SWAP 51

“Wow, what is that?”

After inputting the address received from the production team and driving for about ten minutes, they arrived at a famous indoor climbing center in the area. Following the guidance, they changed into rented climbing shoes and stepped inside to find an interior space embroidered with colorful stones scattered here and there.

Seoul, who only knew such things existed but had never dreamed of trying it himself, stared with wide eyes at the various blocks stretching all the way to the ceiling. He didn’t even have a sense of what he was supposed to do with those. As he looked around, wondering if he should just grab anything and climb, Ye Juyeol, who had followed him in, puffed out his chest and shouted.

“Phew! Looks fun, right? This place is the most spacious around here and has a lot of problems, so I strongly recommended it to the Producer! Actually, I can’t come often because it’s far, but it’s definitely the place I visit when I want to climb all day. But by chance! It’s not that far from our house.”

Considering he even bought a season pass despite barely being able to visit, that says it all.

Looking excited like someone who had unexpectedly received a gift, Ye Juyeol stretched wide and asked Saheon and Seoul.

“You two said it’s your first time climbing, right? Haven’t you even seen it in videos?”

“Hmm… I think I’ve only seen it in passing. It’s my first time coming to a place like this, too.”

“Aha. Then I’ll take charge and teach you. The routes here are delicious. Once you learn the posture and start solving them, it’ll be really fun!”

Seoul didn’t know why a route would be “delicious” or what he was supposed to “solve,” but he nodded for now on behalf of the unresponsive Saheon and said with a playful smile.

“Yeah, I’m counting on you. You’re the sunbae today.”

“……!”

A sunbae. Ye Juyeol, who had been bouncing around excitedly, felt like he was hearing things, and his eyes grew as large as fists. It was a common title, and a word he himself poured out all day long. However, when that word flowed from Seoul’s mouth, it felt like a truly grand title.

Perhaps because he really liked this situation where he could teach something to Seoul, whom he was always busy admiring, Ye Juyeol’s mouth, which was already hanging open, had long since split into a wide grin reaching his ears.

I’m a sunbae. His mood didn’t just rise; it rode a rollercoaster. I’m sunbae’s sunbae…! He felt like he could step on the most wicked black holds right now and touch the ceiling.

“Pfft…!”

Ultimately unable to hold back the laughter bursting out, Ye Juyeol quickly turned away. Behind Ye Juyeol, who couldn’t control his overwhelming heart and threw his hands up in a silent solo ceremony, only Yun Hyeok, watching the whole scene, crumpled his face. Crazy guy. Out of nowhere this morning he was talking about a cohabitation ban or whatever, and now he’s turned into Crayon Shin-chan. Of course, a Shin-chan who became a giant by eating about 467,394 more bowls of rice.

“How about you, Hyeok?”

It was while he was admiring the back of his best friend who was smirking so suspiciously. Seoul, who was next to him, turned his head casually and asked Yun Hyeok. Even though this situation was clearly absurd—well, since Ye Juyeol had been consistently showing strange behavior since yesterday, it seemed he had simply adjusted.

No, was it giving up…? Whatever it was, it was embarrassing.

“I did come here once a long time ago… but back then I was managing my wrist because of an injury, so I just watched from below.”

At the mention of an injury, Seoul blinked his eyes once and asked back.

“An injury?”

“Ah, I tripped on a lift…. It was just a slight sprain, so I’m fine now. Other than taking videos for this guy, I haven’t actually done it myself either.”

On that day he followed along just to see how it was done because the other recommended it so much, he had to watch Ye Juyeol flying over the walls like Tarzan. Yun Hyeok cleanly gave up on climbing right then and there. It wasn’t because of his friend who wouldn’t think about coming down once he grabbed a hold. He excluded it from his hobbies because it seemed like a sport with quite a high risk of injury.

Since his profession was his profession, Yun Hyeok was quite careful about managing his body.

He knew well that if he got hurt or sick even a little, there were people who would be more heartbroken than he was.

Just as he gave his best in his main job, he chose a line of not overdoing it as much as possible in private settings. During seasons when fan meetings or concerts were scheduled, it was common for him to shut himself in the practice room or studio and lose contact entirely. He felt more at ease practicing one more time to improve the stage’s perfection during that time. He was that strict with self-censorship and sincere about feedback.

But isn’t that only natural?

To put it bluntly, fans were spending hundreds and thousands just to see him.

He might not be able to repay that heart 100 percent, but he wanted to show as much sincerity as he could. There were many times he gritted his teeth and pulled through because he hated facing the faces of disappointed fans even more. Yun Hyeok was the kind of person who would rather choose death than make the fact that people liked him something to be embarrassed about. His innate personality was like that, so he couldn’t even compromise.

Well, for those reasons, he had been ignoring Ye Juyeol, who would throw tantrums and lie on the floor begging him to go just one more time… but he didn’t know he would end up visiting again in this way.

