In my opinion, sports can be largely divided into two categories.
Fighting to beat oneself.
Fighting to beat the opponent.
In sports like swimming and marathons, where time is measured, the goal is to surpass the record set by "yesterday's self."
On the other hand, sports like soccer and tennis require competitors to be defeated, so it's impossible to determine the pecking order until they meet directly.
...Why am I suddenly talking about this?
Of course, there's a reason.
"6 minutes 23 seconds?! That's impossible!"
"How did the shaman...?"
"And they say it's not drugs?"
"Wow! Is he a monster?"
As my once skinny body gained muscle and my records improved significantly, I quickly gained attention.
Record is the same as Aptitude!
Thanks to the fact that records are recognized without being bound by time and place, as long as there is clear evidence that drugs, fraud, manipulation, and bribes haven't interfered.
"With this growth, becoming a national representative isn't a dream!"
"Is that so?"
Swoosh-
I responded sarcastically to the excited coach’s ambition while wiping the water off my body with a towel.
Why?
'A shaman being an Olympic national representative... That's ridiculous.'
There's no such case in the history of international competitions like the Olympics. No one without aptitude has ever participated as a national representative and achieved excellent results.
I was confident thanks to what I learned from Song Seon-young, but even considering that, the coach was overestimating me.
The limits of my talent, which lacks aptitude, will soon be revealed.
"What's with that casual attitude?! You think it's a joke? Look. This is the record of the national representative who participated in the last Olympics."
The coach, frowning, showed me a meticulously prepared chart.
It was a ranking table.
The highest records were clearly marked next to the rankings and names.
"Uh... There's not much difference between them and me?"
"That's right!"
"Hmm..."
I carefully examined the ranking table.
Among them, the long-distance category.
The higher the proportion of lung capacity and stamina, the better the record. Because you can maintain the speed from the start until the end.
"Do you know what other coachs and players have been calling you recently?"
"What is it?"
"Nuclear Submarine."
"......"
Treating a perfectly fine person as a radioactive lump?
That's really rude.
"You're the first to complete 4000m without getting tired."
The coach clicked his tongue as he showed me the record displayed on the stopwatch.
"Is that a compliment?"
"Of course."
"But your expression doesn't seem like it."
It was because his eyes were similar to those who suspected I had used drugs.
"In the past, there used to be a limit to your stamina, but after you returned from vacation, you don't seem to get tired at all."
"It seems that way."
I felt the same way.
"What did you do during your vacation? Didn't you say you were just getting tested at the hospital? Did you actually have some kind of superhuman surgery?"
"Coach..."
"Gasp! Is it true?!"
"You've been watching too many fantasy movies and reading too many novels."
"......"
I didn't have surgery; instead, I got beaten to death by that superhuman.
Though it was a dream.
"But do you really think I can become a national representative, Coach?"
"It's not a thought, it's a conviction."
"Even though my specialty is short distance?"
There are freestyle 100m, 300m, 1000m, 2000m, 4000m, and a 10km marathon to test the limits of humans in the Olympic swimming events.
In the past, there were separate events for breaststroke and backstroke, but they were integrated and disappeared as athletes' abilities skyrocketed after the Job Revolution...
I'm not interested in the history of swimming, so I don't know the exact reason.
"As you said, there are plenty of guys faster than you in the 100m, 300m, and 1000m."
"Tsk."
I already knew that.
"But you're unrivaled in the 2000m and 4000m."
"But that's only two out of the five events."
"Why does that matter? Medals are calculated separately anyway. There's no need to be good at all five events."
"Ah..."
"A player who ranks third in one event is better than a player who ranks fourth in all five events."
"...Hearing you say that gives me a bit more confidence."
"You can have more. Your short-distance performance is at the upper-middle level of the second group, but thanks to your monstrous stamina, you can easily beat the first group in long distances."
"Hehe~"
It really felt like my confidence was growing.
