Golf Is a Science.
Golf Is a Science.
I spread my feet a little wider than the golf ball, pushed my hips back, and bent my knees just slightly.
The weighty, promising heft of the club...
It was practically begging me to hurry up and swing it.
But I ignored the club's cry and took my time, letting my arms hang loose and relaxed, breaking my wrists, and lifting slowly until the club was parallel to the ground.
Dad and his friend watched me without a word.
I kept my left arm straight, brought the club up behind my head, and then swung—smooth, crisp, and fast.
Whoosh! Thwack!
The speedometer read 89 mph—143 km/h.
I held my finish—the crowning touch of a golf swing—and savored the lingering thrill.
Now I could state it with certainty.
The club's performance was absolutely insane.
'Ohh... shit.'
I glanced around. Dad and his friend were just standing there with their mouths open.
With this kind of power, a simple calculation said I'd hit around 190 yards.
The important fact was... this was a women's golf club.
I teed up another ball and swung even faster.
Thwack!!!
The speedometer hit 93 mph, and Dad and his friend gaped in disbelief.
'Daaamn... now that's the stuff~'
Memories of the past flickered up, and I felt a surge of elation.
In my old life, a sequence of perfect muscle movement and follow-through like this happened maybe once every three tries, so there'd been a special thrill when it came together.
But this body—I could control it one hundred percent.
A shiver ran through my whole body, an electric jolt that felt like my pupils were dilating.
This sensation was a demon's temptation, and I had a feeling I'd do nothing but play golf from now on, so I folded my arms for a moment and composed myself.
'...Hm... maybe it's actually okay...?'
I loosened up my arms for a second, then snatched the club Dad was holding.
It was a little long for my current size, but back in the day, you didn't have all these club variations, so nobody would've batted an eye.
Maybe because it was a men's club, the heft was on another level entirely.
If I kept swinging this bare-handed, my pale palms would definitely develop calluses.
Even after just two hard swings, my palms were already slightly hot.
I got a feel for the distance and took one more easy swing.
Whoosh! Thwack!
'Whoa... sick.'
Come to think of it, even the simple price difference between the women's practice club I'd been using and the one I was holding now was overwhelming.
I set my stance and brought the club up slowly.
A pro might not call it textbook-perfect, but it was the stance optimized for my body.
I hinged the club behind my head and swung through.
Swhooooosh! Pyaang!
Was this what it sounded like when you stood next to today's pros when they hit?
No, with my unusual muscle fibers, I'd probably already surpassed that.
The speedometer read 109 mph.
On speed alone, that was pro level.
One crucial thing though: this was a body that had never swung a golf club before, so the muscles needed for the swing were underdeveloped.
Same with the hands—I hadn't built up calluses, so they weren't conditioned yet.
I felt a searing burn like my palms had been torn open, and when I peeled off the glove, the skin was just bright red and inflamed.
"This is fun."
"".....""
I'd had my fill of the driver swing, so I started trying the other clubs.
On the way back after a joyous first experience in this body.
I spoke to Dad, who was driving in silence.
"Now you're worse than me, huuuh?"
"....."
I looked at Dad and gave him an exaggerated laugh.
"Hah?"
"You little... keep messing with me... wanna make a bet with your dad?"
"Wow, challenging someone who just tried golf for the first time today? That's my dad for you."
"....."
"It was honestly really fun. As expected, Dad's the best."
"What, first you hit me and then you patch me up?"
He was grumbling, but Dad was smiling.
"Shall we do a quick workout today?"
"You're not tired?"
"A liiittle tired, but my lower body's fine. Gonna do a few squats for a nice, firm butt and then wash up~"
"It's not that great when a woman builds too much muscle, visually..."
"I'm telling you, I'm maintaining exactly this body, okay?"
Even if I flexed my legs hard, I didn't get quads popping like Dad's.
I kept it at a firm, toned level where nothing jiggled.
And thanks to my unusual muscle fibers, no matter how much I worked out, it didn't really show on the surface unless I deliberately pumped up.
The moment we got home, Dad went in to wash up first.
After he came out, I went to the shower, and when I came out, Dad had his notebook open and his computer on.
He was ordering a custom golf club set just for me.
Then, his phone rang.
He flinched slightly, picked up, and was getting an earful.
Probably Uncle Jang Seong-man...
For a while after that, once school was out, I'd go practice golf with Dad.
We started with the driver and ended with me holding the putter, practicing short distances.
Before I knew it, exam day had arrived,
and in my first exam period, I finished all the questions in four minutes, then considered my options for a moment.
Should I crush Lee Gi-seok at golf, or should I mess around while teaching Da-yeon...
I decided to go with the latter, and laid my head down on the desk.
One thing I'd forgotten: unlike middle school, the teachers proctoring the exam didn't know about my memory.
At some point, I apparently got pegged as a delinquent who never studied in class either, because a teacher approached me with a sigh.
