Chapter 75 – Swimming Emperor (19)
[Chapter 4 – Verse 8] For the Nation!
Everyone regrets mistakes they made in the past.
Even those who deny it can’t confidently say that their past self was perfect.
Nam Hae-soo was no exception.
“This is my chance.”
In the past, swimming was everything to him. He crushed his competitors by any means necessary if they stood in the way of his success.
Swimming Emperor.
That title was practically built on the ruined lives of others.
‘This time, things will be different.’
As one grows older, one’s field of view expands, and one realizes how vast the world really is.
Politics, economics, culture, diplomacy, science…
Unlike in his youth where he could think only of swimming, he now understood more.
「Real estate speculation scandal…」
「Public apology to the nation…」
「Crackdown on protest movements…」
Though Nam Hae-soo wasn’t interested in politics as an athlete, that didn’t mean he was ignorant of the consequences of politics.
Failure!
Even if you don’t want to know about it, things like taxes, welfare, and public safety affect daily life—you can’t ignore them.
“We must stop it.”
He believed he was the only one capable of preventing the tragic future from repeating.
He had to block the politicians who would destroy Korea’s future, no matter what.
How?
In a capitalist society, there are few things that can’t be solved with money.
‘And I have plenty of capital.’
Unlike the ordinary Nam Hae-soo of the past, his new identity, Hwang Hae-soo, was a third-generation chaebol heir.
Thanks to a grandfather who had lost hope in his talentless son and instead adored his brilliant grandson!
From there, things became simple.
“Grandpa!”
“Yes, my little darling!”
“Can I have some allowance?”
“Haha! Tell me what toy you want—”
“I want to buy land.”
“……”
“It’s farmland, so it’s cheap for now. But once the development restrictions are lifted, the price will go up by hundreds of times.”
“Real estate investment at five years old… Where did you learn this?”
“I studied!”
“Hahaha!”
To ordinary citizens, it was an outrageously expensive price.
But to a chaebol, it was dirt cheap.
What if prices didn’t rise?
He could just resell it later.
“A kiss on Grandpa’s cheek, and I’ll consider it.”
Smack!
“Hahaha! Good boy.”
To a billionaire grandfather, a kiss from a beloved grandson was a profitable deal.
And indeed, one year later, development restrictions were unexpectedly lifted, and a subway station and landmark building appeared on that land. Its value jumped 50 times.
“Grandpa~!”
“I can hardly believe it.”
“I want to buy something else.”
“Haha! Anything, my little darling. You earned this fortune. I’ll buy you a real airplane if you want!”
“I want to invest in a movie.”
“A movie?”
“Yes. And I want to buy more land too.”
Of all industries, Nam Hae-soo was most confident in film investment.
He didn’t understand politics, but he did enjoy culture to some extent. He at least knew the titles of big hit movies.
“Which production company?”
“A small film studio with an unknown director. But it will absolutely be a blockbuster.”
“Hm…”
Unlike land, investing in film wasn’t easy.
If the company went under, you could never recover the investment. Especially for small studios with no reputation.
However—
“Grandpa~!”
“…Fine. It’s your money. Spend it however you want!”
“Wow! Thank you!”
“Oh dear, my sweet grandson. Are you that happy?”
“Yes! Grandpa is the best!”
“Hahahaha!”
The returns from taking that risk in the film industry were astronomical.
200 times? 300 times?
Thanks to abundant capital, films were produced with far more freedom than in the past—and they became massive hits.
“Thank you!”
“You’re our savior!”
“I’ll work hard!”
Actors who leaped from obscurity to stardom because of the hit movie we funded wept with gratitude.
And these connections became—
“Be grateful to my grandson.”
“Hello, I’m Hwang Hae-soo!”
Nam Hae-soo followed his grandfather and steadily built allies.
“Eight years old…?”
“He started investing at eight?!”
“What an incredible kid.”
But Nam Hae-soo tried to stay humble. If he influenced the future too much, history could change.
