"Moon-soo, I heard you became a swimmer?"
"It just happened..."
After being fired from my part-time job at the convenience store that supported my livelihood, I had no other work to do due to my aptitude.
Shaman.
My reputation and perception were so bad that no one would hire me. What could I do?
It's understandable.
From the perspective of a restaurant owner, a young person with an aptitude for being a shaman would be much less attractive than a chef. The same goes for other jobs.
"I can't stand my pride if you, who defeated me, lose to someone else. Make sure to win a P-medal at the Olympics."
"You make it sound so easy to win a P-medal!"
P-medal.
With the emergence of P's aptitude test, the Olympics have transformed into a war of superhumans with overflowing talent.
And curiosity began.
Who is the most outstanding sports genius in the world?
"It's not that hard. You just need to win the most medals at the Olympics."
"Easier said than done!"
The P-medal is an honorable medal given to the athlete who wins the most medals at that year's Olympics!
However, it is impossible to win a medal in a sport that is not your aptitude, so national-level tricks are needed.
How?
By pretending to participate in team sports like soccer, basketball, and baseball.
"Moon-soo, if you win a P-medal, I'll marry you. Are you tempted?"
"Uh, yes."
I had no motivation at all for such a hopeless and dreamless proposal.
"...Hey."
"Why?"
"You sound so disappointed. Do you have a girlfriend?"
"No, I don't."
"...You know, when you lie, it shows all over your face? Tell me right now."
"I really don't have one."
I feel so pitiful for saying that I don't have one that I almost want to cry.
"Alright. I believe you."
"Hey, Song Seon-young. Why does it matter who I date or not?"
"I told you. If you win a P-medal, I'll marry you."
"You can't be serious..."
I gave up on having a logical conversation with this stubborn girl of the same age.
"Aren't you curious?"
"About what?"
"You told me to be a model, remember? You have to take responsibility for what you said."
"Uh..."
She suddenly attacks me with logic.
"Aren't you curious?"
"...I'm really curious. Is being a swimsuit model bearable?"
"It's so-so, except for the annoying people. I recently got a fan cafe too."
"Wow! Congratulations."
Song Seon-young said that she liked her job because it was easy, but it was because she was confident in her appearance, which is essential for a model.
What about those with a talent for modeling?
It is known that P's aptitude test values 'body proportion' and 'mental strength' more than people's subjective sense of beauty.
In other words, Song Seon-young, who also has good looks, is competitive.
On the other hand, I am...
"The coach was fired?"
"How did you know?"
"It was on the news. And after seeing that, my mom got greedy for the vacant coaching position. She said it would be convenient to commute since the school is close."
"But she's not a coach."
Song Seon-young's mother has an aptitude for being a swimmer. Even with a national team record, wouldn't it be difficult?
"You're not a swimmer either, are you?"
"That's... true."
"You seem to not know the ecosystem of this field very well, but aptitude is like faith and religion. P-medals, which are given to athletes who have transcended their talents, are tainted by trickery."
"Then what about me?"
"That's why you got a coach who isn't at the top, right?"
"......"
I had nothing to say.
"Actually, at that time, my mom didn't know that the aptitude of the athlete the fired coach was in charge of wasn't a swimmer."
"She must have been disappointed."
"No. She was happy."
"Huh?"
"My mom was very happy, thinking that it would be easy for this athlete to find a job since there was no coach who wanted to take charge."
"I see!"
It was an answer that reflected the reality full of discrimination and prejudice.
Ding-dong♪
"Ah! It seems they're here."
Song Seon-young, who was comfortably lying on the sofa chatting with me.
As soon as she heard the sound of the guest room doorbell, she quickly got up and headed for the front door.
"Wait! This isn't your hotel room, you know?! Who's coming?"
"Your new coach."
"How do you, who's not even an athlete, know that- Hello?"
Click.
Song Seon-young opened the guest room door wide without answering my question.
"Excuse me."
The new coach entered the room, greeting with a calm tone.
She was a woman wearing a white hat, sunglasses, a bikini swimsuit visible under a cardigan, and hot pants that accentuated her slender legs.
