Chapter 268

Unpredictable (4)

Seo Pil-gu.

He is a senior in the track and field world and the national team’s track and field coach for Jin Seon-kyu.

Before Son Jin-hyeok appeared, he was a living legend who held the Korean record for a long time.

Jin Seon-kyu also held the Korean record, but due to strong tailwinds during the competition, it was not officially recognized.

Anyway.

It’s no coincidence that Seo Pil-gu’s words suddenly came to mind.

– “What are you worrying about? Just run!”

You think too much, if you put a thinker on a scale, they’d weigh more, what a runner needs is a light body, not a heavy head······, and so on. Seo Pil-gu consistently preached the importance of simple thinking.

‘I do think a lot.’

Even between the signal and the gunshot, in that 1.2 to 1.7 seconds, Jin Seon-kyu’s mind would race with all sorts of thoughts.

When will the gun go off? What if I false start? What if I don’t win in a domestic competition? I hope I don’t scrape my heel today······.

Knowing Jin Seon-kyu well, Seo Pil-gu firmly instructed his junior heading to Atlanta.

– “Thinking is for when you’re warming up, finishing training, or resting. How to improve your form, how to increase speed with the same effort—that’s efficiency. When you run, clear your mind. And check if Son Jin-hyeok has hydraulics in his joints.”

Before being a coach, he was a good senior.

He emphasized that mindlessly repeating runs won’t lead to improvement, but when it comes to running, run mindlessly—he drilled that into their heads until their ears were sore.

‘But I don’t know how to clear my mind.’

The flow of consciousness kept circling back to the starting point.

Just as he was sighing over the unresolved trouble, a voice interrupted.

“Hey, damn it’s hot. Right?”

F***ing hot.

Jonathan Drummond approached with his hand on his waist.

He’s that problematic athlete who mixes in a lot of profanity with his strange chants.

“Oh Jesus! Is today his damn final or something? What kind of f***ing training is he doing so mindlessly?”

F***ing f***ing-.

“Yeah, you’re right-.”

Though laced with profanity, his gestures didn’t seem to be badmouthing Jin Hyuk, so Jin Seon-kyu laughed and responded.

By the way, even world-class athletes are collapsing in this heat, but that Son Jin-hyeok guy is really insane, huh? If Seo Pil-gu saw this, he’d probably applaud and say that’s how training should be done.

Still, isn’t he overworking his body? Youth is something else.

‘Back in my day, I used to play basketball shirtless under the scorching sun.’

Just imagining it makes my armpits sweat.

Jin Seon-kyu took an ice-cold water bottle from the icebox and handed it to Jonathan Drummond, who had sprawled out beside him.

“Hey, friend. Water.”

Yoo Se-ra said to spare no expense for training needs. Whether it’s water or money. She also added that building friendships with foreign athletes is the true Olympic spirit.

At this point, it’s hard to tell who’s the federation president.

Coubertin’s Olympic spirit is often simplified as amateur spirit, but Yoo Se-ra passionately argued that ‘the true Olympic spirit is people becoming friends.’ Unpacking Coubertin’s advocacy, it ultimately aligns with that sentiment.

“Friend?”

“Friend, man.”

“Oh-, friend-. I’m Jo-na.”

Jonathan widened his eyes and placed his hand on his chest.

“Jo-na?”

“Yeah, Jo-na.”

“I’m Jin Seon-kyu.”

“Na-jun-sen-kyu? That sounds like a Chinese name.”

Jin Seon-kyu’s face turned flustered.

Ah, annoying. Chinese, really?

“No! I’m Korean.”

“I know, I know. I meant it sounds like that, no offense intended.”

While Jonathan awkwardly smiled, Jin Seon-kyu made a face like he’d bitten into a bug.

‘English is hard.’

Son Jin-hyeok and other athletes chat and laugh effortlessly in English, so why can’t I understand?

I learned English conversation in college and kept practicing after graduation, but it just doesn’t stick. If I knew this would happen, I would’ve studied harder. Well, who knew this day would come?

“My name is······, eight-.”

Jin Seon-kyu waved his hand and then placed it on his chest again.

“Seon-kyu. No no no-, Kyu.”

Simple is best.

Son Jin-hyeok said that on the plane too.

Emphasize only the important expressions.

“Oh-, got it. You Kyu.”

“Kyu no no. Kyu-.”

“Kyu-.”

“Yeah. Let’s go with Kyu······.”

Reluctantly, Jin Seon-kyu became Kyu.

Well, how many times will I see this guy anyway?

“Kyu, you only run the hundred meters? He runs the two hundred too?”

Jonathan’s finger pointed back and forth in the air.

“Yeah, that’s right. You know well.”

“I only run the hundred meters too.”

“Yeah, that’s right. Fighting, man.”

“You’re one of those damn fast starters, right? Right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. I wake up early and my movements are quick.”

