My Japanese Childhood Friend Is Too Flirty

25. Waiting for the Date, A Brief Moment of Everyday Life (2)

“……Basketball?”

Kim Seung-woo muttered suspiciously, staring at me intently.

He didn’t say anything, but his eyes seemed to ask why I was making such a proposal to him. So, I stammered and explained our situation.

“Well, originally there are six of us who play basketball together. But one of them hurt his ankle while running in the cafeteria. Kwon Byung-jae, you know him, right? The one with the long hair.”

“Oh, Kwon Byung-jae…”

“Yeah, that’s him. He sits in the middle of our class. As I said, he got hurt and can’t play basketball. So, we’re one person short, and I was wondering if you’d like to join us.”

After finishing my explanation, I glanced at Kim Seung-woo to gauge his reaction.

To be honest, we hadn’t been in the same class for long, but he always seemed unmotivated. I expected him to be indifferent or to refuse.

“Really? Well, then… sure.”

Surprisingly, Kim Seung-woo responded positively.

I might be mistaken, but somehow, it seemed like he was a little happy.

“Oh, really? Are you going to play basketball with us?”

“Yeah, we’re one person short… So, let’s play together.”

‘…Oh, this is happening?’

“Where should I go?”

“Huh? Ah, just come to the basketball court after warm-up. We’ll form teams there, is that okay?”

Since we were in the same class, we could have just gathered normally, but I ended up answering separately in a fluster.

However, Kim Seung-woo didn’t seem to mind, nodding his head while muttering, ‘Basketball court…’

“Got it, I’ll go to the basketball court… Why?”

Kim Seung-woo asked awkwardly, perhaps because I was staring too intently.

“Oh, it’s nothing. See you during PE class then.”

With those words, the conversation ended.

Having received Kim Seung-woo’s confirmation, I returned to where my friends were.

The kids who had been standing a bit away seemed to have not heard my conversation with Kim Seung-woo properly, as they started tapping my arms and shoulders with questions as soon as I arrived.

“Hey, how did it go?”

“Is he going to play basketball?”

“Yeah, he said he would.”

I answered as I sat down.

Then, my three friends, including Jae-hyun, looked surprised as if it was unexpected.

“What, he’s really going to play? For real?”

“Hey, really. He said to meet in front of the basketball hoop after warm-up.”

“Wow, that’s surprising. I thought he wouldn’t do it.”

“Yeah, right? I thought he’d tell us to get lost, but he’s actually doing it?”

“Maybe he actually wanted to play basketball too? But he just couldn’t say it.”

“Why couldn’t he say it?”

“Well, maybe because we seem too close? You know how it is. When people seem really close, it’s hard to approach them.”

“Hmm, yeah, that could be it…”

My friends were talking about Kim Seung-woo without me.

I listened quietly, then glanced over at Kim Seung-woo.

Just a moment ago, he had his head up, but now he was lying quietly with his head buried in his desk again.

“……”

Kim Seung-woo.

He might look a bit scary, but maybe he’s not such a bad guy after all…?

* * *

P.E. class.

Among the two P.E. classes we have each week, Monday’s class is a bit special.

It’s because the first and second classes of the first year have P.E. at the same time, so we come out to the playground together. It’s called ‘joint P.E.’

Well, it’s still early in the semester, so we don’t do anything together yet. Since not all the classmates are close with each other, it’s hard to even try to hang out with kids from the other class.

As always, there are exceptions.

It’s the second week of March, a time when it’s hard to even talk to the girls in our own class, let alone the girls from the other class.

In this small stand next to the basketball hoop where half of the boys from Class 2 are gathered, there were Fujiwara Aki, a girl from Class 1, and a few of her friends, along with some girls from Class 2.

The reason was simple: to catch a glimpse of Ju Woo-joo, a boy from Class 2, whose reputation was already spreading.

“Woo-joo~chan, fighting! We’ll be watching from here~!”

“Oh, uh… okay….”

Aki, dressed in her gym clothes instead of her usual uniform, raised her hand high and waved it vigorously from side to side.

Her childhood friend, Ju Woo-joo, smiled awkwardly and returned the greeting.

“…Damn.”

“Suddenly, my mood is ruined.”

“You b*stard, are you happy? Huh? Are you?”

“Would any guy without a girlfriend be playing basketball out of frustration? Ju Woo-joo, you deceitful b*stard….”

Except for Kim Seung-woo, the four boys from Class 2 began to curse Ju Woo-joo in unison.

The reason was simple.

It was just a friendly basketball game among friends. But having his girlfriend personally come and cheer him on with cute waves… they were jealous…!

“The game lasts 10 minutes, and the team that scores 21 points first wins. Everyone agrees, right?”

“Ju Woo-joo, you’re dead today.”

“Let’s twist his ankle so he can’t walk properly.”

“No, not the ankle, aim for the waist. That way he won’t be able to do anything later, right?”

“I’ll get you out of military service, so just offer up your cruciate ligament, Ju Woo-joo.”

“…Are you guys really here to play basketball?”

