May, the dodgeball disaster

by Outsider · 2026-10-07

The sunlight of May was pouring down on the playground.

It was quite hot even though it was still May.

A joint physical education class between Class 2 and Class 3. The sport was dodgeball.

I was sitting in the shade of the stands, at the highest point.

Next to me were my party members, Yoori, Minji, Serin, and Hanna, all sitting together and licking ice cream.

A peaceful afternoon... it should have been.

But my eyes were sharply scanning the playground.

Kim Serin: Hey, doesn’t the atmosphere feel a bit tense?

Serin clicked her tongue.

On the opposing Class 2 court.

There were not only Park Hyejin's group but also a few big male students mixed in.

Since it was a joint class, it was a co-ed game.

The problem was those male students.

Lee Jinseong from Class 2. He was a former pitcher on the baseball team.

He was infamous for his bad temper, and there were rumors he was involved with Park Hyejin.

Ugh!

"Kyaaa!"

The ball thrown by Jinseong hit the thigh of one of our female students hard.

The sound of the ball was different.

It sounded like a rock being thrown, not a dodgeball.

Choi Hanna: This is crazy... Is that dodgeball? It's a weapon of murder.

Hanna frowned.

That’s not a game. It’s hunting.

Park Hyejin whispered something to Jinseong.

And then she glanced up at our stands.

To be precise, at Baek Yoori.

The [crisis detection sensor] inside me lit up red.

'They’re targeting us.'

At that moment, the teacher blew the whistle.

Teacher: Alright, player substitution! Class 3, since you’re short on players, students in the stands come in!

Of course, our class's students were getting knocked out one by one, leaving us short on players.

Yoori got up hesitantly.

Yoori: I... I think I have to go out.

Seol-ah: Hey, Baek Yuri. Don't go out. They're targeting you.

I tried to stop her, but Yuri shook her head.

Yuri: We can't lose points. I'll take it easy and get out quickly.

Yuri went down to the playground. I bit down hard on the ice cream stick I was eating and broke it. It feels ominous.

The game resumed. Yuri was hiding as much as possible in the corner. But the hunting dogs were relentless. Park Hye-jin caught the ball. And passed it to Lee Jin-seong. Lee Jin-seong received the ball, smiled, and loosened his shoulders. He was standing right in front of the end line. The distance to Yuri was only 5 meters. Yuri's face turned pale.

Lee Jin-seong: Hey! Baek Yuri! It's a gift!

Park Hye-jin grinned maliciously and signaled to Lee Jin-seong. Lee Jin-seong adjusted his grip on the ball. The target was Yuri's torso. According to the mixed dodgeball rules, male students cannot attack female students' faces. That would be grounds for punishment. Moreover, Lee Jin-seong's throw is different from other male students' throws. There's no need to hit her in the face. Just hitting her stomach or thigh would definitely leave a bruise. He probably intends to at least give her a bruise. In that moment, time on the playground slowed down. Lee Jin-seong wound up. This is no joke. His form is that of a power pitcher, like an ace from the baseball team. My internal crisis detection sensor lit up all red. Staying still would be a big problem. Whoosh-! The moment he threw the ball, Lee Jin-seong's expression crumpled. It was a dodgeball, not a baseball. The aim went awry. Thud! At the same time, I hit the ground.

Lee Jin-seong: ...Huh?!

A scream burst from Lee Jin-seong's mouth.

The force was overwhelming.

The ball, scratched at the fingertips, curved in a bizarre trajectory.

The target was the torso, but the ball, having lost control, was being sucked toward Yuri's face.

'It's dangerous.'

Even if it wasn't a deadly weapon, it was a dodgeball thrown with full force by a well-built male student.

Moreover, if it was a ball thrown by a baseball team pitcher, it was already a lethal weapon.

If it hit directly, it wouldn't just end with a nosebleed.

There was a possibility of a serious accident like an orbital fracture if things went wrong.

Yuri seemed to be paralyzed with fear at the incoming ball's momentum.

She just opened her eyes wide, her face pale and frozen.

She was in a state where she couldn't even think about avoiding it.

'The distance is too far. Running alone won't be fast enough.'

In my line of sight, I saw Taeyang's legs sitting on the bench, watching the game.

There was no time to hesitate.

Seol-ah: Gang Taeyang! Put all your strength into your legs!

I shouted urgently and placed my foot on Taeyang's thigh.

Gang Taeyang: Huh? Ugh, what?!

Taeyang, reacting to my shout in surprise, instinctively tightened his leg muscles.

As expected of an athlete, his reaction was quick.

[System: Crisis detected. Instant acceleration correction.]

Using Taeyang's solid thigh as a springboard, I forcefully pushed off the ground.

My body, bouncing like a spring, arced into the court.

Whoosh!

With a sound that tore through the air, the ball rushed right up to Yuri's face.

Yuri: Ahhh!

Min-ji screamed, and Yu-ri instinctively tried to turn her head.

My body intervened, blocking Yu-ri's path.

The rotation of the ball was too fierce to take it head-on.

If I grabbed it recklessly, the ligaments in my fingers could stretch.

'It's not about receiving, but about letting it flow.'

