"Next is P.E."

Arin was lying down on her desk and forcibly close her eyes and endure the break. She was thinking that she need to bring earphones tomorrow, but the desk suddenly move. Someone seemed to have bumped the leg of the desk with their feet.

"Transfer student, it's PE."

 

When she lifted her head, next to her was Choi Soobin, his arms tucked into his gym uniform. It fits outside the neck, and his head sticks out.

As soon as she sat still and watch, Soobin sat on a chair and raised his eyes, folding the hem of his gym clothes pants.

"You don't have gym clothes?"

Soobin  got up with a small nod and wiggle his knees, shove his cell phone on the desk into his pocket and headed towards the back door of the classroom.

"Follow me. I'll lend one to you."

Did  he said that to me? Arin was thinking like that, but Soobin stop walking and look back at her while standing at the back door. 

Arin just looked at him without moving and he suddenly knock on the door. When she looked at him with a questioning expression, Soobin tilted his head directed to the hallway. As if she's not coming out if she doesn't follow him. 

"Ah...You don't have to do that" I'm not going to attend any physical education class.

Arin couldn't help but sat firmly with her stick on to the chair as if to imply that she doesn't need his offer. Then Soobin left the room without saying anything as if he doesn't care on what Hong Chayeon would do to himself. 

She looked around the classroom and she noticed that she was the only student left and didn't know when they went out. 

Physical Education is risky for her just by thinking different encounters she would make. She stayed sitting at the corner. 

Her scenario was,

'Teacher, I don't have gym clothes yet because I'm a transfer student. Then she would suggest,

"I'll sit over there pand watch today," then the will teacher says, "Oh, you're a transfer student." Yeah, if you don't have gym clothes, just sit there and watch.

"Hey, transfer student!Pass!" 

But now she kept on following and kicking the soccer ball for them. She's running towards the goal now.

"Step aside!" Arin seems competitive while screaming like that. 

Originally, she was good on using her body when she was in middle school. She move a heavy desk when she was ordered to clean. After moving something like that, she's comfortable on doing heavy tasks. 

Perhaps because she was strong, she  always participate around even in physical education class. She was the best relay runner and was good at throwing and kicking balls such as dodgeball and baseball.

However, there was no need for her to rush around and play soccer or basketball. She was just watching the boys at school kick the ball on the playground. Why am I even doing this?

"Yah transferee!"

As Arin turn to the voice that was calling her, Soobin, who is running on a similar line, raises his hand and nod at her.

"Pass! Pass!"

When he asked for a ball, she looked around and kick up. After kicking the ball, she was hit hard by the opposing defender's shoulder who ran late. She collapsed as if she was being dragged to the ground of the field.

"Ugh!"

Arin glance at the ball while coughing and removing the soil dust. She had never play soccer, but she wonder if the kick pass that she made would work.

However, the ball, which she was worried to hit the goal for several times in playing soccer, floats into the air and falls above Soobin's head. At exact landing of the ball she unconsciously opened . 

"Oh?" 

Soobin receive the ball with his chest, swung his right leg wide and kick the ball. The ball, which flew away with a bang, shook and entered goal.

"Woaaaahhh!" 

There were shouts everywhere. The sound made her heart pound for no reason.

Arin shook her knees thinking, "Is this why I'm crazy about soccer?"

Because she somehow joined the soccer line, she couldn't take off her school uniform coat and ran. It was also hot because she is wearing a turtleneck.

She brushed off her dirty and dusty uniform, and every time her palm touched the cloth, she frowned and turned it over. The dust fell and fell, and her hands were on the ground, and her skin was dried up. 

"Oh, that's it."

Defender a**hole, you hit a person with your shoulder and doesn't even ask if I'm okay.

While she carefully shake off the soil on her hand, someone from behind hugged her, wrapping around an arm around her neck.

"Woah?!" 

When Arin turned around, surprised by the contact, sweaty Choi Soobin looked at her. He opened his eyes wide as if he was more surprised by her reaction, and soon smiled and messed up her head.

"Don't be surprised. You passed it well."

"Ah...." 

The hand that ruffle her hair violently moved away. Okay. I understand what you mean. Don't come closer.

She spread her hands and moved a distance in front of her chest. Soobin raise her wrist, saying, "Hmm?"

"What? Are you hurt?"

"Oh, I fell down while passing."

When she pulled her hand back, Soobin turned his eyes away indifferently as if he was weird. Then, he grabbed Arin's shoulders and turned them, and lightly push her  towards the stairs of the sports field.

"Then... Take a look around"

The guy who shouted earlier, "There's no way the number of teams didn't match," and the one who called her last time "You join too, transfer student."

Arin turned her eyes, wondering if it was serious. Soobin put on his gym shirt and wipe his face, ran into the middle of the playground. She looked at him blankly and narrowed her brow.

"By the way, what? It's very commanding."

She squinted her eyes as she glance at them, and then walk to the stairs.

"Oh, yah!" 

"Are you escaping, you bastard!"

Arin  walked a few paces, but there was a loud sound on the field, and when she looked back, as if she was being called, a soccer ball hit her face with a loud sound.

She felt like something hot was flowing down her philtrum, and suddenly her eyes were spinning.

"Uh???... Why did the field turned upside down?"

***

As Arin move her eyes, she saw the white ceiling. She rolled her eyes and looked around. Curtains were drawn as if surrounding the bed. She thought that it's the clinic because it smells  alcohol slightly.

"Did I faint?"

