“I, I just wanted to tell you that Ji Hoo has become brighter. Well, I’m busy so I’ll be going now. Have a nice time.”

The teacher, unable to hide her trembling eyes, rambled on incoherently before hurrying away.

“Why on earth is she acting like that?”

Min Je stroked his chin with a truly perplexed expression.

Because of you! Ha Yeon wanted to say but couldn’t bring herself to, instead letting out a groan.

“Come on, let’s hurry and find a spot. All the good places are already taken.”

Jun Won gestured energetically for them to move.

On one side of the field, mats were set up for families to sit on, but the spots close to the event headquarters were already packed with people.

“A quieter area might be better.”

As Min Je walked towards the most secluded spot, Jun Won muttered “That’s just like him” while scratching his face.

Ha Yeon was holding Ji Hoo’s hand and walking behind the two men, and the murmuring intensified as they passed. The expressions of the older women were like ginseng diggers shouting “We’ve struck gold!”

Ha Yeon knew Min Je always attracted attention with his striking features and tall stature, but Jun Won was unexpected.

‘Now that I look, he’s quite handsome.’

Ha Yeon realized today that Jun Won’s looks could also be quite appealing to many women, having been overshadowed by Min Je.

Jun Won, with his long hair tied back and glasses on, was shorter than Min Je but by no means short compared to others. The sight of the two walking side by side was surreal, like models on a runway.

“Oh my, who are those strikingly handsome men?”

“You know, the one who runs the art gallery…”

“Ah, the single father raising a child alone?”

“But who’s that woman?”

“I heard she came as the new nanny…”

Excuse me, we can hear you. Ha Yeon felt like she was being chewed up as gossip fodder, but she endured for Ji Hoo’s sake. The child’s face was simply shining with excitement for the sports day.

After settling in a corner spot, an MC came up on stage to greet everyone. Being from a company specializing in such events, his speaking skills were quite smooth.

“Alright friends, if we start the sports day without warming up, our muscles might go owie-owie. So before we begin, let’s do some warm-up exercises. Grandmas, grandpas, older sisters, older brothers, aunts, uncles, everyone come forward.”

At the MC’s gesture, people flocked to gather on the field. Upbeat music blared non-stop from the speakers.

“We’ll do stretches in pairs of two.”

At the MC’s words, Ha Yeon naturally thought she’d pair with Ji Hoo and looked at the child. But feeling Ha Yeon’s gaze, Ji Hoo quickly grabbed Jun Won’s hand and said:

“I want to do it with uncle.”

“Huh? You want to warm up with the driver?”

Ha Yeon gaped in bewilderment at the completely unexpected situation.

“Ah, can’t be helped I guess.”

Jun Won shrugged once and immediately started paired stretching with Ji Hoo. That left only Min Je and Ha Yeon.

The two made eye contact, unable to hide their embarrassment. They were the only ones left standing awkwardly on the field without stretching, making them stand out.

“Did you two have a lovers’ quarrel?”

When the MC joked, laughter erupted here and there.

“We’re not a coup-!”

As Ha Yeon tried to object, Min Je let out a long sigh and stopped her.

“Let’s just do it.”

Caught off guard as her wrist was grabbed, Ha Yeon stood facing Min Je, unable to control her wavering gaze.

“Just pretend to do it, roughly.”

“O-Okay.”

She awkwardly put her hands on his shoulders, and her heart started racing wildly.

They placed both hands on each other’s shoulders and bent at the waist to stretch, their heads bumping a few times in the process.

Ha Yeon gasped involuntarily. She hadn’t known stretching could be such a strain on the heart before.

The MC now instructed them to stand back-to-back and link arms behind them. Why are you choosing only such close contact poses? Ha Yeon glared at the innocent MC, blaming him.

Due to the nature of the family sports day, such stretches were deliberately included to promote bonding, but to Ha Yeon it all felt like a ploy to torment her.

“Just bend slightly at the waist so you don’t get hurt.”

Min Je thought that given their height difference, if Ha Yeon bent slightly, his feet wouldn’t leave the ground. He calculated this would reduce the weight on Ha Yeon. But his feet left the ground?

“Huh? What did you say?”

Ha Yeon, who had missed Min Je’s words due to being so tense, belatedly understood and put him down.

“Don’t tell me you used to be a champion wrestler?”

Min Je raised an eyebrow, surprised by Ha Yeon’s strength in lifting him.

“What did you say?”

Bristling at being called a wrestler, Ha Yeon unlinked arms and whirled towards him.

But Min Je also turned towards her at the same time, bringing their faces close enough to touch. Ha Yeon forgot what she was going to say due to the proximity.

“Don’t… tease me.”

Ha Yeon barely finished her sentence, her heart pounding so fiercely she thought it might burst out of her chest.

