Chapter 3

**The Streaming Season 1 of the Genius Archer, Episode 3**

1. I Still Want to Shoot (3)

"Is it really this similar...?"

Sanghyun was once again amazed by the realism of the virtual world that had replicated the Olympics.

- Wowww...

- Yoo Sanghyun! Yoo Sanghyun!

- Ah. Now, Yoo Sanghyun is holding the bow and getting ready. How does it look!?

- Yoo Sanghyun has shown a natural talent since he was young...

The cheers of the audience and the commentary from the archery competition, which sounded like an echo, filled his ears.

He felt the tension of actually participating in the Olympics.

Thump thump.

The sound of his heart, which should not have been audible, echoed in his ears, and his virtual lips, which should not have been dry, became parched.

At the 70-meter mark, the familiar target appeared in his field of vision.

Red, yellow, blue.

A target with several concentric circles.

What he had only seen in dreams was now right in front of him. How long had it been since he stood in this position?

"Huh."

Sanghyun immediately pulled the bowstring to feel the sensation.

Squeak.

The familiar feel and sound of the bowstring being pulled made Sanghyun's heart beat faster.

'Is this really happening?'

At the moment he held the bowstring in a holding position.

There was always a problem at this point. His right hand.

He turned his gaze to his right hand.

'!'

The right hand, which should have been trembling, was firmly pulling the bowstring.

Sanghyun remained in that position for a while, unable to do anything.

A hot sensation welled up inside him.

'...'

He struggled to swallow the complex emotions of sadness and joy, and then carefully examined the feel of the bow again.

'It's a bit different.'

The tension of the string when force was applied, the texture of the grip... If he examined each detail, there was a clear difference from reality. But those differences were no longer important to Sanghyun.

As long as he could pull the bow with a functioning arm...

Even if it felt like a toy bow, he could adapt to it.

'Let's try it.'

He took out an arrow and nocked it. Now, he was about to start shooting.

His eyes, which were always vacant, now fiercely focused on the target.

Now, he was entering the battle with the bow.

Archery was always a fierce and silent war between himself and the bow.

The athlete had to transform the bow into his own through the silent bloodshed.

The starting point was a full draw.

This was a preliminary battle where the arrow was pulled to the most suitable position for the athlete.

The precision and firmness of the right hand were essential in the full draw stage, so it had been a long time since Sanghyun had done this.

Squeak!

As if he had done it yesterday, the bowstring settled above his nose and lips. His right hand, as if finding its original position, firmly attached to his chin.

It was a perfect holding position.

It was definitely a perfect sequence.

However...

'The weight of the bow and the tension of the string are much lower than expected. Is it designed for beginners?'

There was a problem.

The lightness was actually uncomfortable for him.

Without the familiar weight, he was using more force than necessary.

His aim began to waver slightly.

"Again."

Sanghyun ultimately did not shoot and lowered the bow again.

* * *

When Sanghyun's eyes changed as he nocked the arrow, Joo-hyuk and the manager swallowed hard.

"Wow. Pros are different. His stance is incredible."

"Yeah. I've only heard about it, but this is the first time I'm actually seeing it..."

Joo-hyuk realized for the first time that Sanghyun could make such an expression.

'Is this Yoo Sanghyun?'

Just by shooting in the game, he made the viewers feel like they were being hunted.

The silence was like a fog, and even the wind seemed to stop and wait.

"Uh... Why isn't he shooting?"

"..."

But Sanghyun suddenly released the bowstring and lowered the bow.

"Could the problem with his right hand be affecting him mentally?"

Joo-hyuk bit his lip. The manager added a comment.

"I've seen this at the Olympics. It happens sometimes. Of course, it's not a good scene. But it's not unusual."

"Ah, right."

"He seems too tense."

Joo-hyuk remembered. One of the Olympic archery athletes had once lowered the bow after nocking the arrow to take a break.

The tension and pressure of the competition were even hard for professionals to handle.

'Is he nervous?'

Yoo Sanghyun, nervous in front of a virtual reality game. It was hard for Joo-hyuk, who had seen his work life, to imagine.

He was always so calm.

'He really loves it.'

Only then did Joo-hyuk realize how much Sanghyun loved archery and how much he had missed it.

His love for archery was evident in every movement, expression, and even his breathing.

He couldn't help but be tense.

It must feel like seeing his first love after a long time.

'Money is just an excuse, isn't it?'

Sanghyun didn't seem to want to make money from the game. He seemed to want to shoot the bow again, using that as an excuse.

He wanted to escape the mundane corporate life and shoot the bow in the vast plains.

'His grandmother passed away a while ago...'

The reason Sanghyun worked was solely for his grandmother, who had passed away about a year ago. Now, he was free to do what he wanted.

'What he wants to do...'

Joo-hyuk's heart raced, even though it wasn't his own business. What must it feel like to do what you want to do? And to be the best in that field?

It was something that had never happened in Joo-hyuk's life.

"Oh. He's pulling again."

The manager patted Joo-hyuk's shoulder.

"Oh..."

There was only time to say "Oh..." before it happened.

Whoosh!

Sanghyun shot the bow as smoothly as water flowing.

"!"

Even Joo-hyuk, who knew nothing about archery, could tell that something was different about his shot.

"Is this guy crazy!?"

The manager, who was watching together, also exclaimed.

Before the arrow even arrived, everyone knew it would hit the center of the target.

Thud!

It would hit the exact center of the target.

"Wow!"

"What is this guy? This is different from the archery I know..."

For the average person, the archery they knew was from the pros. Since people rarely see archery outside of the Olympics.

But Yoo Sanghyun was even better than that. Even though he knew nothing, it was clear.

Like how Yuna Kim's double axel was more elegant than other skaters' triple axels.

Yoo Sanghyun's archery had an extra layer.

Whoosh!

Another arrow was shot.

As if it was supposed to, the arrow hit the center again.

It seemed to be drawn into the center by the wind.

Thud!

Three consecutive shots hit the 10-point mark.

Sanghyun didn't stop there. He shot two more arrows in an instant.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

From then on, the target seemed pitiful.

The loud cheers for perfect scores seemed to lose their energy. There was no tension.

Sanghyun shot, and the arrows just hit the center of the target.

The phrase "as easy as turning your hand over" might have been created after seeing Sanghyun shoot. It was that absurd.

"Bro, you said this is different from reality, right?"

"Yeah... Many athletes struggle to adapt, but this guy is different. Usually, they struggle at first and then get better. But this guy..."

The manager scratched his head.

"I know nothing about archery. But this guy is different, right? He seems to be on a different track. Is this the archery we know...?"

Only then did Joo-hyuk reveal that Sanghyun was actually the youngest national championship gold medalist in Korea.

"Oldest...?"

"Yes. He told me when he was drinking."

"Isn't he practically the youngest world champion?"

"That was the plan."

"Wow... At that level, even a layman can see the difference..."

At that moment, a loud cheer came from the monitor.

- Wowww...

- All 10 points! All hit the exact center of the target! What is this!?

- I, I can't believe it!

- Even the shooting time set a record! This is impossible!

Sanghyun shot all the provided arrows into the center of the target and ended the game.

Squeak...

The capsule lid slowly opened with a hiss.

Sanghyun was expected to stand up and smile, but he didn't come out.

"Why isn't he coming out?"

Joo-hyuk thought, "Is he just being stupid again?" and approached Sanghyun.

When Joo-hyuk looked inside the capsule, he was taken aback.

"Hey, you don't know how to...?"

Sanghyun was crying.

He was sobbing, his face drenched in tears.

As if releasing all the tears he had held back for the 10 years he couldn't hold a bow.