Genius Archer’s Streaming - Chapter 194

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Genius Archer’s Streaming Season 1 Episode 194
66. A Trivial Story (1)
The Namyangju branch of the Archery Cafe.
The sound of Dongsu’s car pulling in urgently reaches my ears.
Thanks to the loud exhaust, it’s easy to recognize from quite a distance away.
The CEO’s peculiar taste in cars.
At that price point, he could’ve bought a self-driving vehicle instead.
But according to him, a real man drives a naturally aspirated V8 and turns the wheel himself….
Regardless, the evening shift manager felt relieved.
A man with a sturdy build and short-cropped hair enters through the entrance.
The CEO—Dong-su Lee.
“CEO! You really came. Thank goodness. Since our Punk quit last year, I was about to call Soyeon.”
“Soyeon?”
Dongsu, who was hurriedly changing into his uniform, pauses.
“Yes. Lee Soyeon.”
“Ah….”
Just a coincidence that they share the same name.
Now that I think about it, I never brought up the subject when I met Sanghyeon.
‘Soyeon Han….’
Soyeon Han and Sang-hyun Yu.
That these two shared something quite special, even I—someone who couldn’t read the room to save my life back then—could tell.
Whenever I’d ask just in case, they’d vehemently deny it.
「M-Me, dating her?! W-What are you talking about!」
「That’s ridiculous! We’re just friends!」
The way they’d answer in flustered surprise was equivalent to advertising “we’re dating,” though they didn’t realize it back then.
‘Apparently they never actually dated.’
Later, when I heard about it through Hyeonju, she said they never claimed to be in a relationship.
But what does that even mean?
There’s no denying they were special to each other.
That’s probably why I couldn’t bring up Soyeon’s name in front of Sanghyeon either.
“Um. CEO?”
The manager tapped me gently.
“Ah… What?”
“Are you alright?”
“Yeah. Yeah. I came in such a rush that I’m a bit out of it. Why?”
“Oh, it’s that target over there. I think we need to replace one. We’re out of stock. So I set it aside for now.”
“Ah. The target. I’ll place an order. You can head out for now.”
“Yes, sir!”
The manager flees like lightning at the word “head out.”
At the sight, I couldn’t help but let out a quiet laugh.
“Let me see… the target…”
He headed toward the archery range set up in one corner of the cafe.
Dongsu walked across the grass-covered ground and lifted up a target that was falling apart at the seams.
“Wow. Who shot this thing so intensely? Were they trying to destroy it?”
Dongsu muttered to himself as he examined the cheap target from every angle.
Yellow, red, black.
As if hypnotized by these three colors, how intensely had someone been shooting?
Back in those days, we were…

* * *
Dongsu first saw Sanghyeon in his first year of high school.
That was when he was also taking archery seriously.
During middle school, he’d even prided himself on being fairly skilled.
But I remember preparing myself mentally for what was to come.
‘This school specializes in traditional sports after all…’
Cheonggyae High School, where he enrolled, was a general humanities school, but it was in the process of specializing in extracurricular activities.
Among these, because of the focus on traditional sports—taekwondo and archery leading the way—there were many departments handling traditional sports that had existed since ancient times.
For instance, track and field received significant investment in our country, which was uncommon.
Of course, even so, it would be less than at a sports high school.
He couldn’t attend a sports high school due to his family’s financial situation, and Cheonggyae High was the only alternative.
It seemed that Sang-hyun Yu, whom he would meet, was in a similar situation.
His first impression of Sang-hyun Yu was ‘nerves of steel.’
It was similar yet quite different from how Sanghyeon appeared now as a streamer.
I’d say he was more raw back then.
“Welcome to the archery club. This isn’t a place where you shoot for fun. If you shoot carelessly, you’ll get hit, understand?”
In front of the seniors who declared from the start that they would whip us into shape,
Sanghyeon, standing right next to Dongsu, showed no change in expression.
You might ask what the big deal was. But to young Dongsu, it was incredibly impressive.
And why Sanghyeon could be so unfazed became clear that very day.
“Alright. First, a simple entrance exam.”
The seniors set up the targets, and we each picked up our bows.
“We’ve set it to Olympic standards. If you shoot even one 10-point, you’re admitted.”
In fact, if a player shot a single 10-point at the Olympics, they might be permanently banned.
But back then, we were first-year high school students.
For those who hadn’t even finished growing, Olympic-standard difficulty was quite challenging.
“Who’s going to shoot first…”
Whoosh!
Before the seniors could even finish speaking, an arrow flew.
And the arrow lodged itself right in the center of the target.
Thunk!
“…T-ten points?!”
Dongsu blurted it out without thinking.
In that moment, another arrow flew.
Thunk!
Another ten points.
Then, four of the five arrows he’d prepared in succession struck the ten-point zone.
The remaining arrow veered slightly off, scoring nine points.
Sanghyeon clicked his tongue as if even that was disappointing.
“Ah… I made a mistake.”
It was then that Dongsu had a sudden realization.
‘What… what is this guy?’
He existed in an entirely different world from us.
‘He’s not even standing in the proper position.’
At that moment, Sanghyeon wasn’t even facing the target head-on.
He stood at a forty-five-degree angle. From that stance, he simply shot toward the target.
“…You pass.”
The senior called out the passing verdict.
“But you stay after this.”
Along with words that carried a hint of menace.

