The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 31

Jinhyuk’s events were scheduled in the order of the 100-meter preliminaries, long jump, 200-meter, and 400-meter relay.

Originally, the preliminaries and finals of each event should have been held on different days, but that wasn’t how things were done back then. The Chungcheongnam-do preliminaries and finals had to be completed in two days, and the results sent to the national competition committee. By mail and fax. Because of this, the committee members, as well as the coaches and athletes, seemed to be in a state of chaos.

“Jinhyuk and Jibeom, make sure to manage your condition well. Was breakfast okay?”

“Yes, teacher.”

“Ah-”

“Teacher, what’s wrong?”

Kim Young-tae smacked his forehead.

There was something he hadn’t considered. Until last year, no athlete from Taeyang Elementary School had ever passed the preliminaries in track and field. Park Jibeom had been a representative in the 5th grade, which spoke volumes about the lack of track and field talent.

But this year, there was Son Jinhyuk.

If he passed the preliminaries, he would have to compete in the semi-finals in the afternoon. The 100-meter preliminaries were the first event in the morning. It was almost certain that he would pass the preliminaries. And with Son Jinhyuk’s skills, it was also certain that he would pass the semi-finals.

‘That means we’ll have to stay another day.’

He had barely eaten the pork belly yesterday to save on food expenses. He clicked his tongue at the sense of dismay, but then he felt several bright, innocent eyes on him. They were always so pure.

Aware of the children’s gaze, Kim Young-tae quickly composed himself.

“No, no. Jinhyuk, just manage your stamina well. There are many events, so you can give up if it’s too hard. Don’t push yourself.”

“Yes.”

The teacher will pay for the accommodation.

You just need to make it to the finals.

Kim Young-tae happily thought of his emergency fund, anticipating the sensation that Son Jinhyuk would cause.

Beeeep-.

The microphone shrieked, casting a spell that made the participants shrink back.

[The first heat of the boys’ elementary 100-meter preliminaries will begin soon. Athletes participating in this event-.]

Following the announcement, Park Jibeom stood at the starting line.

“Park Jibeom, fighting!”

“Taeyang Elementary School, fighting!”

Bang-!

Wowwww-!

The sound of the starting gun was followed by enthusiastic cheers from the teachers and students. People were shouting at the top of their lungs. It was just a small cheering squad of school officials and participating athletes, but it was a time when you could feel their excitement and anticipation.

‘Well… it’s pretty cool.’

Jinhyuk’s heart was full.

In the past, he had spent time learning various sports as an adult, but he had never imagined that running and shouting with others could be so exhilarating. It wasn’t quite the same as the excitement of the Olympics or World Championships he had seen on TV, but the emotion of watching the competition unfold before his eyes was no less powerful.

‘I’m glad I came.’

For Jinhyuk, a new world was opening up once again.

Park Jibeom crossed the finish line in first place in his heat.

“Wow! Jibeom’s time is 12.98 seconds!”

“Jibeom’s going to the semi-finals!”

Although there were fluctuations from year to year, a time of 13.00 seconds was a difficult record to achieve even in elementary school regional competitions. If he could maintain this condition and pass the semi-finals, he could even aim for the finals. Although he didn’t show it because he was so gentle, how much had Park Jibeom been grinding his teeth while watching Son Jinhyuk? Kim Young-tae pointed a finger at himself for overlooking the competitive spirit of an athlete and temporarily excluding Park Jibeom.

‘Oh, I feel bad for him.’

But what could he do when Son Jinhyuk was just that good? Kim Young-tae defended himself and took care of the next athlete.

“Jinhyuk, pace yourself. There are other events, so don’t push yourself too hard.”

“Yes.”

He had no intention of giving his all anyway.

He knew too well the attention that was showered on those who were too outstanding.

On the other hand, he was also confident that even if he ran hard, it wouldn’t strain his body.

‘Even if I sprint, it’s not particularly tiring.’

What he had worked as hard on as running was recovery training.

Jinhyuk lightly stretched his shoulders and entered the starting area.

He had checked out the stadium yesterday. It wasn’t a dusty sand field, but a track dedicated to track and field. The starting blocks were also new, shining brightly, which made him feel good.

“On your marks-”

He kicked the starting blocks a couple of times to make sure they were properly supported.

Whoosh-, he puffed out his cheeks and exhaled deeply to empty his lungs.

