By Zephyria When I put my arm around Soo-in’s shoulder and showed my fist to my younger brothers, they all smiled brightly and shouted, “Fighting!” Gun-woo Hyung finally relaxed his tense expression and started laughing.
“Alright! The second physical test! What else but arm wrestling for men! The second test will be an arm wrestling tournament!”
“Woah!”
I stepped forward and looked back at the members with a determined look.
“I’ll go.”
“Tae-kyung Hyung! Fighting!”
“Tae-kyung, do your best!”
I wanted to walk confidently to the center of the set, but I ruined my style when my slipper came off halfway there.
“Oh no! What’s this? Our Sky Blue’s Tae-kyung! You’re wearing slippers?”
“Hahaha, yes.”
I took out the towel that I had been keeping in my shorts pocket and put it around my neck.
“I was washing my face like this and just ran out.”
“Hahaha!”
“Puhaha! Tae-kyung, you’re a bit of a gag character, aren’t you?”
Laughter erupted from everywhere, and I lifted my foot with the slipper on as the camera director wanted.
“Alright! So, facing Sky Blue’s Tae-kyung, who came out first… Oh! Is Perfect Puzzle’s Sung Se-han coming out?”
I was trying not to look, but the moment Sung Se-han’s name was called, my head reflexively snapped around.
Sung Se-han, who had been standing at the very back of Perfect Puzzle, pushed through the members and walked to the center of the set. I couldn’t take my eyes off him for a single moment, my mouth agape.
Sung Se-han…!
My heart pounded as Sung Se-han approached.
Even though we had been in the same space, I still wasn’t ready. I didn’t expect Sung Se-han to suddenly get this close.
My gaze, which had been wavering, eventually turned to the beautiful face I had wanted to see so badly.
The moment I met the brown eyes that I had only seen in my dreams, my throat tightened.
Se-han…!
I never thought I would see you again…!
Even though something hot was welling up inside me, I couldn’t even call out his name, so I clenched my teeth. I had to widen my eyes so that my vision wouldn’t blur from the heat in my eyes.
Get a grip, Lee Tae-kyung. Don’t forget that you’re filming right now.
Sung Se-han looked at me, who was clenching the towel around my neck, with a tilted gaze. The gaze that poured out relentlessly was making me unable to move.
Gulp. I swallowed hard.
In the face of the rude gaze that scanned my face, neck, and even below my chest without hesitation, I could only stand there helplessly.
Like this… He’s blatantly scanning me…?
Even in my empty head, I couldn’t help but wonder.
That’s how blatant Sung Se-han’s gaze was as he looked at me.
“Alright, so the first arm wrestling match will be between Perfect Puzzle’s Sung Se-han and Sky Blue’s Tae-kyung!”
Nam Sang-jin’s excited voice brushed past my ears.
In a situation where cheers erupted and the atmosphere was heating up, Sung Se-han was staring at me as if he had no interest in those things.
He wasn’t taking his eyes off my face, as if he was planning to dig into me.
Sung Se-han, what are you doing right now?
I couldn’t control my expression as I became more and more flustered.
The blatant and rude behavior aside, doesn’t he know that we’re filming? Doesn’t he think about how he’ll be seen on camera?
“Alright! Looking at them like this, there’s a bit of a difference in physique, isn’t there? Tae-kyung, how do you feel? Do you think you can beat Sung Se-han in arm wrestling?”
I was staring at Sung Se-han as if we were having a staring contest, but Nam Sang-jin asked a question, so I had to look away first. I was glad I could turn my eyes away.
“I…”
I felt dizzy for some reason, so I touched my forehead with my palm. When I closed my eyes tightly, the Cologne scent in the air felt even stronger.
“I’m the best arm wrestler in our team.”
“Oh! Is that so? I heard that Tae-kyung is stronger than he looks? Sung Se-han! What do you think? Are you confident in arm wrestling?”
Thanks to Nam Sang-jin pointing his cue card at Sung Se-han, I had an excuse to look up at Sung Se-han again.
Sung Se-han, with one hand on his waist, was looking down at me.
