Chapter 157

***

The kids’ reactions as they ran toward Gobongsan Mountain were quite different from the first week.

Their limbs slicing through the air without rest, contrasted with their relaxed expressions and steady breathing, was enough to make you forget how they looked last week.

“Wooah! This feels the best!”

“This is so awesome!”

“…This is why we run, right?”

Hoo-hoo-ha, hoo-hoo.

Their lungs seemed to have doubled in size as they sucked in air, then forcefully exhaled through their rounded mouths like mufflers. Their rhythmic breathing reminded me of a two-cylinder motorcycle.

“Hehe. Hey, why aren’t they following us?”

Jo Seol-chan, looking back, giggled.

Jang Gun-i and his pack of dogs were sitting in the shade near the reservoir, tongues hanging out. No matter how much they were part of the track team, they couldn’t match the stamina of these muscular dogs. But as the season got hotter, the dogs, with their thick fur, must have been overheating.

Seeing how his friends had changed, Jin Hyuk once again thought about the concepts of tempering and growth.

‘We can move on to the next step now.’

Since we’ve bulked up, it’s time for definition… Wait, no, that’s not it.

It’s time for crouching starts and standing start training.

Using the electronic starting gun Yoo Se-ra got for us, we’ll measure reaction times and record the speed of starts after receiving the baton in a standing position.

Based on those records, we’ll assign the order.

“Ah, running in the mountains is still a bit tough, huh?”

“My knees hurt.”

“…It’s not the knees. It’s the muscles above the knees that are holding you up.”

Thanks to Park Sang-ki’s explanation, Jin Hyuk saved his breath.

“Listening to you, it makes sense.”

Few exercises are as helpful for improving stamina as climbing mountains. Not only that, but the power to push off the ground also improves. That’s why mountain running is an absolute must in our training.

“Tighten your thighs when you step on the ground! That way, you won’t hurt your knees and you’ll build muscle!”

Kang Heon-chang, who didn’t seem to have any trouble keeping up with the kids, didn’t slack on coaching.

Far from looking tired, he ran with the ease of someone who had been running this path for years, following Jin Hyuk.

“When we go down, does it feel like a cramp is coming in the back of your thigh?”

“It feels like it, but it doesn’t actually cramp.”

“…That’s your hamstrings getting stronger.”

By the time there were only two days left of the second week of training, the kids were sharing their experiences and knowledge, enjoying the changes in themselves.

On the way back home after descending the mountain. Only the heat haze remained on the path where Jang Gun-i, Hongshi, Cheon-ma, and Gwang-ma had all returned home. Six winds ran through the rising heat, which felt like dizziness.

Without anyone telling them to, the athletes adjusted their pace to reach their destination in optimal condition.

‘This is amazing.’

‘Yeah. It’s like this isn’t my body.’

The smiles exchanged between Jo Seol-chan and Yeom Byeong-taek seemed to say just that.

When the regular footsteps behind him grew closer, Jin Hyuk widened the distance, and when they narrowed again, he widened it once more.

In the end, they couldn’t catch up to Jin Hyuk, but when they arrived home, none of the friends were clutching their knees. They just slowly heaved their now larger chests.

‘See? When you do it, it works.’

If you do it, it works. If it doesn’t work, make it work.

In the end, everything works out.

How logical.

***

With so much to do, this was the busiest vacation since I was born.

Besides the training camp and SSS, there were other things I had to take care of myself.

“Byeong-taek, can you carefully ask your dad today?”

“Sure. It’s not a hard thing. I know that guy too.”

Even though the town had expanded rapidly over the past few years, people who had been in business for a long time knew each other through associations and such. I casually asked, and Yeom Byeong-taek said he knew Hwang Yeong-mo well.

“That guy used to come to our tea house when he was younger. People in the tea house business all know each other and are partners. I don’t know why, but if you open a shop without greeting the people who were there first, they say you can’t do business.”

Probably because it’s all about sharing the money that flows.

People who create and enjoy rights not granted by the state. Not knowing much about the workings of that world, Jin Hyuk recalled drivers who dominated certain busy spots and were exposed in the media for their tyranny.

Yeom Byeong-taek even volunteered information without being asked.