Even more so because it was based on the numbers of my records, not just empty words.
'Me, a national representative?'
The first thing that came to my mind was 'pension.'
If you participate in the Olympics as a national representative and win a medal, you'll be recognized as a national meritorious person and receive money until you die.
Just imagining it made me happy.
"And your specialty isn't just two events, it's three. It would be a shame to leave out the 10km marathon."
"But I don't have a record for the 10km, do I?"
It may seem like you just need to go back and forth in the pool several times, but the 10km marathon is an outdoor event, not an indoor one.
There hasn't been a chance to measure the record yet, as there are no obstacles like swimming pool walls or sections to change direction.
"If you don't have one, you have to create it. Actually, I wanted to talk about this."
"Huh?"
"The first group training in the middle of the Pacific Ocean invited you."
"What about you, Coach?"
"Of course, I'm going too. Hehe."
The coach, who laughed sinisterly, looked very happy.
"When are we going?"
"In five days."
"Yikes! There's only a few days left. What should I do, you are telling me now?"
"Why? Do you have a girl to meet at that time?"
"That's not it... No, why are we talking about a girlfriend here?"
"It's surprising. How can female students leave a skilled national representative candidate like you alone...?"
"What's surprising? I'm not even confirmed as a candidate yet."
"You'll know when you see the record. Ah! Do you have a passport?"
"No."
"Then take this opportunity to make one."
"I don't have money."
"...I'll give you some, so make it."
"Okay."
"No, even if you apply today, it might be tight. Follow me. Let's make it right away. Do you have a face photo to put in your passport?"
"No."
"Oh dear... There's so much to do."
It was the moment my first trip abroad was confirmed.
* * *
"Healthy!"
"I know."
I had become so familiar with the health measuring device installed at the entrance of Elmorangs Hospital that I could kindly respond to its mechanical voice.
How familiar?
"Mr. Kang Moon-soo. You're here again."
"Hello."
"Are you meeting with Manager Seo Hye-joo today?"
"Yes."
I was so familiar that the passing nurses and doctors recognized me.
Of course, this phenomenon wasn't just because I visited frequently.
The incident where the strongest patient, Choi Kang-min, who had been lying like a vegetable for seven years, woke up.
The rumor of the 'shaman' who treated the second-generation chaebol who was introduced to several public broadcasters spread little by little.
'Fortunately, though.'
People weren't interested in knowing who the doctor was, who treated the famous person's son, or how they treated him.
Thanks to that, I, who received minimal attention, could naturally hide the fact that my aptitude was a 'shaman'.
Is being a shaman embarrassing?
It's not, but I don't like the stares of seniors like Yoo Il-am who look at me through the 'shaman' lenses they've created.
Not as a shaman, but as Kang Moon-soo.
I want them to see me as I am.
"Hello, Manager."
"Come in."
Manager Seo Hye-joo, who showed her trust by teaching me the lab password, welcomed me with a comfortable tone.
"You're busy today as well."
"Time doesn't wait, you know. At least for now."
For now.
It was a meaningful statement.
"How's the patient?"
"Choi Kang-min? He's about the same as last week. It would be difficult if everyone in the world recovered as quickly as you."
"Am I on the faster side?"
"Very much so. Should I say you have a unique constitution? If you were Choi Kang-min, you would have recovered within three months, assuming your body hadn't aged for seven years."
"You can tell that too?"
"Don't underestimate modern medicine. We've perfectly measured the changes in your body while you were asleep. Even up to your second generation."
"Are you kidding me?!"
"It's true."
For a moment, I thought, isn't this a serious sexual offense? But I gave the answer I had been putting off all this time.
"I'm sorry. I'm satisfied with my current job."
"A swimmer?"
"Yes."
I had planned to pretend to be a swimmer and endure just one year, but unexpectedly, my skills were recognized, and the possibility of becoming a national representative was wide open.
