“One hundred eighty-three point four.”
“···It’s the same?”
“Right? The last time I measured was two months ago··· It’s coming out exactly the same as then.”
Stepping down from the stadiometer, I check the displayed number.
183.4 cm.
Had it already been two months since I last measured my height?
It had been 183.4 then too, and today it came out as 183.4 as well.
Until now, it was like I had springs in my knees—every time I measured once a month, I grew by a few tenths of a centimeter.
I think today might be the first time it’s read exactly the same as before.
As I scratch my head, the trainer chuckles and taps my shoulder.
“Congrats. You’ve become an adult.”
···Become an adult.
At that, I answer with a smile as well.
“Thank you. I guess I’ve finally stopped growing.”
Being fully grown doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve become an adult, but.
Still, the feeling is rather strange.
I’ve never been a lizard, but I wonder if this is how a lizard feels after shedding its skin.
Well, humans are animals too, after all.
From an animal’s perspective, perhaps I’ve finally become a fully grown adult.
“I’m congratulating you, but it’s going to get harder from now on.”
“···Why?”
“Because your physical development is finished. You have to balance your body better and build stronger muscles. Your individual training time will increase.”
“Ah.”
“Of course, your playing time might increase too.”
Feeling around.
The trainer knelt on one knee and began kneading and touching my calf, thigh, waist, and shoulder.
Until now, there were many times when I wanted to exercise more but couldn’t.
The reason was that my bones hadn’t fully grown yet.
Everyone was so earnest about management that I couldn’t do separate individual training on my own either.
Everything had to follow a set program, and there were many cases where I wanted to do more but couldn’t.
Moreover, I had to stop knee-intensive training or header training earlier than my colleagues.
Match playing time was the same.
I had to stick to the set playing time.
It’s not like I’m Cinderella—when the time came, I had to leave the pitch even if I wanted to run more, and I had to observe my rest days.
But now, I’ve finished growing.
The restrictions might be lifted.
“Well, leaving that aside.”
The trainer who checked my body nods and speaks.
“Living as an adult itself isn’t an easy thing.”
I nod at the words of my senior, who became an adult long before me.
As I said, shedding my skin means the membrane that surrounded me is now gone.
It means one protective barrier that guarded me has disappeared.
Now I can’t use the excuse of “because I’m young” anymore.
Sometimes I could raise a shield saying I could make mistakes, be in pain, or act selfishly because I was young.
Now I can’t do that, and I have to bear all responsibility for everything.
“Okay. Let’s work hard today too.”
“Yes.”
After finishing simple taping, I leave the therapy room.
I don’t know what hardships await me in the future.
Perhaps there are great hardships waiting for me, ones that would make the difficulties I faced at twelve, thirteen, and fifteen seem like nothing.
But there will be no more me who runs away and hides.
I’m confident I’ll become an adult who endures through pain and stands and fights even if I can’t win.
Because the first time is hard, but the second is easy.
The experiences of my youth will become a compass and an oar for me to navigate my future life.
In that sense, there was a time when I resented my circumstances, but now I don’t.
Rather, I’m grateful.
Because everything was good nourishment for me.
“Phew—”
Passing through the hallway and coming out to the training ground, the bright sunlight is blinding.
Under that sunlight, I kneel on one knee and tighten my shoelaces.
Adult life.
What’s so special about it.
It’s just about living each day earnestly, sweating beads of sweat, that’s all.
ㆍㆍㆍ
Manchester, England. 2 Court Bridge Street.
It was downtown but slightly off the main street, lined with small shops, and one store here was newly preparing to open.
“Phew...”
“Don’t be so nervous. You just have to do as you prepared.”
“Ugh, okay...”
So nervous.
Gim Jiu’s face was pale.
It was unlike Gim Jiu, who didn’t get nervous over trivial matters, but it was understandable.
Because today was the day to open the restaurant she had prepared so hard for.
“So, shall we really open now?”
“W-wait. Let me check just one last time...!”
She had finished perfect preparations and checked already several times.
But now that the real opening was upon her, everything felt uncertain.
So she unnecessarily looked around the kitchen once more, checked if the stove lit properly, and organized the workflow in her head.