'Is she really a coach...?'
She had the atmosphere of a tourist who came on a honeymoon with her husband.
Although it was a bit embarrassing, I couldn't just stand there after receiving the greeting.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Kang Moon-soo."
"It's nice to meet you, Kang Moon-soo. I've heard endless praise about you."
"From the previous coach..."
"No. I heard it from my daughter. All the way here."
Swoosh.
Seeing the coach's face as she took off her sunglasses, my eyes widened.
'Song Seon-young...?'
If it weren't for her sadder eyes and wrinkles around her eyes, I would believe she was her older sister!
I could understand the reason right away.
"Mom! What's with that outfit?! It's too revealing!"
"I didn't like conservative coaches when I was an athlete. To get closer to the athletes quickly..."
"Only wear that in front of dad!"
"I don't need to be friends with that nagging old man."
"Go change quickly!"
"Seon-young, don't interrupt mom's first day at work and leave, okay?"
"Ah, seriously...!"
My mind was confused because of the mother and daughter fighting as soon as they met.
More than anything,
'The new coach is Song Seon-young's mother...?'
Song Seon-young did talk in that nuance, but I never thought there would not be a single 'normal coach' who would take me.
...Is this okay?
The coach, who compromised with her daughter at the point of wearing the hotel room's bathrobe, offered me a handshake.
"Kang Moon-soo, I look forward to working with you."
"You can speak comfortably. I'm not burdened..."
"Can I?"
"Yes."
"Thank you! Actually, I don't like stiff relationships. I look forward to working with you!"
"Yes. Coach."
"Oh my! Moon-soo, you can call me comfortably too. Instead of coach, you can call me aunt... ah! You can call me mother-in-law too."
"Mom...!"
My peaceful athlete life has faced a major change.
* * *
I am an athlete who has achieved meaningful results in practice games and can aim for Olympic medals.
Especially, my stamina is good, so I excel in the 4000m freestyle swimming event, which is considered a sure medal if I participate.
There's also a high possibility for the unmeasured 10km marathon.
However,
(Kang Moon-soo athlete. Unfortunately, the existing coaches have already finished assigning athletes, so they couldn't take you. So if you misunderstood or felt uncomfortable, please understand.)
"Yes."
I also received a call from the university after hearing that I had awakened.
(The new coach, Jang Seon-young, is not a coach, but she has experience as a national representative. Since Kang Moon-soo is also aiming to be a national representative, it will be of great help.)
"Yes."
(Kang Moon-soo?)
"Yes."
(Are you listening properly?)
"Yes."
I understood enough, so I wish they'd stop talking.
(...If you have any complaints, please consider your health. No matter how good your performance is, frequent fainting and blank periods are fatal to athletes. Please pay more attention to your health.)
"Yes. I will keep that in mind."
'It's not because of my health...'
If I make an excuse here that I went into someone else's dream, the prejudice of being a 'shaman' would only worsen!
So, let's just listen quietly.
(From the beginning, I'm sorry for being too hard on Kang Moon-soo, who didn't have the right talent...)
"It's okay."
(Although it was delayed a bit due to an unfortunate incident, I will pass on the detailed schedule to Coach Jang Seon-young.)
"Yes."
Coach Jang Seon-young.
The mother of my ex-girlfriend!
She said she aims for a comfortable relationship between the coach and the athlete, but I feel like I'll suffer from chronic indigestion.
Tsk.
After finishing a boring call, I prepared to go out.
'Let's go.'
To the room where Kim Eun-jung, who has taken over the protagonist of the romance fantasy novel <I Became the Youngest Daughter of the Count’s Family>, is.
* * *
"I'm really sorry. I should have visited you and thanked you right away..."
"I'm fine. How is Kim Eun-jung?"
"My daughter is... sob!"
Kim Eun-jung's patient's mother suddenly burst into tears at the end of her words.
'It doesn't seem like tears of emotion...'
She woke up, but she doesn't seem to be in very good condition.
