Second Half Chapter 25

It was incredibly irritating to see him puff out his chest and snort with such self-assurance. Jerim issued an order for him to leave by tossing Aaron’s phone, which had been sitting on the table, right into his lap. This time, Aaron didn’t linger pointlessly and stood up.

Watching the back of the man finally making a move to leave, Jerim cheered inwardly but then cleared his throat. It was because one unresolved curiosity still remained.

“…Hey, wait.”

“What is it now? Give it a rest, will you?”

“No, damn it, I’m asking what that other promise I supposedly made is!”

Seeing Aaron click his tongue as if he were genuinely fed up made Jerim’s temper flare again. In the first place, if he had just acted like a normal new transfer—being a bit shy and behaving politely—there wouldn’t have been any need to set rules. Furthermore, bringing something up so suggestively and then refusing to tell him to the very end… what, did he want him to die of frustration?

Aaron turned his body toward the huffing Jerim. Immediately after, his hand reached out and poked Jerim’s chest. It was exactly on the spot where the golden crown emblem of Sefton was engraved on the short-sleeved shirt Jerim was wearing.

“Since I graciously went as far as transferring for you, figure this much out on your own. It’s no fun if I spill everything before we even start, right?”

“Are you playing a game? You’re so high and mighty that everything except soccer feels like a joke to you, doesn’t it?”

“It’s not a joke. For me, it’s all the same. Whether it’s soccer, or this.”

At the unexpectedly serious tone, Jerim’s gaze also sank. In the moment those two pairs of black and yellow eyes met as if ready to devour each other, the hem of Jerim’s shirt that was being held was jerked forward, closing the distance between them.

Crushing the small crown logo in his grip and hiding it within his palm, Aaron smirked. He wore that same self-assured, boyish face from before.

“Whatever it is, I hate losing more than death. For me, this is a game I absolutely have to win.”

✲✲✲

Although a few minor issues had occurred, the visit to Korea itself ended successfully. One could tell just by looking at the expression of Changsik, who had bothered to come to the hotel on the day of their departure. In particular, he praised Hansung’s editing skills to no end, saying he had watched the talk show footage in advance and found it extremely funny.

For Jerim, whose only memories of the talk show involved being tasered, that “funny” sentiment felt infinitely ominous. However, due to the schedule, he departed without being able to check the edited video. The talk show video featuring him and Aaron was released a week later.

“What the…?”

When he woke up, he found a massive amount of messages from his teammates on the national team. Without exception, they had all sent the video of him being tasered, jumping in shock, and throwing the lie detector. Some of them even sent a photo titled “The dignified appearance of the Sefton Captain.” Jerim became extremely anxious.

Surely, surely… our Hansung wouldn’t have uploaded the sight of his hyung being humiliated so enthusiastically as it was…

That “surely” was proven right as if on cue. With devilish editing skills, Hansung had edited out the parts that could be problematic while keeping everything else that could be salvaged. For example, he deleted the latter half of “Jerim is handsome. As long as he keeps his trap shut,” and instead spliced it with the line “His smile is like the sky.”

However, “Bok-dong-ik!” apparently was too funny to cut, so it was inserted exactly as it was. Along with a half-hearted excuse like “He says he doesn’t just like it, he likes it too much^^”. Jerim checked the video, the comments, and even the reactions on soccer communities, and then let out a silent scream.

Did they become a comedy duo after getting back together?;;

Are those guys comedians and not soccer players? ⤷ Yeah, looks like they changed professions.

⤷ Fuck, then where am I supposed to get my national pride fix now?

Bok-dong-ik! (Photo)

Why didn’t he just answer honestly? Why lie and end up creating another immortal meme like this lolol 

⤷ How could he answer honestly? “Aaron’s transfer? It’s shitty.” He can’t exactly do that.

⤷ Looking at how Jerim acts, it doesn’t seem like it’s shitty though… They just look like total besties.

⤷ What kind of besties in the world blow kisses? In my eyes, they’re dating.

⤷ ⤷ This is it.

Have you guys ever felt like your friend’s smile is like the sky?? What’s going on..?? Am I not understanding this because I’m a firefly??? 

⤷ It’s normal not to understand.

⤷ If that’s what friends are, everyone in the world is a shut-in.

