Chapter 139

< The Clumsy Coach Son (4) >

***

Hong Ki-jun, with a towel draped over his head, stepped out of the bathroom.

His footsteps halted as he caught sight of his wife, holding a phone receiver and blinking her cat-like eyes.

“What’s wrong? Did you get a strange call?”

“No…”

Yoo Se-ra stammered with a lost expression.

“Jin-hyeok hung up first…”

“Yoo Se-ra. Did you just wake up? Jin-hyeok called? Not Kwang-yeon or Jin-hyeok’s mom?”

And he hung up first? Hong Ki-jun’s chest heaved with silent laughter at his wife’s absurd words.

“It’s true…”

Still, Hong Ki-jun glanced at his wife’s unfocused eyes and brushed it off. Yoo Se-ra didn’t have a habit of lying, but she sometimes talked nonsense after waking up. At least when she spoke Korean like now, he could understand her, but when she spoke German, he often couldn’t find the words to respond.

Euch-.

He gently rocked the baby cradle and picked up his sleeping daughter. Hong Ki-jun felt the benefits of his regular exercise for health. Even though his daughter had grown a lot recently, he could still carry her effortlessly.

“You go to bed first. I’ll do some work in the living room.”

“Churp-. Huh? Oh. Do you have another call with the American investors?”

Yoo Se-ra, wiping the drool she didn’t realize had escaped, was startled.

“No. The rocket test launch is coming up.”

“Ah, right. You’re really amazing. How did you manage to persuade the government?”

“I know, right.”

He should’ve used his connections and money earlier. If he had, the high-speed internet project could’ve been accelerated. Hong Ki-jun smiled bitterly, thinking to himself. It was impossible back then since Yoo Myung-sun had control of the group, but regrets were regrets.

As her husband walked out with their daughter in his arms, Yoo Se-ra scolded his back.

“You keep saying it’s hard and giving you a headache, but it feels like you’re handling the business all by yourself.”

Without turning around, Hong Ki-jun nodded.

He sought advice but intended to execute everything alone.

He had no intention of giving Son Jin-hyeok time to stir up revenge or anything else.

‘That was the condition for my return, Yoo Se-ra.’

Well, it’s not like he’s doing it because he wants to.

From what Moon Seok-il said, it seems like he’s sharpening his blade toward Daejeong. Sharpening a blade is one thing.

But he had no intention of giving him a chance to use it.

Tsk.

‘Even though I told him to enjoy life, he’s still acting suspicious.’

Thinking thoughts no ordinary kid would have.

Shouldn’t he be flipping through comic books while worrying about tomorrow’s homework?

He didn’t even touch the adult video tape his friend Son Kwang-yeon slyly left as bait.

‘Was the title “The Affair in Venice”?’

That one’s fun.

Anyway, it’s suspicious.

Finally, Hong Ki-jun’s mind began replaying the moments he spent with Son Jin-hyeok like a panorama.

In the flow of his thoughts, he felt a prickling sensation.

‘Ah… Could that be why he looked at me strangely when we first met?’

Thud-.

Unaware that his daughter’s head had bumped into the stair railing, Hong Ki-jun traced his memories. He blamed himself for living too busily and being too happy with his regained life to suspect others.

‘I thought he was just being overly protective of Soo-jung because she felt like a younger sister.’

Thud-.

If it were true, he might understand why Son Jin-hyeok, a boy who carried not shyness but coldness, was unusually affectionate toward Hong Soo-jung.

‘There weren’t any special conversations.’

For Hong Ki-jun, there were many ambiguous situations.

It wasn’t like he could only hang out with his friend’s son after tracking down his friend’s whereabouts.

‘It’s still just a hypothesis.’

Thud-.

This is fun. So fun. Hong Ki-jun muttered, enjoying the tickling sensation rising from his chest like heartburn.

“Dad, is it fun?”

“Huh?”

“Is my head a drum? I’m wide awake now!”

***

To maximize strengths or minimize weaknesses.

