Chapter 304
Thanks to all the idols who participated in
Karis' 60m event, which properly proved what a 'human bullet' is, drew the hottest cheers of any event held so far.
The archery event that took place after lunch surpassed the excitement of the track and field event even before it went to the finals.
Skill? Of course, they had skills.
In the sport of archery, you need to practice enough in advance to get good results. The idols who knew this well worked hard to learn the basics by splitting their time.
However, before they could even see the players' skills, there was another thing that caught the fans' eyes.
That was their visuals.
"This is the first preliminary match. Karis from Seleste and Dave from Intown, please enter!"
From the first match of the archery preliminary round, when Karis appeared with graceful steps, the audience was in an uproar.
It wasn't the cheers that seemed like the stadium was going to burst, but the mixed reactions of many fans who saw Karis's beautiful appearance on the scoreboard.
To Seleves, Karis was always a treasure.
To other fandoms, he was a heavenly idol who always boasted shocking visuals.
Watching Karis wearing Seleste's official sky blue tracksuit and archery gear, the audience had similar thoughts.
Karis, who creates such waves with just his presence, what should we do if he's also good at archery?
No, isn't this kind of thinking useless in the first place?
The athleticism he showed in the 60m dash earlier was properly engraved in their brains.
As expected.
Karis, who pulled the bowstring with an unwavering, calm face, released the bowstring without a moment of hesitation.
The arrow that left his fingers drew a beautiful straight line and accurately pierced the yellow part of the target.
"Karis, 9, 9, 10 from the beginning! Does this really make sense?"
"What did I say earlier? That player definitely won't stop at human bullets and will do well in other events! Oh, what a blessed athleticism! He's such a great talent that I want to bring him in as my disciple right away!"
Karis's performance made the broadcast booth even more excited than before.
Commentator Joo Hyun-sik, who is already becoming a huge fan of Karis, couldn't contain his excitement as he wiggled his butt again.
Next to him, Shin Yu-na, a guest commentator for archery, tried to hold back her laughter and provide a professional commentary.
"If you look at his posture now, there's no shaking at all in his left hand holding the bow. I can feel that he's really good at controlling his breathing just by looking at the screen."
"Shin Yu-na, what do you think? If there was someone like that, wouldn't you want to bring him in right away?"
"Honestly, I'm a little greedy......"
Karis, who had defeated his opponent by a whopping 20 points in the preliminary round, left with a carefree smile on his face and a wave of his hand.
When Karis went to the area where Seleves were gathered and thanked them for cheering him on for a minute or two, just like he did during the track and field event, the fans kept chanting his name while capturing his face on camera.
Following Karis, who had left a strong impression from his first appearance, another dark horse appeared in the third group of the preliminary round.
"Owen, fighting!"
This time, cheers erupted from the opposite area where Seleves were gathered.
The enthusiastic cheers were directed at Owen Cromwell, who was entering the stadium neatly dressed in his white tracksuit, the official color of Jerene.
"He's really handsome, too."
"Doesn't the atmosphere overlap with Karis'?"
"It feels even more so because he's the same blonde."
People's eyes were immediately focused on his tall visuals, which were just as handsome as Karis's.
Since Owen had never participated in other matches, the commentators were still unsure of his athletic ability, so they just watched for a while.
"Player Owen hit the target right from the start!"
Owen, who left an intense impact from the first arrow, brought the set with him by shooting two consecutive nine-point shots with a calm smile.
The match, which had a similar pattern to Karis' match, ended with Owen winning by 15 points.
Caster Jung Woo-jin exchanged glances with the commentators next to him as he grabbed the microphone.
"Both of you here are obviously surprised, what did you think?"
"May I make a guess?"
"Oh, I think Commissioner Joo Hyun-sik has something to predict again."
Joo Hyun-sik nodded with a very confident air.
"The men's archery final will likely be between Karis and Owen. It's almost 100%."
"What will you do if one of the two players falls because of this remark by the commissioner?"
"Then........ I'll have to bang my head and apologize to the nation."
But fortunately, Commissioner Joo Hyun-sik didn't have to bang his head.
Karis and Owen, who showed steady yet destructive skills continuously, advanced to the finals without any surprises.
The birth of a historic two-shot that will be remembered for a long time in the Korean idol scene was finally approaching.
***
I had expected this situation to come since we practiced together.
I smiled as I packed my archery equipment with Owen.
"Have you been preparing well since then, Owen?"
"Of course, hyung-nim. I've been counting the days until today, when I can stand side by side with you like this!"
"Me too."
When the two of us walking side by side appeared on the screen, thunderous cheers erupted simultaneously.
That's understandable.
It's really rare for the two, who have the best looks among Korean idols, to appear on the same screen.
On top of that, wearing archery gear that you don't usually see.
'Even if I say it lightly, I can't help but feel a little nervous.'
I took a deep breath and steel myself.
No matter how precious my younger brother is, Owen, who has been through countless battles with me, I have to be cool-headed in the world of competition.
In this situation where so many fans and idols are watching, losing would be a scratch to my pride.
