Chapter 169

<The Last Festival (7)>

***

He pushed his hands together as if in prayer, then pulled his chin down as if bowing—a perfect namaste.

This movement tenses the pectoral muscles and shoulders while relaxing the trapezius and neck muscles.

[In a moment, at 10 o’clock, the men’s middle school 200-meter final will begin.]

Next, he hooked his hands together like a ring and slowly pulled. The winning hand, my hand.

This loosens the shoulder joints, making it easier to perform the stirring motion. It also allows him to check for any joint issues or discomfort.

Next is the chair pose. This step stimulates the quadriceps and checks for any issues with the erector muscles. It’s not a full squat but a gradual sit-and-stand motion.

He also performed lunges to wake up the hamstrings and calf muscles.

Jumping as if trying to hit his chest with his knees, he tightened his abs. With each leg lift, he exhaled sharply.

After about 10 repetitions, he placed his hands on his hips, leaned back, and relaxed his abs again.

Finally, he tapped his thighs and wiggled his glutes one by one, sending electrical impulses to his lower body.

Now, his body felt loose, his temperature rose, and sweat began to flow.

‘Good.’

The day before, he had drawn lane 4 in the lottery, which was considered the best.

What could be better than a hot wind blowing from the front instead of the side?

It must be his imagination, but having runners on both diagonals made it feel stuffier and hotter. With the front, left, and right all hot, it felt like a three-sided sauna.

‘It’s scorching!’

But that didn’t mean the back, top, or ground were cool.

As Jin-hyeok entered the starting area, he surveyed the vast stadium and the sizable crowd.

‘It’s fascinating.’

Humans are adaptable creatures, after all.

Even though Son Jin-hyeok, the loner, stood in front of this large crowd with only a thin uniform covering his body, he felt no sense of intimidation.

[On your marks.]

Left foot forward, right foot on the block.

He could almost hear his lively younger sister Yoo-jin’s voice.

If you want to follow, then follow me-.

[Set.]

He relaxed his glutes, which he had proudly lifted, and tightened his lower abdomen, pressing on his bladder.

He also heard the voice of little Hong Soo-jung.

Oppa, your butt is like a rock!

A drop of sweat rolled down his chin and plopped onto the track.

[Bang-!]

Click-clack.

It was almost simultaneous.

The sound of the starting gun and Jin-hyeok kicking off the starting block reached the starter’s ears. The officials were on edge, wondering if it was a false start, but the equipment remained silent.

By the time the strong runners in lanes 3 and 5 lifted their heads, Jin-hyeok was already pushing off with his left foot.

‘Give me once more, the courage of a whirlwind.’

Running 200 meters, a hare’s chant isn’t very productive.

He didn’t have the courage to act like Park Sang-ki, and Yeom Byeong-taek’s chants varied each time.

He almost asked Jo Seol-chan but stopped. Just by looking at his mouth, he could guess what the chant was.

So, he chose a song.

Humming whatever came to mind, he couldn’t remember where he’d heard it or what song it was.

‘Even if my butt stinks, I won’t give up- yay-.’

Who cares if the lyrics are nonsensical? No one’s listening anyway.

No one would be embarrassed since no one could hear, but it must be his imagination that someone seemed to be laughing.

Anyway, by the time he finished humming, the finish line was right in front of him.

How much can you hum in 20 seconds? For some songs, the intro wouldn’t even be over.

[Bang-!]

One good thing about humming while running is that it makes your chest feel less stuffy.

Even if you can’t summon the strength to play hide-and-seek, having at least one advantage is positive in itself.

‘Nice!’

Finally, the relief that the competition was over made his cheeks twitch with joy.

Now, checking the results has become an indispensable pleasure after finishing a race. Jin-hyeok had become someone who found meaning in even the smallest things.

As Jin-hyeok turned his head toward the scoreboard with his hands on his hips—

Pop-pop-pop! Whoosh! Pop-pop-pop! Bang-bang-bang!

Yoo Se-ra, the human intelligence, unleashed her money-flaunting skill in the air.

One shot, 3 million won.

Even if you compromise a hundred times, you’d think it was just a celebratory cannon.

‘Why on earth are they setting off fireworks in broad daylight?’

Isn’t it standard to shoot smoke during the day?

Jin-hyeok, who was about to look at the scoreboard, opened his mouth wide and turned his head toward the VIP seats.

Seeing them clapping and jumping like children, his cheeks naturally puffed up.

Whoosh.

‘It’s hot······.’

***

Three years ago, he remembers Park Ji-beom crying his heart out after his last competition.

Back then, he didn’t understand.

[Award-winning athletes, please follow the instructions to the award podium at the B-gate.]

Recently, when Yeom Byeong-taek, who had just finished anchoring the race, lay on the track, chest heaving, he thought he could understand a little.

‘It must be love-hate.’

