Chapter 288: Incident on the Track (3)
"You know...should we stop this PD-nim? At this rate, won’t they all be injured? These boys are so rough with each other!" Areum, the leader of Red Lace, asked the PD while wincing as she watched a soccer ball get launched across a field and slam into the leg of a contestant who fell to the ground in pain.
As an idol with over a decade of experience, she had experienced many Idol Star Athletic Championships and seen her fair share of injuries, but it seemed like today’s field day was on a whole different level.
Instead of a fun set of matches for contestants to let loose and compete a little bit, this felt like a brutal coliseum match where the contestants were letting out their frustrations to the fullest extent.
Ankles were being twisted, balls were being hit at people’s faces, and the number of injuries was constantly rising.
What shocked her was that the person who had done the most damage was the most unlikely suspect.
Areum turned to look at the red-faced, green-eyed boy laughing like a maniac as he and another boy with long, jet black hair passed the ball back and forth between each other while deftly avoiding the opposing team trying to steal the ball.
Several seconds later, the ball had hit the net, while the blue tracksuit jacket had been taken off and was being waved in celebration as the opposing team in yellow tracksuits tried to rally.
"It’s fine. They’re just letting off steam and getting a little competitive. Plus, none of these injuries is serious. A little makeup, some spit, and some extra meat for dinner, and they’ll be as right as rain. They’re young, so everything heals quickly, even if they injure something." PD Ji-ho said with an unbothered smile.
He had filmed previous Idol Sports day competitions and, due to the clauses and pushback from various entertainment agencies, was accustomed to the idols putting in minimal effort because they wanted to look good for the cameras or were concerned about injuring themselves due to their busy schedules.
Seeing the raw expressions and the amount of effort put in by the contestants was quite pleasing, and it was surprising to see that many of the contestants were actually quite talented.
"Really? Shouldn’t we at least give them a break? It’s hot, and I’m sure they’re not used to the Korean heat and humidity. We’ve had quite a few nosebleeds, too," Areum asked with an unconvinced expression.
Although it wasn’t comparable to the later summer months, the heat was getting pretty intense, and the humidity was rising.
As native Koreans and idols, she and the Red Lace team members naturally had hand fans to cool themselves and umbrellas to prevent their skin from tanning from the sun, but the boys had been running around in full tracksuits, with many of their faces turning red and sweaty from exertion.
"Yeah, it’s fine. Let’s just power through the last event, and then they can have a break. Since nobody has passed out, it’s all good."
Areum’s eyes scanned the field before focusing on one person.
"Well, I think you got your wish. Somebody is passing out."
She pointed at the same green-eyed boy who was weaving in one spot before crumpling to the ground in a limp motion.
**********
"I’m really hot," Ari complained as he fanned himself.
"How’s your nose?" Alfonso asked as he watched Ari wipe his nose.
"It’s fine. The bleeding stopped. It’s just hot. I wish they would let us play shirtless instead of wearing these stupid track suits."
"It’s the stupid PPL symbol. We have to show it, ugh. There’s literally no airflow." Alfonso groaned in agreement while tying his thick hair in a high bun.
Because he and Ari were the two best players on the team, they had been running back and forth on the field to win the previous game and were now drenched in sweat after the dog fight with William’s team.
Unfortunately for them, Benjamin’s team quickly won their game, so they had no chance to rest before the final match-up.
Since complaining wouldn’t do anything, and the day would only get hotter, Ari shook himself out before meeting Benjamin at the center of the field.
"Big man Ari, this was the matchup of the Euro Cup finals last year, innit?" Benjamin spoke to Ari with a refreshed but sweaty smile.
As someone who grew up playing soccer and previously tried to play it every weekend before joining Pop Star Academy, he enjoyed letting loose on the field and really stretching his legs, showing off his skills.
And now, it seemed that he actually had some unexpectedly good competition to go against.
Both Ari and Alfonso were clearly very skilled, so it should be a fun match.
"And just like France beat England at the Euros and then again at the World Cup, I plan on beating you soundly today. Don’t cry when you lose." Ari smiled back at him as he tucked his soaked hair behind his ears, while trying to cool off by fanning himself.
He was very hot.
Since he wasn’t wearing his Otterly adorable tracksuit, he felt unusually sweaty and overheated, especially as the sun continued to beat down overhead.
