The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 267

It’s already been five years.

It was when Jin-hyuk was thirteen that I called Jo Il-heon to build a short track and a wrestling ring behind the house for my son. It’s a track we don’t use anymore since Gom Gym was built, but it holds precious memories for Son Gwang-yeon. Whenever he looks at this sandy track, he sees a panorama of his son’s childhood, running alongside the Silkie chickens.

‘It’s good to have someone who remembers your growing years.’

That’s why we record and take pictures.

This track is also a record. I even did an interview here with a documentary team, reminiscing about my son’s childhood.

Choi Jang-hwan, whose day off happened to coincide with Son Gwang-yeon’s, pressed down on the track with his boots.

“You know, like how Choi Dong-won’s father, he did that thing in the field, and that’s how Choi Dong-won became who he is.”

The track was a solid mix of dirt and sand.

Son Gwang-yeon, who was sweeping the track with a soft reed broom, chuckled at Choi Jang-hwan’s words. It just happened that way.

“Our Jin-hyuk, too, he got to the Olympics because his dad did that thing. He shouldn’t think he grew up all by himself.”

That thing, this thing.

At first, it was hard to get used to, but now, even if he says it like that, I can understand him without any trouble if I get the gist.

That is, if you perfectly understand the background and situation of those words.

“If Jin-hyuk does that thing over there, will he go to that thing, the physical education college?”

“He doesn’t seem to want to go to college.”

Choi Jang-hwan is like an older brother and a father to me.

For Son Gwang-yeon, he was someone he could share everything with, someone he had to share with.

“Huh? Why doesn’t he want to do that thing? Even a blockhead like our Tae-yang went to college! Jin-hyuk is smart, he should go to college.”

Well, I wonder what more Jin-hyuk could learn at college.

This time, he kept his words to himself and smoothed out the wrestling ring. He also picked out the fallen branches and small stones.

It was a place where Yu-jin and Jeong-won sang the toad song and built houses, so he always kept it clean. If Yu-jin got a new house every time she sang, there would probably be two apartment complexes by now.

‘Ha, that kid. Yu-jin is quite something.’

A chuckle escaped him as he thought of his daughter.

He allowed her to follow him to the Olympics on the condition that she wouldn’t bother her brother, but she ended up plastered all over the newspapers.

「I came to follow my brother.」

– 「There are concerns about Son Yu-jin, the sister of Son Jin-hyuk, who is expected to win the first medals in the 100m and 200m track events… There is controversy over the fact that she accompanied her family…」

The article conveniently left out whose money was used, so anyone who didn’t know would think it was paid for with public funds.

It’s a relief that his friend Hong Gi-jun is backing Jin-hyuk, and his wife doesn’t care, saying it’s something she expected when she sent her daughter.

Reporters are amazing in some ways.

How can they only write the title and content like that when there are so many hidden codes in that one photo? That’s why Son Gwang-yeon filters and filters again when reading the world. Removing someone’s intentions, setting aside their purpose.

‘Tamed creatures.’

He thought as he stroked Jang-gun and Hongsi, who were circling around him.

In the old days, they were wolves or stray dogs, but they became just loyal dogs after being tamed by humans.

They were beaten, then died, and sometimes they were fed comfortably, thus castrating their own wildness. Dogs and pens alike.

‘I hope my children live freely. Not belonging anywhere, not being tamed by anyone.’

He squatted down, supporting himself with a broom, and looked up at Choi Jang-hwan.

“There are people who farm after graduating from college, and there are people who become CEOs without going to college. That’s the world, isn’t it?”

“Since he has a successful father, that’s true, but even when Jin-hyuk takes over his father’s company, he should have that thing, a college degree, so that people in the world won’t do that thing, you know?”

Son Gwang-yeon just nodded. You’re not wrong. To the eyes of ordinary people, to convince them, that would be the right answer.

There’s a story he heard from Min Yong-rak.

He said he got the bar exam study guides for Jin-hyuk.

He also noticed that the law books, which were neatly placed in the study, were being used.

Besides the fact that the stiff corners of the paper were slightly creased, there was enough evidence.

‘My dollars…’

For a rich man, a slush fund is a game.

A thrilling game of secretly siphoning off money from his wife.

The thousand dollars he had tucked into the criminal procedure book disappeared on the day Jin-hyuk left the country, leaving only a note.