* * *
Dongsu barely managed to hit ten points twice and succeeded in joining the club.
The club activity that day ended simply with an explanation of future plans.
‘I wonder what’ll happen to that guy.’
Worried about Sanghyeon’s fate, Dongsu left the gymnasium, then quietly circled back to peek through the rear window.
The seniors surrounded Sanghyeon.
As expected.
‘This is bad.’
He was taken aback by how predictably things were unfolding. However, fortunately, he didn’t need to take any action.
“Ah. Sanghyeon’s here.”
A voice that seemed to belong to the Coach.
“Hello.”
“Good. You came to Cheonggyeong High. I’m relieved. Did you greet everyone?”
The seniors froze before the Coach who had suddenly appeared. Moreover, realizing that the Coach already knew Sanghyeon, they sensed something was amiss.
“Ah… we were just about to.”
“Is that so? Hmm.”
The Coach smiled faintly and spoke dismissively.
“You’re taking quite long with introductions.”
The seniors left silently and headed home.
Phew.
Dongsu, who had been watching, finally let out a sigh of relief.
Sanghyeon, who had been chatting with the Coach about this and that, emerged from the gymnasium about five minutes later.
“Huh?”
Dongsu approached him as if they’d run into each other by chance, feigning surprise.
“…?”
Sanghyeon tilted his head, apparently not remembering Dongsu, and tried to walk past.
“Hey, hey! You don’t remember me?”
“…It’s my first day at school. How would I know you?”
“Come on. I was the guy standing next to you.”
“Oh.”
Sanghyeon tried to walk past again.
“Hey! Wait a second!”
“No. Why?”
When Dongsu grabbed him again, Sanghyeon’s expression turned irritable.
“I’m Dong-su Lee.”
Understanding that he was introducing himself, Sanghyeon’s expression softened slightly.
“…I’m Sang-hyun Yu.”
Watching Sanghyeon shake his hand, Dongsu thought he didn’t seem like a bad guy.
“Why did you do that earlier?”
“Do what?”
“Suddenly shooting arrows like that. In archery practice, safety comes first and second.”
“Oh.”
Sanghyeon’s words from back then, spoken with a slight smirk, Dongsu still remembered perfectly.
“You talk too much and it’s annoying.”
‘…This crazy bastard.’
He had shot deliberately, knowing it was rude.
Dongsu should have said something in response, but he couldn’t bring himself to.
Honestly, he was intimidated by Sanghyeon’s presence.
He’d never seen anyone shoot a bow that well before.
However, someone appeared much faster than expected to speak on Dongsu’s behalf.
“Hey.”
The shadow of a girl blocking their path.
Just from her shadow, you could tell she was pretty—that kind of girl. Soyeon Han was.
“What was that about suddenly shooting arrows?”
“….”
Sanghyeon, who had been so cold to Dongsu, couldn’t speak properly in front of Soyeon. Was it because she was a girl?
“What do you mean ‘what’? Do you want to get beaten to death on your first day? And you’re not even someone who hasn’t learned archery.”
“…Are you in the archery club too?”
“Yeah. I was right next to you.”
Dongsu interjected at this point.
“I was right next to you! Good to see you!”
“….”
Soyeon glanced at him with disdain before turning her gaze back to Sanghyeon.
‘She has no interest in me!?’
Dongsu felt wounded.
Soyeon’s nagging continued a bit longer.
“That’s something you can’t complain about even if it actually happened.”
“Sigh….”
Sanghyeon, having nothing to say, simply sighed and trudged forward.
“Hey!”
“I won’t do it next time.”
“!?”
He turned back to Soyeon and made his promise. For a moment, their eyes met. Of course, they both quickly looked away.
“What?”
“Next time… I won’t do it.”
“What if you do?”
“Then hit me.”
This was the first meeting of the three of them.
After Sanghyeon left in a hurry.
Dongsu asked Soyeon.
“But… you’re Soyeon, right? Why are you still here?”
“…Huh? What do you mean?”
“Class ended a while ago. Why are you here?”
“…”
Soyeon simply ignored Dongsu and walked away into the distance.
Dongsu was hurt again.
“Doesn’t… doesn’t he hear me well…?”
He absently touched his own throat.

