KBR Ch 1

He sometimes sings completely off-key.

Sitting in the small, shiny chair of a coin karaoke room, wearing a loose school uniform.

The fact that he was tone-deaf was a secret only I knew.

Whenever my breath hit its limit 100 meters before the finish line, I think of his eyes reflected in the LCD screen of the karaoke machine.

Alone on the urethane track, I run with that image.

On the way home, climbing the hill, a red whistle swings from his chest with every breath.

At times like these, the deep night under the streetlights became my bed,

And I became the whistle hanging around his neck.

The whistle listened to his breathing all night long.

And I pondered. About the uniqueness of breath.

Is his breath the same as anyone else’s?

Is parting with him the same as parting with anyone else?

Is he the same as anyone else to me?

☾

[EP 1. Declaration of Severance]

The Daeyeong that Seolwoo remembers was always running.

Won Daeyeong runs on the track. He runs under the direct sunlight that soaks his hair with heat. The pungent paint smell emanating from the track surface always clings to the soles of his running shoes.

Won Daeyeong runs on the track. As far as Seolwoo knows, he was always running. When the sun beat down on the ground, the red urethane track turned gold for a very short time. The hot stadium, shimmering with heat haze, was where Won Daeyeong fought alone.

The track was fierce. Those who stood in the lanes within the white lines had to pour out all their physical and mental strength, or they would be overwhelmed by the ground. The athletes weren’t competing against the rivals in the next lane. They fought only against themselves, bare-bodied. The moment they stood on the starting block, they were all alone.

No one could run for them. Running one’s own lane was solely the runner’s responsibility.

Won Daeyeong has always fought on the track since middle school. It was the place that determined the life he would live, the place where the past, present, and future collided. For a few seconds waiting for the starting signal, or at the decisive moment facing the finish line, he often said he faced everything within himself.

Sometimes the track scares me. Those were the words he muttered to himself a few years ago.

When he placed both hands on the hot ground and bowed his head, pushing against the starting blocks. What does Won Daeyeong think about?

What kind of joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure does Won Daeyeong face at that moment, ‘everything within himself’?

— Yes, the Asian Games Men’s 400m final. Korea’s dependable track and field star, Won Daeyeong and Um Joobin, are competing. This is the moment to show the world the pride of Korean track and field. Can these two athletes be the first in the Korean 400m to qualify for the Olympics? Our broadcasting team is also holding its breath in anticipation.

— The athletes are entering the stadium.

Choi Seolwoo glanced at the large wall-mounted TV. Won Daeyeong and Um Joobin walked out onto the track side by side, wearing uniforms with the Taegeuk mark.

The two men walked leisurely, in time with the broadcast announcing the athletes’ entrance. Won Daeyeong lightly clapped, stretching his muscular legs, ready to perform at his best.

Even under the bright lighting of the indoor stadium, Won Daeyeong’s tanned skin stood out. Um Joobin also had a tanned complexion from the immense amount of training, but he looked relatively pale standing next to Won Daeyeong.

With his firmly tanned skin, strong features, and the title of national team captain, he had the image of a macho athlete who could crush his juniors’ spirits with his fists. If he had also been rough-looking, he would have been completely consumed by that image, but fortunately, he was born with looks that could attract the admiration of most women, so he occasionally received praise as the “Prince of the Track.”

For Seolwoo, who remembered the image of his older brother from the two-story house, scratching his belly and ordering him around, this praise was nothing short of hilarious.

‘How is he a prince? He’s a wild stallion. Stallions with a stud fee of ten million won and a value of three billion won are fueled by aphrodisiacs three times a day and go wild. That expression perfectly suits him. Or a vicious mustang. Anyway, he’s more animal than human.’

— They’re very dependable, aren’t they? Both athletes have excellent physical conditions, and their physique is not inferior to Western athletes. Their height is… 184cm…?

— No, 184cm is Um Joobin’s height. Won Daeyeong is probably 187-188cm.

— Hahaha… Both athletes are waving at the camera.

— Especially relaxed, isn’t he? Won Daeyeong.

Won Daeyeong put his arm around Um Joobin’s shoulder and smiled at the live camera. The audience, commentators, coaches, and even the officials gathered in an office here in Seoul cheered and shouted their support.

Choi Seolwoo also relaxed his stiff expression and smiled at the showmanship, but inwardly, he just scoffed.

‘Two-faced.’

He used to say he didn’t get along with boring, no-fun geeks like Um Joobin. Everyone is being fooled by this act. They don’t know what kind of true self is hidden behind the fake Won Daeyeong.

— Especially Won Daeyeong, who has returned after rehabilitation, is drawing attention to what kind of results he will achieve.

“…….”

Choi Seolwoo’s gaze drifted to the corner of the TV. Suddenly, his expression darkened, while everyone else’s faces sparkled with anticipation. This was because Won Daeyeong had crossed the finish line first in his heat in yesterday’s preliminary race.

Excitement filled the people watching the game. Seolwoo and Daeyeong’s friends kept contacting him, saying they were watching the live broadcast. The media also churned out articles noisily.

— Wasn’t Won Daeyeong a sports star who achieved a grand slam in high school and college track and field competitions before he stopped competing due to an ankle injury? He completely swept the men’s 400m as a super high school athlete. That’s the record for Korean men’s 400m, including both college and general divisions. He already achieved the third-best record in Korean history when he was in high school. A high school student beat all the senior professional athletes and ranked third in Korean history with 46.05. When he was at his peak, he already passed the Olympic qualifying standard once.

— That’s right. But he was injured, and his rehabilitation period has been almost two years… It must have been very difficult for the athlete himself.

