WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
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◈ Incarnation of the Malevolent Star ◈
Chapter 96: Part 1 - Whispers of the Dark Brother (96)
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#96.
The ranch owner and trainer continued his sales pitch to the hunter.
“Anyway, it wouldn't be unreasonable to consider this one practically a Class 3 horse.
“If it'd met the right owner and jockey, I think it could've reached Class 2 without much trouble. It's young for a retired racehorse, too.
“It'll turn another year older soon, but it'll still only be four.”
“Hmm... Aren't you praising it a little too highly by saying Class 2...?”
The hunter narrowed his eyes.
This feels a little like someone trying to sell me a used car.
But the trainer confidently shook his head.
“No. I have reasons for saying it.”
“Reasons?”
“Yes. Earlier, I told you it finished second in its first Class 5 race, didn't I?”
“You did.”
“At the time, it crossed the finish line barely behind the horse that came first. Really, by only a nose. It was such a close loss.”
“And?”
“The horse that came first in that race is competing as a Class 1 horse now.”
“Goodness...?”
“Just a moment... Hmm. Is this it? Yes, that's right. Here, sir. Please take a look. This is the actual race record.”
The trainer tapped at his smartphone, then showed the screen to the hunter.
With his presbyopia getting worse by the day, the hunter had to furrow his brow as he peered at it.
“Let's see... First place, Endless Blue Waters. Second place, Storm Thunder?”
“Endless Blue Waters is still competing as an active Class 1 horse. Storm Thunder is the unfortunate one that met the wrong owner and ended up in our stable.
“We call it Thunder for short.”
“Thunder... So its name isn't Kong. I heard it only ever came second.”
“Pardon? Kong?”
“Ah, never mind. It was a joke, so let it pass. I played some traditional folk games when I was young.
“Young people probably wouldn't understand.”
“...???”
The trainer looked puzzled, unable to understand what he meant, but soon let it pass as the hunter had asked.
“As you can see here, it crossed the finish line by a truly narrow margin.
“Endless Blue Waters improved its record afterward, certainly, but not to a degree that greatly exceeded the usual growth curve for a racehorse.
“My opinion is that Thunder could've followed close behind if it'd been handled properly.”
The trainer showed him the performance trends of several other racehorses that could serve as comparisons.
It was meant to give him a general sense of what an ordinary racehorse's growth curve looked like.
The hunter nodded and listened carefully, but did not let go of his doubts completely.
‘They might only be showing me records from horses with good careers.
‘At least I know what I need to look up if I want to learn more. I should investigate further after I get back.
‘This is why you have to come and see things for yourself.’
With that in mind, the hunter asked the trainer.
“Does that Thunderbolt fellow have any physical problems?”
“Thunder, not Thunderbolt, sir. And it does have a history of several musculoskeletal conditions.
“It was in some pain when it first came here. But everything has healed with time.”
“Thunderbolt or Thunder, whatever. Is that all right?”
“Hahaha, sir.”
The trainer laughed.
“There isn't a racehorse in the world that has never suffered from a musculoskeletal condition.”
“Really?”
“Of course. It's like an athlete who has never been injured.
“What athlete has never been hurt? What matters is how they're managed after the injury.”
It was a clear comparison. The hunter nodded in understanding.
“Ah, right. Lotte Giants players get injured too. I understand.”
“Oh? Are you a Giants fan?”
“Not me. The kid who'll ride the horse is. A huge fan.”
“Oh dear. But a kid?”
“Yes. I came to look for a gift for the kid.”
“Your son? Or your daughter?”
The hunter waved his hands at the misunderstanding.
“No, no. Not my child.”
“...?”
“Not my child, but... well, a very close kid. We're close through work too. We're distant relatives, and neighbors besides.
“So I thought it wouldn't hurt to buy one if the price wasn't too high.
“This kid has an extraordinary talent for riding horses.”
“Is that so...? Are they seriously aiming to go professional?”
“Well, I think that's probably how it'll turn out. I'll help make it happen.”
“Probably?”
“People's fortunes often follow the talents they possess, don't they?”
“That is true.”
The trainer thought it was unusual for someone to give a riding horse to a child who was not their own, but did not pry any further.
He only needed to secure a good horse's remaining years and receive payment.
“Since you're thinking of giving it as a gift to a child, I recommend this one even more strongly.”
“Why?”
“Because its retraining is already more than halfway complete. If you sign a contract now, you can give the gift around the end of the year or the beginning of next year.
“A gift has deeper meaning when you give it at the right time, doesn't it? A birthday, a holiday, or Christmas.”
Hearing that, the hunter became suspicious again.
It was a chronic illness every businessman in the country was bound to suffer from, much like how injuries were an everyday matter for athletes.
“Is it normal to begin retraining before finding a buyer?
“From what I've looked into, it costs quite a bit. Racehorses have a hard time adapting to being riding horses.”
The trainer calmly shook his head.
“It isn't normal. Normally, retraining begins only after a contract is signed and a deposit is received.
“Imagine putting in all that effort to retrain a horse, only for it to end up at a feed factory. What a loss that would be.”
“Then why?”
“Sir. I'm telling you this honestly. You'll have a hard time finding a ranch owner as honest as me anywhere else.
“Even more so among professional distributors.”
“...I'm listening.”
“Thunder originally had another buyer under contract. That was why we trained it.
