<The Summer Camp of Hell (4)>
It was a terrifying summer.
Even without the news of workers collapsing from heatstroke due to record-breaking heatwaves, it was hard to find people working in the rural fields.
It got so bad that there were even rumors that the Korean peninsula was so hot it affected the performance of the national team at the World Cup in the U.S. Of course, since it was Jo Il-hun who said it, the credibility was close to zero.
Jin-hyuk felt the urgent need to revise his plan.
‘Maybe my plan was a bit, just a tiny bit, over the top.’
No matter how well-crafted a plan is, if it’s not executed properly, it won’t yield the desired results. Flexibility to adapt to the participants’ opinions is also necessary. Without that discernment, how could one call themselves a planner?
Even a perfectly designed machine can break or fail to perform if handled too roughly during assembly or breaking-in. Jin-hyuk swallowed his tears and had no choice but to admit his mistake. He wasn’t a complete fool, after all.
“Starting tomorrow, let’s take it easy. Sleep an extra hour, and add an extra hour of rest time—”
“Yay—!”
Seeing his friends clenching their fists and cheering, Jin-hyuk felt reassured.
But still.
“Jin-hyuk, what kind of training are we doing at the beach?”
“Oh, nothing much.”
***
The training at the beach was nothing special.
It started with a two-person team carrying each other on their backs and running across the sandy beach.
“Ugh—!”
“Let’s go—!”
Every time they completed a training session, Kim In-rang handed out watermelons and drinks as rewards, so the kids began to obediently follow along, if only to survive.
They couldn’t skip the training where they had to crawl forward using only their hands while their ankles were held by another friend.
Some called this exercise an arm workout, but it was really for increasing lung capacity, strengthening core muscles, neck muscles, and various muscles supporting the spine—well, everyone knew that.
“Byung-taek! Lift your head! Don’t lower it!”
“Ugh—! The sand is too hot!”
If anyone’s posture even slightly faltered, Kim In-rang’s sharp scolding would immediately follow.
“Seol-chan! Chest out!”
“Jo Seol-chan! Don’t wiggle your butt! It’s heavy!”
“What? Why are you being so harsh? The butt is meant to shake—!”
Training to lift their knees as high as possible in the sinking sand was also a must.
“Sang-ki! Lift your knees higher! Up to your chest!”
“…It’s been a while… or maybe it’s the first time…?”
It was the kind of ordinary summer training any athlete would go through.
“You’ve done this before, right?”
“…”
Apparently not.
Seeing the resentful looks in his friends’ eyes, Jin-hyuk scratched his cheek.
Park Sang-ki was lying flat on the ground, barely breathing.
His eyes had an unreadable expression, but one thing was clear—his pupils were dilated.
“We’ll go swimming when the tide comes in.”
“Oh! Really?”
“Of course. We came to the beach, so we have to play in the water.”
“Nice…”
Park Sang-ki, who had looked like he was about to die, suddenly sprang up like a zombie, as if he hadn’t been exhausted at all.
The catch was that they had to run across the mudflats and sandy beach until the water came in.
Since running all the way to the water in the distance would be too exhausting, Jin-hyuk suggested waiting for the tide here, and no one objected.
Jin-hyuk deliberately didn’t mention that they’d have to wait over two hours for the tide to come in. For the sake of his friends’ peace of mind.
‘Easygoing guys.’
If this were at the group headquarters, hands would’ve been raised everywhere with objections. How pure and kind these friends were.
Jin-hyuk smiled brightly, showing his white teeth, unaware that his friends found his smile sinister.
***
Kim In-rang, sitting in the shade, watched the kids enduring the scorching sun.
Seeing them train energetically on the mudflats and sand, he couldn’t help but feel a natural sense of admiration as a still-vigorous young man.
‘Thank goodness I didn’t join them.’
He took off his sunglasses and looked around.
It was a peculiar beach.
The sandy beach stretched about 300 meters wide, and since it wasn’t a developed beach, there were plenty of trees and rocks. Just a little further from the sandy beach toward the sea, the mudflats began.
Beyond the cape visible to the north, there were mudflats with no sand at all. That’s where a lot of clams were said to come from.
