Chapter 69

69

"U-seong is shooting~."

Joo-u-sung finally shook me to my core and shot first, hitting a perfect 10.

[10 points! 10 points have been scored!]

"Serious, serious~."

Joo-u-sung hummed a little tune. I sighed, took my stance, and aimed at the target.

Suddenly, I remembered the day I was practicing coquetry, and Kang Eun-chae's frightened expression when she saw me.

Thwack!

'Damn!'

[Oh, 8 points, 8 points, what a pity~.]

[Is it possible that Seo Ho-yoon has suffered a significant mental blow??]

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Joo-u-sung burst into laughter, not missing this opportunity. I quietly glared at him.

I thought about threatening him, but with so many people watching, I hesitated...

"Oh, what to do."

Joo-u-sung kept smirking and taunting me. He pulled the bowstring without hesitation and hit the bullseye again, scoring another 10.

Damn... he really is good.

[Wow, Joo-u-sung, the gold medalist's skills are still there~!!]

[Will Black Call secure another first place?]

First place.

They can't take first place.

I took a deep breath.

"Let's recall, let's recall... the moment I first held the bow..."

Ding!

[It was just a few weeks ago!]

'Shut up.'

As I quietly muttered, the system window, which always seems to appear at the most inopportune times, chimed in.

I ignored it and focused on the memory.

The firm feel of the bow, the strength required to pull the string, the position of my left hand that needed to be firmly fixed... I took a deep breath and naturally performed the series of actions.

I can do this.

Whoosh!

At that moment, I released the string, and the arrow flew straight into the target.

[10 points! 10 points, Seo Ho-yoon has hit it again!]

[Has he recovered his mental state~?!]

No, it wasn't just a mental recovery. Joo-u-sung tilted his head and raised his bow again. This time, he also hit 10 points.

The commentators were in an uproar, but it didn't affect me at all.

'I just need to focus on my job.'

I also pulled a new string. The arrow flew and hit the bullseye again.

[Seo Ho-yoon, two consecutive 10 points! 10 points!]

[Wow! What's the current total score?]

[52 points, a tie! A tie!]

Joo-u-sung chuckled and stepped forward to pull the bowstring. However, perhaps because he was affected by my consecutive 10 points, his stance was slightly off, and he scored 9 points.

[9 points! 9 points have been scored!]

[This makes Black Call's final score 61 points! If Deu Den scores 10 points, it's over!]

[Can Seo Ho-yoon, the athlete, overcome this pressure and score three consecutive 10 points?]

I brushed my slightly sweaty bangs back. My face was prominently displayed on the main screen, and the venue was buzzing, but I didn't notice. In this world, there were only three things for me: me, the bow, and the target.

Ding!

[Isn't this something to work hard at? I'm starting to feel a bit sorry.]

'I can't be any more embarrassed than this.'

Absolutely not.

I grabbed the bow and stepped onto the platform. I placed my left foot slightly forward and firmly nocked the arrow. I felt everything was in my hands.

"Hmm..."

25 meters away, the target.

I quietly raised my left arm and pulled the bowstring until it touched my lips. At that moment, I felt the surroundings become quiet.

The red line in the center, 10 points.

I aimed and released the string. The arrow seemed to fly in slow motion.

And,

Clang!

It shattered the lens.

'...Done.'

As I slowly lowered the bow, the surrounding noise started to return.

[...Damn! Seo Ho-yoon has... shattered the lens!!]

[More than 10 points?! For the first time in the finals, Seo Ho-yoon has shattered the lens!]

The flustered staff checked the lens again and waved their arms. The commentators jumped up.

[Deu Den! 10 points! Black Call 61 points, Deu Den 62 points, taking first place~!!]

[Wow! The final scene is the highlight of this archery competition!]

[Seo Ho-yoon's bow release was so artistic.]

[I thought it was a movie. Such a serious face, and the camera angles and expressions were so artistic.]

I clenched my slightly sweaty hands a few times, and the arena's announcer ran over for an interview.

"Seo Ho-yoon, you shattered the lens and scored three consecutive 10 points to win the gold medal! What are your thoughts?"

"Ah... my thoughts."

Thoughts. Right.

"Yes! After being mentally shaken by Joo-u-sung's interference, you quickly regained your composure and hit 10 points."

I suddenly returned to reality and looked around, feeling a bit dazed. The Deu Den members were already high-fiving and waving their arms. On the other hand, Joo-u-sung... was looking at me with a slightly pale face.

...A pale face?

That's not a look you should have.

'Ha, this guy... repaying me like this?'

Anger surged up.

To a junior? Can't you just give up the first place? Do you really have to beat me by interfering so much?

As soon as I moved my hand, the system window, which always seems to understand my intentions, came running.

[I will carry it out!]

Ding!

[Choice

-Ho-yoon is~ just good at archery?

-Did you see my excellent archery skills?]

Thank you.

I made my choice and, with a brazen look, said to Joo-u-sung,

"Ho-yoon is~."

"Y-Yes, yes?"

"Doesn't do such things, just~ good at archery."

I recalled the coquetry I used before and openly mocked his interference. Then, with a smile that looked annoying and my bangs, which kept falling due to sweat, I brushed them back.

"..."

"When others act despicably, it's really troublesome~."

By the way, this is something I'm saying on my own, without the dialogue window.