It's not just jumping in blindly.
'Just a little longer.'
Looking at the most recent Olympic swimming records, I am a world-class athlete in the 4000m freestyle.
I could win a silver medal even if I participated right away!
My stamina and lung capacity were abnormally excellent.
"That's unexpected. I thought you liked money."
"I do like it. But I don't need it to overflow. It's enough to live without money worries until old age."
"It's a pity. Not knowing how to spend money in a capitalist society."
"...There's nothing I can do."
I haven't even bought a proper set of clothes with the money in my bank account.
I'm holding back because it's a waste.
I've always been like this, so there's no sense of desperation or crisis due to lack of money.
"You need to get a house, too."
"I'm planning to move into a cheap rental house later."
As a national merit winner, I am favorable for the lottery, second only to newlyweds without a home...
There will be no problem as long as I can participate in the Olympics and achieve meaningful results.
"Car?"
"I don't have a driver's license. I don't plan on getting one either."
"Marriage?"
"...I'm 20 years old this year. It's not the age to worry about marriage yet, is it? I don't even have a girlfriend."
Song Seon-young's face came to mind, and my heart ached slightly.
"You really don't have any ambition. Is it because you're new to society?"
"......"
My eyes narrowed slightly at the remark that seemed to dismiss me.
"Relax your expression. I'm just saying this because it didn't go as I planned."
"Yes."
"But remember this. Not all doctors treat people for money."
"I know. But I don't have the generosity to worry about and help other people's lives."
"Tsk! What about the guy who became a lawyer for his close friend?"
"...That's not me."
"That's you too. Just like the chemical formula you gave is real."
"I've already decided."
Despite her persuasion, I firmly expressed my refusal.
"Can I ask why?"
"I can't make money."
"That's a lie. If this chemical formula you brought from your dream is put into practice, we can become rich."
"......"
I couldn't simply believe Manager Seo Hye-joo's claim that the chemical formula I brought from the future would completely change my life.
'It's just a dream?'
It was as absurd as the setting that the world of a fantasy novel I read last night had changed into reality.
Anyway,
"I met a witch."
"A witch? That's the first time I've heard that."
"Of course. I haven't told anyone about it so far."
"Where did you meet her?"
"In my dream. And I've met her in reality too."
I still remember clearly what she said every time she came to find me.
"What did she say?"
"She warned me not to interfere in her business."
"Interfere...?"
"Yes. I decided then. This would be the last time. I would stop doing things that could harm someone because of my meddling."
"I get that you decided, but it's too random. Tell me more."
"There are other people with shaman aptitude besides me."
"Was that person a witch?"
"Yes. I don't know her name or face. All I know is that she was a young woman in a black wizard’s costume."
"Hmm..."
Manager Seo Hye-joo, stroking her chin with a thoughtful expression, gestured with her hand.
"What?"
"Look at this. Then I won't bother you anymore."
"What is it?"
I glanced at the computer monitor she pointed to.
'A patient?'
He was a man whose age was hard to guess due to his scruffy beard.
"He's been lying like that for three years."
"......"
"He was originally in another hospital, but he recently moved here after hearing about Choi Kang-min, who had similar symptoms."
"...I see."
"But you already know. That patient cannot be treated at Elmorangs Hospital. What's so great about being the best in the world? Worse than a shaman."
"......"
"That's all I have to say."
I stared intently at the man lying dead still on the monitor and then quickly averted my gaze.
"It's a pity."
That man must be living happily in the world of dreams too.
So I didn't think he was pitiful or needed to be saved.
"Let me know if you change your mind."
"It's still too much even if I change my mind."
"Huh?"
"I'm going on a training camp in the middle of the Pacific Ocean."
It's an important schedule that my short-term future depends on.
"That's shocking news."
"So I don't think I'll be able to come on weekends for a while."
"When are you coming back?"
"I don't know that either."
I have no right to break that patient's happiness.