Far off in the distance, where the water had completely receded, there was an island full of pine and oak trees. People even lived there, on an island within the mudflats.
‘What a cool place.’
He took a deep breath as a cool breeze brushed past the shade of the rocks.
He had lived in the unarmed demilitarized zone, where not a single star shone, sharpening his senses at the sound of rustling leaves. Just a few years ago, he would wake up in a cold sweat from dreams of life-or-death battles with enemy soldiers.
‘Since I met that guy, the nightmares have disappeared.’
He felt it was a really good decision to persuade his mother, who had been living alone, to move to this village. His mother, who now visited neighbors and tended to a small garden, had a smile on her face like spring flowers blooming.
Maybe now he could meet a woman and get married. With a place to settle down, he felt the desire to build a family.
‘That accountant at the company was pretty.’
Her name was Lee Myung-ja, wasn’t it?
After an unremarkable childhood, he spent ten years in the military.
Thinking back to the years spent in the demilitarized zone, digging tunnels somewhere in North Korea, living in constant tension, this place felt like heaven.
He smiled contentedly, then noticed Jin-hyuk rolling around in the mudflats with the kids.
Already taller than Kim In-rang, who was 180cm.
‘It’s hard to believe that guy was that monster.’
He was strong, so he lived without any major aftereffects, but an ordinary person might have suffered greatly or even died. Even Kim In-rang had briefly lost consciousness.
‘What was that?’
When he lost consciousness, someone spoke to him in the darkness.
A deep, calm voice delivering a simple message.
– 【Do you want to live?】
It must have been something like the Grim Reaper, who comes before death.
It couldn’t just be dismissed as a nightmare or delusion.
As time passed, the memory didn’t fade—it became even clearer.
– 【The contract is valid until I release it. It won’t take long.】
Since both his mother and Kim In-rang were satisfied with the peace, there was no reason to worry about contracts or anything now. But the still-clear voice had the effect of preventing Kim In-rang from entertaining other thoughts.
No doubt Hun-chang and the others heard the same voice. They just didn’t mention it because they were told not to.
“Help—! Save me! Ugh!”
Startled by Jo Seol-chan’s desperate cry, Kim In-rang snapped out of his thoughts and stood up.
The kids’ safety was his responsibility. Had something dangerous happened?
Kim In-rang soon burst into laughter.
“Ahaha—. These kids.”
The kids were wrestling in the mudflats.
Jin-hyuk was slamming his friends into the ground, and it looked more like one-sided abuse than a game.
The tide was slowly coming in.
It seemed they were enjoying a bit of play after finishing their training while waiting for the tide.
Watching this, Kim In-rang’s pectoral muscles swelled impressively.
Hoo—.
“Ah, whatever.”
He took off his T-shirt, revealing his solid, muscular physique.
He carefully removed his sneakers and charged at Jin-hyuk in his shorts.
“Yahhhhh—!”
He stretched out his arms, intending to tackle him.
If he grabbed his waist and pushed, even the monstrous Son Jin-hyuk would—.
‘Huh?’
Suddenly, Jin-hyuk’s face disappeared, and the mudflats appeared.
Yes, the black, sticky ground is generally called mudflats.
Jin-hyuk had slipped his arm under Kim In-rang’s armpit and used the momentum of his charge to flip him over his head.
Splat—.
Whoosh—. He flew but didn’t land messily, instead performing a spinning breakfall and rolling away.
“Oh… he’s like the Terminator…”
“Wow, uncle’s body is just like Jin-hyuk’s.”
“Hey! Take down the uncle!”
While Park Sang-ki and Jo Seol-chan were marveling, Yeom Byung-taek shouted.
“Take him down? You little brat! I’ll take you down!”
Jo Seol-chan charged fiercely, backing up Yeom Byung-taek.
Jo Seol-chan knew that when the boss monster is too strong, you take out the mini-bosses first to level up.
Yeom Byung-taek clung to Kim In-rang’s waist as he stumbled backward. With his strength alone, it was impossible to bring him down. Jo Seol-chan wrapped his arms around Kim In-rang’s neck and hung onto his back.
“Ultra-super murder tackle!”
