Chapter 62 – Swimming Emperor (6)
[Chapter 4 – Verse 3] I Am Nam Hae-soo
How do I meet Mr. Nam Hae-soo, who’s wearing the skin of another person?
There’s only one answer.
Unless I have superpowers, I have no choice but to create a situation that forces him to appear before me on his own.
Or,
‘Knowledge of the future.’
The ultimate weapon that could let Mr. Nam Hae-soo, who dreams of the past, succeed once again!
Unless he has absolute power like Magic Boy Choi Kang-min, there’s no reason not to use this knowledge.
“He must be insanely rich by now.”
I only have fragmented knowledge from documentaries, but Mr. Nam Hae-soo, who lived through this era himself, would know the ways to make money in detail!
I immediately started investigating.
“Uh… oh no.”
And failed.
‘I can’t tell at all!’
I didn’t even know what methods Mr. Nam Hae-soo used to earn money, and I couldn’t guarantee he was obsessed with wealth. There are too many rich people in the world!
‘How would I know?’
For someone like me, who’s never lived in this era, the limits were clear.
Abnormal weather, pandemics, cryptocurrency…
There were no developments that deviated from the past history I’d learned from textbooks or documentaries.
“Then…”
「Search: Prophet」
I completely flipped my approach.
To the possibility that Mr. Nam Hae-soo didn’t monopolize his ‘knowledge of the future’ but revealed it to the world!
「A meteor collision.」
「World War III breaks out.」
「A new pandemic spreads.」
「A volcano erupts.」
“Hmm…”
There were an incredible number of prophets floating around the internet.
Considering that, according to P’s aptitude test results, only two people worldwide have the aptitude of “prophet,” it was a ridiculously high number.
Moreover, prophets from the old era were vague with dates and details, and not all their predictions hit 100%.
‘Good grief…’
There are way too many wrong predictions?
It stood in stark contrast to modern prophets, who earn trust with weather forecasts and natural disaster warnings more accurate than supercomputers.
“Let’s see… This prophet is a fraud… This old man is dead… This girl isn’t it either…”
I know the future.
Disasters, wars, incidents…
But even without knowing the future, there’s a way to spot frauds. A prophet said it himself on a broadcast.
‘Determined future.’
Only futures that cannot be changed even if known can be prophesied.
A prime example is aptitude—like Beethoven, who composed countless masterpieces even after losing his hearing.
Aptitude never changes.
On the other hand,
‘Uncertain future.’
Prophets cannot foresee futures that can be altered by their own words or interference.
For example.
Person A is scheduled to die in a traffic accident tomorrow.
But if A hears the prophet’s warning and stays home?
The future where A dies in a traffic accident never comes.
In other words,
“All war predictions are frauds.”
A future that could change because of a prophet’s prediction isn’t a future at all.
Wars, assassinations, deaths, extinctions…
So those kinds of predictions can be filtered out without even looking.
However,
‘It’s really complicated!’
People in the old era don’t seem to trust prophets’ statements or warnings as much as modern people do.
That changes things again—since a prophet’s words can’t interfere with the future no matter what, they can foresee it.
Let’s take a similar but different example.
If Person A doesn’t hear or ignores the prophet’s warning and goes outside?
A dies in a traffic accident.
“Accurate predictions…”
I focused on whether there was a prophet who had perfectly predicted future events on Earth.
Mr. Nam Hae-soo probably wouldn’t consider the risk of his statements changing the future.
Why do I say that with certainty?
Because I saw his children fighting over inheritance due to his complacent attitude of not preparing for the future.
And on the tenth day.
“Arghhh! I give up! Total surrender…!”
Flop~
I collapsed onto the bed.
I investigated not only prophets in the Republic of Korea—Mr. Nam Hae-soo’s home country—but also those in other nations. All for nothing.
There were too many people who’d made fortunes in a short time.
“I really have no idea!”
“Molang?”
[TL Note: Changing Malang to Molang]
“…Huh?”
An alien creature was Molang-ing right beside me.
“Molang?”
“It’s a slime? Why is this thing on Earth…?”
Its skin wasn’t soft—it was Molang. A slime.
Its translucent body wasn’t the pink I’d commonly seen in the novel <I Became the Youngest Daughter of a Count’s Family>… but rainbow-colored…
“Molang Molang~”
“Why are you here?”
