That Face Is the Problem - Chapter 55.1
Throughout the time he changed clothes in the locker room, one scene kept replaying in Jae-gyeong’s mind.
‘Do not worry. You are nowhere near that level.’
‘Do not worry. You are nowhere near that level.’
‘Do not worry. You are nowhere near that level.’
And the face of that dazzling beauty, smiling as he unzipped the collar slightly…
‘W-what am I even thinking…!’
Jae-gyeong quickly changed into his casual clothes, packed his combat uniform, and left the locker room. Da-sol had already finished changing and was standing in the hallway outside the training area, waiting for Jae-gyeong. His heart was pounding excessively.
‘Jung Jae-gyeong, focus. You swore never to fall in love.’
Well, it was a promise he made to himself while drunk. But the authority of the promise was irrelevant. What mattered was that he no longer wanted to get hurt. Jae-gyeong wanted to protect himself.
But… Da-sol smiled at him. He had even said he would make a special effort for him.
They lived in the same apartment, wore the same shield, and even had matching rings. Over time, misunderstandings between them faded, and their relationship was growing closer.
Yet did a vow born from a defense mechanism still hold any meaning? Perhaps this time… this might be the first chance to experience real love instead of one-sided affection. Like Hyeon Hee-ro and Jin Jeong-eon did.
At that moment, Jae-gyeong’s thoughts were interrupted.
“Hey, hyung!”
A familiar voice called out, and someone ran up quickly, stopping in front of Da-sol.
“Hello, hyung! Are you here for the training?”
“I am going to finish everything today.”
“Ah, I should have come faster! Why didn’t you contact me? It would have been nice to train together… I told you, I would be happy to train with you every day, multiple times.”
“Ah, really?”
Then the man in front of Da-sol turned his gaze toward Jae-gyeong.
“Oh? Jae-gyeong hyung! Hello! Did you already do the training with Da-sol hyung? Why didn’t you include me…?”
The man was Lee Hyun. He waved casually while laughing, yet stayed glued to Da-sol’s side.
“Hyung, if it is not too much trouble, could you train with me one more time? I want to practice my attack and protection skills more.”
“You just changed clothes.”
“Please~ Come on, just once… pleaaase…”
Lee Hyun clasped his hands together tightly, wagging an invisible tail like a playful dog. He bent his knees slightly and looked up at Da-sol with pleading eyes. Anyone could see him as a junior worth looking after.
Da-sol seemed to agree. He rolled his eyes, sighed, and reentered the training area. As he passed the locker room, he told Jae-gyeong:
“Go ahead. I think I need to train with him one more time.”
“Ah… yes…! T-thank you for your hard work…!”
“Yay! Hyung, thank you so much. Today I will really show you properly!”
“Ah, really.”
While Da-sol and Lee Hyun joked and entered their respective locker rooms, Jae-gyeong slowly hung his combat uniform on the hanger.
He felt strange. His heart, which had been racing uncontrollably just moments ago, had calmed down. No, it felt like it had dropped to his stomach. His body suddenly felt twice as heavy.
Before Da-sol and Lee Hyun came out of the locker room, Jae-gyeong left the training area. Meeting them now would have made him feel worse.
He understood the nature of this emotion. To an expert in unrequited love, it was almost like feeling it toward a friend.
It was jealousy. Distance. Despair. The feeling when someone easily occupies the place next to the person you care about. Like when he saw Seo Da-in’s wedding invitation, that feeling had peaked.
Jae-gyeong went up to the first basement floor and trained for three hours. He pushed his body to the limit, nearly to the point of muscle failure, took a long shower, and then trudged back home.
The moment he arrived, he collapsed onto the sofa. His whole body ached. It seemed to ease the ache in his chest slightly.
‘What was I even expecting…?’
He felt ridiculous. Even without Lee Hyun, there was no chance of anything happening between him and Da-sol, so why did he indulge in such empty hope again? It was a chronic problem.
In truth, it did not matter whether he had sworn never to love or decided to become a fool. Jae-gyeong could not properly approach anyone or exchange love anyway. Because… it had always been this way.
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