Chapter 288

Earthling (2)

***

It started from the thought that while I like things to be natural, maybe it’s okay to be a little deliberate sometimes.

Even though stocks are like plain rice, sometimes you eat tonkatsu or jajangmyeon, right?

You can call it quirkiness or even madness, but if you ignore it, it’s fine. I’ve mastered the art of ignoring.

It’s probably something my former colleague, the PR team leader, once said—humor and events should be spontaneously recognized by the recipient and shouldn’t make them uncomfortable. There’s a similarity there.

‘I should trust the chairman’s words that he won’t be uncomfortable.’

After all, it was an event I prepared spontaneously for Yoo Jin.

I asked Hong Ki-jun to look into it since it might be possible as it was the last event of the day, but Hong Ki-jun went above and beyond and made it happen right away.

Dududududu-!

Blue and red spikes relentlessly pounded the track.

Jin Hyuk glanced at the record and kept running.

Ah, after running and running, I found areas for improvement in the spikes.

Even products I thought were perfect had flaws.

There was a slight uncomfortable elasticity in the outsole.

If it weren’t for my highly developed senses or if I hadn’t put my full weight into it, I might have missed the issue.

But Jin Hyuk’s soles realized that the strange cushioning was diverting the force sideways between his weight and the track.

‘Ah, damn.’

But I have no intention of stopping.

I promised my younger sibling, and I got a promise from Hong Ki-jun.

And for the cheering crowd, I plan to break through the finish tape with all my might.

**

“Before the final, could you put in a word for me?”

– Well… making a call to the committee isn’t hard. But what’s going on?

“I want to run 400 meters. Since it’s the last event tonight, it shouldn’t be a bother…”

– Ah, so you want to do an event? You want to be the only one to run 400 meters after a 200-meter race?

I’m not the only one.

There was an Austrian athlete, right? Back in the 1960s, at the Olympics, there was a runner who sprinted a full lap after a 200-meter race to prove he still had energy left.

That runner wasn’t even in first place and slowed down to a jog around 300 meters, but it’s still a precedent.

“Yes, something like that. I want to leave a lasting record.”

– The audience will love it. That’s not something you see every day. It’ll definitely be great fan service.

“Thank you for understanding.”

– Anything else? If you run and leave a record, will you achieve everything you want in life? Is that enough?

“That’s… not really the point.”

– Ah…

For some reason, Hong Ki-jun seemed deeply disappointed.

Where does this guy think someone achieves their life’s goal just by doing that? He’s acting like he’s interrogating a child.

“My life is already happy, but I want my sibling to be happy too. They’ve come this far, and this is the only gift I can give. Can you help?”

– No problem. I’m Hong Ki-jun.

He’s starting to resemble Yoo Se-ra.

“I’m a bit worried. What if people think it’s weird? Like I’m a clown…”

– No. Absolutely not. I think it’s an event only a champion can show, something that goes beyond mere fan service. I’ll cheer you on from New York.

“New York? Are you in the U.S.?”

– Ah, no. I’m at New York Bakery. Just buying something…

Uh-oh. Definitely Yoo Se-ra’s husband.

**

Wahhh-!

[Please give a big round of applause to the athletes.]

A chant flowed through the stadium speakers, urging an even bigger response.

Yeeeahhh-!

Clap clap clap clap clap-!

[Yeeeahhh-!]

It was a scene everyone would watch if they had a TV.

Records are meant to be broken someday.

Whether by the athlete themselves or by another extraordinary hero.

But an event like this…

It’ll be talked about for tens of thousands of years, forever.

As long as humanity exists and sports don’t disappear.

[The audience cheers for the unique ceremony.]

[Ah! It’s really amazing! So touching!]

[The first penguin! As Son runs, the other athletes follow as if they’ve been waiting for this moment!]

[Those athletes must have been so thirsty for a sprint! In front of so many spectators, with no more races left, they can run without pressure!]

[I think that’s what I regretted during my time as an athlete.]

[It’s a challenge you can only take at that age.]

[Right. Adult athletes can’t help but be cautious.]

[It’s possible because the men’s 200m final was tonight’s main event.]

[The adult athletes responding to the younger sibling’s courage—it’s mature friendship.]

[What a wonderful night!]

*

100m curve, next 100m straight…

Since the starting line is set based on the finish line, the distance is similar, but the current course is different from a standard 400m track.

Still.

‘For tens of thousands of years.’

I clenched my muscles to symbolically set a record that would never be broken.

‘Power, power, power.’

It was clearly an event just for my sibling, but seeing the cheering crowd made me feel like I was running for everyone supporting me.

