Kiss the Ground

While applying the new tape onto the wound with an indifferent expression, Misha kept faintly smiling at Chahyun. Somehow, it felt unlucky. Should he just slap the tape on his mouth to shut it up? But then it would stay intact, wouldn’t it… Having such violent thoughts, Chahyun inadvertently lowered his gaze to Misha’s lips.In that moment, Chahyun felt a strange hypothesis buried deep within his chest suddenly resurface. It wasn’t the right time for it, he thought, but it was already too late. He involuntarily held his breath.The treatment for a slump.It wasn’t Pavlov’s dog, nor was it a child with braces. Was it reasonable for such thoughts to arise just by looking at lips? Feeling like a complete lunatic, Chahyun swallowed his saliva. What if he blurted out such nonsense? Maybe just by facing each other, things would resolve themselves, and after that…It was less of a theory established in Chahyun’s mind and more of a desperate hypothesis. That somehow, the slump could be cured and the condition improved by doing something with Misha.But admitting it was utter madness required courage he lacked. There were people in the world who did crazy things like shoving someone who was afraid of chickens into a chicken coop to cure them. And there were too many reasons for Chahyun to win the game immediately.So should he propose to test the hypothesis? Maybe just touching him and pretending like he didn’t feel anything, saying it feels like my condition is improving. But that would be taking advantage of someone else’s feelings.Or he could blame Misha for his slump. Since you ruined me, you have an obligation to fix me. It almost sounded like a threat. Regardless of causality. Chahyun couldn’t help but keep thinking about Misha’s feelings.His mind was stuck on an unsolvable problem. He wasn’t prepared to involve Misha in pointless assumptions or to create an unpredictable situation that he couldn’t handle, but he also didn’t want to look like a thirsty child yearning for water whenever he saw Misha. Chahyun still remembered the strange thirst he felt when he met him in the locker room after the first game against Brougham. A dangerously precarious and vulnerable state where everything could be resolved with just a reach of the hand…“Why are you really like this?”Chahyun lifted his head at Misha’s voice. This time, the smile vanished, and a serious gaze met his. Whatever Chahyun had been thinking, Misha probably wouldn’t know even if he lived and died.“Just thinking about getting drenched in the rain the other day. And… also thinking about Cahill a bit…”“Why him?”Misha’s voice dropped abruptly at the casually thrown topic. Seeing such a predictable reaction, Chahyun forgot his dilemma and chuckled in disappointment.“How should I apologize? Don’t you remember waiting alone when I went back to the store after yesterday?”“Did I?”Misha turned their head with an indifferent expression. They still seemed out of it.“You’re quite ridiculous too. Just because of some stretching? How did you manage to bear it without even grabbing his collar when you were with Jude?”“Ingram is different.”Misha retorted with their gaze fixed to the side. What’s this now? As Chahyun frowned, Misha paused briefly before speaking in a serious tone.“He’s not Cahill Love.”“What do you mean it’s not?”“That stretching isn’t originally like that.”“Isn’t that stretching originally like that?”“My style isn’t sports-like. I can tell.”“What are you talking about…”As Chahyun stared dumbfounded, Misha’s face took on the same stubborn expression as it did in front of the store that day. What’s going on in that head? Are all those countless people in the club candidates for Chahyun’s lover? Am I some kind of mystical football player? Football Omen?At least there might be only one person on this floor who wants to come out and do something. Misha. Even after seeing them rolling around in grass piles and covered in dirt, sweating and bleeding all day, claiming to like it or whatever. As Chahyun thought this, Misha slightly leaned towards him and said.“I know the right way to do that.”Being seated close by to administer the treatment, their bodies were naturally close. Misha’s shoulder touched Chahyun’s in no time. The clothes of the wet stranger felt initially cold but soon mingled lukewarm with the blink of an eye.