The Swimming Emperor(21)
I knew that if I died in my dreams, my physical abilities in reality would noticeably decrease.
So I thought he would wake up without any problems after the death from the betrayal of his wife and subordinates in Nam Hae-soo's dream.
But what's this?
'He really died...!'
The shock was quite big.
It's true that Nam Hae-soo tried to kill me, but that was only in a dream.
A dream is just a dream.
Even if I was killed in a dream, I didn't intend to bring that grudge into reality and take his life.
For example, I hated Magical Boy Choi Kang-min enough to want to kill him, but now I've erased him from my mind.
Because it's a dream, after all.
It's the same for Nam Hae-soo.
"Kang Moon-soo. As expected, young man."
"......"
"I want to tell you that I'm really grateful to you."
"What are you grateful for?"
The video message he left for me was a one-sided conversation.
"I've done a lot of embarrassing things that I'm ashamed to talk about. You know that better than anyone."
"Ah, yes."
I can roughly guess.
"So, even though it's shameless, please keep my story a secret."
"Do I have to?"
I plan to explain it to Manager Seo Hye-joo, who is studying dreams.
'For purposes other than research...'
I didn't intend to disrespect the deceased even if he didn't ask me. People wouldn't believe it anyway.
I'd be lucky if I didn't get sued for defamation by the bereaved family for bringing it up for no reason.
"And I have a favor to ask."
"Of course..."
"The place where we last met. My secret is hidden there."
"Aha!"
Did the resort owned by Nam Hae-soo have a special meaning?
He explained the exact location.
"I hid it in the lowest place where no one could find it."
"Where is that?"
"It's a black cubic box the size of a baseball."
"......"
I suddenly felt lazy.
"Decide how to dispose of it after you see it."
"...All right."
If I can find it.
"There's not much time left."
"......"
"You don't need to blame yourself, young man. It's my fault for not being mature enough. I'm really sorry. I'm sorry for interfering with the Olympics you've worked so hard to prepare for."
"I'm sorry too."
If I hadn't dragged it out and talked about it before the Olympics...
I felt a bit regretful.
"I'll pray for your success in the Olympics from the sky."
"...Thank you."
"Ah, it was a really good dream. The land of the Rose of Sharon... South Korea... Long live..."
He stopped.
The Emperor of Swimming, who held the most swimming medals in the world, slowly closed his eyes as he gazed at the distant sky.
* * *
The Emperor of Swimming, Nam Hae-soo, who held the most swimming medals in the world.
A large crowd gathered at his funeral after he left a will and passed away after a long battle with illness.
"Praying for the repose of the deceased..."
"Sniffle!"
"May he rest in peace."
Famous politicians and celebrities who had no connection with him also attended when it was revealed that he had left a will to donate all his property to society.
The direct cause was a heart attack.
It was believed that his body had weakened due to a long battle with illness.
On the surface.
"A long battle with illness..."
Can the occult of being unable to wake up from a happy dream be defined as an 'illness'?
A disease that makes you happy until you die.
I'm not sure.
"Do you regret going into the dream?"
"...No."
Nam Hae-soo's state funeral took place at the funeral hall of Elmorangs Hospital.
The funeral hall of Elmorangs Hospital, which is only allowed for people recognized by the world, was opened after a long time.
"Do you know why the funeral hall of this hospital is so strict?"
"I'm not interested."
"It means there's no need for a funeral hall because they save all patients."
"Do they really not die?"
"Of course not. There was a patient who died as soon as he saw his college senior who came to visit him after successfully completing major surgery."
"Why?"
"Sudden death due to high blood pressure. Excitement was the cause."
"......"
"Why? Don't you believe it? It's a true story."
"So, Elmorangs Hospital lied."
"Call it a strategy."
The procession of mourners visiting the funeral hall did not stop. The parking lot was full, and cars were parked on the side of the road.
'I can't help but compare.'
My father's funeral, who passed away in vain, was lonely and shabby.
Relatives, friends, classmates, teachers...
Almost no one visited, to the point where a guestbook wasn't necessary.
"It's a shame that Mr. Nam Hae-soo couldn't see this sight."
"It's all thanks to you."
"Me?"
"He was able to leave a will. If he hadn't woken up, it would have ended up as an ordinary rich man's death."
"That's not necessarily a good thing."
The family members who were left empty-handed due to the will that all property would be returned to society did not look very happy.
Except for one person.
The wrinkled face of Park Han-hee, Nam Hae-soo's wife, was calm.
'...She looks similar.'
The faint image of her younger days was visible between the gracefully aged wrinkles.
"Moon-soo."
"Yes."
"I got an unofficial thank-you message from the federation."
"They were disappointed too?"
"As you said, although the support funds were cut off, they were able to protect the honor of Nam Hae-soo, who was the greatest elder in the International Swimming Federation."
"Honor... I don't know."
Isn't money the best?
Manager Seo Hye-joo smiled at me and said,
"There are many people in the world who risk their lives for honor."
"Like you, Manager?"
"That's right. I was blinded by honor and suffered too."
Manager Seo Hye-joo, who had been stuck with Choi Kang-min for seven years as his primary physician, when modern medicine and common sense did not work at all, shivered.
"I'll go ahead."
I turned away from the funeral I had been watching from afar.
"Already?"
"It's hard to keep watching..."
"Hmm?"
"I did something embarrassing in the dream too."
"What was it?"
"Something like that."
The fact that I had a romance with a grandmother who had seen her great-grandson's son will be taken to my grave!
* * *
Although Nam Hae-soo said he would donate all his property to society, he was not single.
Mrs. Park Han-hee.
This is because the spouse, who has been together for a long time, also has rights.
