Second Half Chapter 12

Startled, Jerim barely held back a scream and waved his hand dismissively. Aside from not wanting to be caught with Aaron, he couldn’t possibly show Aaron to Lehmann in a situation like this. Lehmann was already agitated because of Aaron; it wasn’t as if he could just reveal that the culprit was actually hiding in that bathroom, as if to show him off.

But despite those desperate hand gestures, the gap in the open door widened a bit more. It seemed he intended to come out just like that. Having no choice, Jerim quickly continued speaking while burying Lehmann’s face into his shoulder. He planned to finish the conversation quickly and send Lehmann out.

“Well, yeah. It’s not a bad idea to stay and compete with Reyes. You might even learn something from that guy.”

“Yeah, his clinical finishing is great, but his sense is fantastic. If I could just learn—.”

“You should talk about those things with me. If you had told me first, I would have taught you with all my heart.”

It was the moment Lehmann, held in Jerim’s arms, was about to say something. In the end, the door seemed to burst open, and Aaron, approaching with long strides, babbled something he didn’t mean in English while pulling both Lehmann and Jerim into an embrace at the same time.

Jerim, caught between guys larger than himself, was squashed like a hamburger patty. Even if he wanted to escape, he couldn’t move an inch because Aaron was pressing down on his back with such immense strength. Lehmann also froze stiffly the moment Aaron hugged him, which only added to the misery.

The conversation, which had been suspended by Aaron’s sudden intrusion, only resumed after Jerim twisted his body and escaped from the two solid, muscular bodies pressing against him. Because he slipped out alone like a sly person, a scene was created where Lehmann and Aaron appeared to be embracing affectionately.

Lehmann, who was “truly” shy by nature, showed a look of distress and embarrassment while being held in Aaron’s arms.

“Re, Reyes? Why are you in Jeri’s room…?”

“I was here first. Just like you, I had something to say to Jerim.”

“But why in the bathroom…?”

“We were having a very cozy, private talk between the two of us, but when you showed up, our kind captain locked me in that gloomy bathroom where there’s not a single point of light and the water is dripping. I was scared.”

Aaron released Lehmann and pointed toward the dark bathroom. Seeing a guy who had the aura of some mafia boss trembling and claiming he was scared of a mere unlit bathroom was absolutely pathetic.

The bastard whose birthday is even on Halloween—what is he so afraid of ghosts for? Jerim, momentarily forgetting that Lehmann was there, scolded him coldly.

“Quit the act and wipe those tattoos off your arms first. A ghost would see your arms and run away.”

“They’re not just on my arms though? Maybe I should have just been completely naked. I was really scared.”

Aaron slightly lifted his shirt and pointed toward his back. It seemed like a movement intended to appeal that he had tattoos on his back too, but since he didn’t actually turn around to show them, only his sharp abs—looking as if they had been carved with a chisel—were visible.

What a total jerk…. In the eyes of the twisted Jerim, it only looked like he was suddenly showing off his body.

“No, but you said you couldn’t speak English well…”

Lehmann raised a natural question to the guy who had said he couldn’t speak English but was now not only understanding everything but babbling away just fine. To that, Aaron shook his head and snickered as if it were absurd. It was a complete case of the thief calling the victim a thief.

“It was a joke, but everyone believed me so easily. Thanks to that, I was a bit bored on the plane.”

“……”

“That’s a joke too. I was serious about not being confident in English. I can understand it, but I’m self-conscious about my pronunciation.”

“You seem to speak it… well….”

Whether he was kind-hearted or just oblivious, Lehmann complimented Aaron’s English skills even in this situation. The guy, who was already arrogant to begin with, cocked his nose even higher and turned the direction of his question toward Jerim, who was looking on with eyes like a rotten fish.

“Thanks for the compliment. How is it? My English. In your opinion?”

“…You’re fucking good, you bastard. To the point where saying you’re not confident sounds like a bold-faced lie.”

“I’m actually less confident in lying than I am in English.”

