The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 30

Jinhyuk, who had been silent, opened his mouth.

‘Teacher, can I roll down the window?’

‘Sure, let the friends in the back get some air too.’

As the window went down, a gentle breeze flowed in.

It was a welcome gust of wind, symbolizing freedom.

‘What was I doing around this time in my past life?’

May.

It was the time just before the spring picnic.

The kids bought new brand-name clothes with their mothers and showed off their new sneakers.

*Tsk*.

Jinhyuk stopped trying to remember.

He only remembered trying to suppress his interest, reading books, or wandering around the corners of the playground.

*Vroom-vroom*.

The van carrying Jinhyuk entered the outskirts of the city and sped up, the engine making a nervous sound. The green barley fields in the distance looked fresh. The peaceful scenery unfolding before him seemed to reflect his changed life, and Jinhyuk took a deep breath.

‘Refreshing!’

The speedometer showed 80 kilometers per hour.

He stretched his arm out and cupped his hand.

The wind caught in his cupped palm.

Jinhyuk frowned. His eyes were tightly closed.

‘I just can’t figure it out.’

He nervously turned the window handle and rolled up the window.

Kim Young-tae, who was driving, looked at him with worried eyes.

‘Jinhyuk, are you getting carsick?’

‘No, I’m fine.’

The ace’s condition was important.

Yeom Byung-taek, who had been rustling in the back seat to take out motion sickness medicine, put it back.

***

The day before the competition.

They arrived at the inn, unpacked, and did some light stretching and jogging. They also ran on the public stadium track wearing their spikes. It was a necessary process for Jinhyuk, who was new to the urethane track. In fact, he had run on such tracks a lot in his previous life, but it was his first time participating as a young athlete wearing spikes.

‘Well… it’s fun.’

Jinhyuk was lost in a childlike sentiment. It wasn’t the sandy playground in the countryside with trees and benches and the occasional small stone. It was a formal stadium with a running track, a grass field, and 20,000 spectator seats.

Yeom Byung-taek and Jo Seul-chan were gaping at the size of the stadium.

‘It opened last fall.’

‘It’s so clean.’

Jinhyuk took a starting stance.

Kim Young-tae and the other friends’ eyes lit up.

*Paba-bapapat-!*

Jinhyuk’s body, leaning forward, sprinted through the 20-meter section without hesitation.

‘Wow. Jinhyuk, how was it? I think you’re much faster?’

Jinhyuk nodded his head vigorously and tapped Jo Seul-chan’s shoulder in response.

‘It seems like the daily training is paying off, and the hard ground pushes back well, so there’s less loss of power.’

Jinhyuk realized something else while running on the track: the optimal weight for body balance. When pushing off the track, you have to push the track with your ankles to lift your body, but if you’re overweight, it puts a strain on your ankles. Moreover, the elasticity that should be used entirely to lift the body and run forward is absorbed by the track due to the weight.

Conversely, if you’re too light, you can’t push off the track strongly. It means you lack power. He felt that his body was a bit light right now. His legs were strong enough, but the weight was too light, so he couldn’t get the spring he needed.

‘I need to gain some weight. I heard that increasing muscle mass alone can lead to injuries? Maybe I should gain some fat?’

It was an unfamiliar area, and he didn’t know much about it.

‘Let’s focus on running for now.’

He put his hands on his hips, regulated his breathing, and rotated his shoulders in large circles. He kept injecting what he had learned. Memorizing it in his head like a formula, repeating it, and finally, until it became natural like breathing, until it was ingrained in his body. Son Jinhyuk, who had to study because that was all he could do, felt his heart pounding for a new challenge.

***

The school didn’t have a dedicated coach or a nutrition team. Since there was no formal track and field team, the operating budget wasn’t generous either. The cost of accommodation and transportation for the competition must have been tight.

*Sizzle-sizzle*.

‘Can we eat pork belly?’

He lacked knowledge because he had little experience with sports teams. He wondered if it was okay to eat meat. Jinhyuk was curious but didn’t bother to ask. It was the menu set by the supervising teacher, so it must be okay.

‘Jihay, eat up-.’

