Kian’s POV

They rushed in close again—one grabbed my collar, another tried to pin my arms, and the third pulled back his fist to punch me. But over the past year, Kai had drilled combat techniques into my muscle memory. I didn't even need massive physical strength to win this fight; just a bit of proper technique was more than enough.

In a matter of seconds, I deflected their grips, swept their legs, and sent all three of them crashing onto the floor, groaning in pain.

The entire classroom stood frozen in absolute shock.

I stared at my own hands, utterly stunned myself. Was that really me who just did that?

Maybe learning how to fight from Kai was actually a good thing after all!

Panicking at the sight of their bruises, I quickly reached out. "Let me take you all to the infirmary!"

Holding their bruised arms and clutching their sides, the three bullies winced in pain, rejected my help, and limped off to the infirmary with the help of other classmates instead.

As the afternoon wrapped up, a strange, overwhelming boredom settled over me.

This past year had been so chaotic. I had zero free time for myself because Kai took up every single hour after class. Now that he had graduated and wasn't on campus today, there was no sports practice, no running laps, and no dance training.

I had finally broken free... so why did I feel so empty and bored?

I used to spend every single evening by his side. I told myself it was natural to feel a little out of place at first, but I would get used to my old life again soon. Finally being free from his ruthless commands was supposed to be a blessing!

Walking past the campus athletic field, I stopped to watch a few guys playing football. A small smile touched my lips.

A year ago, I was terrified of playing sports or making a complete fool of myself in front of everyone. People used to laugh at me constantly, even when I hadn't done anything wrong. But today, I wasn't scared of falling down anymore.

Why? Because Kai had forced me to fall and get back up a hundred thousand times over.

I looked down at my arms and knees. My skin was still covered in faint, pale scars from all the scrapes I had gotten over the past year—some had completely healed, while others were still fading.

Yet, as I walked toward the bus stop, a sudden wave of genuine happiness washed over my chest. During that classroom fight earlier, I hadn't felt even a single drop of fear when those bullies raised their hands against me.

I didn't run away.

I reached home early for the first time in months, only to find myself sitting on my bed, feeling thoroughly restless with nothing to do.

My mom looked out from the kitchen, surprised to see me. "What's the matter, Kian? You came home so early today!"

"Classes finished early today, Mom," I said softly, giving her a reassuring smile.

She nodded warmly and went back to cooking.

I lay back on my bed, staring up at the ceiling in the quiet room.

The quiet house felt strangely vast and silent. For the first time in a full year, I had all the free time in the world... yet my mind couldn't stop wandering back to a pair of cold, dark eyes.

The next day was the official college football tournament.

Standing near the bleachers, I spotted the three bullies I had beaten up yesterday. There was no way they were playing today—their legs were bruised and limping. I felt a tiny twinge of guilt, wondering if I had gone too hard on them. Still... they shouldn't have stepped in my way to bully me in the first place.

Suddenly, the head coach marched right up to me. "Those three players said you're good at playing football. You're filling in for them today."

I blinked in utter bewilderment. "Wait, what?! But I—"

Before I could even object, my name was officially announced over the stadium loudspeakers. Why did people constantly drag me into these high-pressure situations?!

My heart pounded with anxiety as the coach literally dragged me out onto the field. Around the bleachers, students whispered in confusion, wondering why the coach had put a nobody like me into the main lineup.

Then, the referee blew the whistle, and the match began.

To my complete shock... the game felt surprisingly easy.

I instinctively moved across the turf, executing every single drill and maneuver Kai had drilled into me over the past year. Kai was an impossibly talented goalkeeper during our private practice sessions, and he had taught me exact, high-level techniques to bypass top defenders. I simply followed everything he had trained me to do—reading the field, dodging tackles, and passing the ball with precise timing.

Before I even realized how much time had passed, the final whistle blew.

The stadium erupted into roaring cheers—our team had won the championship!

I stood near the center circle, catching my breath. They played so well! Honestly, they didn't even need eleven players—ten of them could have won it on their own!

Suddenly, a crowd of teammates rushed over, scooped me up, and tossed me high into the air!

"KIAN! KIAN! KIAN!"

The entire crowd was chanting my name. I was completely stunned. What did I even do?! All I had done was kick the ball past the goalkeeper using the exact angles Kai had taught me!.

During the award ceremony, our team was presented with gold medals. The moment the ceremony ended, a crowd of students—including several girls—surrounded me, praising my performance. A few of them even confessed their feelings to me right on the spot!

My head was spinning. Oh my god... what am I supposed to say to them?!

For an entire year, everyone on campus had viewed me as a weak, pathetic, vulnerable guy, throwing me disgusting, pitying glares. How could one single football match change everything so completely? It felt totally unbelievable!

I politely apologized, turned down the romantic confessions, and quickly slipped away from the crowd toward the locker room.

Sun walked over with a big, bright smile, clapping my shoulder. "You bad boy! You really know how to play hide-and-seek with your talents! You had all these amazing skills hidden away and kept telling me you didn't know anything! You even beat up those bullies so badly—why did you ever let those guys hurt you for so long before?"

I paused, wondering how to answer him. Should I tell him Kai taught me? Yeah, he already knows.

"You know how Kai tortured me to death every single day after class?" I grinned awkwardly. "Well... I guess I picked up a few good skills from him because of that."

Sun laughed softly. "He taught you well! Honestly, I'm so happy for you today, man. Come on, let me buy you a drink on the way home."

I nodded with a smile, stepping onto the bus with him.

It was unbelievable how much everything changed overnight.

Suddenly, the entire department was talking about me. Wherever I walked, students turned their heads and whispered. The college football team begged me to join them officially, but I kept refusing.

"How can I join?" I kept telling them. "I don't really know how to play! I just got lucky that day. I just want to focus on my studies."

But people still tried to test me in different ways. Instead of openly insulting my face, a few seniors tried to back me into a corner during lunch, forcing a basketball into my hands. "If you're really that good, play a match with us! If you lose, you clean our entire department classroom for a week!"

I was so done with people trying to push me around. Why would I ever clean the classroom for them?!

So, I accepted the challenge, played the match, and completely dominated the court. Once again, everyone stood there with their jaws on the floor.

After that, the entire dynamic flipped. Everyone suddenly wanted to hang out with me, and romantic confessions kept coming from every direction. But through all the noise, my mind couldn't focus on any of it.

I missed Kai.

I genuinely missed his company. Even though he was a cold, bossy bastard who constantly lectured me, I had grown so used to him bossing me around. He had been completely right about one thing: I had gotten so accustomed to being treated like a victim that I almost didn't know how to function without someone pushing me.

Later that evening, I sat alone at the bus stop, watching the sunset cast long shadows across the pavement.

Suddenly, a sleek, familiar dark car pulled up right in front of the curb.

My heart skipped a beat. I didn't need to guess whose car it was.