Chapter 265

“Unpredictable.”

“There are a lot of them.”

Yoo Se-ra had given a heads-up on the plane, but there were more reporters at the airport than expected.

“How much money did this person even spend?”

Yoo Se-ra’s eyes widened like a lion stepping on a hedgehog, clearly not expecting this level of attention.

The reporters, thinking that money was behind everything, assumed they were being paid to be there.

“I’ll be back. Take care of Yoo Jin.”

“Alright. Do well.”

Jin Hyuk, who had left his younger sibling with Yang Gang-wook, exchanged a knowing glance with Jin Seon-kyu.

Every time Jin Hyuk spoke or nodded, Jin Seon-kyu would smile brightly and wave.

‘That’s why I feel even more guilty for being the center of attention.’

Clenching his teeth to avoid showing any emotion, Jin Hyuk followed the interpreter.

***

This was Yang Gang-wook’s first time visiting the U.S.

Despite his excitement, he remained sharp and observant, unlike Son Yoo-jin, who was looking around in awe.

‘American beasts.’

Even though Son Yoo-jin was sturdy, if he bumped into one of those large Westerners, he’d probably fly three yards.

Yang Gang-wook kept a particularly close eye on Son Yoo-jin.

This little kid following his brother around could dart off anywhere at any moment.

‘There are a lot of beasts.’

With a stay approaching a month, Yang Gang-wook thought this would be the most nerve-wracking time of his life.

There were many people to protect and few security personnel.

But his worries were unfounded.

A group in black suits greeted Yoo Se-ra and split into two teams. The leader of one team approached Yang Gang-wook.

‘A left-handed beast.’

Yang Gang-wook, trained and educated as an expert, could discern the other’s characteristics from their gait and arm movements. Fatigue was just a minor inconvenience, not an obstacle.

“Thank you for your hard work on the long journey.”

The tall blond man bowed slightly and extended his hand.

Although the English lacked honorifics, his upright posture and clear speech exuded restrained courtesy.

“You must be Team Leader Gom? I recognized you at a glance. Nice to meet you. I’m Liam Miller, Team A leader of Triple S U.S. branch.”

“I’m Yang Gang-wook. But where did all these people come from?”

Yang Gang-wook, shaking hands, gestured with his chin.

Over thirty people in black suits with sSs badges stood nearby.

“They flew in from Washington, Chicago, and Dallas. Except for New York. Most of the units without assignments are here.”

“With this much support, my shoulders feel lighter.”

Liam shook his head slowly, a faint smile on his lips.

“It’s not support.”

“Huh?”

Are they just here to say hello?

“Local security is handled by the U.S. branch.”

“Ah… I understand.”

Yang Gang-wook nodded.

Given local regulations, that approach made sense.

But what kind of threat would require this many people?

Thirty people was a number rarely seen even at events in Korea. Even if their capabilities were somewhat lacking, the sheer number was impressive.

“The boss’s family is all here, so it’s only natural.”

“I see.”

That was a plausible reason.

Since it wasn’t the right place for a lengthy conversation, Yang Gang-wook followed Liam.

‘Is that a gun on his right chest?’

Feeling the hidden metal, Yang Gang-wook truly realized he was in the U.S.

Noticing Yang Gang-wook’s gaze, Liam smiled.

“Would you like one? We have extras in the van.”

“No.”

Ahem. Yang Gang-wook swallowed his words.

Don’t mess with me! If you go to Saint Technica Sakdo Research Institute, you’ll find every gun in the world!

“I thought so. Team Leader Gom is on vacation, after all.”

“Me? Who said that?”

At Yang Gang-wook’s question, Liam Miller pointed upward with his index finger.

Looking up, Yang Gang-wook saw only lighting fixtures on the high ceiling.

‘Ah, it’s the chairman’s consideration.’

Chairman Son Kwang-yeon must have asked Chairman Hong Ki-jun.

He always felt bad for not giving proper vacations. Even though Yang Gang-wook said he didn’t mind, living near family and having a higher life satisfaction than during his military days, Son Kwang-yeon must have felt differently.

As Yang Gang-wook tried to manage his complex emotions, a small, soft hand grabbed his bear-like paw.

“Let’s go, big brother is already over there~.”

Kids never get tired. Even after such a long flight, they still have so much energy.

Among the kids, Son Yoo-jin was undoubtedly the most energetic. Knowing how much he usually ran around and trained, Yang Gang-wook couldn’t just think of this as a vacation.

“You promised to let me make a phone call~.”

“Alright. Wait a moment.”

Yang Gang-wook took out the latest model cell phone he had activated before departure.

The phone, as small as a child’s palm, unfolded like a compact mirror, doubling in size.

“Whoa~?”

