There Are Too Many Money-Making Talents 090
Early morning.
The time just before dawn is said to be the darkest.
The surroundings were still dark, with the light from street lamps stretching long.
Sitting in the driver's seat, I quietly pressed the accelerator.
The radio played a quiet classical melody, but I quickly turned it off.
Yesterday, I had met with the youngest writer of and confirmed my participation.
The first stage was the duet song competition.
They said participants would wear masks even during practice to not know each other's identities.
A stage where you compete only with your voice, hiding your name and face.
"...My singing skills are a bit shaky."
The image of me singing my life song on .
Honestly, I wanted to hide in a mouse hole.
If it was live without auto-tune or mixing, it would be at a level where viewers would worry about my vocal cords.
Still, I decided to participate because the production team had considered that part sufficiently.
They introduced a vocal trainer, promised to fix basic breathing and vocalization in a short time, and even provided custom production tailored to the song selection.
Anyway, I wasn't aiming for the king of singing.
If it was just a stage to introduce myself, this much was not bad.
More importantly, Team Leader Jeong Soo-yeon had agreed to this appearance too, so there was no reason to delay anymore.
"More than that, today is also..."
I turned the steering wheel and entered the Olympic Park.
By then, the sun had risen, and the surroundings had become quite bright.
Today, the place I arrived was the Jumong International Archery Field in Gangwon-do.
It was the venue for the 2nd Compound Archery National Team Selection Trials.
As I got out of the car, the cold air rushed deep into my lungs.
"The weather is nice."
It was clear.
But the wind was the problem.
The unique terrain of Gangwon-do and the period approaching winter.
The piercing wind just before winter.
A cold, sharp wind brushed my cheeks.
If the setting was off even a little, there was a high possibility of the arrows being swept across the target.
The only saving grace was that the humidity was almost zero.
The fine friction between the arrow and the bow.
You had to account for even that small error.
'...Everyone is likely to score high.'
That meant small mistakes could decide the match.
I sharpened my mind, carried my equipment bag, and headed to the competition field.
"Eh, eh?"
The crowd visible from the entrance.
Fewer participants than in the first round, but the venue was even more bustling.
'What's going on?'
I was also a bit puzzled.
As I walked a bit further into the venue, everyone was journalists.
Camera flashes.
Video journalists unfolding tripods.
Reporters with microphones.
Among them, familiar faces too.
"...Koo Jun-mo?"
I widened my eyes in surprise.
Permed hair, scruffy crossbody bag.
Dark circles down to the eyes.
A reporter from Baduk Tongsin, the Go specialist newspaper, Koo Jun-mo.
"Eh? Kim Guksu is here?"
He acted like he knew me in a familiar tone.
"How did you get here?"
"How? I came to do an interview."
"...Interview?"
I looked around in confusion.
Not only sports magazines, but also Baduk TV, entertainment reporters, and even Chinese Baduk TV.
Even I, who doesn't get surprised easily by ordinary things, found this a bit startling.
The journalists who saw me rushed over as if they had been waiting.
"Mr. Kim Guksu, how is your condition today?"
"Do you have confidence in this selection?"
"...Is there talk that you aim for national representatives in both Go and compound archery at the Asian Games, is that possible?"
The barrage of gazes and questions.
Honestly, if I wasn't flustered, it would be a lie.
But I had somewhat expected it.
After , Go, archery, and variety shows.
The curiosity and interest in the human 'Kim In-ha' had risen to the surface.
'...I also, but has compound archery ever been this focused?'
Without a doubt, no.
Most people don't even know the difference between recurve and compound.
They only get interested during the Olympics.
That was the reality of our country's unpopular sport.
I slightly lowered my head and quietly opened my mouth.
"Everyone, please calm down first."
The questions subsided for a moment.
"I will respond to the interview as much as possible by taking the most time. However, I ask for your cooperation so that it doesn't harm other players besides me."
At that, some journalists nodded awkwardly and stepped back.
The flashes were turned off.
These were people who knew how to maintain at least that much courtesy.
It was a fortunate time to think so.
A staff member wearing the Archery Association badge hurriedly approached.
"The photo wall has been prepared over there, so you can proceed with the interview from that side. Shall I guide you?"
"Yes."
Quick response.
It wasn't for nothing that the domestic association was praised as the most hardworking.
I moved my position with the guide of such a staff member.
I moved with the guide, and more than a dozen journalists followed closely behind.
In front of the photo wall.
Tripods were set up, microphones were set, a brief moment of silence. Then, the interview began.
"How is your condition today?"
"It's the best."
Condition adjustment is also part of skill.
"The Korean archery is at the world's highest level. The national team selection is said to be harder than winning medals at world competitions, do you have confidence in passing the 2nd selection?"
"It won't be easy, but I'll challenge with confidence. And it's not archery, it's the compound category."
To the journalists who had come chasing my popularity, I clearly stated that my competing stage was the 'compound' category.
"Finally, can we hear Mr. Kim In-ha's catchphrase from the compound category?"
"...Catchphrase? Ah, that one?"
Some journalists nodded and their eyes sparkled.
My identity.
My philosophy of competition.
And my signature catchphrase.
It was a bit boring, but perhaps not yet.
I responded with a smile to that expectation.
"I'll shoot until I lose."
* * *
The people most surprised at the scene were the Archery Association staff.
Until a moment ago, the atmosphere had been relatively quiet.