It’s a dilemma not just for athletes but for anyone seeking growth.

Jin-hyeok recalled Yoo Se-ra’s advice from the previous day.

Honestly, these kids don’t really have any strengths. If anything, they’re good at running and enjoy it. But their abilities are too ambiguous to call them professional athletes.

That’s why he decided to focus on compensating for their weaknesses.

Jo Seol-chan’s strength is his speed.

With short legs and a short stride, he scampers and finishes 100 meters in 12.50 seconds. Even on sandy ground. Since it’s a scampering style, there’s no loss of power. That’s why he doesn’t slip on sandy terrain.

But that’s it. Aside from being fast, he has no other strengths. He’s not tall, and his legs aren’t long. His stamina isn’t exceptional either. Of course, compared to kids who don’t exercise, he’s good, but compared to other track athletes, he’s a one-time-use player. Insufficient nutrition might also be a reason.

If you ask whether his bowlegs came first or his scampering style, of course, the bowlegs came first. But it’s unclear if his legs are the reason he runs like that. Because he could stretch his legs longer but chooses to keep his stride short.

During elementary school track and field, Coach Kim Young-tae did try to help. Since it was clear to anyone that his running style wasn’t suitable for a track athlete, Kim Young-tae sometimes scolded him and sometimes coaxed him to change his style. But Jo Seol-chan never changed.

Living alone with his grandmother, Jo Seol-chan was wary of adults, and even Coach Kim Young-tae, who treated him like an uncle, was still an adult to him. No, it wasn’t so much wariness as it was defiance. After his father passed away and his mother left, Jo Seol-chan stopped listening to adults of his parents’ generation.

His heavy dialect and slow growth might also be due to his grandmother’s speech and the old-fashioned eating habits that didn’t consider nutrition.

Anyway, Jo Seol-chan was slowly changing with the help of Coach Son Jin-hyeok.

As Jo Seol-chan finished a 50-meter dash and caught his breath, Yeom Byeong-taek excitedly approached him.

“When Jo Seol runs, his knees are completely together! Just like Jin-hyeok’s posture!”

“Really?”

“Just the knees…”

His legs don’t spread much, but it’s still the scampering style. He could probably widen his stride, but ingrained habits, especially multiple ones, aren’t easily changed.

Yeom Byeong-taek thought that if Jo Seol-chan could fix just a few things, he could become an outstanding track athlete. Widen his stride, lift his knees a bit more, strengthen his shoulders… Oh, it’s not just a few things. There’s a lot to work on.

“But his posture is really nice.”

“Really? Nicer than before? How was I before?”

“Before, you ran like a dog. Now you run like a human.”

Yeom Byeong-taek said nonchalantly while picking his nose.

“Even so, calling me a dog? You jerk. Yeom Byeong-taek, you’re not even a friend, you dog.”

“Hey, I complimented you, and you’re freaking out? And calling me a dog? Is your mom a dog, you punk?”

Kikikikik-.

Yeom Byeong-taek and Jo Seol-chan, who had been doing track and field together for a long time, chattered on the sunset-lit field.

Someone sat on the concrete stands, watching them intently, but the two friends didn’t pay any attention.

***

Everyone’s feet are different.

Track athletes are no exception. Yeom Byeong-taek has flat feet, big feet, and a wide mid-foot area. But that doesn’t mean he runs with a duck-footed gait. Yeom Byeong-taek’s gait and running style are genetic. His father and grandfather also had duck-footed gaits.

“Byeong-taek, try this.”

During morning practice, Jin-hyeok demonstrated.

Walking on tiptoes. You can’t wobble, and you can’t put pressure on your pinky toe.

“Think of walking on your big toe. Even though you’re actually walking on the front of your foot. Slowly, press down firmly as you walk. You need to use your calves and ankles.”

Yeom Byeong-taek wobbled but followed Jin-hyeok’s lead.

“Uh-, walking like this hurts my ankles.”

He had never felt ankle pain no matter how much he ran.

