My goodness.

What have I done?

“Are you all right?”

I hurried over to the police officer groaning on the marble floor.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to....”

“I’m f-fine.”

“Take my hand and stand up.”

As the young man grasped my hand and rose, my head swirled with confusion.

What on earth was happening?

It made no sense.

My body had moved of its own accord, and I’d thrown a complete stranger to the floor.

He looked stunned—and so did I.

The throw I’d executed was exactly the same as the move I’d just seen on the TV movie earlier.

“Good afternoon.”

After moving to a café inside the hospital, the man introduced himself.

“I’m from the Eunpyeong Station. I’m the investigator in charge of this case.” 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

“Hello.”

He wore a short sport cut and had tanned skin and strong features, like a detective. His business card read “Traffic Investigation Unit, Corporal Jang Gyeong-il.”

“Are you hurt anywhere else?”

“I’m fine.”

Corporal Jang laughed coolly.

“I used to be on the judo team. This wouldn’t even faze me—ouuuch...!”

“Still hurts?”

He looked like it hurt badly, but I let it go.

“That ippon throw was impressive. Not something you pick up in a day or two. If it comes out unconsciously, you must have been a black belt?”

“Ah, yes....”

“Wow.”

It was a lie, but I couldn’t exactly say, “Oops, I accidentally mimicked a movie move, haha.”

He pulled out a notebook and began asking questions. I answered faithfully. When the brief Q&A ended, I asked the question I’d been curious about.

“Was it drunk driving? The car was swerving all over the place.”

“No, not drunk driving. The driver has epilepsy. According to his story, he had a seizure while dropping his daughter off at the exam site.”

“Can someone with epilepsy hold a driver’s license?”

“Yes, they can.”

The officer nodded.

“It’s complicated to explain here, but legally there was no issue with his licensure.”

“Is that so?”

It was bitter to realize the reason I missed my exam was the family of another test-taker.

“What happens now?”

“We’ll press charges. Either way, someone nearly got killed.”

I realized how reckless my leap in front of a speeding car had been. If the same situation arose again, could I act the same way? Honestly, I’m not sure. My life is precious—but there is someone in this world who depends on me alone.

“Have you contacted your family?”

“My grandmother lives in Gunsan. I tried calling, but her phone’s off. She’s probably at the temple praying for my CSAT.”

“Ah....”

The young officer’s expression flickered, then he changed the subject.

“I hate to say it, but you did a truly admirable thing.”

“Thank you.”

How many times had I heard that today? Maybe twenty-six times. But this officer said something different.

“You must feel wronged and outraged now. But life doesn’t give you anything for free. You reap what you sow.”

“Excuse me?”

“For the time being, things won’t be bad for you.”

I packed away his notebook and asked, “What do you mean?”

“Do you know what hospitals and police stations have in common?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Rumors spread at lightning speed.”

We shook hands. Rumors? What did he mean? As I followed Corporal Jang out of the café, I realized.

“Oh—here they come.”

A group had surrounded us. At first I didn’t recognize them—they varied in gender and attire—but when I saw someone shouldering a camera, I understood. Someone thrust a business card at me.

“Hello, Mr. Sun Woo-joo. I’m Reporter Noh Yong-gi from KTN. Do you have a moment?”

I blinked, then comprehension hit me. The story had spread through the hospital and police. Well, it was a good story.

–On CSAT day, a student about to take the exam threw himself to save an elderly man pushing a handcart.

I smiled at the reporters’ cards.

“Of course. I have time.”

I once read in an English textbook: When God gives you lemons, make lemonade. If heaven gives you a crisis, turn it into an opportunity. Right. Since it’s happened, I might as well enjoy it. I was ready to make lemonade.

KTN Evening News.

A middle-aged anchor with neatly combed hair appeared on screen.

[2014 College Scholastic Ability Test]

Against that backdrop, the anchor spoke.

“Welcome to Issue Talk, where we explore trending topics online. I’m anchor Hong A-ran.”

“Good evening.”

On the right, a screen showed the internet search rankings, and the anchor stood before it.

“Today’s CSAT day brought a heartwarming yet bittersweet story, didn’t it?”

“Yes, indeed.”

Hong A-ran tapped the screen, and the top search term expanded.

“Today’s Issue Talk keyword is ‘Galhyeon-dong Hero.’ He’s been number one in real-time search since this morning. Let’s watch the related video.”

A grainy video showed one side labeled as dashcam footage from a nearby parked car. It began with the elderly man struggling to push his cart, then the young man in a yellow puffer jacket appeared and started helping. The feed switched to CCTV: a car sped up, and the young man ran forward and shoved the old man. Ka-whang! Though silent, the cart shattered instantly and the scrap paper inside scattered. The car did a burnout then screeched to a halt. The screen returned to the briefing room.