For safe and consistent investing, that was the obvious choice.
“No way, Grandpa just praises me too much.”
“Oh ho! You’re making it sound like I’m lying!”
“I doubt anyone here believes that, sir.”
“You rascal…”
They really didn’t.
Because it appeared to everyone like a doting grandfather exaggerating about his cute grandson.
No one criticized them—they already liked him.
Security through affection was perfect.
The more trust he earned, the bolder his investments became, and not once did he fail.
But then—
“Young master! Terrible news! The chairman has died in an accident!”
“Grandpa?!”
A crisis struck his otherwise smooth life.
His biological parents’ jealousy and greed, collusion between rival companies and politicians, and a staged “accident”…
As money gathered, more people coveted it. And since he was still a minor, Hae-soo had to fight desperately to protect it.
For ten whole years!
Until he legally became an adult, he wasted time and money fighting in a dirty swamp of legal battles.
“Please, Hae-soo! Have mercy…!”
“We were wrong…!”
“Father, Mother—congratulations on your life sentences. Stay healthy.”
Clank!
He sent his parents to prison.
There had been no real affection to begin with.
‘They tried to disrupt my plan! Unforgivable!’
He believed himself chosen to change Korea’s doomed future.
Those who obstructed him—even if they were family—had to be eliminated.
“Chairman Hwang Hae-soo, you’ve worked hard.”
“Thank you for your leadership!”
“Thank you!”
Although he wasted precious time and money, he hadn’t been idle. He had gathered others who shared his cause.
Revolution!
If they could eradicate the pests destroying their beloved homeland, they would gladly sacrifice even their only life!
“Are you ready?”
“Yes!”
“Absolutely!”
Their powerful response made Nam Hae-soo smile with pride.
‘We can do it!’
With these comrades, he felt certain they could not fail.
“Korea, long live!”
“Manse!”
“Manse!”
[TL Note: In Korean, “manse” (만세) means “hooray,” “long live,” or “ten thousand years”]
Thus, with his allies, Nam Hae-soo launched full-scale operations.
***
“I thought we’d succeed quickly. But the parasites rotting this country united the moment they sensed danger and resisted fiercely.”
“That must have been frustrating.”
I listened quietly to Nam Hae-soo’s complaints.
‘This is actually easier than I thought.’
He clearly wanted my empathy, but my head was filled with one goal—
How to wake him from this dream.
Unaware of this, Nam Hae-soo continued:
“That was when I realized the limits of legal justice. They would stall investigations, eliminate evidence and witnesses, and then proudly stand trial. Isn’t it maddening?”
“It sure is.”
“So I decided to gain real power. I invested in defense industries to strengthen national defense, and raised private soldiers equipped with conventional weapons.”
“……”
The definitive reason I could not defeat Nam Hae-soo by force…
That was still true now.
‘If I move, I’ll be shot immediately.’
He brought his family not out of trust or carelessness, but out of confidence born from overwhelming power.
A declaration that he could change his mind and kill me whenever he wished.
However—
“Are you satisfied with the result?”
My goal was persuasion.
If I could subdue him with strength, that would be easier…
But brute force wasn’t the only method.
“Hm…”
He frowned as he downed another drink.
Ssshhh—
As soon as his wife quietly refilled his glass, he emptied it again.
“I can tell by your expression.”
“You must be far younger than I am.”
“Correct.”
“…I know it’s childish for an adult to blame the young, but holding it in would make me sick! I simply couldn’t keep quiet.”
“Then say whatever you want.”
It was funny how he tried to maintain his dignity as an elder—
Right after repeatedly attempting to kill me.
Did he really think he could talk as if he’d never behaved violently?
“Why did you imitate me?”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t play dumb! You entered the Olympics as a swimmer and seduced Park Han-hee!”
I smirked.
“I’m a professional swimmer in reality. My performance is excellent. You don’t get into the Olympics without skill.”
“…What about Park Han-hee?”
“She confessed first and started following me.”
“Don’t lie!”
