The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 32

The person who shouted was the supervisor.

“Six meters, twenty-seven centimeters.”

The recorder called out Jinhyuk’s record again.

Oooooooo-.

The crowd’s murmuring turned into admiration.

“Is six meters a first?”

“I don’t think last year’s record was even six meters.”

“Too bad. If it were the national competition…”

The supervisor gestured somewhere, and someone came running, holding down their hat with one hand.

The man in the white baseball cap checked Jinhyuk’s landing spot once more before declaring.

“I’m confirming the reference record. Men’s long jump, six meters, twenty-seven, six hundred, twenty, seven centimeters. Player number 91 from Taeyang, junior division, a new Korean record. It will only be recognized as a reference record under the competition rules.”

Jinhyuk’s expression turned blank.

‘What did he say?’

It was an unofficial record, but a new record nonetheless.

What was the previous record? Before Jinhyuk could even be confused, the crowd swarmed him.

Waaaah-!

Clap clap clap-!

As soon as the record keeper finished speaking, those around him applauded and cheered.

“Congratulations-!”

“Congratulations-!”

“It looked like you were really flying!”

They were people he had never met before. People he had never even spoken to. Many people patted Jinhyuk’s shoulders and back. Some patted his head, others his butt. Among those congratulating him was a player Jinhyuk had been observing.

‘Ah, I miss Mom.’

So this is what it feels like to be recognized and receive attention.

The record wasn’t the issue. The fact that he succeeded in the last attempt wasn’t important. It was simply that strangers were looking at him, smiling at him, and applauding him.

‘Thank you.’

Jinhyuk couldn’t bring himself to speak and just kept bowing in response. He pressed his lips tightly together, afraid that if he opened his mouth or made eye contact, he would burst into tears. A tough guy who had endured that hellish past life without tears couldn’t cry here.

Then, Jinhyuk’s body was lifted into the air.

“Whoa! You rascal! I knew you could do it! Hahahaha!”

Teacher Kim Young-tae hugged Jinhyuk’s legs and lifted him high.

The first gold medal in track and field in the history of Taeyang Elementary School came from the long jump. It was the first time in the 85 years since the school’s founding. Taeyang Elementary School was also Kim Young-tae’s alma mater. Kim Young-tae’s mind was filled with the joy of achieving this first glory.

But what to do?

Son Jinhyuk was a student from another school.

***

Before the relay semi-finals, the 200-meter semi-finals were held.

Bang-!

Son Jinhyuk shot out of the starting blocks like a bullet.

Kim Young-tae clenched his fist. Then, he raised his arm and waved it wildly.

‘How could a guy like that be buried in the boonies [rural area]!’

Where on earth had he been hiding? He felt like shouting, “Waaah-!” Kim Young-tae, who had been holding back out of adult decency, finally couldn’t contain himself and yelled.

“Woooow! Run! Run!”

Son Jinhyuk, starting in lane 2, broke out into the lead in the curve and charged down the straightaway. If a wild horse, full of energy, didn’t run amok in all directions but only in one direction, it would look like that.

‘Don’t stand out too much.’

He was a wild horse that was both powerful and composed.

Whoosh-whoosh-, whoosh-whoosh-.

The difference from the 100 meters was the presence of the curve.

He treated the curve as an acceleration lane on a highway, steadily building momentum, and then fully pressed the accelerator on the straightaway. Of course, he had been pressing the accelerator even on the curve.

‘This is refreshing!’

It was a different kind of joy than running on a paved road.

It was the thrill of truly finding freedom.

He crossed the finish line in first place in his heat.

He didn’t forget to slow down just before crossing the finish line.

Kim Young-tae recalled his conversation with Jinhyuk at that sight. It was after the long jump award ceremony.

– “Teacher, is the ranking important in this competition?”

– “Yes. All records are submitted as reference records. Only records set in national-level competitions are recognized as official records.”

Was that why? Jinhyuk didn’t seem to have any attachment to the record.

“It looked like you slowed down at the end?”

“You told me to control my pace.”

“Ah, ah. That’s right. Hehehe!”

Kim Young-tae had to start calculating his emergency fund balance.

The 200-meter final was tomorrow.

“Can you run in the relay?”

“Yes! I think I’ll run even better since my body is warmed up!”

He was reliable.

Jinhyuk looked somewhat excited. He had even become more talkative. Kim Young-tae, who had been coaching kids for a long time, couldn’t fail to notice the expression of a child who was starting to enjoy himself.

‘That rascal, he seems to be having fun.’

Now it was Park Jibeom’s turn.

Park Jibeom had unfortunately failed in the 100-meter semi-finals.

‘The 200 meters will be even harder.’

He had only done the 100 meters for three years, and in the end, he hadn’t achieved anything.

Kim Young-tae guessed Park Jibeom’s disappointment and silently cheered for his student’s last race.

Bang-!

