Chapter 7: Popcorn and Unwanted Compliments

“…Well, that’s…”

“Oh, Un-jae told you to get along with me, didn’t he?”

Anix smiled knowingly and nodded.

It was true, but Han-gyeol didn’t like the way Anix had assumed his efforts were simply something Un-jae had told him to do.

Still, he had no way to argue against it.

He couldn’t exactly say, No, Senior, I’ve genuinely become interested in you.

“Thank you for making the effort, but you don’t have to try so hard.
I’m not planning to cross any boundaries either.”

“…Boundaries?”

“I intend to keep this much distance between us.”

“Hello!
What kind of club is this?”

Han-gyeol had been about to ask what exactly Anix meant by that, but the sudden voice from in front of them cost him his chance.

At some point, the area around the student center had grown crowded with people.

It seemed to be the time when students were coming out after lunch.

Judging by the thick textbook tucked under her arm, their first visitor appeared to be a freshman who had enrolled the previous semester.

Han-gyeol hurriedly launched into an explanation of the club.

I should’ve prepared something to say beforehand…

“…It’s a popular entertainment research club.
It’s called Joyboard, and we get together to play games sometimes—”

Even though he was doing nothing more than introducing the club, he could feel his confidence draining in real time.

Han-gyeol had no talent for this sort of thing.

He’d even been scolded by his coach for giving nothing but short answers during interviews.

Does she think this is some boring club full of people just like me?

As if to prove his theory, the life gradually drained from the young woman’s face.

Han-gyeol silently apologized to Un-jae in his heart.

“Hello!
Come over here and try a fun little mini-game.”

“Ah, hello…”

“We have candy, too.
Would you like some?
Strawberry or grape?
By the way, what department are you in?
That book looks really difficult.”

Just then, a savior appeared before them.

Guided over by Anix, the young woman rolled the dice with a smile.

Han-gyeol felt relieved.

For the first time, he was glad Anix was there.

Anix had said he liked dealing with people, and it seemed to be true.

He cracked silly jokes and eased the atmosphere without making anything awkward, all with remarkable ease.

Where had he learned to do that?
Or was he simply born with the talent?

After seeing the young woman off, Anix casually waved and greeted other students as they passed by.

“Fascinating, isn’t it?”

Perhaps he’d noticed Han-gyeol watching him, because Anix asked the question without taking his eyes off the students.

“Pardon?”

“If you want to become a star athlete, you should at least learn how to handle people.”

“I have no particular desire to become one.”

“Even so, knowing how to do it would make your life a lot easier.
And it’d be a waste of that face of yours.
You’re handsome.”

“…Do you think I’m handsome, Senior?”

The question slipped out before Han-gyeol could stop himself.

People occasionally complimented his appearance, but he knew perfectly well that they weren’t being entirely sincere.

Rather than genuine praise, those comments felt like superficial gestures.

Since he was tall and didn’t have an unpleasant face to look at, people would occasionally offer him a compliment in place of a proper thank-you for training hard while wearing the national flag on his chest.

Anix probably hadn’t meant it sincerely either.

Still, hearing those words from him felt strangely novel.

However, perhaps Anix hadn’t expected Han-gyeol to question him, because he answered, “Of course you’re handsome,” in a slightly flustered voice, unlike his usual self.

That unexpected reaction stirred something inside Han-gyeol.

The thought that Anix might now be regretting giving a compliment he hadn’t really meant made Han-gyeol feel good.

Wasn’t this the same man who’d left him speechless with all sorts of ridiculous nonsense?

Seeing him lose his composure wasn’t so bad.

“Which part of me is the most handsome?”

So Han-gyeol pushed a little further, hoping to finally tie that slippery tongue of Anix’s into knots.

“…”

“You said I was handsome.
Or was that just something you said without thinking—”

“Your eyebrows.”

But Anix actually answered.

“What?”

This time, it was Han-gyeol’s eyes that widened in shock.

“Ah, it’s hard to choose when you suddenly ask me like that.
I should’ve thought about it beforehand.
If I absolutely had to pick one, I’d say your eyebrows.
They were the first thing I noticed when I saw you in person.
They have a nice shape, and they’re thick, which suits your serious personality.
And after that, probably your shoulders?
It sounds funny to say someone’s shoulders are handsome, but it’s true.
That’s why even when you wear those boring, monochromatic clothes every day, they still look good on you.”

“…Please stop joking around.”

How could this man say such embarrassing things so effortlessly?

This time, Han-gyeol had suffered a complete defeat.

Overwhelmed by the sudden flood of excessive compliments about his appearance, he couldn’t bring himself to lift his head.

But Anix seemed determined to take things a step further.

“Come on, let me get a good look at your face again, Joo Han-gyeol.”

Han-gyeol shook his head.

“No.”

“What?
You’re the one who asked me…”

“Huh?”

“Whoa, Athlete Joo Han-gyeol?
Hello!”

A familiar voice reached his ears.

When Han-gyeol looked up, he saw the young woman who’d rushed over to him after his general education class and excitedly declared herself a fan.

She couldn’t hide her delight and bounced up and down with a smile.

“You’re Moon Si-yeon, right?”

“Wow, you remember my name?
That’s amazing!
But what are you doing here?”

“I’m in a club, too.
It’s called Joyboard, a popular entertainment research club.”

