The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 268

Seo Pil-gu.

To Jin Seon-gyu, he’s a senior in the track and field world and the national team’s track coach.

He’s a living legend who held the Korean record for a long time before Son Jin-hyuk appeared.

Jin Seon-gyu was also a Korean record holder, but his record wasn’t officially recognized because of the strong tailwind during the competition.

Anyway.

It’s probably not a coincidence that Seo Pil-gu’s words suddenly came to mind.

– “What are you worrying about! Just run!”

You think too much; if you put a guy who thinks too much on a scale, he’ll weigh more. What a runner needs is a light body, not a head… Seo Pil-gu consistently ordered simple thinking.

‘I do think too much.’

Even in the 1.2 to 1.7 seconds between the set signal and the gun firing, Jin Seon-gyu was full of thoughts.

When will the gun go off, what if I foul, what if I don’t get first place in a domestic competition, I hope my heel doesn’t get blisters today…

Knowing Jin Seon-gyu, Seo Pil-gu firmly told his junior who was heading to Atlanta first.

– “Think when you’re warming up, during cool-down training, and when you’re resting. Think about how to improve your posture, how to get more speed with the same power. Empty your head when you run. And check if Son Jin-hyuk has hydraulics in his joints.”

He was a good senior, not just a coach.

He said that you can never improve by just running mindlessly, but he drilled into their heads to run mindlessly when they run.

‘But I don’t know how to empty my head.’

The stream of consciousness that went around and around returned to the starting point.

It was when he sighed at the troublesome problem that he couldn’t find a solution to.

“Hey, it’s fucking hot. Right?”

Fucking hot.

Jonathan Drummond approached with his hands on his hips.

He’s the problematic athlete who was shouting strange commands with lots of swear words.

“Oh Jesus! Is he having a fucking final today? What kind of fucking training is he doing so mindlessly?”

Fucking, fucking-.

“I know, right?”

Although he used the swear word ‘fucking,’ Jin Seon-gyu laughed and replied because his gestures didn’t seem to be saying anything bad about Jin-hyuk.

Anyway, is that Son Jin-hyuk guy really crazy? Even in this weather that makes world-class athletes pant and collapse? If Seo Pil-gu saw him, he would have applauded, saying that’s how you train.

Still, isn’t he overworking his body too much? It’s good to be young.

‘I used to play basketball shirtless in the sun when I was that age.’

Just imagining it makes my armpits feel sweaty.

Jin Seon-gyu took out an ice water from the icebox and handed it to Jonathan Drummond, who was sprawled next to him.

“Hey, friend. Water.”

Yu Se-ra told them to use whatever they needed for training without holding back. Water or money. She also added that they should make friends with foreign athletes. That’s the true Olympic spirit, she said.

At this point, you wouldn’t know who the federation president is.

It’s said that Coubertin’s Olympic spirit is simply the amateur spirit, but Yu Se-ra passionately said, ‘I don’t know about other complicated things, but the true Olympic spirit is when people become friends.’ If you break down Coubertin’s claim, it has that meaning, so it’s the same thing in the end.

“Chingu?”

“Friend, man.”

“Oh-, chinguu-. I’m Jona.”

Jonathan put his hand on his chest with wide eyes.

“Jonna?”

“Yeah, Jona.”

“I’m Jin Seon-gyu.”

“Najwinsonkyu? That sounds like a Chinese name.”

Jin Seon-gyu’s face was filled with embarrassment.

Ah, annoying. Chinese, really.

“No! I’m Korean.”

“I know, I know. I mean, it just sounds like that, I didn’t mean to insult you.”

Jonathan smiled awkwardly, while Jin Seon-gyu looked like he had bitten into a bug.

‘English is hard.’

Son Jin-hyuk and the other athletes talk fluently in English and laugh, but why can’t I understand?

I learned English conversation in college and continued to study it after graduation, but it’s a language that doesn’t stick. If I had known this would happen, I would have studied harder. Well, who knew this day would come?

“My name is…, eh-.”

Jin Seon-gyu waved his hand and put his hand on his chest again.

“Seon-gyu. No no no-, gyu.”

Simple is the best.

Son Jin-hyuk said that on the plane too.

Emphasize only the important expressions.

“Oh-, okay. You’re Gyu.”

“Gyu no no. Gyuu-.”

“Giyuuu-.”

“Okay. Let’s go with Gyu…”

Reluctantly, Jin Seon-gyu became Gyu.

Well, how many more times will I see him?

“Gyu, you only run the 100 meters, right? He runs the 200 meters too?”

Jonathan’s fingers pointed back and forth in the air.

“Yeah, that’s right. You know it well.”

“I only run the 100 meters too.”

“Yeah, okay. Good luck, man.”

“You’re also a guy who’s only fast at the beginning? Right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. I wake up early in the morning and my movements are fast.”

Fucking early this and fast that.

He did his best to answer based on the words he could hear here and there, even though he didn’t know what they meant.

Isn’t he an athlete from the Land of Eastern Courtesy? [A common way to refer to Korea, emphasizing its traditional values.]

In English… Eastern Etiquette Country.