“Set-”

He raised his hips and gently pushed his upper body forward.

The warm spring sun tickled the back of his neck.

Whoosh- whoosh-, he took a deep breath, exhaled about a third of it, and closed his lungs.

The gun would go off soon.

Bang-!

With the sound of the air in the public stadium being torn apart nervously.

Puhah-!

Son Jinhyuk, who had powerfully raised his knees and elbows, let out a rough breath as if roaring.

***

“Hey, Chungcheong is slow.”

“What are you talking about! Chungcheong has always been number one in speeding! Didn’t you come here to get something too?”

Someone said that because they were slow to speak, their actions were fast. They said that speeding was rampant on the roads and in bed? It was funny to divide such a small country by region and make such generalizations, but it wasn’t entirely unfounded.

“True. Bongsu, you’re the witness.”

Just looking at Jung Bong-su, he was slow to speak but fast on his feet.

He was a friend who had always worn number 11 while playing as a soccer player through middle school, high school, college, and even a professional team. He had been told that if his footwork and accuracy were just a little better, he would have been selected for the national team.

‘If it weren’t for that injury, he could have continued his career as a player.’

Now he was a middle school soccer coach in Daejeon.

He never expected to meet Lee Hae-dong, a middle school soccer coach from Suwon, in Gongju after so long.

“Did you transfer any kids?”

“Hey, damn it. They all got snatched up by the baseball team.”

There was a consistent theory among sports coaches.

‘Technique can be taught, but speed cannot.’

They had come to Gongju to scout track and field prospects among 6th graders who were physically fit and fast, but there were no outstanding athletes. Even if they found someone, most of them were lured away by the baseball team, which had more money, and those who didn’t receive financial support chose soccer, which was less expensive than baseball.

That was how the roots of basic sports in Korea were cut off early due to the logic of money.

Bang-!

“Huh?”

Jung Bong-su turned his head towards the track at the sound of the gunshot, pulling Lee Hae-dong out of his thoughts.

Wowww-!

The cheers in the stadium were as if they had made a promise. How could the cheers be so loud when there were no spectators? But Jung Bong-su and Lee Hae-dong soon had no choice but to join the crowd.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa-! What’s going on!”

It was an overwhelming run.

Not only compared to other athletes, but also for an elementary school student, he had a tall height and broad shoulders. And above all.

Speed.

It was a running style reminiscent of Ben Johnson at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. But to be precise, it was more dynamic than that. The continuous run of his two legs, and his upper body pushing forward as if someone was pushing him from behind.

With that physique and that level of speed, it was unimaginable how strong his ankle strength must be.

Jung Bong-su pointed a finger at the athlete who had just crossed the finish line in first place.

“Hey! You should play soccer!”

A strong ankle that could generate powerful kicking power even when stationary was a blessing for a soccer player, and it was considered the second most difficult element to develop after speed.

Jung Bong-su shouted irritably.

“This damn rural area doesn’t have an electronic scoreboard!”

If there had been an electronic scoreboard, the record would have appeared quickly. He was curious about the record, but the records were only written on a whiteboard, so the spectators couldn’t know the times.

Jung Bong-su and Lee Hae-dong, without saying a word, kicked their chairs and ran towards the track.

‘We have to get him.’

Pushing each other.

“Don’t push me, you bastard!”

The two middle school soccer coaches showed off their body-checking skills that they had honed during their soccer careers. Behind them, the baseball coaches from Cheonan and Gongju walked leisurely with their hands in their pockets. As if to show they were baseball coaches, they were wearing stylish sunglasses.

[Ah, ah-. Please don’t come down. Only competition officials are allowed- Beeeep-.]

***

Thud-.

The red flag went up.

“Number 91, foul.”

It was Son Jinhyuk’s number.

It was his first time doing the long jump. It wasn’t just about running up with all your might.

‘Oh, I missed the timing again.’

The 20-centimeter take-off board and the 10-centimeter clay board.

At first, it felt like his toes were completely going over the take-off board. He felt a slightly elastic, foreign sensation at the tips of his toes. So, he knew the moment he jumped that it was a foul.

He felt that his second attempt was okay. From the run-up to the take-off, the mid-air posture, and the landing. But it seemed that the toe of his running shoe had slightly protruded.

“Hoo-.”

Was it because he sighed?

Teacher Kim Young-tae encouraged Jinhyuk.

