A few months after the World Championships, Jihong accidentally heard about a truly outstanding child. Conversations at the cafeteria usually began like this: "Mr. Lim is so excited to work with this kid that he plans to work exclusively with him", "He yelled at my kids by the pool, isn't he going overboard?", "Master Yu gets along well with the kids, but he's too soft."

As a result, such an exchange of opinions only led to general dissatisfaction with the other employee. Naturally, Jihong ignored all the details of the conversation. After all, history had nothing to do with him. And the guardians often inflated the problem, bringing it to the point of absurdity. In addition, Mr. Lim is unlikely to abandon everyone else. In general, he is only a coach in words, but in fact he is worse than a part-time instructor. After all, he doesn't even go into the pool, but just screams outside. Jihong couldn't believe that the man was giving someone private lessons. Obviously, the parents exaggerated and spread false information. That was what Jihon thought until he soon found out the truth.

On the first Tuesday of winter break, as always, Jihong headed to the sports center after physical therapy. That day he witnessed an amazing sight. Coach Lim was in the water teaching someone. He even made a lot of effort, carefully showing every move. He is so devoted to teaching, has he really been replaced? Only then did Jihong realize that gossip was not just a rumor. But the most incredible thing is something else: the talent of a young talent.

Jihong saw how he alternated all four styles at a distance of 400 m. The child was extremely fast and performed powerful strokes. It's hard to believe that he's just a junior high school student. Jihong realized why Mr. Lim was so enthusiastic. He apparently thought that the boy was worth the effort. Such a prodigy with good training is able to win medals at the Asian Games and even get into the national team. Since then, Jihong has been confronted by the kid every Tuesday and Thursday, whose training hours seem to have lasted between two and four on weekdays. And Jihon's watch is from four to six.

Jihon remained punctual, but sometimes he came a little earlier. Especially on days when he has physiotherapy prescribed. If he left the hospital, he usually came to the pool at about 3:30 a.m. Jihon saw the same picture every time, how the child studied in the pool alone. If his training started at two, it would end at exactly 3:50, but the kid swam until four without rest, as if he did not want to lose even 10 minutes. After about three or four months, the teacher seemed to have developed the bad habit of sleeping drunk in the instructor's room, and the child was still full of enthusiasm.

Jihon's physiotherapy sessions became shorter, so he got to the place faster. He no longer tried to come in late and went straight into the pool. Jihon watched as the child honed his skills. For the rest of the time after completing the distance, he focused mainly on freestyle. Mr. Lim seemed to emphasize short distances, which was a waste because the boy had succeeded in many ways.

If the baby develops in other styles, then he will be able to achieve impressive results. If we take into account Jaekyung's magnificent physique, then he should strive for the all-around. However, if you share the idea with the coach, it is likely to cause a predictable reaction in the form of shouting and yelling: "I know you won a medal at the World Championships, but how do you know? Of course, I've never taught you directly, but I'm the expert here. Did I ask you to intervene? Maybe then you will stand in my place?!"

And if Jihon advises the child directly... The result will not be better. Jacken definitely wouldn't scream, but would probably just take a quick glance at Jihon like a barking dog before leaving. In fact, Jihong had heard several times about the boy being quite arrogant and ignoring others. He wondered if his parents were just letting jealousy rule their tongues, but it turned out to be true. Ignoring others didn't mean despising or looking down on everyone, he was literally just pretending not to see them. Jihon tried to greet the kid cheerfully in the dining room, but the kid only glared at him. After a few such greetings, he felt slightly offended.

«… But I'm still watching him," Jihong chuckled to himself. The speed of the child cutting through the water was staggering, and his technique remained impeccable. In addition, Jaekyung's diligence was amazing. He maintained a precise stroke, as if according to a manual, without moving his hand to the side and without lowering the angle of his elbow. He just gritted his teeth and tried to follow all the instructions. Jihong was proud to witness the child's skill, but at the same time, he was worried. So, after thinking for a while, Jihon struck up the conversation first.

"Listen

As always, the child just stared at him silently. And Jihon did not expect much friendliness from the very beginning.

"I've seen you turn your shoulders too wide before. Do your hands hurt?

"They don't hurt

The child answered directly. His voice trembled with puberty-related hoarseness, the sound of which irritated his ears. Jihon hesitated for a moment, wondering if he had formulated his thought correctly.

"Even if everything is fine, you may face problems later. Didn't Mr. Lim tell you anything?"

Jaekyung shook his head

"Which was what had to be proved. I was also taught," Jihon said to himself. Many, including the instructor Jihona, recommended by the federation, showed one technique - the shoulder push at short distances and the hip push at long distances. After all, they were taught the same way. Given that the chances of a Korean athlete winning an Olympic medal are slim, they trained everyone in the old-fashioned way in order to prepare them for the national team.

But they didn't realize how dangerous it was. If there is a promising young athlete like Jaekyung, he will most likely be trained for short swims. But no matter how skillful the children are, defeating high school students and adults is not an easy task. The championship seemed almost impossible, especially when it came to swims over long distances, which required great endurance. And coaches who sought quick results lost sight of their physical condition without thinking about the consequences. Mr. Lim was no different. He sought to train outstanding talents quickly, using a method that allowed him to achieve maximum speed at once. This approach is rarely used in the West because it has little efficacy and a high risk of undermining health.

"I'm not saying your teacher is wrong... but watch the videos of foreign swimmers on YouTube. It is really useful. You'll notice that each of them has different strokes. It is necessary to monitor your physical characteristics, and not to overload the anterior quadrant [1]. Find what is right for you. You are good not only in freestyle, try complex exercises. Try to modify the nature of the stroke to reduce muscle tension. If you spread your shoulders too wide, there is a high probability of getting injured," Jihon explained unobtrusively.

"Like me," as he hesitated, Jaekyung muttered softly, "... Cool."

Which made Jihong barely hear.

"I'm sorry, what?"

The boy fell silent for a moment, and then said, "It's so cool, to spread your shoulders wide with your elbows high. This position of the body is so beautiful...." And he immediately added: "Like you, hyun."

                                                                                                 ***

[1] The anterior quadrant is a group of muscles on the front side of the body that are actively engaged when performing movements. It includes the muscles of the chest, shoulder girdle, and abdomen. These muscles play an important role in creating strength and stability while swimming.