In the hotel room, there was also a middle-aged man who I presumed to be her father, and he was consulting with Manager Seo Hye-joo with a very serious face.
Now that the patient has awakened, one could say that my role is over.
Still,
"If she's not asleep, can I see Kim Eun-jung?"
"It's not a problem, but... her nerves have become sharp, so..."
"It's okay."
As long as she doesn't cut off my arms and legs just because she's in a bad mood, everything is fine.
Creak-
I opened the sliding door to the large room with a double bed for couples.
'Wow!'
Pieces of paper torn smaller than the size of a fingernail were scattered all around the bed.
"Hello?"
"......"
Squeak-
Kim Eun-jung, who was sitting on the bed, slowly tore and shredded the novel <I Became the Youngest Daughter of the Count’s Family>, one page at a time.
It was a stark contrast to the past when she tightly hugged it with both arms like a treasure.
Startled.
Her unfocused eyes reacted to my voice.
"Kim Eun-jung, I'm glad you're awake and safe."
"...Why did you come? To laugh at me, who was lost in delusion for a year?"
"Of course not."
I placed the book I brought on the vanity's makeshift chair.
"What's that?"
"It's a gift. The five volumes you couldn't read because the author took a break for over two years, and it's the completed series."
"...Who does the protagonist marry in the end?"
"It's an open ending."
The author left the tangled relationships unresolved and left it to the readers' imagination.
"It's a bit comforting. The fact that the original protagonist's future is no different from mine."
"It can't be helped."
A storyline where the protagonist marries every man?
Impossible.
Why?
For the noble family's bloodline not to be cut off, the protagonist must 'definitely' give birth to a successor.
But even if she gave birth to one child at a time, it would take at least 20 years?
There's no guarantee that she would get pregnant right away, and considering postpartum care, it would take much longer...
'It's insane.'
Husbands waiting for their turn without mixing seeds, or the protagonist giving birth until menopause...
All lead to an unhappy future.
"I wanted to be as pretty as the protagonist in the novel."
"Do you want to be pretty because men like it?"
"Yes."
I won't deny it.
The instinct to pass on attractive and handsome genes to offspring, which is advantageous in social life.
It's a natural phenomenon that ordinary people cannot resist.
However,
"No matter how pretty, I don't like women with many men around them."
"But if you're not pretty, there are no men at all, right?"
"Don't make too many excuses. Are the men you rejected not men?"
"Mom..."
Unable to refute, Kim Eun-jung glared at her mother, who revealed her past.
"I unintentionally bragged that my daughter was popular... You always kicked them away. They're short. They have thin hair. They have a belly. They have small eyes. It's true, right?"
"Ugh!"
A mother who seems timid but says everything she needs to say to her daughter!
Ding-dong♪
Just then, the guest room doorbell rang, as if to save the cornered Kim Eun-jung.
"Oh my! They came quickly."
The patient's mother rushed to the front door as if to greet a welcome guest.
Who could it be?
Creak-
As the sliding door of the large room opened, a neatly dressed man in his 20s entered, holding a bouquet of flowers and a fruit basket.
"Eun-jung, how's your body... huh?"
"Hello."
The man, who caught my eye, seemed noticeably flustered.
"Uh... I'm sorry, I didn't know you had a boyfriend. I'm really glad you woke up. Then I'll..."
"Wait!"
Burst!
The patient urgently raised her upper body and shouted.
"Sorry for coming secretly-"
"This man is a nurse brought by the doctor! And you know I have high standards when it comes to men, right?"
"I know very well."
"Do you think this cheeky-looking man is my type?"
"No."
I couldn't hide my bewilderment from the sudden personal attack.
"Did you take a plane?"
"Yes. It took some time because I couldn't get a same-day ticket."
"To meet me?"
"Of course."
"...I must be crazy. Suddenly, you look handsome."
"Is, is that so?"
The patient, who admitted to being crazy, looked back at me and spoke.
"Mr. Nurse, if you have nothing to say, please leave."
"Ah, yes."
I quietly left without disturbing the real-life romance.
'To this extent...'
It seems like not a bad happy ending.
