The sound of Dong-Su's car rushing into the Namyang-Ju's branch of the archery cafe could be heard. It was easily recognizable even from a distance because of the noisy exhaust. That was the owner's peculiar taste. The owner could have bought a self-driving car at almost the same price, but the owner thought a man should ride a naturally aspirated 8-cylinder engine and turn the steering wheel.
Anyways, the evening manager felt relieved.
A man with a plump appearance and short haircut entered through the entrance. It was Lee Dong-Su, the owner.
"Boss, you're here. Thank goodness. We were planning to call So-Yeon, who quit last year.
"So-Yeon?"
Dong-Su was hurriedly changing into his uniform and paused.
"Yes, Lee So-Yeon."
"Oh..."
Coincidentally, they shared the same name.
He realized that he hadn't mentioned that girl when he met Sang-Hyeon.
'Han So-Yeon...'
Han So-Yeon and Yu Sang-Hyeon. Even Dong-Su, who was usually oblivious to subtle cues, could tell these two had a thing.
They would always deny it whenever someone asked about their relationship.
“Me, dating her?! W-What are you talking about?”
“No way! We're just friends.”
They didn't realize their startled responses basically confirmed to others that "We are dating."
'Apparently, they weren’t actually dating.'
Hyeon-Joo later said that Sang-Hyeon and So-Yeon had never explicitly said they were dating, but what was the point of that? They couldn't deny that they were special to each other.
That was why Dong-Su couldn't mention So-Yeon's name to Sang-Hyeon.
"Boss?"
The manager nudged Dong-Su.
"Oh... yeah?"
"Are you okay?"
Uh
, yeah. I'm just a bit distracted because I came in a hurry. Why?"
"Well, there's the target over there. It seems like we need to replace it, but we're out of stock. So we removed it for now."
"Oh, the target. I'll place an order for it. You can get off work for today."
"Okay!"
When the manager heard "get off work," he dashed to the door and left.
Seeing the manager's fleeing figure, Dong-Su smirked.
"So where is the target... Let's see.."
Dong-Su headed toward the archery range set up in the corner of the cafe. He walked across the grassy area and lifted the tattered target that was falling apart.
"Wow, who shot on this so diligently? Did they intentionally make it look shabby?" Dong-Su mumbled as he inspected the cheaply made target.
Yellow, red, and black. Back then, they intensely shot on these three colors as if under a spell.
Dong-Su first saw Sang-Hyeon in his first year of high school. At the time, Dong-Su was also seriously engaged in archery. He believed he was somewhat skilled and took pride in it in middle school and he remembered being mentally prepared for it.
'Since this school specializes in traditional sports...'
Although Cheonggye High School, where Dong-Su enrolled, was a general humanities school, it had departments dedicated to special activities. Some departments dealt with traditional sports such as Taekwondo and archery, which had a long history. A significant investment in the track and field department was uncommon in Korea.
Of course, it wasn’t as prestigious as a sports specialized high school. Still, Cheonggye High School was the only viable alternative solution due to Dong-Su's financial restrictions.
Perhaps it was similar to Yu Sang-Hyeon's financial situation when Dong-Su met him.
Dong-Su's first impression of Sang-Hyeon was that he was strong-willed. It was somewhat similar yet different from the Sang-Hyeon who was a streamer now. He felt more raw back in the day.
"Welcome to the archery club. This is not a place for casual hobby shooting. Know that if you shoot carelessly, you'll get beat."
From the beginning, Sang-Hyeon stood beside Dong-Su and showed no change in expression even though they declared their determination to surpass the senior members. It was nothing much to some, but it left quite an impression on the young Dong-Su.
Dong-Su would discover why Sang-Hyeon remained unfazed soon enough. It became apparent that very day.
"Now, let's start with a simple entrance test," the seniors announced.
The seniors proceeded to set up the targets while each individual gripped their bow.
"We've arranged it according to Olympic standards. If you score ten points at least once, you're in."
In truth, scoring ten points once in the Olympics could lead to potential permanent expulsion. However, they were only high school freshmen. The Olympic level setup proved challenging as they hadn't fully grown yet.
"Who will shoot fir..."
Thwack!
Before the senior members finished their sentences, an arrow was released. And it landed in the center of the target.
Thunk!
"... T-Ten points?!" Dong-Su blurted out without even realizing it.
In the meantime, another arrow was shot.
