Dream Breaker - Chapter 79

The Swimming Emperor(23) Dreams Come True

With Nam Hae-soo’s sponsorship cut off, the first-string swimmers had received ordinary training, not much different from the second and third-string swimmers.

It was the same for me…

“Why only Kang Moon-soo?”

“Endure it. There’s nothing we can do.”

“Our opponent is a nuclear submarine.”

“Why is Madam Park Han-hee…?”

The murmurs of the athletes echoed off the walls of the enclosed pool and reached me.

‘What have I done?’

I had only relayed all of Nam Hae-soo’s secrets to Madam Park Han-hee. I thought she had the right to know as his spouse.

I retrieved the memory chip and handed it over to her without any compensation.

But why?

I thought I had settled everything cleanly, but was that just my misconception?

“Kang Moon-soo, you’re not just good-looking.”

“Thank you, Madam!”

Madam Park Han-hee approached me, who was taking an unnecessary break.

“My husband would have been so happy if he had seen you.”

“I definitely won’t- ahem! Yes.”

Others have their families or girlfriends cheering and encouraging them. But for me, a grandmother in a wheelchair?

Of course, she was not an ordinary grandmother.

“It’s just as you said, ma’am.”

“A very excellent athlete.”

“We are also looking forward to it.”

International Swimming Federation executives were surrounding her.

Director, Team Leader, Manager, Coach…

Although the Emperor of Swimming, Nam Hae-soo, had his sponsorship cut off by his will, his fame and influence had not disappeared.

Mrs. Park Han-hee fully inherited that empty seat.

“My sister would have loved you too if she had seen you.”

“Ah, yes.”

The guilt of selling her only sister after being caught in a weak spot by Nam Hae-soo.

Mrs. Park Han-hee mourned her older sister, whom she couldn’t look at directly until she died.

“Let’s have dinner together later.”

“It would be an honor!”

“I’m glad to be able to talk to a young and handsome man after a long time as an old woman. I feel rejuvenated.”

“……”

I feel much older, though!

“Let’s go now.”

“Yes! Madam!”

“I’ll accompany you.”

The International Swimming Federation executives pulled Mrs. Park Han-hee’s wheelchair and left.

It was like the entourage of an empress dowager often seen in historical dramas.

*Chuckle*

“When did you get close to her?”

Coach Jang Seon-young, who quietly approached, playfully poked my side with her elbow and asked.

“When did you come?”

I answered the question with a question.

“Well, I couldn’t help it. The other person is Mrs. Park Han-hee.”

“Why her?”

“She was someone I looked up to like a goddess when I was an active athlete. You saw the level of sponsorship for the first-team, right? Although it ended as a taste.”

“Well…”

I was a little disappointed because the meal on the cruise ship was very satisfying.

“Your record has noticeably improved again.”

“Really?”

It was very good news.

“I was worried that you were resting too long, but as soon as the rehabilitation treatment was over, your performance skyrocketed.”

“I’m glad.”

This time, it was probably because I didn’t die in the dream.

“In particular, the strength of your legs has improved. Seo Hye-joo, who is like your attending physician, said the same thing.”

“Strength in my legs…”

Is it a coincidence?

In Nam Hae-soo’s dream, I focused on track and field and taekwondo, where the role of the legs was significant.

Swimming already had scores that would rank first in all fields and win Olympic gold medals, so I didn’t need to train more.

So, I only practiced a little bit of backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle, which were the Olympic swimming events of the old days.

‘Could it be…?’

I recalled the past events.

‘Song Seon-young.’

I, who could only do the dog paddle, became very good at swimming after learning from her in the dream.

‘Choi Kang-hoon.’

I, who was an ordinary owner of physical and mental strength, surpassed the average after being killed by a magical boy.

‘Kim Eun-jung.’

I, who didn’t know how to fight at all, became strong with the swordsmanship and spearmanship I learned in the world of the romance fantasy novel <I Became the Youngest Daughter of a Count>.

‘Nam Hae-soo.’

And in this dream, I actively invested in track and field and taekwondo to win more Olympic gold medals than the Emperor of Swimming.

The result?

It seemed that not only knowledge and experience but also the reality of the body was partly reflected.

“…Coach. Thank you so much.”

“Suddenly?”

“If it weren’t for Coach Jang Seon-young, I wouldn’t have noticed.”

“The strength of your legs improved?”

“Yes. And you mentioned something similar last time.”

