The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 283

The Invisible Hand

***

The first three days after arriving in Atlanta were long and tedious.

It was unfamiliar territory, with different public safety conditions than Korea. Since the only places to go were the training facility and the accommodation, even Jin-hyuk, who didn’t like wandering around, felt stifled.

“Oppa, have a good day!”

“Oppa, have a good day.”

“Yeah. You guys have fun too, Su-jeong and Yu-jin.”

He got into the van after seeing his younger sisters off.

As he mingled with the American national team athletes and adapted to the local environment, the time flew by in the blink of an eye.

The four days after the opening were also long.

Thanks to Yu Se-ra’s support, he spent time cheering on other events like archery and shooting, but time that wasn’t actively spent tended to drag on.

He filled the cup of time with meaning by training at the football stadium, making bets with American athletes, and building friendships.

The two days from the 100m preliminaries to the finals were short and intense.

However, they seemed to remain in his memory as a longer period than any other.

‘It must be because I was more focused.’

And the medal.

It was the catalyst for Jin-hyuk, who had considered time spent with family more important, to start giving meaning to other times as well.

The reason why the same two days can have different weights is that the mind acts on time as gravity does on an object.

“We’re here.”

“Thank you.”

He said goodbye to the SSS agent from Dallas who was driving the van and got out of the car.

During the three days spent training to consume stamina and adjust his breathing for the 200m race, he sometimes felt his heart waver as he thought of his family back home.

Because of that, he discovered a softer and more emotionally attuned side of himself.

“Wow, it’s still hot as ever today.”

Still, having Jin Seon-gyu around helped him to pull himself together from his tendency to slack off.

The 200m training took place on the track where they had done their initial adaptation training. The American national team didn’t propose joint training this time, probably an effort to avoid exposing their secret weapon.

Since they had directly confirmed his 100m final record, it was natural that the American national team’s 200m team would be on high alert.

Jin-hyuk could understand them.

“Ah, that’s disappointing.”

Jin Seon-gyu, who had to be a training assistant in the scorching sun, seemed to be disappointed.

“Thorn and Gyu-”

“Welcome, medalists.”

Still, he could see other athletes besides the American national team.

Linford Christie, who was facing his last 200m competition before retirement.

And Frank Fredericks and Ato Boldon, who were also considered strong contenders in the 200m.

“Young man, do you have any advice for me this time?”

“No, Lin.”

Someone who’s old enough to know better should figure it out themselves, why ask for advice?

“Ah, that’s disappointing.”

Ah, sad.

The language was different, but the nuance was similar to Jin Seon-gyu’s.

He really seemed disappointed.

“Run from the start. Don’t conserve your energy.”

“Okay!”

In Linford’s cheerful reply, a dark shadow could be seen in one corner of his expression.

He knew it himself. That the 200m was harder for Christie than the 100m.

Frank Fredericks just left a light smile and focused on training again. It was amazing that someone so shy would come up and greet him first at the training ground. The smile man, truly a consistent person.

Tyrant Ato Boldon’s nickname was originally Ostrich… From an observer’s point of view, he really does look like an ostrich. Thump, thump, thump. Even though he runs so fast, his head is slightly fixed in front. Whoever came up with that nickname did a good job.

‘It’s similar to Michael Johnson’s running style, but with a wider stride, I guess?’

Because of his large stride, his upper body sways a lot more than Michael Johnson’s.

Thud! Thud! The breath rising up and hitting his Adam’s apple was visible.

‘Sorry, but you’re not my opponent.’

None of them.

Maybe in about 20 years, a baby born this year will grow up and appear as a rival.

Records are meant to be broken, Yu Se-ra suggested aiming for other records.

– “How about six consecutive wins in the 100m and 200m?”

Are you crazy?

– “Six consecutive wins in the short-distance track and field events is a record that will never be broken.”

That’s true.

– “I think Jin-hyuk could do it?”

I don’t know.

Everyone gets old.

***

“I’m home.”

When he returned to the accommodation after training, it wasn’t just Yu-jin who ran to greet him.

“Welcome home.”

“Welcome.”

“Good job.”

He couldn’t leave out the people who helped from the shadows.