Thud!
Another ten points.
And consecutively, four of the five prepared arrows hit the 10 point mark.
The remaining one slightly missed, scoring 9 points.
Sang-Hyeon clicked his tongue, seemingly disappointed even with that.
Ugh...
I made a mistake."
Dong-Su sensed it at that moment.
'W-What's with that guy?'
Dong-Su felt like that person was in a completely different world from them.
'He's not even standing in the right position, is he?'
At the time, Sang-Hyeon wasn't even facing the target directly. He stood at a 45-degree angle and shot toward the target in that position.
"... You passed."
The senior announced that Sang-Hyeon had passed for now with a slightly intimidating tone.
"But you, stay after this test."
Dong-Su scored ten points only twice and succeeded in joining the team.
The day's activities ended with a brief discussion of their plans.
'That guy from earlier... I wonder what will happen to him.'
Worried about Sang-Hyeon's fate, Dong-Su left the gym and quietly took a detour to peer through the backdoor window.
Sang-Hyeon was surrounded by the seniors. Well, that was to be expected.
'This is bad.'
Dong-Su was taken aback by how things were unfolding exactly as he had anticipated. Fortunately, he didn't need to take any action.
"Oh, Sang-Hyeon is here."
A voice that seemed to be the coach could be heard.
"Hello, coach."
"Yeah, you came to Cheonggye High. That’s good. Have you guys been introduced to each other already?"
The seniors froze in front of the coach, who suddenly appeared. Moreover, realizing that the coach already knew who Sang-Hyeon was, they sensed something was wrong.
"Oh... We were just about to do that."
"Is that so?
Hmm.
The coach smirked as if there was no chance for excuses.
"It sure took a long time for greetings."
The seniors returned home without saying a word.
“Phew,”
Dong-Su finally let out a sigh of relief.
After conversing with the coach, Sang-Hyeon exited the gym about five minutes later.
"Oh, hey!"
Dong-Su approached Sang-Hyeon, pretending to be surprised as if they coincidentally ran into each other.
"...?"
Sang-Hyeon either didn’t remember Dong-Su or pretended not to. He tilted his head and tried to walk away.
"Hey, hey! Don't you remember me?"
"... Today is the first day of school. How would I know?"
"Oh, come on! I'm the guy who was right next to you!"
"Oh."
Sang-Hyeon attempted to pass by again.
"Hey! Wait a minute!"
"What is it?"
Dong-Su held onto Sang-Hyeon again. Sang-Hyeon's face became a bit irritated.
"I'm Dong-Su."
Realizing that Dong-Su wanted to introduce himself, Sang-Hyeon's expression softened slightly.
"... I'm Sang-Hyeon."
Observing Sang-Hyeon holding his hand back, Dong-Su thought that Sang-Hyeon didn't seem like a bad guy.
"Why did you do that earlier?"
"Do what?"
"Why did you shoot so suddenly? Archery practice should always prioritize safety."
"Oh."
Dong-Su still vividly remembered the smirk on Sang-Hyeon's face when he responded.
"They talked too much, and it was annoying."
'Crazy bastard.'
Sang-Hyeon knew it was rude to shoot deliberately like that.
Dong-Su should have said something in return, but couldn't speak up. To be honest, he was intimidated by Sang-Hyeon's demeanor. Dong-Su had never seen someone shoot a bow so skillfully before.
However, someone else spoke up before Dong-Su could say anything.
"Hey."
The shadow of a young girl blocked their path. Looking at her shadow, one could tell she was a pretty girl. It was Han So-Yeon.
"What was with that sudden arrow you shot earlier?"
"..."
Sang-Hyeon, who had been quite rude to Dong-Su, couldn't properly speak in front of So-Yeon. Maybe it was because she was a girl?
"What is it? Do you want to get hit and die on the first day? You're not someone who hasn't learned archery."
"Are you in the archery club too?"
"Yes, I was next to the both of you."
Dong-Su interrupted, "I was right next to him too! Nice to meet you!"
"..."
So-Yeon glanced at Dong-Su as if he was pathetic. Then she turned back to Sang-Hyeon.
'She's not interested in me?!'
Dong-Su felt hurt.
So-Yeon's nagging continued a little longer, "That's just how it is. If you accidentally hit someone, there's nothing you can say because it’ll all be on you."
"Sigh..."
Sang-Hyeon, seemingly speechless, just sighed and continued walking forward.