“Jinhyuk, it’s okay. You did well. You can jump one more time.”

“Yes.”

He wasn’t disappointed, he was just catching his breath, but Teacher Kim Young-tae tried to make sure that Son Jinhyuk didn’t get discouraged. In many ways, Kim Young-tae had the qualities of a good teacher.

Kim Young-tae, who had been patting Jinhyuk’s back, glanced at the landing area. Just then, the sand that had been dented by Jinhyuk’s buttocks was being smoothed out by the staff.

‘6 meters?’

Did he see it wrong?

***

Number 91.

Jinhyuk was the last of the nine participants.

Since there weren’t many participants to begin with, it was an event that you could participate in by simply applying, without any preliminary records. Because it was in order of application, he ended up being the last, but the pressure of being the last challenger subtly warmed his chest.

But there were also advantages to being the last.

‘Ah, the run-up isn’t about sprinting from the beginning.’

The last chance, the last challenger.

Regardless of the tension, he could observe the movements of other athletes. With his keen eye, Jinhyuk quickly identified what he could take from the movements of other athletes.

Dada-da-da-dat-!

Another athlete participating in the long jump ran up powerfully.

‘He’s reaching his top speed two or three steps before stepping on the take-off board.’

He was the best-performing athlete so far, from Gongju. It helped that he had been closely observing the athlete’s movements since the first attempt.

‘Run while increasing speed, straighten the upper body two steps before the take-off, and jump upwards without bending the upper body.’

It was a sudden application, but he didn’t want to regret it. As if self-hypnotizing, as if coding his body to operate according to the logical sequence he had injected, Jinhyuk quickly became immersed in the long jump event.

‘It’s an individual event anyway. There’s nothing I do better than doing it alone.’

He didn’t have to worry about anyone trying to body-check him, nor did he have to be disappointed that the skills of other teammates didn’t meet his expectations. Of course, he didn’t care about the records of his competitors either. In the end, it was a fight against himself.

‘I just need to do well.’

It was Jinhyuk’s turn, and he stood at the starting area.

He recalled what he had learned from watching international competitions in his previous life. Bending his knees slightly to keep the rhythm. There were no spectators to keep the rhythm with him, but he swayed his upper body to his own rhythm and breathed.

While others looked at Jinhyuk with curiosity.

Tap-!

Tat-ta-ta-ta-tat-!

Jinhyuk, running in the run-up area, became like a black chicken. He ran with his neck and chest sticking out, as if chasing after a kid who was bothering him. Of course, to the eyes of the people watching from the side, it looked like he was running with his upper body upright.

Pa-pa-pat-!

He quickly reached his top speed.

He straightened his upper body and took a deep breath.

Now it was the take-off board.

Thwack-!

He could tell. This time, he stepped on the take-off board with plenty of room to spare.

He ran quickly, pushed off powerfully, shook off gravity, and soared high and far.

Whoosh-, as if flying in the sky, a strange wind brushed past his ears.

Jinhyuk, with his chin up, rolled his eyes down to find the landing area. He could see the spectator seats and the track in his field of vision. Had he jumped too high? His legs were ambiguous. Should he try to step on the air? He flailed his legs once. It would be a problem if one leg was left behind. He tightened his thighs, and his legs were pulled forward. He brought his feet together neatly.

He could see the fine sand.

It felt like his feet would touch it soon.

He pulled his chest forward with all his might.

He gritted his teeth and twisted his shoulders. If he fell backward, it would all be for nothing.

Swoosh-!

The fine sand flew forward and sideways.

Jinhyuk, who had rolled to the side after landing, turned his eyes to the supervisor sitting on a chair next to the take-off board.

The white flag!

He checked the record with his eyes.

‘Is it a good record?’

He couldn’t know since he didn’t know the records of the other athletes.

He brushed off the sand and came out.

Jinhyuk put his hands on his hips and watched the two recorders measuring the sandpit with a tape measure. Teacher Kim Young-tae, with an excited expression, and his friends gathered next to Jinhyuk. Participants from other schools began to whisper.

The recorder called out Jinhyuk’s record.

Murmuring, murmuring-.

He couldn’t hear the recorder’s voice properly because of the murmuring of the people.

“6 meters-”

Teacher Kim Young-tae’s jaw dropped like a doll with a broken string.

Then someone shouted.

“Here, here! Come here quickly! This kid is weird!”