“Just because you were rejected doesn’t mean everyone else will be. Let go of that prejudice.”
“Ghhh—!”
My flawless logic distorted his face.
“And another thing—you’re married to someone else, yet you tried to kill me over jealousy. Doesn’t that sound tyrannical?”
“……”
“Am I wrong?”
“…Han-hee is a good woman.”
“…Sure.”
Wouldn’t his wife feel offended hearing that?
Ssshhh—
“……”
But she refilled his glass without a hint of emotion. Apparently not.
“If I must give her up because I’m married, then I should just change the law.”
“Oh! That’s… certainly a method.”
A truly outrageous idea.
“People will call it immoral. But look at this country. Countless parents abandon their children or commit suicide because life is too hard.”
“Well…”
Because I had seen it firsthand, I understood a fraction of it.
“In that case, wouldn’t it be better if the wealthy took more spouses and raised more children? Don’t you agree?”
“…Having money doesn’t mean you raise children well.”
“I wasn’t trying to convince you.”
“Ah. Understood.”
Completely dismissed.
“When the entire nation’s eyes are fixed on the Olympic opening ceremony, Korea will cut away its rotten roots and be reborn!”
“…A coup?”
“That word is unpleasant. Call it a glorious revolution.”
“Hm…”
I glanced at the cruise ship floating on the sea.
If everything he said was true, he wouldn’t waste an entire night talking with me at such a critical time.
Once he finished, the snipers would fire simultaneously.
“Kang Moon-soo. You only have one way to live.”
“What is it?”
“Help Han-hee fall in love with me.”
I knew it.
“Are you serious?”
“Do I look like someone who jokes in a situation like this?”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“Then what?”
“Park Han-hee—no, that woman is already your wife. So how exactly am I supposed to help you?”
“She isn’t yet.”
“No. She is your wife, even now. She’s waiting for you to wake up.”
“……”
Nam Hae-soo’s eyes narrowed like a snake’s as he stared at me.
“Have you already forgotten? I told you—I was sent by the International Swimming Federation.”
“Nonsense.”
“It’s not nonsense. You just refuse to acknowledge it.”
“Acknowledge?”
He glared at me as if he wanted to bore a hole through my skull.
So I delivered the verdict:
“This world is your dream.”
“……”
“A delusion—created by the Swimming Emperor who desperately wanted to rewrite history.”
“…Liar.”
“In reality, your children and the federation are fighting over the wealth you amassed. Lady Park Han-hee is merely watching from far away—”
“Lies!!”
BANG!
Enraged, Nam Hae-soo kicked his chair aside and rushed toward me.
‘He’s coming…!’
I could tell—instinct sharpened through countless brushes with death.
I twisted my entire body.
Whip—!
Bullets grazed my skin and tore through flesh, sending blood spraying.
“Mr. Nam Hae-soo! Wake up—huh?”
A bullet had pierced through his head.
Thud.
His body collapsed.
What just happened?
“Oh my!”
The wife who had said nothing until now finally spoke.
Her face betrayed not surprise.
Her eyes met mine, and she pretended to be terrified.
“Help! My husband has been murdered by Kang Moon-soo!”
“Waaaah!”
Startled by his mother’s scream, the newborn in the stroller began to cry.
“I didn’t— urgh?!”
Bang! Ping! Bang—!
Bullets from the cruise ship flew again—yet every trajectory was aimed solely at me.
Why?
The answer was obvious.
Betrayal.
‘Unbelievable…!’
Whether his wife and subordinates had betrayed him didn’t matter anymore.
The real issue—
“Mr. Nam Hae-soo!!”
“……”
No matter how desperately I called, there was no saving a man whose skull had been blown in half.
So… now what?
If I returned to the past like Song Sun-young, that would be the best outcome…
“Hgh?!”
Creak—crack—
From Nam Hae-soo’s corpse on the floor came a chilling sound.
A vibration I recognized all too well.
‘No way…?’
Then something unfolded before my eyes that defied belief.