At the coach’s shout, everyone let go of their handles around the same time and stepped off the rowing machines. Heavy breaths came from all directions. At this point, there was nothing to think about — just walking on as an extension of the repeated training. I staggered to my feet, barely exhaling the boiling breath, when the coach waved at Lucien.
“Hearst, come here for a moment.”
Lucien, who had been rowing beside me, wobbled briefly but regained his balance and walked over. Curious about what they were talking about, I turned my body to watch. Trusting that Lucien would tell me later, I kept walking when I noticed Emilio approaching from across.
Suddenly, my heart dropped. There had been countless moments like this before, and each time Emilio had casually nodded or exchanged a brief word before passing by. Nothing was different now, so why was my heart pounding so hard?
“I’ll help you.”
Lucien’s words came back to me. Of course, I had refused then, but just recalling the moment made my chest race uncontrollably. Before, I had vaguely thought I liked Emilio, but Lucien’s words sparked a ridiculous hope that maybe, just maybe, our feelings could truly connect. Knowing it was unrealistic, I still often panicked whenever I saw Emilio, as if he might suddenly start dating me or kiss me.
“Dilly, your face is so red.”
A sudden whisper came from behind. Startled, I turned to see Lucien standing right behind me. Smiling, he whispered softly.
“You have to hide it, act normal. Pretend you don’t know.”
“Ah, yeah.”
I nodded and, as he suggested, pretended to talk with Lucien. Meanwhile, Emilio passed behind me, and the pounding moment vanished without a trace.
“Well done, Dilly. No one noticed.”
Though a bit disappointed, I took comfort in Lucien’s words.
“Thanks.”
He smiled as if it was no big deal. Walking side by side, I asked quietly.
“Why did the coach call you?”
“Oh, nothing much.”
Lucien replied with a bored tone.
“He said you’ve improved a lot and wanted to test you.”
“Test?”
Surprised, I asked. He nodded readily.
“We’re starting real preparations for the competition now. They say records have been measured. Since skills keep changing, the boat positions and all that will keep shifting until the final selection.”
“Really?”
Though I already knew, it surprised me to hear it from Lucien. The coach hadn’t shown any interest or expectations toward him before, had he?
“He praised your form a lot.”
“Did he?”
I smiled brightly and congratulated him.
“You worked hard. That’s great. And your body’s improved a lot too.”
“It’s just that I grew taller.”
Lucien scratched the back of his head shyly, avoiding my gaze. Seeing the faint blush on his cheek made me want to tease him more, so I exaggeratedly praised him.
“No, your body changed too. You’ve got muscles now. Aren’t you showing abs?”
“Wait, wait! Stop it, I said don’t!”
I deliberately tickled his stomach and back, and Lucien shrieked in shock. It was the first time he’d made such a loud noise, so everyone’s attention turned to us, and I awkwardly laughed it off.
“Don’t do that.”
Catching his breath, Lucien scolded me. His face really was pale, so I quickly apologized sincerely.
“Sorry, I went too far joking.”
But Lucien just let it slide. As we resumed walking, the coach gathered everyone again. To us all, he repeated the same message he’d told Lucien earlier: multiple record checks would be held, and rankings could change according to performance — even who gets selected to compete or eliminated.
While listening carefully, I suddenly caught Emilio’s eyes ahead. As always, he smiled and mouthed “Fighting” quietly. My mouth fell open, unable to close. Lucien, sitting next to me, immediately noticed and whispered.
“What’s wrong? Something up?”
“No, nothing.”
I dodged the question, but he probably already knew. As I refocused on the coach, I felt Lucien’s gaze on me. Feeling awkward, I smiled once. Lucien smiled back lightly but turned expressionless as soon as he looked away.
“Want to go out together?”
Caught off guard, I hesitated just as I was about to return to the dorm. Lucien looked at me casually.
“Aren’t you hungry? I feel like I’m dying. Let’s get something to eat.”
He genuinely looked miserable. And rightly so—Lucien really ate a lot. Even considering he was a growing teenager, he was especially ravenous. Compared to how much he used to eat before, it was even more.
“Aren’t you still hungry? Didn’t you just have a sandwich?”
