Royal Roader on My Own

Chapter 88

"Is Han Sul Yi pro really that pretty?"

"She could easily be a celebrity. That is why both single and married guys are head over heels for her."

After hearing what Han Sung Taek had to say, I realized it was not just Jang Gun Ho and Hw.a.n.g Joon Yul who were interested in Han Sul Yi. Anybody who had something to show off has roamed around Han Sul Yi and vied for her attention. I guess both bees and b.u.t.terflies will flock to a beautiful flower. For her to be pretty enough for a Director of a broadcasting company like Han Sung Taek to speak so highly of her beauty, she must be as pretty as most celebrities.

I suddenly became full of antic.i.p.ation.

"Here it is."



I went into the Hannam Golf Practice Center with Director Han Sung Taek.

It had both an indoor practice are as well as an outdoor practice area. One side even had a pretty large screen golf range.

I waited in the lobby with Han Sung Taek.

"She should be pretty busy these days. She"s always partic.i.p.ating as the expert on the broadcast panel for every screen golf compet.i.tion to explain what is going on."

"I thought she was only 23?"

"That"s how pretty she is. If Han Sul Yi pro joins on the panel, they say that they get about 5 percent more viewers. There is also the influence of her father, Han Sang Ho pro. That is how hard it was to get this meeting together."

"Thank you."

While I was chatting with Han Sung Taek, I heard a refreshing woman"s voice from behind us.

"Director, you"re here?"

Han Sung Taek seems to know who it is just based on her voice. He was already starting to smile without even looking at her face.

"Aigo, Han pro-nim, it has been a while."

We stood up together and I turned my head. There was a tall woman with white skin and large eyes.[1] She looked like a typical Korean beauty.

But it was just the face. Underneath her neck she was a western-styled beauty. She was wearing skin-tight athletic gear, and she was both voluptuous and skinny. It was quite a tempting appearance.

Han Sung Taek was absolutely correct when he said she looked like a celebrity.

"How is your father"s health these days?"

"The same as usual."

"That"s disappointing. I need to visit him at some point. Ah, this is Kang Hwi Ram, the friend I was talking about."

I matched Han Sung Taek"s timing and introduced myself by slightly bowing my head.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Kang Hwi Ram."

"I heard a lot about you. He says you are very talented."

Her smile is beautiful as well. Maybe this smile might be Han Sul Yi"s greatest charm. Most guys will forget about anything else if they were attacked by that type of smile.

"Director Han must have exaggerated. I have played golf for less than 1 year."

"Ay, liar. How could someone with less than 1 year of experience record 5 under par at Master"s Island? I heard you also defeated the Winners" Hw.a.n.g Joon Yul pro multiple times."

Just how much did he share for Han Sul Yi to know all of that?

"I must have a knack for golf."

"Omo! Then have you really been playing golf for less than a year? You never even swung a golf club before that?"

The discussion is heading in an odd direction. What is important now is not my golf experience.

"I am still a fresh newbie. That is why my putting is especially weak. Please tell me what my problem might be."

"Ay, I feel like you would be good at putting too."

Han Sul Yi gave me a look like she couldn"t believe me. It was a very mischievous expression. It felt like she was playing up her charm to get close to me?

No wonder many men would get the wrong idea and roam around her.

If this continues, I might end up just like them. Let"s hurry on to business.

"When can I start learning from you?"

"Omo, quite rushed, aren"t you? Let"s head in first."

I followed Han Sul Yi into the screen room. We set the mode to putting practice and started the lesson.

Han Sul Yi selected the green and put the putter in my hand.

"Try putting first."

The distance was 7 meters. The slope was around 12 centimeters, but there was a slight angle to the left as well. I could see the lines flowing downward with the slope.

I tried to calculate the distance.

"Around 3 b.a.l.l.s distance to the left of the cup."

I finished my calculation and lightly tapped the putter.

