The Story of the Mumyeong City Racetrack

The fastest horse at Mumyeong City Racetrack?

Without a doubt, it's Nallaen.

That's right — the one running hard on the track right over there.

Nallaen — the name's a bit unusual, right? The original name was Allaen. The previous jockey changed it, hoping the horse would fly even faster — 'nal' means 'fly,' so 'Nallaen' became 'the one that flies.'

Nallaen is famous at the racetrack for many reasons. Both of Nallaen's parents were outstanding thoroughbreds. I heard they were bred by selecting the fastest and strongest horses in the country.

True to that lineage, Nallaen was extraordinary from birth. Normal horses take their first steps right after being born, but Nallaen started running first — kicking aside both the veterinarian who was delivering it and the mother who had given birth. The talent was obvious from the very start.

The previous jockey had high expectations for Nallaen. So he trained the horse brutally from a young age. He controlled what it ate, when it slept, and even what it looked at and where. All to make Nallaen the greatest racehorse. Most people wouldn't even put their own children through that.

Once Nallaen grew large enough to carry a rider, the previous jockey practically lived with the horse. He even slept on Nallaen's back. Something about making the horse perceive him as part of its own body so it could run lighter. I don't know much about horses, but I think that's when the jockey started going a bit strange.

The previous jockey wasn't a bad person from the start. At least he never sold retired racehorses off as meat. He was more diligent than anyone and took great pride in his work. The problem was that pride turned into obsession.

The previous jockey was obsessed with speed. He said that when riding at full gallop, there were moments when the speed made every nerve in his body tingle. He said it felt like he had become part of nature itself — wind, or light. Riding at full speed was the only time he was truly happy, and it was his life's purpose. To him, Nallaen was perhaps the hope that could elevate his life to a higher plane.

That aside, Nallaen's life was miserable. Under the pretense of keeping the horse lean, it was barely fed. There were no days off. As soon as dawn broke, Nallaen had to carry the previous jockey and run, and run some more. There were times it collapsed from exhaustion, and the previous jockey wouldn't give medicine — just whipped it. 'To build endurance,' he said.

Thanks to all that, Nallaen grew remarkably fast. Within a few years of training, it became the fastest horse at our racetrack. Everyone's expectations rested on it. On both Nallaen and the previous jockey.

When the debut race was announced, spectators poured in from all over Mumyeong City. Everyone wanted to witness the birth of a new star firsthand. Since it was a race, there were other horses around, but they were all just formalities. Nallaen was effectively the sole star of the event. The crowd chanted Nallaen's name in unison.

When the starting signal fired, Nallaen took off faster than any other horse. Someone said it looked like 'lightning in the shape of a horse.' Fitting for a horse trained its entire life to run fast. With unflinching composure, it crossed the finish line in an instant.

Tragically, the previous jockey didn't get to see it.

It was a terrible accident. When the starting signal sounded, someone apparently called out the previous jockey's name. He wasn't the type to get distracted, but perhaps his guard dropped for an instant — he smiled and waved back, they say. In that split second, Nallaen launched forward. The previous jockey, who hadn't been gripping the saddle, toppled sideways. With his foot firmly wedged in the stirrup.

If Nallaen had stopped immediately, his life could have been saved. But as I said, Nallaen had been trained its entire life to run fast. It didn't know how to stop. It didn't care in the slightest what had become of the jockey who had raised and trained it.

At first, the previous jockey tried desperately to climb back into the saddle. But the human body was no match for the speed of the fastest horse.

In the end, he couldn't overcome Nallaen's speed and was helplessly slammed to the ground and dragged along. With only one foot barely caught in the stirrup. Nallaen crossed the finish line in first place like that. The previous jockey... well... it's best not to say. Everyone who saw it was deeply shaken. The only small mercy was that he likely died about halfway through, so the suffering probably wasn't as long as one might fear.

What about the people? Of course they tried to stop Nallaen and save the previous jockey at first. No matter what, nothing is more important than a human life. But how do you chase down the fastest horse at Mumyeong City Racetrack? All they could do was pick up the pieces of the body scattered around the track.

After that, Nallaen was never allowed to race again.

A shame, isn't it? Leaving such a fast horse idle like that.

It's not really Nallaen's fault. See over there? Behind Nallaen's back. You'll probably see something faint, like mist.

That's right — it's the previous jockey.

Nallaen was so fast that although the body couldn't keep up, the spirit — being lighter — still clings on.

The previous jockey is still training Nallaen in that state. Whether it's resentment or regret toward Nallaen, I can't say. But seeing how he's stuck on even as a spirit, it seems his obsession with speed hasn't faded.

Everyone avoids Nallaen because of the previous jockey. It is rather unsettling to ride a horse with a ghost clinging to it. Nallaen doesn't particularly enjoy carrying anyone else on its back either.

The two will probably keep running forever.

Where their finish line lies — nobody knows.