However, just like before, the teacher who'd come over thinking I'd just guessed everything widened their eyes when they saw my densely packed written-answer sheet.
"....."
I handed in my answer sheet to the teacher and laid my head back down.
For Da-yeon, Tae-oh, and Ji-hoon, this was a familiar time.
Soon, they could hear the sound of my breathing.
Haaaaaaahp..... fwooooooh.....
Da-yeon, Tae-oh, and Ji-hoon began solving problems in time with Si-yoon's breathing.
Following the sound that came at five-minute intervals, with the mindset of clearing at least four multiple-choice questions before the next breath.
This rule varied depending on the exam difficulty and subject, but each time, they adjusted in their own way and proceeded through the test.
They were people who used Si-yoon's breathing like an alarm.
Da-yeon woke me up, and I had drool pooled in my mouth, so I schlurped and swallowed.
"Mmm."
Da-yeon had apparently had quite a few questions she'd agonized over this time, because she was trembling faintly.
But I graded without mercy.
It was cold, but nothing to be done. You can't just mark a wrong answer as correct, can you...
Thankfully, Da-yeon got everything right.
"Ohhh, my girl Da-yeon~"
"Whoaaah, my Si-yoon!"
Da-yeon brightened up in a flash, and she was pretty adorable.
But behind us, two people were staring at their own test papers with grave expressions.
When I graded them and they'd actually done quite well, I was wondering why they looked so serious, when Ji-hoon let out a sigh.
"Ha... I studied pretty hard this time, but the level's gotten so much higher than middle school."
"I agree..."
"Should I... quit sports?"
"...You can't do that..."
"Right, the growth period is the most critical time. Skip it and you end up in this awkward spot..."
While the two of them were having a conversation that just reeked of sweat just listening to it, I had a flower-scented conversation with Da-yeon.
"Si-yoon~ try this on."
Da-yeon took out a lipstick and applied it to my lips.
"Wow... I knew it~! Si-yoon, you take this one—you have to put it on every day~"
"I don't really wear makeup..."
"Even sooo~"
"Fine."
Of course, it's not that I can't do makeup.
My hands don't shake at all, and I once spent whole days doing brushwork, so how could I fail to paint a picture on a face.
It's just a hassle.
An enormous hassle.
Sure, I'm dexterous, so I could finish my makeup faster than most, but it's still a hassle.
Anyway, all it does is add a mysterious vibe.
Makeup or no makeup, I attract about the same amount of attention, so I didn't feel the need...
That's why I just slap on the skin nutrition supplement Kim Seon-hwa bought me and a sunscreen that matches my skin tone.
A ruby-red lipstick—in Portuguese, called rubi—a deep crimson.
After putting on the lipstick Da-yeon gave me, I looked in the mirror.
Against my pale skin, my lips were plump and vivid red, giving off a sort of Dracula vibe.
It felt different from the chili color I'd used on Next-Door Hyungnim.
"Red really suits you, Si-yoon~"
"I don't like it—makes me look too alien."
"No, it makes you look more beautiful because it's so mysterious."
I quickly planted a kiss mark on the back of Da-yeon's hand.
"Eeek!?"
"Fufufu... if I'm that pretty, how about a little kiss~~?"
When I pouted my lips like a fish and leaned toward Da-yeon, she ran away.
Before I knew it, the proctor had come over, and Da-yeon stuffed her makeup into my bag and returned to her seat.
I wiped off most of the lipstick with a tissue and sat down.
If I didn't wipe it off, a disaster might occur where kiss marks ended up smeared across my answer sheet while I slept.
For me, exam periods are always the same.
Unless it's a question requiring me to write out a long essay-style answer, I finish in four minutes and either sleep or draw.
Except... because this was the first exam in high school and word hadn't spread yet, the problem was that every teacher I hadn't met before saw me as a troublemaker.
The five-day exam period ended.
I took the golf club set Dad had ordered for me, and together with Da-yeon's mom, we headed to Lee Gi-seok's house.
"Wow, I knew Si-yoon was pretty, but wow... she's gotten so incredibly pretty~"
"Give me more compliments."
"You're so pretty you're glowing, you know?"
"More."
"Hahaha, sorry, I'm drawing a blank now?"
"Ha ha, that much was plenty~"
The limousine we were riding in had, how to put it, a distinctive feel starting with the seat arrangement.
And something I always felt—every time I saw Lee Gi-seok's house, it made me think of a palace.
From a distance, Lee Gi-seok spotted us and, accompanied by a butler, slowly made his way in our direction.
When I bowed my head in greeting, Lee Gi-seok smiled and spoke.
"You're here?"
"Hello~"
What followed was always more or less the same.
Kim Seon-hwa would chat with Lee Gi-seok, while Da-yeon and I changed into activewear. Then, until Lee Gi-seok called for us, we mostly rode horses outside or roamed around the house.
Da-yeon and I were sitting on the bed, eating snacks and playing a game, when Lee Gi-seok summoned us.
