NOVEL NEXT Chapter 11
I was never one to care about exercise even before entering this body. Since childhood, I couldn’t understand why kids would rush out to play, nor why they got so excited during gym class to kick a ball around. I especially couldn’t wrap my head around people whose hobbies included jogging, or those who found joy in cycling, or the ones practically living in the gym whenever they had free time.
Yeah, I get that taking care of one’s body is a good thing. It’s healthy and, above all, having muscles makes you look good too. But I never felt like I had any reason to do it myself.
Honestly, the original me didn’t have a face that could be called good looking at all. Even if I managed to train my muscles—if we assume I’d be able to do that—could I have even dreamed of getting a girlfriend? I figured there was no one worth impressing anyway. That’s why I didn’t bother with exercise in the first place.
And the truth is, exercising is just asking for trouble. I hated struggling.
Yet—
Why on earth was I running so hard right now?
“Come on, just a bit more! You can do it! You can do it!”
Next to me, struggling to keep pace, was my senior Nam Da-un with his bright yellow hair, yelling encouragement.
Unlike the other club leaders who outright rejected me on sight, Nam Da-un seemed to be giving it his all, despite his initial ‘tch’ noise at the sight of me. Shouldn’t it be a simple matter to just reject me outright if he didn’t like me?
Why was he being so sincere?!
Did my athletic outfit make me look like a clueless newbie? Was he so pumped up that he wanted to ‘train’ me as if I were some decaying relic?
No, more importantly, why was I even here running?!
When I snapped back to reality, I realized Nam Da-un wasn’t the only one running beside me. Yoo Ha-neul and Lee Soo-ah were struggling along, keeping up with my slow pace as well. They must have passed some physical test before joining, but they definitely weren’t yelling out encouragement like Nam Da-un, which just goes to show how slow I was moving.
How embarrassing.
A group of football club members were eyeing us from a distance, probably thinking they shouldn’t get too close to me.
I didn’t really know Nam Da-un that well. He wasn’t a character from a stream that had been played, nor had I played “if you wish.” But usually, male protagonists have certain traits, right? They’re handsome, rich, popular with the ladies, and generally well-regarded.
Well, Ye Sara certainly wasn’t completely off-base from that title.
She had money, more than just a lot—it was an astronomical amount. Even just her 5.7 percent inheritance would make her capable of devouring the second-largest conglomerate in South Korea.
With how Homyeong Group arranged the engagement just for her inheritance alone, it’d be hard not to wonder.
Honestly, compared to that crazy title of Ye Sara, the ‘Crown Prince’ nickname of Yoon Da-ho from Homyeong Group was just laughable. No wonder Yoon Da-ho shut up when I said “You and the common folk.”
She was pretty too. If we exclude the body, I hadn’t met anyone whose looks surpassed Ye Sara’s, who I see every day in the mirror. Yoo Ha-neul was difficult to judge since I hardly got a glimpse of her face, and only one of the heroines, Lee Soo-ah, came close to Ye Sara’s level. Of course, both Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Ha-neul had far better figures, but still.
Maybe she was popular too. It’s just a hunch, but there must be a few who admire Ye Sara from afar for various reasons, even if they can’t approach her closely. It’d be mystifying if you think of her as a proud flower blooming on a cliff.
But that didn’t translate into popularity.
Ye Sara had hardly any acquaintances. No, if I hadn’t come into this body and allowed Yoo Ha-neul and Lee Soo-ah to approach her, she probably would’ve been friendless up till now. Obviously, there wouldn’t be any characters who would support her like this.
Yeah. “Supporting.”
“Come on just a bit more! Just a few more steps!”
With a pant, Nam Da-un continued shouting encouragement. His attitude felt genuinely aimed at helping me build endurance, and it didn’t seem half-hearted or like some kind of torture. It was completely different from that ‘tch’ sound he’d made earlier.
Of course, I wasn’t happy about it at all.
“Ah, I can’t do this anymore…”
In the end, completely out of stamina, I stopped moving my legs. I collapsed onto the ground. Since it wasn’t sand but rubberized flooring, it didn’t hurt too much.
With my hands on the ground, I face-planted. Drool dripped from my mouth, but I didn’t have the strength to wipe it.
“Hmph.”
Nam Da-un was watching me, seemingly unfazed. Well, I wasn’t exactly fast even after running my heart out.
“Well, at least you ran one lap.”
……Only one lap after all that running?
When I looked up in disbelief, my eyes met Nam Da-un’s.
“Tch.”
And as soon as our eyes met, he made that noise again.
Why? If there’s a reason, could you at least say what it is? If he were a typical protagonist, he could end up being one of the reasons for Ye Sara’s downfall. I’m getting anxious with this attitude of his.
“Well, too bad.”
