Chapter 307

The sun rose and set for several days, and as the time came for Hong Ki-jun to leave after his vacation, he poured his regret into a tilted teacup.

Yoo Se-ra, in her own way, comforted her regret by brushing Yoo Jin’s hair.

“Ah, so pretty. Our Yoo Jin-.”

“Ouch! Ouch! It hurts!”

“They say the more it hurts, the prettier you become. I saw that on a plastic surgery ad.”

What on earth is she talking about?

Does it mean you become as pretty as the chunks of hair being cut off? Son Kwang-yeon, flipping through a newspaper, made a foolish expression.

“Seeing Yoo Jin reminds me of when our daughter was young, and it makes my heart swell.”

“You never even brushed Soo-jeong’s hair once.”

“Sigh. I did it a few times, you know?”

Tsk-.

Following a pitiful yawn, an awkward tongue click.

Han Yu-young, peeling a melon next to Son Kwang-yeon, shrugged at Yoo Se-ra’s antics.

It would be nice to stay longer, but it’s a relief that laughter fills the place where parting brings sadness.

Among the immature Seoul boys, Son Kwang-yeon brought up a rather mature topic.

“If Ki-jun is raising him, there’s no need to insist on college. If he really needs a diploma, he can study abroad later. It’s not like our son lacks brains or money.”

Having spent a lot of time with their son, Son Kwang-yeon and Han Yu-young knew about Jin-hyeok’s plans and didn’t oppose his decision regarding college.

Still, like any parents, they weren’t convinced from the start.

Especially the conservative Han Yu-young worried about societal judgment.

“Sister-in-law, don’t worry. Jin-hyeok will have no problem with the Saein Group’s recruitment test.”

“Are you worried he’ll be accused of receiving special treatment?”

“So what if he gets a little special treatment?”

Didn’t Dugu Elil, who released Hong Ki-jun, say that?

Using one’s abilities, reputation, and connections is also ordinary.

Hong Ki-jun thought Jin-hyeok’s family needed to be a bit bolder. They seemed too concerned about what others thought, like scared people.

“Jin-hyeok’s mom, there’s a way to skip the recruitment test. It would be more helpful for his athletic career to play for our team rather than as a college athlete. It’s not strange for a professional athlete to get a position at that company. It’s not special treatment but a legitimate contract. Seon-gyu also works at a Saein affiliate.”

Han Yu-young nodded in agreement, and Son Kwang-yeon tapped an old newspaper with a pen, glancing at his son.

He seemed to have something to say.

“By the way, Jin-hyeok.”

“Yes?”

Jin-hyeok, who was feeding melon to Hong Soo-hyuk and Jeong Won, responded to the sudden call.

“Well…”

Son Kwang-yeon, after checking the room’s mood, continued.

“What if things don’t go as planned?”

“What do you mean?”

“Ah, this dad knows everything. You can tell me now.”

Son Kwang-yeon unfolded the newspaper for everyone to see.

“Weren’t you planning to take the bar exam instead of getting a college degree? But what now, oh dear-.”

It was a full-page list of first-round passers for the bar exam.

Among the eight-digit exam numbers and names, Son Jin-hyeok’s name was nowhere to be found.

Jin-hyeok, wide-eyed, scratched his cheek.

“Why would I take that? I didn’t even apply.”

“Right, you didn’t take it, so you’re not on the list. That’s why I’m saying-. Huh?”

Jin-hyeok leaned forward, squinting at the newspaper.

“When is that newspaper from? April?”

Did this dad agonize for months just for that one line?

“No, what’s that? Didn’t Yong-rak say he got you a genealogy?”

“I just studied some Chinese characters. High school stuff was too easy, so I wanted to learn some difficult ones. It feels good when my brain heats up from hard stuff.”

Son Kwang-yeon’s eyes also glazed over following Jin-hyeok.

A pervert who feels good studying hard stuff.

Where did this pervert kid come from?

Next, he’ll ask for a Burberry coat as a high school graduation gift.

“Ah, I didn’t know that and thought you were quiet lately because you failed.”

“They say excess is bad. Isn’t that a bit over the top?”

“Right? I knew our son had it all figured out.”

“And getting a job as a professional athlete will look more natural to people than just coasting through college with a medal around your neck.”

The world has changed enough, and people’s perceptions are shifting rapidly.

Whether it’s college or a job, Jin-hyeok doesn’t need to worry about what others think.

The decision to step into society early was entirely for Hong Ki-jun.

Jin-hyeok himself felt there was nothing to gain from college, and Son Kwang-yeon had no objections to that.

“Right, right. Excess is bad.”

Son Kwang-yeon, smiling as if his indigestion had cleared, brushed off his chest and picked up a guitar.

He really made the right choice sharing work with Yang Gang-wook.