As the ‘Yeah, okay’ fest continued, Jona seemed pleased and slapped the grass with his palm, enjoying himself. He’s not a chimpanzee, why is he doing this?

“Gyu, did you get your ass kicked by your fucking girlfriend because you finish the race short and strong?”

What the hell is he saying…

Kick ass this and that, all I hear is fucking.

In times like this, you just smile.

“Does it mean I look small but strong? Haha, you rascal. Yeah, okay, man. There’s also a saying that small peppers are spicy.”

To the fucking, fucking Jonathan, Jin Seon-gyu did his best to agree with ‘sure’ and ‘of course’.

They laughed while saying things they didn’t understand, and it looked like two close friends hanging out.

Swearing and giggling, that guy is a fucking psycho. Jin Seon-gyu muttered, still watching the athletes sweating on the track.

“It’s the fate of a sprinter. They can run many times, but they can’t last long. Those guys run the 200 meters too, and their fucking girlfriends are fucking hot too. That guy, Thorn, must be incredibly popular, right? Look at that fucking stamina.”

“Thorn?”

“Yeah, Thorn. Isn’t that body fucking beautiful even for a fellow athlete? He must be absolutely powerful.”

“Hmm…”

Jin Seon-gyu got up from the grass and slowly moved away from Jonathan.

‘I understand absolutely powerful, but…’

He wasn’t satisfied with talking about ass holes every time during training, and now he’s calling a man beautiful.

Not just beautiful, but his body is fucking beautiful.

Isn’t it obvious at this point?

‘This guy is dangerous…’

Should I run?

The Olympics I’ve been dreaming of is just around the corner?

That’s when it happened.

An athlete named Jeff Williams, who was watching Jin Seon-gyu and Jonathan, shouted.

“Hey guys! If you sit like that, won’t your fucking asses get fucking hot?”

“If you’re curious, why don’t you try it with us, Jeff!”

What ass? Fucking is hot?

What are we doing together?

‘I’m dizzy.’

It didn’t seem to be just because of the weather.

*

Whether Jin Seon-gyu misunderstood or not, Jonathan, who was sweating profusely on his chocolate skin, was excitedly chattering.

“There’s a guy named Johnson who’s not here. His fucking stamina is insane.”

As if he had never been dizzy from the heat, Jin Seon-gyu’s eyes widened at the name Johnson.

“Johnson? Michael Johnson?”

“Yeah. You know him too? There’s no track and field athlete who doesn’t know him.”

Even people who aren’t track and field athletes know his name.

“Where is he?”

Michael Johnson, where? Jin Seon-gyu’s eyes widened.

“He’s training individually. He’s sponsored by Nike, so he doesn’t lack anything. His training is almost private.”

What is he saying? Almost private this and Nike that.

He could understand bits and pieces, but he just got a headache from sitting in the sun and talking to someone he couldn’t communicate with.

“Jonna? Isn’t it jonna hot? Do you want more water? Give me water?”

“Thanks, Gyu.”

Jin Seon-gyu took out two more bottles of ice water from the icebox and handed one to Jonathan.

“Let’s rest a bit more. Take a rest, more and more. Okay?”

“Yeah, okay. That’s a fucking great choice, Gyu.”

Until they each returned to their accommodations, Jonathan continued to talk unilaterally, but Jin Seon-gyu felt good that he had made a good friend, as Yu Se-ra had hoped.

‘I misunderstood.’

Girl, girl, girl, and girls.

The words that frequently came out of Jonathan’s mouth showed his preference.

Jonathan often made jokes with exaggerated gestures and observed Jin Seon-gyu’s reactions, like a clown observing the audience’s reactions.

Jonathan pointed his thumb at his chest, smiled, and showed his white teeth to Jin Seon-gyu, who had an awkward expression.

“Gyu, I like making people laugh. My nickname is the Pierrot on the track.”

“Pierrot?”

“Yeah. Pierrot.”

What’s that again?

***

‘Pierrot.’

Maybe it’s because I slept with the Pierrot doll that Yu Se-ra gave me as a gift, but my head is throbbing and heavy. She bought it as a gift to hug and sleep with, but it’s neither as reliable as Azzi Bear nor as cute. It reminds me of the Joker from the movie Batman.

One day, two days, three days, four days.

Son Yu-jin, who had woken up from sleep, folded her fingers one by one.

Her eyelids, which were swollen like a melon navel, twitched.

‘Is it a hamburger again today?’

If so, it’s the fifth day in a row of hamburgers, a record.

Son Yu-jin doesn’t discriminate against any food, but as she entered the fifth day, she was worried about the lunch menu. After eating a well-prepared Korean breakfast by the mansion’s chef, she followed Hong Su-jeong around, but lunch was always a hamburger.

It wasn’t Yang Kang-wook or Hong Su-jeong’s request.

It wasn’t even a menu chosen by Yu Se-ra, who hates junk food.

‘Why did I do that?’

Yu Se-ra would ask Son Yu-jin what she wanted to eat for lunch, and the answer was always the same.

– “A hamburger and a cola.”

She thought it was okay for the first two days, but from the third day, Son Yu-jin herself noticed something strange.