— Of course. How difficult must it have been? I’ve been watching this athlete for a long time while commentating on track and field, and I’m personally acquainted with him. He’s a very polite, mature, and determined friend.

— In the meantime, Um Joobin, who is from the same university and the same age, has led the national team well and won relay medals. These two are always rivals and teammates.

— Yes. Both athletes are at the starting line.

— Won Daeyeong has undergone long rehabilitation training, but he performed well in yesterday’s preliminaries! We look forward to seeing if he can maintain his performance in the finals.

Today’s race was important for many reasons. Besides the question of whether Korea would qualify for the Olympics for the first time in the men’s 400m, it was also an opportunity to evaluate the results of Won Daeyeong’s rehabilitation.

The officials gathered in the federation office were all excited with anticipation. The national track and field reserve team, track and field federation officials, and the families of the national team were all gathered here, watching the live broadcast. The office was packed with athletes in training clothes.

Moreover, an Xtube filming crew was also capturing the scene, making the office even more crowded.

— Our track and field scene is buzzing these days. Many good athletes have emerged, and if these two athletes perform well today, Korean short-distance track and field will be able to aim for an Olympic entry solely based on competition records for the first time in 10 years, and for the first time ever in the 400m!

— Wouldn’t that be a dream come true?

Track and field is a neglected, unpopular sport in Korea. Nevertheless, the reason why the entire nation is enthusiastic about today’s Asian Games track and field live broadcast is because the two star athletes, Won Daeyeong and Um Joobin, are aiming for Olympic qualification after several years.

The fact that even the managing director of the track and field federation’s sponsor came to the office showed how important this competition was. The young managing director approached with a gentle smile and asked,

“Seolwoo, I didn’t expect to see you here. I thought you went to Japan with them. Are you observing remotely today?”

“Yes. I took half a day off and came.”

“Half a day off? Are you a working person now, Seolwoo?”

“I wish I were, but I’m an intern.”

“An intern is also a working person. Wow, congratulations. I should buy you a celebratory drink.”

“Thank you for the congratulations.”

Choi Seolwoo responded halfheartedly while maintaining the real-time video call. It was a call with Won Daeyeong’s personal coach assistant. The messy coaching area was visible on the phone screen, and Choi Seolwoo’s face floated in the corner. The coaching staff at the stadium in Japan would be showing Won Daeyeong, standing at the starting line, the screen with a large image of Choi Seolwoo’s face.

A video call to show his face to Won Daeyeong.

This scene, which anyone would find strange, was the problem because the officials were accustomed to it. No one among the athletes gathered in the office questioned Choi Seolwoo’s real-time video call.

Only one person, a content production PD, looked at Choi Seolwoo, who had placed a tripod on the desk, with curiosity and asked,

“Is that person a medical staff member who couldn’t go with them?”

“No, this is Won Daeyeong’s routine.”

“Routine?”

The sponsor’s managing director answered instead.

“The opposite of a jinx. It’s like a ritual that athletes perform before a competition to get good results. Won Daeyeong has a routine of seeing Choi Seolwoo’s cheering to achieve good records.”

It was an accurate explanation. Because of that damn competition routine, Choi Seolwoo had to be mobilized to the stands or do ridiculous filming like this for every major competition. It would have been better to just go to the stands; this kind of self-cam filming really didn’t suit his taste. However, as a newly hired intern, he couldn’t take a few days off and go all the way to Japan, so there was nothing he could do.

“Are you two friends? You seem close.”

“Yes. 15 years, I think? So, they say you can always see Seolwoo at major domestic competitions. Many people even come to the stands just to see him.”

A female national track and field athlete added, without taking her eyes off the broadcast screen. The PD clapped his hands.

“Really? Oh! I should film Choi Seolwoo later. Revealing Won Daeyeong’s routine! It’ll easily hit a million views.”

“That would be difficult. I don’t want rumors spreading around the company.”

“What rumors would spread? The fact that our virtuous, intelligent, and physically fit national team captain has a unique routine…”

“Excuse me? Virtuous, intelligent, and physically fit?”

Choi Seolwoo scoffed at Won Daeyeong, who was warming up on TV.

“I don’t know about the others, but you should leave out ‘virtuous.'”

The PD laughed loudly. Now, at the stadium, the entrance ceremony was over, and all the athletes were warming up at their starting positions.

Won Daeyeong also shook his legs alternately. It was a stretch to prevent hamstring tears. Even a dog learns to chant after three years at a village schoolhouse; Choi Seolwoo knew that much because he had heard so much about it.

— Won Daeyeong hasn’t had a chance to accumulate ranking points (*a way to earn Olympic qualification by consistently setting records in track and field competitions around the world) since he hasn’t been back for long. He must break the standard record of 45.00 to qualify for next year’s Olympics!

The live broadcast camera scanned each athlete standing at their starting line. A strange tension filled the office. Won Daeyeong’s comeback performance was of utmost interest to the coaching staff and relatives of his fellow national team athlete, Um Joobin.

— Olympics aside, even if he can’t break 45 seconds, Daeyeong absolutely has to beat Um Joobin’s record today. Otherwise, it’ll be troublesome. The rehabilitation took too long. If he doesn’t recover this time, he’ll really be sidelined. He might even have to give up his position as national team captain.

That’s what the personal coach had confided with a sigh yesterday. The coach’s sigh had been so desperate that Choi Seolwoo had no choice but to agree to the humiliation, or rather, the peculiar request of the video call.

Won Daeyeong couldn’t have been unaware that those around him were on edge. But even when his name was called, Won Daeyeong grinned like a weasel.