***

The tennis court was indoors and well-heated. I changed in the locker room. Wearing shorts that extended above my knees made me feel awkward.

On the other hand, Yeon Woojeong swung his racket and stretched as if he were a regular player. The court was exclusively reserved for our use. Observing the fairly large space, Yeon Woojeong extended a white item towards me.

“What’s that?”

“Hairband.”

“What’s it for?”

“You’ll feel uncomfortable running with your long hair.”

Will I? As I stared off at it, he walked over and put the band on me, then smoothed my hair. After that, he took a step back and looked at me with a smiling face. I touched my hair, feeling awkward, and he grabbed my wrist, leading me to the center of the court.

“Serving is easy.”

Bouncing the ball on the floor, Yeon Woojeong struck it with his racket, sending it smoothly to the other end. Like he said, it didn’t seem that difficult. I nodded, and he positioned himself on the opposite side.

“I’m going to serve, try to receive it.”

I held the racket in my hand, feeling tense. As I watched him repeatedly bounce the ball and then catch it with his hand, he then sent it in my direction. I hit the flying ball with my racket, and the ball narrowly missed the net, falling outside the white line. I sighed in disappointment.

“You’re good.”

Yeon Woojeong picked up the ball and smirked. I felt I could do better next time. Gripping the racket tighter, I focused on the ball, and he spun his hand holding the ball. My gaze naturally followed his hand. After he made a spin, I realized he was teasing me, so I glared at him, and he laughed and sent the ball back to me.

This time, I swung my racket a bit lightly. The ball I passed back fell on the floor properly and bounced up, and Yeon Woojeong received it.

As the ball bounced back and forth, it certainly felt fun. Yeon Woojeong was just like a pro, his stance was different from mine, playing skillfully and carefree. I was certain he was taking it easy on me. After about ten minutes of exchanging shots, I felt ready for a bit more challenge.

“Don’t go easy on me anymore.”

“How hard?”

“To the max.”

Yeon Woojeong languidly pulled up a corner of his lips and tilted his head. Seeing his expression that seemed to question ‘Do you think I can’t do that?’ I gripped my racket stronger, urging him on, and he threw the ball and hit it.

The lime green ball swiftly struck near my foot in a flash, leaving me momentarily stunned before I frowned. Sometimes, Yeon Woojeong could be a bit mean.

“How hard?”

He asked with a playful hint on his face. I couldn’t help but get worked up.

“The same.”

Yeon Woojeong lifted his racket with an amused face. Despite claiming it had been a while since he played, he exhibited unrusty skills. He was a tough opponent, but with time, I improved at returning his shots, and it was fun to see the changes.

I had to run around, out of breath, because he was sending the ball all over the place. Meanwhile, Yeon Woojeong ran lightly to get the ball. I focused on sending the ball to the corners so that he would move as much as possible. However, it wasn’t easy. More often than not, it crossed the line, and even when it was barely inside the line, it was either too weak or too easy to catch, so Yeon Woojeong didn’t have much trouble with it. 

Nevertheless, as time passed, I felt more comfortable with the racket in my hands. I could discern Yeon Woojeong’s ball trajectory clearly. With a forceful swing, I struck the ball.

The ball flew hard and hit the floor exactly inside the line. Yeon Woojeong’s racket grazed it, but it wasn’t enough to hit the ball. I flinched and stiffened, and then the corners of my mouth lifted. I finally won.

Yeon Woojeong stared at the ball as it bounced off the wall, then turned to stare at me before approaching me, smiling. 

“Your adeptness doesn’t differentiate the types.”

He lazily spun his racket while picking up the water bottle at the center. After drinking from it, he settled on the bench, showing signs of wanting to rest, and I stood nearby. Yeon Woojeong handed me the bottle, and I took a sip before setting it down.

“Did you have fun?”

“Yeah.”

“Great. It’s good to have fun with anything you do.”

To be honest, I felt that rather than having fun with the tennis itself, I had more fun playing with him. There was something about him that always motivated me, making me want to give my all when doing something with Yeon Woojeong.

I looked down at his thighs, which were exposed by the rise of his pants as he sat down. I tapped his toes with mine, and he responded in kind. After a brief bout of foot interaction, I felt like we’d rested enough and spoke up.