We shut off the game and were shown to the room where Lee Gi-seok was.
Kim Seon-hwa, already changed into activewear, greeted us.
"I heard it was your first time playing, but you've already had a set fitted."
"I've been practicing for a week."
"Heh heh, and why didn't you learn from me?"
"I don't do half-measures when I'm learning something..."
"Hoh..."
"I hate being worse than anyone else, and once I take something up, I have to see it through."
Da-yeon looked at me.
"Games, though..."
"Shh."
Of course, having no talent is the exception.
Da-yeon and I slathered on sunscreen, and even though it was summer, we wore long sleeves and long pants, plus neck gaiters and bucket hats.
It was the combined force of Kim Seon-hwa and Lee Gi-seok, determined to prevent our skin from tanning at all costs.
Lee Gi-seok had been walking when he suddenly stopped and tapped a black panel with his foot.
A section of the grass-covered floor sank, and a golf ball rose into place.
As I thought... this is no ordinary house.
Lee Gi-seok set his stance and delivered a slow, precise shot.
The form ingrained in his body was quite good, but that was all.
Fweeeek!
For his finish, Lee Gi-seok rotated the club neatly in his grip, like a screw turning into place.
Ohh... he really knows how to enjoy himself.
"What do you think?"
Da-yeon, Kim Seon-hwa, and I offered light applause.
Now it was Kim Seon-hwa's turn, and Lee Gi-seok observed her stance.
Golf is one of those games where you can gauge a person's level just from their stance, and Kim Seon-hwa's confidently familiar posture suggested a high degree of proficiency.
And then, the swing she unleashed.
It was a clean shot.
"Ohh... nice shot~"
She briefly watched the ball's trajectory to close out her turn, then quietly yielded the spot.
Golf is called a gentleman's game precisely because rumor has it that celebrating too extravagantly in front of your elders will get you whacked with a club.
While Da-yeon was having her stance adjusted by a butler who specialized in golf, Lee Gi-seok asked a question.
"Si-yoon, why do you carry two different drivers?"
"One is a women's model, and the other is a men's."
"Ahem, it's best to use only one club optimized for your body."
"They both suit me, actually."
"As the saying goes, too much is as bad as too little... it would be best to make your body familiar with a single piece of equipment..."
"Ah~ look, why do you keep nagging me?"
"Ha ha ha ha ha... every time you've spoken to me in that tone, you've always gone on to surpass my expectations."
"Wouldn't it just leave a bad taste if I didn't?"
"Ha ha ha ha!!!"
At that moment, Da-yeon tapped the ball for the first time.
The golf ball rolled adorably.
The stance was too rigidly textbook and didn't suit Da-yeon, so she looked uncomfortable too.
If she kept swinging in that stance, her body would start sending distress signals.
I decided I'd fix Da-yeon's stance myself later. To start, I casually gripped the women's driver.
The moment I set my stance, Lee Gi-seok propped his chin on his hand as if dissatisfied.
Honestly, even in my own eyes, the stance optimized for my body looked sloppy.
But when I projected assured confidence, Lee Gi-seok's expression became unreadable.
The moment my motion transitioned to the slow upswing, Lee Gi-seok's eyes began to glitter.
Whoosh! Thwack!
"".....""
The golf club Lee Gi-seok had been leaning on tipped over with a soft tap.
The trajectory and speed of the swing, the kind I could proudly say no swing could surpass...
And the golf ball, absorbing all that power, flew on and on.
Even the butler who specialized in golf stopped teaching Da-yeon mid-lesson and watched me with his mouth hanging open.
Behind me, Da-yeon was watching me too, her eyes sparkling again.
If I looked cool in Da-yeon's eyes right now... then Da-yeon was a hundred percent going to fall headfirst into golf.
I gripped the men's driver Dad had bought me, the highest-performing model available at the time.
It was heavy, as expected.
This was the heft that made my heart race every time I held it.
It was practically crying out, begging me to swing it.
Was this how Zhang Fei's Serpent Spear had felt in his hands? Or Guan Yu's Green Dragon Crescent Blade...?
No, if you found and gripped a demonic sword in a fantasy novel, this was probably the feeling.
I nearly named my golf club "Golfscalibur," but I held it together.
When I casually gripped the club and gave it a little bounce, the people around seemed to sense my proficiency and couldn't tear their eyes away.
Truth be told, these gazes full of anticipation, admiration, shock, and exhilaration felt pretty damn sweet.
In that case, I'd better live up to the expectations.
I rotated my body just a touch further, allowing my waist to turn deeper than in my previous stance.
And then... with the thought 'You're all dead' in my head, I settled in and swung.
SWOOOOOSH!!!! THWACK!!!
At that speed, to anyone with poor eyesight, the golf ball would have vanished the moment I made contact.
The people watched me, mouths agape.
With just seven days of practice, I had already surpassed the level of any run-of-the-mill pro.