Chapter 25: Regionals | Day 1

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JL watched them scatter, adrenaline starting to creep in. He wasn't running today, but he could feel it building. The nerves. The weight of the eyes on them. And Han... Han stood just beside him, still as ever, but somehow radiating enough heat to make JL's skin itch.

"I'll be at the javelin sector," Shuaibo said in passing, already tying his hair back. "Don't scream too loudly when I make it look easy."

Juwon beamed, already jogging backwards. "Only if you give us a good pose after your throw. C'mon, our track team instagram needs content."

The day was only beginning.

And so was everything else simmering just beneath the surface.


The announcer's voice rang out over the stadium speakers:

"Up next in the men's hurdles: Seo Jeongwoo of KNSU."

A sudden surge of screams echoed from the stands.

A sudden surge of screams echoed from the stands

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@idolrunnerz: IT'S HIM!! JEONGWOO SEO!! THE BOY FROM THE MV!! THE LEGEND!! #FACECARD #FACEECONOMY #FACEKINGDOM

@jeongwooseo_myname: People don't get it. Jeongwoo wasn't even trying to be famous. He was just existing at a bus stop and got scouted. That's how pretty he is.

@knsutearoom: For those unfamiliar: YES this is the same Jeongwoo who starred in that one indie MV that made everyone cry. Yes, there's a poster in the team room. Yes, he looks better in real life.


From the sidelines, JL leaned forward slightly. Jeongwoo looked calm as he stepped into his lane, his expression as sweet as always -- like he'd just wandered onto the track after helping someone carry groceries. But beneath it, JL could see it: the coil of determination in his spine, the way his fingers twitched at his sides, the way his jaw clenched just before the whistle.

The gun fired. Jeongwoo surged forward.

And in an instant, the stadium's noise changed. Not louder, just more focused, more reverent. The way Jeongwoo moved over the hurdles was clean, elegant, almost too pretty for the sport. But his speed, his takeoff, the flex of his thighs and core... there was nothing soft about it. He looked like someone who'd been working every night in secret, sharpening something inside himself.



@thighnation: i'm sorry... who allowed Jeongwoo to have an innocent face and a Marvel body?? The duality is insane #knsuvisual #trackidol2025 #knsuregionals

@sjwoo: his smile is so gentle but that form? that drive?? he's here to win and alpha jeongwoo is DOING THINGS TO ME OK #sjwglobal #knsutrackteam

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