A deeply personal emotion of loving and hating a specific target, separate from sympathizing or despising the masses.

In the past, Son Jin-hyeok had never loved someone so deeply that it hurt, nor had he hated anyone enough to want to kill them. He lived as if his sole purpose was to focus on work. Perhaps it was because he had to fend for himself early in life, but it was also due to his dulled emotions.

[The award ceremony will now proceed.]

His indifferent personality and generous heart were, in the end, a half-hearted tolerance chosen to avoid pouring energy into unsolvable problems. For someone emotionally exhausted, caring about neighbors was a luxury.

Without the emotions and relationships one should have as a human, how could he define himself as human?

‘Now······ I want to become human too.’

To love, hate, curse, and despise.

So, when his dad asked about his dreams, he found himself saying he wanted to live an ordinary life, repeating it like a habit.

‘It won’t be easy.’

Sprouting new emotions in a heart that still holds the past will never be easy. Perhaps it’s only possible when you die and are reborn as a different being.

[First place in the men’s middle school division, Son Jin-hyeok of Taeyang Middle School.]

He stepped onto the highest podium as his name was called.

Observing his calm inner self contrasting with his excited breathing.

[With a new record of 21.02 seconds, he has broken the 22-second barrier for the first time in middle school history. Let’s give him a big round of applause.]

Perhaps a completely new life doesn’t exist at all.

Having lived alone, he had no useful memories, and even if he remembered, the world had already changed so much that it was useless. The phenomenon of memories fading like a thick fog grew worse after he handed over his past history to Hong Ki-jun.

What’s done is done.

Restarts only exist in games, and resets are only possible in mutually agreed-upon play. Life is only once, so in the end, Jin-hyeok isn’t repeating the same life but living a long life as one soul. The fact that it’s not the same life is proven by the changed people and world.

“Congratulations to our athlete for achieving a new record. Thank you for working hard despite the difficult environment, and in the future, for the sake of the country······.”

Am I a soldier? The middle-aged award presenter, whose name and face he didn’t know, made his ears itch. He awkwardly smiled and nodded slightly to show he was listening.

‘I don’t know how long I’ll live, but I want to live the rest of my days as a human.’

That was both a realization and a resolution.

If he didn’t keep himself in check every time the gap between his soul and reality surfaced, he might go mad. If someone who knows the world isn’t beautiful expresses their anger and hatred with all their might, they would obviously look like a madman to others.

[The award ceremony is now concluded. Athletes, please follow the instructions.]

After the ceremony, he headed to where his friends were waiting.

「The minimum common sense and conscience-based social norms are what make humans exist as humans, and adhering to them is both a characteristic and a privilege.」

It was a note from a book Chae Kyu-ho had bound. Along with a note in parentheses saying, 「The chairman said this.」 There was also Chae Kyu-ho’s musing: 「Then are those who break the norms not human?」

Even though it’s simple, the reason it doesn’t stick is likely due to the superficiality of the phrase. Because of the disgust he felt toward those who break the law, sometimes reign above it, seek only the interests of the group, and establish intangible authority for themselves.

Can humans really be defined by such simple theories?

Clap-clap-clap.

Now, Yeom Byeong-taek and Jo Seol-chan, who can no longer step on the track as athletes, clapped and smiled brighter than Jin-hyeok. It was applause for the protagonist standing alone on the podium.

“Our captain is the best-.”

“Ah! Jin-hyeok is really cool.”

Seeing his friends giving their best compliments, he smiled awkwardly. Then Jin-hyeok’s eyes widened. There was concrete evidence right before his eyes.

“No. Guys, it’s not me.”

Muttering to himself, Jin-hyeok walked briskly toward his friends.

Yeom Byeong-taek’s eyes widened.

Because of Jin-hyeok’s sudden action of taking off the gold medal hanging around his neck and giving it to him.

“Ah! To cheer you up?”

“It’s for the owner.”

Jin-hyeok then took out the gold medal he received yesterday from his pocket.

This one was for Jo Seol-chan.

“The protagonists are my friends.”

No matter what role he played, those who helped him enjoy it were the true protagonists of the play.

He had nothing to give to Lee Byeong-se and Min Yong-rak, but they’re adults, so they’ll understand without feeling disappointed. Yaa-, if Park Sang-ki had come, he would’ve been short on gold medals.

‘Should I have competed in the long jump and 400 meters too?’

While fiddling with the medal around his neck and rubbing his nose with his index finger, Yeom Byeong-taek and Jo Seol-chan were pulled into a strong hug by Jin-hyeok’s long arms.

“Thank you.”

For letting me live as a human.

***

Yeom Byeong-taek’s eyes widened again.

They said it was a tea shop, but this place is too dazzling. Outside, reporters with cameras were peeking in and being stopped.

‘It’s so different from a regular tea house.’

Of course, it’s incomparable to the burger joint near the school.

