The Swimming Emperor(3)
Aliens, scientists, doctors, people from the future...
Various speculations about the mysterious existence of P never stopped.
There were hardly any people who remembered the old era before the aptitude test developed by him was introduced to the world.
'It was hell.'
That's what the description of the old era recorded in history books said.
A world where people pay taxes to a country ruled by politicians who abuse their power and sell out their citizens!
It's hard to imagine.
"The Emperor of Swimming we're about to meet, Mr. Nam Hae-soo, is a living witness representing the old era."
"I really admire him."
Everyone who endured that hellish era deserves admiration.
"It's unexpected."
A sudden remark from Manager Seo Hye-joo, who was on the free bus to the only hospital on the island.
"What is?"
"I thought you, who were discriminated against by your aptitude, would prefer the old era."
"Well... Personally, I'm a little dissatisfied, but I don't want to live in a country ruled by criminals and scammers."
"A model answer."
"Do you think differently, Manager?"
"The stronger the light, the darker the shadow."
"Do you mean there are pros and cons?"
"Not everyone likes and is satisfied with their aptitude. But this world is not generous enough to allow options other than aptitude."
"Ah..."
"I can't deny that it's more efficient in every aspect compared to the old era."
"That's true."
The highest records of the old era's Olympics can be easily surpassed by even third-class athletes!
The same goes for other fields besides sports.
'My father too...'
He ignored his aptitude and jumped into the business, only to fail miserably.
Thud.
We got off the bus and went into the hospital.
But...
"The atmosphere is fierce from the entrance."
"Nam Hae-soo's family. The relationship between the children is not good due to inheritance issues."
"Aha!"
"Currently, the International Swimming Federation is managing Nam Hae-soo's property. But what will happen if he passes away without a will?"
"Uh... I guess they'll divide it equally according to the number of children."
"If you think simply, you're right. But should the dutiful and the undutiful children divide the inheritance equally without any distinction?"
"Huh?"
Now that I think about it, that's true.
"The federation is also involved. There's an interpretation that Nam Hae-soo will entrust his property to the federation even after his death. The country is also subtly hoping for it."
"Wow..."
Just hearing about it made me feel dizzy.
"The easiest way to solve this problem is for Mr. Nam Hae-soo to sort out his property himself."
"He needs to wake up first, right?"
"That's right."
"......"
I have no obligation or duty to step in.
"Do you want to try?"
"How much will I be paid for the treatment?"
But if there's money involved, I'm willing to step in.
* * *
Thanks to P's aptitude test, genius scientists like Einstein, Tesla, and Newton were produced in droves.
With the full support of politicians who didn't embezzle taxes!
It was only natural that human civilization and technology made leaps and bounds from this point on.
Why am I suddenly saying this?
"Wow! The lifespan..."
With the advancement of medicine, human life expectancy has also risen sharply. It's common to have living witnesses of history.
Of course, you need money to enjoy this benefit!
"There's no need to be amazed. If you solve the chemical formula you brought from the future, you can live until the earth is destroyed."
"That's a bit..."
An old man was lying on a wide and clean hospital bed in a sitting position.
The Emperor of Swimming, Nam Hae-soo.
His health has deteriorated since he collapsed, but from the outside, it seemed like he could live for about 20 more years.
"How is it?"
"Hmm... I think I can enter his dream."
"How do you know that?"
"It's intuition."
"What a convenient feature!"
Now that we've confirmed that Mr. Nam Hae-soo isn't just in a simple coma, it's time for the occult to step in, rather than medicine.
Song Seon-young, Choi Kang-min, Kim Eun-jung.
Thanks to the three experiences of wandering, I can boast that I've gained some skills.
"First... let's find out who Nam Hae-soo is."
We need to learn about the human Nam Hae-soo, not the Emperor of Swimming.
* * *
Nam Hae-soo was born in the 'Republic of Korea' during the old era when P's aptitude test didn't exist.