“Molang!”
“I-I see.”
I had no idea what this Molang slime was saying.
‘This is the dream world. There was the Sword Demon too, right?’
Giving up on thinking deeply, I fiddled with the Molang slime while organizing my thoughts.
“Molang~”
“…My Molang friend.”
“Molang? Molang.”
“From now on, Molang once if you agree with me, twice if you disagree. Got it?”
“Molang!”
Did it really understand? Didn’t matter.
“Mr. Nam Hae-soo doesn’t seem to be actively using his knowledge of the future.”
“Molang.”
“But starting as someone else, he wouldn’t have a failed life. If he did, he’d have woken up from the dream long ago.”
“Molang.”
“Like Choi Kang-min did.”
“Molang~”
Magic Boy Choi Kang-min, with the speed of light and absolute power, only returned to reality after his past atrocities were exposed and he realized it was a dream.
“Kim Eun-jung too.”
“Molang~”
Kim Eun-jung, the beautiful noble young lady loved by all handsome men. She woke from the dream after facing a public execution crisis and horrific community service.
“Song Sun-young was a bit different.”
The girl who wanted to change her aptitude opened her eyes after accepting reality through my persuasion.
“Molang Molang!”
“Hm? My thinking’s wrong?”
“Molang!”
“…My Molang friend. You really understand me?”
“Molang.”
“Hmm…”
The responses weren’t entirely trustworthy, but I petted the Molang slime and vented.
“Where is this man, the former Emperor of Swimming, and what’s he doing?”
“Molang~”
“Song Sun-young, Choi Kang-min, Kim Eun-jung. They were all trapped in dreams because they hated reality.”
“Molang!”
“But what does Mr. Nam Hae-soo lack that he clings to the past? And as someone else, no less.”
“Molang?”
“I have no clue.”
“Molang Molang!”
The slime Molang-ed twice vigorously in denial, and my petting hand stopped abruptly.
“…I already know?”
“Molang!”
“……”
Anyone would say Nam Hae-soo, the Emperor of Swimming, lived a successful life.
Money, fame, family…
His children, born to a beautiful former model wife, were bickering over inheritance, but until he suddenly collapsed, it was a harmonious family without a single discord.
‘I already know?’
Nam Hae-soo was a great man with no greed for material things, entrusting his wealth to the International Swimming Federation to support the next generation.
If so, my assumption that he used future knowledge to get rich was completely off.
“…Wait.”
“Molang?”
“No greed for material things?”
If Mr. Nam Hae-soo had no desires, he wouldn’t have swept Olympic medals.
Just looking at the luxury cruise ship he lent to the federation, he quite liked showing off.
Then why?
“Why was he so obsessed with nurturing the next generation?”
Even for near-national-level first-string athletes, a luxury cruise ship and top-class buffet were excessive luxuries.
Would Mr. Nam Hae-soo, a former athlete, not know that?
No way.
“Molang?”
“Hold on. I think it’s coming to me.”
“Molang~”
The reason Mr. Nam Hae-soo obsessed over nurturing juniors.
In modern swimming competitions, with good swimsuits, environment, and coaching, victory is decided by ‘aptitude’…
“Aptitude?”
“Molang!”
“Right. That’s it. Mr. Nam Hae-soo’s aptitude wasn’t swimmer.”
Yet he swept Olympic swimming medals and earned the title ‘Emperor of Swimming.’
Why?
Because his competitors’ aptitudes weren’t swimmers either, or they lacked sufficient support.
“Molang?”
“…No. Now I get it.”
Finding Mr. Nam Hae-soo wearing someone else’s skin is impossible.
‘I need him to come to me.’
How?
Getting up from the bed, I immediately connected to the internet.
「Search: Next Olympics」
In the modern era, where sports monsters in human skin pour out every year, the Olympics are held every two years, but in the old era, summer and winter were separate four-year cycles.
“Ah… damn.”
“Molang?”
“Not much time.”
“Molang!”
“If I’m not going to rot here for four years, I really need to hurry.”
There was no time.
“Hyuuung~!”
Bang!
A beautiful boy with an androgynous appearance—gender confusing depending on the angle—burst into the hospital room, slamming the door open.
