YHP 45
by CherryThe large grown leaves covered the streetlights.
As he stepped onto the light scattered like cracks on the floor, the cool night air wrapped around his shoulders. Every time the wind blew, he could smell the plants full of water. It seemed that it was finally spring. He felt inexplicably good at the unique pungent yet cozy smell of the spring night. It felt as if bright yellow forsythia would pour down along the wall at any moment.
“Hyung.”
Jeong-in stopped walking at the voice coming from behind. Crossing the distance of about six or seven steps, he saw Ho-jin standing blankly in the darkest place.
“Why do you want me to go to the competition, Hyung?”
Because the streetlight was particularly blocked in that spot, his expression was not clearly visible. However, judging from the voice, he only imagined that it would not be much different from his usual calm appearance.
Jeong-in slowly chose his answer.
“It was cool.”
It was not difficult to convey the truth that did not need to be twisted.
“I liked watching you compete.”
It was true.
It was as if he was emitting light with his whole body. It was dazzlingly brilliant and beautiful. So sparkling and beautiful that it was even a little sad.
The reason why his heart was pounding so much was that Jeong-in had also gone through such moments many times. He knew too well the intense joy of standing at the forefront of everything and finally overcoming the wall he had set up himself.
He hoped that Ho-jin would not let go of it. Even if he couldn’t do it for the rest of his life, he hoped he could enjoy it for as long as possible. The reason why he had no choice but to raise his hand while taking reckless gambles was precisely that.
“…….”
A gentle breeze blew from afar. Even though it was still a little far from the full bloom of flowers, it seemed that he could faintly smell magnolia somewhere. Then, things he missed came to mind one by one.
“And… it’s because I’ve been there too.”
Jeong-in opened his mouth, tapping his toes.
“When you’re too tired, there are times when things you used to do without any problems feel unnecessarily heavy.”
Jeong-in chuckled. He suddenly felt a little ridiculous at himself, who was rambling on about things he would never have done normally, intoxicated by the spring scent.
“I don’t know what it was like for you, but I was like that. I wanted to rest from training and everything for a day, but I couldn’t because if I missed even a day, it would immediately show in my record. The competition was approaching, and I felt burdened. And if I got hurt, I was so annoyed that I thought about quitting sports countless times.”
“…….”
“It’s funny to think about it now. I was going to quit like this anyway… Why did I want to rest so much back then?”
Jeong-in’s departure from the track was close to inevitable. But it seemed that Ho-jin still had potential.
So, he hoped that he would find a way somehow before it was too late. He hoped that he would not sink like this here.
“So you….”
Don’t give in to a moment of ennui. Don’t give up and endure this moment.
Jeong-in’s voice, which was about to speak, stopped for a moment. It was because he had read his own intentions that he was trying to put in it and offer it together.
Don’t give up, and only you somehow endure this moment.
Go unhindered to where you want to go.
So, achieve what I couldn’t achieve instead.
“…….”
Ah,
Maybe I was seeing myself in this person.
It was the moment he thought.
“Yes, Hyung.”
Ho-jin, who had been standing in the dark, took a step forward. The pure white light fell on Ho-jin’s straight nose, who had come out from under the shade of the tree.
“I will.”
He could see the corners of his mouth slightly raised. Ho-jin, who approached confidently, took a small breath. The following voice was unhindered.
“I’ll go to the National Sports Festival and bring back the gold medal.”
Ho-jin held his breath, looking at the pitch-black screen.
It was data that he could not find anywhere and had barely obtained by asking the management company separately. The video was still stopped at the first frame. He hesitated for a moment with the cursor on it before pressing the play button. Motion graphics passed by with a cheerful logo.
[Now, it’s the boys’ elementary school 800-meter final. There are a total of eight players.]
His eyes went to the name engraved in the middle of the blue list. Before long, the commentator began to introduce the players one by one.
[In lane 3, we have Choi Jeong-in from Seoul Sodam Elementary School.]
His particularly white face was captured largely by the camera. Jeong-in, who raised his arm when he was called, looked straight ahead while lightly loosening his legs. And Ho-jin quickly pressed the space bar to stop the video.
“Ah….”
How could a person be born like this?
Of course, it goes without saying that he is still so pretty that it is hard to even look at him straight, but the young Jeong-in was just not like a person. His skin was as fair and smooth as a well-ripened white peach, like a porcelain doll, but it was so amazing that he was still a living person, blinking his eyes and breathing.
When the video started again, Jeong-in stretched out his long legs and stood in his line.
He could only marvel. Even with a face that still carried a hint of youth, he never wasted a single breath. Choi Jeong-in, gazing into the distance with a steady gaze, was soon captured in a full shot. He skillfully assumed his stance,
[The race is about to begin.]
With a bang, all the athletes started running forward.
[It’s important not to overpace. Since it’s the first competition, some tend to get greedy.]
