Ketto knew he wasn't good at throwing darts. He'd only had one try, and the truth was, he had no talent for it. To be honest, he would have rather been cleaning the street than standing there with ten darts in his hand. He had no choice but to use them all. If it weren't for the people watching—especially those he knew—he definitely would have given up. But their eyes were on him, making him feel nervous and anxious. He didn't know what else to do but face the inevitable.
Hanky tried to give him courage, offering words of encouragement, but to Ketto, it didn't feel like encouragement at all. It only added more pressure.
He stepped forward and stole a glance at the crowd. Hanky was looking at him, and Ketto could see him trying to suppress a laugh. Ketto raised his hand high and straight into the air. The unexpected movement surprised everyone. Someone yelled, "Oh my god, what the hell is he doing?" Another person chimed in, "Unbelievable, are my eyes playing tricks on me?" They had no idea what Ketto was planning; they just watched.
Suddenly, Ketto brought his hand down, but instead of throwing one dart, he grabbed all the remaining darts in his fist and hurled them at the balloon wall in one wild toss. No one had imagined he would do that. They were all stunned. The shop owner just stared at him, momentarily speechless.
By some stroke of luck, one of the darts managed to pop a balloon. Ketto hadn't even intended to hit one; he had just wanted to end the game as quickly as possible. Throwing them all at once was his way out. He had been sure he would fail completely, so the result was a surprise even to him.
The owner finally found his voice and said, "Well, all done. I've run this shop for several years, and you're the first person who's ever thrown all the darts at once." Ketto felt his face flush with embarrassment. Not knowing what to say, he simply left the shooting booth and walked back to his friends.
As he approached Addy, Hanky looked at him. Ketto met his gaze and said quickly, "Don't say anything. I know I'm bad at throwing darts, and if you want to laugh at me, I don't care." Hanky just shook his head, but he couldn't help it—he burst out laughing. Soon after, the group left the shooting gallery to explore other places.
Meanwhile, Joe and Lisa had returned to where the others were standing, glaring at each other. Lily looked at them and smiled. "So, have you two settled things?" Lisa cut her off mid-sentence. "What? Never. I will never forgive his behavior."
"Me neither. You think you're such a good person, don't you?" Joe laughed coldly and turned his head away.
Addy burst into loud laughter. "Haha, unbelievable! You two are acting like elementary school kids!"
"What? Are you kidding me?" Lisa shot back. "I am not a child, I am a youth. But as a friendly and wise woman, I will not mind his rudeness. Whatever, he is truly a small child." Joe looked at her as if he wanted to say something, but then he just gave up.
Everyone laughed at Joe and Lisa. But Ketto was still feeling embarrassed. He was convinced that Hanky and his group were laughing at him. He felt unhappy and worried. He announced that he wanted to go home early.
Addy looked at him with concern. "What's the matter? Are you unhappy? What's wrong?" Ketto just shrugged and offered a reluctant smile. "Nothing. I just want to rest."
Sunny and Lily noticed his mood too. "Don't mind things too much," Sunny said gently. "Try not to overthink it."
Joe and Lisa, who had been too busy chasing each other to see what happened at the dart booth, were confused. Lisa asked, "Hey, what's wrong? You're being so secretive." They ignored her question, and no one replied.
Ketto just smiled and said, "I'm fine, don't worry. I'll be okay. I just need a good rest."
"Okay," Addy said softly. "Do you want me to come with you? I'm worried about you."
Ketto shook his head. "No, I'm okay, thank you. I'm just tired. Don't worry about me." Not knowing what else to do, they walked him to the metro station and watched him disappear down the escalator.
Sitting on a bench in the subway station, Ketto felt like a ghost—present, but without any spirit. He didn't know why he cared so much about what others thought, especially Hanky. But the truth was, Hanky hadn't said anything mean. In fact, Hanky had tried to teach him. Maybe he just didn't want to look weak in front of him. He wanted to show his strengths. He didn't understand why, and he wished he knew the reason.
On the train, he stared at the floor, feeling groaning, dizzy, and numb. He cared too much. Lost in his thoughts, he almost missed his stop. He took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling hard, trying to clear his head. He told himself to stop overthinking and just move on.
When he got home, he collapsed onto the sofa, not wanting to do anything else. The day had exhausted him—body and soul. The long walk, the crowded public transport, the emotional weight—it had all drained him.