“…Mr. Choi Kang-hoon. Please be quiet in the hospital.”
“Moon-soo hyuuung~!”
“……”
Section Chief Seo Hye-joo, handling Elmolance Hospital duties from a distant location, took her hands off the keyboard.
She had received ‘notice’ that this boy was coming, but…
‘He’s such a pain!’
Compared to when his half-brother, patient Choi Kang-min, visited, this generated an average of 86 times more questions and attention. It was disrupting her work.
But ignoring him wasn’t an option.
“Hello!”
“Welcome.”
The backing—dripping with money—was too formidable.
“Doctor! How’s Moon-soo hyung? I heard he fell asleep again!”
“There’s nothing wrong with his body. But what brings you here…”
“It’s vacation! I wanted to come as soon as I heard hyung was treating that autistic patient Kim Eun-jung, but it was during the semester!”
“You know hospital confidentiality so casually.”
“It’s about Moon-soo hyung!”
“I see.”
Normally impossible, but since he was the son of a major shareholder in Elmolance Affiliated Hospital, she let it slide.
However,
“Oh! Good heavens! It’s truly astonishing that such a beautiful lady is a doctor at Elmolance Hospital.”
She didn’t like the young man who entered the room after Choi Kang-hoon.
Golden hair like a detective’s hook, emerald-green eyes, a jawline as if chiseled by a sculptor devoting his life…
Finished with a luxurious white tuxedo, his appearance oozed charming masculinity.
“Prince Leon?”
“Oh! Fair doctor from a foreign land. You know me?”
“I was contacted in advance.”
Prince Leon.
The young royalty from the country this beautiful resort belonged to.
If he were the legitimate heir, courtesy would be due, but a royal whose aptitude didn’t suit ‘king’ was no different from a chaebol second-gen, so no need to care.
‘Annoying people doubled…’
With piled-up work, she wanted to tell Choi Kang-hoon and Prince Leon not to disturb her.
Did her wish reach them?
“Kang-hoon. Once you’re done, I’ll show you around the island. Royal-exclusive resort and restaurant…”
“Wait a sec. Just give hyung the gift.”
Tap!
Choi Kang-hoon stuck a piece of paper on the forehead of Kang Moon-soo, lying deathly still on the hospital bed.
“Mr. Choi Kang-hoon? What on earth is that…”
Section Chief Seo Hye-joo, startled that he’d touch the patient’s body directly, asked.
In response,
“It’s a talisman I bought from a famous shaman with 500 years of history! It’s imbued with powerful divine protection!”
“Ah, yes. Divine protection…”
“It’s real!”
She was convinced Choi Kang-hoon had been scammed.
“Goodness! The thoughts of commoners are truly incomprehensible.”
Prince Leon smiled in disbelief for a different reason.
At that moment,
“What? Why are you here?”
“Huh? You’re the Song Sun-young sunbae who used to bother Moon-soo hyung—what are you doing here…”
“Who bothered whom!”
“That’s right, though.”
“No, it’s not!”
Song Sun-young, holding two iced coffees, stormed into the room indignantly.
“Ah… Ohh…”
But she had to stop, blocked by Prince Leon, who was entranced staring at her.
“Could you move?”
Song Sun-young immediately frowned, showing her displeasure.
“Beautiful miss! Your name…”
“Song Sun-young.”
“Oh! A name that pierces my soul. Miss Song Sun-young. I am…”
“Could you move?”
Her voice, handing an iced coffee to Section Chief Seo Hye-joo, crept with irritation.
“Ahem! My apologies.”
The embarrassed Prince Leon quickly stepped aside.
Swish~
He couldn’t take his eyes off Song Sun-young as she brushed past indifferently.
“Huh? What’s this?”
“Sunbae! Don’t remove it!”
Choi Kang-hoon guarded the talisman on Kang Moon-soo’s forehead.
“It’s your doing! Get out of the way.”
“No way!”
“Miss Song Sun-young. I understand your noble concern for the patient, but please give me a moment of your time…”
“Remove it nicely while I’m asking!”
“No!”
“……”
Section Chief Seo Hye-joo sipped the iced coffee Song Sun-young gave her and thought.
‘What a mess.’
It wouldn’t continue like this until Kang Moon-soo woke up, right?
…She prayed not.