And with his nose feeling stuffy after a nosebleed, he was finding it a bit hard to breathe after running back and forth on the soccer field.
Still, it was quite fun, and if he and Alfonso could hold on, they could win the game and have their team back on top, allowing them to claim the Beef prize.
"You’re bare confident, yeah? I should have known you were good at footy when you blind juggled that water bottle on stage. But this time, my team is winning, but good effort to both of you."
"Don’t count your ducks yet; we still have a chance."
"Rahhhh." Laughing in his usual loud way, Benjamin turned to his teammates.
"2 man leave the field so we can have an even game, yeah? You can sub in if you want to play. But we’ll do a 4 on 4 match no goalie. Fairs?"
"C’est bon."
As the whistle blew, Ari distinctly remembered playing the game and even scoring a nice one-touch goal with Alfonso and celebrating by removing this stuffy jacket.
And then, for some reason, he was looking at the grass and then at the sky before everything went black.
*******
When Ari woke up, he was lying on a tarp-like material on the grass with some kind of object fanning him.
As he blinked slowly, he heard a voice shout.
"He’s up! He’s awake."
Turning his head, he saw that it was Alfonso who was fanning him with a worried expression.
After blinking and gathering his thoughts for several seconds, Ari asked the most pressing question.
"Why am I lying down?"
"You passed out."
"Oh. Did I?"
"Yeah, they’re saying it’s heat stroke. How do you feel?"
"Hmm," Ari commented lightly before closing his eyes and savouring the cool towel on his head.
His body felt completely overheated and weak, but he couldn’t believe that it was to the level that he had passed out.
He had definitely worked harder, in higher temperatures, with less sleep than right now, so he knew that he wasn’t overworked.
He had been eating a healthy, balanced diet these days instead of living off convenience store food like he had when he was homeless.
And while he wasn’t the best with humidity, it wasn’t to the level that he should be passing out after running around for a few minutes, even if his nose had bled.
Adding in the frequent injuries and sickness, it was just strange because his body shouldn’t be this weak.
No matter how Ari thought about it, he could only come to the conclusion that something was seriously wrong with his body.
And the only thing he could ask was NOVA.
However, since someone was here and he couldn’t start talking nonsense into the air, it would just have to wait.
"I’m okay. I’m sure it was surprising."
"That’s an understatement. Today is the first time anyone has ever seen you sweat and turn red like that. Usually, no matter how much you practice, no one has ever seen you sweaty unless you’re on stage. You know it’s one of your urban myths? Ari doesn’t sweat, and if someone enters the cursed time practice room with you, time doesn’t pass, no matter how hard you work."
Urban myths?
What kind of nonsense were people talking behind his back?
"The second thing is just nonsense. And I don’t sweat because the ventilation of my brown tracksuit is excellent. That’s why I wear it all the time."
"Ohhh? Really? I need to get one. Where did you get it from?"
"It was a custom gift. One of a kind, never to be made again."
From a magical being.
"Ah. Of course. Anyway, are you okay to get up? The PD said we need to do a closing ceremony when you wake up."
"Sure. Is there a drink somewhere? I’m a bit thirsty."
"Yeah, here. PPL electrolyte drink. It’s nasty, but you need to drink it all. Then water."
Ari sat up, took the bottle with radioactive green liquid inside, and took a sip, wincing at the strange, sweet yet salty drink that was uncomfortably warm.
Chugging it all back, he gagged before washing out his mouth with the water.
"Wait, did we win the game?" Ari suddenly remembered the reason he passed out in the first place.
"Well, we won the soccer match, but since we only had 3 people, we had to forfeit the cavalry battle. The yellow team won overall. We came in second."
"Well, I guess no, all you can eat beef. That sucks. Sorry."
"That’s what you’re worried about when you passed out?"
"Obviously. You guys seemed really excited for it."
Alfonso stared at him for several seconds before shaking his head.
"It’s fine. Levi already promised to treat the team to the same restaurant on his parents’ tab."
"Levi did? Huh. He’s feeling the team vibe. How nice. Are Justin and Jamie back?"
"No, not yet."
"Okay. Let’s go get this over with. I’m tired. Let’s see what amazing prize the PD is providing apart from beef."