“Can I show you?”With a face adorned with borrowed tape, Misha lowered their head a little more. Their faces were too close. Strands of damp hair stuck to their cheeks, and small droplets clung to their eyelashes. The light shimmering in their eyes, once thought to be noble and dignified, seemed to flicker.The pitiful eyes blinked gradually like ripples in a pond. The distinct smell of dog shampoo emanating from both of them was amusing yet somehow blatant. Chahyun reached out and grabbed Misha’s arm.“No.”Chahyun rose from his seat like a general.“Why?”“We need to walk the dog and have dinner.”Seeing Chahyun’s answer with a face like a Moai statue, Misha looked even more desperate. It was a look as if the country was about to fall. Did they really think they would do the exercise with the guy who saw it as a joke? Misha covered their face with their hands as if they had made a mistake in a penalty kick.“Come out quickly. It’s more trouble to stop those kids.”Leaving behind the lonely figure, Chahyun left the room. No matter how much he thought about it, there were still words he couldn’t bring himself to say. Chahyun pushed the unsaid hypothesis further into his heart.***Winchester FC Club Training Center, which had just finished a short break after the game, was once again filled with the heat of training. Players who returned from their individual schedules began to focus on their profession and loosen their stiff bodies.The news of Chahyun filming with a selfie camera literally drove Winchester’s players crazy.If it was a mistake to bring the camera out in the chaotic dressing room right after training, then it was a mistake. The camera flowed away in someone’s hands and disappeared somewhere in no time. By now, someone might be shooting an unexpected self-introduction video or a uniform strip somewhere.With the tension of the club a week before the Round of 16 second leg easing, and the effort to run around and be a cameraman reduced, it wasn’t all bad.It was already three days ago when Misha was treated to a meal in return for the self-camera and bathing the dog. That day, while eating the precious dinner prepared by Chahyun, Misha kept glancing at Chahyun’s face throughout. And that lingering look continued even after Chahyun pushed him out the front door after the meal.Walking away with hesitant steps like a tortoise, Misha remained pitiful until the end. As if someone would take them in to shelter them. Without realizing what complex conflict Chahyun was in…simplicity is a good thing.The next day, Misha finally ventured out onto the field, breaking free from the lonely leg exercises they had been doing alone. It was like a ghostly timing. Although they couldn’t participate in the physical practice games, they seemed to have been allowed to join in on running and stretching with other players. Their figure surrounded by teammates was a rare sight. Unconsciously, Chahyun found himself following that sight with his eyes, and every time his gaze met Misha’s, he awkwardly turned his head away.After experiencing such eye contact several times, Yoon Chahyun was engulfed in a looming sense of crisis. Was he constantly stealing glances at Misha’s figure like some adolescent boy? No matter how hard he tried to forget, he couldn’t shake off the thoughts from seeing Misha’s face yesterday. It was a kind of superstitious, repetitive thinking… Chahyun wrapped his face, reminiscing about the precursor of this obsession.“Jinx…”It was a concept inseparable from sports players. It was both a inevitable action that brought victory and a shackle that bound their thinking. No matter how skilled a player was, once they had a jinx, they quickly got entangled in it. The scope of it varied greatly. What actions should be taken during the game, what actions should not be taken, what should be eaten, and what should not be eaten. Such trivial yet numerous things.However, Chahyun had never heard of a case where a person himself became a jinx. Let alone anything lowly like needing to have some kind of physical contact. If one became engulfed and consumed by this irrational thinking to the point where they couldn’t escape from it…“Why do you look so serious again?”Jude spoke as he leaned against the locker with his forehead. In his hand was a camera that hadn’t been seen in days. In the end, it ended up in his hands.“Jude.”“Here, take it. This is almost at the level of Winchester’s official video account. There wasn’t a single person who didn’t film. I don’t know if your brother will like it. It’s your shoot, but you’re not in it.”Chahyun accepted the camera Jude handed over. There was no need to worry since the guy inside, who was naturally good at pulling out scenes that could make money, was a born cameraman. Chahyun frowned as he fiddled with the camera in his hand.