"Welcome to the annual Sports Festival!"
The schoolyard was alive with color—ribbons strung across trees, cheering students in team jerseys, parents snapping photos. Games were set up everywhere: relay races, target games, obstacle courses, and sparring matches.
Seo Raon stood at the edge of it all, quiet as usual.
"Are you not participating?" a teacher asked.
Raon gave a soft smile. "I wasn't planning to. But… maybe just one event."
---
Meanwhile, Lee Daehyun was the star of the show.
He dominated the taekwondo mini-sparring match, flipping his opponent with a flying kick. The crowd roared. He grinned, waving.
"Nice job, Daehyun!" his classmates shouted.
From the corner of his eye, he searched for Areum. She was in the audience.
But she wasn't looking at him.
She was watching Raon.
---
Raon had quietly joined the target relay—a challenge of speed and precision where students hit small targets while running through a course.
He moved like a machine—calm steps, eyes locked, hand steady. Bullseye. Bullseye. Bullseye.
Even the teacher blinked in surprise. "He… he's never trained for this?"
The crowd murmured. Then they cheered.
Areum clapped once—just once. But that was all Daehyun noticed.
---
After the event, Areum approached Raon. "I didn't expect you to be so coordinated."
Raon tilted his head, feigning modesty. "Just lucky, I suppose."
"No," she said, watching him. "That wasn't luck."
Daehyun stood a few feet away, sweat drying on his forehead, fists clenched.
He turned and walked off, not saying a word.
---
Later, on the school roof, Raon stood alone.
His shadow stretched long across the floor.
> Observation Log:
– Areum: 80% affinity
– Daehyun: Confirmed resentment
– Conclusion: Emotional fracture growing. Accelerate pressure gradually.
He shut the notebook.
"He's cracking beautifully."
---