A collective roar of laughter exploded from Class 2-A as Ms. Choi tied a thick, glowing red cloth armband around my left biceps.
I adjusted the velcro strap, a smug, internal smirk settling across my face.
'Yoo Chae-rin, you've made a catastrophic, fatal tactical error,' I reasoned, testing the flex in my knees. 'She thinks because I'm tall, I'm an easy target to spot. What she completely failed to factor into her classical-music-brained calculations is that I am, without a single shadow of a doubt, the most athletic guy in the entire Music Wing. Hell, probably the Visual Arts Wing too!'
Running away from a bunch of violinists, cellists, and vocal majors through a snowy pine forest?
It was going to be an absolute walk in the park.
"You have a three-minute head start, Representative Motuzenko!" Mr. Kim shouted through his megaphone, clicking a digital stopwatch. "Once the horn sounds, Class 2-A will begin their hunt. Go!"
"Run, San-ah!" Class 2-B cheered in unison.
I didn't need to be told twice. I spun on my heel, my long legs taking off in massive, effortless strides. I shot past the detached wooden houses, vaulted cleanly over a knee-high stone garden wall, and plunged straight into the dense pine woods bordering the upper ridge of the resort complex.
The air was crisp, burning in my chest in the best way possible. I ducked beneath heavy pine branches, my heavy sneakers crunching through the light blanket of snow. I forged a path toward the elevated ridge behind the faculty villa, picking a high-ground position that gave me line-of-sight over the entire complex.
HONK!
The distant blare of the start horn echoed up from the courtyard below.
From my perch behind a thick oak tree, I peered down into the valley. Class 2-A was fanning out into small search parties, looking around the porches and lower walkways. Five minutes passed. Then ten.
A two-person search party from 2-A—a guy holding a flute case and a girl in a heavy puffer coat—spotted my broad silhouette near the woodline.
"THERE HE IS! ON THE RIDGE!" the guy shrieked.
They charged up the incline, but I just laughed, turned around, and put my track-and-field training to work. I accelerated into a comfortable jog, easily leaving them panting and clutching their sides after barely a hundred meters.
'This is too easy,' I thought, a cocky grin breaking across my face as I wove through the snow-covered trees. 'Class 2-B is going to feast on premium Korean beef and snacks tonight, all thanks to my superior cardio.'
I rounded the corner of an old wooden storage shed on the north edge of the property, planning to loop back toward Class 2-B's defensive line near House No. 3.
CRUNCH.
I froze.
Standing right in the middle of the narrow trail ahead of me was Yoo Chae-rin. She was standing with her hands tucked casually into her dark coat pockets, looking completely unbothered, a calm, victorious smile resting on her face.
"You really thought this was a test of raw speed, didn't you, Mountain?" Chae-rin said softly, her voice carrying a terrifying, quiet confidence.
Before my brain could even process her words, the snow-dusted bushes on both sides of the narrow path exploded into motion.
SWISH!
Four broad-shouldered guys from Class 2-A's physical education minor electives—guys who had been quietly lying in wait in the freezing underbrush—leaped out in a perfectly coordinated pincer formation.
'AN AMBUSH!'
My instincts screamed.
I planted my right foot, attempting to turn and sprint backward, but two students leaped from the roof of the storage shed directly behind me.
"GET HIS ARM!" someone yelled.
I ducked beneath a flying tackle, side-stepped a grabbing hand, and tried to vault over a stack of stacked firewood to reach the open trail. But the sheer volume of bodies was overwhelming. A hand snagged the heavy tail of my winter jacket, throwing my balance off just enough for my foot to catch on a hidden tree root beneath the snow.
I went down hard, landing on my hands and knees in the cold powdery snow.
"SECURE HIS LEGS! DON'T LET HIM STAND UP!"
Before I could push myself back into an upright stance, three guys literally threw their entire body weights over my shoulders, pinning my torso flat against the ground. I was thrashing violently, trying to shake them off like a bear tackling hounds, but my left arm was pinned down by two more hands.
Chae-rin stepped smoothly into my line of sight, her boots stopping right beside my face in the snow. She bent down with a graceful, almost aristocratic leisurely movement.
"Gwangho-ya, hold his wrist tight," Chae-rin ordered calmly.
"I'M HOLDING HIM, HURRY!"
I gritted my teeth, straining every muscle in my back to lift the three guys off me, but Chae-rin reached down, her gloved fingers catching the edge of the red cloth band around my bicep.
RIP.
The loud, tearing sound of the tape echoed through the quiet forest clearing.
Chae-rin stepped back, holding the bright red target band high above her head like a trophy.
"WE GOT IT!" she announced, her voice ringing out through the trees.
The pile of students immediately scrambled off my back, cheering and high-fiving each other in absolute, wild triumph.
I lay there flat in the snow for three long seconds, staring up at the pale grey winter sky, my lungs heaving into white clouds of steam. My shoulders were sore, my jacket was covered in white powder, and my pride was shattered into a thousand tiny pieces.
"Aish..." I groaned out loud, slapping a hand over my forehead as Class 2-A's victory shouts echoed across the resort.