The reason why Jin-hyuk could focus so much on training and his inner self, to the point where it felt boring.

It was because there were people who took care of everything from schedules, meals, and room management to laundry, allowing him to focus on training and achieve the best results.

At home, his mother had taken on that role.

“That’s why athletes get married early. It’s no different in foreign countries. It means that a supportive spouse is that important.”

Yu Se-ra, wearing huge glasses, munched on an orange in the mansion’s drawing room.

Jin-hyuk, who was hugging and patting Yu-jin, who had collapsed after playing in the water all day, responded.

“Thanks to my mother, I don’t have to worry about that.”

“Why else would it be called managing? The agency’s job is to support you so you can focus on your core role.”

When an athlete performs well, the agency’s capabilities are promoted, and its status rises accordingly. The more the positive aspects of the agency are exposed, the more talented athletes will flock to it, and then the athlete will perform well again, and then…

Yu Se-ra slid a stack of documents across the table. A sense of dignity emanated from her smooth movements. But why is she in crazy mother mode at other times?

“Do you want to review the sponsorship proposals?”

…A cycle of sponsors lining up continues.

To do that, the agency’s capabilities and size are important.

“I’ll delegate it to the agency.”

Mutual trust is, of course, essential.

“Do you trust this mother? I could sell you off, you know?”

“You can’t sell me.”

Heh-. The little rascal is so smart that threats don’t work. Yu Se-ra stuck out her tongue and laughed like a fool. Dignity canceled.

“Mom, I want to see it.”

Sss-. A pathetic cat hiss, devoid of any dignity.

“Shall I take a look?”

“Okay.”

Power is a good thing.

To think that Hong Su-jeong, who was like an angry cat, would become so docile.

‘It’s cute how she’s pretending to be well-behaved.’

There are treasures that should never be sold, even if the company goes bankrupt and everything else is sold off.

Yu Se-ra, who is tough on the inside but gentle on the outside, is not foolish enough not to know that.

She needs to secure the talent that she absolutely cannot miss and treat them generously, even if it means giving up some of the profit sharing. So that they don’t feel resentful. It’s impossible to completely remove emotions from human affairs. But most managers only talk the talk and realize it after missing out on great talent.

Anyway, Yu Se-ra, who doesn’t have to worry about money thanks to her husband’s strong support, was ahead of any other agency in that regard. Her capital strength, as well as her connections with Jin-hyuk, were also formidable weapons.

“Seon-gyu also agreed to join right away. He said he wants to compete as a professional until he’s thirty.”

“That’s great.”

“It’s perfect. When we return to Korea, he’ll complete his basic military training and become a founding member of our team.”

A corporate team.

In Atlanta, seeing Yu Se-ra every day, Jin-hyuk was ordered to move forward for the future.

It was a proposal and a demand to create a corporate team with private qualifications, rather than focusing on the current city, provincial, and military teams.

“I’ve already thrown some bait to my senior at the Yeouido training center.”

Jin-hyuk stepped up to promote it.

It was something he used to hate doing while working at a company, but this time, he secretly hoped to be recognized for it.

“Oh my, you did well. Whose child is so smart? I’m so proud of you.”

Hong Su-jeong made a disgusted face as if she had seen something repulsive at Yu Se-ra’s babying, which was reminiscent of a mother and child.

Are you crazy? Fortunately, Hong Su-jeong’s muttering didn’t reach Yu Se-ra’s ears.

“Do you think there might be any companies that would sponsor my senior?”

“There are many. I’m planning to match them as soon as Seon-gyu signs the contract. It would be good if it matches the athlete’s personality, wouldn’t it?”

She lacks dignity, but she has a good sense.

Jin-hyuk emphasized to Yu Se-ra that it was time to fully engage in business to attract sponsors, using the Olympics as an opportunity.

He presented a blueprint for the soon-to-be-launched team, with ‘Team SI’ athletes wearing personal sponsor logos in addition to official sponsors. Just one photo of that athlete on the podium would be enough advertising for the sponsor.

“I’m also thinking of creating a swimming team. There’s a female athlete at a middle school in Suwon, I think? They say she has potential.”

“That’s great. The more diverse the sports, the more external interest will increase. Is there anything else you want to say?”