I had seen him devour a sandwich as big as his forearm in less than five minutes before practice. I considered myself quite the eater but dared not compare to Lucien. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
“Lately, no matter how much I eat, I’m still hungry. My stomach’s completely empty.”
He looked genuinely famished. His eyes were hollow, too, so I couldn’t say no. I had no real reason to refuse.
He’d grown that much.
Having quickly caught up to my height, Lucien’s eye level had changed. Soon he’d tower over me. But his muscles couldn’t keep up with his rapidly growing bones, so no matter how much he ate, he never felt satisfied. On top of that, the grueling daily rowing practice probably drained him even more.
Besides, Lucien still hadn’t gotten his driver’s license. Once he got it, he’d buy a car, but for now, it wasn’t possible. Not wanting to ignore my friend’s misery, I happily offered to take him in my car.
“Well then…”
Just as I opened my mouth, Emilio appeared in my line of sight. When our eyes met, I immediately felt my expression soften. As expected, Emilio approached with a smile and spoke kindly.
“Today was really tough, huh? Russ has improved a lot. Everyone’s impressed with the practice you’ve put in.”
Emilio looked around confidently. Few others remained, but they gave Lucien brief nods of agreement. Emilio turned back to us, and I was about to smile back when I hesitated. I glanced at Lucien, who showed no particular reaction. I worried inwardly he might be about to do something rude, but it was a false alarm. Instead, Lucien smiled, showing his teeth toward Emilio.
“Thanks, glad there’s progress.”
His voice was unusually soft. His polite words surprised not only me but Emilio as well. Emilio looked at me questioningly, and I shrugged and said awkwardly,
“Russ practiced a lot while resting.”
“Really seems like it.”
Emilio nodded in agreement. I thought that would be the end, and was about to say goodbye feeling a bit regretful, when Lucien spoke suddenly.
“We’re going out to eat. You coming?”
“What?”
“What was that?”
Surprised, Emilio and I both asked again. Lucien fixed a smile on Emilio and continued.
“Aren’t you hungry? I feel like I’m dying.”
Emilio looked from me back to Lucien and hesitated.
“Uh, yeah... I’m hungry, but…”
“Good, then let’s go. If we wait too long, we won’t be able to order. Come on.”
He urged Emilio with a smile.
“Got other plans?”
Emilio shook his head, surprised.
“No, no plans. Not really…”
Seeing his hesitation made me anxious. Suddenly, Lucien looked to one side and loudly called out.
“Brad, we’re going out to eat. You coming?”
“Huh? Me?”
Brad, who was just grabbing his bag to leave, turned around in surprise. All eyes were on Lucien now, but he showed no embarrassment and instead smiled confidently at Brad.
“You have to eat something since you’re hungry. Why don’t you come too? My treat.”
Brad looked puzzled but glanced at us once more and then grinned.
“Can’t miss a chance like this. Let’s go.”
Brad slung his bag over one shoulder and joined us. Now the same group as before, we left the practice hall and headed to the parking lot. Sending Emilio and Brad ahead, I quietly pulled Lucien close and whispered in his ear.
“What are you thinking? Why suddenly Emilio?”
Lucien blinked wide and asked.
“You don’t like it? I thought you’d be happy.”
“No, that’s not it, I am happy.”
Flustered by the mismatched conversation, Lucien smiled reassuringly.
“I remember you said you’d handle it yourself and didn’t need my help. But it’s impossible. The timing’s perfect, isn’t it?”
He seemed frustrated seeing no progress. I was resigned but his thoughts were different. Glancing at Emilio, he whispered in a lower voice.
“If there’s a chance right in front of you, you have to grab it.”
There was no flaw in his words. On the contrary, it was all in my favor. I’d been pretending to handle things alone and now suddenly seizing this opportunity felt a little embarrassing, but Lucien was right. Turning down this chance would be a really stupid move.
“Thanks, Russ.”
I made up my mind and thanked him. Lucien smiled widely and strode toward Emilio with legs apart. What surprised me wasn’t over yet. When we reached my car, he pulled Brad along and sat in the back seat. Emilio naturally took the passenger seat, and I, still dazed by the dreamlike situation, headed toward the restaurant.