「I’ll buy dog treats for Jang-gun.」

I wonder what kind of crazy person would buy a thousand dollars worth of dog treats…

‘Our son is that kind of guy. He’s got a big hand, just like his mother.’

1,000 dollars is a whopping 800,000 won in our money. If you add 500 dollars to that, you can buy the latest Pentium XL desktop from Sein in cash. It’s enough money to buy a 125cc domestic motorcycle and a helmet. Oh, what a waste.

He couldn’t complain to his wife, so he suffered in silence until he suddenly realized.

‘This kid, could it be?’

Could it be that he’s preparing something to replace a diploma, being conscious of the eyes of his parents and society?

It was the moment when the obvious codes of study guides and law books finally shone, thanks to Son Gwang-yeon, who was a literary type to the bone.

“Jin-hyuk probably has his own plans, brother.”

“That guy, he’s that kind of guy, so he must have done that thing.”

He’s smart, so he must have a plan.

The naturally literary Son Gwang-yeon accurately interpreted Choi Jang-hwan’s cryptic words.

***

“I don’t have any thoughts.”

Jin Seon-gyu’s mouth fell open.

The training facility arranged by SI Sports was a track near Georgia Tech.

It was close, about a 30-minute drive from the Centennial Olympic Park, the main Olympic stadium, and Jin-hyuk’s mansion. Above all, it was the best facility in the area, so track and field athletes from other countries also used it as a training ground.

“The facilities are really good.”

Jin Seon-gyu seemed to have forgotten that the camera director was filming, and he didn’t seem to want to close his mouth.

What more facilities do you need besides a track? But with eight official lanes and night lighting towers, it was good enough to be used as a regular stadium.

“There are a lot of foreign athletes.”

It’s because it’s a foreign country. Jin Seon-gyu’s unspoken words rolled around in his mouth.

Even without Jin Seon-gyu’s words, which seemed to be shrinking, Jin-hyuk had also seen many athletes with his own eyes.

No matter how much financial backing you have, you can’t monopolize the training facilities.

Because not only sprinters but also long-distance runners and other field athletes need to train.

“You can tell the sprinters at a glance. Their bodies are no joke…”

Still, unlike the places designated by the Olympic Organizing Committee, where you can only use them at certain times, pre-training has the advantage of being freely available. Of course, no athlete can train all day due to the heat and physical limitations.

“Shall we warm up?”

“Y-yeah.”

Jin-hyuk had no choice but to take the lead as Jin Seon-gyu was frozen and hesitant.

They stretched together in rhythm, and after doing push-and-pull exercises facing each other, they were soon sweating.

‘Partner training is fun after all.’

It’s been so long since they’ve exercised together.

Moreover, he’s a national athlete.

Although Jin Seon-gyu seemed intimidated by the formidable foreign athletes, Jin-hyuk was very happy to have a training partner who was the best sprinter in the general division of Korea.

Perhaps Jin-hyuk’s feelings were evident on his face, as Jin Seon-gyu burst into a hearty laugh even while being nervous.

“You’re really something else. You’re not intimidated at all and you keep smiling?”

“Why would I be intimidated? It’s not like it’s a sport where you fight someone.”

It might have been easier if it were a fighting sport.

The thought of what it would be like if he had competed in sports like boxing, judo, or wrestling briefly crossed his mind.

Knock them down, throw them, slam them. If you knock them out, you can easily win, so it’s easy.

“That’s what they call being bold. I keep wanting to go to the bathroom.”

“You don’t actually have to go, do you?”

“That’s right. It’s all coming out as sweat, so nothing will come out.”

Am I really talking to a high school student? I feel like I’m the high school student. Jin Seon-gyu mumbled, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and put his hands on his hips.

As his gaze slowly turned towards the track, the documentary cameraman also turned the angle.

“Huh? Didn’t they say those guys were training at the football stadium?”

“Yeah, why did they come out when the indoor stadium would be much better?”

Four black athletes.

From where Jin Seon-gyu pointed with his chin, athletes who clearly seemed to be from the US national team were walking over. Each of them had deltoids that were puffed up as if they had put shoulder pads in them, and they looked like steel.

They loosened their lips and shook their hands and feet, and they quickly got closer while keeping their eyes fixed on Jin-hyuk.

‘Looks like they’re coming to pick a fight?’

As he blew out the hot air, the athlete who was swaggering at the front raised his arm high towards Jin-hyuk.

The wrist snap was similar to a basketball player’s shooting motion.

“Hey, Sun!”

