Prologue Race The beginning of a legend Race 1 La Poderosa Race 2 It's between four and five o'clock Race 3 Running high Race 4 Chicken race Race 5 Chelsea is strong Race 6 Peloton Race 7 It wasn't me Race 8 Pulling Race 9 It's good because it's good Race 10 Bone shaker Race 11 Typhoon Race 12 Slip Race 13 Last spurt Race 14 Paradise as I wish Race 15 Open race Author's note

The moment you step on a bike, you become a legend.

The first scene of the novel begins with a rumor among the Yangjaecheon riders about a guy called the 'Black Dragon Legend Dragon'.
Every night, a man with a dragon tattooed on his back races at a crazy speed across the Yangjae Stream. When he appears, animals fly in escort and even part the waters of the Yangjae Stream like Moses did.
But when he got off the bike, he looked more shabby than expected.
Yong Ji-ho, a third-year middle school student living in Pyeongchon, Gyeonggi-do, is the true form of the dragon.
I have a boring dad, a meddling mom, a teenage sister who gets on my nerves every time I say something, and I have average grades but I don't know what I like or what I'm good at.
School life isn't that great either.
He can't even participate in soccer games, his homeroom teacher doesn't know him for a semester, and he has trouble even exchanging brief greetings with the girls.
His only friend is 'Ohbam', who dreams of becoming a comedian.
Compared to the past, when youth literature was mainly focused on stories about high school students, 『Black Dragon Legend Yong Ji-ho』 is expanding its readership by dealing with the daily lives of middle school boys.
Jiho, who went to school on a bicycle his father got from the company because of the village bus strike, gradually became interested in cycling and even rode his bicycle every day from Pyeongchon to Daechi-dong, where his mother enrolled him in the dental academy, saying, "Jiho is meticulous and good with his hands, so he would do well as a dentist."
Jiho begins to think for the first time that he might have a talent for something while riding a bicycle.
Just like her thighs growing thicker, Jiho's confidence grows day by day.
Especially, you can have fun racing under the moonlight to catch up with the riders ahead.
You also start to make friends with riders on the road.
Starting with 'Stealth', a high school dropout who rides a BMX bike, we meet 'Kungtari Uncle', a pot-bellied man who tells dry jokes, and 'High Bar Uncle', who rides a bike while wearing overalls and a safety helmet.
They don't know each other's names, ages, or occupations, and the price of their bikes is different, but they have fun just riding and chatting together.
Without any particular reason, we just met because we liked each other, and naturally, we developed into a group that meets almost every day under the 'Rainbow Bridge'.
And the bicycle that Jiho names 'La Poderosa' becomes Jiho's best friend who accompanies him in everything and has secret conversations with him.


Between "Geumji-gil" and "Legendary Black Dragon," Jiho grows a step further.

Author Kim Jin-kyung points out that while the older generation's social networks were based on fixed relationships such as class relations, professional relationships, and school ties, today's teenagers, living in a fluid and divided society, form qualitatively different social networks.
For the middle school student protagonist, the relationship with the cycling club sometimes becomes more important than fixed relationships and acts as a driving force in his life.
Although they met by chance, they honestly reveal the darkest parts of their lives and give and receive practical help.
In this world where people come together across age and class boundaries, Ji-ho feels self-esteem and comfort for the first time.
Thanks to the author's meticulous reporting and vivid portrayal of the scene, readers can fully experience the joy Ji-ho feels while riding his bike and the positive energy he gains from the Rainbow Bridge gathering.
Jiho's school life also undergoes changes.
Chelsea, the class president who is good-looking, good at studying, and good at sports, invites Ji-ho to a soccer match and then, perhaps because she likes him, invites him to her birthday party.
Just when she believes happiness has begun, Chelsea advises Jiho to stay away from Obam.
It turns out that Chelsea was bullied in elementary school and thought that Obam was one of the group that bullied her.
Jiho is distressed and uncomfortable with this situation where Obam is misunderstood.
Meanwhile, Jiho gradually relieves his tension by talking about his worries at school at the Rainbow Bridge meeting.
During summer vacation, they all go on a bicycle trip to Chuncheon together and the relationship between the Rainbow Bridge members matures.
On the first day of the second semester, Jiho senses that the atmosphere in the classroom has subtly changed.
The Chelsea gang that had been bullying Obam now begins to harass Jiho in a cunning way… … .
Between Ji-ho and the legendary dragon of the Black Dragon, can Ji-ho's double life be maintained without being shattered?

A cure for teenagers living in a troubled world

Ji-ho is afraid of Chelsea, who is burning with revenge, and he feels sorry for O-bam, who has been falsely accused, but he is most embarrassed by his own situation, which is caught between them.
Jiho believes in Obam, but he struggles with the idea of ​​speaking out against what is wrong, admitting that he lacks the courage to do so.
But every time that happens, the Rainbow Bridge members stay by Jiho's side and give him advice based on their own experiences.
Jiho realizes that everyone has wounds and has overcome them fiercely.
Jiho decides to face his fears head-on, encouraged by the support of the Rainbow Bridge members.
How could you not love this boy, who, terrified of being beaten by Chelsea, and who, every day, changes his mind, saying, "Reality isn't as easy as you promise," somehow manages to maintain his friendship and remain true to himself? As you read, you'll feel your heart pounding, just like Ji-ho's, as he rides his bike.
It may be because Jiho's 100% pure sincerity, which allows him to react honestly to anything and never lose his bright smile, has seeped into me.

"You are the only protagonist in your own life." "No one is not a protagonist." It's not easy to experience this common message in real life.
There are times when you feel like the main character is separate and you are just a sidekick or don't even have a chance to appear.
It's not because we're bad, but because we haven't met a good supporting actor yet, says 『Black Dragon Legend Yong Ji-ho』.
It is a person, an opportunity, and sometimes a hardship.
The Rainbow Bridge members who showed friendship that transcended age and class, Obam who went through hardships together, Chelsea who is the object of Jiho's admiration and inferiority complex, and Jiho's bicycle 'La Poderosa' cannot be left out.
Even the pain helped Jiho awaken his inner strength and stand on his own two feet.


It's not as hard as you might think to find such great supporting actors.
In terms of the narrative of this work, it's like taking out a dusty bicycle that's been sitting somewhere in the house and pedaling it.
Even if it's a road you pass by every day, try going there in a way you've never gone before.
The author said that he wrote this novel with the hope that everyone, from first place to last place, could live as the main character, and that at least one person could read this book and find comfort and warmth in a desperate and hopeless moment.
If you read 『The Legend of the Black Dragon Yong Ji-ho』, you will feel that sincerity, and perhaps my ordinary yet troubled life here now will become a little more worth living.