FETCH 12

The commentators, without exception, also brought up Barbara. Their lengthy explanations about his seasoned experience and so forth were similar to what Jaechan already knew.

“Huuu,” Jaechan let out a tense breath along with them, and pointlessly clenching and unclenching his fists, he tried to calm himself down. He couldn’t escape the surging anxiety. He rubbed his dry face vigorously. Then, pointlessly looking around his surroundings, he let out a sigh, “Ehyu.”

“I don’t think I can watch the match…”

Jaechan fiddled with his hands, which had grown cold as ice.

Meanwhile, on the screen, the captains of each team came out and exchanged polite greetings. Perhaps to choose the match format, a referee was standing prominently between them.

Kang Chanbit and Barbara placed their hands side by side on a round button. The commentators once again explained the match determination method they had been describing throughout this Olympics, informing the viewers what they were doing now.

Soon, the two looked at each other and pressed the button down at the same time. “Beep, beep, beep,” with a small noise, the roulette at the top began to spin rapidly. The panels, which had been flickering by at high speed, gradually slowed down.

Then, “Tteering!” a cheerful notification sounded. On the electronic scoreboard at the top, the three letters ‘PvP’ appeared. The roar of the crowd grew even louder.

With that, Jaechan turned off the TV.

PvP. Player versus Player.

It was, quite literally, a battle of hitting and fighting.

Regardless of whether Han Kang won or not, he didn’t want to see him getting hit by someone or struggling through a battle with an Esper whose compatibility didn’t match. Jaechan concluded that he would simply wait for the match results in silence and stared anxiously at the blank screen.

His reflection in the turned-off screen looked quite pitiful. Maybe he should just get a job as a team manager… He had lived without even considering employment because he didn’t particularly need to earn money or have any desire to, but thinking about how nice it would be if he could cheer him on from his side at times like this, he gripped his phone.

Well, if he couldn’t do it from his side, he just had to do it somehow.

「 I’m too nervous to watch the match Don’t get hurt, you don’t have to win the gold medal 」

Since he probably hadn’t taken his phone to the stadium, he wouldn’t see the message, but Jaechan still hoped that even just his heart would be fully conveyed to him.

“Sreureuk,” Jaechan slowly lay his body down. In the turned-off TV screen, he saw himself blinking his eyes. Truly… I am something else, he thought to himself.

.✦ ݁˖

The Korean team eventually hung the gold medal around their necks. Amidst everyone cheering just for the fact that they won a monumental first gold medal in their first Olympics, Han Kang’s interview became a hot topic.

‘I don’t know why I have to give my thoughts on this gold medal, since I’m not the one who won it. I’m too embarrassed to walk around with it around my neck; next time we meet, I’ll win with my own skills then.’

It was a somewhat provocative statement aimed openly at Barbara, and it was said that Barbara just laughed upon hearing it. He even supposedly said he would praise the spirit and look forward to the next time.

And the public reaction upon encountering such an interview from Han Kang was split exactly down the middle.

‘Why does he speak so rudely? Even if it’s a team match, how can he say such a thing just because he was ejected?’ or ‘Still, he’s handsome so I acknowledge it; if you have a face like that, you don’t need a personality lol.’

Naturally, Jaechan was the latter.

It was a statement perfectly like Han Kang. Suitably admitting his own shortcomings, while adding the ambition that he would surely grow more next time. It would have been perfect if he had refined his words just a bit more, but regardless, Han Kang didn’t have the personality to look after every single person’s feelings anyway.

In the last final match, Han Kang eventually ended up going out of control at the same time the buzzer for the end of the first half sounded. Because he was competing against a player with a supernatural power of exactly the opposite compatibility, he used his powers to the limit, and because he was ejected along with the rampage, he couldn’t even participate in the second half.

Because of that, even though he won, he didn’t seem refreshed at all. Jaechan stared down at the message Han Kang had sent and licked his dry lips.

「 Kang-ie: I can’t give you this gold medal It’s fucking embarrassing I’ll give it to you when I win it next time And we’re getting on the plane now I’ll call you when I arrive See you later 」

Han Kang eventually stated that since the match was over, he would return to Korea regardless of the closing ceremony or whatever. Did he say something like, by what right would he enjoy a festival when he won a half-victory? Fortunately, whatever the reason, the other Espers’ opinions on returning home were the same, so it was said that the national Esper team concluded that they would all return home.