“Let’s play again.”

“Already?”

“We’ve had a long break.”

“But I’m tired.”

“Just from doing this?”

Yeon Woojeong raised an eyebrow at my words. He lifted his watch and showed me the time.

“I’ve been running for 20 minutes without a break, so I need to take at least 10 minutes of break.”

“6 minutes left.”

“Yes, coach.”

Puzzled at the strange title, I frowned and found him making a mischievous face and lying down on the bench. Spotting a little free space at the end of Yeon Woojeong’s feet, I took a seat there. I took off his shoes and placed his feet on my thighs. Yeon Woojeong looked relaxed as he rested. Although 10 minutes had passed, I felt like he needed to rest a little longer, so I touched his ankles. 

.

.

.

After a good sweat, I washed up and ate dinner, but by the time I was done, I felt lethargic. I opened the window slightly, and a cool breeze came in, waking me up. 

“Sleep until we arrive.”

Yeon Woojeong suggested as I opened my eyes wide. I shook my head, not wanting to sleep next to the person driving, especially when home wasn’t far away. He gently patted my cheek whenever the car stopped at a traffic light. I would stay still, and then suddenly grab his hand and let go. 

Before long, we were getting closer to home. On the way, I noticed the grocery store in front of our apartment and recalled we were out of toothpaste.

“We need to go to the grocery store.”

“Is there anything to buy?”

“Toothpaste.”

We parked and walked into the grocery store together.

I picked up a basket, thinking I might as well buy more than just toothpaste. I put in the toothpaste first, then some snacks and Yeon Woojeong’s favorite beer. When I put the basket down at the checkout, the store owner took out a can of beer and glanced at me. 

“Your ID card, please.”

While I was searching for my wallet, Yeon Woojeong, who had arrived a step late, held out his card next to me. When the owner saw Yeon Woojeong, he immediately took the card and made the payment. 

For some reason, I felt offended.

Although this could be because he was older than me, I didn’t think there was that much of a difference between us. Maybe it was our attire, with me wearing light-colored clothes and him in a coat over his dark clothes.

As we held the bag together, I glanced at his outfit. His top was loose while his pants fit just right. The coat fell below his knees and swayed with his steps. As if noticing my gaze, Yeon Woojeong looked back at me and we made eye contact. When I tilted my head, gazing at something away, Yeon Woojeong also tilted his head. Our eyes ended up locked again. I fumbled with the bag, and he smirked, turning his attention forward.

I grabbed the mail from the mailbox and put away the groceries. Yeon Woojeong was sprawling out on the sofa until I got changed first. I held out my hand for him to get up, and he looked at it as if he didn’t want to get up, but then took it. I pulled him to his feet and pushed him into his room. 

While Yeon Woojeong was changing, I sat on the sofa to sort out the mail. Most of the mail was bills. I sorted them out quickly, but then I stopped when I saw my name. I didn’t think there should be anything to get addressed to me… 

My head turned blank as I saw the letters written on the top left of the envelope. The words “Military Manpower Administration” were very unfamiliar to me. After being in a daze for a moment, I opened the envelope and unfolded the paper inside.

As I read down the rows of letters, I felt my chest tighten. Why hadn’t I thought of this? I had never thought about it, even though it was something that all men should do. Before and after I left home, I only worried about school, and once I got to Lee Sugeol’s facility, I was just trying to make ends meet. 

Why now……

Yeon Woojeong emerged from his room, and as I looked at his face, I felt a mix of emotions. The thought of being away from him for a year and a few months and having to leave him alone made me numb. Unsure how to tell him, I subconsciously hid the paper, placing it on the table.

“What’s so serious?” 

Yeon Woojeong sat next to me, leading me to carefully hand him the paper. His face, which was looking carefree when he accepted it, stiffened as soon as he saw it. I watched Yeon Woojeong, feeling restless. Yeon Woojeong held it as if the content, which would take less than a minute to read, was endless.

My head turned complicated. I felt like I’d been slapped in the face after exercising, eating delicious food, and having a good time. I was trying not to leave his side, but something like this came out of nowhere, making me feel sorry for Yeon Woojeong. I wish I had gone before I met him.