Who do you think you are calling my son, you punk!

…Even while thinking that, Jin-hyuk involuntarily raised his hand in response.

“What do you want, you jerk?”

Of course, this line was in Korean.

The athlete who called Jin-hyuk came within arm’s reach and then shook his thick lips.

“Would you like to train with us?”

Jin-hyuk tilted his head as if he didn’t understand.

It was because of Jin Seon-gyu. He couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable because they were only pointing at him when he had a partner.

At the departure hall and the arrival hall, he had already gained fame on his own. Every time, Jin Seon-gyu had to stand there blankly and wait for Jin-hyuk.

Jin Seon-gyu noticed the American athlete’s intention but couldn’t find the words to say, so he just stared at the American athletes with wide eyes. He was trying hard not to be intimidated, with his stomach tensed.

“Ahem! They’re big because they’re Westerners, but Jin-hyuk is bigger. I’m so proud.”

*Chuckles.*

Jin-hyuk burst out laughing at Jin Seon-gyu’s sudden surge of national pride.

I thought he was just a nice guy, but you can’t judge a person by their appearance and actions alone.

This time, the American athletes tilted their heads and whispered to each other.

Hey, is the offer to train together a joke to Koreans? One of the athletes, who looked like the others, frowned.

How would I know? The athlete who made eye contact shrugged.

At this point, he had no choice but to accept in order to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.

Jin-hyuk spoke in fairly fluent English.

“This is my colleague, Jin Seon-gyu. You weren’t just calling for me, were you?”

“Oh, of course. Let’s do it together.”

They all reached out their fists, so Jin-hyuk bumped fists with them too.

‘Break their fists!’

If I hit them with all my strength, my wrist would be twisted and I wouldn’t be able to run properly… but I have to hold back.

Scheming is not something that suits Son Jin-hyuk.

***

He might look like a sly fox.

Jin Seon-gyu, who was sprawled on the ground, worried that he might look like that to the other athletes.

He sat on the grass surrounded by the track, put a towel over his head like a hijab, and poured water on it.

“Whew, that’s better.”

Everything is good, but there is no shade.

The air was hot as if the Korean summer was nothing, and the sun was blazing as if it was going to either dry people to death or burn them to death.

“I need to stay sharp.”

The temperature is quite cool in the evening, so it’s easy to catch a cold due to the large daily temperature difference.

It’s the Summer Olympics, but the only thing it has in common with the Korean summer is the scorching sun.

That’s why adaptation training is necessary.

In a competition where they compete for 0.01 seconds, it starts with perfectly adjusting the biorhythm and metabolism to the local environment.

‘Training together is a good experience, but those guys are a bit strange.’

Jin Seon-gyu narrowed his eyes as he watched Jin-hyuk and the American athletes sprint about 20 meters and return to the starting line.

The offer to train together was clearly a well-intentioned proposal without any room for suspicion.

But there’s one crazy guy among the American athletes.

‘The others called him ‘Jonah’.’

One of the American athletes, named Jonathan, gave the starting commands, and every time he did, they would giggle among themselves, which was a bit off.

“Get your ass in place, you asshole!”

Asshole? What’s wrong with the asshole?

The ‘on your mark’ command in international competitions is unified as ‘On your mark,’ but is that an American local expression?

Still, he managed to understand it.

Because the athletes took the ‘on your mark’ action of putting their hands and knees on the ground in response to that command, even a clueless fool could have followed along.

‘I can’t even protest.’

It’s partly because he’s not good at English, but it’s also because Jin-hyuk, who was training with him, giggled like a child every time Jonathan gave the command. If Jin Seon-gyu was the only one who found it strange, he would really become the strange one.

The next command was also terrible to hear.

“Get set! Son of a bitch!”

It sounds like ‘gae-saek!’ and it means ‘son of a bitch’.

He wondered if it was racism or a turf war, but this time too, Son Jin-hyuk giggled.

He said it was funny, like Jang-gun, who has a lot of subordinates, giving orders.

But who is Jang-gun?

‘Neither of these guys are normal.’

Maybe those guys can run fast because their brains are light?

Come to think of it, among the people he hangs out with here, only Jin Seon-gyu has not stepped into the realm of 9 seconds. Maybe the secret of 9 seconds is brain capacity.

‘Wow! That makes sense!’

It was the moment when Jin Seon-gyu solved the secret of the 9-second mark that no coach, director, or senior had ever solved.