Chapter 7: The Road Less Traveled
At the age of 10, Minkyu had achieved a remarkable milestone—he had just graduated from high school. While his time in school had been uneventful, filled with routine academic tasks and a sense of detachment from his older classmates, his journey outside the classroom had been nothing short of extraordinary.
As the youngest student in his class, Minkyu often found himself navigating the halls of his school, feeling like a fish out of water. While his peers were engrossed in conversations about adolescent dramas and teenage trends, he focused on his studies with quiet determination. His academic prowess allowed him to excel effortlessly, filling in assignments and acing tests without breaking a sweat.
It was on the streets and open roads that Minkyu found solace, his skill and expertise in cycling blossoming into a triumvirate of disciplines. Street racing, road cycling, and BMX—each held a special place in his heart, representing different facets of his multifaceted abilities.
In the realm of street racing, Minkyu's talent shone brightly. He maneuvered through tight corners with precision, his instincts guiding him effortlessly. The streets became his playground, and the neon-lit nights were his backdrop for daring feats of skill and agility. He had earned the respect of seasoned racers, his name whispered with a mix of admiration and caution.
Road cycling, on the other hand, provided Minkyu with a sense of freedom and exploration. The open highways beckoned him, promising a never-ending journey of discovery. With each pedal stroke, he reveled in the symphony of wind rushing past his ears and the rhythmic cadence of his breathing. As a developing child, he was sub-par in this realm. His physical ability simply couldn't match up than those who were decades of years older than him. That didn't detract from his enjoyment one bit.
And then there was BMX—a realm where Minkyu's playful spirit came alive. The jumps, tricks, and stunts allowed him to tap into his inner daredevil, embracing the exhilaration of defying gravity. From soaring through the air to executing mind-bending flips, his skills on a BMX bike astounded onlookers and earned him a reputation as a fearless prodigy. This was the harvest of all of the hardwork he had puton handling and skills.
As a professional cyclist, he was severely unskilled when he first came into this parallel world. As a professional, skill and experience were indeed crucial in the sport, but what came above all else was athletic ability. At the end of the line, where people who had all met the same limiter of technique gathered together to race, it all boiled down to who had the better physique. In this world, an equally popular branch of cycling was heavily reliant on skill and technique. And it was in that branch where Minkyu had to grow.
While his classmates celebrated their academic achievements, Minkyu quietly nurtured his own talents, dedicating countless hours to perfecting his craft. He knew that his passion for cycling set him apart, propelling him on a unique trajectory that defied convention. And while he sometimes longed for the camaraderie of like-minded peers, he found solace in the support and admiration of the older cyclists who recognized his immense potential.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Noona! Toss me a pack of Pepero!"
"Here!"
"Thanks!"
Minkyu grabbed the box out of the air as he hastily walked out of the door. He quickly ran out of their apartment, which was on the first floor. He hopped on his bike, which was stationed at a bike rack near the mailbox.
"I'm off!"
"Come back before dinner!"
"Okay!"
He calmly rode through the road, the sticks of chocolate sitting in his mouth. Minkyu was heading toward Rizzler Highschool. Not to attend, but because he was going to his final race in Changwon, which was in the backstreets near the school.
15 minutes later, Minkyu stood at the starting line in Rizzly Street. This was one of the most infamous circuits in Changwon, as there were only 2 possible paths throughout the entire race. This meant that every racer, which numbered from about 15-30, had to fit in these paths. There were no gaps in between the buildings of Rizzly Street. Well, there were a few gaps, but these gaps either led to just a much longer route, or they were filled with rails, stairs, narrow bridges, and multiple foot drops. In short, if you didn't want to get fucked up, there were only 2 paths. Each path was narrow and unforgiving, which resulted in more than half of the participants in each race getting injured in some way or the other.
The air crackled with anticipation as Minkyu stood at the starting line in Rizzly Street, his heart pounding with a mix of excitement and nervous energy. The final race of the season loomed before him, a daunting challenge that would push his skills to their limits. Competitors of all ages surrounded him, ranging from teenagers to seasoned veterans in their thirties. But Minkyu's determination burned bright, fueling his futile belief that age was just a number in the face of his unwavering passion for cycling.
That notion was quickly thrown away as the starting signal blared, and his older adversaries burst ahead of him with explosive speed. Fuck. Already behind, Minkyu decided to tail one of the better cyclists in the group, and attempted to be silent in order to not catch his attention. As the man he was tailing slowly gained speed and caught up to the front of the group, Minkyu was right behind him, using the man to avoid wind resistance.