Now he has more time to spend together and can sing his favorite songs.

Hmm- hmm- kheum-!

Strum strum- ding ding-.

It was the melody of The Beatles’ “Yesterday.”

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away-. Even without singing, the lyrics seemed to echo in this famous song.

‘Our dad is such a unique character.’

Isn’t he the only one who clears his throat just by playing?

Hong Ki-jun, chuckling, met Jin-hyeok’s eyes.

Hong Ki-jun’s eyebrows twitched upward.

It was a look asking about the bar exam.

Jin-hyeok shook his head slightly and smiled awkwardly.

I really didn’t take it.

‘Wouldn’t it be more embarrassing to fail if I tried?’

That’s why I didn’t even apply.

Plans always change, right?

“Olympic medalist Son Jin-hyeok! Why the bar exam challenge?”

“Shock! The world’s fastest man also finds the bar exam threshold high!”

Wow, just imagining it is embarrassing.

***

As the vacation ends and autumn slowly approaches, the dust rising from the school playground forms clouds. Well, not actual clouds… The dust created by third-year middle school students preparing for physical fitness tests after lunch is just that thick.

Jin-hyeok sat under the shade of a plane tree with his friends, sucking on a popsicle, watching the juniors’ struggles.

The sight of third-year middle school students rolling and running in preparation for the physical fitness test is always-.

“Uhehehe, so funny-.”

Jin-hyeok turned his head at the laughter beside him.

Shin Woo-sung was giggling about something.

Lee Seung-hoon looked at Shin Woo-sung with a disbelieving expression.

“Hey, you, don’t you know about the frog and tadpole times? You should hold back a bit, I think.”

“Ah, why-. We don’t have to go through that anymore.”

Third-year middle school students about to enter high school must undergo physical fitness evaluations, which have become more important due to changes in the educational environment.

This was also an influence of Hong Ki-jun and Jin-hyeok on the new era.

Due to the Saein Group’s influence on educational institutions under its foundation, and because Jin-hyeok is a student medalist.

Although they didn’t directly influence the political and educational systems, the Saein Group sent official documents to sponsored private high schools to evenly reflect academic records and physical fitness evaluations in student selection. They also requested structured physical education classes. The explanation was that it was a measure for all students’ healthy school life, beyond fostering athletes. For sports to develop, the foundation of physical education must expand, and for that, the education system focused on entrance exams must change.

As culture advances, corresponding ideologies emerge, and institutions improve as intangible backbones supporting the community. With leaders taking the initiative, no field was left untouched.

Hong Ki-jun and Jin-hyeok, the returnees, no longer compared the past and present. They were completely different.

Jin-hyeok chuckled, recalling the physical fitness test three years ago.

“Watching the juniors practice for the physical fitness test reminds me of Woo-sung rolling around.”

“Uhehehehehehe-!”

Lee Seung-hoon laughed, holding his stomach at Jin-hyeok’s remark.

“The long-distance run was the highlight, right, captain?”

“Yeah-. Definitely.”

Overweight Shin Woo-sung had a serious disqualification for running.

He claimed to adjust his speed to avoid joint strain, but anyone could see Shin Woo-sung had no talent for running.

He never completed a 1000m run in under 7 minutes.

“Walking like a duck is easier. Running is tough, really. But I finished by running as the captain taught.”

“What did the captain say back then?”

As Lee Seung-hoon scratched his beard, trying to remember, Shin Woo-sung waved his hand.

“He said to run as fast as possible from the start. Even if you fall behind, if you have no talent, that’s the only way.”

Jin-hyeok nodded at Shin Woo-sung’s words.

He definitely coached like that.

“He also said humming songs helps, so I sang a lot of Seo Taiji’s songs. It’s weird. Even when I was out of breath, singing made it easier. It felt like ink filling my chest, then whoosh- it flowed out.”

Yeah, he taught that too.

I didn’t know it would actually help, but it seems it did.

At Jin-hyeok’s quiet response, the popsicle in his mouth moved up and down.

Perhaps embarrassed by the topic, Shin Woo-sung changed the subject.

“Seung-hoon, you’ll get a lot of mixers and blind dates in college.”

“I’m doomed-. Mi-kyung is watching me with red eyes-.”

“Is that so?”

“If I sneak out and get caught-. If Tae-yang hyung catches me, I’ll just fold in half and die-.”

“Ah-, that’s tough. I shouldn’t say this but…”

“Still, my situation is better than the captain’s.”

When the topic suddenly turned to him, Jin-hyeok turned his head with a blank expression.

Shin Woo-sung also didn’t understand immediately.

“Why the captain?”

“Wouldn’t it be a line, not a mixer, if the captain went?”

“Ah-. Because he’s a medalist and the Saein chairman’s son?”

“Right-. Would the media leave him alone? They’d make up stories about a century’s meeting or something-.”