With a tap- noise, the ball started to roll.

The distance was accurate. However, the direction was the problem as I expected. It missed the hole cup by about half a ball and stopped about 50 centimeters away.

Why is this so hard?

But Han Sul Yi seemed to think differently.

"Omo! You"re pretty good."

"I can"t read the direction."

"It"s pretty accurate for an amateur. Are you trying to go pro?"

Of course. In fact, I want to surpa.s.s Korea and become a world-ranked pro.

I feel like my driver and iron skills are already sufficient.

The only problem is putting. If I can figure putting out, I could probably become a pro now and not be embarra.s.sed.

"Yes. I want to join the PGA and take down Tiger Woods."

"Hohoho."

Han Sul Yi covered her mouth with one hand as she started to laugh. She must think it was such a funny joke.

"Try it again. You are pretty good, but I do see the problematic point."

Is that so? I"m glad. The fact that there is a way to improve would make today"s time off worth it.

Han Sul Yi controlled the screen.

This time, it was somewhere without any slopes. A perfectly flat area. If you send it forward, a hole in is possible.

But the distance was really far. The cup was 25 meters away.

No matter how straight it is, the accuracy goes down the further it gets. When I hit with the driver or iron it flies straight, but the putter was really weird. It moved differently from what I expect.

I focused on proper form and cautiously swung my putter. I hit it a little harder to travel 25 meters.

The direction was wrong this time as well. Quite significantly I should say. The distance was right but the ball stopped about 1 meter away from the cup. I thought I was sending it forward, but my hand seems to twist as I hit it.

I tried four times like that but I didn"t manage to sink it even once. No, the direction itself kept going in odd ways.

"It"s even worse today."

But my strength control was perfect. Even though the distance was far, there were no times the ball went further than 2 meters away.

"Even that is already pro level. Most pros cant even control their strength that accurately. But just one issue……"

Yes. Tell me. What is my problem?

Han Sul Yi showed with her action instead of words.

"I will put in two different ways, so please compare the difference between the two."

Han Sul Yi putted two times in a row.

The first putt was normal. On the other hand, the second putt felt a little frustrating. It moved really slowly, almost as if someone was holding the putter from behind.

"Do you get it?"

"I can tell the difference, but I don"t know which is the good putting."

"Of course, it is the second. When you swing like a watch moving, you move with the weight of the head of the putter so the direction will not twist. However, if you move a stopped putter with your strength, it is easy to get the direction wrong. Putter needs to be slowly moved forward while feeling the weight of the head.

Is that the case?

"Try again. Do it very smoothly, like you stop for a moment and let it down."

I did as Han Sul Yi instructed. My backswing was slow and I made it feel like it stopped at the apex before smoothly letting it down.

Once I did that, it rolled straight forward. Then, a refreshing clack! Noise sounded as the ball went in.

"Oh? This is amazing!"

"That is the basics of putting. If your backswing is rushed, you can"t send it in the right direction. Try again. Your direction should be at least a little bit better."

I tried again.

I missed this time.

However, it was very accurate and only barely missed the cup. Since I was not using a skill right now, it should be difficult to get a perfect accuracy.

"It"s a chance!"

"I"m sorry. One moment."

I apologized to Han Sul Yi and Han Sung Taek and quickly took my smartphone out. I dragged out a Jewel of Creation with a good Creation Index.

[Jewel of Creation: Creation index 69]
[Will you create a skill?]
[YES/NO]

"YES!"

[Please enter the skill name]

> Line Reading

I finished setting up the skill and tried again. I moved my backswing as slowly as possible like Han Sul Yi had taught me and stopped it at the apex before letting it down. The direction was accurate this time.

It was so amazing that I kept trying without stopping. After barely missing the hole cup four times in a row, I succeeded in another hole in on the fifth try.

I felt something at that moment. Should I call it, "Feeling the weight of the putter head in my hand as I hit it?"

