Love for love's sake [ENG TRANS]

Chapter 7

[Cha Yeowoon's POV]

Tak Jungyeong's group was troublesome. Tak Jungyeong was a typical rich child who didn't take sports seriously but had done well enough in middle school that he was able to coast through high school. There was no thought but to go to competitions in moderation and get decent grades in moderation. That would be enough when applying to colleges. His path was clear.

He didn't hate Cha Yeowoon from the start, either. He wasn't passionate enough to hold a grudge over their huge difference in track and field. Despite being in the same track and field team, they were in completely different worlds. Cha Yeowoon was a common scholarship student, blessed with exceptional athletic abilities, while he, on the other hand, simply found some amusement in the other's pitiable situation.

Then came the problem when Cha Yeowoon had refused to give up his spot in a regional competition. It wasn't a significant competition. It was just so. Cha Yeowoon already had a record of winning at the national level and was promised a spot in various major competitions. Nevertheless, the teacher in charge of the track and field team said that it was Cha Yeowoon's fault for not yielding his spot to Tak Jungyeong.

"We could have been friends, but you always make things difficult."

To accept things to avoid problems, Cha Yeowoon couldn't understand it. He couldn't stand people like Tak Jungyeong. Moreover, he needed the prize money.

While others might have said that because he had already won at the national level didn't need to participate in a regional competition, he still wanted to participate in any competition that offered prize money, even if it was only $75. With that money, he could buy rice, pay the monthly rent, and cover transportation costs. However, he couldn't bring himself to discuss prize money with the coach or Tak Jungyeong. Even if he did, they wouldn't understand. So, he chose to keep a low profile.

He could tolerate the scolding and even getting into fights at school to some extent. After all, he had a strong spirit and was used to being disliked by others. Up until now, his life had been relatively simple.

He would run.

He would run fast.

He would run as fast as he could.

Although often short on money, he was still able to attend school. It was enough that his grandmother was happy. But now, his grandmother was gone. He didn't know how to persist in the way he had been enduring so far. Sitting alone in the funeral home, staring at his grandmother's portrait, he kept thinking. He really didn't know why he had to live like this...

But then...

That day, a new person appeared. Someone he had never imagined, someone he had never met before suddenly appeared and lifted his spirits.

And then...

The lingering thought of Myeongha, who had ignored him at the bus stop, resurfaced, intensifying his irritation. Everything was annoying. Even being annoyed was annoying. He couldn't believe he had been thinking about this all morning.

Someone tapped on his desk. He looked up to see the owner of the hand. There were two people in front of him. Lee Hunseok and Kim Gyuhyeok. Both were in track and field and belonged to Tak Jungyeong's group. Cha Yeowoon didn't find their faces welcoming. His already low mood sank even further.

"What's your relationship with Tae Myeongha?" Even more so after hearing Lee Hunseok.

Tae Myeongha. Despite being their sunbae, Lee Hunseok had addressed him without honorifics. Cha Yeowoon didn't like that.

"Do you know each other?"

"Why? What if I do?"

Lee Hunseok was taken aback for a moment when Cha Yeowoon retorted. Shock quickly turned into displeasure.