[Leading the pack, we have Kim Ji-ho from Seoul Chang-ah Elementary and Lee Jae-young from Jeonbuk. Following closely are Choi Jeong-in from Sodam Elementary and Yang Dae-han from Yangji Elementary.]
The athletes running along the track formed a line, sticking close to each other in a narrow width. Ho-jin, who had been watching the video with a chuckle, pulled his chair closer to the monitor.
Before long, with one lap remaining, the athletes picked up their speed.
Amidst them, Jeong-in was remarkably relaxed, controlling his pace with ease. His composure, unfazed by his surroundings, stood out. His technical skills were also far superior to his peers.
Since Ho-jin’s sport also required similar cardiovascular endurance, he couldn’t help but watch. He could tell at a glance, with the instinct of a national athlete, that Jeong-in was a “natural.”
[Yang Dae-han and Lee Jae-young are maintaining their lead.]
[Choi Jeong-in is also picking up the pace!]
It was at that moment. Jeong-in, who had been in the middle of the pack, suddenly surged forward.
[Ah, Choi Jeong-in takes the lead!]
[An incredible spurt! Only a hundred meters left.]
The commentators’ voices rose in pitch. Meanwhile, Jeong-in was steadily widening the gap. The athletes behind him seemed to be matching his pace, but Jeong-in was already too far ahead to be caught.
[His form is excellent! He enters the final straightaway while maintaining the lead.]
[Currently in the lead, Choi Jeong-in is nearing the finish line!]
The speed continued to increase. Eventually, as he reached the finish line, even with a full shot, the only athlete visible on the screen was Jeong-in. Finishing the race with a lead of over thirty meters, Jeong-in bent over and stopped in place. He took a deep breath and looked up towards somewhere in the stands. He smiled sweetly, like a flower ready to burst with honey, and waved his hand.
[Official record is being announced. Choi Jeong-in from Seoul Sodam Elementary School wins the gold medal with an overwhelming lead.]
It was an image impossible to take his eyes off. At that point, he paused the video again.
‘It’s funny when I think about it now. I was going to quit like this anyway… Why did I want to rest so much back then?’
The expression on Jeong-in’s face as he said that, smiling wistfully, came to mind.
‘So you…’
He never got to hear the words that followed.
But he could tell from the resonating feeling in his heart. Like the ripples of a stone dropped from afar finally breaking on the shore, Jeong-in’s intention was quiet yet clear.
“…”
He turned his gaze back to the screen. He met the eyes of the young athlete, shining more brilliantly than anything else in the world.
“…How did he endure it?”
Turning away from such a beautifully smiling moment must have been incredibly difficult. It must have been very painful, of course.
Until he reached today, brushing it off as just a past event and standing up calmly, he must have suppressed and endured so many emotions.
“A flower blooming in the eyes.”
Like a pearl created by harboring a wound for a long time, like a plum blossom blooming after enduring the frost of midwinter. Having been created in such a way, there was no way that today’s Choi Jeong-in could not be beautiful.
Ho-jin carefully reached out his hand and stroked the child in the screen. Ho-jin, looking at the old record from the future, knew all the answers, but the child in this era probably had no idea what was about to happen to him.
His heart sank as he thought of the painful time that the small, pretty child had to go through. If he could, he wanted to jump right in and live there, staying by his side.
“You’ve worked hard, Hyung.”
But this is not the end. It is not the last chapter of a story ending in tragedy.
Even after going through all of that, that child will eventually face a beautiful spring at the age of twenty-two. He will grow into a person who is not intimidated by the world and always knows how to protect himself with dignity.
Even this is not the real ending. Standing before a life full of possibilities, you will surely find another path. You will clench your teeth and run again, and eventually, someday, you will stop in the place you truly desire and smile like you did that day.
“…”
Ho-jin immediately picked up his phone.
“Coach. I’m sorry to call you so late.”
If I could comfort even one day of those days, what is this?
“I’m calling about the Socheong Swimming Competition you mentioned last time.”
As soon as he mentioned the name of the competition, the coach’s face lit up on the other end of the phone.
In the brief silence that followed, his heart raced and his mouth went dry. There was an emotion he was facing for the first time. He swallowed hard and looked into his heart in more detail.
“…Yes.”
Its identity was fear.
It was one of the things he had lived his life convinced was not in him.
He was afraid that he would slowly collapse with his body that wouldn’t move as he wanted, and that at some point he would never be able to swim again. He was afraid of disappointing the people he loved, and he was afraid of his own harsh words that would immediately wield the whip even though he had already done his best.
But none of that was a real fear. The rehabilitation was successfully completed, the people I love will not abandon me for something as trivial as the results of a competition, and even in the midst of all that, Yoo Ho-jin will definitely find Yoo Ho-jin’s weaknesses, but that is clearly for the next time.
He had not pushed himself so hard all this time because he wanted to stay in place like this.
And,
Choi Jeong-in wants this.
It felt as if the sky in his head, which had been full of dark clouds, was clearing up. Ho-jin opened his mouth.
“I will participate in Socheong.”