Then maybe I can put a little more strength into my shoulders?

A ceremony for the spectators cheering and clapping for me, and for those watching on TV.

I studied Michael Johnson’s running style.

That’s how I could maintain acceleration.

More, just a little more… If I measured my top speed, it’d probably be around 45 km/h.

Whoosh-.

I hit the straight again, and Jin Hyuk had to accept his limits.

If I could feel the lactic acid piling up in my muscle fibers, it must be an illusion.

But the fatigue was building up rapidly.

‘This should be enough.’

It’s an unofficial, unrecognized record.

But I ran without regrets.

The experience of running in a massive stadium watched by 85,000 people, with camera flashes going off non-stop, isn’t a glory everyone can enjoy.

‘Feels amazing.’

Only then did I realize that saying it was for my sibling was half an excuse.

The boy who always complained about being ordinary had to admit that deep down, he wanted attention.

It wasn’t comparable to a biological clock, but the clock named desire was slowly finding its place.

[Whoooom-!]

The white finish tape prepared for the event gently wrapped around Jin Hyuk’s body.

Wahhhh-!

「19.14」

「41.73」

This event, this record, won’t be broken for tens of thousands of years.

Unless you have Son Jin-hyeok’s explosiveness and endurance.

Hehehe-.

Though my lungs felt like they were tearing, I smiled brightly at my sibling jumping around in a victory pose.

Kyaaaahhh-!

“Whew… That was really tough!”

Placing my hands on my waist and heaving my chest was something I hadn’t done in a long time.

During training, I always conserved energy for what’s next.

Waiting near the newly set finish line, the friends who joined the sudden event started arriving one by one.

Jin Hyuk clapped in rhythm with the athletes’ strides. Clap clap clap clap clap-!

“Huff huff- Finally-.”

“Phew-!”

Oh, it’s so exhausting.

Frank Fredericks and Ato Boldon collapsed on the ground together.

「49.95」

For sprinters who specialize in 200m, running 400m at full speed is a truly great challenge, even if their legs feel heavy from lactic acid buildup.

Even the leaders who should scold and stop the athletes burst into laughter when the two athletes’ pitiful records, close to 50 seconds, appeared on the scoreboard. They clapped along with the steps of the still-running athletes.

Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!

Now it’s time for the third group to come in.

Jin Hyuk and Fredericks held the finish tape together to welcome the American athletes.

“Whew-! Yeah-! Made it!”

“Haha! Fun! So fun!”

Jeff Williams and Michael Marsh, waving at the stands, faced each other, giggling as they cut the tape.

「56.19」

Garcia and Stevens followed, waving like they were in a parade.

They looked as if they had effortlessly completed a full marathon, smiling brightly.

Ato Boldon, who had run the full distance, lay down and shouted.

“Oh damn! Ostriches love sprints!”

After hugging and greeting each athlete one by one, Jin Hyuk returned to the track he had run on.

Michael Johnson in his golden spikes was jogging towards him.

Limping on his left leg.

*

[Ahhh-, even Michael Johnson is coming in with a smile.]

[Son is running beside him. What are they talking about?]

[Ahaha-, who knows.]

[You won’t forget today. The shock of the final race has already faded, leaving only the感动.]

[I wonder how many people are watching…]

[Perhaps eventually, all Earthlings will see it. It’s a scene that will remain in Olympic history forever.]

All Earthian.

[From Asian to Earthian! A true festival beyond regions! The athletes are showing what the Olympics and感动 truly are.]

[What a wonderful night. It truly lives up to the name of the Earthling Festival, the Global Village Festival.]

[What a wonderful night!]

[I already used that expression.]

[You can use it as much as you want.]

Some commentators, inspired by the athletes’ spontaneous event, made bold statements.

It was none other than the official broadcaster, NBC.

[Ah-, seeing the athletes show courage makes me, as an intellectual, want to show courage too. Despite the grand claims of being the largest Olympics ever, from the host country voting scandal to criticisms in various fields…]

[Right. The commercialism favoring certain companies left both athletes and spectators dissatisfied. My card became useless! If it wasn’t the designated credit card, they wouldn’t accept it, so I had to settle for a square hot dog for dinner.]

[The athletes’ village facilities were so poor that many athletes struggled with their condition!]

[Right. It’s not befitting of a world-class country.]

[And what about the mascot, Izzy? It’s so bizarre that you wonder if Earth really needs such a creature.]

[Right. Even if it’s an imaginary alien, Earthlings are enough as friends for Earthlings. Alien, go home!]

[The athletes’ actions might be a consolation for all that. I was truly moved.]