Looking at the time, it was about time for him to arrive.

Grabbing his car keys, Jaechan also packed a hand fan, thinking about the airport which might be hot. Since it was an airport crowded with people for the vacation season, he thought it might be hot no matter how much they ran the air conditioning.

And before leaving the house, as usual, he grabbed a handful of pills and ate them. This cheap medicine. Thinking that he should hurry up and finish them all off.

Since he wasn’t manifesting anyway, why was he taking this kind of medicine so regularly? It reached a point where his past self seemed a bit pathetic.

Han Kang’s words about hating the idea of him manifesting as a Guide brushed through his mind. Feeling pointlessly cranky, he shoved the tablets into his mouth once more and chewed and swallowed them irritably with a “Wajak-wajak.”

It was also then that he thought he should stop this whole thing if he still didn’t manifest even after finishing this bottle.

Since he was feeling guilty about taking the medicine while keeping it a secret from Han Kang, who said he hated it, he felt like he should just give up cleanly.

“Ugh, why is it so hot.”

Letting out a monologue as he got into the car, Jaechan immediately punched Incheon Airport into the navigation. After checking the estimated time of arrival, he sent a message to Han Kang.

「 I’m leaving now too (Photo) Says it’ll take this long Make sure to bring the gold medal lol 」

The reason he intentionally mentioned the gold medal was his hope that Han Kang wouldn’t devalue the effort he had put in regardless.

Jaechan began to drive slowly. But the strange thing was, it felt hot even when he lowered the air conditioner temperature and turned up the wind speed to the point where the whole interior of the car felt chilly.

Jaechan stared straight ahead, his face contorted in a deep frown. Sweat trickled down. He couldn’t distinguish whether the heat was coming from inside him or if the sunlight crawling in through the glass was just that hot.

Even though he turned on the vehicle’s internal cooling function to keep his body cold, instead of feeling cold, it felt like the heat was rising even more.

“…Am I sick?”

But for that to be the case, his body didn’t feel shivery or heavy, and his head didn’t ache. It was definitely a different symptom from usual. Even if he didn’t know much about being sick because he didn’t get sick often, he could tell that the symptoms appearing in his body now were completely different from when he had suffered from body aches before.

It was annoying. He had to go and give his full congratulations now, and he felt a bit irritated that he might show a bad side and end up hearing more nagging. “Tsk,” Jaechan made a clicking sound with his mouth and furrowed his brows.

It was the moment he gripped the steering wheel even tighter, thinking he should be careful while driving nonetheless.

The two letters [Kang-ie] appeared on the center fascia screen, and the music that had been flowing pleasantly until now cut off, replaced by a stiff mechanical sound. When he answered “Yeah,” to the AI’s question of whether he would take Han Kang’s call, the call was connected shortly.

“Yeah, I’m on my way. Did you arrive already? I think it’ll take me some time.”

— Yeah, I’m getting off the plane now. Even after getting off, they say it’ll take some time to find the luggage and do the press conference, so come slowly.

“Oh, press conference. Then do you do that kind of thing too? Taking pictures wearing the gold medal and a flower necklace.”

Jaechan said mischievously with a giggle. Perhaps because he hated the photo time that seemed like a ritual all national athletes do after a match, Han Kang let out a voice mixed with annoyance, saying “Ah.”

And yet, Han Kang was the type who would strike poses more enthusiastically than anyone once he actually stood in front of the photo line. Honestly, he should just be either kind or rude, one or the other. You had to give it to him for moving according to his mood at every moment.

Still, talking to Han Kang seemed to make the sweltering feeling subside for a moment. He thought it wouldn’t do and he should tell him to shoot some cold air at him as soon as they met.

Jaechan pressed his eyes shut as he saw the light change to red just in time. Then, when he opened his eyes with a slow sigh of “Ah,” Han Kang immediately pressed him, asking what was wrong.

— What is it, are you sick somewhere? Why is that, is something wrong?

In any case, he was like a ghost. Since there was nothing good to be gained by saying he was sick, Jaechan deliberately responded with a low laugh.

“What do you mean, something wrong. Nothing’s wrong at all.”

— Your voice doesn’t sound great though?