"Hey!"
"I won't do it again."
"!?"
Sang-Hyeon promised to So-Yeon as he looked back at her. Their gazes met for a moment, but he quickly turned away.
"What?"
"I won't do it again..."
"What if you do it again then?"
"Then you can punch me."
That was their first encounter.
After Sang-Hyeon left, Dong-Su asked So-Yeon.
"You... So-Yeon, right? Why are you still here?"
"... Huh? What do you mean?"
"Classes ended a while ago. Why are you still here?"
"..."
So-Yeon simply ignored Dong-Su and walked away into the distance.
Dong-Su felt wounded once again.
"Can't she hear me...?"
Dong-Su touched his throat to see if it was moving properly.
After that, Sang-Hyeon's memories became fragments, such as being a rising star in archery, an ace, a super rookie...
However, another moment left an even stronger impression than their first introduction. It was during their second year of high school, about a year after their first meeting.
"Gold medal! Athlete Yu Sang-Hyeon! How many lenses did you shatter?! Shooting right in the center consecutively to claim the gold medal! The youngest in national championship history, right?!"
"Yes! This is amazing! With the countless export of our Korean coaching staff abroad, he is the hope for the precarious archery field."
Sang-Hyeon won the gold medal in the national championship.
The next day, even people who didn't know who Sang-Hyeon was from a distance could tell which class he was in because all the girls were fawning over him.
"Wow... he's so hot."
"Is that him?"
"Well, well, he's a master archer. When did he shoot an arrow into my heart? OMG!"
"I've decided my career. I'm gonna be an archer."
Dong-Su was envious to the point of madness. He imagined himself winning the gold medal and all the girls in the neighborhood running and flocking to him.
However, that envy was temporary. Like other archers, the attention didn't last more than a week.
Eventually, it became common to say, "Oh, that archery guy?" when Sang-Hyeon's name was mentioned. Some had already forgotten who Sang-Hyeon was.
"It's boring now."
Sang-Hyeon quit after going to the athlete's village and returning after a few months because of the state of archery as a sport.
Only fleeting fame came with winning medals. Unlike soccer or baseball, there wasn't a well-established professional league for archery. It seemed like a boring sport to even watch and was just a sport that boosted national pride when someone won a gold medal.
Dong-Su believed that Sang-Hyeon quit because he thought it was better to just shoot for his own satisfaction.
'What an obsessed jerk.'
Dong-Su cursed inwardly, but So-Yeon didn't share the same thoughts.
As soon as Sang-Hyeon turned around and left, So-Yeon threw her bow away and ran after him.
"Hey! Are you fucking crazy?!"
It was the first time Dong-Su heard So-Yeon yelling like that.
So-Yeon tended to be nagging, but she was never the type to yell.
Thwack!
Seeing her grab Sang-Hyeon's shoulder, Dong-Su realized that it was indeed the look of So-Yeon being truly angry.
It was difficult to intervene between their silhouettes. Dong-Su could only watch from a distance.
"Does all of this even mean anything to you? Don't you... don't you know that there are others who joined because of you?! What about Hyeon-Ju or Jong-Hyeon?!"
"Do I have to continue doing something boring just because of them?"
So-Yeon froze as if something had broken with his cold and unreasonable response.
At that moment, Sang-Hyeon turned around again, walked through the sports field, and exited the school gate. He transferred schools right after that.
Dong-Su couldn't even say goodbye.
Around six months after that incident, Dong-Su and So-Yeon became respectable third-year students.
The existence of Sang-Hyeon was slowly fading from their memories. Like young children, they adapted very quickly.
Sigh.
I don't have much talent in archery, and I haven't studied at all. I don't know how I'm going to make a living."
After lunchtime, Dong-Su lay on a bench as usual and lamented his situation. It was a common complaint among unprepared third-year students about the reality outside school.
So-Yeon would usually advise him to study during those times. She was more mature than him, but today, she didn't say that.
She just muttered in a serious tone while holding her phone, "What...? Where did you see him?"
Dong-Su slowly got up, sensing something was wrong and looked at So-Yeon.
Her face seemed concerned with something.
"... He came back?"
Only young kids quickly adapted to changed environments, but So-Yeon was much more mature than others her age.
Still, she couldn't forget about Sang-Hyeon.
"Tell me again. Where exactly did you see Sang-Hyeon?"

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