with his head. And the reason he even briefly entertained such thoughts was, unsurprisingly, the troublemaker sharing the individual training room with him.

“Hoo…”

Sejin glanced at Taehyun, who was pulling weights on a wire, contracting his back muscles with effort. Each time Taehyun pulled his shoulders down and his elbows back, his solid chest crumpled his T-shirt. Sejin had tried not to notice, but one day Taehyun wore an unusually thin T-shirt, and the fabric stretched tightly across his chest, making his nipples stand out. Sejin had to cough awkwardly for quite a while after witnessing that.

Is he crazy? Why would he wear something like that to work out? Sejin wanted to get mad, but there was no real basis for it. The fabric was thin, but the fit wasn’t overly tight; the chest only stood out when Taehyun pulled the handle and puffed out his chest. So, Sejin was the only one who could see that embarrassing prominence. Even then, it was only visible for a brief moment when Taehyun pulled the handle hard, so pointing it out would be like admitting that Sejin had been paying close attention to Taehyun’s chest the whole time.

Once he became conscious of it, checking Taehyun’s chest whenever he wore a new shirt became Sejin’s secret routine.

“…”

He knew it was strange to be so aware of it, but his eyes kept drifting in that direction. It got so bad that Taehyun even asked him about it once.

“Is there something on my shirt?”

Taehyun’s expression showed no suspicion that Sejin was staring at a specific part of his chest. That made Sejin feel even more mortified. He was the only one making a fuss over something Taehyun didn’t even care about. And, in reality, that was true.

“…”

Today, too, Sejin stole a glance at Taehyun’s chest. He confirmed that Taehyun was wearing a thicker, looser shirt today, so the areolas weren’t visible, and he forced himself to look away. Their time bumping into each other in this training room was almost over. If he could just ignore it a little longer, he’d be fine. As Sejin tried to reassure himself, Taehyun was lost in his own serious thoughts.

“Once we join group training, maybe things will get better.”

After that incident, everyone would probably steer clear on their own. This guy wasn’t the type to back down when provoked; he’d bite back. For now, since the qualifiers hadn’t started yet, there was some leeway, but once full team training and the qualifier schedule began, there wouldn’t be time for such nonsense. After all, the most important thing right now was their Olympic performance.

Not everyone had multiple chances like Taehyun did; for most, this was their once-in-a-lifetime shot. Even if a second chance miraculously came, no one could predict what variables might arise, so it was better to put everything into this one opportunity. There was no point in hoping for a second chance that might never come. So, there wouldn’t be time to waste on petty rivalries. Sejin didn’t seem like the type to pick fights unless provoked, and he had the mental strength to ignore most things, so there shouldn’t be any more issues.

“Hmm…”

Still, Taehyun couldn’t shake his lingering worries. Maybe it was just his own overthinking. Having spent over three weeks practically glued to Sejin like a daily check-in, he was starting to care about him like a younger brother.

“He’ll manage on his own.”

Taehyun tried to let it go, but meddling and kindness were his specialties.

“…”

In the end, he scrolled through his contacts and sent a message to an acquaintance he knew was competing as an active athlete. Since they were the same age, barring any surprises, this person would likely be competing in the individual events too. But when he reached out, the response was disheartening. After the previous incident, who would want to stir things up again?

Well, sure… As long as no one provoked or harassed Sejin anymore, that was a relief, but it didn’t completely ease Taehyun’s mind. They’d have to keep crossing paths for another four months until the closing ceremony, and it would be nice if Sejin could make some friends in that time. Being the type who felt at ease only after making friends in a new group, Taehyun couldn’t imagine a training room without them. Olympic training was grueling enough—preparing for it without a single friend to open up to sounded unbearably tough. Taehyun pressed further, asking if there were any other athletes around Sejin’s age. The response was just as bland.

-What, are you his dad? Why are you worrying about that? They’ll get along if they click.

Yeah, obviously. But with Sejin’s personality, it seemed unlikely he’d find anyone he’d click with, which was why Taehyun was worried. Even if there were such a person, it didn’t fully reassure him. The others were busy preparing for the Olympics too, so asking them to look out for Sejin felt a bit much. Taehyun’s own situation was a bit unique, so it had worked out for him, but he couldn’t expect or ask the same of others.

“I know there’s nothing I can do about it…”

Still, he couldn’t help but care. Now that Sejin had opened up to him even just a little, Taehyun hoped he’d get along well with others too. Swallowing a short sigh, Taehyun defended Sejin, saying he wasn’t a bad kid, and ended the call. He added that if his friend didn’t have the time, it was fine, but if possible, to just check on how Sejin was doing with the other athletes. After saying it, he briefly regretted it, wondering what he was even doing, but it felt better to have said it.

Here I am, acting like I’m in charge when I’m just passing on a request… Still, Sejin wasn’t completely hopeless or rude, so Taehyun couldn’t help but feel attached. As long as Sejin treated others the way he treated Taehyun, there wouldn’t be any direct conflicts.

Both sides were lost in their own complicated worries, but the contents of those worries were polar opposites. In any case, this awkward coexistence would end in a week. The end they both wanted was drawing closer.