Prologue: Eighteen, Yoon Hee-jae

It's my first time in the city
proof
Eight, Jinju and Heejae
Conditions for the track and field team
Sixteen, Jinwoo and That Guy 1
Psycho Lee Do-cheol
Heejae and Hyeonjin, Heejae and Docheol
City Boys
Sixteen, Jinwoo and That Guy 2
Baton or baton
0.1 seconds
Eighteen, Jinju and Heejae
Injury
Do-cheol and Hyeon-jin 1
You're talking about a team sport

Epilogue: Do-cheol and Hyun-jin 2

Author's Note

The first novel by Jeong Bo-hoon, author of "Prison Playbook" and "Racket Boys"
Our summer, where we started running again from where our dreams stopped

Author Jeong Bo-hoon, who has conveyed deep emotions through dramas such as “Prison Playbook,” “Racket Boys,” and “Reply 1988,” presents his first full-length novel, “City Boys” (Changbi Youth Literature 138).
Set against the backdrop of a hot summer in Seoul, it depicts the sweaty process of high school track and field athletes competing in the National Sports Festival in a refreshing and cheerful manner.
Heejae, a transfer student who appears in the track and field team of Mujin High School, which is on the verge of disbandment, creates waves in the hearts of the players and coaches who have been stagnant due to their own worries and pain.
The track and field team begins running together, confessing their hidden wounds and deciding to believe in themselves again.
"City Boys" is a novel that contains the sweat and tears of young people pursuing their dreams, as well as the sweet friendships and first loves, and is as exciting and immersive as watching a drama.
The scenario-style scenes planted by the author as a gift add a special aftertaste.
Author Jeong Bo-hoon's skillful approach to making readers laugh and cry while also gently comforting the hearts of the wounded stands out.
"City Boys" is a work that talks about how the process is just as important as the result in both sports and life, and makes us reflect on what remains for each person after the outcome is decided.


“Why do you do track and field? It’s just hard.”
Our story we want to show through running

My father was the fastest track and field athlete in our country.
One day when he was eighteen, Heejae lost his father.
Heejae heads to an unfamiliar city of Seoul with Docheol, her father's close friend and colleague.
Do-cheol's children and twins Jin-woo and Jin-ju, members of the Mujin High School track and field team, welcome Hee-jae in their own ways.
Jinju, who is known as a 'track and field genius' because she never misses first place in any competition, seems indifferent but is always there to help when needed.


Do-cheol secretly takes care of Hee-jae, but he strongly opposes her intention to become a track and field athlete.
The Mujin High School boys' track and field team, where Do-cheol is a physical education teacher and coach, is on the verge of disbandment.
Two third-year students left the school after graduation, unable to find a way to continue their athletic careers, and no freshmen enrolled.
Jinwoo, the only remaining second-year student, also decides to quit track and field.
Do-cheol also calmly accepted the disbandment.
I'm tired of being disappointed by the players' selfish attitudes, and I'm tired of being hurt by parents' complaints and lawsuits with outrageous grounds.
But then a guy named Heejae shows up and starts shaking Docheol.
You said you wanted to show something through athletics.

Whether he was a good runner or a bad runner, he ran alone, rejoiced alone, and was frustrated alone.
At least that's not what Do-cheol and Hyeon-jin thought of track and field.
A guy appeared in front of Do-cheol, who had been living in frustration every day.
As if by fate.

Hyunjin, can I do it again? (pp. 76-77)

Heejae, who has a somewhat quirky side, has a special goal.
The goal is to show that track and field is a team sport by taking first place in the 400-meter relay at the National Sports Festival.
What Heejae needs is a running partner and a playground.
But Heejae is alone, and the playground after class is occupied by Taeyoon's group, who are notorious for being brutal.
Unexpectedly, thanks to Heejae's fearless suggestion, the 'track and field team vs. Taeyoon's group' end up having a relay race across the stadium.
Heejae sets out to find a teammate to run with in the track and field club.


“If I did my best but didn’t get first place, does that mean I failed?
“Do you really think so?”

Heejae reaches out to Jeongmin, who quit the baseball team.
Jeongmin, who had not been given a chance to become a starting player after entering high school and had only been on the bench, was a player who had difficulty hitting and catching on the ground.
However, Heejae discovers Jeongmin, who was running towards home faster than anyone else.
Jeongmin, who was hurt by being treated like an invisible ghost, decides to become someone needed by the track and field team.


Meanwhile, Jinwoo has a hidden wound.
A friend and rival who started track and field together disappeared two years ago before the finals of the National Youth Sports Festival.
He just made an excuse that he had a stomachache, and there was no apology or explanation.
So 'that guy' quit track and field and left Jinwoo.
From that day on, the reason Jinwoo continued to run without knowing why he had to do so was because of Docheol.
Because I wanted to be recognized by my coach and father.
Jinwoo decided to quit track and field and gave up all his thoughts.
But Heejae creates a crack in Jinwoo's heart.
It forces me to face the face I hate but miss.


Dad left a message telling Heejae to become a good athlete and show that track and field is a team sport.
Heejae didn't quite understand what her father was saying.
Because I've always thought that track and field is an individual sport.
But as he regains control of the athletics field and sees the track and field team come together to prepare for the National Sports Festival, Heejae gradually comes to a realization.
You realize that track and field is a team sport through the process, not the results.


Heejae himself was not sure that track and field was a team sport.
Before hearing her father's story, Heejae also thought that track and field was an individual sport.
But these days, Heejae is feeling it.
As I watch videos of the track and field team games, discuss them, check each other's posture, and bring each other water, an inexplicable feeling fills my heart.
(Page 95)

“All games in the world are huge.
“The moment you feel small, you lose.”

The tension of waiting for the starting signal, the movements of the athletes shooting off almost simultaneously, and the thrill of a match decided by a difference of 0.1 seconds.
"City Boys" is a work that vividly conveys the charm of track and field.
In particular, the 400-meter relay race, which the Mujin High School track and field team is challenging, shows a moment of close competition.
Not only the speed of the players, but also the order of the runners, the breathing of the baton passer, and other strategies and variables lead the game in an unexpected direction, keeping the players on the edge of their seats.
Knowing that a short match of about 40 seconds was followed by a long training session, readers are left rooting for the players with all their hearts.


Like any great sports story, "City Boys" tells the story of life through running.
The results often betray the process, with very small differences leading to contrasting results.
Only a few people can pass through the narrow gates of college entrance and employment and advance to their desired path. Most people must open doors they never thought of and take a different path.
But life is such that at the moment when you think you've hit rock bottom, you finally gain the strength to overcome the wall that has been blocking your path for so long, and the rival you hated so terribly becomes your comrade who receives your baton.
If you've ever endured a moment of despair and loneliness, you'll find comfort in the warm heart of author Jeong Bo-hoon, who wants to believe that track and field is a team sport.
"City Boys" is a work that shares the worries of those who have been running alone and lonely, and runs in step with them.