My right hand gently extended and wrapped around the side of the ball.

Puh-uhk!

A heavy impact transmitted through my palm.

A tingling pain in my hand.

But I pulled my hand back, reducing the rotational force.

It was a technique that mixed the catching motion of baseball with the falling technique of judo to absorb the shock.

Using that elasticity, I curled my body around the ball, cradling it.

Kudang-tang!

I rolled once on the ground, but the acceleration that had attached itself did not easily die down.

My rolling body veered off the court line, charging toward the water station (water bottle table) next to the cheering section.

Wajang-chang! Urrr!

Seol-ah: Ku-uk…!

The loud noise of the table leg colliding with my shoulder echoed across the playground.

Bottles of water and paper cups stacked on the table poured down like a waterfall, covering my body.

Only after the cold deluge had poured did my rough movements finally come to a halt.

Seol-ah: …….

"......"

A suffocating silence flowed over the playground.

Lee Jin-seong, who threw the ball, turned pale, and Park Hye-jin covered her mouth.

It was an accident. This could have been a serious accident.

As the dust settled, someone squirmed among the pile of water bottles.

Seol-ah: ……Hoo.

Ragged breathing. It was me.

I lifted my wet body.

In my right hand, the ball thrown by Lee Jin-seong was gripped tightly enough to be deformed.

Yuri: ......Seol-ah unni?

Yuri called out in a trembling voice.

'Hey, you're only an unni at times like this? So scared.'

Instead of answering, I took a rough breath.

The sweet scent of the ion drink rushed through my nose and mouth.

It's so annoying.

I slowly raised my body.

Due to the shock, my black horn-rimmed glasses, which had sealed my beauty, were already shattered and flew far away.

Only silence flowed in the playground.

Lee Jin-seong, who threw the ball, was frozen like a statue in his pitching form, and Park Hye-jin had her mouth wide open as if her jaw would drop.

Suuup.

I roughly swept my wet hair sticking to my forehead.

I lifted my head, from which water was dripping, and stared straight ahead.

In that moment, the hot sunlight of May reflected off my wet face and sparkled.

Seol-ah: ...Haa.

The bare face without the barrier of glasses.

The true face of Baek Seol-ah, which had been thoroughly hidden until now, was revealed.

Her skin, like white jade, glowed transparently with moisture. Her doe-like eyes exuded a sharp yet mournful atmosphere.

Every time her long, wet eyelashes fluttered, it felt as if the surrounding air changed.

However, the real shock was beneath that.

The loose three-quarter sports top that was two sizes bigger than my body.

That outfit, which usually looked like a baggy sack, transformed as it soaked with water and sweat.

It clung perfectly to the silhouette of my body as if it had been vacuum-packed.

"......Cr-crazy."

Someone let out a groan-like sound.

That sound became the signal flare.

The overwhelming physique sculpted by Kim Cheol-soo's hellish training last winter was revealed, thoroughly concealed within loose clothing all this time.

This was on the level of a foul play.

The waistline was sharply defined. The wet pants clung to the legs, showcasing the solid lower body line honed by daily morning squats.

A frail, sickly-looking girl? No.

This is a beast.

An Amazon warrior, filled with combat muscles and yet possessing unbelievably beautiful curves, had descended.

A pure face with a violent body.

This unrealistic gap caused the entire student body on the playground to experience a brain freeze.

The male students collectively seemed to forget how to breathe, gasping "Hup!" as they swallowed their breaths.

From all around, boys whose faces were turning red to the point of bursting began to emerge.

Even Lee Jin-seong, who had thrown the ball, was completely devoid of guilt, his face flushed red, flustered about where to direct his gaze.

The reactions from the female students were equally intense.

Jealousy? No, this was admiration that transcended jealousy.

Serin covered her mouth and turned on her phone camera, while Hana muttered blankly, "Wow… Unni, take me…"

I was on the verge of dying from the discomfort of these heated gazes.

'Ugh, damn. Why is my clothes sticking like this? It's suffocating.'

I irritably tossed the ball I was holding onto the ground.

Bang!

Then I grabbed the zipper of my wet gym shirt.

Just to let some air in. That was all.

Zip.

With that languid and simple motion, the temperature on the playground rose by at least 5 degrees.

As the zipper went down, revealing a hint of my collarbone and neckline, moans and gasps erupted from everywhere, as if a dam had burst.

"Gasp!"

"This is insane, really..."

As I stood up awkwardly, Kang Tae-yang, who had tried to chase after me?

He was looking at me with a blank expression, blood dripping from his nose.

His soul had already left the building.

Kang Tae-yang: Ma… Master… No, Sister….

The 36-year-old man inside me, Kim Cheol-soo, held his head and screamed.

'Ah… I'm screwed.'

'A massive disaster has occurred that can't even be compared to this damn muscle loss.'

My peaceful (or what I thought was peaceful) school life was completely and spectacularly shattered as of today, along with this thrilling and intense visual shock.

That night, the message sent by Serin summarized the situation.

[Breaking news. You became the profile picture in the boys' group chat. Congratulations, goddess.]

……God. I think I’ll just buy another pair of glasses.