It felt like her mouth was moving on its own, even though she didn’t intend to, a strange feeling.

Would it be a delusion if it felt like a familiar voice was coming from somewhere, urging her to choose a hamburger and cola?

“Is anyone there?”

She looked around the room and called out, but there was no answer.

Click- The bathroom door opened, and Hong Su-jeong, with a towel on her head and a toothbrush in her mouth, peeked her face out.

“Yu-jin, are you awake? Wash up and pack your bags.”

“Bags? Are we going back to Korea?”

I wanted to see my mom, so that’s great!

My brother will take care of himself.

“We’re going to LA and Anaheim too. We’ll stay there for a few days.”

Oh, right.

I heard it last night, but I completely forgot.

Disneyland, Hollywood, and what else.

‘Today, I’m not having a hamburger for lunch!’

I like cola, but I’m tired of hamburgers.

Son Yu-jin, who had strongly self-hypnotized herself, jumped out of bed.

‘But what kind of food is there in America besides hamburgers?’

*

Jin-hyuk, who was leaving the house for morning training, handed Yu-jin some cash.

“Our Yu-jin, if you want to buy something, buy it with this. Always stick close to Team Leader Yang.”

“Owaa-! This is that thing, American money. One. Ta. Woo. Jeon. De.”

Yu-jin, who had spread the bill wide as if she was worried it would tear, read the alphabet clearly.

“Yeah, it’s a thousand dollars. If you don’t have enough money, tell Su-jeong unnie [older sister]. I’ll pay you back later.”

“Is one thousand dollars one thousand won?”

“No? It’s much more money than one thousand won. Eight hundred times more.”

“Owaaa-.”

As expected, my brother has a lot of money!

He gave me money that’s eight hundred times more expensive!

It’s not twenty-five thousand times, but eight hundred times is also a lot.

Son Yu-jin is a smart kid, so she knows that too.

“Jin-hyuk, when did you exchange the money? I don’t think you had time to do that?”

Jin Seon-gyu, who was smiling like an uncle while watching Yu-jin from behind Jin-hyuk, asked.

“I brought this money from home.”

“You have dollars at home?”

Jin Seon-gyu’s eyes also became round like Son Yu-jin’s.

I heard he was rich, but how rich do you have to be to have a thousand-dollar bill at home?

“It’s more like my dad hid it as an emergency fund, but I just took it.”

“That’s stealing…”

Jin Seon-gyu’s face, which was tanned black in the Atlanta sun, turned white, and Yu-jin’s pupils shook greatly at the word ‘stealing’.

“Ugh? Is my brother going to jail? My brother can’t go to jail! He has to go to the Olympics! Brother, just give this to Dad. You can’t go to jail. Okay? Okay?”

Yu-jin jumped up and down, trying to return the money as if she was clinging to him.

Heh heh-.

Jin-hyuk, who was smiling with his teeth clenched, put his hand on Yu-jin’s head and made eye contact.

“Technically, it’s stealing, but I don’t have to go to jail.”

“Ah, really? Why? The teacher said that if you steal, you go to jail?”

What would be a good way to explain it? After thinking for a moment, Jin-hyuk began to explain as easily as possible.

He knelt on the floor to match her eye level.

“It falls under Article 328 of the Criminal Act, the Special Act on Offenses Between Relatives, which is a special case for property crimes committed between direct family members living together. Here, a relative means a relationship according to Article 777 of the Civil Act. So, if it’s a relative like a father and brother, even if the brother commits theft, he’s exempt from punishment. It’s a clause that contains the spirit of ancient Roman law that law does not cross the threshold. The meaning of not crossing the threshold is that it’s excessive to enforce social systems on matters that happen between family members…”

“……”

“……”

Even though Yu-jin’s eyes, which were always sparkling, had become hazy like when she was sleepy, Jin-hyuk’s lecture, which had suddenly started, continued.

“…It’s a crime that requires a complaint, so unless your dad files a complaint, you don’t have to go to jail or even get caught by the police. A crime that requires a complaint means that a prosecution cannot be filed unless the victim of the crime, etc., files a complaint…”

This brother is speaking Korean like a foreign language since he came to America…

Saliva dripped from Yu-jin’s mouth.

Hong Su-jeong, who was supporting Yu-jin from behind, also tilted her head to the side. They say knowledge is power, so it seems like the jailbird brother knows the law so well because he doesn’t want to go to jail.

Jin Seon-gyu showed an even more differentiated reaction.

He opened his mouth so wide that he was worried his jaw would fall off, but he didn’t even seem to realize that he had opened his mouth.

‘What the hell is he…’

I just thought he was a good runner and a reliable junior, but he’s a guy you can’t predict at all.

‘Do you have to empty your head and fill it with laws to enter the 9-second range?’

Maybe that’s why Jonathan has ‘fucking’ on his lips all the time.

Anyway, I have to save that young lamb who is being tortured, not tortured, because of having a caring brother.

“Jin-hyuk, the American guys are waiting.”

Those thugs in that neighborhood, they’ll probably be hiding somewhere and pop out again today.