“My dad doesn’t like that guy either. He says he doesn’t care about his family and just drinks and plays around. But sometimes it seems like he’s jealous?”

“Jealous?”

“Yeah. That guy’s sisters are really good at studying. My dad says it’s because their dad’s a jerk that the sisters work so hard. So my dad goes, ‘Ah, maybe I should drink and play around so Byeong-taek will study hard-‘ and then my mom hits him with a ladle.”

Hehehehe.

As Yeom Byeong-taek laughed, clutching his stomach, his white teeth shone against his tanned face. Jin Hyuk, laughing along, wasn’t exactly pale either.

After running around in the scorching sun for ten days, it would be weird if he wasn’t tanned.

Even Jin Hyuk, now red from the sun, was shedding skin from his shoulders and neck every time he washed. Applying sunscreen, wearing a hat or a scarf, it all washed off with sweat, so he had to be satisfied with not getting burned.

“Self-study is until 4 PM, so I’ll call you then.”

It almost seemed like Jin Hyuk was using his naive friend to gather information, as Yeom Byeong-taek was so proactive.

“Alright, thanks. I’ve got something else to do.”

“What is it?”

“I’ve got somewhere to go after lunch.”

Jin Hyuk just winked, not giving any details.

Even though he had been horrified seeing Son Kwang-yeon and Hong Ki-jun winking, now he was doing it himself. People really do change.

***

After breakfast and classes, and after lunch and self-study time, Jin Hyuk got on his bike with some makgeolli.

“Grandpa-, tell me some stories.”

Jin Hyuk followed with a mat, a kettle, and snacks, but Cheon Gil-ryong just puffed on his pipe, crossing the cool bamboo forest, letting out a hollow laugh. As always, he was wearing a Hawaiian shirt.

Cheon Gil-ryong kept laughing, as if something was really amusing.

Reaching the edge of the bamboo forest, he pointed his pipe at the sea, full of water around the time of the neap tide.

“Hehe. Look there, Jin Hyuk. Even though the water looks murky, it’s all life. The plankton takes nutrients from the mud, and other creatures eat them. In the end, people eat them too.”

“Yeah…”

Jin Hyuk answered half-heartedly as he spread the mat and poured makgeolli into a bowl.

Every time he got a call from Yoo Myung-sun, Jin Hyuk didn’t know what to do with himself.

Even though he called him grandpa, this was the chairman of the richest group in South Korea. It’s not easy to feel comfortable talking privately with someone like that. Plus, he even gifted a gym, but he hadn’t solved any of Jin Hyuk’s curiosities.

Whether he knew about Jin Hyuk’s inner turmoil or not, Cheon Gil-ryong just kept talking nonsense.

“Do you know what I do when the water fills up on a neap tide night?”

How would I know that? Jin Hyuk answered with a pout instead of words.

“See that rock over there? When the waves hit it, they break. Then it lights up in a faint glow. I asked Jo about it, and he said it’s plankton. When my brother was alive, he said it was the tears of ghosts who drowned in the sea. Turns out, this old man was just pulling his younger brother’s leg.”

Jin Hyuk had seen it too, on a breakwater without streetlights.

The greenish light, resembling bioluminescence, flickering every time the waves broke against the tetrapods.

‘So that was plankton.’

It wasn’t as spectacular as the night scenes in famous tourist spots abroad, but if you focused, it was a beautiful sight. Probably because the water was rich in nutrients.

Thinking that, he poured more makgeolli into the already empty bowl.

Cheon Gil-ryong lightly emptied one bowl and handed the cup to Jin Hyuk.

“No, I’m still-.”

“Pour more, you brat.”

“Ah, yes…”

Sigh.

At least tell me to taste it.

As the pungent aroma of the cloudy liquid filled the air, Jin Hyuk’s mouth watered, and he strongly suppressed his appetite.

“Ah, this is good. Lots of people drink soju these days, but drinking soju on a day like this will just kill you. Soju doesn’t even fill your stomach, so it’s dangerous.”

“Yeah…”

“Makgeolli is the best. It fills your stomach and makes you feel just right.”

He didn’t even give me a sip, but he sure talks well.

If you drink a whole kettle and your stomach isn’t full, that’s just weird.

Grumbling internally, Jin Hyuk tore off some jerky and handed it over with both hands.