Jo Seul-chan mumbled with his mouth full of wrapped food.

They were young athletes with strong digestive systems, and it was a time when diet programs didn’t exist, so what did it matter? Above all, watching his friends gobble down the meat, Jinhyuk’s appetite was also stimulated.

He put lettuce, pork belly, green onion salad, chili pepper, and garlic with soybean paste [a fermented soybean paste, a staple in Korean cuisine] on top, wrapped it well, and shoved it into his mouth.

‘Ugh, it’s so delicious.’

The spicy and sour green onion salad was especially excellent.

The taste was so perfectly harmonious that Jinhyuk almost shed tears.

It was his first time having a dinner like this with his friends at this age, making it an even more special meal.

‘Auntie! More meat and green onion salad here!’

A man at the table across from them shouted loudly. They were teachers and students from other regions who had come for the track and field competition. The word ‘Daesung’ printed in white on their black tracksuits caught his eye. If they were eating pork belly, it must be okay.

‘Eat a full dinner, digest it, take a shower, and go to bed early. Tomorrow morning is the 100-meter preliminary, and the relay preliminary is in the afternoon.’

Kim Young-tae, who didn’t seem to have much of an appetite, took sips of beer while briefing them.

‘Teacher, there’s also a 200-meter race?’

‘Oh yeah, there is? And a 400-meter race too?’

Park Ji-beom and Yeom Byung-taek looked at the schedule in the teacher’s hand and reacted as if they were just finding out.

‘The 200-meter is for kids who eat and train every day. Especially in elementary school. The 400-meter is for middle schoolers.’

Children who didn’t have great stamina would feel sick and suffer from muscle pain for days after running the 100-meter just once. Of course, it was a distance that track and field athletes could recover from in half a day, but the 200-meter was not an easy event even for kids like Park Ji-beom, who had trained after school for short-distance running. It meant that it was difficult if your body wasn’t used to the 200-meter event.

‘Teacher, can’t we run the 200-meter?’

‘You can. You just need to get a confirmation stamp tomorrow morning.’

The list of participating athletes was the list of those who would compete. Getting a stamp on the events you were participating in on that list was the application, and if you didn’t get a stamp, you automatically gave up your participation. It was a consideration from the executive committee for rural schools that were far from professional sports.

‘Running the 100-meter and then the 200-meter two hours later is possible, but the relay is 30 minutes after the 200-meter.’

‘I want to run the 200-meter too.’

*Pfft-!*

Kim Young-tae spat out his beer at Son Jinhyuk’s words.

Why was this guy, who could express his thoughts so firmly and at length, only saying yes or no usually?

***

Is it the same for boys and men?

Yeom Byung-taek and Jo Seul-chan, leaning against the wall of the inn room, were having a serious conversation.

‘Hey, isn’t Lim Hee-jin from Class 3 pretty?’

‘No, Ahn Ji-yoon from our class is prettier.’

‘Jo Seul, you say every big-breasted celebrity is pretty.’

‘Yeah, that’s true. Hehehe.’

When four boys gathered in one inn room, talk about girls began.

*Mya-mya*, Jinhyuk unknowingly perked up his ears at the conversation. It was an instruction from his instincts, not his reason. But he couldn’t get any detailed information.

‘They don’t seem to know much either.’

He shook his head as he went into the bathroom.

Still, Jinhyuk liked these friends because they seemed innocent and pure. They would be going to middle school soon, and they would probably meet at the same school.

*

‘Yeom Byung, my grandma says that men need to have strong thighs.’

‘Jo Seul, your tongue is the strongest.’

*Click*.

Even after showering, his friends were still chatting away, not thinking about showering. If they had smartphones, they would be playing games, so seeing them sharing their primal interests seemed more like kids.

Yeom Byung-taek, seeing Jinhyuk’s naked body, exclaimed in admiration. Even the reserved Park Ji-beom didn’t miss it. Their gazes were all directed at the same area, as if by agreement.

‘Whoa, look at Jinhyuk. It’s huge.’

‘Hee-! Is it because he’s tall?’

‘Jinhyuk is so big, so cool.’

