The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 33

# 33 < Nameless Athlete (2) >

“Bongsu, is he running tomorrow too?”

“If he’s not running, who will?”

“Isn’t it tough to run like that?”

“It is tough. But athletes recover faster. You’re an athlete too, why are you acting like this?”

“True. He’ll recover faster since he’s young.”

Jeong Bong-su and Lee Hae-dong were turned away by Kim Young-tae at the public stadium.

They had approached as politely as possible. Was it because they were wearing shabby sportswear? The baseball coaches even wore sunglasses and seemed to be talking to him for quite a while. Still, to refuse a simple request for a bit of time, no matter how shabby they looked.

“Aish! Maybe I should have played baseball.”

“Hehehe! You would have been good at stealing bases.”

Jeong Bong-su laughed it off and downed a shot of soju [Korean distilled rice liquor].

“Hey, he’s really fast. Not just in the 100 meters, but when he was doing the relay, it was like watching my old self.”

“Yeah. Who hasn’t been an anchor back in the day?”

“I was for real, you punk!”

“Me too, you jerk!”

Lee Hae-dong filled Jeong Bong-su’s glass and raised his own. Jeong Bong-su also raised his glass to meet it. The soju in the glasses sloshed.

“Kuh- good!”

Good indeed. It was good to empty glasses with a friend they hadn’t seen in a while. So what if they couldn’t scout a promising young runner? Still, that kid was too good to pass up.

Lee Hae-dong recalled the relay preliminaries.

The first runner quickly came out of the curved track. He had been doing track for quite a while, his form was perfect. And the second and third runners, who were caught up on the straight, but had smooth baton passes. It was vivid in his mind, the young runners passing the baton from hand to hand as if they had octopus suckers on their palms.

And then, the problem, the last runner, the anchor.

‘Crazy! How did he turn it around?’

The second and third runners were in 5th place. Compared to the first runner, their running power was lacking, but they were able to maintain 5th place purely thanks to the baton passes. But the moment the baton was passed from the third runner to the fourth, everyone in the stadium jumped up.

Wow-! The roar still seemed to ring in his ears.

Like a motorcycle suddenly opening its throttle and lifting its front wheel, the anchor began to dominate the track. It was like he was a tiger chasing prey to the finish line.

In the end, the winner was the Taeyang Elementary School team.

Lee Hae-dong, finishing his recollection, poured the last of the soju into Jeong Bong-su’s glass. His eyes were distant, as if he had run the race himself.

“Are you going to the stadium tomorrow too?”

“Of course. I’ve had a few drinks, where else would I go?”

Lee Hae-dong’s eyes, fueled by alcohol, were intense.

It was a look that could cause misunderstandings.

And words that fueled the misunderstanding came out.

“Let’s sleep together tonight.”

“Don’t misunderstand! You crazy bastard!”

“Let’s save on accommodation costs.”

“You should have said that from the start, you idiot!”

The middle school soccer coach’s salary wasn’t much.

He had come on a day trip, so he couldn’t even apply for travel expenses.

***

“Eat, eat! Your teacher will buy you everything!”

“Wow! Eating pork belly two days in a row is a first for me in my whole life.”

Wahahaha-.

Jo Seul-chan’s easygoing nature was something even Jinhyuk, who had lived for nearly half a century combined, found hard to imitate. ‘Maybe that guy is a regressor too,’ Jinhyuk chuckled. There was another reason to laugh, even without Jo Seul-chan.

‘A gold medal. I’ve received many awards for studying, but this is my first for sports.’

And his dad’s excited voice was a different kind of touching. It was a voice that truly showed he was proud of his son, making him think that it was a good idea to participate in the competition. Of course, he had decided to live happily with his parents and sister, so the more happy and laughing moments, the better.

‘I miss my mom and dad. And Yujin and Janggun too.’

Sitting in a noisy, out-of-the-way restaurant, Jinhyuk could only think of his family.