A children's swimming class, which started with the purpose of strengthening his weak body plagued by frequent illnesses, changed his fate.
'A weak physique...'
It's because people with aptitude in sports have a different start from the beginning.
Effort.
That's something everyone who wants to succeed does, right?
If everyone puts in the same effort within a fair 24 hours, the outcome can only be determined by the amount of talent and investment.
In other words,
"Mr. Nam Hae-soo's aptitude wasn't a swimmer, was it?"
That was the conclusion I reached after reading the biography published by his children and grandchildren.
Manager Seo Hye-joo, who was investigating with me, nodded.
"He's a track and field athlete."
"Ah..."
While you could argue how a dolphin and a cheetah could be the same, isn't it much more persuasive than a weightlifter?
Nam Hae-soo's aptitude was a track and field athlete.
From here, I could deduce a plausible possibility.
"Maybe he's active as a track and field athlete in his dream...?"
Perhaps he didn't give up on swimming and swept up Olympic medals in both events!
"Isn't that too optimistic? He could also go to the world of martial arts novels he enjoyed reading in his old age."
"Uh... that's possible."
Suddenly, the amount of study (reading) I had to do increased dramatically!
'Should I just take a peek and come back?'
I'd check if it's Earth or an alien planet and then commit suicide right away.
"It's better not to think about dying in a dream."
"Because of the brain cells?"
"That's part of it, but you've had a heart attack after dying once recently, haven't you?"
"Yes."
I had been involved in a fight for the pride of two families in the world of the romance fantasy novel <I Became the Youngest Daughter of a Count> and had suffered a miserable death.
"After that incident, your swimming records noticeably dropped."
"......"
"Not just this time. You had a heart attack after being killed by patient Choi Kang-min in a dream, right? Your swimming records declined then as well."
"I... I had no idea."
"Neither did I. I didn't know until Coach Jang Seon-young looked through your past records and asked for my opinion."
"Coach Jang Seon-young..."
It's natural for a coach to check a player's physical condition, but this was information that was as important as my life.
What if I hadn't known?
'I would have taken my life for granted!'
I would've noticed at some point, but by then, my skills would've dropped so much that I couldn't compete as a national representative.
Anyway,
"It's certain that your physical abilities decrease after a heart attack, regardless of your health."
"Hmm. I suddenly don't want to enter the dream."
"The choice is yours."
"That's unexpected. I thought you'd try to persuade me."
"Why would I?"
"You're a doctor."
"Can we call a doctor who ruins the life of a healthy person while treating a patient a doctor? It's not like we're doing a family blood transfusion."
"I'm sorry."
My thinking was too short-sighted.
"It's okay. It's true that I tried to persuade you when I didn't know the risks and after-effects."
"Well..."
At that time, I accepted it without thinking too much.
'I really wasn't scared!'
I boasted about it being a dream in front of Magical Boy Choi Kang-min.
My bold attitude at that time did contribute to breaking Choi Kang-min's heart, but looking back, it was incredibly reckless.
"What will you do?"
"Hmm..."
"You don't have to go into the dream. I'm not Mr. Nam Hae-soo's primary doctor, so I have nothing to lose."
It means there's no disadvantage or burden even if I refuse.
"...I'll give it a try."
"Are you sure you made a careful decision? Your life is at stake."
"As long as Mr. Nam Hae-soo isn't a dolphin or a magical boy, it'll be fine."
It's hard to find dolphins, and it's hard to persuade magical boys.
"You're too optimistic..."
"It's okay."
"Really?"
"Yes. I'm curious about what kind of dream the Emperor of Swimming, who has money and fame, is trapped in."
It's not just because of the treatment fee.
* * *
"...Success."
After perfectly preparing at the hospital, I entered Mr. Nam Hae-soo's dream.
Never let your guard down!
As soon as I entered the world of the romance fantasy novel <I Became the Youngest Daughter of a Count>, I almost died from an arrow shot by a bandit.
I immediately looked around.
'It doesn't seem like medieval times...'