By the time the man noticed, Minkyu had already began to propel forward, using the energy he had stored up for this moment. He was head to head with 3 people: Mr. Park, Mr. Choi, and a serious-looking young adult. This part of course was simply a long road designed to drain your energy.
"Well hello there Minkyu!" Mr. Park greeted him kindly. While Minkyu and the young man were filled with competitive spirit and using all of their stamina to push forward, Mr. Park and Mr. Choi seemed at ease. They were not even in a proper position, with their hands behind their heads as if they were watching a movie.
"Look at these inspiring children Mr. Park!"
"Well said Mr. Choi!"
The man beside Minkyu glared at the old men.
"Quiet... I'm not losing to a kid and 2 grandpas." He burst ahead with an energized mind. Minkyu was left in the dust.
"Oh my! What a daring kid! Should we take him up to the challenge?" Mr. Choi grinned, a glint of playfulness behind his eyes.
"Maybe next time Mr. Choi," Mr. Park said. "For now, let's let the young ones rise to take the mantle, shall we?"
"Certainly Mr. Park!" The two laughed, and curved into the gaps of the street as the long road ended, and obstacles began to appear.
'What the fuck?!' Minkyu thought. He panted hard, and was close to losing his pace. The young man was tens of meters ahead of him, while the people behind him were catching up. He was really unsuited for endurance based sections of courses. 'How did they go through the gaps? I thought they were impenetrable! Maybe?...'
A sharp turn approached him, and instead of slowing down to get a safe turn, Minkyu sped up to the curb and rushed to the left with a bank curve, and then pushed forward with a cutty. This allowed him to get behind the young man, who had slowed down for the turn. It was one of his favorite tricks for turning a sharp curve along with drifting.
Minkyu tailed the man, who was moving in zigzags in an attempt to throw him off. Minkyu stayed right behind him, minimizing the amount of wind resistance to reach him. But he knew it wasn't enough. In the end, the man would be faster. The man also realized this, as he stopped trying to lose Minkyu, and simply cycled forward. If Minkyu wanted to win, he needed to do something fast.
Minkyu thought of Mr. Choi and Mr. Park.
'How did they go through the building gaps? They're full of either gaps or impossible obstacles... Unless...' There were only a few turns before a straight road to the finish line. But Minkyu swerved to the right into an alleyway leading to seemingly nowhere.
'That was stupid. I'm stupid. I'm going to regret this.'
He navigated through stray trash and random cardboard. He moved straight towards the direction of the finish line. Ahead of him, he saw two things. He saw the finish line behind a line of trees, set up for a person to come through the straight road. He also saw that before the line of trees was a long 15 foot gap, with only a small ramp that looked unsteady and brittle.
'Goddammit...
...Should I?...
...Fuck it..."
He conjured a second wind a pedaled the fastest he had ever before. He hit the ramp a bit too forcefully, and sped up the foot long ramp. It broke. But Minkyu was already in the air. He brought the bike up to his body and tucked in his legs. He soared. And the wind brushed past his face. Time stood still. And then gravity reclaimed its hold.
'Yeah I'm not making this shit.'
Only the front of his wheel could possibly reach the edge of the other side.
'Might as well give it a shot.'
Minkyu bent his bike to land on one wheel. The impact rattled his body, and the biked bounced a coupled of times, just barely a millimeter away from empty space. He balanced for a couple of seconds, but then he landed safely.
'Holy shit!! I did it!' A wide grin spread across his face. He pedaled faster and broke through the clearing of trees, just to see...
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________(Mr. Mob POV)
He wondered where the kid went. He was sure that he was right behind him.
'Good riddance.'
He looked behind him, and the closest person was a group of cyclists far away from him, fighting each other to at least get second place. He smiled. He looked forward toward the Finish Line, which was only 100m away. A crowd of cyclists where lined up on the side, cheering and shouting.
"Hey, good job!"
"Damn, you're so far ahead!"
It felt good.
Suddenly, "Look!".
A man in the crowd pointed toward a figure in the air ahead of him.
The figure appeared from a clearing of trees, which was elevated to a height 20 feet above the course. It rushed out and started to descend to the floor. He squinted a bit and looked at the figure and saw... THE KID!!? The child landed with a heavy grunt and then sprinted toward the finish line. He tried to catch up, but it was no use. He finished second.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________(Minkyu POV)
'Hell yeah.'