"Moon-soo, I heard you became a swimmer?"
"It just happened..."
After being fired from my part-time job at the convenience store that supported my livelihood, I had no other work to do due to my aptitude.
Shaman.
My reputation and perception were so bad that no one would hire me. What could I do?
It's understandable.
From the perspective of a restaurant owner, a young person with an aptitude for being a shaman would be much less attractive than a chef. The same goes for other jobs.
"I can't stand my pride if you, who defeated me, lose to someone else. Make sure to win a P-medal at the Olympics."
"You make it sound so easy to win a P-medal!"
P-medal.
With the emergence of P's aptitude test, the Olympics have transformed into a war of superhumans with overflowing talent.
And curiosity began.
Who is the most outstanding sports genius in the world?
"It's not that hard. You just need to win the most medals at the Olympics."
"Easier said than done!"
The P-medal is an honorable medal given to the athlete who wins the most medals at that year's Olympics!
However, it is impossible to win a medal in a sport that is not your aptitude, so national-level tricks are needed.
How?
By pretending to participate in team sports like soccer, basketball, and baseball.
"Moon-soo, if you win a P-medal, I'll marry you. Are you tempted?"
"Uh, yes."
I had no motivation at all for such a hopeless and dreamless proposal.
"...Hey."
"Why?"
"You sound so disappointed. Do you have a girlfriend?"
"No, I don't."
"...You know, when you lie, it shows all over your face? Tell me right now."
"I really don't have one."
I feel so pitiful for saying that I don't have one that I almost want to cry.
"Alright. I believe you."
"Hey, Song Seon-young. Why does it matter who I date or not?"
"I told you. If you win a P-medal, I'll marry you."
"You can't be serious..."
I gave up on having a logical conversation with this stubborn girl of the same age.
"Aren't you curious?"
"About what?"
"You told me to be a model, remember? You have to take responsibility for what you said."
"Uh..."
She suddenly attacks me with logic.
"Aren't you curious?"
"...I'm really curious. Is being a swimsuit model bearable?"
"It's so-so, except for the annoying people. I recently got a fan cafe too."
"Wow! Congratulations."
Song Seon-young said that she liked her job because it was easy, but it was because she was confident in her appearance, which is essential for a model.
What about those with a talent for modeling?
It is known that P's aptitude test values 'body proportion' and 'mental strength' more than people's subjective sense of beauty.
In other words, Song Seon-young, who also has good looks, is competitive.
On the other hand, I am...
"The coach was fired?"
"How did you know?"
"It was on the news. And after seeing that, my mom got greedy for the vacant coaching position. She said it would be convenient to commute since the school is close."
"But she's not a coach."
Song Seon-young's mother has an aptitude for being a swimmer. Even with a national team record, wouldn't it be difficult?
"You're not a swimmer either, are you?"
"That's... true."
"You seem to not know the ecosystem of this field very well, but aptitude is like faith and religion. P-medals, which are given to athletes who have transcended their talents, are tainted by trickery."
"Then what about me?"
"That's why you got a coach who isn't at the top, right?"
"......"
I had nothing to say.
"Actually, at that time, my mom didn't know that the aptitude of the athlete the fired coach was in charge of wasn't a swimmer."
"She must have been disappointed."
"No. She was happy."
"Huh?"
"My mom was very happy, thinking that it would be easy for this athlete to find a job since there was no coach who wanted to take charge."
"I see!"
It was an answer that reflected the reality full of discrimination and prejudice.
Ding-dong♪
"Ah! It seems they're here."
Song Seon-young, who was comfortably lying on the sofa chatting with me.
As soon as she heard the sound of the guest room doorbell, she quickly got up and headed for the front door.
"Wait! This isn't your hotel room, you know?! Who's coming?"
"Your new coach."
"How do you, who's not even an athlete, know that- Hello?"
Click.
Song Seon-young opened the guest room door wide without answering my question.
"Excuse me."
The new coach entered the room, greeting with a calm tone.
She was a woman wearing a white hat, sunglasses, a bikini swimsuit visible under a cardigan, and hot pants that accentuated her slender legs.