Nam Da-un said and shifted his gaze away from me. Then he looked at Yoo Ha-neul and Lee Soo-ah and said, “To be honest, you guys might not know, but this guy here is completely hopeless. He can’t run like this, let alone play football.”
……
Hearing it like that, I felt aggravated, but it was true.
“Well, seeing you guys brought him here, it didn’t seem like you were planning to include him anyway.”
Nam Da-un said while scratching the back of his head and letting out a deep sigh. As annoying as it was, it fit his image. If they made a youth romance drama at the academy with this guy, they wouldn’t even need to think about plot coherence. If someone asked, they could just say, “His face is the coherence.”
Yoon Da-ho? He would probably be gossiping about his temperament even before making his appearance in a drama.
“But if he really wants to keep going, I can at least help him build basic endurance. If he comes running like this every day, his stamina will improve.”
This kind of… every day…?
Was he trying to kill me or what?
I looked up at Yoo Ha-neul and Lee Soo-ah for help—but—
“That sounds great!”
“Let’s practice together every day!”
All I got in response were those enthusiastic answers.
Finally, I looked back at Nam Da-un. No, every time our eyes met, he was openly disdainful. Why was he being so nice in a strange way?
But when our gazes met, Nam Da-un just glanced away.
Seriously, what’s up with that?
*
In the end, regardless of my will, I had effectively decided to come here every day for endurance training.
Looking at it from a different angle, this was my own choice, and when I considered how few people in this school would even engage in ‘conversation’ with me, Nam Da-un seemed to be a pretty decent guy.
And thanks to that, I could somewhat grasp my instincts too. Up till now, the only people whose faces seemed to shine were those who spoke to Ye Sara. Of course, if we’re being technical, there were people like Yoon Da-ho and Yang Hye-in, but no one would look at Yoon Da-ho and think ‘he’s kind-hearted’ and Yang Hye-in was my personal maid.
Could it be that only those who would ‘help me’ seemed to shine bright?
Then, that wouldn’t explain why Ye Sara had a grudge against Yoo Ha-neul. Or maybe Yoo Ha-neul didn’t appeal to her enough to ignore that ‘sense’—
……
Well, it’s not a question that needs answering right now. I can’t figure it out now anyway. Right now, I’m in the situation of being Ye Sara.
“Thanks for your help.”
I didn’t really mean it, but I said that out of courtesy and bowed. After all, it was true that he helped me with exercise. Whenever newbie stories about getting trained by gym freaks popped up online, they always came with someone saying, “I wish I could get that kind of free PT too.” This might not have been the gym, but it was surely something I should be grateful for.
……My legs were still shaking and my shoulders were stiff, but at least I could vaguely understand my instincts, so that’s something to be thankful for.
“Thank you!”
“Please take care of us!”
Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Ha-neul cheerfully replied.
“Uh, sure.”
Nam Da-un answered while putting his hands into his school uniform pockets and glancing away. Come to think of it, he’s still in his uniform. Does he not have gym clothes?
“……”
“……”
A moment of awkward silence
“Uh, then we’ll be going now.”
Only after I said that, did Nam Da-un reply, “Oh, okay. Go ahead.”
I immediately turned around, though I slightly stumbled while doing so. My legs were on the brink of giving out. Thankfully, Yoo Ha-neul and Lee Soo-ah were there to help me, so I didn’t collapse just because I ran one lap.
……But seriously, going to the football club to run? It felt kinda strange.
I thought that as I walked away.
*
“Hey, Da-un!”
Only after Ye Sara’s figure disappeared into the distance did the football club president, who had been keeping his distance, rush over.
“Are you out of your mind!? What do you think you’re doing pulling Ye Sara into this? Do you want the club to get disbanded?”
The president was bigger than Nam Da-un. He had a giant frame that absolutely terrified anyone from speaking carelessly, yet here was a first-year girl who was terrified enough to stay far away and just watch.
“Are first-year kids really that scary?”
When Da-un asked with an incredulous look, the president quivered. One of the other club members, who had been far away with him, chimed in, “Of course they’re scary! Everyone who got close to her ended up unfortunate! Even their parents warned them to keep their distance!”
“Haven’t you heard? She’s a walking embodiment of misfortune!”
“……”
Nam Da-un had attended the Hwayoung Foundation’s school since elementary school. He couldn’t have not heard of it.
More than that, it was safe to say he knew it well.
He recalls the one girl who’d been watching him with wide, anxious eyes.
Despite it having been a one-sided lost contact.
“Regardless, just so you know, it’s annoying having weaklings in front of you,” the president snapped.
“Come on, man! You can’t be reckless just because you’re the ace!”
“Whether she’s an incarnation of misfortune, that’s something to figure out later.”
“Dude—!”
“Hey, I can’t hear you! Aren’t we going to practice? Isn’t it too early to be slacking off now that the new term has started?”
Ultimately, there was no choice for the president but to clutch the nape of his neck in stress, acting rather unlike a senior.