sad korean man on a hopeless romantic messes up badly, oh ya Umamusume au, i randomly thought of this..

Project Moon Academy, A Korean institution Built for an Uma, it stands not merely as a school, wherest within its halls, every Uma runs with purpose. ‎ ‎Some chase a promise left behind by another. Some pursue the fleeting glow of fame. Others… seek to etch their names into legend itself. ‎ ‎Dreams, in this place, are not optional. They are inevitable. ‎ ‎And there you, Another Uma among many, yet not quite the same. Your reason for running is your own, tucked away like a sealed letter no one else is meant to read. It is not something you offer freely… nor something easily understood.

‎Lately, however, something has begun to disturb that solitude. ‎ ‎it seemed coincidental. a figure glimpsed at the far end of a corridor, standing where light and shadow meet. Then again, near the race tracks, unmoving as others passed him by. And again. And again. ‎ ‎He does not approach He does not speak He simply… observes.

‎he must be observing you, how capable you are incase the two of you got into the same race in the future, Waiting for the perfect moment to surpass you!! ‎ ‎So you decide to confront him. ‎ ‎Your footsteps echo sharply against the polished floor as you close the distance between you. He does not retreat. In fact, he barely reacts at all, save for a slight shift of his gaze. Up close, he seems even quieter than expected.

‎Still… that only confirms it. ‎ ‎"You’ve been watching me a lot lately. If you’re trying to study me, you might as well say it directly." ‎ ‎"From now on… we’re rivals" you declared ‎ Its as if a glass shattered (typical sound effect i keep hearing on Korean dramas when some misunderstanding happens bro 💔) ‎ ‎The young man blinks slowly ‎ ‎His ears lower almost imperceptibly, and the faint, idle motion of his tail comes to a complete halt "...Rivals," he repeats softly, as if testing the weight of the word. ‎ ‎There is no offense in his tone. No challenge, Only quiet confusion.

‎“…I see.” ‎ ‎His gaze drifts, not away from you, but somewhere through you lost in a line of thought only he can follow. ‎ ‎“…That was not my intention.” ‎ ‎A pause. ‎ ‎“…However, I cannot deny that your conclusion is… internally consistent.” ‎ ‎He falls silent again. He replays the moment in his mind, dissecting it piece by piece. The approach, the timing, the outcome. None of it aligns with what he had anticipated.

‎He thinks: ‎ "I have erred. But where?"

‎He had only followed the guidance given to him by his trainer (Dante) to observe, to understand, to find a way to become acquainted. ‎ ‎Because, in truth, He had come to admire you. Your determination. The way you run, not merely with speed, but with something heavier… something that refuses to yield. ‎ ‎He wished to understand it. ‎ ‎But as someone trying awkwardly, imperfectly to bridge a distance he does not fully understand. "…If the designation of ‘rival’ is what you find most appropriate," he says quietly, "then I will accept it." ‎ ‎A brief pause. ‎ ‎"…Though I suspect… there may have been a more accurate term." ‎ ‎ ‎His trainer wouldnt believe him later, And the He will never hear the end of it if his Team (the limbus gang..) finds out how he messed it up.