The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 164

< Last Festival (2) >

***

The princess I found after three years was almost unchanged.

Sparse, withered grass and a scoreboard that still didn’t exist.

Not many spectators, far more athletes than spectators, and busy event staff running around.

The color of the spectator seats was different from before, as if they had been repainted.

From yellow to green.

The biggest change was Jinhyuk’s impression of observing the other athletes.

‘They all look like monsters.’

Tall high jumpers, shot putters more sturdy than Shin Woosung, javelin throwers with shoulders that looked stronger than Lee Seunghoon, hurdlers with long legs, and long-distance runners who were skinny but had prominent muscle fibers.

Among them, the most eye-catching were the sprinters.

‘Their middle school physiques are no joke.’

Jinhyuk was constantly impressed as he observed his competitors, unaware that the other athletes were looking at him the same way.

During the elementary school competition, only a few athletes seemed outstanding, but in middle school, everyone flaunted their well-honed bodies. It seemed that the appearance of superhumans, where talent was combined with effort, was different from that of ordinary people.

“Byeongtaek, did you and Seulchan compete against athletes like that even in your first year?”

“Yeah. They’re all kids I know. That guy over there is a weightlifter, and he won the 100 meters last year, beating even the third-year students.”

He was a runner Jinhyuk had noticed during the relay preliminaries.

Even though his friends had impressive physiques, it made Yeom Byeongtaek and Jo Seulchan seem all the more amazing for having run alongside such athletes.

Well, that was just on the surface.

Running wasn’t all about physique.

And Jinhyuk, who was second to none in height and build, had already advanced to the finals in both short-distance events with the best record.

‘Unfortunately, there’s no one here who can compete with me.’

Would he be able to find a rival if he participated in the national competition in Seoul? Jinhyuk’s eyes, having forgotten the heat, soon became vacant.

When he was young, he ran desperately to catch up with Janggun and to avoid getting his butt pecked by Chicken Johnson. At the national competition when he was thirteen, he was able to muster strength because of the desperation that it was his last chance.

‘Lately, it feels like I can’t get any power.’

He clearly had power surging inside him, but it wouldn’t explode, like a dud.

He had to be thankful that he was still faster than the other athletes, or should he be dissatisfied that his only rival was himself?

Anyway, his short-distance results weren’t important.

He had the goal of safely completing the relay semi-finals, which would begin shortly.

It was time to finish the last festival with his friends with a happy ending.

[The men’s middle school 400-meter relay semi-final heat one will begin shortly-.]

He took off the long pants and long-sleeved shirt he had been wearing to warm up and raise his body temperature.

It was the time when Jinhyuk exposed the most skin. He usually enjoyed wearing oversized clothes he had gotten from the US through Yuse-ra’s friend, but he couldn’t run in loose clothes.

Oooooh-.

Ignoring the surrounding gazes, Jinhyuk’s eyes searched for Min Yongrak.

“Please record it.”

Min Yongrak clenched his fist.

***

This was the first time he had ever been this nervous.

For three years, he had led the athletes to the provincial competition for a one-night, two-day trip, and there were only four athletes, so there was no burden in managing them. Until last year, he had even led athletes from other schools, so the team size was even larger, and since their best result was reaching the semi-finals, it was just an event for the athletes and teachers to enjoy.

But this time was different.

Not only had they advanced to the finals in two short-distance events with the best record, but they were also in the relay semi-finals.

Lee Byeongse couldn’t sit still and paced around the track with a stopwatch in his hand.

He took in the faces of the athletes, unconcerned about the scorching sun.

– “We’ll definitely pass the semi-finals. The order you set is important, but it would be good to consider changing the order based on the records.”

That was what Jinhyuk had suggested after the relay preliminaries.

The Taeyang Middle School’s preliminary record was 5th. Since there were separate semi-finals, the preliminary record didn’t guarantee advancement to the finals, but it was definitely a meaningful reference.

‘Numbers don’t lie-.’

The provincial competition was held right after the end of summer vacation.

Lee Byeongse couldn’t find the words to say when he faced the tanned athletes.

It wasn’t just their skin, but their muscles and skin that looked like they were made of bronze.

‘I expected it, but still-.’

It was partly thanks to the improved individual strengths of the athletes, but without Son Jinhyuk’s sprint as the anchor, the semi-finals would have been impossible. There was no need to say it twice, that was the level of importance an anchor held in a relay.

However, the story was different when the distance between the lead runner and the anchor was too great.

No matter how great the anchor was, there was a limit to the distance they could close, and in Son Jinhyuk’s case, it was about 20 meters. It would be better if he could close more, but the other teams’ top track and field prodigies weren’t going to stand still and wait for him.

It was an amazing ability, but everyone had their limits, and no team could rely solely on one anchor. Everyone had to run well for the relay to bear fruit.

Lee Byeongse, who had only been rolling his eyes, looked at the data Jinhyuk had given him.