“That’s all for today. The rowing team is still under consideration, so it’s not at the stage where I can talk about it yet.”

Yu Se-ra smiled happily.

“Thank you for your hard work. Then-”

Jin-hyuk carefully laid the nodding Yu-jin down on the sofa next to him.

As he picked up a thick, loose-fitting hoodie for going out, Yu Se-ra made a blank expression.

“Where are you going? It’s going to get dark soon?”

“I’m going to compete in the quarter-finals.”

“Ah, really?”

In the Olympic men’s 200m event, which had 82 participants, Jin-hyuk had easily passed the preliminaries, which were held in 11 groups in the morning.

There was nothing particularly memorable or noteworthy.

The only notable thing was that he met the Chinese athlete Chen, whom he had met in the 100m preliminaries, again in the 200m preliminary round, but Chen didn’t qualify this time and packed his bags. He finished 8th out of 8.

Since he didn’t give it any special meaning, he just thought, ‘Oh, well.’

A phoenix and a titmouse… Ah, it’s not good to use titmouse in a derogatory way because of Haeng-un. Anyway, there’s no reason to care about the Chinese athlete. First impressions and connections are that important.

“Ah, so that’s why you didn’t train today?”

“You saw the preliminary race in the morning at the stadium yourself.”

“I did… I guess. I’ve watched so many races that I’m confused.”

There are other things to be confused about, you mother.

Jin-hyuk chuckled and put on his hoodie. It was a way to raise and maintain his body temperature appropriately.

“I’ll go ahead and get ready.”

“Okay, sure.”

Watching Yu Se-ra scratching the side of her head, he thought.

‘Amazing.’

How did she lead a sports foundation in the past with a memory close to short-term memory loss and that scattered concentration? Someone must have helped her, someone Jin-hyuk doesn’t know.

Here, there.

They’re all people who need a lot of help.

Is it because they’re named Son that they need a hand?

Yu-jin said so.

That because they’re named Son, they have healing hands.

“Yu-jin, are you going to sleep?”

“Uh-huh, uh-huh. I shouldn’t sleep.”

Yu-jin, who hadn’t missed a single one of her brother’s races, shook her head. Rubbing her eyes.

“I’ll go first, so come later with Uncle Seon-gyu and the others.”

“Yes, ehehe.”

He was about to leave the front door with the federation staff and close the door when he heard Hong Su-jeong’s voice asking something as she unfolded the newspaper.

“Mom, isn’t this person that person?”

“I don’t know. Even if I did, I wouldn’t know.”

She’s someone who’s obsessed with using honorifics.

“…Isn’t that that person?”

“Yeah, it is.”

It’s a relief that Hong Su-jeong is more perceptive than her mother.

Click-.

But… that person?

Ah, him-.

Jin-hyuk nodded as he moved to the van.

*

Executive Director Hong Su-jeong, who had lived with a secretary and bodyguards since her study abroad days, lamented that there were so many things she hadn’t been able to do.

Travel, adventure, hobbies, and so on. One of them was dating.

Jin-hyuk, who had avoided dating of his own volition, couldn’t understand that feeling.

According to his friends, no matter how strict the surveillance was, dating was totally possible.

In some countries, they even date in prison.

Of course, it wasn’t something that Shin Woo-sung, who was single until the last day of his life, or Lee Seung-hoon, who lived with his father, had said.

It was probably something that the daughter of a well-off family among his university classmates had said during a meal.

‘Who was she?’

They didn’t interact frequently, and their relationship wasn’t deep, so he only remembered the conversation. It was unclear when and where the conversation had taken place. That’s how most hearsay goes, isn’t it? I heard it from someone-.

In Hong Su-jeong’s case, the circumstances were different, so he thought he shouldn’t generalize, but he was still curious as to why she couldn’t, why she couldn’t even after that.

She shouldn’t call when she’s drunk. She’s such a mess.

Anyway, Executive Director Hong Su-jeong hated her father, Chairman Hong Ki-joon, because of that.

She couldn’t date, and she got married at almost thirty due to her father’s pressure.

Her husband, who was ten years older, was dragged away by the police on their wedding day, and it turned out he was a drug addict that even his family had given up on, and because of some side effect, he couldn’t do it without Viagra… Ah, never mind.