“……”

Was this guy truly the same person as that cute boy who used to just blink his eyes in fluster when we had our first kiss? Jerim was now losing confidence in his own memory. No, he only acted cute the very first time; right after that, he was the guy who greedily devoured my lips as if he had been waiting, so maybe he was the same person….

The expression on Jerim’s face soured even further as he recalled how, once they had broken the ice with that first kiss, the guy used to peck at him whenever there were no eyes watching. Why do I remember this guy as being cute back when we were dating? Looking at every single action, he’s just as shameless now as he was then.

Is this what they call the “memory filter” effect? Jerim glared at Aaron, who stood there with a body and face that weren’t cute at all, smoothly pouring out lies. Even though he must have clearly read that unpleasant gaze, the mouth that hadn’t even wetted its lips didn’t stop.

“If any worries come up in the future, feel free to consult me since we’re in the same position. Wouldn’t that be more useful?”

“Ah…? Uh, um, yeah, thanks….”

“Don’t mention it.”

From the moment it was revealed that Aaron was proficient in English, Lehmann looked dazed the entire time. However, seeing him unable to say anything mean to a guy who readily stepped forward to help, awkwardly smiling and shaking hands, was a bit pitiful.

A situation where the guy who suddenly transferred in and stole his spot is grandly promising to give him advice whenever he has worries. For Jerim, just imagining it made him so furious that he probably would have requested a loan from the manager instead. And then, he would have grown his skills like his life depended on it, returned to the original club, and retaken the spot that guy had stolen.

This was Jerim’s mindset, steeped in competition, but it seemed Lehmann was entirely different. Well, since he said he didn’t want a loan himself, there was nothing to be done. Even if he was the captain, interfering in such matters would be going too far, so Jerim just licked his lips while watching the two shake hands.

“Oh boy, it’s already time for dinner. Why don’t we eat together?”

Aaron, who had already put his arm around Lehmann’s shoulder as if they were old friends, wrapped his arm around Jerim’s shoulder too. Like hell this guy is shy, fuck….

Lehmann looked just as dumbfounded as Jerim, but seemingly lacking the courage to refuse, he just nodded his head. In the midst of that, Jerim couldn’t very well treat Aaron like a germ and shake him off alone. Having no choice, Jerim was dragged along—clunk, clunk—to the banquet hall, matching the strides of the guys who were much taller than him.

✲✲✲

Dinner took place in a suffocating atmosphere. Because Aaron had dragged Jerim and Lehmann to dinner early, none of the other teammates were there. The banquet hall, filled with several round tables, was as silent as a funeral home.

Jerim normally preferred boisterous meals, but right now, he quite liked the fact that there were many empty seats and no watching eyes. He was exhausted from being forced to stick with Aaron all day and receiving all sorts of attention. He headed toward a corner seat with his tray, pretending not to see Aaron, who had taken a seat first.

“Je, Jeri! Where are you going…?”

But at the moment he tried to take another step, Lehmann, still caught by Aaron, looked at Jerim with eyes that looked like they would cry at any moment. The voice calling him was also very mournful. Aaron held Lehmann to his side like a hostage and muttered as if talking to himself.

“I guess the team atmosphere at Sefton isn’t that harmonious? Well, since the captain himself has an uncooperative personality, I can see why.”

“Who is.”

Clang! Jerim glared as he roughly set his tray down on the table where Aaron was sitting. He intended to take this opportunity to show this arrogant guy exactly what the authority of a captain was and give him a proper lesson in table manners.

But as a result, he couldn’t put that ambitious plan into action. As soon as he tried to look cool, some mushroom soup splashed onto his face from the tray he had thrown down, causing him to cry out, “Hot!” Aaron personally pulled out a tissue and wiped the soup off Jerim’s face.

“Can’t even wipe your own mouth? Or is it that your old habits still remain….”

His face flushed at the secretly whispered words, and he couldn’t open his mouth any longer. Especially because he knew that the mention of “old habits” wasn’t for nothing. The authority of the captain he had tried so hard to assert fell to the ground, just like the tray he had thrown down.