In my opinion, sports can be largely divided into two categories.
Fighting to beat oneself.
Fighting to beat the opponent.
In sports like swimming and marathons, where time is measured, the goal is to surpass the record set by "yesterday's self."
On the other hand, sports like soccer and tennis require competitors to be defeated, so it's impossible to determine the pecking order until they meet directly.
...Why am I suddenly talking about this?
Of course, there's a reason.
"6 minutes 23 seconds?! That's impossible!"
"How did the shaman...?"
"And they say it's not drugs?"
"Wow! Is he a monster?"
As my once skinny body gained muscle and my records improved significantly, I quickly gained attention.
Record is the same as Aptitude!
Thanks to the fact that records are recognized without being bound by time and place, as long as there is clear evidence that drugs, fraud, manipulation, and bribes haven't interfered.
"With this growth, becoming a national representative isn't a dream!"
"Is that so?"
Swoosh-
I responded sarcastically to the excited coach’s ambition while wiping the water off my body with a towel.
Why?
'A shaman being an Olympic national representative... That's ridiculous.'
There's no such case in the history of international competitions like the Olympics. No one without aptitude has ever participated as a national representative and achieved excellent results.
I was confident thanks to what I learned from Song Seon-young, but even considering that, the coach was overestimating me.
The limits of my talent, which lacks aptitude, will soon be revealed.
"What's with that casual attitude?! You think it's a joke? Look. This is the record of the national representative who participated in the last Olympics."
The coach, frowning, showed me a meticulously prepared chart.
It was a ranking table.
The highest records were clearly marked next to the rankings and names.
"Uh... There's not much difference between them and me?"
"That's right!"
"Hmm..."
I carefully examined the ranking table.
Among them, the long-distance category.
The higher the proportion of lung capacity and stamina, the better the record. Because you can maintain the speed from the start until the end.
"Do you know what other coachs and players have been calling you recently?"
"What is it?"
"Nuclear Submarine."
"......"
Treating a perfectly fine person as a radioactive lump?
That's really rude.
"You're the first to complete 4000m without getting tired."
The coach clicked his tongue as he showed me the record displayed on the stopwatch.
"Is that a compliment?"
"Of course."
"But your expression doesn't seem like it."
It was because his eyes were similar to those who suspected I had used drugs.
"In the past, there used to be a limit to your stamina, but after you returned from vacation, you don't seem to get tired at all."
"It seems that way."
I felt the same way.
"What did you do during your vacation? Didn't you say you were just getting tested at the hospital? Did you actually have some kind of superhuman surgery?"
"Coach..."
"Gasp! Is it true?!"
"You've been watching too many fantasy movies and reading too many novels."
"......"
I didn't have surgery; instead, I got beaten to death by that superhuman.
Though it was a dream.
"But do you really think I can become a national representative, Coach?"
"It's not a thought, it's a conviction."
"Even though my specialty is short distance?"
There are freestyle 100m, 300m, 1000m, 2000m, 4000m, and a 10km marathon to test the limits of humans in the Olympic swimming events.
In the past, there were separate events for breaststroke and backstroke, but they were integrated and disappeared as athletes' abilities skyrocketed after the Job Revolution...
I'm not interested in the history of swimming, so I don't know the exact reason.
"As you said, there are plenty of guys faster than you in the 100m, 300m, and 1000m."
"Tsk."
I already knew that.
"But you're unrivaled in the 2000m and 4000m."
"But that's only two out of the five events."
"Why does that matter? Medals are calculated separately anyway. There's no need to be good at all five events."
"Ah..."
"A player who ranks third in one event is better than a player who ranks fourth in all five events."
"...Hearing you say that gives me a bit more confidence."
"You can have more. Your short-distance performance is at the upper-middle level of the second group, but thanks to your monstrous stamina, you can easily beat the first group in long distances."
"Hehe~"
It really felt like my confidence was growing.