“Does it hurt on the outside and front of your ankle?”

“Yeah. How did you know?”

“Probably because the ligaments in your ankle that were twisted are settling back into place.”

Even under Coach Kim Young-tae’s guidance, Yeom Byeong-taek had temporary corrections. But the problem was that the corrections didn’t last. To maintain the corrected posture, the athlete had to consciously keep it while running. Since it wasn’t daily training, after competitions, he would often revert to his old ways.

Yeom Byeong-taek had strong legs but not a strong mind. In the end, Coach Kim Young-tae focused on what the kids enjoyed and gave up on posture correction. After all, he was just a physical education teacher, not a track coach.

“Will this improve my record?”

“Of course, it will. You’ll be able to focus your power in a straight line without any loss.”

Yeom Byeong-taek nodded but was inwardly puzzled.

‘Is it because he’s good at studying? His words are too complicated.’

But let’s give it a try.

Jin-hyeok’s kind explanation is much better to listen to than the coach’s yelling. If you don’t understand with your head, just keep doing it until your body gets used to it. In elementary school, consistent training was hard, but in middle school, it feels different. Like there’s more energy and less fatigue? Plus, with the competition two months away, daily practice should help.

“Byeong-taek, who’s that kid?”

“Who? Oh? That kid from yesterday?”

“Yesterday?”

“Yeah. He was watching Seol-chan and me train. He transferred from Cheongju.”

Jin-hyeok looked with interest at the transfer student and Jo Seol-chan, who were together. The transfer student was drawing a line on the ground and helping Jo Seol-chan stretch over it. The posture involved bending the front knee and keeping the back knee on the ground, ensuring both feet and the body’s center stayed on the line.

Though it was a plain-looking movement on the ground, it seemed like a program to help correct Jo Seol-chan’s bowlegged posture. Jo Seol-chan was struggling to maintain balance.

Jin-hyeok’s eyes sparkled with interest.

‘He’s done some sports.’

His physique wasn’t ordinary.

***

Park Sang-ki transferred to Taeyang Middle School from Cheongju a week ago.

He hadn’t made any friends in a week, but he didn’t particularly need any. He was only here temporarily due to his father’s job and planned to return to Cheongju in November. Compared to Cheongju, this small school’s kids were on a different level. These country kids were amazed when they heard Park Sang-ki had a girlfriend back in Cheongju.

‘Are they naive or just dumb?’

Even though it’s an all-boys school, it’s hard to find a guy with a girlfriend. Strange. The girl next door, Lee Jun-hee, has a boyfriend. Oh, was her boyfriend a high school student? Girls are always ahead.

He managed to endure for two, three days.

Having been in the soccer team in Cheongju, Park Sang-ki felt restless. Since he’d continue his soccer career when he returned to Cheongju, he went to the field after school to do some physical training and watched the track team members practice.

‘They look like they’re having fun.’

There were only two track team members, but they joked around, gave each other massages, and laughed nonstop.

The next day, he came to school early, wondering if they’d train in the morning. Watching others train is both educational and fun.

But there was someone new today.

‘Is that the coach?’

He looks young, but his physique is impressive.

He was helping the two track team members with their posture, but from their conversation, it seemed like he was their friend. He looked over 180 cm, and his back was better than a college rugby player’s.

‘Trying to correct posture just by explaining? Totally clueless.’

The guy with the great back touched the bowlegged kid and then went to the duck-footed one. But the bowlegged kid was slacking off? As a promising wing forward who could lead Korean soccer, he couldn’t tolerate such lazy training. Without realizing it, Park Sang-ki approached the bowlegged kid.

Squeak-squeak-.

He drew a line on the field. His new sneakers would get worn out.

“Spread your legs as wide as you can on this line and balance.”

“Huh? Oh, okay. Sure.”

The short-legged bowlegged kid glanced at him once and obediently followed.

Country kids are so nice.

Then, the clumsy coach’s voice from behind made Park Sang-ki turn around.

“What’s your 100-meter time, friend?”