“What’s this scratch? Where did it fall?”“If you touch it that much, of course it’s going to roll on the floor a few times. I don’t know who the culprit is, but there must have been one or two.”“Did you put oil on your hands? Why did you drop this? It hasn’t even been unpacked for long!”“Don’t you know our hands are deteriorating? Why do you think we’re all playing soccer?”Jude replied cynically to Chahyun’s grumbling. He quickly turned on the power, but there was no damage to the data inside. Fortunately or unfortunately, it seemed that the scratch was only on the surface. It wasn’t meant to be handed over to vigorous young men… As Chahyun rubbed his forehead, Jude changed into a sweaty workout outfit.“Even though it’s a selfie cam, we also need to think about taking away photos tomorrow on the away game. If you keep looking so depressed, Yuan, you’ll come out really ugly.”At Jude’s words, Yoon Chahyun recalled the schedule scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. It was the task of receiving new away uniforms and shooting a simple interview video that would be uploaded to the club’s official account as a final touch. It was the first away game in a month, and depending on the result, it could be the last game of the season, so everyone wanted to leave various records.“I’m not feeling down, I just have some things to think about.”“If you have a lot on your mind, you’ll come out ugly.”“Just stick close to you and shoot. Have you heard of relative attractiveness?”Jude punched Yoon Chahyun’s shoulder with his fist. He started the argument first and then acted completely innocent. With a sympathetic look, Jude asked as if squeezing out sympathy from Chahyun, who was exaggerating his pain.“What are you thinking about?”Yoon Chahyun hesitated for a moment, rubbing his arm, before speaking up.“Do you… have any jinx or something?”“Jinx?”“Yeah.”Jude, who had briefly made a blank expression at the sudden question, soon seemed to be thinking about something as he rolled his eyes upward. After a brief silence, he spoke with a clear voice.“When entering the field, you have to step in with your left foot.”“Ah… So that’s why I keep hesitating at the entrance, bumping into Winston behind. I’ve been trying to put my left foot in first.”“It’s more important than you think. The net grabs it every time and prays, you know. We don’t know which god we’re appealing to…”“Uh…”“Don’t you have one? Is there anyone who doesn’t have such a thing while exercising?”Yoon Chahyun threw his discarded clothes into the basket.“I’m not sure.”“What do you mean?”“I’m not sure if I have one or not.”At Yoon Chahyun’s awkward response, Jude blinked in confusion. It was a puzzled look, but Chahyun couldn’t say anything except that he didn’t know.“I don’t know why you’re worrying about jinxes, but anyway, it’s better to be simple like me. It’s not like you can make it the way you want, but once you’re caught in something weird, you’ll suffer for life.”“Is that so?”“Yeah. Adrian, you know, eats the grass every time he enters a new stadium, right? He says he needs to taste the grass he’s going to step on for good defense. If he messes up, it’s embarrassing. And it’s irreversible.”“Wow…”“For life, for life. Until retirement.”“…”At Jude’s words, Yoon Chahyun felt a shiver down his spine. Do you really have to go that far? Poor Adrian. No wonder every time he entered someone else’s club ground, he would lie down on the floor… So far, he had only thought it was a cool habit to match the ground.Feeling not only unresolved but also exacerbated, Yoon Chahyun staggered out of the locker room following Jude towards the cafeteria.***Yoon Chahyun spotted Cahill in the lobby of the center after finishing the evening training.Like the other players, Cahill, who seemed to be on his way home, despite the intense afternoon training, was neatly dressed. Although they had been brushing past each other on the field during the training for the second leg, it was the first time Yoon Chahyun had seen him alone since the rainy day meal.Cahill stood still near a lobby column, staring at his phone in his hand. Even though it was the same model as Yoon Chahyun’s, it looked particularly small and toy-like in his hands. It was the same when he held the camera last time. Yoon Chahyun approached him with a slightly pleased feeling.“Cahill. Are you on your way home now?”