Yeom Byeong-taek, Jo Seol-chan, and Lee Byeong-se rolled their eyes without making a sound. Along with Min Yong-rak, they sipped sweet and cool drinks. They wanted to exclaim at the cool air conditioning, plush sofa, and dazzling lights, but they held back.

‘The prettiest noona I’ve seen since coming to Seoul.’

‘Wow-, she’s really pretty.’

‘This woman is the wife of the vice chairman of Sain Group.’

Jin-hyeok was caught by Yoo Se-ra as he was leaving the stadium.

She said to have a cool drink, and since they weren’t strangers, he couldn’t refuse.

After quenching his thirst with milk, Jin-hyeok scanned the corner of the store.

Seeing the SSS badges on the collars of the men who followed them in, they must be Yoo Se-ra’s bodyguards, while the ones outside must be of a lower rank.

But the face he hoped would be there wasn’t.

“Where’s Soo-jung?”

“Yeah, she has a kendo competition today.”

“But if she came here-.”

“If I, as a mom, followed the kids to all their events, wouldn’t that be a skirt-chasing wind? You? She went with Kim Chul-min, the deputy.”

“Ah.”

I see. It’s Sunday, so it would’ve been nice to at least see her face.

“Who’s taking care of Soo-hyuk?”

“This kid? There are a few people working at home.”

Ah, right.

In the countryside, he might be the son of a rich family, but sitting in front of the daughter of Korea’s richest man, Son Jin-hyeok is just a country bumpkin.

“Read this and sign it.”

How should he take the idea of drafting a contract while in Seoul?

Anyway, it’s an eccentricity you can’t let your guard down around for even a moment.

An exclusive contract.

The basic outline was about nurturing, sponsorship, and management.

As he checked the contract with his eyes and brain, he listened to Yoo Se-ra’s explanation.

“This is different from the foundation-.”

While athletes under a typical nurturing foundation go through an application process for the foundation’s approval, Jin-hyeok would belong to an agency, not a foundation.

Well, it seems she wants to say it’s special treatment.

“The contract period is until you turn eighteen······.”

“We’ll redo it when you become an adult. This is just a setup to let the promising athlete focus on training without worries. For now, it’s just Jin-hyeok, but. Well, you could say it’s a way to keep you.”

Honesty is good.

They built a gym and even attached Min Yong-rak to him. What more support could he ask for? With full support for equipment and no unfavorable terms for the athlete.

“You don’t need to assign a coach.”

Even if he meets someone with a different disposition, it would only build stress.

Whether it’s a job or an athlete, leaving because you dislike people is the same.

“Would that be better? You must have habits from training alone. The measurement and analysis equipment will arrive from Germany soon.”

It was an enticing proposal.

Introducing scientific analysis equipment would greatly help with posture and running technique corrections.

“National Athletics Championships, National Middle and High School Athletics Championships, Junior Comprehensive Games, Asian Junior Athletics Championships, Youth Athletics Championships, National Sports Festival, Autumn National Middle and High School Athletics Championships······.”

U20 Athletics Championships, Korea-China-Japan Junior Comprehensive Athletics Championships, some broadcasting station cup, not a mountain club but a mountain-named competition······.

Reading the names of the competitions he had to participate in, Jin-hyeok felt like he was going to lose his mind.

‘Are you telling me to just run? Am I Forrest Gump?’

Fortunately, before he fainted, Yoo Se-ra kindly explained. Tapping the fine print with her finger.

“Three competitions a year. It’s all about conditioning and experience, arranged after review. Other athletes don’t participate in all competitions either.”

“Ah, that’s fine then-.”

Thanks to the visibility of the red nail polish, Jin-hyeok quickly found it with his eyes.

Training to peak condition for competition dates is a process every pro must go through. Until now, Jin-hyeok had been winging it, but to compete with formidable opponents, a systematic approach was necessary. Even in middle school, there are athletes who could surpass Jin-hyeok if he slips up.

But there’s a catch.

“Minors need parental consent first-.”

“Hehe, look at the back.”

It’s a legally reviewed contract; they wouldn’t have done it carelessly, right? Yoo Se-ra smiled brightly.

Thinking of Executive Director Hong Soo-jung, Jin-hyeok couldn’t bear to face her and turned the page with a blank expression.

Swipe.

‘Sigh-.’

Jin-hyeok, who always sat upright, perhaps because the large lung air supported his body like an airbag, sighed and his back naturally curved like a shrimp. His eyes closed as if he had been working overtime for three days and collapsed.

After pressing his forehead, he checked the page again.

The guardian consent form had not only a seal but also a clear signature.

It’s still a name that makes his heart ache.

But.

‘Ah. Mom, Dad······.’

Lately, he’s been pressing his forehead a lot.

「Han Yu-young♡Son Kwang-yeon」

······What’s with the heart?

It must be Dad’s doing.

Dad must have drawn it in.