However, as soon as Kim In-ha arrived, the situation changed drastically.
Only 16 participants.
But the venue was even more bustling.
Much more journalists than expected rushed in.
They quickly judged and immediately set up the photo wall and prepared a control line.
They divided the area so the interview wouldn't disturb the players and readjusted the paths.
"...No mental state, but this is good in its own way."
A staff member looking at the bustling journalists muttered.
At that, the association's marketing staff next to him quietly smiled and nodded.
"Yeah. It reminds me of the World Championships a few years ago."
Even though they knew comparing qualifiers to world championships was unreasonable, this situation was abnormal to that extent.
Then, the sound of footsteps approached.
Short bob haircut, refined suit.
Jang Yi-seo, Head of Headquarters at Myungjin Group, the official sponsor of the Archery Association, Korea's top company.
"That's what star power is."
She said calmly.
The association staff and marketing staff hurriedly greeted her.
"Ah, Head of Headquarters."
"Welcome."
Jang Yi-seo also lightly bowed her head.
The three had been working together on PR for years.
She looked at the cameras, flags, and journalists gathered around Kim In-ha.
Coincidentally, had aired just before the Compound National Team 2nd Selection.
As that broadcast became a hot topic, Kim In-ha's name topped the real-time search on portals.
As a result, many people became interested in compound archery.
And with Kim In-ha's personal fame added, not only journalists but also YouTubers and streamers doing personal broadcasts began to stand out at the venue.
It was a scene that was hard to see even at the World Championships.
"...The YouTube live viewer count has already exceeded 600."
"Already?"
The marketing staff also opened their eyes in surprise.
It was before the actual competition even started.
Normally, the broadcast would show no one except the player's family.
Perhaps when Kim In-ha stepped onto the podium, the viewer count would rise even more.
Jang Yi-seo's expression became complicated.
"We’ve poured tens of billions of won into PR for years... Kim In-ha is creating that effect alone."
The Archery Association had always used famous archers who performed well at the Olympics as promotional models.
But they knew the limits better than anyone.
The value of a sports star's name is not just from performance on the field.
Gold medals are forgotten after a season.
Variety shows, stories, three-dimensional appeal.
Elements that can attract people's interest and attention.
Kim In-ha was a person who had all those conditions.
Especially.
'His catchphrase is amazing.'
His interviews attract people.
Make them anticipate.
Make them want to watch.
Even Jang Yi-seo, who didn't know the character 'ba' in Go, had watched Kim In-ha's interview short videos several times.
Ultimately, everything Kim In-ha had accumulated, the exposure, had created this 'reporter rush' at the current venue.
"Although it's a temporary effect, a single player's visibility changing the overall status of the sport... I didn't expect to see such a moment myself."
Complex emotions were in her words.
Admiration, surprise, and a bit of emptiness.
Although no one said it openly, everyone there knew.
We have to hope for a miracle, but if Kim In-ha becomes a national representative...
We can expect even more effects.
All of them sincerely hoped that Kim In-ha would pass the 2nd selection with skill and become a national representative.
* * *
"From now on, the 2nd Compound National Team Selection Trials will begin. Please stand on the designated line."
As the announcement sounded, I packed my equipment and headed to the line.
The assigned place was 1st station.
I and Kang Jae-young, who took 1st and 2nd in the first selection, stood side by side here.
'...This year, forty, until last year he was a national representative.'
A person called the eldest brother of the compound representative team.
I recalled the memory from the article.
I fixed my gaze straight ahead. The blurry target came into view.
3 arrows per end, total 5 ends.
5 rounds a day, over 3 days.
Based on these records, scores are assigned, and 4 national representatives are selected for the final winter camp.
"Hah."
I exhaled and lifted the compound bow.
I checked the setting familiarly, pulled the bowstring, and fixed my sight.
Clear but cold air.
The wind was not constant.
It changed quickly, irregularly without a fixed direction.
'This much is easy.'
I didn't calculate.
I felt it.
I relied on intuition.
That was my way and talent.
-Squeak!
The simultaneous signal rang.
Regulation to shoot one arrow within 20 seconds.
'First shot.'
Pang!
No trembling.
The arrow that hit the release point precisely went through the wind like tearing and stuck into the target.
"X-10."
The staff member checking with the scope said from behind.
I pulled the string without hesitation.
Second shot.
The wind pattern had slightly changed.
The sensation of touching the left jaw, the flow brushing the back of the hand, the slight shake on the line.
I adjusted the angle by sensing that subtle difference.
Release.
Pang!
Hit as if trembling.
"X-10."
I slowly took a breath and placed the last arrow.
At the same time, the sound of Kang Jae-young's bow from the adjacent station overlapped, but I didn't mind.
Only one arrow.
Concentration.
Last arrow of the first end.
I waited for that 'moment' where speed, angle, intuition, and wind all matched perfectly.
Release.
At the moment the hand left, the certainty of a hit pushed in.
Thud!
A crackling sound.
A small, clear, somewhat mysterious sound.
"X, X-10... but this is..."
The staff member with the scope trailed off.
I personally checked the target with the scope.
Three arrows shot, but only two arrows on the target.
The third arrow had split the shaft of the previously embedded arrow straight on and stuck in.
The so-called arrow splitting.
Robin Hood shot.
I lowered the bow and smiled quietly.
"...I'll cause trouble today?"