Even more so because it was based on the numbers of my records, not just empty words.
'Me, a national representative?'
The first thing that came to my mind was 'pension.'
If you participate in the Olympics as a national representative and win a medal, you'll be recognized as a national meritorious person and receive money until you die.
Just imagining it made me happy.
"And your specialty isn't just two events, it's three. It would be a shame to leave out the 10km marathon."
"But I don't have a record for the 10km, do I?"
It may seem like you just need to go back and forth in the pool several times, but the 10km marathon is an outdoor event, not an indoor one.
There hasn't been a chance to measure the record yet, as there are no obstacles like swimming pool walls or sections to change direction.
"If you don't have one, you have to create it. Actually, I wanted to talk about this."
"Huh?"
"The first group training in the middle of the Pacific Ocean invited you."
"What about you, Coach?"
"Of course, I'm going too. Hehe."
The coach, who laughed sinisterly, looked very happy.
"When are we going?"
"In five days."
"Yikes! There's only a few days left. What should I do, you are telling me now?"
"Why? Do you have a girl to meet at that time?"
"That's not it... No, why are we talking about a girlfriend here?"
"It's surprising. How can female students leave a skilled national representative candidate like you alone...?"
"What's surprising? I'm not even confirmed as a candidate yet."
"You'll know when you see the record. Ah! Do you have a passport?"
"No."
"Then take this opportunity to make one."
"I don't have money."
"...I'll give you some, so make it."
"Okay."
"No, even if you apply today, it might be tight. Follow me. Let's make it right away. Do you have a face photo to put in your passport?"
"No."
"Oh dear... There's so much to do."
It was the moment my first trip abroad was confirmed.
* * *
"Healthy!"
"I know."
I had become so familiar with the health measuring device installed at the entrance of Elmorangs Hospital that I could kindly respond to its mechanical voice.
How familiar?
"Mr. Kang Moon-soo. You're here again."
"Hello."
"Are you meeting with Manager Seo Hye-joo today?"
"Yes."
I was so familiar that the passing nurses and doctors recognized me.
Of course, this phenomenon wasn't just because I visited frequently.
The incident where the strongest patient, Choi Kang-min, who had been lying like a vegetable for seven years, woke up.
The rumor of the 'shaman' who treated the second-generation chaebol who was introduced to several public broadcasters spread little by little.
'Fortunately, though.'
People weren't interested in knowing who the doctor was, who treated the famous person's son, or how they treated him.
Thanks to that, I, who received minimal attention, could naturally hide the fact that my aptitude was a 'shaman'.
Is being a shaman embarrassing?
It's not, but I don't like the stares of seniors like Yoo Il-am who look at me through the 'shaman' lenses they've created.
Not as a shaman, but as Kang Moon-soo.
I want them to see me as I am.
"Hello, Manager."
"Come in."
Manager Seo Hye-joo, who showed her trust by teaching me the lab password, welcomed me with a comfortable tone.
"You're busy today as well."
"Time doesn't wait, you know. At least for now."
For now.
It was a meaningful statement.
"How's the patient?"
"Choi Kang-min? He's about the same as last week. It would be difficult if everyone in the world recovered as quickly as you."
"Am I on the faster side?"
"Very much so. Should I say you have a unique constitution? If you were Choi Kang-min, you would have recovered within three months, assuming your body hadn't aged for seven years."
"You can tell that too?"
"Don't underestimate modern medicine. We've perfectly measured the changes in your body while you were asleep. Even up to your second generation."
"Are you kidding me?!"
"It's true."
For a moment, I thought, isn't this a serious sexual offense? But I gave the answer I had been putting off all this time.
"I'm sorry. I'm satisfied with my current job."
"A swimmer?"
"Yes."
I had planned to pretend to be a swimmer and endure just one year, but unexpectedly, my skills were recognized, and the possibility of becoming a national representative was wide open.