Things she had already checked, but she checked once more.
“This is fine... That’s fine too...”
After repeating that process of checking, resolving, hesitating, and resolving again several times.
“Hah, phew!”
Gim Jiu finally took a deep breath and nodded with a determined expression.
At that, I Wonhun also nodded, and after opening the store door, flipped the sign reading “Closed” over to “Open.”
Finally.
The moment “Kim’s Kitchen,” which had been prepared for months with diligent research and study, commenced its long-awaited business.
“...”
Well, of course.
Customers didn’t flood in the moment the door opened.
It was quiet and peaceful, enough to make her feel embarrassed for having been so nervous.
Now it was a matter of waiting.
She was confident.
There might be people who had never come to our restaurant, but she had the confidence to ensure there would be no one who came only once.
She had prepared so meticulously, even delaying the opening date, that she was confident anyone who tasted the food even once would surely come again.
So she didn’t borrow Jian’s strength at all.
Honestly, if she had wanted, she could have lined up waiting customers even before the opening.
Just a rumor that it was a store run by Jian’s family would have been enough.
This was Manchester, City’s territory.
It was a place where Jian was revered like a god.
But she didn’t want to use such a shortcut.
She wanted to compete solely with taste.
Honestly, it was thanks to Jian that she could even open this store, so saying this was a bit funny.
Still, help was only up to that point.
From now on, she wanted to do it only with her own strength, and she was confident.
But...
“...Isn’t it too quiet?”
“It hasn’t even been ten minutes yet.”
...Hmm.
Even though it hadn’t even been ten minutes, she was already anxious.
Why isn’t anyone coming?
It’s about time people come out for lunch.
Surely they wouldn’t fail to get even a single table today.
Then the way home would feel so empty.
It would be sad if no one came after preparing so hard.
“...Did we fail?”
“Jiu.”
“Yes?”
“Calm down.”
“I can’t calm down. What do I do?”
“Let’s wait calmly.”
She understood in her head, but her heart wouldn’t follow.
She knew it was strange for customers to rush into a store that had just opened less than ten minutes ago, but she couldn’t help feeling anxious.
She must have prepared too earnestly.
She finally understood why Jian got so nervous before matches.
It even made him admirable.
Compared to Jian, this was nothing.
How on earth did Jian overcome such things?
When she was forcing herself to bite her short-trimmed nails, even though there was nothing to chew on.
“...Huh?”
Gim Jiu’s eyes open wide.
In front of the store door.
A passerby stopped walking.
Looking up at the sign once, then soon began looking at the sandwich board set in front of the door.
On the sandwich board was today’s menu, written with all her heart.
...Will they come in?
No, for now I’d rather they just took note and left.
No.
What nonsense is that.
I should wish for them to be the first customer!
But I’m so nervous my stomach hurts, what do I do.
Will they come in? Or just leave?
Having read the menu so intensively that Gim Jiu’s insides were burning black, the customer seemed to make a decision and lifted their eyes.
And then, stepped inside the store.
“Hello.”
“H-hello!”
“Uh, can I order...”
The long-awaited first customer.
At this moment, in Gim Jiu’s mind, like a child going to school for the first time missing their parents.
There was nothing but the thought of wanting to see Jian.
*
“Jiu.”
“Y-yes?”
“Isn’t this supposed to come out sprinkled with seaweed powder?”
“That’s right. Oh no, look at my head. Please send it back!”
“Take it slow. Calmly, don’t rush.”
Before she knew it, evening had grown dark.
Taking the plate that had gone out and come back, Gim Jiu sprinkled the seaweed powder she had forgotten and punched her own head with her fist.
Where had she sold her mind?
To think she sent it out without sprinkling seaweed powder because she had nothing left to forget—she couldn’t believe it herself.
It had been about two hours since the store opened.
During those two hours, she made an absurd number of mistakes.
Sometimes she forgot something like now, sometimes a flip that usually worked didn’t, so she threw it all away and remade it, or rushed and messed up the plating.
Thanks to that, her mental state had already collapsed.
She had believed she possessed an ironclad mentality, having never experienced this in her life.
Ironclad mentality my foot.
She must have just been a hothouse flower.