F***ing early and fast and whatever.

I don’t know what he’s saying, but I’m doing my best to respond based on the scattered words I catch.

He’s from the land of Eastern etiquette, after all.

In English······ Eastern Etiquette Country.

As the symphony of ‘yeah, that’s right’ continued, Jo-na seemed satisfied, slapping the grass with his palm and enjoying himself. What’s with him, he’s not a chimpanzee.

“Kyu, did you also get your damn ass kicked by your girlfriend for finishing races short and strong?”

What the hell is he talking about······.

Something about kicks and effort, but all I hear is f***ing f***ing.

In times like these, just smile.

“Does my small size make me look strong? Haha, you punk. Yeah, that’s right, man. They say small peppers are spicy.”

To the f***ing f***ing Jonathan, Jin Seon-kyu responded with sure, of course, and the like, doing his best to keep up.

They laughed at each other’s incomprehensible words, but to anyone watching, they looked like two close friends getting along.

Cursing and giggling, damn this guy’s a damn idiot. Jin Seon-kyu muttered as he watched the athletes still sweating on the track.

“It’s the fate of a sprinter. You can run many times, but you can’t last long. Those guys run the two hundred meters, and their damn girlfriends say it’s damn hot. That Thorn guy must be really popular, huh? Look at that damn stamina.”

“Thorn?”

“Yeah, Thorn. That body is damn beautiful even to fellow athletes, right? Absolutely overflowing with power.”

“Hmm······.”

Jin Seon-kyu, who had lifted his butt off the grass, subtly moved away from Jonathan.

‘I get absolutely powerful, but.’

Not just beautiful, but damn beautiful body.

At this point, isn’t it clear?

‘This guy’s dangerous······.’

Should I run?

With the Olympics I’ve dreamed of just around the corner?

That’s when it happened.

Jeff Williams, an athlete who had been watching Jin Seon-kyu and Jonathan, shouted.

“Hey guys! If you sit like that, won’t your damn asses get damn hot?”

“If you’re curious, why don’t you try it too, Jeff!”

What’s effort? F***ing hot?

What are we trying together?

‘I’m dizzy.’

It’s not just the weather.

*

Whether Jin Seon-kyu misunderstood or not, Jonathan, sweating profusely over his chocolate skin, chattered excitedly.

“There’s this guy named Johnson who’s not here. His damn stamina is insane.”

As if he hadn’t been dazed by the heat earlier, Jin Seon-kyu’s eyes widened at the name Johnson.

“Johnson? Michael Johnson?”

“Yeah. You know him too? Everyone in track knows him.”

Even people outside track know that name, right?

“Where is he?”

Michael Johnson where? Jin Seon-kyu’s eyes widened.

“He’s training privately. Sponsored by Nike, so he lacks nothing. His training is almost entirely private.”

What’s he saying? Almost private and Nike and whatever.

I caught bits and pieces, but sitting under the scorching sun talking to someone I can’t fully understand just gave me a headache.

“Damn? Damn hot, right? Want more water? Give me water?”

“Thanks, Kyu.”

Jin Seon-kyu took two more bottles of ice water from the icebox and handed one to Jonathan.

“Let’s rest more. Take a rest, more and more. Okay?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Damn good choice, Kyu.”

The one-sided chatter from Jonathan continued until they returned to their lodgings, but Jin Seon-kyu felt good, thinking he’d made a good friend as Yoo Se-ra had hoped.

‘I must’ve misunderstood.’

Girl, girl, girl, and girls.

The frequent word popping out of Jonathan’s mouth hinted at his preferences.

Jonathan often threw jokes with exaggerated gestures, observing Jin Seon-kyu’s reactions, resembling a clown gauging audience reactions.

Toward Jin Seon-kyu’s awkward expression, Jonathan pointed at his chest with his thumb and flashed a wide, white-toothed smile.

“Kyu, I like making people laugh. My nickname is the Pierrot of the track.”

“Pierrot?”

“Yeah. Pierrot.”

What’s that now?

***

‘Pierrot.’

Maybe it’s because I slept hugging the Pierrot doll Yoo Se-ra gave me, but my head feels heavy and dull. It’s a gift she bought for me to hug while sleeping, but it’s neither sturdy like a teddy bear nor cute. It reminds me of the Joker from Batman.

One day, two days, three days, four days.

Son Yoo-jin, waking up from sleep, folded her fingers one by one.

Her swollen eyelids, resembling melon navels, twitched.

‘Is it hamburger again today?’

If so, that’s five days in a row, a new record.

Son Yoo-jin isn’t picky about food, but by the fifth day, she’s worried about lunch. After eating a Korean breakfast prepared by the mansion’s chef, she followed Hong Soo-jung around, but lunch was always hamburgers.

It wasn’t Yang Gang-wook or Hong Soo-jung’s request.

Nor was it Yoo Se-ra, who dislikes junk food.