“This accident occurred around 6 a.m. today in front of a high school in Galhyeon-dong, Eunpyeong-gu. The vehicle lost control and caused the incident. Police found the driver has suffered from epilepsy since last year, and believe a seizure caused him to hit the accelerator.”

“Tragic news. Were there any casualties?”

“No. As you saw, the man in his seventies was nearly killed but was thankfully rescued by a passerby.”

“The rescuer’s identity has been the talk of the day, hasn’t it?”

“Indeed.”

Hong A-ran touched the screen, and the video thumbnail appeared: the young man in the yellow jacket. The anchor continued:

“The hero who saved the seventy-year-old was a CSAT test-taker on his way to the exam. Here’s the first interview obtained by reporter Noh Yong-gi earlier today.”

Cut to the young man sitting in a café, wearing a black sweater with the yellow jacket draped over the chair. Slightly fatigued but handsome.

[Sun Woo-joo / Galhyeon-dong Hero] : Don’t you think it was a waste?

He smiled wryly and spoke on.

[Sun Woo-joo / Galhyeon-dong Hero] : It was a bit of a loss, yes. But a life comes first. You can retake the exam next year—I think they’re not comparable.

[Reporter] : When you ran to help, what were you thinking...?

[Sun Woo-joo / Galhyeon-dong Hero] : Oh, at that moment? Well, I don’t think I had any thoughts. My body acted before I could think.

After a brief clip, the feed returned to the briefing room. Hong A-ran looked at the camera.

“That was an interview with Sun Woo-joo, the Galhyeon-dong Hero. Fortunately, despite tumbling down the hill, he only suffered a mild concussion. Meanwhile, we learned he’d scored consistently top-rank grades on mock tests, which makes missing the CSAT all the more regrettable.”

“Heartwarming but regrettable news. How about the victim?”

“The victim, Mr. Choi, was transported to the hospital. Aside from one broken rib, he only suffered minor bruising.”

“What a relief.”

“Indeed.”

“This incident has put the Road Traffic Authority’s license management under scrutiny, hasn’t it?”

I turned off the DMB screen at that point. On the portal’s news section, my name was plastered everywhere:

–On CSAT day, student saves seventy-year-old’s life...

–“Galhyeon-dong Hero” Sun Woo-joo: “Too much attention for what I did.”

–Seoul Police Agency considering commendation for Galhyeon-dong Hero

I inhaled the cold air and looked up at the night sky. What a world. As a trainee I’d dreamed every day of getting famous, of people knowing me by name when I stepped onstage. Ironically, now I had that fame. Of course, I knew it was temporary interest. Still, today I was more famous than any trainee in the world. And besides the grand title of “hero,” something else about me was trending online. Screenshots of my interview circulated on every internet community:

–Wow, so handsome lol

–He really looks so young... thought he was a high schooler

–If I ran a cram school, I’d pay his tuition for a year to hire him

Compliments on my appearance rolled in embarrassingly. I scrolled carefully through the comments. It was nice to be noticed, but it felt strange. After all, two years of study had been flushed away.

“Phew....”

I glanced at the night sky in the cold wind, then at my smartphone, which kept pinging with messenger notifications. So many messages—from close friends to occasional acquaintances to people whose names I barely remembered. Normally quiet, my phone now blazed like fireworks. They were probably asking how I was after seeing the news, but I couldn’t reply just yet. I had something more important to do.

I looked at the baseball in my hand. The field was empty; all the school lights were off on CSAT night. Where no one could watch, I gripped the ball. I needed to verify what had happened today.

I set my phone to video mode and placed it on the stands. Stepping back to create distance, I assumed a pitching posture. Just as I intended to throw, my body moved on its own—just like when I’d thrown the officer earlier. Whoosh— A flash of pain shot through me at the extreme angle, but it passed quickly. My right arm traced a powerful arc. Whack—! The ball struck the stands, bounced a few times, then rolled away. Instead of retrieving it, I grabbed my phone and checked:

[First Video]

Before the MLB highlight, I played the test video. I cringed at how awkward I looked: every motion stilted, arms and legs in the wrong positions—a mechanical robot. Ping. The ball flew pitifully. After a few more pathetic throws, I didn’t need to watch further. I exited the video and opened the next one.

[Second Video]

Within seconds of playback, I gasped. Was that really me? It was different: my gaze, my posture—though rough, enough to make people ask, “Did you play baseball?” The videos were only five minutes apart, yet my form had changed beyond belief. Only one explanation: I’d seen the pros’ pitching motion and reproduced it. Suspicion became certainty. Could I really mimic a movement exactly after seeing it once? Why? Perhaps the concussion rewired my neurons, or maybe it was heaven’s reward. But two things were clear.

“Ugh!”

My thigh ached. The raised leg had exceeded my flexibility copying a pro’s motion. Massaging my sore thigh, I frowned: nothing in life is truly free. That was the first certainty. And the second was... ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) a new path had opened before me.