'Is she really a coach...?'
She had the atmosphere of a tourist who came on a honeymoon with her husband.
Although it was a bit embarrassing, I couldn't just stand there after receiving the greeting.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Kang Moon-soo."
"It's nice to meet you, Kang Moon-soo. I've heard endless praise about you."
"From the previous coach..."
"No. I heard it from my daughter. All the way here."
Swoosh.
Seeing the coach's face as she took off her sunglasses, my eyes widened.
'Song Seon-young...?'
If it weren't for her sadder eyes and wrinkles around her eyes, I would believe she was her older sister!
I could understand the reason right away.
"Mom! What's with that outfit?! It's too revealing!"
"I didn't like conservative coaches when I was an athlete. To get closer to the athletes quickly..."
"Only wear that in front of dad!"
"I don't need to be friends with that nagging old man."
"Go change quickly!"
"Seon-young, don't interrupt mom's first day at work and leave, okay?"
"Ah, seriously...!"
My mind was confused because of the mother and daughter fighting as soon as they met.
More than anything,
'The new coach is Song Seon-young's mother...?'
Song Seon-young did talk in that nuance, but I never thought there would not be a single 'normal coach' who would take me.
...Is this okay?
The coach, who compromised with her daughter at the point of wearing the hotel room's bathrobe, offered me a handshake.
"Kang Moon-soo, I look forward to working with you."
"You can speak comfortably. I'm not burdened..."
"Can I?"
"Yes."
"Thank you! Actually, I don't like stiff relationships. I look forward to working with you!"
"Yes. Coach."
"Oh my! Moon-soo, you can call me comfortably too. Instead of coach, you can call me aunt... ah! You can call me mother-in-law too."
"Mom...!"
My peaceful athlete life has faced a major change.
* * *
I am an athlete who has achieved meaningful results in practice games and can aim for Olympic medals.
Especially, my stamina is good, so I excel in the 4000m freestyle swimming event, which is considered a sure medal if I participate.
There's also a high possibility for the unmeasured 10km marathon.
However,
(Kang Moon-soo athlete. Unfortunately, the existing coaches have already finished assigning athletes, so they couldn't take you. So if you misunderstood or felt uncomfortable, please understand.)
"Yes."
I also received a call from the university after hearing that I had awakened.
(The new coach, Jang Seon-young, is not a coach, but she has experience as a national representative. Since Kang Moon-soo is also aiming to be a national representative, it will be of great help.)
"Yes."
(Kang Moon-soo?)
"Yes."
(Are you listening properly?)
"Yes."
I understood enough, so I wish they'd stop talking.
(...If you have any complaints, please consider your health. No matter how good your performance is, frequent fainting and blank periods are fatal to athletes. Please pay more attention to your health.)
"Yes. I will keep that in mind."
'It's not because of my health...'
If I make an excuse here that I went into someone else's dream, the prejudice of being a 'shaman' would only worsen!
So, let's just listen quietly.
(From the beginning, I'm sorry for being too hard on Kang Moon-soo, who didn't have the right talent...)
"It's okay."
(Although it was delayed a bit due to an unfortunate incident, I will pass on the detailed schedule to Coach Jang Seon-young.)
"Yes."
Coach Jang Seon-young.
The mother of my ex-girlfriend!
She said she aims for a comfortable relationship between the coach and the athlete, but I feel like I'll suffer from chronic indigestion.
Tsk.
After finishing a boring call, I prepared to go out.
'Let's go.'
To the room where Kim Eun-jung, who has taken over the protagonist of the romance fantasy novel <I Became the Youngest Daughter of the Count’s Family>, is.
* * *
"I'm really sorry. I should have visited you and thanked you right away..."
"I'm fine. How is Kim Eun-jung?"
"My daughter is... sob!"
Kim Eun-jung's patient's mother suddenly burst into tears at the end of her words.
'It doesn't seem like tears of emotion...'
She woke up, but she doesn't seem to be in very good condition.
