Chapter 30
Chapter 30
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: New World (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Son Jin-hyuk, who had been silent, finally spoke up.
"Teacher, can I roll down the window?"
"Go ahead. Let the kids in the back get some fresh air too."
As the window slid down, a gentle breeze flowed in.
It was a welcome rush of wind, symbolizing freedom.
'What was I doing around this time in my previous life?'
May.
The time right before the spring field trip.
The kids had gone shopping with their moms for new outfits from the market and bragged about their shiny new sneakers.
Tsk-.
Jin-hyuk cut off the memory.
All he recalled was forcing down any interest, burying his nose in a book or wandering the corner of the playground.
Vroom-.
The van carrying Jin-hyuk turned onto the outskirts road. The engine let out an irritable whine as it picked up speed. In the distance, lush green barley fields stretched out vibrantly. The peaceful scenery unfolding ahead felt like a reflection of his changed life, so Jin-hyuk took a deep breath.
'Feels so refreshing!'
The speedometer read 80 kilometers per hour.
He stuck his arm out and cupped his hand.
Wind gathered in his rounded palm.
Jin-hyuk furrowed his brow. His eyes were gently closed.
'No clue at all.'
Irritated, he cranked the window handle to roll it back up.
Kim Young-tae, gripping the steering wheel, glanced over with a worried look.
"You carsick, Jin-hyuk?"
"No, I'm good."
Ace's condition was crucial.
From the back seat, Yeom Byeong-taek rummaged for motion sickness pills before shoving them back in.
The day before the competition.
They arrived at the inn, unpacked, and did some light stretching and jogging. Jin-hyuk slipped on his spikes and tested the public track. It was essential for him, new to urethane surfaces. Truth be told, he'd run on plenty in his past life, but this was his first time as a kid competing as a spiked athlete.
'Huh... this is kinda fun.'
Jin-hyuk let himself sink into the childlike sensation. This wasn't some rural dirt field littered with trees, benches, and the occasional flying pebble. It was a proper stadium, complete with a track, grass field, and seats for 20,000 spectators.
Yeom Byeong-taek and Jo Seol-chan gaped at the scale.
"They said it opened last fall."
"Whoa, that's insane!"
Jin-hyuk dropped into starting position.
Teacher Kim Young-tae and the other kids' eyes lit up.
Whoosh-crack-!
Jin-hyuk's forward-leaning body tore through the 20-meter stretch without a hitch.
"Whoa! Jin-hyuk, what's the deal? Looks way faster to me!"
Jin-hyuk gave a big nod and patted Jo Seol-chan's shoulder in reply.
'Daily training's paying off, and the firm ground means less energy waste.'
Jin-hyuk had also realized something else while running the track: the ideal weight for bodily balance. When pushing off, you drive with your ankles to launch your body, but excess weight strains them. Plus, the elasticity meant purely for forward propulsion gets swallowed by the track.
On the flip side, too light and you can't plant firmly. That's a power deficit. Right now, his body felt a bit too light. His legs were plenty strong, but it lacked that weighted bounce.
'Gotta bulk up a little. Heard too much muscle raises injury risk? Maybe some fat would help?'
Uncharted territory—he knew next to nothing.
'Focus on the running for now.'
Hands on hips, regulating his breath. Big shoulder rolls. He kept drilling in the realizations. Memorize like formulas, repeat until ingrained, second nature like breathing. The heart of Son Jin-hyuk—who'd only had studying—now pounded like a double hammer toward a new challenge.
No dedicated coach, no nutrition team at school. No official track club, so no generous budget. Even lodging and transport for the meet were probably tight.
Sizzle-.
'Pork belly okay?'
Limited sports experience meant scant knowledge. Wondered if meat was fine. Jin-hyuk was puzzled but didn't question it. If the supervising teacher picked it, probably good.
"Hey, thith ith tho goob-."
Jo Seol-chan mumbled around a mouthful of ssam wrap.
Young athletes with iron stomachs, no structured diets back then—what was the harm? More than that, watching his friends shovel it in sparked Jin-hyuk's own appetite.
Lettuce, pork belly, chives, pepper, garlic dipped in ssamjang—all wrapped tight and shoved in.
'Oh man... so damn good.'
The spicy-sweet chives were especially killer.
The perfect harmony nearly brought tears to his eyes.
Hanging with friends for a group chowdown at this age—it was a first, making it extra special.
"Auntie! More meat and chives here!"
A guy at the opposite table bellowed. Teachers and kids from another region for the meet. Black tracksuits with white "Daesung" lettering caught his eye. If they were chowing down pork belly, it had to be fine.
"Eat up good tonight, digest, shower, and hit the hay early. 100-meter prelims tomorrow morning, relay prelims afternoon."
Kim Young-tae, no taste for the food, nursed a beer while briefing.
"Teacher, there's 200 meters too."
"Huh, yeah? Even 400."
Park Ji-beom and Yeom Byeong-taek peered at the schedule in the teacher's hand, reacting like it was news to them.