“I think I’m stronger.”
Sung Se-han, with one corner of his mouth raised, tilted his head to the side. With that movement, his light brown hair scattered. At that moment, one of my eyebrows shot up.
“I don’t think I’ll lose.”
When Sung Se-han made a gesture as if he was scanning my arm outside of my short-sleeved shirt, Nam Sang-jin screamed.
“Woah? Is this a provocation? Sung Se-han says he doesn’t think he’ll lose? Tae-kyung?”
I gripped the towel around my neck tightly with both hands.
“Haha…!”
Everything was great.
Sung Se-han was living well and healthy, just as I had hoped.
The only thing was that he was much more annoying and rude than he had been in the past, which was a shame. When given the opportunity, people should move in a better direction, but what the hell is this bastard doing….
“You might think that because my arms are a bit thin. But I’m strong enough that all of our members acknowledge it. You shouldn’t let your guard down.”
“Oh oh! Looking at Tae-kyung’s momentum, an unexpected result might come out! Tae-kyung, you’re confident, right?”
Nam Sang-jin’s cue card pointed at me this time. I gave a confident smile and looked at the camera.
“We’ll have to see who’s longer.”
Whether we try or not, there’s no way I can beat Sung Se-han in strength. Still, I raised my fist to the members to lighten the mood.
“Tae-kyung Hyung! Fighting!”
“Hyung! You can win!”
When I turned back after hearing the cheers of the members, Sung Se-han was already preparing on the arm wrestling table. I took two steps forward without hesitation and took a stance.
At that moment, Sung Se-han suddenly grabbed my hand without warning. I almost stepped back.
Thump. Thump. Thump. The moment his big, warm hand grabbed mine as if enveloping it, I thought my heart would jump out.
Damn it. Damn it. This heart of mine rarely seems to be working properly. I clenched my teeth and grabbed the table to get a grip on myself.
How can I maintain my composure when Sung Se-han is staring at me right in front of me? I wanted to end it quickly and get through this moment, so I closed my eyes tightly and put strength into my hand.
“Ah, wait! Tae-kyung, we haven’t started yet! You have to start when I give the signal, right?”
Nam Sang-jin shouted loudly and grabbed our hands.
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
I felt embarrassed for some reason, so I couldn’t look at Sung Se-han. My face was getting hotter and hotter, so I lowered my gaze and took my stance again.
“Hoo.”
I was so conscious of Sung Se-han’s tightly held hand that I couldn’t think of anything other than not dragging it out.
“Alright, start!”
So, as soon as the signal was given, I put all my strength into my left side.
“Hngh!”
Even though I put in so much strength that I groaned and my face turned red in an instant, the hand I was holding didn’t budge like a rock.
As I struggled with the determination to somehow end it, I started to hear laughter around me. Are they laughing because of me? Flustered, I inadvertently lifted my face and met the eyes that were looking at me head-on.
“……”
Sung Se-han, whose face hadn’t changed at all, unlike me, who was clinging to the table with all my might to win an arm wrestling match. His eyes, which were persistently searching me, weren’t focused on arm wrestling at all.
“Ha…!”
In an instant, the heat rose to the top of my head, and I felt like even my hair was getting hot.
“Oh! What is this? Isn’t this a cicada clinging to an old tree?”
“Puhahaha!”
“Hahaha!”
What made my head even hotter was Nam Sang-jin’s shout and the erupting cheers. Hoo, I glared and gritted my teeth.
“Hey.”
I could only admire my patience for not grabbing Sung Se-han by the collar and shaking him, who was making me a laughingstock, regardless of the camera.
“Are you going to do it properly or not.”
When I spoke lowly with clenched teeth, his eyes narrowed slightly. He tilted his shoulder and took a stance, so I thought he was finally going to do it properly.
But the moment I put strength into my hand again, I heard him chuckle.
“Looking at you up close.”
My body stiffened at the low voice. Only then did I realize that our heads were so close that our breaths were touching.
The eyes that were looking at me through his fallen hair were gleaming like those of a wild beast.
“You look so fucking hot.”
Wh-what…?