Strategic Mating Partner Chapter 60

“Oops.”

Taehyun stood behind the podium, waiting for Chungwon’s speech to end, and looked at Sejin with a warm feeling of familiarity. Sejin, who had been looking up from below, met Taehyun’s gaze as their eyes locked. When Taehyun gave a gentle smile, curving the corners of his lips, Sejin quickly turned his head away with a huff. There was a time when Sejin saw that face every day, like clocking in for attendance, but meeting him face-to-face after a few weeks felt oddly unsettling. When Taehyun let out a soft chuckle, Seryoung, who was standing next to Sejin, glanced back and forth between Taehyun and Sejin.

“…….”

Sejin, feeling inexplicably embarrassed, lowered his head. He’s probably treating me like a kid, right? As Sejin stood there, his ears slightly red from embarrassment, Seryoung, who had been observing from the side, spoke in a voice just loud enough for Sejin to hear.

“Taehyun oppa is really handsome, isn’t he?”

At that, Sejin immediately lifted his head. His startled expression seemed to ask why she was calling Taehyun ‘oppa,’ and Seryoung burst into laughter reflexively.

“Look at that. The person speaking right now is the village chief, but I bet everyone’s just staring at Taehyun oppa’s face. He’s like a celebrity among athletes.”

When Seryoung added another comment, Sejin, with a foolishly flustered expression, asked.

“Is that guy popular?”

That guy? Seryoung responded as if she couldn’t believe his question.

“Of course he’s popular. He’s more famous than most celebrities. He’s got a great personality, he’s handsome, he’s done tons of commercials and variety shows, so he’s probably loaded too. Didn’t rumors go around a couple of years ago that he was dating Im Dahee?”

“……?”

Who’s Im Dahee? Hearing the unfamiliar name, Sejin narrowed his eyes, and Seryoung added with an incredulous expression.

“You don’t know Im Dahee either? She’s a member of the girl group Cleansing.”

“Don’t know her.”

“What? That’s… it’s almost shocking how well you speak Korean.”

Though Seryoung’s words were quite harsh, Sejin didn’t seem fazed in the slightest.

“Who is she, anyway?”

As Sejin maintained his indifferent expression, Seryoung quickly pulled out her phone from her pocket. She searched for Im Dahee on a portal site and showed Sejin a photo. The woman had fair skin, long black hair, and a pure, striking beauty.

“Look, she’s insanely pretty. She’s one of the few athletes with a clean image and earns more than most celebrities, so even celebrities beg to be introduced to her.”

Listening to Seryoung’s excitement, Sejin felt an inexplicable displeasure. He already knew that Taehyun was popular and loved by many. But hearing through Seryoung that this popularity extended beyond simple admiration or support to romantic interest irritated him for some reason. Why? There was no reason for him to care, yet he just didn’t want to hear it.

“…….”

Even as Seryoung continued chattering, Sejin ignored her words, letting them pass through one ear and out the other, while staring intently at Taehyun. By now, Taehyun had stepped to the center of the podium for the event proceedings, cutting a ribbon alongside other organizing committee members. As always, Taehyun was the one drawing everyone’s attention.

Is Taehyun an alpha, perhaps? If he were an omega, wouldn’t he have dated a man instead of a woman? Or maybe that Im Dahee woman is an alpha. Sejin pondered to himself, then suddenly shook his head. What did it matter to him? There was no reason for him to care about such things. As Sejin glared at Taehyun with a complicated expression, Seryoung interrupted again.

“Did you know?”

“Know what?”

At Sejin’s curt reply, Seryoung laughed as if she found it amusing.

“Before you joined the group training, Taehyun oppa called every single one of our team members. He even treated the older guys to meals separately, asking them to look out for you.”

“What?”

What was that supposed to mean? Sejin stared at Seryoung, doubting his own ears. A man much taller than her glaring like that could have felt intimidating, but Seryoung wasn’t fazed in the least. She looked up at Sejin with an amused smile.