The sound of clinking glasses, chatter, and sizzling meat. The various young voices, not yet past puberty, blended in naturally.

Other regional teams that had advanced to the finals also occupied two or three tables each and were having pork belly parties. The owner of the rural barbecue restaurant seemed busy serving with a big smile.

The kind-hearted owner also placed stew and spicy whelk salad on Jinhyuk’s table.

“This is on the house. My, you’re only four here, but you’re running tomorrow too, I see.”

“Auntie! He won a gold medal today! And he’s got three finals tomorrow!”

Jo Seul-chan couldn’t help but point at Jinhyuk and brag.

It seems that humans want to brag about someone they have a little connection with if they are doing well and talented. In the past, he would have scolded them for saying unnecessary things, but now, Jinhyuk was grateful that his friends seemed proud of him.

‘Why is the teacher acting like that?’

But Kim Young-tae had been acting strange since a while ago.

While the kids were distracted by eating and drinking, he was subtly checking his wallet. Any other kid would have been distracted by the sizzling pork belly and the fragrant soybean paste stew, but Jinhyuk was not a child. No, he was the owner of a calm mind, like a sailor who had crossed the stormy seas and had the vision of the ocean, so he seemed to know what Kim Young-tae’s worries were.

‘Is he short on money?’

Just because he had returned to the past didn’t mean he knew everything.

Even if it was something he had experienced before, most of the details were not remembered, and he couldn’t know about fields he had never experienced before, even if he had returned to the past. Moreover, the current reality was a completely new future from the past. Therefore, he had no knowledge of the operation and finances of a rural school’s sports team.

He could only guess.

‘It must be haphazard. They must be participating with the parents’ association fees.’

Come to think of it, Jinhyuk had not been asked to pay any fees. Taeyang Elementary School had also prepared his uniform. He felt indebted. But there was nothing he could do right now. How much would it hurt the teacher’s pride if a young student took out money from his bag?

“You’ve eaten a lot, let’s digest and go to bed early. You have to run tomorrow.”

The only thing Jinhyuk could do was to stop his friends from ordering more.

As if he had been waiting for it, Kim Young-tae smiled awkwardly and went to the counter.

“How much is it?”

Jinhyuk perked up his ears.

“Those customers over there paid for it.”

What?

Jinhyuk pretended not to hear and only rolled his eyes to check the men drinking beer at the corner table.

‘Those people are…’

A sense of obligation. Just thinking about it showed how conscientious that person was. From the uniform to the fee exemption. Even though he was a representative of the county, when you think about it, he was from another school, a stranger. Jinhyuk realized that he was indebted to Kim Young-tae and Taeyang Elementary School.

And that made him feel even more uncomfortable with the people who had paid for dinner instead.

They were the people who had been hanging around with sunglasses on during the day.

“You guys go out first. I’ll talk to my friend and go.”

Kim Young-tae spoke brightly to the children, but Jinhyuk didn’t miss the subtle anger in his voice. Sure enough, Mr. Kim Young-tae approached them, spoke sternly, and then paid for the food at the counter.

‘So, Mr. Kim Young-tae was that kind of person.’

In his previous life, he had been forced to transfer to Taeyang Elementary School, so he was a teacher he often encountered at school. He was like an uncle who joked and laughed with the kids during gym class. But looking at him now, he seemed like a scholar who didn’t know how to compromise.

Jinhyuk would have done the same as Mr. Kim Young-tae.

It was obvious that a sense of obligation would restrict one’s actions. If he were to get a meal, it could unintentionally affect the student’s future. Mr. Kim Young-tae’s concern was clear in Jinhyuk’s mind.

‘I’m indebted in many ways.’

Mr. Kim Young-tae’s figure was like the hull of a ship cutting through the sea, facing the storm head-on. As if telling the crew to do their jobs. A teacher was such an existence. After Mr. Choi Eung-muk, he had another teacher he liked. It was obvious, but respect was unrelated to the school one belonged to.

Jinhyuk’s eyes searched for his friends.