[Right. I feel consoled too. Athletes consoling athletes, athletes consoling spectators, spectators consoling athletes. This is the true spirit of the Olympics. I’ve used so much mental power that I’m hungry. I need to get another hot dog.]

Well, they say the interpretation is better than the dream.

***

I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve been knocked out like this.

Jin Hyuk, who woke up early, was suffering from muscle pain.

“Ouch ouch ouch-.”

After giving it my all in the 200m and pushing through the 400m…

Even with recovery training and sauna, my exhausted body couldn’t be soothed.

The muscle pain felt like my thighs were being hammered, and I couldn’t even toss and turn comfortably all night. Falling asleep was a relief.

‘Is this the first time I’ve had muscle pain like this?’

The power that fights with the self and eventually consumes it.

Even after emptying that power, I’ve done training that drained my energy, but recovery training usually brought me back quickly.

‘It’s strange that even Yoo Jin’s touch didn’t help.’

My brother worked so hard, pat pat-.

I could still feel a faint energy coming from my sibling, but it didn’t seem to seep into Jin Hyuk’s steel muscles.

Maybe it’s the pressure of the countless spectators and the Olympic stage.

Psychological factors clearly have a significant impact on the body.

Anyway…

“I think I had a dream.”

It’s been a while since I vaguely remembered a dream.

Maybe it was because last night ended well and I finally finished all my schedules. It was a dream that came to a soul that had let go of everything.

Like a cloth thrown on clean water absorbing it, the dream seeped in.

‘But I can’t remember it.’

A strange world, an unsettling smell, being chased, and…

‘I think I ran like crazy.’

Maybe that’s why my whole body aches.

Oh, I’m dying of curiosity.

There are times when you’re insanely curious about last night’s dream. Especially if it’s a dream you haven’t had in years.

Drrrrr- Kkkkkkk- Ppppprrrr-.

Jin Seon-kyu’s snoring disrupted my focus.

Ugh- and the smell of alcohol.

If this were the army, I’d have thrown a pillow.

I put on a T-shirt and headed downstairs.

“Ouch ouch-.”

Going downstairs hurts my thigh muscles more than going up. I involuntarily let out an old man’s groan.

In the first-floor living room, Yoo Se-ra was drinking coffee.

Yoo Se-ra had been thoroughly grilled by the reporters who swarmed last night.

– “Yes! It was all planned. As a ceremony for the spectators exhausted by the heat, our agency planned and proposed it, and the Olympic Committee approved it. We scheduled it as the last sprint event so other athletes could participate. Ohoho-. Keeping it a secret maximizes the effect and感动, right? Ohohohoho-.”

Yoo Se-ra, flipping through her notebook, noticed Jin Hyuk and rolled her eyes.

The crescent eyes that shone in front of the reporters were gone, leaving only the cold eyes of a viper.

“Oh my-, our champion Son, did you catch a cold?”

“Did you sleep well?”

Receiving a rather sharp glare, Jin Hyuk scratched the back of his head.

My back still stings from Yoo Se-ra’s slap last night.

‘I thought Hong Ki-jun would’ve told her.’

They say couples are of one mind, but it seems that’s just talk.

“This lady didn’t sleep a wink. Yoo Jin was talking in her sleep in the next room- ugh-.”

Yoo Se-ra shook her head, making her bangs flutter.

“What did she say in her sleep? Oh my-.”

Sitting across from Yoo Se-ra, I let out a groan.

The sharp pain rising from my thighs made me let out a pitiful moan.

“I am Son Yoo Jiiiiin-.”

Yoo Se-ra twisted one side of her lips like a fool, making me burst into laughter.

“Do you have any plans today?”

“I have two meetings in the afternoon. Jin Hyuk, you rest. Do some sightseeing or watch the games.”

“I was wondering…”

As Jin Hyuk trailed off, Yoo Se-ra raised an eyebrow as if something was up.

“Why? Do you have a favor to ask? From the great Soooon?”

I wish you wouldn’t make that fool’s face.

Why are you shaking your shoulders like that?

“Can you lend me some money…”

…I was wondering if you could, but oh my, this is so awkward. Jin Hyuk’s words stretched out like a worm crossing the road.

It’s true what they say—talking about money is the hardest.

“Money?”

I never understood when people said talking about money was the hardest. I’ve never borrowed money and lived just fine without it.

…But since you’ve provided everything from food to clothes, I’ve just been focusing on the competition…

As Jin Hyuk rambled on like Jang Gun-i talking in his sleep, he twirled his two innocent index fingers around each other.