It was just as he was nodding, thinking that you really never know what will happen in life. Ye Juyeol, who finally regained his senses, whipped his body around and busily called for attention.

“This might look easy, but if you climb without your body being properly warmed up, you can get hurt. Let’s do some light stretching and raise our body temperature before going in.”

They were people whose bodies were their assets more than anyone else’s. Perhaps worried they might sustain an injury after coming here in a good mood, Ye Juyeol, who had been busy beaming, wore a rare, determined expression. Because it was an emphasis from an experienced person, it was during the middle of the group warm-up. Ye Juyeol, who discovered something, had his eyes sparkle as if he thought of something fun.

“Oh, do you happen to know what that is?”

Seoul, who was loosening his wrists, turned his head in the direction Ye Juyeol was pointing. A board of a shape he had never seen before was installed there; on a diagonally cut slope, round blocks and long, straight sticks like Pepero continued up to the ceiling.

“This is called a campus board, and it’s a supplementary exercise to build finger strength.”

With that, Ye Juyeol reached out his arms, grabbed the bar with both hands, and began to climb up one step at a time. After seeing him touch the end with an unwavering posture and leap down, Seoul approached the board with an interested look. It didn’t look that difficult, so he reached out his arms and grabbed the bar in the same way.

Yes, he grabbed it, but…

“…Huh?”

Before he could even go two spaces, he dangled like a pendulum and lost his grip on the bar. It would be one thing if it were just 90 degrees, but because it was a slope, he slipped immediately.

“What the. How did you do this?”

“You have to press down with your wrists a bit. If you fully extend your arms, they’ll get pumped, so keep them slightly bent!”

While he was listening to the special lecture, Yun Hyeok and Saheon approached. At Ye Juyeol’s wide-range provocation asking if he could go up, Yun Hyeok also gave it a try but fell off quickly. What the, why am I slipping?

“You try it too.”

Seoul, who had been watching quietly, poked Saheon’s side.

Saheon, who hadn’t seemed particularly interested whether people were grabbing bars or climbing trees next to him, loosened his hands once and immediately gripped the bar. Then, taking large strides, he began to climb, alternating one step at a time, and in an instant, he touched the top and came back down.

“Wow, damn, his body is just…”

With a look of horror, Ye Juyeol approached Saheon. As the sporty sleeves slid down, his forearm muscles with prominent veins were revealed, as well as his nicely toned arm muscles.

“By any chance, what weights do you do? Can I touch your triceps?”

“If you pay.”

“How much?”

“I don’t know. Seoul, how much should I get?”

Without even sparing a glance for Ye Juyeol, who was asking as if possessed, Saheon asked Seoul. Looking at him with an expression asking what kind of nonsense he was talking again, a hint of playfulness appeared on his blunt face.

“How much were you looking to spend?”

“Would a card not work…?”

“Yes. Because of the transaction fee.”

Just as Seoul, who found the situation increasingly ridiculous and absurd, was about to pull Saheon’s arm.

“Hello. I am Kim Jihu, and I will be in charge of your lesson today.”

At the greeting heard from right next to them, the gazes of the four people shifted simultaneously. Having been timing his entrance, the man who appeared cautiously was a professional instructor hired by the production team to prepare for any possible safety accidents. Since all three except Ye Juyeol were beginners, they thought it would be better to receive at least a short lesson.

After exchanging light greetings, he went straight to the point.

“Since everyone except Mr. Juyeol is a first-timer, today we will use this bouldering zone, which is done without ropes. I’ll start with the terminology; first, these stones attached to the wall are called holds. There are a lot of colors, right? Naturally, you can’t just step on anything; you must move using only the color holds of the level you are challenging. If you start from this start hold marked with an S, grab the top hold marked with a T at the top with both hands, and hold on for just 3 seconds, you’ve completed the climb. Simple, right?”

Because it was a simpler rule than expected, Seoul nodded with a fully focused face. Next to him, Saheon, who had been quiet until now, suddenly threw out a question.

“Then will we continue without ropes?”

At the voice that had become somewhat stiff, the instructor quickly replied.

“Yes, since everyone is a beginner, I recommend bouldering more. Due to the center’s schedule, rope climbing probably won’t be possible today. First, try to get used to it, and if you visit again next time and challenge it…”

In short, it couldn’t be helped.

The instructor, who continued to recite other safety rules, clapped his hands and suggested.

“Rather than an explanation, it’s about practice, so let’s try grabbing it right away. Mr. Seoul, would you like to go first?”

“Ah, yes.”

He didn’t know he would be the first batter. The moment Seoul hesitated for a second and was about to step forward, his wrist was suddenly caught. Turning his head to the side to see what it was, Saheon, who had developed a strange expression in the meantime, came into view. When he asked “Why?” with his mouth, the other just said:

“…Are you okay?”