In the realm of dreams

Part 8 - Sports day

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Choi Sooho

It was scary to stand at the edge of a cliff in this darkness. A few steps ahead of me lay an unknown abyss, black and ominous but beckoning me with a promise of blissful oblivion. I took two steps. It was windy, so windy. Should I turn back? Was there anything waiting for me in the place that I was leaving behind? I didn't know what was at the bottom of the precipice but was there a slim chance that whatever was there could be better, more bearable than what I am leaving behind?

The wind was whispering my name.

'Choi Sooho'. This time it was a girl's voice. I turned around to see a faint smidge of a girl. The sun was coming up behind her illuminating her outline. Her long hair flew in the wind, waving and dancing, her voice echoed through the mountains. My name repeated and amplified and returned back to me.

I turned back and started walking towards her reaching my hand out to her.

'Don't go', the voice said. Her figure was being pulled by an invisible force and she was retreating faster than I could run towards her.

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Sports day in our school could go either way. It was either a celebration of our athletic abilities and teamplay. Or a day of injuries, petty jealousy and unnecessarily physical competitiveness. What type would it be this year.

I arrived early to help co-ordinate the volunteers to set up the day's events. I was competing as well in the 200 metres but I didn't have much time to deliberate on that. I would just have to take it on the chin when the time came. There was loads to do before that. The first half of the morning was a frenzy of activity, setting up the first aid tents, making sure the order of events were handed out to all the facilitators and the volunteers have got access to juice and water bottles. I kept an eye out for my friends, I wanted to wish them luck before the competition began but it was them who found me instead.

'Banjang, looks like you have been busy today', Yoona said when they found me lifting the crates of bottled drinks in the supply tent.

'Oh you guys are here, that's good. I want to wish you good luck for the competition.'

We all gave each other high-fives and said 'Fighting' in unison.

The 200 metres was the second event of the day. I was glad to get it done and over with. I came second as I did last year, just behind our school's bonafide athletics champion. That was good enough for me.

One by one my friends took part in their events, it was mandatory for each student to take part in at least one event. Then it was Yoona's turn at long-jump. This was her first-time competing in our school but she has been training so hard in the past few weeks. She made it look easy, winning the event by a clear margin. I didn't know that she had also registered for the 100 metres which was the last event.

Baek Yoona

Winning the long jump event made me very happy and I was super confident going into my next event. Winning more than one event would increase my chance at the sports scholarship for university so I had just gone ahead and registered for the 100 metres at the last minute. It's just running, right? I mean I ran laps to warm up – how hard could it be?

My start was good, I responded to the sound of the starting gun instinctively. I ran and ran without looking at anyone else, with tunnel vision and a clear goal. Choi Sooho was at the end of my sightline somehow. When I stepped over the finishing line, taking the ribbon with me, my ankles knocked onto each other making me tumble and fall on the track like a sack of potatoes. An inelegant finish to say the least, I winced in pain holding onto my feet.

Sooho was over at my side in what seemed like an instant. He scooped me up effortlessly, as if I was cotton wool, and took me to the medical tent. I was in much too pain to pay any heed to how close my face was to his when I was in his arms or how tightly I held onto him.

The nurse gave due attention to my ankle before announcing it was a minor sprain. 'Ice pack and pain relief spray and you'll be fine tomorrow'.

My friends gathered round me.

'You do know that you came first in the 100 metres as well, don't you'? Soobin asked.

I was happy about that. They congratulated me and even brought me an ice-cream to make me feel better about my ankle.

Sooho accompanied me home after the prize distribution ceremony.

'Two first-place trophies, you must be really happy', he said on the bus.

'Yes, I am hoping this will help towards the sports scholarship'.

'Are you okay to walk? You can use me as a walking stick if you need', he offered when we got off at the bus stop.

'Gwenchhana, you have already helped my so much today Banjang'. Really it didn't hurt so much that I couldn't walk. I feared I would be too self-conscious if I were to lean on to him for support for a second time in one day.