# 35 < Unknown Player (4) >
“Jin-hyeok, you still have one more game, right? How’s your condition?”
Dad asked while having lunch.
Usually, at such events, the organizers collect participation fees and prepare boxed lunches. However, meals for family or supporters are not provided, so families either eat out or bring their own food.
“Ah, the spicy bulgogi is so delicious.”
Not only Jin-hyeok’s parents but also the parents of other friends brought food. They added that they couldn’t focus on work since it was the first time their child made it to the finals in a relay race.
Yu-young took care of Young-tae, who was at a loss.
“Teacher, there’s plenty, have some more.”
“Ahaha, thank you. I’m imposing on you.”
“Imposing? Thank you for taking such good care of our Jin-hyeok.”
Food was supposed to be eaten in the stands, but seeing most people sitting around the edge of the field to eat, the Taeyang team followed suit.
Bulgogi, kimbap, kimchi soup, seasoned vegetables, and even sandwiches the kids would love. Various foods prepared by the parents were spread out. Byung-taek’s parents even brought a large thermos with coffee and fruit tea.
“It feels like a picnic, so nice.”
“Right-, when did we ever have a picnic like this with our kids? Oh, by the way, the spring picnic is the day after tomorrow.”
Seol-chan had become Jin-hyeok’s admirer, and the conversation revolved entirely around him. No one from Seol-chan’s family came, but no one paid attention, and Seol-chan blended in without hesitation.
“We’ll meet in middle school.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Byung-taek, who was talking with Seol-chan, tilted his head while holding his chopsticks.
“But isn’t there no track team in middle school? Are there no athletes?”
“Is that so? It’s only in national schools.”
“Then will Jin-hyeok and Ji-beom go to a middle school with a track team, Teacher?”
Byung-taek asked, looking at Teacher Young-tae.
“If they want to continue track systematically, they should. But most schools in our country only form a temporary team when there’s a competition. And if there are athletes, a track team can be formed.”
All schools are registered with the Athletics Federation.
That means, if you want to participate in competitions, you can, even if there’s no official track team.
“Temporary…, what’s that?”
“Seol-chan, it means training only when needed. Like Jin-hyeok.”
Ji-beom explained to Seol-chan, while Jin-hyeok silently ate his meal and listened.
‘It’s fun, but I don’t think I’ll become an athlete.’
Let’s just do it as a hobby.
I decided to live an ordinary life.
Living an ordinary life. That’s one thing.
But since I’ve come this far, I want to leave some memories with my friends. I also feel like I owe Teacher Young-tae. Even if we don’t win the relay, if luck is on our side, we might get a bronze medal.
After lunch, Jin-hyeok and his friends walked barefoot on the grass for a while. Byung-taek occasionally talked about Miss Kim and Miss Choi, and Seol-chan mumbled something, but everyone seemed to be thinking the same thing.
Especially Ji-beom, who was more desperate than anyone.
‘Isn’t this the first and last chance to win in track, or rather, in the relay?’
Because of Jin-hyeok.
Jin-hyeok is confirmed for the 100m and 200m, so for the national competition, he’ll probably form a team with other athletes for the relay. Anyway.
Ji-beom isn’t.
He’s been known for his speed since he was a kid in the countryside, but the world is wide, and there are many talented athletes. Even in Chungnam, where the population is small, there are ten elementary students who can run 100m in around 13 seconds. Nationwide, the records get shorter, and the number of athletes increases.
‘It feels strange to think this is the last.’
He’s been doing track for three years but has no awards and rarely made it to the semifinals.
He had already decided early on that there was no future in track. Like the seniors from Taeyang Elementary’s track team, he discussed with his parents and decided to go to a middle school with a soccer team.
Ji-beom lay on the grass, watching Jin-hyeok play airplane with his younger sister.
‘Take care, Jin-hyeok.’
This is Ji-beom’s last track competition.
Ji-beom recalled the good memories from yesterday as he held the blue baton.
[On your marks-.]
A tailwind blew pleasantly.
[Set-.]
He stretched his legs, widened his eyes, and clenched his teeth.
The reddish track that had been part of his boyhood filled his vision.
The unforgiving urethane track that never gave him a medal, this is the last time.
[Bang-!]
The sound of the gunshot lingered in the wind.
Whoosh-, whoooosh-!
How many breaths did he take while running the 100m curve?
Ji-beom’s face was flushed, and veins bulged on his forehead and neck. He was desperate, and in his desperation, he lifted his knees. Would gripping the baton tighter make him run faster? Ji-beom clenched his fists.
Thump-!
He perfectly passed the baton to the second runner, Byung-taek, and as the other second runners from different lanes pulled away, Ji-beom collapsed on the spot.
“Ugh, huff-. Oh, I’m dying!”