“Basketball? We’re here to kill you.”

“So, how do you plan to survive in society with such a lack of awareness?”

“……”

Forget basketball, it looks like it’s going to be a brawl.

Sensing this, Joo Woo-joo glanced at Kim Seung-woo, who was on his team.

‘I’ll draw all the attention, so you go and score.’

‘Uh… me?’

‘Yeah, can you do it?’

‘…Sure, let’s give it a try.’

Kim Seung-woo nodded.

“Anyway, are you all set? Ready to start?”

“Yeah, let’s start.”

“Hey, go block Joo Woo-joo. Make this guy’s game boring!”

“…Seung-woo, pass me the ball.”

“Oh, okay. …Ready, start!”

Since it’s a neighborhood basketball game and not an official 3-on-3, it starts with a jump ball instead of one side’s possession.

Kim Seung-woo threw the ball high, and immediately Joo Woo-joo and Nam Jae-hyun, who both jumped, reached out their hands simultaneously.

Thud-!

“…Okay!”

“Ah, Joo Woo-joo is so tall!”

The first possession went to Joo Woo-joo’s team, who had the advantage due to his height.

Joo Woo-joo, who hit the ball towards his team, immediately dashed forward, with Nam Jae-hyun clicking his tongue and quickly following behind.

“Hey, hey, pass. Pass!”

“Nam Jae-hyun, block! Don’t follow the ball, just block Joo Woo-joo!”

“Where are you going, Woo-joo…!”

“Ah, why are you doing this…?!”

“Joo Woo-joo, catch the ball!”

“Huh? Hey, why are you passing it to me now….”

“Throw it this way, Joo Woo-joo!”

“…Here, catch!”

“Huh? Hey, block over there! He’s running with the ball!”

The ball, thrown to Joo Woo-joo to give him a hard time, went to Kim Seung-woo, and Kim Seung-woo pretended to break through, then quickly turned around and passed the ball to Joo Woo-joo, who was free from blocking.

Joo Woo-joo didn’t miss the opportunity and shot towards the goal from outside the 2-point line.

The ball flew powerfully, drawing a parabola…

Thud-!

It went in beautifully.

“Ah, damn, Joo Woo-joo, you crazy guy. Shooting a 3-pointer from half-court?”

“Yeah, you guys didn’t block me, right? I can make it with my eyes closed if there’s no blocking.”

“Wow, look at this guy taunting just because he made one goal? Okay. You’re dead. Brace your ankle.”

“Yeah, try if you can~”

“…Heh.”

How cute.

Aki, who was sitting a little away from the basketball hoop on the bleachers with patches of green paint peeling off, chuckled.

It was because he could hear the conversation of his childhood friend, Joo Woo-joo, and his friend from afar, which felt both familiar and slightly intriguing.

‘He doesn’t act like that when he’s with me. He gets a bit cute when he’s with the boys…?’

The reason for that, well. It’s probably because he’s comfortable being with other boys, right?

Finding Joo Woo-joo’s familiar yet slightly unfamiliar appearance cute, Aki quietly watched and thought about various things.

Tap, tap.

Someone lightly tapped Aki’s forearm.

“Hey, Aki.”

That someone was none other than Aki’s classmate.

It was Lee Ha-ram, who had become the closest girl to Aki during the week since the new semester started.

“Huh? Yeah, what’s up?”

“Over there, that guy, Joo Woo-joo from class 2, you and him are… dating, right?”

“……What?”

Aki’s cheeks turned slightly red.

“Every break time, you go to the next class, and just now, you were smiling and greeting each other. I haven’t said anything until now, but honestly, it’s obvious when you look from the side.”

Lee Ha-ram’s eyes were full of certainty.

‘If they aren’t dating, then my head is messed up,’ Lee Ha-ram seemed to say with her eyes, staring intently at Aki, demanding an answer.

“Ah, well…”

“You’re dating, right? Right? You are, aren’t you?”

“……Wh-what?”

Even Aki himself thought that, at this point, they were almost halfway to dating…

But strictly speaking, they weren’t dating yet.

What should he call it? Just before dating. So, the stage right before dating, or somewhere around there…?

“Maybe, maybe not…?”

Aki deliberately trailed off.

Saying they were dating would be a lie. Denying it would be unpleasant.

At Aki’s ambiguous answer, Iharam raised an eyebrow.

“Hey, I don’t think so…? From what I see, it’s pretty clear you two are dating.”

“……Why, why do you think that?”

“Why? It’s obvious. You two are just dripping with honey from your eyes. If you can’t see that, you’re just a fool, a fool.”

“……”

‘Is it really that obvious…?’

He thought so inwardly, but couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from lifting.

“……Ahem.”

He smirked.

Hearing that others also thought they were definitely dating, Aki couldn’t help but laugh.

Iharam looked at Aki quietly, and with a certain voice, he was convinced, ‘Hmm, these two are definitely dating…!’ and then gently broached the subject.

“……Hey, how far have you two gone?”