‘Why did I do that?’

Yoo Se-ra would often ask Son Yoo-jin what she wanted for lunch, and the answer was always the same.

– “Hamburger and cola.”

For the first two days, it was fine, but by the third day, even Son Yoo-jin noticed something strange.

It felt like her mouth moved on its own, as if a familiar voice from somewhere was urging her to choose hamburgers and cola.

“Is anyone there?”

She looked around the room but got no response.

Click-. The bathroom door opened, and Hong Soo-jung peeked out with a towel on her head and a toothbrush in her mouth.

“Yoo-jin, are you up? Wash up and pack.”

“Pack? Are we going to Korea?”

I was just missing mom, this is perfect!

Oppa will manage on his own.

“We’re going to LA and Anaheim too. We’ll stay for a few days and come back.”

Ah, right.

I heard it last night but completely forgot.

Disneyland, Hollywood, and whatnot.

‘Today’s lunch, not hamburgers!’

Cola’s fine, but I’m sick of hamburgers.

Son Yoo-jin strongly self-hypnotized and jumped out of bed.

‘But what other food is there in America besides hamburgers?’

*

As Jin Hyuk left the house for morning training, he handed Yoo-jin some cash.

“Our Yoo-jin, if there’s anything you want to buy, use this. Always stick close to Team Leader Yang.”

“Wow! This is, um-, American money. One. Thou. Sand. Dol. Lars.”

Yoo-jin, spreading the bill wide enough to tear, read the alphabet clearly.

“Yeah, it’s a thousand dollars. If you need more, tell Soo-jung. Oppa will pay her back later.”

“One thousand dollars is a thousand won?”

“No? It’s much more than a thousand won. Eight hundred times more.”

“Wow.”

Oppa is so rich!

He gave me money that’s eight hundred times more!

Not twenty-five thousand times, but eight hundred times is still a huge amount.

Son Yoo-jin is smart, so she knows that too.

“Jin Hyuk, when did you exchange money? You didn’t seem to have time for that.”

Jin Seon-kyu, smiling like an uncle while watching Yoo-jin from behind Jin Hyuk, asked.

“This is money I brought from home.”

“You have dollars at home?”

Jin Seon-kyu’s eyes turned as round as Son Yoo-jin’s.

I heard he’s rich, but how rich do you have to be to have a thousand dollars at home?

“It’s more like emergency money my dad hid, but I just took it.”

“That’s theft······.”

Jin Seon-kyu’s face, tanned by Atlanta’s sun, turned pale, and Yoo-jin’s pupils shook at the word theft.

“Huh? Is my oppa going to jail? Oppa can’t go to jail! He has to go to the Olympics! Oppa, just give this back to dad. You can’t go to jail! Huh? Huh?”

Yoo-jin jumped around, trying to return the money.

Heh heh-.

Jin Hyuk, biting back a laugh, placed his hand on Yoo-jin’s head and looked into her eyes.

“Technically, it’s theft, but I won’t go to jail.”

“Ah, really? Why? Teacher said thieves go to jail-?”

What should I say? After a moment of thought, Jin Hyuk began to explain as simply as possible.

He knelt down to match her eye level.

“It falls under Article 328 of the Criminal Code, which is about family theft. Family theft is a special provision for property crimes between direct family members living together. Here, family refers to relationships defined in Article 777 of the Civil Code. So, if it’s between family members like dad and oppa, even if oppa commits theft, he’s exempt from punishment. It’s based on the ancient Roman legal principle that the law doesn’t cross the threshold. Meaning, it’s excessive to enforce social institutions on family matters···.”

“······.”

“······.”

Even though Yoo-jin’s usually bright eyes turned drowsy, Jin Hyuk’s lecture continued.

“···It’s a private offense, so unless dad files a complaint, not only will I not go to jail, but I won’t even be arrested by the police. A private offense means a crime where the victim or someone with the right to file a complaint must do so for prosecution to proceed······.”

This oppa came to America and now speaks Korean like a foreign language······.

Drool dripped from Yoo-jin’s mouth.

Hong Soo-jung, supporting Yoo-jin from behind, also tilted her head. Knowledge is power, huh? Oppa must really not want to go to jail to know the law so well.

Jin Seon-kyu showed an even more distinct reaction.

His jaw dropped so wide it might fall off, and he didn’t even seem to realize his mouth was open.

‘What the hell is this kid······.’

I thought he was just a good runner and a dignified junior, but he’s completely unpredictable.

‘To break into the 9-second range, do you need to clear your mind and fill it with legal codes?’

Maybe that’s why Jonathan keeps f***ing around.

Anyway, I need to save that poor lamb from this non-torture torture, thanks to her overly detailed oppa.

“Jin Hyuk, the American kids are waiting.”

Those neighborhood punks, they’re probably hiding somewhere, ready to jump out today too.