⤷ Let’s not misuse the sacred name of friendship.

No, but they look so close, so why the interview; Wasn’t Jerim totally sniping at him;; 

⤷ Aaron originally tends to speak a bit rudely to reporters haha.

⤷ Since they kept asking questions linking him to Jerim ever since the transfer broke, he probably got annoyed too~

⤷ They could have made up after the interview, or who knows what’s really going on inside.

Did he really kiss him on the cheek? Look at this, I captured it from every angle, and no matter how I look at it, it’s the neck.

⤷ Hey, the neck is nonsense. It’s not like Aaron is a madman; why would he suddenly kiss him on the neck?

⤷ He even said it’s something he used to do often lolol unless they were actually dating, guys wouldn’t kiss each other on the neck often.

⤷ It’s not a kiss, it’s a greeting lol soccer players do the bisous quite often.

⤷ Look at the number of GIFs. Just how much did you tear that video apart? Go study with that passion.

⤷ OP: This is studying for me, you fucker lol

Is the Spanish greeting originally like that? Wow, maybe I should go to Spain too. Do people of the opposite sex greet like that too? 

⤷ So pathetic tsk tsk. Thinking of going to Spain just to get a bisous.

⤷ If you walk around like you do in Korea, they won’t even treat you like a human in Spain.

⤷ You are not Ban Jerim…

⤷ Haha, I’m currently traveling in Spain and the women I meet greet me with a kiss on the cheek (I heard it’s called dos besos in Spanish)… I’m over 180cm tall and I occasionally hear that I look like Ban Jerim haha. Was it because of that? I haven’t really experienced any racism either haha.

⤷ ⤷ The comment section is about to explode;;; breathe.

⤷ ⤷ To the person two comments up, I think you probably got pickpocketed… check your wallet.

If you’re going to use that face and physique like that, I wish you’d give them to me. Including the way he laughed so slyly after pouring water on Aaron ㅠㅠ hyung, seriously, why are you like this? 

⤷ Relatable af. When he shuts his mouth he’s a dashing hottie radiating coolness, so why always ㅠ

⤷ lolol I like Jerim because his expressions are so rich. It’s fun.

⤷ He seems to have a bit of a “shame-magnet” aura…

⤷ Jjeri-ya… just shut your trap and just play matches for your life every day, please.

“Aaron is the world’s best top striker and is more handsome than me.” Isn’t this practically at the level of Jerim making a public confession?

⤷ Ah, so that’s why Aaron did the kiss on the livestream…!

⤷ It wasn’t a greeting but a return kiss? So romantic, as expected of someone from the country of passion.

⤷ Transfer—feud rumors—to dating in just three days;; Wow, Europe really is different.

⤷ What’s this, are they having an office romance?

⤷ ⤷ What kind of office romance do you mean?

⤷ ⤷ It could be any kind^^

Jerim immediately closed the internet window and sent a text full of curses to Hansung. He had asked him to edit it so it wouldn’t be obvious that he and Aaron were on bad terms, but who told him to make him look like a clown, and even worse, make it look like they were dating?

However, unable to even make an excuse at the reply he got back, he just threw his innocent phone onto the sofa.

Hansung

I’m only guilty of editing it to be fun, hyung ㅠ Isn’t the fact that you look like you’re dating a problem between you and Reyes? That’s what I think lol why not actually try dating this time? If he looks more handsome than you in your eyes, isn’t he your true ideal type lol even Reyes says your smile is like the sky after the rain. It’s a match made in heaven.

He hated the sight of everything. Jerim, who had been lying face down on the sofa pounding the cushions for a while, realized it was time for morning training and stood up sluggishly. Finding his phone in the corner of the sofa, checking meticulously for any cracks, and picking up his car keys made him feel like the most pathetic person in the world.

Just before heading out the door, a loooong sigh escaped him. It was because the fact that he had to keep seeing the face of Aaron—the one who caused this mess—from now on had suddenly dawned on him. During the preseason, even after the league opened, continuously. For the next few years.

“…”

It’ll be… okay, right. Jerim looked down at his lower half, which had shown an abrupt abnormal reaction, and wiped his eyes. He had no lingering feelings at all, so why had he almost gotten hard after seeing the sight of blood smeared around that guy’s mouth? What was so pretty about that damn bastard.