“That’s true-. I saw on Entertainment Weekly that fake news came out about the captain meeting some celebrity in Seoul at night. Even from afar, it didn’t look like the captain. Those guys have nothing better to do.”

Uhehehehehe-.

Seeing his friends laugh, Jin-hyeok, who understood belatedly, inwardly sighed.

‘Ah, so that’s how it is.’

He’s become too famous.

He heard from Hong Ki-jun that his dad and Hong Ki-jun also went to mixers during college.

Meeting strangers for conversation isn’t appealing, but he was curious about the atmosphere.

Experiencing something new, isn’t that also an adventure for Jin-hyeok?

Ah, well.

There are still many adventures he hasn’t tried.

He planned to travel abroad during the post-graduation vacation.

How refreshing would it be to run across the Alps?

Wouldn’t jogging on a Nepal trekking course be dizzyingly fun?

While indulging in perverse imagination, he pointed at someone.

“Woo-sung, aren’t those the Ssirum Club juniors?”

The juniors Jin-hyeok pointed at were guys with plump bellies like Shin Woo-sung.

Once a Ssirum Club manager, Shin Woo-sung felt nostalgic seeing their bulging bellies.

“Yeah. That guy is just like me when I was young. If he runs like that, he won’t make 1000m. He’ll get tired and start walking. As the captain said, pour all your energy at the start, then jog slowly when you’re tired. Once you start running, you don’t want to stop, but once you start walking, you don’t want to run again.”

Right, that’s true. Lee Seung-hoon agreed, finishing the last of his popsicle.

Some might say a physical fitness test is no big deal, but long-distance running isn’t easy even for wrestlers with ingrained exercise habits. Especially for heavier guys.

It’s good to learn something while hanging out with friends.

These fragments will form memories.

In the future, when life gets tough, they’ll be the strength to lift the shadows under your eyes.

Unable to just watch, Shin Woo-sung jumped up and waved his fist.

“Heyyyyy-! Sung-min! Kyung-taek! If you’re going to run, run from the start!”

“Yessss-!”

“Groooo-.”

Thud thud thud-.

As the guys picked up speed, the ground rumbled like a herd of buffalo.

Jin-hyeok smiled contentedly.

‘Good. It’s been a happy and satisfying school life.’

The happiness level rises because of his friends.

Lee Seung-hoon and Shin Woo-sung have decided on their colleges and can continue their beloved wrestling. In their past lives, they spent their youth drinking, lingering over wrestling, but they won’t see those shadows again.

“Seung-hoon, Woo-sung. Work hard in college too. If you slack off, I’ll come find you.”

“Stop talking-. They say Mi-kyung will marry you if you become more famous than Tae-yang hyung. Ha-. How many years will that take…”

I want to get married soon-. Eyes burning with desire, Lee Seung-hoon licked his lips.

“Let’s settle it within ten years.”

Sigh-. Will that even work? Lee Seung-hoon, who had spread his legs, now closed them.

Three-time consecutive Chuseok Grand Champion.

Choi Tae-yang cheered wildly, scattering sand at the last Chuseok Ssirum Festival.

‘Right. It won’t be easy.’

Choi Tae-yang manages his weight well and has no injuries.

Not just that, in his past life, he wrestled past 35 despite injuries.

He even bought Mi-kyung an apartment with his earnings. Whether in the past or now, he’s a fool for his sister. For Lee Seung-hoon to not live single like in his past life, it’s a wall he must overcome.

Shin Woo-sung raised a finger with a serious expression.

“Seung-hoon, I have a good idea.”

“Eh? What is it?”

“I’m much heavier than that guy, so I’ll drain his energy in the semi-finals. Then you can take him down in the finals.”

“What if you make it to the finals? Then what?”

At Lee Seung-hoon’s question, Shin Woo-sung narrowed his eyes, making an even more solemn face.

“Then I’ll have to do my best. If I win, Mi-kyung will be with me- Ugh!”

“Ah, you pig-.”

Lee Seung-hoon put Shin Woo-sung in a headlock.

Uhehehehehe-.

Laughing, Jin-hyeok almost fell backward but managed to balance.

Ding ding ding- ding ding ding-.

Amidst the laughter and chatter, the melody of a forklift backing up signaled the end of lunch.

“Let’s go in.”

“Yeah-.”

The day to hear that melody and leave the seemingly cold but warm concrete building isn’t far.

“I’m so hungry I feel dizzy. I wish I could just eat ten servings of pork belly.”

Now, we won’t hear Shin Woo-sung’s whining about being hungry right after lunch every day.

Thud- thud-. Beep-.

[Ah, ah-. Third-year middle school students, please continue preparing for the physical fitness test.]

Thud thud thud thud-.

With the thickly rising dust, the last autumn of their boyhood deepened.