Liam’s eyes widened at the sight.

Taking out his Nokia phone, Liam compared the sizes and asked, “What is that?”

Confirming the dial tone from the phone at his ear, Yang Gang-wook smiled and pointed upward with his index finger.

The future, man. In English, The Future.

***

Local media interest in Jin Hyuk was hotter than expected.

While the marathon is the flower or symbol of the Olympics, the most popular events are undoubtedly the short-distance track and swimming, which produce multiple gold medalists.

Even without their own athletes competing, the fact that they broadcast live shows the global interest. When the athletes at the starting line lift their butts, even the spectators and viewers at home hold their breath.

A significant number of reporters were waiting to cover the arrival of an unknown Asian athlete who had achieved the season’s best in the 100m and the second-best in the 200m.

Even for a popular event, this level of attention for an athlete from a small Asian country was excessive. Jin Hyuk thought so.

‘Uncle Hong Ki-jun must have spread information and money. To boost me.’

So there was no need to be moved or flustered.

Jin Hyuk endured the flashing lights, keeping his gaze somewhere in the air. Looking directly at the flashes would be blinding.

Like Jang Gun-i watching the village from Cheon Gil-ryong’s house, Jin Hyuk maintained a calm and relaxed expression throughout.

Most of the media outlets were well-known, including Korean and Japanese press.

The interpreter who had flown in with Jin Hyuk stood behind him, translating the reporters’ questions.

“You were only 0.04 seconds off the world record. What are your thoughts heading into the competition?”

“I’ll do my best.”

What thoughts? I’ll just run like hell.

Reporters always ask such obvious questions.

“Who are you most wary of?”

“Given the stage, all athletes are excellent. I’ll approach it as a challenger.”

Wary of what? It’s a race against myself, just stay on the track and run to the end. If I said, ‘My only competition is myself,’ they’d call me arrogant.

Jin Hyuk recalled the list of athletes Min Yong-rak had researched but didn’t mention them. He just went through the motions of the interview.

In the 100m, Britain’s Linford Christie and Canada’s Donovan Bailey were the top contenders. In the 200m, America’s Michael Johnson was the undisputed king.

Linford Christie, born in 1960, despite being 36, had the second-best season record in the 100m after Jin Hyuk. He also qualified for the 200m, but few expected him to perform well there. Aging and stamina decline don’t lie.

Michael Johnson was the公认的200m untouchable. Most sprinters focus on one event or, if their stamina allows, compete in both the 100m and 200m. But this athlete uniquely focused on the 200m and 400m. Reflecting the depth of talent in his country, he also competed in the 1600m relay.

Namibia’s Frank Fredericks, Trinidad and Tobago’s Ato Boldon, and America’s Michael Marsh were all top-class in both the 100m and 200m. These were Jin Hyuk’s direct competitors.

Except for Linford, who was past his prime but still recognized as one of the best sprinters in the 100m, the others were in their early to mid-20s, all possessing beastly muscles and monstrous explosive power.

“According to information, you showed promise in the long jump and 400m during your youth. Why aren’t you competing in those events?”

“To focus.”

Yeah, doing all that would be exhausting.

Say something sensible, geez.

People who only watch the competitions might think, why not do everything? But increasing the number of events also increases the training load. Different events require different training methods, and overambition brings trouble.

Moreover, to protect athletes and discover diverse talents, the number of track events was limited from youth, making it difficult for athletes to switch events once they reached a certain level. Unless there was a special reason.

But to bring up my one-time participation in the youth division, their information network is impressive.

Did they get the CIA involved?

Jin Hyuk was inwardly surprised but didn’t show it. It might just be a routine question.

“If you were given the chance to compete in more events now, would you? As a track athlete, it’s natural to have ambitions in multiple events, right?”

“If is just if. I don’t consider it. Before being a track athlete, I’m a student. I limited my events to focus on my studies. Even American and British athletes focus on certain events. I know some of them are college students, dentists, accountants, lawyers, etc.”

He answered in concise, refined sentences for easier translation.

During the formal Q&A, an Asian reporter raised his hand.

Even without stating his affiliation, his accent and pronunciation made his origin clear.

“Can you explain the significance of your uniform?”

The way he pronounced “jersey” as “jya-ji” confirmed he was Japanese.

I wasn’t thinking much, but this seems like a valuable question. Typical of their obsession with symbols.

Jin Hyuk stroked the Taegeuk symbol on his chest and took a deep breath.

“It’s my pride.”

That should be enough lip service to the nation and the media. Seeing the Korean reporter hastily jotting it down, Jin Hyuk felt confident.

He hadn’t often felt a strong sense of belonging to the nation, but as a man who had once served in the military, representing the country carried its own weight.

The amiable atmosphere took a turn with the Japanese reporter’s next question.