Because of that, Hong Su-jeong ran away from home. How embarrassing would that have been?

‘That useless child made me think of the past again.’

Hong Su-jeong was huddled in a corner of the underground parking lot of the apartment where Jin-hyuk lived.

The person who should have been shining the most beautifully in the world, on the day she should have been the happiest.

‘I made a mistake back then too.’

In the end, wasn’t it your choice? He had sent her away crying with his dry, neutral, and righteous words.

‘I was a complete empathy-zero jerk.’

Still, who in the world would worry about a chaebol [a large family-owned business conglomerate]?

To a young man struggling to make a living, they were people from another world as unreachable as the moon.

The newspaper that Hong Su-jeong unfolded the moment Jin-hyuk left the mansion would have had an article about Park Hyun-soo.

It would have been a top story about the third son of a prominent figure in the Korean business world being urgently arrested by the US drug authorities.

It was something Jin-hyuk had already confirmed.

Not just confirmed.

He had obtained crucial information from Moon Seok-il, with whom he had been in constant contact since arriving in Atlanta.

That the reason Park Hyun-soo had postponed his return to Korea after the Olympics was because of drugs.

Jin-hyuk made a decision immediately, and the United States responded with a newspaper article.

「Anonymous tip, factual and specific, authorities make urgent arrest.」

The anonymous informant was someone Moon Seok-il had used, and the drug was cocaine.

He wouldn’t be in a position to be thrown out yet, but he wouldn’t be able to exert any power in Daejeong or the Korean government either. The Korean media also wouldn’t be able to try to muddy the waters by talking about human rights abuses or rescue efforts by the US authorities.

They would be too busy trying to appease the Sein Group.

This time, their opponent was too unfavorable.

They wouldn’t be able to do anything, blocked by a wall that couldn’t be seen or felt.

‘How many years will he live? In the US…’

Regardless of the duration, Park Hyun-soo would have a difficult time.

Park Hyun-soo, who had only had a wedding ceremony with Hong Su-jeong in his past life and then became strangers again, would not be able to form a connection this time. No, a bad connection.

It’s better for the villain to disappear from life without a trace, without any presence, so that they don’t harm anyone.

Just by appearing on the world stage and walking around in the center, people would feel tired and unhappy. That’s what Jin-hyuk thought.

He had already committed enough sins to warrant severe punishment, so he couldn’t let him ruin the lives of others who might be affected.

‘I hope Park Woo-jung’s blood pressure rises too.’

For him, it would be more honorable to leave before facing Jin-hyuk.

Park Woo-jung had no idea what kind of punishment he was planning.

“…Athlete Jin-hyuk?”

It was something Jin-hyuk had planned and executed silently, but there was no room for guilt in his heart.

He wouldn’t feel sorry at all even if he reported someone who violated traffic laws without any special reason, let alone if the crime was drugs…

The federation staff shook Jin-hyuk’s shoulder.

“Athlete Jin-hyuk, we’re here. Let’s get out.”

“Ah! Yes!”

“You seem nervous. I called you several times-”

“Ahaha, I’m sorry.”

…Far from being sorry, he felt strangely relieved.

His body also felt lighter.

Goodbye, drug addict.

Farewell.

*

The preliminary rounds for the men’s 200m event are usually between 20-22 seconds, the quarter and semi-finals are between 20-21 seconds, and the finals are between 19-21 seconds.

The only opponent Jin-hyuk had to be wary of was Michael Johnson, but their groups were separated in the preliminaries and quarters. His record was also 20.55, which wasn’t worth paying attention to.

‘It’s more than a second slower than my best practice record.’

It was a waste of energy to pay attention to a record that didn’t inspire any competitive spirit.

Whew, whew.

As he was lightly warming up, a Japanese athlete who was competing in the same quarter-final group 3 approached and bowed his head.

“Annyeong-haseyo. My name is Ito Koji desu.”

Uh?

Is this a new version of ‘handle ippai kkeokkeo’ [a Japanese phrase meaning ‘to pull the handle all the way’, often used in a confrontational way]?

Jin-hyuk’s head tilted to the side without him realizing it.

As if someone had pressed a button.