He had never felt this exhausted after running 100m.
Was there regret? His eyes suddenly felt hot.
When receiving the baton, Byung-taek read Ji-beom’s eyes. How desperate must Ji-beom have been to run with such bloodshot eyes?
He may not have much skill, but he’s confident in straight sprints.
Byung-taek ran with the determination to fall, leaning forward. It felt like he was leaning, but to onlookers, it seemed like he was running upright with just his head slightly forward. His arms swung outward as if to knock anyone who came close. He ran with a wide stride, step by step.
Thump-!
“Seol-! Run! Run! Runnnnnn-!”
Byung-taek pushed Seol-chan with all his might.
Seol-chan, who had no intention of correcting his dialect.
He’s been doing track since fourth grade, but not only does he have a dialect, his running form hasn’t improved either. He’s always been overshadowed by Ji-beom and Byung-taek, and this is his first competition. And it will be his last in elementary school.
Huff-huff-huff-!
Tap-tap-tap-tap-!
I’ll show you the essence of my running style! I’m the one who can run curves as well as Ji-beom!
Heheheh-!
Jin-hyeok closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
[Bang-!]
Ji-beom made a fantastic start and passed the baton first. After that, the baton passes were smooth as flowing water.
Oh my.
They dropped from 1st to 3rd, then to 4th, but Seol-chan was running with such wide eyes that tears were flying.
Jin-hyeok lightly lifted his feet and started a gentle jog in place. The anchors from other lanes would run out to receive the baton, but Jin-hyeok planned to wait until he was sure he had it before shooting out like a bullet.
He already had the advantage in both start and sprint.
Ji-beom had a good start, and the flow was good. If they didn’t drop the baton, a bronze medal was possible.
He was ready to squeeze every muscle.
For Ji-beom, who would collapse on the track after giving his all.
‘I can’t half-ass it this time.’
Seol-chan was within ten steps.
Whoosh-!
He raised his head forward and increased his stride.
He moved forward with half the stride of Seol-chan.
Thump-thump-thump-!
The anchors from 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place teams started.
The sound of their footsteps fueled his competitive spirit.
Thump-!
He felt the cylindrical baton deep in his palm.
He gripped it as if to break it.
It’s hard. The baton is secure.
“Jin-hyeok! Pleaseeeee-.”
Seol-chan’s desperate cry didn’t reach Jin-hyeok’s ears.
Whoooosh-.
The sound of the wind brushing past his ears had never felt so sharp. It felt like running on a typhoon day.
The back of the 3rd place anchor disappeared in an instant.
He felt the rebound of the track under his toes. It quickly traveled up his ankles and provoked his thigh muscles. He returned the provocation of the hard ground. Thud-. The track, which should have made a dull sound, rang out crisply.
The shoulders of the 2nd place runner blurred.
“Ughhhhhh-!”
He took a deep breath and closed his throat.
For a moment, the 1st place runner’s shoulders seemed level with Jin-hyeok’s. He ignored it and kept running forward. There were still about 10 meters left.
Whoooosh-!
He pushed out air bit by bit from his bursting cheeks. His legs and arms couldn’t rest until the end. He swung his arms harder than ever and clenched his thighs with all his might.
Fatigue had built up, and his legs felt heavy.
He tightened his abs and pulled up his thighs.
Whoaaaaa-!
The distance to Ji-beom, who had jumped up and raised his arms, closed rapidly. He couldn’t hear the cheers from the stands or Teacher Young-tae’s voice.
But he knew.
‘I did it!’
Ji-beom was the first to run over and hug Jin-hyeok tightly.
“······Ughhh.”
······Thank you, Jin-hyeok. For making such good memories. He said.
Ji-beom held onto the anchor for a long time, not wanting to let go.
Byung-taek and Seol-chan ran over, tears flying.
Two officials approached the hugging kids and peeked over.
“Hey, can you let go for a second? Or should I just stick out my camera?”
Gold medals were hung around the necks of the four Taeyang team representatives.
Kwang-yeon’s camera captured the moment.
Bong-soo frowned.
Hae-dong, chewing gum while looking at the track, asked.
“Hey, did you see that?”
“We saw it together, man.”
“Ugh, damn. That kid was playing yesterday.”
“I have nothing to say. Is that really a 13-year-old?”
“I pressed stop when I was at 91. Let’s see······.”
Hae-dong narrowed his eyes, tilted his head back, and glared at his wristwatch. Maybe he was getting presbyopia because the numbers were blurry.
“10.50 seconds? It’s not exact, though.”
It’s an unbelievable record and not an accurate measurement.
But anyone who saw it would find it hard to describe without some exaggeration.
Hae-dong, who was about to explain that the runner had covered more distance and the stop was pressed late, swallowed his words.