I smiled kindly at Joo-u-sung and left. Joo-u-sung, seeing my coquetry, shook his head as if he had seen something truly unpleasant.

This scene will probably become the most memorable clip of the competition, titled [Ho-yoon, you really hated it], and will circulate for a long time, but I couldn't help it.

'My victory.'

No one will be able to tease me about my past. Having become shameless to the point of wearing a mask, I was no longer affected by such coquetry.

Ding!

[(Winning the championship, but coquetry...) Seo Ho-yoon's mysterious first defeat!]

Shut up.

['Winning the championship is mine' quest, 1st place count 2/3]

One more time.

***

"Ho-yoon is the best~."

"Just good at archery~."

When I returned with the gold medal, the members were in an uproar. I ignored the teasing and sat down.

I interlaced my fingers and quietly muttered,

"Just one more first place."

"But what's the standard for being first, hyung?"

"I only need to do it three times..."

The members, who didn't understand why I was so obsessed with first place, exchanged puzzled looks.

[The flower of winning the championship! The relay race begins!]

Finally, the moment of the relay race arrived.

White Cherry, determined this time, also won the gold medal in the women's 400m relay.

However, I couldn't be too happy. One of the other group's members almost fell, perhaps because the ground was slippery.

"Oh."

"It seems a bit slippery..."

We tied our shoelaces very tightly.

For some reason, Jung Da-jun seemed unusually nervous. The other members seemed fine, but Jung Da-jun, who was burning with determination, looked like a child left on the shore...

"Hey, be careful."

"It seems a bit slippery...?"

"Try it out, and if it's dangerous, just run slowly. Understand?"

"Um... Yes!"

He answered cheerfully, but there was still something off.

"Do you understand?"

"Ah, yes, hyung. Don't worry."

I checked that Jung Da-jun's shoelaces were tied tightly and patted his back. The first runner was Sung Ji-won, followed by Kang Eun-chae, me, and Kim Sung-hyun, with Jung Da-jun as the last runner.

[Another highlight after the women's 400m! The men's 500m relay race!]

The race progressed quickly. Considering the extended time, it was only run once, so people participated and cheered with all their might, feeling it was the last chance.

[Deu Den, they look very determined! Especially with Kim Sung-hyun, the expectations are high.]

[Lane 1, Deu Den! What's the team name? 'Deu Deu Deu Den'? Is it a play on the phrase 'running fast'?]

"Who came up with that?"

"..."

Sung Ji-won raised his hand sheepishly.

"Well... well, it could be."

"That's real discrimination."

Kang Eun-chae muttered as she moved to her starting position, but I couldn't dampen Sung Ji-won's spirits, who was about to start the relay. I watched as he approached the line and took his starting position, and I moved to my spot.

[Now, the 500m relay race begins!]

Ding!

It started.

[Sung Ji-won, oh, Sung Ji-won is fast!]

[Unbelievable! Despite not having a large stride, his speed is outstanding!]

Of course, Sung Ji-won is good at everything except his personality. He was fast and had excellent stamina. I confirmed that the baton was about to reach Kang Eun-chae and quickly took my position.

[Deu Den and Re-fined are competing for first place! But here, Sung Ji-won immediately passes the baton to Kang Eun-chae!]

Although the distance was quite far, I could see Kang Eun-chae skillfully catch the baton and run towards me.

[Kang Eun-chae, she's pulling away with a significant lead!]

[Kang Eun-chae also performs tumbling on stage! Here, she's flying, flying!]

Kang Eun-chae ran very hard. I thought of the e-sports notification.

'Can't stop Kang Eun-chae!'

"Hyung!"

Kang Eun-chae called me and extended her hand with the baton. I could feel the other group's members watching, but I moved forward slowly and timed the perfect moment to take the baton. As soon as it touched my hand, I sprinted with all my might.

[Wow! Seo Ho-yoon is fast too!]

[Not only is his archery skill excellent! Seo Ho-yoon's physical abilities are troublesome, troublesome!]

I heard someone mimicking my coquetry, but it didn't affect me. The bigger problem was...

'This floor is...'

Slippery.

Cold sweat broke out, but I focused on running forward. If I became aware of something being wrong, my pace would be affected.

As I rounded the corner where No-eul was sitting, cheers erupted.

[Are the Deu Den members all tall? They're really stretching out!]

"Seo Ho-yoon!"

"Ah!"

[Oh, this is the dynamic duo who caught the thief! Kim Sung-hyun and Seo Ho-yoon! They pass the baton very smoothly!]

Kim Sung-hyun also ran fast but stumbled and almost fell, quickly regaining his balance.

'Ah...'

I panted, joining Sung Ji-won and Kang Eun-chae, who had already run.

"How's it going?"

"We're in first place now."

"Kim Sung-hyun is really fast."

[Kim Sung-hyun, he's going wild!]

[Today, Deu Den is on fire!]

We were almost a lap ahead of the other groups. Although everyone was buzzing about the significant lead, a small thorn in my heart continued to bother me.

'Something feels off...'

[Kim Sung-hyun is passing the baton!]

[They're almost a lap ahead, it's almost a win!]

Kim Sung-hyun, giving his final sprint, pushed off the ground and passed the baton to Jung Da-jun.

"Jung Da-jun!"

"Y-Yes!"

Jung Da-jun could have run slowly, but he gave it his all until the end