As expected of Taeyang Elementary School’s ace, Park Jibeom confidently charged through the curve. Even though he was in lane 4, he was ahead of the other runners, indicating that he was in the lead. Then, as he entered the straightaway, he was overtaken by the runners in the other lanes.

“Huh? Is Jibeom hurt somewhere?”

“No. It doesn’t look like he’s running his best.”

He wasn’t limping, but he wasn’t picking up speed.

Why was that?

Park Jibeom, who finished last, returned with a light expression.

“Jibeom, is there anything bothering you?”

“No? I just warmed up for the relay. The full-power sprint in the second half is really tough.”

The relay. It was in 30 minutes. He had saved his strength for his friends. Kim Young-tae scrunched up his nose to stop the surge of emotion. These kids were so admirable.

The blue sky was starting to mix with gray as the sun began to set.

***

“I’m overflowing with energy because I’ve been playing and eating all day!”

“Me too.”

They warmed up in a cheerful atmosphere thanks to Yeom Byeong-taek and Jo Seul-chan’s easygoing nature. Jinhyuk also relaxed among the kids and massaged his legs. He used his grip strength to press on his friends’ legs as well. They were friends who had laughed and sweated together while exercising for a short time. He hoped they could all laugh together until the end.

Park Jibeom’s eyes widened.

“Wow, when Jinhyuk touches me, the tightness in my thighs and calves disappears. It feels like I have more strength in my legs too.”

“You too? Me too!”

Jo Seul-chan, who had been resting all day, took Park Jibeom’s words and joked around.

Kim Young-tae was just glad that the Taeyang Elementary School kids were in the second heat. Thanks to that, Son Jinhyuk and Park Jibeom could rest a little more.

But something was strange.

Why had those dark-skinned men been loitering around him since earlier?

“You guys warm up. I’ll go get my notebook for a moment.”

“Okay.”

Unlike the kids who answered innocently, Son Jinhyuk narrowed his eyes and followed Kim Young-tae’s gaze.

‘He’s holding the notebook in his hand.’

Jinhyuk massaged his knee area and listened to Kim Young-tae’s conversation with the men.

***

“Oh my! What are we going to do!”

Jo Seul-chan couldn’t hide his dismay.

A runner from another school in the first relay heat had dropped the baton. It had happened in an instant during the baton pass. He quickly picked it up and started, but the other runners had already picked up speed and were far away.

“Weren’t they the fastest school?”

“That’s right. Daesung Elementary School.”

“Oh my, that’s too bad.”

While talking as if it were someone else’s problem, Jo Seul-chan and Yeom Byeong-taek were clearly nervous. They were breathing shallowly and bouncing their knees, which was proof of that.

Among them, Jo Seul-chan seemed the most nervous.

“Oh my, damn it. Why do I have to pee so badly?”

“You can’t go to the bathroom now! Just pee while you run!”

At Yeom Byeong-taek’s words, the kids relaxed and laughed.

“Let’s just do what we practiced. If we don’t make any mistakes, we’ll succeed.”

Clap clap-!

Teacher Kim Young-tae clapped his hands to get the kids’ attention.

“Okay! Let’s do a cheer before we go!”

“What do we say since we’re from different schools?”

It was a question that Jo Seul-chan thought was quite sharp.

“Just do ‘Taeyang’. We’ll be meeting in middle school soon anyway.”

“Aha, okay. Jinhyuk is always so smart.”

A big hand, Jinhyuk’s medium-sized hand, and three small hands.

Five hands were stacked on top of each other.

“Taeyang! Taeyang! Fighting!”

Clap clap clap-!

They raised their hands high, clapped, and the kids went onto the track.

“Whew. I’m nervous.”

Rub rub-clap clap-!

Kim Young-tae rubbed his face and massaged his cheeks. It was always the coach who was more nervous than the athletes, and the family more nervous than the coach. To Kim Young-tae, the kids were like his own children, not just his students.

‘Don’t get hurt, my babies, no matter the results.’

Whether they knew their teacher’s feelings or not, the kids went onto the track.

“First runners, pick up a baton from the basket. You there, lane 7! Why are you empty-handed?”

It was Park Jibeom.

Even after all that practice, it was a common mistake for the first runners to forget that they had to run with a baton.

The red and yellow batons had already been taken, and strangely, only the blue one was left. There was a superstition in relays to prefer primary-colored batons because they were easy to see. But it wasn’t like you were looking at the color with your palm anyway.

‘Oh! Lucky!’

Park Jibeom thought that luck was on his side and picked up the remaining blue baton. Park Jibeom didn’t know that the team that had made a mistake in the previous heat had used the blue baton. That was why the other teams had avoided the blue baton.

The jinx of the relay.

Once a baton is dropped, it will be dropped again. It was nonsense, but wasn’t it human nature to fear what was unseen and nonexistent?

All the runners in the other lanes were looking at him, but Park Jibeom didn’t care. Sometimes, it was better not to know.

‘Just finishing without any mistakes is good enough.’