Oh, he hadn’t brought his underwear into the bathroom to change, and now he had become a spectacle. Come to think of it, he hadn’t had a chance to go to a public bath with these friends. But how did these little guys know that it was good if it was big? Jinhyuk, who had never had any curiosity about the opposite sex in his previous life, was amazed by the children’s reactions.

‘If you’ve digested, take a shower and go to bed. You need to rest to have strength tomorrow.’

At Jinhyuk’s words, his friends began to move slowly. They were tired and annoyed, but they were athletes, so they knew the importance of managing their condition.

‘Jinhyuk is like a hyung [older brother or male friend], so it’s hard to prank him.’

Jinhyuk chuckled at Jo Seul-chan’s grumbling as he went into the bathroom.

‘I’m not a hyung, I’m an old man to you, you little rascal.’

***

They had breakfast with a savory soybean paste stew and moved to the Gongju Public Stadium. Other school athletes who had already arrived were stretching or doing light jogging to warm up.

‘Ah, please understand! This is our first time doing something on such a large scale!’

It was the person in charge of the competition organizing committee.

He was so confident in asking for understanding that he drew everyone’s attention. The order of events and the breaks in between were not systematic, and the list of participants was not released in advance, so the athletes and coaches were having a hard time.

*Tap-tap*, *Beeeep-*. The microphone screamed.

[The men’s elementary school 100-meter preliminary will begin soon, followed by the high jump, -, athletes please prepare.]

Kim Young-tae was busy going back and forth between the organizing committee and the athletes’ waiting area. It was because of Son Jinhyuk. He said he wanted to participate in the 200-meter, that if he didn’t do it now, when would he ever get to try it, and he couldn’t bring himself to stop him. He also wanted the kids to come out of this experience without getting hurt.

‘Jinhyuk, while you’re at it, do you want to try the long jump too?’

How hard could it be?

All you had to do was run and jump powerfully.

‘Yes.’

He was just saying it, but he said he would do it. Kim Young-tae sighed invisibly and put another stamp on the participation confirmation form.

‘This kind of participation is only possible at the national competition.’

100-meter, 200-meter, long jump, and the men’s elementary school 400-meter relay.

Four events. There were athletes who participated in multiple events in track and field. But it was almost abnormal for an elementary school athlete to participate in multiple events during a short competition period.

The 200-meter was also considered a short distance, but it wasn’t the same as the real short distance of the 100-meter. It was an event that required both stamina and speed to challenge.

‘Thanks to those guys who only push pens, we got a good opportunity.’

This competition was held over two days. It was an official competition, but it was a contradiction to say that they were promoting basic physical education and had organized track and field separately. In the end, it meant it was a rushed job.

‘Ji-beom is also running the 200-meter?’

‘Yes.’

Park Ji-beom was originally a track and field athlete, so let him get some experience. Kim Young-tae allowed the children to experience as much as possible. Thanks to the sloppy management of the competition organizing committee, the children had an unexpected opportunity.

Yeom Byung-taek, who was once Park Ji-beom’s supporting athlete, and Jo Seul-chan, who was participating for the first time, were busy admiring the figures of the female students wearing track and field uniforms.

‘Wow, are those girls from the city? Their skin is so fair.’

‘Seul-chan, that girl is so pretty.’

‘Where, where?’

‘There, her. From Bongeun Elementary School.’

‘Hey! Byung-taek, you rascal! That’s a teacher! You shouldn’t drool over any woman you see! You’ll get in trouble!’

‘Ah, now that I see it, she looks like Kim Yang noona [older sister or female friend].’

It was a good time.

If Jinhyuk had lived his first life normally, wouldn’t he have been gaping with those friends? He smiled, thinking that maybe he would have. His friends were so cute.

‘Is that what you call pretty…’

He just couldn’t figure it out.

Compared to his mother or Executive Director Hong Su-jeong, they just looked like upright walking humans.

He took a quick look and decided to focus on stretching.

Jo Seul said that if you look at them carelessly, you’ll get in trouble.

‘Is it because of hormones?’

He felt like he was gradually becoming more like his peers.