“Yoon.”Cahill looked a little surprised, glanced at Yoon Chahyun, then gently smiled and put his phone in his pocket. His deep and stern eyes softened slightly into a warm smile. Since he rarely smiled, it felt even more special.“We won the practice match earlier, right? You seemed to be in good shape.”“It was close. You were good too.”They stood facing each other. His face, seen after several days, felt much friendlier than before. Although they hadn’t been together for long, filming together and casually hearing about his personal life had made them feel much closer emotionally. Looking at the soft smile in his eyes, Cahill seemed similar.“Cahill, um…”As Yoon Chahyun hesitated, touching his own face, Cahill, with an interested look, slightly adjusted the angle of his face. Surrounded by numerous figures, as a captain, he hadn’t had the chance, but now was a good opportunity to convey what he needed to say.“I’m sorry for making you wait that day. At the meal. I didn’t mean to leave you alone like that.”“It’s okay. You don’t have to worry.”“But still, I said I’d treat you and was quite rude. And also… about Misha.”As Misha’s name was mentioned, Cahill nodded faintly. Even if he was indifferent, there was no way he wouldn’t notice such an obvious plea. Asking for forgiveness instead of the absent party was a somewhat peculiar situation, but that impudent guy didn’t seem likely to offer a polite apology.“I’m not usually like that, but I guess I wasn’t feeling good that day. Don’t take it too seriously.”“You’re at an age where you might feel like that. I understand.”Cahill responded gently. With a refined experience gained from leading and managing the team in the rough sports world, he exuded a polished demeanor. Although Yoon Chahyun didn’t expect any bitterness, he smiled relievedly at the more generous response than he had anticipated. Looking at Chahyun’s face, Cahill added in his affectionate tone.“It seems like Asplund follows you a lot.”“Oh…”“I didn’t think you had an uncomplicated personality. It’s not my place to say, but…”Yoon Chahyun adjusted his backpack a little awkwardly.“When you first joined, I took care of you a bit. It’s less now… but back then, I couldn’t leave you alone. You were young, as you said.”“Is that so?”Cahill slowly continued as if pondering something.“I thought maybe you had a very intimate relationship since you even kissed.”“Kiss?”Yoon Chahyun involuntarily widened his eyes. The suddenness of the word coming out of his mouth caught him off guard, but it was also because it was the word he had been thinking about all day.“What…?”“In the last group league match, after your comeback goal.”Cahill added with a hint of puzzlement as he looked at Chahyun’s eyes, which were wide open in surprise.“Was there another kiss?”Looking at the eyes that opened thinly under his thick eyebrows, Yoon Chahyun finally realized that he had asked a very strange question. The only kiss worth mentioning and mentioning by others was the crazy public ceremony highlighted in numerous media outlets. Unknowingly, he had made a remark implying another item because there had been a second one between him and Misha. Chahyun unconsciously clenched and released his fist.“Oh, that.”This response was also incorrect. Specifics should not be singled out. Chahyun hoped to laugh it off and not appear awkward.“It’s been a while, so I forgot about it. Did you see it in the newspaper?”“No. I saw it in front of me. I was sitting on the bench due to injury at the time.”“Oh, right. That’s how it was… in front of the bench.”“Was that also because of Asplund?”As Cahill calmly asked, he looked at Chahyun’s face. Chahyun found it difficult to meet his gaze and lowered his eyes slightly.“It could be… at that time.”“You’ve been through a lot.”Cahill lightly tapped Chahyun’s arm. It was a gentle yet firm gesture. With a sense of discomfort lingering, Cahill, with his typical serious gaze, was already speaking as a captain rather than a colleague.“Get some rest as soon as you get home. Tomorrow is a day with training and interviews, so if you’re not well-rested, it’ll be difficult. This is not just a word from a colleague but from a captain.”“If that’s the case, I’ll take it to heart.”“I’m not worried because you seem to have recovered a lot from fatigue, Yoon. Make sure your body is flexible enough too.”