“Are you aware that the prevailing opinion is that your record, from a track backwater, is unreliable? Locally, people are betting on whether you’ll pack your bags after the heats or the quarter-finals.”

A baseless and highly provocative question.

“Heats” refer to the preliminary rounds, and “quarter-finals” to the next round. The mention of an unreliable record and betting on Jin Hyuk’s elimination was clearly meant to mock his qualification.

The interpreter didn’t translate the question, but Jin Hyuk, understanding it, clenched his jaw.

‘This guy’s playing cute, huh?’

Well, not cute in appearance, but you get the idea.

The reporter’s words carried clear disdain.

Disdain breeds the monster of hatred.

The delusion of feeling superior by belittling others.

The worthless instinct of trying to soothe one’s inferiority complex by finding fault in others.

At a gathering of reporters, aggressive questions are to be expected.

I never harbored any romantic illusions that they would all be friendly.

In fact, I thought it was overly formal and gentlemanly.

‘As someone who embodies human hatred more than anyone else, do you think I wouldn’t recognize it?’

Though I’ve seen many beautiful things since returning, the ingrained emotions haven’t disappeared.

The only difference between the past Jin Hyuk and others was that he never expressed it.

Because the moment he hated someone, he felt he would lose the humanity he was barely holding onto.

The past Son Jin-hyeok endured without becoming a monster.

Even in the future, during business trips or long-term overseas assignments, he experienced racial discrimination. Ironically, many of those were Japanese, who seemed to think of themselves as white.

But how much worse must it be now?

The interpreter said to the reporter, “I’m sorry… I didn’t understand the reporter’s question.”

Jin Hyuk thought that was a lie.

The interpreter’s English was top-notch, and the reporter’s pronunciation, though not perfect, was among the better ones for a Japanese person.

Even now, other reporters were glaring at the Japanese reporter.

Undeterred by the sharp looks, the Japanese reporter asked again, “How can an athlete from a country smaller than Japan achieve such fast times? Everyone is puzzled.”

What you see is what you get. True to their love for fabrication and distortion, they twist the achievements of athletes from other countries.

Just as Jin Hyuk was about to laugh off the clearly malicious question, a faint complaint reached his ears.

Scribble scribble.

‘They’re lying. Only they think that way. Damn slant-eyes…’

It was the interpreter’s muttering.

It seemed like he was holding back the urge to curse.

The interpreter, who had been standing behind Jin Hyuk, stepped forward.

“The athlete is tired, so we’ll end the press conference here.”

“No.”

Jin Hyuk stretched out his arm to block the interpreter.

He was indeed tired from the long journey.

He had planned to just get through it and leave. He needed to expel the accumulated lactic acid and toxins, do some light exercise, and rest before starting training the next day. But hearing the interpreter’s muttering changed his mind.

‘It’s not just about me.’

Far behind the reporters, Yoo Jin, who had been on the phone, waved when she made eye contact with her brother.

Seeing his sister made it clear.

What kind of future he needed to open.

If you act too politely, some will take advantage and keep provoking you.

Jin Seon-kyu once said:

– “What I realized while studying is that the term ‘senior’ is actually burdensome. It means someone ahead, right? It carries respect.”

The role of a senior is to pave the way for juniors. Even if seniors are slowed down by removing obstacles and fighting disruptors, they should think of the juniors who will tread the cleared path and sweat with the spirit of pioneers. That’s what seniors should do.

– “It’s not some grand thought of being a shield. It’s just that by doing so, the environment improves, and someday, a junior who surpasses me might emerge. Maybe the number of athletes in unpopular sports who are looked down upon will decrease. When that time comes, I’ll clap more joyfully than when I set the Korean record. That’s what I decided. You figured it out too quickly, so it lost its flair. Hahaha.”

If you’re looked down upon, you become a pushover.

If seniors are looked down upon, juniors become pushovers.

This isn’t limited to sports.

‘I can’t give Yoo Jin that kind of future.’

If her brother accepts being despised, his sister will live in a world full of discrimination.

Rather than enduring, I choose to fight. Even if it leads to killing someone with words.

‘That’s what Uncle Hong Ki-jun meant.’

If the one coveting what’s mine lives in the mud, I’ll willingly step into the mud to kill him. And then, I’ll completely remove the mud.

‘Hey, Jin Hyuk? You don’t have to deal with reporters like that. Especially the Japanese. No matter what you say, they’ll twist it however they want.’

The interpreter whispered in his ear, but Jin Hyuk ignored it and stepped forward.

His hands were in his pockets.

“Listen carefully. Especially you. Yeah, you. The one who can’t pronounce the ending sounds.”

Japanese flowed from Jin Hyuk’s mouth.