Chapter 106: Cracks That Won’t Close

Woojoo clenched his teeth, then grabbed Ji-tae by the collar as he stood there blankly with his head lowered.

“Then at least you should’ve told me! If I was your rival, if you really liked me, you shouldn’t have run away like that!”

Raw emotions, stripped of all veils, began to storm violently between them.

Colliding again and again, hurting each other without even realizing it, the two were dragged back to that immature, younger version of themselves in that gym.

“Won Ji-tae, do you know I kept trying to contact you?”

Hearing this for the first time, Ji-tae’s eyes trembled.

“After I got confirmed for the overseas league, do you know who I thought of first?”

“……”

“It was you.”

At Woojoo’s confession, this time Ji-tae’s eyes began to redden.

“Not my family, not my coach, not Park Hyunjin—but you. Because I thought you’d be the happiest for me. Because I thought you’d truly understand and acknowledge how hard I worked.”

But after that, he couldn’t find Ji-tae.

He couldn’t see his face, couldn’t even hear his voice.

Not once had his feelings been insincere when it came to volleyball or running toward that dream together with Ji-tae.

“But you… in the end, you must’ve just seen me as that kind of person.”

Woojoo bit the inside of his cheek, unable to finish his sentence.

He felt hurt hearing about Ji-tae’s past and pain, but at the same time, there was an inexplicable resentment mixed in.

Nothing felt right.

“…Kang Woojoo.”

“Even when you say you liked me all this time, I don’t know anymore. I just… don’t know what anything means.”

Ji-tae nervously bit his lips.

Tears had already gathered in his eyes.

“To be honest… I think maybe I’m the one who hurt you the most.”

Woojoo took a deep breath from his core and let it out.

Ji-tae, who had clung to the idea of being a rival, was he really happy back then?

If Woojoo had never said those things, if he hadn’t tied Ji-tae down with that word, would he have suffered a little less when he could no longer play?

He was still angry that Ji-tae had hidden everything and left.

But at the same time, he couldn’t even begin to grasp the weight of what Ji-tae had gone through.

That made it even more painful.

Even if Ji-tae had chosen it himself, meeting him again must have forced him to relive all those past memories.

Could that really have been better for Ji-tae?

Woojoo’s existence might have been both happiness and misfortune for him at the same time.

That thought overwhelmed him, and he finally turned away.

“W-Woojoo…”

A tearful voice called from behind, but Woojoo didn’t turn back.

He only clenched his jaw tighter.

“I don’t know how to look at you anymore.”

With those words, Woojoo walked toward the front door.

As soon as the door lock clicked, Ji-tae’s tears fell onto the rug in the living room.

The final magazine interview was conducted separately.

Woojoo had first requested it through his company, and coincidentally, Ji-tae’s agency had made the same request, so the schedule was gladly arranged that way.

Since the final interview focused more on Woojoo and Ji-tae themselves rather than the broadcast, doing it separately didn’t seem like a bad idea.

Everything proceeded smoothly.

“Thank you for your hard work, player.”

After the interview ended, Woojoo thanked the reporter and the magazine staff.

“The magazine will probably come out as a special issue the month after next. We’ll send you a sample beforehand.”

“Does it usually come out that fast?”

“We’re putting all our effort into this project right now.”

The reporter added jokingly that they had to move quickly while the show was still trending.

“I’d like to treat you and the actor to a meal sometime. Would that be okay?”

“Ah… let’s match schedules later.”

With an awkward scratch of his head, Woojoo gave a vague answer and headed down to the parking lot.

Since there were no urgent schedules after this, he didn’t ask Dongha for help this time.

He had told him to rest after following him around for so long, but the biggest reason was that he didn’t want anyone to see him like this.

“Haah…”

The moment he got into the car, Woojoo let out a sigh out of habit.

He used to tease Ji-tae for sighing like the world was ending, but now he was doing the same.

Even during the interview, he had managed to keep a bright expression, but now worry filled his face.

Forcing a smile had made his lips feel like they were about to cramp.

He glanced at his reflection in the rearview mirror.

Even to himself, he looked exhausted and sensitive.

He probably hadn’t been sleeping well these past few days.

He sighed again.

Somehow, it felt like it steadied his tangled emotions, and it had become a habit.

The place he drove to was, unsurprisingly, the gym.

Baekyeong Construction trained hard even in the off-season.

It used to be exhausting, but now he welcomed it.

At least while moving his body and sweating, he could forget his thoughts.

But as if bad things came in waves, another issue arose immediately.

“Hey, Kang Woojoo. I know we’re close, but watch what you say.”

Seokhyun, who had been practicing with him, approached during a break, his tone sharp.

“What?”

Nearby, Lee Yuseok and Baek Yunkwon exchanged glances, sensing the tension.

“What do you mean ‘what’? You know exactly what. Why have you been so sensitive lately?”

During training, Woojoo usually shared his thoughts openly with teammates.

Even if it wasn’t all praise, he spoke directly without worrying about others’ reactions.

And no one in Baekyeong disliked that.

To score points, attacks had to succeed, and for that, the setter and spiker needed perfect coordination.

The team respected Woojoo’s sharp analysis.

“Your feedback is good. Your advice is good. But have you heard your tone lately?”

At Seokhyun’s words, Woojoo’s lips tightened.

He knew it too.

That he had been on edge lately.

He had tried to separate personal matters from work, but it didn’t always go as planned.

Eventually, those emotions seeped into training, and Seokhyun, the closest to him, noticed first.

“…Sorry. I’ll be careful.”

As Woojoo ran a hand through his hair, Seokhyun and the others paused.

“Kang Woojoo. Is something wrong?”

Seokhyun hadn’t brought it up to start a fight.

He was worried.

Even if he was fine with it, he feared Woojoo might act that way toward senior teammates and cause trouble.

At the same time, he knew better than anyone that Woojoo wouldn’t act like that without a reason.

“Yeah, Woojoo. You’ve looked really tired lately. Are you okay?”

“Hyung, you’re not sick or anything, right?”

Yuseok patted Woojoo’s shoulder, and Yunkwon joined in.

Woojoo looked at them, then forced a smile.

“I think it’s because I haven’t been sleeping well. Seokhyun, thanks for telling me.”

Since he drew the line clearly, no one pushed further.

The rest of the training continued in a slightly tense atmosphere.

After practice, the three closest teammates suggested dinner and drinks.

They wanted to talk about what happened and why Woojoo had been so sensitive lately.

“Let’s do it next time. I’m tired today.”

Woojoo declined with an awkward smile and left the locker room first.

He appreciated their concern, but he didn’t have the energy to talk or laugh right now.

“Woojoo.”

“Coach.”

As he walked toward home, thinking only about resting, someone blocked his path again.

It was Coach Kim Hyun.

With a gentle smile, he approached Woojoo.

“Can we talk for a moment?”

Woojoo silently bit his lip.

He knew exactly why the coach had called him.

Probably thinking the same as Seokhyun and the others.

📚 Also on NHV Novels

How can I, the Holy Son, marry someone?

BattleFemale ProtagonistMarriage

Read Now →
Not interested