Mr Mermaid | LK Adaptation

Chapter 42

This was very basic sporting etiquette — Jungkook didn't even have to think to go through the motions — but this simple action earned him a round of applause.

Jaehyun chased after him and asked worriedly, "Are you okay? Victory and defeat are equally common in warfare. Don't worry too much about it."

Despite his age, the ancient sayings Jaehyun could quote could be counted on one hand. "Victory and defeat are equally common in warfare" was one of them. For him to present these words while comforting another could be taken as a sign of the utmost concern from this prodigy.

Jungkook shook his head. It wasn't the loss that was bothering him. He was just ... not in a very good mood.

Coach Brown gave some instructions for training, then he called out to Jungkook. "Jeon, let's have a chat."

"Okay."

Jungkook's conversational English level was also lacking. A simple line or two was fine, but anything more than that would require slowing down and perhaps the aid of a dictionary. There was the app installed on his phone anyway, so it was still quite convenient.

Coach Brown said, "Jeon, you're a very gifted athlete, but recently, your training performance has not been very stable. Do you know why?"

"Why?"

"You aren't focused enough."

Jungkook was silent.

Coach Brown continue to say, "You should know better than I do that an athlete needs to put in 100% of their focus. There can't be the slightest bit of slack. Yet you're not focused enough. I want to know why."

Some things could not be said to friends or parents or even a close coach, but to this coach he knew for only less than a month, Jungkook managed to say effortlessly, "I like a girl."

Coach Brown smiled. "Is it Nancy?"

"No, it's a Chinese girl. We've known each other for 8 months, but," Jungkook's face dimmed, "She went to the Aegean Sea with another man to watch the sunset."

"Are you feeling bad about it?"

Jungkook nodded.

Coach Brown shook his head and said, "Child, you still don't know what your true problem is ... are you planning to date her?"

Jungkook pursed his lips. "I don't know if she'll accept."

"Jeon, I heard that your coaches in China do not allow athletes to date."

"Yes, they're worried it will affect training. Coach, are you going to do the same?"

Coach Brown smiled and shook his head. His brown hair swayed with the action; his eyes were light blue, deep and profound like the sea, and shining with the light of wisdom. He said, "I will not interfere in other's personal affairs. But I do have a bit of advice. If you just want to be an average athlete, then you can go ahead and pursue your love. But if you want to become a great, accomplished athlete, Jeon, my opinion is the same as your China coaches. You need to be able to focus without any distractions. Dating will distract you and make you unable to guarantee 100% focus. I know you have grand ambitions. You want to be a world champion. I think that before you become world champion, the right thing to do is to first set the person you like aside for a while."

Jungkook kept his eyes lowered and said nothing.

Coach Brown patted him on the shoulder. "You know, it's like you were born for the water. Although your body proportions are not perfect, you have very good sense for the water. You're like a sprite in the water. Also, you're smart. Compared to them," he pointed at a few athletes in the pool not too far away, "You're smarter than all of them combined. Do you know how rare that is? You also have excellent ability to regulate your mental condition ... Jeon, I've raised two world champions before. I believe that you will become the third."