In the hotel room, there was also a middle-aged man who I presumed to be her father, and he was consulting with Manager Seo Hye-joo with a very serious face.
Now that the patient has awakened, one could say that my role is over.
Still,
"If she's not asleep, can I see Kim Eun-jung?"
"It's not a problem, but... her nerves have become sharp, so..."
"It's okay."
As long as she doesn't cut off my arms and legs just because she's in a bad mood, everything is fine.
Creak-
I opened the sliding door to the large room with a double bed for couples.
'Wow!'
Pieces of paper torn smaller than the size of a fingernail were scattered all around the bed.
"Hello?"
"......"
Squeak-
Kim Eun-jung, who was sitting on the bed, slowly tore and shredded the novel <I Became the Youngest Daughter of the Count’s Family>, one page at a time.
It was a stark contrast to the past when she tightly hugged it with both arms like a treasure.
Startled.
Her unfocused eyes reacted to my voice.
"Kim Eun-jung, I'm glad you're awake and safe."
"...Why did you come? To laugh at me, who was lost in delusion for a year?"
"Of course not."
I placed the book I brought on the vanity's makeshift chair.
"What's that?"
"It's a gift. The five volumes you couldn't read because the author took a break for over two years, and it's the completed series."
"...Who does the protagonist marry in the end?"
"It's an open ending."
The author left the tangled relationships unresolved and left it to the readers' imagination.
"It's a bit comforting. The fact that the original protagonist's future is no different from mine."
"It can't be helped."
A storyline where the protagonist marries every man?
Impossible.
Why?
For the noble family's bloodline not to be cut off, the protagonist must 'definitely' give birth to a successor.
But even if she gave birth to one child at a time, it would take at least 20 years?
There's no guarantee that she would get pregnant right away, and considering postpartum care, it would take much longer...
'It's insane.'
Husbands waiting for their turn without mixing seeds, or the protagonist giving birth until menopause...
All lead to an unhappy future.
"I wanted to be as pretty as the protagonist in the novel."
"Do you want to be pretty because men like it?"
"Yes."
I won't deny it.
The instinct to pass on attractive and handsome genes to offspring, which is advantageous in social life.
It's a natural phenomenon that ordinary people cannot resist.
However,
"No matter how pretty, I don't like women with many men around them."
"But if you're not pretty, there are no men at all, right?"
"Don't make too many excuses. Are the men you rejected not men?"
"Mom..."
Unable to refute, Kim Eun-jung glared at her mother, who revealed her past.
"I unintentionally bragged that my daughter was popular... You always kicked them away. They're short. They have thin hair. They have a belly. They have small eyes. It's true, right?"
"Ugh!"
A mother who seems timid but says everything she needs to say to her daughter!
Ding-dong♪
Just then, the guest room doorbell rang, as if to save the cornered Kim Eun-jung.
"Oh my! They came quickly."
The patient's mother rushed to the front door as if to greet a welcome guest.
Who could it be?
Creak-
As the sliding door of the large room opened, a neatly dressed man in his 20s entered, holding a bouquet of flowers and a fruit basket.
"Eun-jung, how's your body... huh?"
"Hello."
The man, who caught my eye, seemed noticeably flustered.
"Uh... I'm sorry, I didn't know you had a boyfriend. I'm really glad you woke up. Then I'll..."
"Wait!"
Burst!
The patient urgently raised her upper body and shouted.
"Sorry for coming secretly-"
"This man is a nurse brought by the doctor! And you know I have high standards when it comes to men, right?"
"I know very well."
"Do you think this cheeky-looking man is my type?"
"No."
I couldn't hide my bewilderment from the sudden personal attack.
"Did you take a plane?"
"Yes. It took some time because I couldn't get a same-day ticket."
"To meet me?"
"Of course."
"...I must be crazy. Suddenly, you look handsome."
"Is, is that so?"
The patient, who admitted to being crazy, looked back at me and spoke.
"Mr. Nurse, if you have nothing to say, please leave."
"Ah, yes."
I quietly left without disturbing the real-life romance.
'To this extent...'
It seems like not a bad happy ending.