“H-here.”
“Yeah. Hey, have some coffee or something. The next order isn’t in yet.”
“Phew, yes...”
Having sent out the food in a cold sweat, Gim Jiu collapses into a chair.
Her hands and feet trembled, and she was ashamed of her confident past self.
She had prepared so hard.
Why doesn’t the real thing go like practice?
She wanted to cry her eyes out, but couldn’t, so she swallowed it down.
Was this all she was capable of?
When Gim Jiu was berating herself with her head hung low.
Squeak-!
The sound of a door opening.
Behind the kitchen.
Not the entrance for customers, but the staff back door.
But the staff consisted only of herself and the man.
So there was no reason for that door to open now; who was it?
Gim Jiu gets up from her seat and peeks her head out... and soon.
Upon confirming the face of the person who entered, Gim Jiu makes an expression like she’s about to cry.
“Jian...!”
“Yeah. I’m here.”
Gim Jiu runs and embraces I Jian tightly.
At that, I Jian, though flustered, pats Gim Jiu’s back with his hand.
“W-what’s wrong.”
“I missed you. I said I missed you...!”
“I missed you too, but what’s going on?”
“Ha... it’s just that...”
Choked up.
With a face that looked like tears could spill at any moment, Gim Jiu pours out her complaints.
This happened, that happened.
She continued without even breathing.
“...So, so I want to cry. What do I do...?”
Having barely finished her complaints, Gim Jiu looks up at I Jian with watery eyes.
Even if she asked Jian what to do, there would be no answer; she just wanted to lean on him for no reason.
As if I Jian knew that too, he would usually joke around, but.
Simply smiling, I Jian pulls Gim Jiu into another tight hug.
“Well, that can happen.”
“...Hic.”
“It’s okay. Still, you remember everything you messed up. Then just don’t do it again.”
“...Mmhmm.”
“Honestly, it probably wouldn’t matter even if you left out a few ingredients. Your cooking would taste delicious even if you made it with your feet.”
“...Really?”
“Yeah.”
When I Jian smiled and met Gim Jiu’s eyes, the tearful Gim Jiu soon smiled along.
Somehow, just being together gave her tremendous strength.
Even though she had wanted to cry just moments ago, facing him like this, she felt her confidence returning.
“Oh, is Jian here?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Sorry, but let’s greet each other later. You two too. An order came in.”
“Ah, y-yes! Bring it here!”
At I Wonhun’s words, peeking his head out from the hall, Gim Jiu quickly goes to receive the order slip.
And after checking the order, she looks at I Jian and nods with a determined expression.
“I’ll do it properly this time!”
“Yeah. I’ll be watching.”
And so, under I Jian’s gaze, Gim Jiu’s real skills begin to show.
As if she wasn’t the person suffering a mental collapse just moments ago, a flawless professional demeanor radiated from her.
Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack.
Dishes completed in one fluid motion were soon ready to head out.
“It’s ready!”
When informed the dish was done, I Wonhun peeked his head in, widened his eyes, gave a thumbs up, and went out to serve.
As Gim Jiu turns and sighs, I Jian shrugs.
“You’re good, what’s the big deal.”
“...Right. It suddenly works out?”
I Jian smirks as if it’s no big deal, and Gim Jiu follows suit.
It’s nothing special.
But the two of them laugh for a while as if it’s fun.
Then soon.
Gim Jiu, who stopped laughing first, suddenly speaks with a serious face.
“Hey, I Jian.”
“Yeah?”
“This won’t do.”
“...What won’t?”
Gim Jiu points at I Jian and says.
“I think I have to marry you.”
“...Huh?”
“Why, you don’t like it?”
“...No, that’s not it. So suddenly?”
“Yeah. I don’t think I can do without you. Why, you don’t like it?”
“...”
...This is bewildering.
“Answer quickly. Will you or won’t you?”
It’s bewildering, but... there’s no reason to refuse.
“Okay.”
“Promise. Pinky swear.”
Gim Jiu and I Jian hook their pinkies.
Haphazardly.
That’s how the two promised.
Very sudden and haphazard, but in truth, this was merely putting it into words.
In fact, it may have been a foregone conclusion since long ago.