Side Story 9
5. Your daily routine (4)
Didn't someone say that the ground would harden after the rain had fallen?
Now normally, people would grow much closer when they made up after a big fight. But then, the bond between young boys created through sweat and drive to succeed was far hotter and stickier then any old saying could intimate.
"One, two! One, two!"
As the early dawn's fog thickly covered the school's athletics field, every member of the track team was energetically roaring out their rallying cries.
"Hey, Jin-Woo! How about it? Isn't this doable?"
Before anyone had noticed it, Jin-Woo was now permitted to run alongside the captain of the team, Choi Tae-Woong. The former replied in a refreshing manner.
"Yes, it is doable!"
"Very goooood! One, two! One, two!"
Choi Tae-Woong raised his speed just a bit higher and shouted out.
"Our goal is to conquer the whole country!"
"Our goal is to.....??"
The members almost subconsciously chanted after their captain's words, but they quickly caught onto the fact that their warcry had changed and began questioning their leader.
"Hey, captain! I thought our goal was the overall win in the regionals?"
"Uh-huh!! You're aiming far too low in front of our new ace! Again! Our goal is to conquer the whole country!"
"Conquer the whole country!!"
"The whole country!!!"
Glance.
The captain glanced at Woo Sahng-In, currently running behind him.
"Hey, Sahng-In-ah, are you crying right now?"
"N-no, captain!"
"Don't give up yet, ace of the second year! Although the ace of the team has changed, how can we conquer the nation without your aid?!"
"I... I shall do my best, captain!!"
"Very goooood-!! Conquer the whole country!!"
"The whole country!! The country!"
"Conquer the country! The whole country!!"
While the members of the team lapped around the athletics field, positively buzzing with a heightened fighting spirit, only Oh Young-Gil's complexion was turning blue amongst all the runners present. The poor kid ended up following after Jin-Woo and inadvertently entered the team as well.
"Pant, paaant, paaant...."
Jin-Woo, running out in front, heard Young-Gil's heavy, rough breathing and tutted inwardly.
He wanted to improve the boy's rather feeble constitution, so he said yes to the idea of one-plus-one admittance to the athletics club, but this....
....It was only a matter of time before someone keeled over at the rate things were going.
But then again, it'd not be an easy task to let Young-Gil escape in this atmosphere when the fighting spirit of the seniors had reached a brand new height that they had never seen before.
Left with no choice, Jin-Woo loaded just a little bit of Mana and sent it behind him. Like dandelion seeds being carried in the wind, the lump of Mana gently floated in the air and entered Young-Gil's nose and mouth.