“Popular entertainment research?
What’s that?”

“It’s basically a place where we play games and have fun.
You can try a mini-game over there.
There are little prizes, too.”

“Wow, can I try it?”

“Of course.”

Han-gyeol stood up and led her to the game board.

When he asked her to roll a giant die about the size of a person’s head, Si-yeon looked delighted.

The die she threw landed on six.

Han-gyeol smiled.

“That’s a good roll.
Now you can draw six cards.”

As he explained, Han-gyeol spread the cards out and held them toward her.

Si-yeon selected them with a serious expression.

He thought she’d finished drawing and was about to gather up the remaining cards when Si-yeon’s hand suddenly shot forward and collided with his.

Startled, Si-yeon quickly took a step back.

“I’m sorry.
I thought you’d finished choosing.”

At Han-gyeol’s hurried apology, Si-yeon shook her head.

“N-no, it’s fine.”

Her cheeks were slightly flushed as she answered.

A gentle breeze drifted between them, tickling the back of Si-yeon’s hand.

The very spot Han-gyeol’s fingers had brushed.

When Si-yeon suddenly pressed her lively lips together, silence fell between them.

“…Um…”

Crunch.

Han-gyeol had just been about to speak again.

He didn’t want to accidentally lose a precious visitor who’d finally shown some interest in the club.

But then he heard a strange noise from behind him.

Crunch?

Han-gyeol turned toward the sound.

“Why are you looking at me?
Keep going.”

“…What are you doing, Senior?”

“What does it look like?
I’m eating popcorn.
Don’t mind me.
Just carry on.”

Crunch.

Anix shoved another handful of convenience-store popcorn into his mouth.

The backpack hanging from the chair was open.

Han-gyeol had wondered why someone on a leave of absence had brought a backpack, but apparently he’d packed popcorn inside.

Anix looked completely absorbed, as if he were watching a drama.

It was absurd.

How was he supposed to ignore someone who’d suddenly started eating popcorn?

If Anix would at least stop watching them, Han-gyeol could’ve managed not to say anything.

But Anix had turned his body toward them and leaned back against the chair, observing Han-gyeol and Si-yeon.

He was sitting in the unmistakable posture of a spectator.

“What exactly are you telling me to continue, Senior?”

“That sweet little conversation you were having just now?”

This man, seriously…

Han-gyeol apologized to Si-yeon once more, but she emphatically shook her head, insisting there was no need to apologize.

As an apology for both the accidental collision and Anix’s comments, Han-gyeol simply gave her a prize.

While munching on popcorn and watching the scene unfold, Anix slipped a club flyer into Si-yeon’s arms as she prepared to leave and pointed out Un-jae’s phone number.

“Contact him, okay?
You absolutely have to.”

Then he winked at her.

Han-gyeol let out an incredulous breath.

“Hah…”

The moment Si-yeon disappeared from view, he turned on Anix.

“Senior, are you out of your mind?”

“Yep, perfectly sane.
Want some popcorn?”

“No.
Why did you even bring popcorn in the first place?”

“Gyu-min said it’s the rule in this country to eat popcorn when you’re watching something entertaining.”

“What kind of rule is that?!”

Anix declared that he liked the rule and said he’d buy a different flavor next time.

In the end, Han-gyeol gave up trying to talk to him.

*I definitely made an effort, Won Un-jae.
I did everything I could.*

He offered that silent excuse to his friend.

A few more students visited the booth after that, mostly female students, and Anix returned to the front lines to deal with them.

His promotional efforts were getting a pretty good response.

After all, it was bound to attract attention when a handsome foreigner who spoke Korean like a native was promoting some strange gaming club.

Simply watching the spectacle, however, was enough to exhaust Han-gyeol.

As lunchtime drew to a close, the other club members arrived to take over.

Han-gyeol left for the gym without a moment’s hesitation.

After spending several hours practicing footwork, the muscles in Han-gyeol’s thighs throbbed as though they were about to burst.

They said fencing was ultimately a battle of the legs.

Since fencing was a sport in which points were scored by striking an opponent with a blade, one might assume that the fencer who moved their arm faster would win.

In reality, that wasn’t the case.

What determined victory or defeat was having strong legs that could carry you toward your opponent at precisely the right moment.

That was why nearly half of their training consisted of strengthening the lower body.

Of course, that didn’t mean they neglected their arms, so in the end, his entire body hurt.

He was resting and loosening his muscles with a massage stick when the junior who’d refereed his match the other day approached him.

Once again, the young man performed the bizarre ritual of bending at the waist to an exactly ninety-degree angle, as if he’d measured it with a protractor.

“Good day, Senior.”

“Hey.
You’re Jeong Jin-ung, right?”

“Yes!
How is your training going, Senior?”

“Not bad so far.”

“I’m glad to hear that, Senior.
Keep it up.
I’m sure you’ll be selected for the national team.”

Perhaps he was from the provinces.

Although he clearly used standard Korean, a faint regional accent slipped into his speech here and there.

Jeong Jin-ung.

He hadn’t made any particular impression as an athlete so far, but he was still young and seemed to have plenty of room to spread his wings.

Jin-ung hovered around Han-gyeol, fidgeting awkwardly for no apparent reason.

“Is there something you want to tell me?”

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