It's so absurd, huh, I can't breathe. She lifted the blanket and look all over her body to see if someone had taken off her school uniform to give her a first aid.

The shirt buttons were locked well one by one.

"Are you awake?"

Suddenly, her eyes widen at the sound of a voice coming out of the curtain. 

She grab the blanket with both hands and look at the curtain from which the voice came out.

"How can a man faint from a little nosebleed?"

She raised her upper body and slowly open the curtain. Soobin, wearing a school uniform, was lying on the bed next to her. Their eyes met through the half-rolled curtain.

"Did you carry me on your back?" 

"Ah that's the least I can do"  she bit her lips and hesitated to say thank you.

"Thanks" 

Soobin nodded small with his eyes closed.

Arin sat down on the bed and look at the wounds on her hands. It was as if the wound had been wiped clean with alcohol. Her palms are so shiny that it looks like  it was applied with a thin layer of ointment. Did the health teacher treat me and left?

"The health teacher wasn't here, so I did it roughly."

"Oh?" Soobin glances at her hand.

"Oh, you did it?" 

“I did that after you fainted"

He rub his eyes that were about to open wide and cover his face.

"Hm... Thanks" 

"The expression doesn't look like it, but I'll think I appreciate it."

The hand that was rubbing his eyes stop. Soobin straightened his brow, which was about to become narrower.

Arin got out of bed and tuck her feet into her sneakers. As she lean back and put her heels in, she heard Soobin' s voice above her head.

"It's better not to go in class now."

She poke her fingers into the shoe and raise her head. Soobin, who had his head on her arm, lowered his eyes and looked at Arin.

"It's our homeroom class. Do you like math?"

No way.  Choi Soobin said that the homeroom teacher recklessly call a number and asked students to solve a problem.

Arin quietly took her feet off her sneakers and sat down on the bed. She sat facing the bed where Soobin was, she felt the direction of her gaze  was vague, so she laid down with her legs up. Silence lingers in the clinic.

“Is it a mistake that I told my friends about you crying earlier?”

Soobin asked a question when he was pretending to sleep with his back turned away because it felt awkward for him just looking at the ceiling. Arin opened her eyes and blinked. The timing to look back is ambiguous, she can't say anything. 

"Ah... Nope it's fine" 

She turn around answering like that.

"I think it must have been bad because I thought it was cute when you cried. Well, you wouldn't have cried as a joke, did you?"

... 

"I'm sorry if I offended you."

"No... It's okay"

She spit it out of courtesy, Soobin nodded, saying yes. Even saying he's sorry for the quick acceptance, Arin doubted.

"Are you tired of transferring schools?"

She looked up at the ceiling and answer. Soobin spit out a short voice saying “ah”. Arin thought the short conversation was over, but Choi Soobin spoke up.

"Do you have a friend to eat lunch with?"

"No" 

"Do you want to eat with me?"

"No?" 

"You don't like it. But can you only respond "no" to me?"

This time again, she tried to answer no, but Arin closed . As she lower her head obliquely toward the ceiling, she can see Soobin looking at her with an absurd face.

"Transfer student, your answer is not sincere. Shall I stop asking questions?"

Soobin did not avert his eyes as if asking for an answer. “Oh,” she said,  nodding her head slightly.

"It was uncomfortable" 

Soobin turn his gaze away and close his eyes. His eyes that moved sideways were a little cold.

There was a rush of tension. She just refused because she didn't want to get involved, but it seemed like she wasn't sincere. No, I'm fine, I'm comfortable being alone. Regret came over as she bit her lips.

"What was your name?"

Soobin asked when the blanket was taken off at the sound of the final bell. She rolled up the blanket in one hand and blinked her eyes. She saw Soobin, who stood up obliquely, stealing glances at her nameplate. 

As Arin move her gaze to where he was looking, she saw her nameplate with three letters of the name of Hong Chayeon . There was a strange atmosphere.

"Hong... 

"... "

" What clan?" 

"Uhm..from Busan?" 

"Oh.. " 

"I'm Hong Cha Yeon" 

It was a lie for her to be there dressed as a man, but it felt strange for her to say someone else's name with her own mouth. Arin felt intimidated by the words that came out as lies.

"Really?" 

Soobin's eyes passed through the name tag and stared to her face. The question mark at the end of his words was ominous.

"Yes." 

She look straightforward at Soobin's eyes, wondering if she would be suspicious if she avoided his gaze. Soobin doesn't avoid her eyes, but he grins and looks away at a second.

What? Why are you smiling like that? Somehow, she didn't like the expression that crossed Soobin's face.

Either way, she was going back to the classroom, and thought if she's going alone or stay behind, but she couldn't walk alone, so she talked to him while wearing sneakers.

"Are you not going?" 

"Go ahead. It's been a while since I worked hard. It's tiring."

For no reason, her feet stick politely. 

He carried me who fainted from the gym to the clinic, so the weight would not have been normal. I'd rather use a stretcher. Why did he carry me?

"And I feel a little sad because I feel like I've been rejected by someone."

Soobin, who spread his whole body on the bed, only move his eyes to see her. It was a look that he's telling her who he was talking about. It's her.

"Then, I'll go first" 

She wave her hand habitually. Then she paused and turned around, scratching her forehead. We're not friends to wave our hands and say like that. After closing the door, she let out a long sigh that she had endured. Arin hit her head weakly while holding the doorknob.

"Yah... Arinah... You're really crazy" 

she whispered while pouting. 

***