If not today, when else would he get to tackle someone with his feet? Park Sang-ki immediately delivered a low tackle that would’ve earned him a red card, finally bringing Kim In-rang down.
“You little brats—!”
Kim In-rang, now flat on the mudflats, struggled furiously.
Jo Seol-chan tickled his side.
“Heeheehee! I surrender!”
“Surrender? No way!”
Hehehe—.
Jin-hyuk, watching the men covered in mud, placed his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest.
‘Heh, this looks fun.’
But he had to hold back.
It was better to stay as a spectator rather than intervene in an unplanned situation and escalate things for everyone’s sake.
The incoming tide quickly rose to their knees.
***
Even after everyone was exhausted from swimming up to their chests.
The summer sun was mercilessly long.
The three track and field members of Taeyang Middle School trudged along, following the tireless Son Jin-hyuk and Kim In-rang.
“Jin-hyuk—. Why are you carrying the sandbag again?”
“We’ll need it tomorrow too.”
Asking such an obvious question, are they dumb? Jin-hyuk tilted his head without looking back, answering casually.
‘They didn’t ask because they didn’t know. It’s not working.’
Yeom Byung-taek was gripped by a sad premonition.
20kg wasn’t that heavy.
But carrying it on a tired body for a whole month was a different story.
“We—”
“Race me 100 meters, and if you beat me, you’re exempt.”
Damn.
Yeom Byung-taek, who was about to plead his case, shut his mouth.
He’s a fun, good friend, but during training, he’s a pain.
Before heading home, they stopped by a stream to wash off with fresh water.
Their skin, tight from the salt, relaxed in the fresh water, feeling much better.
They picked a ripe watermelon from the streamside field and headed home.
“Uncle, did you do track and field too?”
Jo Seol-chan asked, admiring Kim In-rang’s muscles glistening in the sunlight.
It wasn’t just the muscles. Kim In-rang never got tired during morning jogs and climbed mountains without hesitation.
“I’ve been doing it more recently.”
Thanks to Jin-hyuk, not only Kim In-rang but also the bodyguards dispatched from Sein were running morning and night.
He even had long jump contests with Jin-hyuk, but even with a casual jump, Jin-hyuk cleared 7 meters, something Kim In-rang couldn’t match.
*
After lunch, which was samgyetang with more garlic and ginseng than glutinous rice, the athletes were given a sweet break.
While the friends played with Yoo Jin and Jang Gun-i, Jin-hyuk put their laundry in the washing machine. Then he went to his room for a moment to review the supplementary worksheets he had requested from the school.
‘So they planned to cover the second semester’s material during the break.’
It was all preparation for the high school entrance exam.
That’s why even the wrestling team was required to attend the summer supplementary classes.
‘Well, it’s nothing major.’
He and Chae Kyu-ho had already covered the second semester of the third year, and Jin-hyuk knew all the material. With the textbooks Chae Kyu-ho had prepared and the supplementary materials, he could help his friends with their studies.
The problem was time.
There was a lot to study, but the evening free time was short.
The long afternoon rest period, meant for recovery, was also an issue.
“Hey—”
Jin-hyuk closed his mouth as he was about to call his friends.
If he suggested cutting the afternoon break while they were having so much fun, they might really curse him out.
“Hahaha—! Catch me—!”
“…Stay there… My legs are tired…”
Even the stoic Park Sang-ki was laughing brightly while playing tag with Yoo Jin.
Jin-hyuk knew when to back off.
‘Let’s go hard at night.’
As the sun began to set, the afternoon training started near the earthen house.
It was sprint training at the long jump field Jin-hyuk used. The distance was about 50 meters, and surprisingly, Park Sang-ki’s burst speed was better than the other two friends. It was the result of his explosive power as a middle school soccer winger combined with spikes.
‘If only Sang-ki had better reaction time, he could lead the start.’
This is why intense training is often called tempering.
It’s a grueling journey to remove impurities (weaknesses) and obtain pure metal (strengths).
‘What kind of metal is Seol-chan? What about Byung-taek and Sang-ki—?’
Jin-hyuk, who had been seriously observing his friends, suddenly shook his head.
If he thought about it any further, he might start seeing elemental symbols floating above their heads.