However, it was even more different than Song Seon-young's dream, which was neither the present nor the near future like Choi Kang-min's dream.
A sky filled with smog.
Citizens wearing masks.
Cars using fossil fuels.
Trash thrown away on the streets.
......
Terrible scenery and antiques that can't be found in the present and future, where Earth's environment is strictly managed!
'Wow! An internal combustion engine!'
There were plenty of cars with exhaust engines, which could only be seen in museums, on the roads.
In other words, Mr. Nam Hae-soo's dream was set in the old era, long before I was born.
I checked my pocket.
"Um? This is... a mask?"
The smartphone I had prepared to reuse the trick I used on Magical Boy Choi Kang-min was not reflected in the dream, but instead, there were two white masks in my pocket.
The trick failed.
I had to use an orthodox method.
'First of all...'
People were staring at me like a criminal and giving me the side-eye.
War? Epidemic? Smoke? Fashion?
Whatever the reason, I wore the mask that was in my pouch.
After that,
"Excuse me."
I approached a male student who was anxiously waiting for his girlfriend in front of a department store.
I wanted to point out his old-fashioned outfit and hairstyle, but I gave up because the similar-aged men passing by had the same fashion.
"Who are you? Are you my girlfriend's...?"
"Where is this place?"
I asked quickly before any strange misunderstandings arose.
"This is Dongdaemun in Seoul."
"I see. Oh! One more thing. What year is it? AD... right?"
"Um, your question about where this place is, are you really asking me because you don't know?"
"Yes. I'm really asking because I don't know."
"Hidden camera or..."
"No, it's not."
Having confirmed the location and time of the dream, I began my full-fledged search.
'Young Nam Hae-soo must be nearby...!'
So far, it had been like that.
Song Seon-young, who repeatedly committed suicide, was in the same school, magical boy Choi Kang-min flew into the Elmorangs Hospital I started, and met Kim Eun-jung riding in the carriage of the Chimac Count.
If it wasn't a coincidence that happened three times in a row, Nam Hae-soo would be near my starting point.
I hurriedly went around the department store using my remaining stamina.
'Of all the places!'
Why start in a crowded city with a large floating population!
Should I be glad I didn't start in the middle of the Pacific Ocean? If Nam Hae-soo had turned into a fish, I would have drowned as soon as I entered the dream.
Probably a human.
I was satisfied with the fact that Nam Hae-soo was not a dolphin, so I decided to ask passers-by.
"Excuse me!"
"Is it you again?"
The male student with anxious face because his girlfriend hasn't arrived yet.
I asked him another question.
"Do you know the swimmer Nam Hae-soo?"
"Nam Hae-soo? I've never heard of him. What kind of athlete is he?"
"He's a swimmer."
Although I kept bothering him, he frowned but still researched with his smartphone.
"Nam, Hae, Soo... He's not here?"
"Really?"
"I just searched it. There's no swimmer, but there's one businessman and one patent attorney with the same name."
"Can I see it?"
"Alright."
I stared intently at the old-fashioned smartphone screen of the male student.
'There's really nothing?'
The businessman and patent attorney with the name Nam Hae-soo had different appearances and birth years than the 'Emperor of Swimming.'
A dream of Nam Hae-soo without Nam Hae-soo?
Just when I was lost in confusion-
Beep!
「My Love: Oppa. I'm sorry.」
「My Love: My mom is sick, and I don't think I can go out.」
「My Love: I can't meet you for a while.」
A text message came.
"...Don't say anything."
"Cheer up."
I carefully comforted the teary-eyed male student and left the place.
What should I do now?
My concern was brief.
"Excuse me. Is this a police station?"
"Yes, it's a police station. How can I help you?"
"Where should I go to apply for a resident registration card?"
"Oh! Did you lose your resident registration card? When, where..."
"No."
"...Are you an illegal resident by any chance?"
"Uh... Ugh! My head...! I can't remember anything."
"......"
I used the convenient method of amnesia.
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