“He said you two got close while using the same facility during your injury break. He said you’re a great guy but still unfamiliar with Korean culture, so he felt bad that you were misunderstood and personally went around clearing things up. Who else does that? I thought you two were, like, best friends or something. Guess not?”

At that moment, Sejin’s face burned uncontrollably. Why would he do that? Did Sejin ask him to? Why would he go out of his way to do something unrequested? For a moment, Sejin felt angry. But then he remembered how the atmosphere when he first joined the national team was completely different, and he realized he had no right to complain.

Sejin had thought it was just because he’d been cautious after clashing with his seniors. But now, realizing it was because someone had secretly worked behind the scenes to help him adjust, he was so embarrassed he couldn’t lift his head. With his face flushed red like a tomato about to burst, Sejin stammered.

“Not… close…”

Seryoung let out a puff of air, laughing beside him.

“Really? Taehyun oppa is really popular. But, well, there were rumors he dated guys too, so it’s not entirely impossible.”

“What?”

At the random comment, Sejin, who had just calmed down, looked at Seryoung. She pointed ahead. Having finished his opening speech, Taehyun was representing everyone, wearing some odd sash and playing rock-paper-scissors with another athlete.

“Now, let’s all stay safe and avoid injuries today! Have fun and take this chance to blow off some steam!”

With a loud whistle, the sports festival began. Sejin stared blankly at Taehyun, who was surrounded by people chatting, before following Seryoung’s lead. A staff member checked Sejin and Seryoung’s affiliation and names, then put a white wristband on Sejin’s wrist. When Sejin looked at Seryoung with a puzzled expression, she explained.

“You and I are on the white team. Lucky you—Taehyun oppa is the white team captain.”

Though they had heard the explanation together, Sejin still looked confused. Seryoung drove the point home.

“You’re on the same team as Taehyun oppa. If you win, Taehyun oppa wins too.”

Then she glanced at Hyojung, who had been standing in the same line earlier but was now far off, and sighed.

“Hyojung unnie seems to be on the blue team.”

After saying that, Seryoung seemed to lose all motivation and interest.

“I’ll just grab some snacks and maybe join for the balloon-popping later. If you want to rest, come to the chairs over there.”

As she moved toward the bleachers by the wall, it seemed like Taehyun was approaching for some reason. Why? Why all of a sudden? Startled, Sejin froze mid-step, and Seryoung, who had been walking ahead, turned back with an annoyed look.

“What, did I forget something…?”

At that moment, Taehyun, who had approached with long strides, smiled and greeted them.

“Hey, long time no see.”

Seryoung, stunned by his handsome, smiling face, half-shrieked in surprise.

“Gasp, hello, sunbae-nim!”

Just moments ago, she’d been saying ‘oppa’ repeatedly, but apparently, they weren’t that close, as her address instantly switched to ‘sunbae-nim.’ Sejin tried to ignore his inexplicably racing heart and bowed his head.

“How’s training going these days? Everyone doing okay?”

When Taehyun casually asked about their well-being, Seryoung nodded eagerly.

“Absolutely, it’s going great! I’ve gotten really close with this guy. We’re the youngest, guy and girl.”

At that, Taehyun smiled again, the corners of his eyes crinkling warmly in a way that could steal anyone’s attention.

“Good to hear. Be careful not to get injured today and have fun. These things might feel tedious, but they become fond memories later. There are lots of prizes too, so give it your all.”

“Yes! Good luck today, sunbae-nim!”

As Seryoung and Taehyun exchanged greetings naturally, Sejin kept his head down, avoiding eye contact. He was just too embarrassed to say anything. He couldn’t understand why he was acting like this. Was it just embarrassment? Or was it because he felt foolish for being so rude despite not needing help, yet receiving so much consideration? Unable to find a reason, he stayed silent in protest. Then Taehyun approached Sejin and asked.

“Are you feeling okay? You’ve been keeping your head down.”

Now Sejin had nowhere to hide. Why was he acting like this? His stomach kept churning. Before Sejin could respond, Taehyun reached out and placed a hand on Sejin’s forehead.