“Ha ha…”Cahill exchanged a nod with Chahyun, who let out a half-hearted laugh, and gently turned his body, disappearing into the silhouette at the lobby exit. Watching him vanish, Chahyun awkwardly raised his hand, although he wasn’t even there, thinking about the figure who had dominated the conversation. Chahyun’s throat kept feeling prickly at the thought.***It was a day for pre-match photoshoots. After a thorough shower and change of clothes, the players, who had already been designated for the next schedule, lined up and headed to the interview room. At a time like now, with the game right around the corner, there were more minor formalities accompanying the training itself.Winchester’s away uniform featured a clean design with shades of gray from top to bottom. The new uniform received just a month and two weeks ago felt unfamiliar, perhaps due to mood. Chahyun realized belatedly that the time to wear this uniform had come. While Chahyun was starting to feel the reality of the away game, his teammates gathered one by one for interviews and photoshoots.In front of the temporary booth with the sponsor’s name patterned like a pattern, the players finished their interviews one by one and took simple photos. Responding to the reporters’ questions with serious faces, outside the booth, they all played around, imitating each other’s serious expressions, typical of Winchester guys. While waiting for his turn, Chahyun, absent-mindedly fiddling with his hair, was approached by Judd.“Look at that.”Chahyun turned his head in the direction Judd was pointing. Misha entering the room was a sight to behold, as he was wearing the uniform for the first time in a long while. The subtle gray color draped over his slender body perfectly matched his unique elegance. It was just a uniform, after all. Even though he knew that running on the ground would make him sweat and rolling on the floor would get him dirty, it still felt that way.“It looks like Misha is getting his picture taken now.”“Yeah.”“I thought he’d have to take separate ones later because of the injury… Doesn’t it seem like he’s gotten much better already? If things go well, he might be able to play in the second leg.”“The game isn’t ready yet. He’s still recovering.”“Is that so?”Judd glanced at Chahyun’s face. He could tell because he had seen him up close. It seemed that Misha’s condition had improved much more than before, as there was no longer any correction tape on his face. The two of them looked at Misha’s face again in silence for a moment, like ordinary people looking at a celebrity. It was Judd who broke the silence first, crossing his arms.“That guy… how can he still look like that even after getting his face all messed up…?”“…”“Isn’t it a bit like that? A bride fighting vampires… or a priest performing an exorcism?” It seemed like everyone received some religious vibes from that face, even though Judd’s analogy was a bit more overt than what Chahyun felt.“If your face looks like that, you should probably avoid sports for ethical reasons. It’s just not right.”“What does my face have to do with sports?”It seemed like everyone thought that having scars on Misha’s face wasn’t a bad thing. While the wish of the person who hoped for the marks to remain had been fulfilled, it only highlighted his noticeable appearance, which might not have been a good thing. Thinking that Chahyun’s silence was some sort of response, Judd tapped Chahyun’s back firmly.“A soccer player just needs to play soccer well, that’s it.”What’s with this guy suddenly comforting me? Before Chahyun could protest in his strange annoyance, Judd scampered into the booth like a country mouse. Before Chahyun could even roll his eyes at his audacity, someone stood in front of him.“Yuan.”Misha, who strode directly towards Chahyun from the door, stood tall and straight. He had seemed distant just a moment ago, but his approach was sudden.“Misha, you changed clothes.”“I have to take pictures too. There’s still the round of 16… It feels like it’s been a long time since I wore the uniform.”“It has been a while. Because you rested for the first leg.”Misha glanced at Chahyun’s face briefly before slightly extending his arms.“How does it look?”It was a familiar gesture. Whenever Chahyun saw him, Misha always asked how he looked, which was a rather odd habit. How could he look, when everyone in this room was wearing the same clothes? Chahyun discreetly scanned his body again. He had actually been looking at him the whole time.“…The stitching looks good.”At Chahyun’s chosen words, Misha made a visibly sullen face. Chahyun raised his hand and lightly flicked the creases on Misha’s uniform sleeve.