I tried to remember that feeling from before and tried again.

It went into the cup again. I tried it three more times just like that and they all followed the line and into the cup.

Han Sul Yi was extremely surprised and started to clap.

"Omo! It"s very accurate! How do you learn so quickly? If you have this much feel for it, I can believe that it has been less than 1 year since you"ve learned golf."

"Our Kang pro is very athletic."

Han Sung Taek was also very happy, as if he was the one to make the putt.

But I was not ready to be happy yet. The important thing was accurately sending the ball into the cup with a side slope.

"Please teach me how to read the slope as well."

"You are already reading it accurately. The ball just didn"t roll the way you wanted it to because the putter was shaking."

Han Sul Yi said that while controlling the computer. It was a green with a significant side slope.

"If it is about this much, you should send it about one clubs distance to the left of the cup."

Han Sul Yi controlled the computer again. Once she did that, a white line showed up on the screen as if to show how the ball should move. It was a slope prediction program that was only possible in screen golf.

"It is difficult for me to be extremely accurate too. You just have to use your intuition. I get a feel for it the more I practice."

In the end, the only way to see the path is through experience.

"I understand."

I continued to putt with Han Sul Yi while Han Sung Taek watching us.

Of course, it was on a green with a significant slope. I read the line each time and sent the ball in what I believed to be the right direction.

With the backswing slowing down, the direction definitely improved.

The only downside was that I still could not see the line properly.

That was why I kept trying it. I even used the focus skill and worked to read the flow of the ball before I hit it.

There really is no better teacher than experience. At first I was over 50 centimeters away from the hole during a 10 meter putt, but after about an hour, I started to get a feel for it and the ball started to barely miss the cup.

I continued to imagine the flow of the ball as I putted.

Han Sung Taek said he had an important meeting and left early, while Han Sul Yi remained to keep helping me.

About 30 minutes after that.

Clang-

"Wow! You made it again."

Han Sul Yi was even happier than I was.

My lips were about to rip from stretching too far from my smile as well. It was because I managed to land three putts in a row from 10 meters away.

But it was not time to rejoice just yet. I felt like I had a good grasp, but if it is not made into a skill, I will forget this feel the next time.

"I just need it to become a skill."

I took my smartphone out and checked the skill information window.

[Line Reading : Beginner 0%]

"Asa!"

I shouted out loud without meaning to do so. The skill was finally created.

I was hoping it would be created before the screen golf compet.i.tion started, but for it to be created with such perfect timing.

But Han Sul Yi"s cell-phone started to ring at that moment.

"Omo. I"m sorry. I thought I put it on vibrate."

Han Sul Yi took her phone out in shock.

Her face stiffened up after seeing who was calling. She debated whether to pick it up or not before quickly heading out to pick it up.

Who is it that is making her have that type of expression?

I had no desire to eavesdrop. It wasn"t something for me to get myself involved in.

Unfortunately, even without wanting to listen, I could hear everything. It was because of my increased sensitivity.

"I"m sorry. I"m a bit busy right now. …… I understand. I will go this evening."

It must be someone she does not want to meet. It felt like she had to agree because the other person offered her something she could not reject. Is it a relationship? Or money problems?

Once she came back in after finishing the call, Han Sul Yi had a slightly complicated expression.

"I"m sorry. Something came up. We"ll do it again next time."

"Thank you for today."

Just like that, my short meeting with Han Sul Yi was over.

But for some reason, I had a strong feeling that I would meet her again.

Well, she is supposedly on the panel for the screen golf compet.i.tion. If I do well there, of course we will meet again.
I continued to practice my putting alone. Even skills can get into a groove.

"I will make it intermediate by the end of the day!"

Until now, the driver and iron were my trusted shots, but from now on, the putter will become my trusted shot.

[1] Both of these are considered to be standards of beauty in Korea

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Translator : Miraclerifle
Proofreader : Borderline m.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.t