It's not just jumping in blindly.
'Just a little longer.'
Looking at the most recent Olympic swimming records, I am a world-class athlete in the 4000m freestyle.
I could win a silver medal even if I participated right away!
My stamina and lung capacity were abnormally excellent.
"That's unexpected. I thought you liked money."
"I do like it. But I don't need it to overflow. It's enough to live without money worries until old age."
"It's a pity. Not knowing how to spend money in a capitalist society."
"...There's nothing I can do."
I haven't even bought a proper set of clothes with the money in my bank account.
I'm holding back because it's a waste.
I've always been like this, so there's no sense of desperation or crisis due to lack of money.
"You need to get a house, too."
"I'm planning to move into a cheap rental house later."
As a national merit winner, I am favorable for the lottery, second only to newlyweds without a home...
There will be no problem as long as I can participate in the Olympics and achieve meaningful results.
"Car?"
"I don't have a driver's license. I don't plan on getting one either."
"Marriage?"
"...I'm 20 years old this year. It's not the age to worry about marriage yet, is it? I don't even have a girlfriend."
Song Seon-young's face came to mind, and my heart ached slightly.
"You really don't have any ambition. Is it because you're new to society?"
"......"
My eyes narrowed slightly at the remark that seemed to dismiss me.
"Relax your expression. I'm just saying this because it didn't go as I planned."
"Yes."
"But remember this. Not all doctors treat people for money."
"I know. But I don't have the generosity to worry about and help other people's lives."
"Tsk! What about the guy who became a lawyer for his close friend?"
"...That's not me."
"That's you too. Just like the chemical formula you gave is real."
"I've already decided."
Despite her persuasion, I firmly expressed my refusal.
"Can I ask why?"
"I can't make money."
"That's a lie. If this chemical formula you brought from your dream is put into practice, we can become rich."
"......"
I couldn't simply believe Manager Seo Hye-joo's claim that the chemical formula I brought from the future would completely change my life.
'It's just a dream?'
It was as absurd as the setting that the world of a fantasy novel I read last night had changed into reality.
Anyway,
"I met a witch."
"A witch? That's the first time I've heard that."
"Of course. I haven't told anyone about it so far."
"Where did you meet her?"
"In my dream. And I've met her in reality too."
I still remember clearly what she said every time she came to find me.
"What did she say?"
"She warned me not to interfere in her business."
"Interfere...?"
"Yes. I decided then. This would be the last time. I would stop doing things that could harm someone because of my meddling."
"I get that you decided, but it's too random. Tell me more."
"There are other people with shaman aptitude besides me."
"Was that person a witch?"
"Yes. I don't know her name or face. All I know is that she was a young woman in a black wizard’s costume."
"Hmm..."
Manager Seo Hye-joo, stroking her chin with a thoughtful expression, gestured with her hand.
"What?"
"Look at this. Then I won't bother you anymore."
"What is it?"
I glanced at the computer monitor she pointed to.
'A patient?'
He was a man whose age was hard to guess due to his scruffy beard.
"He's been lying like that for three years."
"......"
"He was originally in another hospital, but he recently moved here after hearing about Choi Kang-min, who had similar symptoms."
"...I see."
"But you already know. That patient cannot be treated at Elmorangs Hospital. What's so great about being the best in the world? Worse than a shaman."
"......"
"That's all I have to say."
I stared intently at the man lying dead still on the monitor and then quickly averted my gaze.
"It's a pity."
That man must be living happily in the world of dreams too.
So I didn't think he was pitiful or needed to be saved.
"Let me know if you change your mind."
"It's still too much even if I change my mind."
"Huh?"
"I'm going on a training camp in the middle of the Pacific Ocean."
It's an important schedule that my short-term future depends on.
"That's shocking news."
"So I don't think I'll be able to come on weekends for a while."
"When are you coming back?"
"I don't know that either."
I have no right to break that patient's happiness.