「Jo Seulchan, Yeom Byeongtaek, Park Sanggi, Son Jinhyuk」

That was the current order.

[On your marks-.]

As the referee’s signal flowed through the speakers, Lee Byeongse roughly folded the record sheet and put it in his pocket. He kept pondering in his head.

[Bang-!]

They started behind. 7th or 8th place. Since their start reaction speed was the slowest, they were starting in last place. They could push off the starting block faster, but they were starting at a sure timing to avoid a foul.

There were many runners among the starting runners who recorded times in the late 11 seconds, but Jo Seulchan’s best record after the training camp was in the early 12 seconds. He was quite good at running on the curved track, but his main strength wasn’t showing properly.

It was almost natural that they were starting behind.

They caught up to a few people at the second runner.

Even now, Yeom Byeongtaek, a specialist in the straightaway, had moved up to 5th place.

The third runner was an unexpected blessing.

Perhaps it was because he had dropped the baton during practice, but Park Sanggi didn’t repeat the same mistake. Of course, his main strength was also decent, so he was maintaining his position.

“Jeonghwaaaaa-!”

Wouldn’t that weirdo run faster if he didn’t just shout his girlfriend’s name?

It was a relief that he wasn’t getting a warning or being kicked out for shouting.

Lee Byeongse would have given him a knuckle sandwich in the past, but he decided to keep his nagging to himself. It was the first time he had seen athletes who were so motivated and proactive, and he knew that interfering with them could ruin the atmosphere.

He decided to stay strictly in a supporting role, checking the plans the athletes had presented and helping with their condition management.

Wowwwww-!

The moment everyone had been waiting for had arrived.

When the baton was passed to the anchor, a festival would unfold.

The eyes of the stadium were already on the Taeyang Middle School’s number 94 athlete, who had set unofficial middle school records in the 100 and 200 meters.

The beautiful arc drawn by the baton that Son Jinhyuk was swinging up, down, front, and back.

Perhaps Lee Byeongse had endured all the criticism and kept the track and field team going just to see that sight.

The cheap uniform with the word Taeyang marked in white on blue didn’t look awkward at all.

Ah, how lucky he was to be able to see such a sight.

[Bang-!]

The electronic signal announcing the finish line sounded again.

The Taeyang Middle School anchor crossed the finish line almost simultaneously.

3rd place.

They had advanced to the finals.

“Uish!”

Lee Byeongse clenched his teeth and fists.

*

Jinhyuk, with his hands on his hips, tilted his head with a dissatisfied expression and walked towards the bench.

‘Maybe it’s because they’re professional track and field athletes, but they’re all too good. This won’t do.’

The lead runners weren’t just standing still, and it was a section where the fastest runners in the region were running like crazy, looking only ahead. No matter how fast he was, there was a limit to how much he could close the gap.

Although there were differences in style between athletes, Jinhyuk decided that it was more helpful for him to maintain his pace when someone was pushing him from behind rather than chasing after someone’s back.

‘I need to change it.’

Sometimes, sensory judgments based on experience are more correct than logical thinking or rational judgment. It would be a fresher attempt for Jinhyuk, who had relied more on logical analysis than his gut feeling.

***

The security phone was secure to outsiders. He couldn’t reveal it to his friends because he didn’t know what kind of negative emotions it might cause.

Jinhyuk found a secluded place and called home.

– Jeongwon-ah, don’t suck on the phone-.

Ebuuu-. Ebbbebb-!

The family had grown, and so had the number of people to talk to.

He tried to communicate with Jeongwon one last time, but the baby, who was more skilled at using his tongue than his hands, seemed more focused on sucking the receiver than talking to his older brother.

“Mom, just leave him be. I’ll see him when I go back the day after tomorrow.”

– Will you? It must be very hot there, so make sure you eat well. By the way, it hasn’t rained at all. The waterways are drying up because we’re using so much water to irrigate the sweet potato fields all over the neighborhood.

His mom was becoming more like his dad, talking more. Even now, she was bringing up a topic that was unrelated to the subject.

What should he say to empathize in this situation?

“Oh, oh dear······.”

They had experienced it once, and there were more things to take care of, and more lives to protect, so the family wasn’t hung up on not being able to attend the competition. Jinhyuk also had a secure phone, so he could contact them anytime, so he wasn’t too sad about not seeing them for a few days.

– Mom! Mom! I have something to say to my brother-!

Jinhyuk, just a moment. Yujin has something to say.

As he vividly pictured Yujin jumping up and down, Jinhyuk’s lips curled up.

“Yujin, what is it?”

– Our brother, I love you-.

“······.”

– Huh? Why aren’t you saying anything?

She was an affectionate and playful younger sister, but he had never seen her say such things.

She must have learned it from her dad or at kindergarten.

It seemed like she was desperate because her brother hadn’t been around for a few days.

– Brother? Brotheeer-?

“Y, yeah. B, brother too-. L, l- Hello? Hellooo?”

Jinhyuk gradually moved the phone away from his ear.