* * *
After that, my memories of Sanghyeon were merely fragmented—the archery club’s rising star, ace, super rookie.
That was all.
There was only one other moment that left an impression as strong as our first meeting.
A year later, during my second year of high school.
“Gold medal! Sang-hyun Yu! How many lenses did he shatter!? Hitting the center consecutively, he claims gold! The youngest at the National Championships!?”
“Yes! Remarkable! With our coaching staff being exported overseas, archery was in danger, but now there’s hope….”
Sanghyeon had won the gold medal at the National Championships.
The next day.
Even those who didn’t know who Sanghyeon was could figure out which class he was in, given how the girls were whispering from a distance.
“Wow… he’s really handsome.”
“Him?”
“What, what is this, he’s a real archer. When did he shoot my heart!?”
“I’ve decided on my future dream. I’m going to be a bow.”
Dongsu was dying of envy.
But when he thought about how the neighborhood guys would have swarmed him if he’d won the gold medal himself,
he realized the real issue lay elsewhere.
Still, that envy didn’t last long.
As was always the case with archery athletes, the attention didn’t even last a week.
Eventually, he was just known as “oh, that archery guy?” Few children even remembered the name Sanghyeon.
Dongsu thought this was the reason.
“It got boring.”
That’s what he said when he came back after a few months at the athlete’s village—the reason he quit.
Dongsu attributed it to the standing of archery as a sport. Recognition that only shines when you win a medal.
It’s not like soccer or baseball with well-established professional leagues.
It’s a boring sport to watch.
Just something that boosts national pride.
Since it was a sport where shooting for personal satisfaction was better, he figured that’s why Sanghyeon quit.
‘Attention seeker.’
That’s all Dongsu cursed to himself.
But Soyeon didn’t seem to think that way.
The moment Sanghyeon turned to leave, she suddenly threw down her bow and rushed after him.
“Hey! That doesn’t make any sense!!!”
Dongsu had never heard Soyeon Han raise her voice like that.
She could be a bit nagging, but she was never the type to shout.
Thwack!
Watching her grab Sanghyeon’s shoulder, he realized this was what Soyeon looked like when she was truly angry.
Even from a distance, seeing only their silhouettes, there was something between them that was hard to break into.
Dongsu just watched from afar.
“What do you mean it’s none of your business!? You… don’t you know there are kids who enlisted because of you!? Hyeonju!? Jonghyeon!?”
“Why should I waste my time on something boring because of those kids?”
Soyeon Han froze at his cold response, as if her mind had shut down.
Sanghyeon turned back around in that moment, passed through the athletic field, and left through the school gates. He was transferring schools.
Dongsu couldn’t even manage a farewell.

* * *
About six months had passed since that incident.
Both Dongsu and Soyeon were now proper third-year students.
By now, the existence of Sang-hyun Yu was gradually fading from their memories.
As is always the case with children, they adapt quickly.
“Sigh. I don’t have much talent for archery anyway. I haven’t studied at all. I have no idea how I’m going to survive.”
After lunch period. Dongsu lay on a bench as usual, lamenting his circumstances.
It was the sort of thing unprepared third-year students always said.
By this point, Soyeon would normally scold him, telling him to study instead of wasting time. She had a mature side to her.
But today, those words didn’t come.
She only muttered seriously into her phone.
“What…? Where did you see him?”
Dongsu quietly sat up and looked at her.
Her expression was unusual.
“…He came back to Huchae?”
As mentioned, children adapt quickly.
Soyeon had a mature side to her.
She still hadn’t forgotten Sang-hyun Yu.
“Tell me exactly. Where did you see Sang-hyun Yu?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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