But Cheon Gil-ryong picked up some young radish kimchi from another dish and chewed noisily.

‘Are those dentures?’

Cheon Gil-ryong’s teeth looked so white and strong, it made Jin Hyuk suspicious.

His dad takes good care of his teeth too, but from the occasional talk about tartar, he probably isn’t as tough as Cheon Gil-ryong. Son Kwang-yeon is too scared to go to the dentist and has never been.

“Jo, that guy, was quite something.”

“Yes!”

Finally, the backstory is coming!

Jin Hyuk placed his hands on his knees and perked up his ears. He was afraid the rustling of the bamboo forest might interfere with his hearing.

“Allergies are scary, even the ignorant fear poison ivy. Jo, that guy, especially didn’t react well to it. He almost died.”

“But…”

Since he survived, he must have had kids, right?

If he had died as a bachelor, Jo Il-hun wouldn’t have been born, right?

“There was a girl picking herbs nearby. She heard something whimpering deep in the mountains and went to check. There was a guy with his butt out, lying face down.”

Cough.

Jin Hyuk quickly stifled a laugh.

He had imagined a lumberjack with only his butt exposed, lying on the ground.

“His face was red, his eyes rolled back, foam at his mouth. Oh no! This guy must have been bitten by a snake while taking a dump, she thought. But what could she do? She grabbed his ankle and dragged him down.”

“What about his clothes? His butt?”

The story is important, but so is the privacy of the characters, and I was curious, so I asked.

“Good question! His pants were barely pulled up, and he couldn’t tie his waistband. Men and women are different, after all. Plus, if she thought he was bitten by a snake, she’d have to check, right? So she’d have to take his clothes off.”

Ah, I can picture it now.

“But when they got home, no matter how much they looked, there was no sign of a snake bite?”

At that point, Cheon Gil-ryong looked at Jin Hyuk with mischievous eyes.

“So? What happened next?”

“Ah, I’m getting drunk-.”

Despite Jin Hyuk’s anticipation, Cheon Gil-ryong lay down and puffed on his pipe.

It truly seemed like the life of an immortal.

“So what happened? They searched all the medicine at home and found some white powder, so they fed it to him. But then Jo’s thing started to rise like a snake.”

Cheon Gil-ryong clenched his fist and slowly bent his elbow, making his arm rise like a snake’s head.

“Later, they found out the powder they fed him was horse powder.”

“Horse? Marijuana?”

“No, not that. Cheon-ma, you idiot.”

Ah, that white powder Dad sometimes mixes with hot water when he’s busy. Jin Hyuk quickly corrected his image of the substance. From a psychoactive drug to a health supplement.

“She thought she had to take responsibility, given the girl’s situation. Yawn-. Whether it was out of responsibility or something else, I don’t know.”

It’s amazing that there’s something this grandpa doesn’t know.

Anyway.

That’s how they fell in love and became Jo Il-hun’s parents.

“Unlucky people break their noses falling backward, but lucky people find a spouse even while taking a dump. I’m jealous, damn it. Jealous…”

Snore.

Finally finishing the story, Cheon Gil-ryong fell asleep, snoring.

‘It’s like a romance, but also like an erotic story…’

What kind of powder was that?

A lumberjack swallowing Cheon-ma?

If I were to give it a title, it would feel something like that, right?

Jin Hyuk, who had given Jo’s story a fitting title, stayed by Cheon Gil-ryong’s side. If he left him alone, a snake might come for him.

When he felt lonely, he opened the kettle lid and sniffed the makgeolli, sitting like that for two hours.

‘Ah! The breeze is nice.’

The subtly intoxicating aroma of makgeolli and the sound of waves from the windy hill added a certain charm.

‘I have to train, and I have classes too.’

He put aside his worries about training and classes for a moment.

In the past, he didn’t understand people who took walks or smoked during busy work, but now he got why they enjoyed these little breaks. His mind, heated with various worries, cooled down, and his breathing stabilized, making him empathize with that sentiment.

But this old man, isn’t he sleeping too long?

The snoring was so loud it seemed to shake the ground.

Ssshhh.

Even in broad daylight, the bamboo forest had an eerie feel.

A chilling breeze brushed the back of his neck, making Jin Hyuk shiver.

Growl.

He was hungry too.