Min Je stroked his chin, feeling quite strange in a way he couldn’t express. He thought he was quite immune to women, but was he not?

He knew well that his actions could give someone the wrong idea. That’s why he tried to maintain a clear attitude with the countless women he met for business.

He got cursed at a lot for being rude because of it, but he didn’t mind. It was better than getting needlessly entangled in troublesome situations.

But Ha Yeon kept stirring up strange sensations in him. Her clear face that caused him to waver made him want to keep watching her. He also felt the urge to test how far his composure would crumble.

It was getting worse during their nightly tutoring sessions disguised as meetings, which is why Min Je was treating her in an even more businesslike manner.

“I didn’t make it up.”

Min Je answered gruffly as he stepped back slightly. Otherwise, he might not have been able to take his eyes off her trembling eyelashes.

Just then, the stretching ended. Ha Yeon sighed in relief, thinking it fortunate to have escaped the awkward situation.

“Alright, now that we’re warmed up, shall we start the sports day with a cheer? When I say ‘One Heart’, you all say ‘Sports Day’. One Heart! Sports Day!”

Amidst the cheers, smoke and bubbles poured out from the stage. Children jumped to catch the bubbles while adults clapped along with the atmosphere.

But Ha Yeon muttered to herself with mixed feelings.

“What one heart… I can’t even control my own heart…”

Watching the bubbles shimmer in rainbow colors under the sunlight, Ji Hoo whispered to Jun Won.

“I did well, right?”

“Yes, you did very well.”

Jun Won winked at Ji Hoo.

And so the ‘One Heart’ sports day began in earnest.

“Next up is the obstacle course for the Blue Team. Blue Team members, please come forward.”

It was Ji Hoo’s turn to compete. Cheers of encouragement for the competing children could be heard from all around.

“Ji Hoo, fighting!”

Ha Yeon also cheered loudly for Ji Hoo. Seeing that, Ji Hoo smiled faintly.

Seeing that smile, Ha Yeon shuddered as if struck by Cupid’s arrow of love. How do you get cuter with each passing day?

“You didn’t lie on your resume, did you?”

Min Je, who had been staring at the shivering Ha Yeon, asked with a complicated expression.

“Huh? No, I didn’t. Why?”

“Ah, I thought you might have some unknown illness.”

This guy, really! Ha Yeon glared at Min Je once before hurriedly taking out her phone. She didn’t have time to argue with him now. She had to record Ji Hoo’s performance.

As she acted just like any other mother would, Min Je couldn’t help but smile. What a curious woman. No one could make her act like that if they tried.

While he was thinking this, the race quickly ended. Ji Hoo came in second place by a narrow margin.

“You were really amazing! The best!”

Ha Yeon praised generously while wiping the sweat from the child’s forehead.

“Ji Hoo, I’m impressed. You seemed faster than me?”

Jun Won also offered congratulations with a smile. And naturally, all eyes turned to Min Je.

“…”

Min Je briefly considered what the gazes directed at him meant. He needed to say something to Ji Hoo, but he was terribly weak at this sort of thing.

Things like expressing affection, giving compliments, or revealing his inner thoughts. How could he say such embarrassing words that felt like bugs crawling on his face?

Seeing him standing silently like a mute who’d eaten honey, Ha Yeon gave him a look.

‘You should praise him at times like this!’

Seeing her excessively blinking eyes, his stiff face naturally relaxed.

“Well done. You worked hard.”

Though gruff and dry for words meant for a child, Ji Hoo’s face broke into a lovely smile upon hearing Min Je’s praise.

“Look, I got a prize.”

Ji Hoo held up the stationery set he received as a reward.

“I see, that’s nice.”

Min Je smiled and ruffled the child’s hair, but honestly wondered if he’d like that when the house was already full of stationery. Even to himself, he thought something must be broken inside him.

He knew well that a part of him was malfunctioning, like gears that don’t turn when misaligned. So he always felt guilty towards Ji Hoo in one corner of his heart. Worried that Ji Hoo might grow up broken like himself.

Just then, the MC’s announcement was heard.

“Next up is the highlight of our sports day, the three-legged race. The winning team will receive a special giant stuffed animal as a prize.”

At the mention of the three-legged race, Jun Won and Ji Hoo’s expressions subtly changed. But Min Je, lost in his somber thoughts, didn’t notice.

“Why is my stomach suddenly hurting so much?”

Jun Won said in an awkward acting tone as he stood up.

“I want to go to the bathroom too.”

Seeing Ji Hoo follow Jun Won, Ha Yeon asked:

“Ji Hoo, didn’t you say you wanted that teddy bear?”

The prizes were displayed prominently to attract the children’s interest. Ji Hoo had said he wanted the big stuffed animal, feeling it was like a trophy for winning the sports day.

“Um, well… Big sister and dad can win it for me.”

Ji Hoo smiled brightly as he gave this very clear answer.