“Huh? Wh-what do you mean…?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know, just be honest…! …Our Aki, how far did you go with your boyfriend? Hah, maybe…!”

“W-what maybe…!?”

When Lee Haram feigned surprise, Aki was startled and quickly glanced around.

She was looking around to make sure no one overheard and misunderstood, but Lee Haram misinterpreted Aki’s actions, and gave a sly smile.

“Aki, did you do it?”

“D-do it, what do you mean…?”

“What do you mean, it’s obviously that kind of thing. Passionately, huh? Doing it in bed…!”

“……What do you do in bed? *Atashi* (me), I don’t know Korean well.”

“Ohh, look at her. She’s acting like a foreigner because she feels guilty, huh?”

“Am Japanese, I don’t know Korean…!”

“Aki, you got a 2nd grade on your mock Korean exam, you’re better at Korean than me…!”

……Just like that, the two female students were playfully bickering.

Not too far from where they were, in the top row of the audience, sat a group of girls from Class 1.

Namely, Ham Jieun and her friends. They were watching the boys from Class 2 intently playing basketball and having this conversation.

“Jieun-ah, did you see her Insta? She uploaded another picture of space yesterday, right?”

“Ah, yeah. I saw it, you mean the photo of them sitting together at that cafe up front, right?”

“…….”

Prick.

Aki’s ears perked up.

‘……Insta?’

Why is our Woojoo’s photo on Instagram?

Aki wanted to ask right away, but first, she calmly eavesdropped on the conversation.

“Yeah, that’s right. I saw that and immediately craved it, so I went and bought it.”

“Woojoo looks a bit intellectual, don’t you think he’d be perfect as a coffee ad model?”

“Like, you know, in that old YouTube ad, holding a mug and saying ‘Shall we have a cup together?’ It would suit him so well…!”

“Wow, in that case… I’d buy not just one, but a hundred cups. Please, have a cup with me.”

At that moment.

Smack-!

Joo Woojoo, who had dodged the defender and ran forward, jumped high from his spot and slammed the basketball vertically into the hoop.

“Ah, Joo Woojoo! I told you not to dunk!”

“This guy’s addicted to it, isn’t he? The more you tell him not to, the more he does it.”

“Hey, you guys try it too~”

“You need to have the vertical jump distance for that, you deceiving b*stard!”

“……Wow, amazing. Did you just see that?”

“Being tall lets you do things like that…”

“It’s fascinating, I’ve never seen anyone jump that high before.”

“……”

Shrug-.

As the girls praised Joo Woojoo, her man, no, still just her childhood friend, Aki felt a sense of pride swelling in her chest.

‘Did you see that, did you see? This is our Woojoo…!’

In truth, Joo Woo-joo’s dunk was technically clumsy and hard to call successful. But to Aki, who was completely smitten and didn’t know much about basketball, it was nothing short of a perfect picture.

“Ah, it’s hot. Hasn’t it been 10 minutes yet?”

“Wait a sec… Oh? It’s been 10 minutes. Hey, let’s take a break.”

“Okay, let’s rest for 5 minutes and then go again.”

“Hey, let’s mix up the teams this time. Kim Seung-woo is really good at basketball.”

The boys from Class 2, who had become friends while playing basketball together, were now casually exchanging light insults.

But in Aki’s eyes, there was only Joo Woo-joo, wiping the sweat off his forehead with his gym shirt.

“…Phew.”

He liked seeing him study, he liked seeing him doze off a bit, and he liked seeing him sit quietly and zone out.

But still, there’s nothing more attractive than a man who is slightly sweating.

‘Our Woo-joo looks the s*xiest when he’s sweating…’

Aki, with a slightly flushed face, stared blankly at Joo Woo-joo as he caught his breath, indulging in a slightly cheeky imagination.

“…Sigh.”

He quietly smacked his lips, so no one would notice.

“Aki, what’s up? Thirsty? I brought some water, want some?”

“Oh, uh… thanks.”

Aki accepted the tumbler that Lee Ha-ram handed over.

He wasn’t particularly thirsty, but since it was offered, he took a sip anyway.

“By the way, Ji-eun, what happened with what we talked about? Did Woo-joo agree?”

“Oh, that? No, I haven’t heard back yet. I’ll ask him again after school.”

“Please, make sure to get him to model, so we can record and save the video.”

“From what I’ve seen, he doesn’t seem to wear any makeup at all, but don’t you think he’d look really handsome with just a little bit on?”

“…?”

At that moment, coincidentally, a ridiculous sound came from the other side.

Aki, about to swallow his water, unconsciously perked up his ears again.

Then.

“Yeah, yeah, exactly. So if he agrees to be a cosmetics model, I’ll bring him to our house and give him a full makeover.”

“Isn’t there a studio provided by the agency? Why call him to your house? …Oh, Ji-eun, could it be~?”

“No way, it’s not like that….”

“It doesn’t seem like it’s not. Ji-eun, be honest. You have a bit of that intention, don’t you?”

“No, really, it’s not like that…”

“…?!”

Drip-.

Water spilled out of Aki’s mouth.