Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 of Season 1 of The Genius Archer's Streaming**

1. I Still Want to Shoot (3)

"Is it really this similar...?"

Sanghyun was once again amazed. He was in awe of 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 into position. How does it look!?

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

The cheers of the audience and the voices of the commentators from his championship days, which sounded like echoes, mixed in 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, felt parched.

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

Red, yellow, blue.

A target with several concentric circles.

It was something he had only seen in his dreams. How long had it been since he stood in this position?

"Huff."

Sanghyun immediately pulled the bowstring to feel it.

Squeak.

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

'Is this really happening?'

The moment he pulled the string and held it (Holding).

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

He turned his gaze to his right hand.

'!'

His right hand, which should have been trembling, was pulling the bowstring firmly, as if nothing was wrong.

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

A hot feeling 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 he applied force, 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 his fully functional arm...

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

'Let's try it.'

He took an arrow and nocked it (Knocking). Now, he was about to start the actual shooting.

His eyes, which were always blank, sharply focused on the target.

Now, he was entering the battle with the bow and himself.

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 battle.

The starting point was the full draw (Full Draw).

This was the preliminary battle of pulling the arrow to the most suitable position for oneself.

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

Squeak!

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

It was a perfect holding (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 to easily handle?'

There was a problem.

The lightness was actually uncomfortable for him.

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

His aim started to waver slightly.

"Again."

Sanghyun ultimately did not shoot the arrow 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?'

Even just shooting in the game, it felt like he was hunting, and the onlookers felt like they were being hunted.

The silence, like a fog, made it feel as if even the wind had stopped to 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 must be too nervous."

Joo-hyuk remembered. One of the Olympic archers he had seen in the past had lowered the bow and rested after nocking the arrow.

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.

'Really, he 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 breath.

He couldn't help but be nervous.

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. It seemed like an excuse to shoot the bow again.

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 putting down the burden and doing what he wanted to do.

'Doing 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..."

Whoosh!

Sanghyun shot the arrow as smoothly as water flowing.

"!"

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

"Damn!?"

The manager, who was watching together, also exclaimed.

Even before the arrow arrived, everyone knew the moment Sanghyun shot it.

Thud!

It would hit the exact center of the target.

"Wow!"

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

The archery known to the general public was that of the pros. Since people rarely see archery outside of the Olympics, 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' ambiguous triple axels.

Yoo Sanghyun's archery had an extra layer.

Whoosh!

Another arrow was shot.

As if it was natural, the arrow hit the exact center again.

It seemed to be drawn into the center by the wind, as if it was originally connected there.

Thud!

Three consecutive shots scored 10 points.

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

Whoosh! Whoosh!

From then on, it felt like the target was pitiful.

[10 points!]

[10 points!]

The loud cheers for perfect scores were somehow demoralizing. There was no tension.

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

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

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

"Yeah... Many players 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 just seems to be on a different level. Is this the archery we know...?"

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

"Really? The youngest?"

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

"Isn't the national championship essentially 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! They all hit the exact center! What is this!?

- I, I can't believe it!

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

Sanghyun finished the game by hitting the exact center of the target with all the provided arrows.

Sssss...

The capsule lid slowly opened with a hiss.

Joo-hyuk thought Sanghyun would stand up and smile, but he didn't come out.

"Why isn't he coming out?"

Joo-hyuk approached the capsule, thinking, "Is he going to be a dork again and not know how to come out?"

When he looked inside the capsule, he couldn't help but pause.

"Hey, don't you know how to come out..."

Sanghyun was crying.

He was sobbing, his face drenched in tears.

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