Just by seeing him run the 200 meters as a warm-up for the relay, Park Jibeom was a mature and relaxed friend, unlike his age. Although he had been struggling to improve his record since the 6th grade, Park Jibeom had been the ace of Taeyang Elementary School since the 4th grade.

“On your marks-”

Park Jibeom clenched his left hand holding the baton and placed it on the ground, making sure not to drop it.

He puffed out his cheeks in the suffocating tension.

“Set-”

He straightened his legs and lifted his waist.

Was it because he was too nervous? He felt like blood was rushing to his head.

Bang-!

Clunk-! Clang-.

Only the sound of metal clashing nervously remained where the first runners had left.

***

“Mommy-, Mommy-”

“Yes-, Mommy’s here.”

“Daddy-, Daddy-”

“Aigoo-, my princess-”

Son Yujin, who was not even 36 months old, went around the house, hugging her mom and dad alternately. Since they had built a spacious house, the baby could run around without any obstacles. Dad, Son Gwang-yeon, thought that expanding the house was a great decision, but he felt sorry that he couldn’t do that when Jinhyuk was a baby because they were struggling financially. That was why he was more concerned about his son.

‘But he’s already acting like a grown-up…’

After school, he helped his mom with the laundry or cleaned the house and took care of his younger sister. And if that wasn’t enough, he followed his dad to the fields and rice paddies to see if there was anything to do, and he didn’t skip his workouts, saying he had energy to spare. Not to mention his homework and studies. The kids in Seoul played with Lego blocks or remote-controlled cars.

‘But when is our son coming?’

He felt sorry that he hadn’t let him grow up like a child, that he hadn’t been able to indulge him enough, and that he seemed to have matured too much. That was why he felt more affectionate towards him. Son Gwang-yeon had also grown up without feeling his father’s love.

“Jinhyuk’s mom, honey. Isn’t it about time our son called?”

He had only received a call last night saying he had arrived safely and this morning saying he had slept well and woken up. The competition would be over in a day, and he was supposed to call after it was over, but it was almost dinner time and he hadn’t called. The teacher had told him that the competition would only be held for one day.

Ring ring-.

Thinking that his son was probably not a nobleman either, Son Gwang-yeon picked up the phone.

“Hello? Oh, Jinhyuk! Huh? Really? Reeeally? Wahaha-! What in the world is this? Oh, oh. Okay. Mom? Mom is washing her hair. Oh, okay. I’ll tell her. Okay. Have a good dinner. Sleep well, my son-”

Click-.

Son Gwang-yeon’s face was filled with a kind and relaxed smile as he put down the phone. But his eyes were blank. It was because he hadn’t grasped what his son had said. Then, he suddenly came to his senses.

‘What? A gold medal?’

Although it was a regional competition, it was a competition to find the best athletes in the province. Of course, there would be athletes who were good but didn’t participate. Still, a gold medal was a gold medal! And what? A new Korean record? Unofficial my foot, it’s my son’s record, who says it’s unofficial!

“Let’s see, what should I do? What do you do in this situation?”

Should he shout “hurray”?

If he shouted “hurray,” his wife would glare at him.

Son Gwang-yeon hugged his daughter, whose eyes were wide, and panicked.

Because his dad’s voice was too loud while talking on the phone, Yujin’s already big eyes were wide open.

“What should I do, what should I do? What should I do?”

What should a dad do when his son wins a gold medal? He was even more flustered because he didn’t have a dad to ask. If there was a dad’s group for dads whose sons had won gold medals, he would ask for advice. In this rural area, there were only dads who told you when to spray pesticides and fertilizers.

‘Ah, should I ask Gijun?’

He could also brag about his son.

Son Gwang-yeon picked up the phone again.

“Oh, oh, is that Gijun? Hahahaha, my son!”

– My ears hurt, you idiot!

Chatter chatter-.

“He seems to want to keep it quiet. He’s worried about becoming famous.”

– Don’t worry, you won’t become famous for doing well in a provincial competition.

“Hahaha! He’s so humble, just like me!”

Hong Gijun told him the reality, but Son Gwang-yeon had no intention of calming down.

He went on and on in a genre that was hard to tell if it was bragging about his son or himself.

Son Gwang-yeon’s chatter continued until his wife came out of the bathroom.

“Honey, did Jinhyuk call? Why is your face like that?”

Han Yu-young, who came out of the bathroom with a towel on her head, widened her eyes. Wasn’t her husband always trying to maintain his composure, emphasizing that he was a man from Seoul? But now, he was talking non-stop with a face that was flushed red.

Thud-.

Son Gwang-yeon dropped the phone when he saw the white towel on his wife’s head. He jumped up and shouted as if he had just remembered something important.

“A banner!”

“Huh?”

Son Gwang-yeon hugged Yujin and danced with his wife, holding her hand.

Eolssigu-na, good-na- [traditional Korean celebratory chant].

And so.

Hong Gijun was defeated once again.

– Hello? Hello-. Hey, you idiot!”