"200's for kids who eat, sleep, and train every day. Elementary division especially. 400's junior high."
Kids without stamina get gut-wrenching nausea from one 100-meter and DOMS for days. Sure, track athletes recover in half a day, but 200 meters was no joke even for someone like Park Ji-beom, who'd trained after school for sprints. If your body's not tuned to 200, it's brutal.
"Teacher, we can't run 200?"
"You can. Just confirm in the morning."
Participant list doubles as entry list. Stamp the events you want— that's your signup. No stamp, you forfeit. Consideration for rural schools far from pro sports.
"100 meters, then 200 two hours later—that's doable. But relay's 30 minutes after 200."
"I wanna run the 200 too."
Pfft!
Kim Young-tae spat out his beer at Jin-hyuk's words.
How come the kid who could state his thoughts so firmly and at length usually stuck to yes or no?
Were boys the same whether kids or adults?
Yeom Byeong-taek and Jo Seol-chan leaned against the inn room wall, deep in serious talk.
"Hey, ain't that Im Hee-jin from class 3 super cute?"
"Nah, An Ji-yoon from our class is cuter."
"Dude, you think every big-boobed actress is hot."
"Well, yeah. Heh heh."
Four boys crammed in one room, and girl talk kicked off.
Jin-hyuk's ears perked up on instinct, beyond his control. But no juicy details came.
'Guess they don't know much either.'
He shook his head entering the bathroom.
Still, these pure, untainted friends—he liked them. Middle school soon; probably same school.
"Byeong-ah, my granny says boys need sturdy thighs."
"Dude, your tongue's the sturdiest thing on you."
Click-.
Even after he showered, the friends showed no sign of washing, chattering away. If smartphones existed, they'd be gaming solo—but sharing raw interests felt more kid-like.
Yeom Byeong-taek gawked at naked Jin-hyuk. Quiet Park Ji-beom too. Their eyes locked on the same spot, like they'd planned it.
"Whoa, check out Jin-hyuk. Freakin' huge."
"Eek! 'Cause he's tall?"
"Jin-hyuk's a total joker!"
Whoops—forgot to bring change of underwear to the bath. Instant sideshow. Come to think, never hit the baths with these guys. How'd these runts know bigger was better? Past-life Jin-hyuk never had such curiosity about the opposite sex, so the kids' reactions fascinated him.
"Digested? Shower and sleep. Gotta rest to perform tomorrow."
At Jin-hyuk's words, the friends sluggishly stirred. Tired and lazy, but athletes—they got condition management.
"Jin-hyuk acts like a big bro, hard to mess with."
Jin-hyuk chuckled at Jo Seol-chan's grumble heading to the bath.
'More like uncle-age, kid.'
Hearty soybean paste stew for breakfast, then off to Gongju Public Stadium. Players from other schools were already stretching or lightly jogging to warm up.
"Ah, cut us some slack! This big-scale stuff's new for us too!"
Meet organizer, bold as brass—drew everyone's eyes. Complaints about sloppy event order, breaks, no advance entries messing up athletes and coaches.
Thud-squeal-. Mic feedback screamed.
[Men's elementary 100m prelims starting soon, followed by high jump. Athletes, prepare.]
Kim Young-tae hustled between organizers and holding area. For Jin-hyuk. Kid wanted 200m too—"When else to try?" Couldn't talk him out. He hoped for safe fun too.
"Jin-hyuk, wanna try long jump while at it?"
How hard could it be?
Sprint and launch hard. Done.
"Sure."
Just tossing it out, but he agrees. Kim Young-tae sighed inwardly and stamped another event on the form.
'Multi-events like this? National level territory.'
100m, 200m, long jump, boys' elementary 400m relay.
Four events. Track had multis, sure—but elementary kid in multiple over short span? Near absurd.
200m's short-ish, but not pure sprint like 100. Needs stamina and speed.
'Pencil-pushers' sloppiness handed us a golden chance.'
Two-day meet. "Official" but hyped grassroots track—didn't add up. Rushed job.
"Ji-beom doing 200 too?"
"Yes."
Park was a track kid originally—let him gain experience. Kim Young-tae greenlit max tries. Shoddy org gifted unexpected ops.
Once Park's relay filler Yeom Byeong-taek, debutant Jo Seol-chan—busy eyeing girls in track uniforms.
"Man, city girls got that pale skin glow."
"Seol-chan, that girl's cute!"
"Where, where?"
"There, Bong-eun Elementary."
"Yo! Byeong-taek! That's a teacher, man! Can't drool over every chick! You'll get busted!"
"Huh, now she looks like Kim Yang noona."
Good times.
If life one had been normal, Jin-hyuk'd be gaping alongside. Probably. He smiled thinking it. Friends too damn cute.
'She that pretty...?'
No idea.
Next to Mom or Executive Director Hong Su-jeong? Just another upright-walking human.
Quick glance, then focused on stretches.
Jo said careless staring gets you in trouble.
'Hormones kicking in.'
Starting to feel more like his peers.