I realized that the time I spent in dreams was not a ‘waste’ that ruins my body and steals time.

A great discovery!

This was an important turning point that could redesign my entire life.

“My aptitude is not a coach.”

“Why is that?”

Instead of teaching well, I have to thoroughly check the condition of the athletes. At least not to interfere.”

“Ah…”

A typical coach would think, ‘It’s the result of my good teaching!’ when an athlete’s performance improves. It’s not arrogance or delusion.

It’s common sense!

No matter how excellent an athlete is, if the coach is not good or absent, their body may be ruined by incorrect training. Naturally, their skills would also decline.

The role of a coach is that important.

“Moon-soo, you’re my benefactor!”

“Me?”

“Do you know how much I’ve been nagged by my doctor husband for being unemployed all these years…!”

“……”

“Seon-young chose modeling over her aptitude because of my husband. She thinks it’s hard and unhappy to be an athlete.”

“I see…”

The reason Song Seon-young kept committing suicide in her dreams due to her aptitude was because of her family.

“That’s why something surprising happened yesterday.”

“What was it?”

“For the first time in 15 years, my husband did separate waste collection. I didn’t even ask, but he went out with the trash left at the front door.”

“…You must have felt good.”

“Of course! I felt like I was back in my honeymoon days.”

“Ah, yes.”

In a capitalist society, money was essential to maintain family peace.

“Are you getting along well with Seon-young?”

“Me?”

“Who else but Moon-soo? If another wolf approaches my daughter, it’s straight to the police station!”

“Ha, ha, ha…”

You didn’t even need to do that, I was planning to secure her job.

“Don’t hesitate and tell me quickly.”

“Well… A few days ago, she came and stopped another man from talking badly.”

“Ah, that pervert prince?”

“You already know.”

“Because I’m her mother. My husband seems to like that guy, though.”

“……”

While I was asleep, a prince from another country seemed to have fallen in love with Song Seon-young at first sight and confessed his feelings.

‘Leon.’

That seemed to be his name.

Although he was a prince with no claim to the throne, he was superior to me in every aspect.

Wealth, appearance, status, family…

His world was different from mine, with a bank account that was slowly accumulating money and a healthy body.

“Don’t worry about it. My daughter hates him.”

“It seemed that way.”

But I realized after seeing Nam Hae-soo’s secret.

‘He took advantage of her family’s weakness to marry Park Han-hee, whom he had a crush on.’

But he never faced the judgment of justice until he died. Even at his funeral, many people came to mourn…

I could also become a victim of this unfair world.

“…Coach.”

I’d rather become an offender.

“Huh? You have a favor to ask.”

“Yes. Can I skip training today and go to the taekwondo gym?”

“Taekwondo? All of a sudden?”

“I learned a bit of taekwondo before.”

“So?”

“I want to test it out.”

I will take over the plan that was interrupted by Nam Hae-soo in reality.

* * *

Looking back at Olympic history, athletes’ records and skills have improved as they approach modern times.

Ergonomic sportswear.

Systematic training.

New material sports equipment.

Improvement of human constitution.

There were various reasons, but there was no disagreement that the emergence of P’s aptitude test device was the most significant.

“You’re that guy. A swimmer whose aptitude is not a swimmer.”

The master, who was in the position of teaching national taekwondo athletes, looked me up and down.

“That’s right.”

“Amazing! I don’t mean to belittle swimming, but does taekwondo seem easy enough for a person with no aptitude to become a national representative?”

“We’ll see when we try.”

In the old days, one’s talent and potential were unknown until death.

But in modern times, anyone can know it as soon as they turn 19.

The result?

Although it varies by field, the difference in work efficiency or performance ranged from at least 2 times to as much as 500 times.

The same goes for sports.

Only monsters in human form can become athletes.

“Do you want to be carried to the hospital?”

“I’m fine. I have my attending physician at Elmorangs Hospital.”

A grateful person who gives me a health checkup for free.

The downside is that it’s done too often!

“…Elmorangs Hospital can’t save dead people.”

“I just need not to die.”

“I can’t take responsibility if your teeth and nose bones break.”

“Yes.”

At my response, the master shouted with a sneering tone.

“Did you hear that? He said it’s okay. Everyone here is a witness…!”

“Yes! master!”

“We heard it!”

And he called one athlete.

“Yoo Il-chung.”

“Yes!”

“You be his opponent.”

“Understood!”

The young man who was called by the master walked forward with big strides.

‘He looks good at taekwondo.’