He saw Yeom Byeong-taek making a phone call home at the public phone.

“Yeah, Mom. I can’t go today. I have to run tomorrow too. It’s true! Why are you treating your only son like a scammer? If you don’t believe me, come and see!”

Yeom Byeong-taek’s mother seemed to lack faith.

Park Ji-beom was waiting behind him, and Jo Seul-chan was looking around at the darkened sky with his hands on his hips. Jo Seul-chan used to say that doing so made it seem like his parents, who were somewhere, could see him.

‘I miss my mom and dad too.’

Jinhyuk also looked at the night sky, following Jo Seul-chan.

As if he had become a child again.

Then he turned his eyes to his friends.

‘These are guys I never even talked to in the past.’

It was the only elementary school in the town.

There were 11 classes, and each class had nearly 50 students, so it was quite large for a rural school. But while he had seen banners hanging at the school gate saying that the wrestling team had won some competition or that someone from the wrestling team had placed in some competition, he had no memory of seeing any phrases about winning in track and field.

‘They have to win medals.’

He felt even more sorry.

He felt sorry for Mr. Kim Young-tae and his friends.

‘So, there’s only one way to repay them…’

He decided to try focusing on one thing.

***

Han Yu-young was even more surprised than her husband.

She thought her son was good at studying like his father, but she didn’t know he would be good at sports too. Watching him run around with the Silkie chickens and the dog at home, she had guessed that his legs were strong. He was a son who was always running somewhere morning and evening, and even when he went to and from school, he never stopped running.

‘But I thought he was only good at running in this rural area.’

But a Korean record? She had lived without a television until she finally got a black and white TV during the 86 Asian Games season and watched the games. She had switched to a color TV now, but she couldn’t properly watch the 88 Olympics because of her newborn baby, anyway. Did that mean he was as fast as the athletes on TV?

‘I didn’t know he was that fast during the sports day.’

Ah, it was the long jump, so it had nothing to do with being fast?

Han Yu-young scratched her still damp hair. She blamed herself for being a sports illiterate.

“Honey, do you think we don’t have to go there tomorrow?”

It was a sudden suggestion that Son Gwang-yeon hadn’t even thought of. But he also thought it was a natural reaction as a mother. Son Gwang-yeon also wanted to go and see his son run. Tomorrow’s races were the 100-meter final, the 200-meter final, and the relay final. He was said to be competing in three events.

“Ah, but the other kids…”

He heard that the other kids’ parents hadn’t come either. Only one teacher was accompanying them, so if only Jinhyuk’s parents went, the other kids might feel a little left out.

Son Gwang-yeon had also experienced such things countless times. If they only attended to take care of their own child, it might hurt the other children. He thought it was better not to do such a thing.

“Jinhyuk might feel burdened if his mom and dad watch him too.”

“That’s right. It’s better to hold back, as you said.”

Han Yu-young hugged her fussy daughter and went into the bedroom.

Son Gwang-yeon, left alone in the living room, fiddled with his latest film camera. It was a camera he never let go of when he spent leisure time with his family.

As he repeatedly put the camera in and out under the dim light, a feeling like water filled his chest.

“Hoo-oo-.”

He deliberately pushed out a long breath. Hoping that the disappointment would also escape with it.

How lonely his life had been.

He had lived in Seoul with his mother, enduring harsh humiliation. Then his mother passed away early. So, there was no family to come to various events, award ceremonies, or graduation ceremonies. He met a woman he loved more than his life, built a family, and had a handsome and reliable son and an angel-like daughter.

He had told his wife that it was better to hold back, but…

He only fiddled with the silent camera.

‘I want to go… I want to go and see it myself.’

He wanted to watch over him.

‘My son running.’

Son Gwang-yeon finally put the camera back and bit his lip.

Even after going to bed, he tossed and turned for a long time, stroking his still-young-looking wife’s cheek.

A sigh for no reason kept coming out, so he even breathed quietly.