In other words, half of the property acquired after Nam Hae-soo's marriage belongs to the 'spouse'. This also applies to Park Han-hee, who was a former model.
So what's the conclusion?
Only half of the total assets, including real estate, stocks, and bonds of the couple, will be donated to society.
"Athlete Kang Moon-soo."
"Yes."
"Is it true that there is a secret hidden on this island?"
"That's right, ma'am!"
I cheerfully answered Mrs. Park Han-hee's question, who was moving in a wheelchair due to her inconvenience.
'How did it come to this?!'
The cause was clear.
Video message!
It was a letter sent to me personally by Nam Hae-soo, but there was an assistant who helped with the video recording.
It means that there is no perfect secret in this world.
"We came here for our honeymoon."
"I see."
"Is this old lady inconvenient?"
"No, not at all. I'm just... a little worried if you don't have to attend your husband's funeral."
"I trust the children. They won't do anything to be abandoned by their mother."
"Ah, yes."
I kept my mouth shut because I thought I would hear a complicated family story if I asked any more.
Splash~
I looked around while listening to the refreshing sound of the waves of the beautiful resort.
'The lowest place is...'
The reason I came to this island on the most expensive public transportation, an airplane, was to find Nam Hae-soo's secret.
Mrs. Park Han-hee?
She was able to accompany me with a clear justification that she should share the assets that her husband hid fairly.
"I wonder what he hid in his honeymoon destination."
"...I guess so."
The fact that he told me, not his wife, was very unpleasant.
"When I look at the ocean, I remember. At that time, I was a model and I focused more on the photo shoot than the honeymoon."
"...Do you regret it?"
"Not at all."
Mrs. Park Han-hee denied it flatly without a moment's hesitation.
"……"
"Did you think I was too much?"
"No."
I just don't understand why Nam Hae-soo was obsessed with such a wife.
"The photo shoot was my husband's request, not mine."
"Yes...?"
What is this?
"Because he wanted to brag that he married a beautiful model."
"...That bastard- Ahem! Are you saying that Nam Hae-soo really did that?"
"He did."
"……"
"We couldn't enjoy our honeymoon comfortably because there were so many people and cameras following us all day long."
"I had no idea."
The Nam Hae-soo I investigated before I entered the dream was a perfect human being.
The emperor of swimming, a healthy husband, a harmonious family, support for the development of juniors...
I thought it was inevitable that the children would fight over the inheritance of the property, but it was because there was a lot of money involved.
'To think that it was all hypocrisy...!'
I think I know why Nam Hae-soo chose to go back to the past in a dream.
Regret.
Isn't the reason he wasn't reborn as 'Nam Hae-soo' because he hated his past self? Just as Kim Eun-jung, who hated her ordinary appearance in reality, became the beautiful Countess.
There is no doubt that the worldview of dreams is determined by the 'protagonist', not the 'witch'.
"Kang Moon-soo."
"Yes."
"The more I look at you, the more handsome you are. It's this old woman's taste."
"T, thank you!"
I know it's a common joke that old people often make, but I couldn't just laugh it off lightly with her.
"The lowest place. It's strange. This island is just flatland..."
"Could it be an abstract expression?"
"For example?"
"If Nam Hae-soo hid something here, he would have come alone."
"He did often go on business trips."
"Ma'am, can you think of any place that could be hinted at by the word 'lowest'?"
I decided to ask for help while traveling together.
"Are you asking because I am Nam Hae-soo's spouse?"
"Yes."
"Think the other way around. The video message that my husband sent to you, Player Kang Moon-soo, was coded so that only the parties involved would know. That's why I didn't even know the last place we met was our honeymoon destination."
"Ah..."
That's true when I think about it.
"The specific location where the secret is hidden, you must know it too. Either you haven't realized it yet... or you're pretending not to know to hide it from me."
Mrs. Park Han-hee looked at me with a sharp gaze.
"...That's right."
"Do you admit it?"
"Yes. I think I know where Nam Hae-soo is talking about. Although my guess could be wrong."
The lowest place where no one can find.
But this place is a resort.
'There are hardly any places tourists don't go.'
However, there is a blind spot that tourists can't see.
"Where is it?"
"Nam Hae-soo said this at the end of the video message. He would leave it up to my judgment on how to dispose of that secret."
"Don't worry. If it has no monetary value, I will give it up cleanly."
"You're lying."
"Rude..."
"Han-hee confessed to me and taught me that when she lies, her right foot shakes from tension. She said to ask her sister if I don't believe her."
"......"
Mrs. Park Han-hee, sitting in a wheelchair, had her right foot trembling.
"You couldn't fix that habit."
"Only my husband and my sister knew this... now that they're both dead, it's a secret only I know."
"You shouldn't exclude the person pushing your wheelchair."
The restrained movements of the secretary who served Mrs. Park Han-hee did not seem like ordinary assistance.
'She must also be a bodyguard.'
There's a possibility that she carries the traditional weapon I'm most wary of inside the fluffy skirt.
A trauma developed from being frequently attacked in Nam Hae-soo's dream!
I became suspicious of everyone.
"I thought it was strange when my husband sent you a video message that only you could understand."
"I suppose so."
We were walking along the beautiful promenade of the resort.
How long will it take?
It seems that the conclusion will come soon.
"In my life, I have never confessed to a man first..."
"I know."
She said it was her first time confessing to a man first.
" Kang Moon-soo, who exactly are you?"
"Nam Hae-soo also asked a similar question."
"...Did he?"
"Yes."
Not only Nam Hae-soo but all the protagonists who met me in the world of dreams asked the same question.
And my answer was also,
"I am a shaman."
Nam Hae-soo's dream is not over yet.
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Why is the writing like that?
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