A sleek body and long legs like a leopard are common features of all athletes with taekwondo aptitude.

The bulky muscles?

Flexibility is poor, so it’s no good.

Taekwondo, which uses legs the most among Olympic combat sports, requires great flexibility.

Why?

Whether it’s striking the opponent’s forehead with the heel, slapping their cheek with the instep, or lifting their chin with the sole…

Taekwondo doesn’t only target a person’s head, but if flexibility is lacking, the only option is the body.

By the way,

“Excuse me…”

“I’m Yoo Il-Choong.”

“Yes. Yoo Il-chung. Do you happen to know someone named Yoo Il-am?”

“He’s my brother.”

“Ah! I asked because you looked similar.”

Yoo Il-Am, the genius shaman.

His younger brother Yoo Il-chung, who resembled the man I never wanted to meet again, was in front of me.

‘Well…’

Is it a twist of fate?

I had never felt so strongly that it was a good idea to learn taekwondo in Nam Hae-soo’s dream.

“Do you know my brother?”

“He’s a senior in the same field.”

“A senior? Look, you can’t claim to be a junior of the genius shaman. It’s a crime to spread false information and slander.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Be careful in the future.”

“…I’ll keep that in mind.”

Yoo Il-am, who had excellent ability to ignore me and provoke patience.

And Yoo Il-chung in front of me.

The two were not just brothers who resembled each other in appearance.

“Bow.”

The master’s instruction, who was in charge of judging.

Yoo Il-chung and I slightly bent our waists toward each other, creating some distance and facing each other.

The etiquette of taekwondo.

I learned that etiquette while smelling the sole of the rubber shoes of the Grandmaster.

“Consider it an honor. The fact that Yoo Il-chung, ranked 8th in the world taekwondo official rankings, is your opponent.”

“…I appreciate it.”

The fact that I can legally beat Yoo Il-am’s younger brother!

“Start!”

Whisk-

As soon as the master’s signal dropped, I quickly crossed my legs and closed the distance.

‘Is he off guard?’

Yoo Il-chung, who hasn’t shown any reaction so far.

I widened the distance again.

I had numerous experiences of charging at the master in the past and being knocked down by an instant counterattack.

The opponent is the 8th strongest in the world!

If it’s not a bluff, he’s not an opponent I can take lightly.

“What’s the matter? Are you scared?”

Yoo Il-chung’s tone changed and he began to provoke me.

“Probing.”

“Really? But what should I do? I don’t feel like dragging it out-”

Yoo Il-chung attacked while speaking in a wobbly posture!

‘He said he wouldn’t explore?’

It was too slow and the movement too simple to be called a surprise attack.

“Whew!”

Whisk-

After stopping my breath, I lifted my left foot above my head while spinning like a top around my right foot as an axis.

“What-”

Before Yoo Il-chung’s sidekick aimed at my abdomen could touch me,

Pop!

My back kick, which added rotational force to the roundhouse kick, hit his cheek cleanly and pressed down on it.

“Ugh~?!”

“……”

The back kick is a powerful kick that has the fatal flaw of being a big move, but it’s powerful enough to justify it.

In particular, the back kick of the Gomusin master, who was praised as a martial god in the taekwondo powerhouse, was so unique that even if you knew about it, you couldn’t stop it…

‘He got hit by it?’

I never thought that the old-fashioned taekwondo would work in the modern era.

Thump!

Yoo Il-chung, whose eyes lost their strength, foamed at the mouth with blood and curled up.

And then there was silence.

“……”

“……”

The master and other athletes who had been cheering for him were also at a loss for words.

“Who is ranked 7th?”

The athletes’ eyes focused on a man when they heard my question.

He was flustered.

“I, I am…”

“Are you ranked 7th?”

“Gasp?! It’s a misunderstanding! I used to be 7th place, but now I’m a punching bag who sometimes loses to Yoo Il-Choong!”

“I see.”

“……”

“Is the next one ranked 6th?”

“Gasp!”

I’ll test whether my dream was in vain in this place.

 

---

Read ahead by supporting me on Ko-fi

. Access 5 advance chapters with Silver Tier($10) or 10 advance chapters with Gold Tier($18) or 15 advance chapters with Platinum Tier($35).

Choose your tier by clicking the ‘Support Me’ button!!

Rate and review this novel on NU to help people find this novel. Bonus chapters upon reaching specific milestones.

---

Previous Chapter

|| TOC

|| Next Chapter