Owen, who knew my feelings, confidently spoke to me as he put both feet in his lane.
"Hyung-nim, you don't have to look for me now. I will also do my best to beat you."
"I'm glad you said that. It will be completely different from practice, so you should be careful, Owen."
"Hyung-nim, please be prepared and be careful."
My brother's cute provocations continued.
I started to concentrate all my nerves, like when I was running a 60m race.
I focused my gaze solely on the target about 15m away, and I focused my strength on my arms and fingertips.
When the beep sounded, Owen, who was first in line, calmly lifted his bow.
-Swoosh!
The arrow flew straight and landed at 9 points with a refreshing sound.
Owen's expression on the screen was slightly regretful.
'Your emotions are still clearly visible on your face, little brother.'
I slowly raised the arrow and aimed while looking only at the center of the target.
Since it was an indoor game, there was no effect of the wind at all.
I only had to worry about my breathing and the shaking of my arms.
I held my breath just before releasing the arrow.
So that no slightest influence would be applied to the bowstring.
The first arrow that I had poured my heart and soul into left my fingers.
- Swoosh!
"10 points! 10 points!"
It landed right in the center of the target that I had aimed for.
There was a cheer from the area where Seleves was sitting, but I wasn't satisfied yet.
'I aimed for the center, but it went down a little. Next time, I should raise my arm a little higher.'
In
Whether or not you can accurately pierce the enemy's heart.
Only by cutting off the enemy's breath with a single attack can you effectively conduct the battle and instill fear in the remaining enemies.
In the next attempt, I must definitely pierce the target and finish it.
Meanwhile, Owen looked slightly nervous.
Maybe because he was behind from the beginning, he seemed to be putting too much strength into his left hand.
This is my chance.
-Swoosh!
My second arrow went up a little higher than the 10 I had seen before.
It was getting closer and closer to the center of the target I was aiming for.
Owen, who was in the next lane, must have been stimulated by my consecutive 10s, and he put his next arrow right on the 10-point line.
Owen, who finished with 9, 9, and 10, was in a situation where he could only hope that I would shoot for an 8.
'I'm sorry, but I won't give you any favors just because you're my brother.'
I closed my eyes for a moment and imagined.
The mana in my entire body strengthened my arms and fingertips.
So that I could make even more precise attacks.
So that I could perfectly pierce the enemy's heart.
The arrow, shot with more concentration than ever, flew towards the target in a smooth, straight line.
Instead of the dull sound of piercing the target, the sharp cracking sound of glass shattering echoed throughout the stadium.
-Crack!
"Oh, wait! Wait! Did you hear that sound just now! "
"It's broken! It's broken, it's broken!"
"It sounds like the lens broke!"
"Really, really? Did you really break this?"
"Please check, please check!"
I could hear the extremely excited voices bursting out from the broadcast booth.
In order to show the arrows hitting realistically, the crew installed a tiny camera right in the center of the 10 points.
The arrow I shot pierced the lens of that tiny camera exactly.
"...Hyung-nim, this is too much."
As the staff ran towards my target, Owen said to me in a dejected manner.
I smiled at him and shook my hand.
"Didn't I tell you? I'll never let you go."
"You shouldn't have shot perfect gold just because of that."
"You can shoot too."
"That's really easy to say."
According to the confirmation of the production team, my arrow really did shatter the camera lens built into the target.
The production team collected my arrow, saying they would keep the first X-ten arrow in history, and the game resumed.
The game, which had already turned the mood in my favor, continued without any change in flow.
I won the honor of the first archery champion by beating Owen, who had been pursuing passionately until the end, by 5 points.
I returned to the members with my second gold medal around my neck and was once again showered with congratulations.
"It feels so good to finally reveal the human weapon that only we knew about."
"Hyung, you were just like Theseus from Greek and Roman mythology! You were really cool!"
"...I even took a video."
Ji Yoon-chul even filmed the Perfect Gold using his cell phone.
I took a short break to express my gratitude for the warm hospitality of the members.
"Come here, let me rub your legs."
"You weren't persuaded by Yoo Bin either, hyung?"
"There was no external pressure, hyung!"
I couldn't stop Heo Yu-bin and Song Hyung-bin from rubbing my calves.
Kang Si Yoon, who was to compete in the next event, the jumping jacks, asked me while stretching flexibly.
"What are you going to do next? Basketball?"
"Yes."
"How are you, Yoon-chul? Do you think you prepared well?"
"...Of course."
Ji Yoon-chul, who had gained confidence recently, nodded without hesitation to Kang Si Yoon's question.
Then he glanced at me and gestured.
"Hyung. Should we....... do that right?"
"Hmm. It depends on who we're going against. I guess we'll have to show what we've prepared right away."
"Okay. Then I'll pass it high to you, hyung as soon as I get the chance."
"What, what did you two prepare? Why are you guys talking about something that only you know? Let us know too!"
"That's right, hyung! Why are you only talking to Yoon-chul in secret!"
I laughed out loud at Kang Si-yoon and Yoo Min-ha's words.
"You'll know when you see it, so just wait."
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