Click-.

It was strangely embarrassing.

Even though it was late August and still hot at night, Jinhyuk hugged his arms and rubbed them as he headed to the dorm.

*

They held an emergency meeting at the dorm.

It was the first time that Lee Byeongse and his friends had such a serious meeting.

Lee Byeongse was just there to book the rooms, buy them food, and take care of the competition schedule.

The athletes had also passively participated as directed by their supervising teacher.

Min Yongrak, who had accompanied them as Jinhyuk’s manager, distributed the analysis sheets.

“As you can see, we have the fifth-best record among the eight teams that have advanced to the finals. After carefully examining the other teams, there were no teams that participated as a novelty. They all have long traditions and have participated every year. I would like to say that it is amazing that Taeyang Middle School has even made it to the finals-.”

Even though it was an uncomfortable tone and setting for middle school students, his friends’ expressions were nothing but serious. Why wouldn’t they be? They were more eager to finish the festival in style than to be praised for their great achievements.

The summer camp with Jinhyuk itself was considered a festival.

That was until they participated in the competition.

Although Yeom Byeongtaek narrowly missed the finals in the 100 and 200 meters, Yeom Byeongtaek and Son Jinhyuk’s advancement to the semi-finals in two events excited the team.

The pleasure from excitement was intense even if it was short-lived, and its lingering effect was long. The kids craved fuel to keep that lingering effect going longer.

The positive experience from the elementary school competition, which was called the junior competition three years ago, was still a thrilling tale for Yeom Byeongtaek and Jo Seulchan. Judging by how Park Jibeom, who occasionally contacted Yeom Byeongtaek, reminisced about that time, it was definitely not just an emotion they felt.

“There is data on the back page of the relay races where we changed the order during training and practice, as suggested by Jinhyuk. It was during the last week of training, so it will be similar to the current record. It’s similar to the record of the third-place team in the finals.”

Shhh-.

As if they had made a promise, everyone’s analysis sheets flipped to the next page.

Lee Byeongse, who had narrowed his eyes, stretched his neck like a turtle towards the analysis sheet.

“Eee? What is this order?”

Lee Byeongse was the only one who was surprised.

***

The constant sound of many people murmuring and the intermittent noise from the speakers made his head throb.

Min Yongrak couldn’t sleep well last night.

There was no one who snored in the dugout, but Lee Byeongse, who was sharing a room with him, snored so loudly that he wondered if it was okay.

‘Oh, it’s hot, so hot. What good is a tent in this weather?’

Still, he would have died without it.

He blinked his tired eyelids and unfolded the record sheet.

It had been folded and unfolded so many times under the scorching sun for several days that it was crumbling like a cookie.

‘I wish it would just rain.’

How could it not rain a single drop for over a month?

It wasn’t just the farmers who would resent the sky.

Waaaaa-!

The women’s middle school 200m final was underway.

Although it was a competition he had visited for work and the weather was hot, attending the competition was also an enjoyable experience for Min Yongrak.

Expectations followed.

Even at the local competition, they were running so smoothly, so how much more amazing would it be at the national competition? Where did such amazing athletes disappear to when they became adults? Were they still flying around, but the media wasn’t paying attention, so the general public didn’t know? All sorts of thoughts ran through his head.

[Next-, the men’s middle school 200-meter final will begin shortly. Participating athletes, please proceed to the starting area, and those who are not athletes, please move back two meters from the outside of the track.]

It was a competition that not only Min Yongrak but everyone was interested in.

There was no event in track and field that attracted as much attention as the men’s short-distance finals, and Taeyang Middle School’s number 94 athlete had already been receiving a lot of attention since the preliminary races.

Someone in the stands, the sound of them talking among themselves from behind, swirled around Min Yongrak’s ears.

“Is it drugs?”

“What is?”

“That guy, number 94. There’s no way an Asian can be that fast at that height.”

“That makes sense-.”

“Ah, think about it. The way he runs so fast with that height, that’s only possible for those, what do you call them, black people-.”

It was hot and they were making him annoyed. Min Yongrak sighed quietly and turned his gaze to Jinhyuk, who was standing at the starting line.

He didn’t realize it because he saw him every day, but he was indeed tall compared to the other athletes.

He wasn’t comparable to a basketball player, but wasn’t he tall enough to be mistaken for one?

That didn’t mean the other athletes were small.

According to the profiles, the smallest athlete was 174, wasn’t he?

He was only about 10cm shorter than Jinhyuk.

“First of all, the, what do you call it, the running style that Koreans can use is that flailing puppy style, right? But that guy has a wide stride and his feet are fast. Is that even possible with human strength?”

“That’s true. It’s not possible in Korea-.”

Shit.

Just as Min Yongrak was about to move his lips because he was so annoyed,

A man with a fierce expression pointed his finger at Min Yongrak’s back.

“Hey-, which bastards are talking nonsense! Which son of a bitch is talking shit without knowing anything!”

It was Lee Byeongse.