“It seemed like that. Let’s wake up from this dream.”
“Why?”
“With that skill, it’s better to just do track.”
At Bong-soo’s muttering, Hae-dong shook his head.
It was too much of a waste to switch to another sport.
“Let’s go.”
“Yeah. Let’s go home.”
Hae-dong and Bong-soo got up, brushing off their butts.
But they knew. They would come back to see that player again. If they couldn’t catch a player like that, what kind of prospect could they catch?
‘Ah, but I didn’t check the name.’
There’s no scoreboard in the stadium.
The two friends headed to the operations desk to check the unknown player’s name.
Glaring at each other up and down.
They said to wake up from the dream.
A banner was hung at the entrance of Taeyang Elementary School.
〈Taeyang Team Union, Chungnam Athletics Competition 400m Relay Gold Medal〉
Young-tae and the kids reminisced about the day’s excitement after morning practice.
They always attended the opening ceremony, but it was the first time they attended the closing ceremony. Although they won four gold medals, they missed out on the overall trophy due to fewer golds in high jump, middle-distance, and women’s events.
“Teacher Young-tae, did you get the receipt?”
“Yes, thank you.”
It was a competition they didn’t expect to make the finals.
Thankfully, the administrative office covered the expenses, so Young-tae’s emergency fund remained intact.
‘Should I mention that the parents gave me an envelope of thanks?’
Jin-hyeok’s father gave 200,000 won.
Even though he’s from another school, he thanked me for taking good care of Jin-hyeok.
It was a lot of money.
‘I should treat the kids to samgyeopsal.’
After morning practice, Ji-beom and Byung-taek sat on the bench drinking milk. Thanks to track, even as elementary students, their bare upper bodies were toned.
“Ji-beom, what do you think Jin-hyeok is doing?”
“Even though I’ve only seen him a few times, I miss him.”
Ji-beom took out a photo from his sports jacket.
It was a photo of the four relay winners smiling brightly with Teacher Young-tae after the victory. Thanks to Jin-hyeok’s kind father, Ji-beom captured a moment he would never forget.
Byung-taek glanced at the photo and stretched with his hands clasped.
“Ugh-! It would’ve been better if it was our school.”
Of course, it would’ve been better.
The banner at the entrance would’ve been different. Ji-beom didn’t respond but thought there would’ve been a ‘Son Jin-hyeok 4 Gold Medals’ banner.
*
〈Eodong Elementary School Son Jin-hyeok Track 4 Gold Medals〉
That banner was hung at Eodong Elementary School.
It was a short banner, but the narrow entrance caused the text to be cut off on both sides.
“Kekeke-, it says 4 gold medals.”
“At least they didn’t put the school name.”
The kids giggled.
‘I’d rather they hung it on a tree like the academic competition banners······.’
Deep down, he wished they hadn’t hung anything, but knowing the school’s love for showing off, Jin-hyeok didn’t voice his opinion.
“When’s the national competition?”
A neighborhood friend, Mi-kyung, asked.
This kid’s lips are getting redder and her smiling eyes are curving nicely without any makeup. It’s the kind of smile that would make boys’ hearts flutter. In his previous life, she transferred at ten, so this is the first time he’s seeing her grow up.
Jin-hyeok answered before Mi-kyung could hit his shoulder.
“Yeah. End of June.”
“Should I come cheer?”
“It’s a school day, what cheering? I heard we have to stay with kids from other regions.”
Mi-kyung pouted, seemingly disappointed.
“Are you running home today?”
“Yeah.”
“Want to take the bus with me? Or we can walk······.”
Why is she like this? In his previous life, Jin-hyeok wasn’t someone who couldn’t meet girls due to lack of ability. There were girls who confessed to him, and as an adult, he received a lot of attention.
‘Girls mature early.’
But isn’t Son Jin-hyeok beyond maturity, almost like a prodigy?
With his experience, he’s a 4-gold medalist.
Even if their physical age is the same, his friends are still kids.
But he doesn’t want to hurt his closest friend.
‘What should I do······?’
What was it they said to do in this situation?
Jin-hyeok briefly recalled the social and dating tips he learned from texts.
Like a fog clearing, a phrase came to mind.
If you confess, you might just remain good friends?
‘Should I try?’
As Jin-hyeok furrowed his brows, deep in thought, Mi-kyung sighed.
Finally, Jin-hyeok spoke.
“Us······.”
Jin-hyeok looked at Mi-kyung with a tense expression.
Gulp-. His Adam’s apple moved noticeably.
“What, us what?”
Mi-kyung, now much shorter than Jin-hyeok, tilted her chin up.
At the same time, Jin-hyeok came to his senses.
“Want to run home with me?”