“But that person suddenly notified us that they were cancelling the contract unilaterally. Even when I asked why, they only said it was due to personal circumstances.
“If you wish, I can show you the cancelled contract.”
“No, well, I'll look at that later if I need to... What happens to Thunder if the contract is cancelled? If I don't buy it, I mean.”
“Well, it'll probably go to a feed factory in about half a year, unless I can find it a new owner in time.”
“What?”
“But regardless of its actual ability, many people choose horses solely by appearance and class. So I don't think it'll be easy to find a new owner.”
“...What?”
That was too honest, even for honesty.
The hunter looked at the trainer in disbelief.
He had gone on and on about what a good horse it was, and now what? A feed factory? Wasn't that far too sudden a change of attitude?
Seeing the thoughts plainly written on the hunter's face, the trainer burst into hearty laughter.
“What can I do? I'd like to save Thunder if I can, but I have realistic limits too.”
Then the trainer explained those realistic limits with a sigh.
There was always too little demand from people who wanted to take retired racehorses in as riding horses.
Every year, hundreds of surplus racehorses piled up as dead stock, and no one could keep them all forever.
The ranches responsible for retraining had limited capacity...
Whenever a new shipment of unwanted horses arrived at a ranch, the existing inventory had to be cleared out somehow.
But when clearing inventory, the horse's actual ability was not an especially important standard.
Horses suited to becoming breeding stallions were all taken away before they ever came to ranches like this, and people shopping for riding horses cared more about other things than ability.
“Pretty white horses always sell regardless of ability. Even if their temperament is awful, they usually find new owners.
“Like pedigree stallions that are excellent from the start, they are precious creatures that rarely come to places like this.”
“Appearance comes first?”
“Yes. Even when people say they're looking for riding horses, often the stronger purpose is showing off...
“You know how people care about the impression they make when they get out of a car? Think of it like that.”
The trainer said white horses made for the best dismount appeal, clicking his tongue.
He looked unhappy with the industry that fed him.
“Horses with high classes despite poor actual ability sell well for the same reason.
“When someone asks what class the horse is, there's a difference between saying, ‘Class 1,’ right away, and saying, ‘It's Class 4, but its actual ability is at least Class 3,’ then having to explain everything.
“It's obvious which one better preserves the owner's pride.”
The hunter tilted his head.
“Hold on. What do you mean by horses whose class is high regardless of actual ability? Are there horses with high classes but poor ability?”
“Of course there are. Not merely a few. There are very many.”
“...?” The hunter asked. “I thought class was raised purely through skill. From what I learned, you had to win to move up to the next class.”
“That's right.”
The trainer chuckled.
“But once a horse moves up in class, it can't be demoted.
“It's meant to stop people from deliberately lowering a horse's class and sweeping up the prize money in lower-class races.
“They call that noob-stomping these days, don't they? Such a cowardly thing?”
“...Ah.”
“So if a horse's performance declines after moving up, whether due to injury or something else, there is no choice except retirement.
“Even if it's only two or three years old, it retires.”
That was why Thunder's age could not be called an exceptional advantage.
Retired horses of a similar or younger age, but higher class, came in from time to time.
They were opponents it could not help losing to in terms of dismount appeal.
The hunter scratched his head hard and looked at the trainer with a confused expression.
“I understand the situation, more or less. But let me ask an impolite question.”
“Please do. Ask anything.”
“Are you trying to unload Thunder because it's dead stock that will cost you money if you can't sell it?
“Because you hate to write off all the effort you've already put into it as a sunk cost.”
“Hahahaha!”
The trainer shook his head.
“As I said earlier, we've already received a deposit for Thunder.
“It was a contract with a 20 percent deposit, so even if we sell it to a distributor for only its meat value, the loss won't be large.”
“So there is still a loss.”
“On the books, yes.”
“Only on the books?”
“Yes. Only on the books.”
“...?”
“Think about it. If I cared purely about profit, why would I insist on selling this one?
“Even if it has good ability, it's ultimately a Class 4 horse. There's a clear limit to how high its final sale price can go.”
The trainer gestured at the hunter with his chin.
“And you don't exactly look like the sort of sucker who'd decide to buy right away, sir.
“You've been constantly suspicious of me from the beginning. This isn't the first time I've received such suspicion.”
Like used cars, retired racehorses were products that could not help drawing suspicion simply because they had retired from active competition.
And many truly did have problems.
For the same reason, there were many people among retired-racehorse distributors who belonged in the same category as dishonest used-car dealers.
The trainer's words reflected that reality.
He must have dealt with many exhausting customers.
Yet the trainer had remained kind throughout.
If there had been no self-interest beneath that kindness, the hunter could only feel sorry.
He scratched his head awkwardly.
“Ahem... Well, I'm sorry about that.”
“Hehe. I didn't say it to receive an apology. Anyway, more than half the horses under my care will have to be sold for only their meat value in the end.
“As I said before, it's a market with very few people looking to buy riding horses.”
“...”
“So sunk costs or whatever, wouldn't it be more profitable to sell the horses with higher prices whenever there's an opportunity?”
“Well... Hearing it put that way, yes.”
The hunter the businessman felt slightly embarrassed.
He had been so caught up in his suspicion that he had overlooked something basic. Something a businessman should naturally have considered.
The trainer spoke with warmth.
“You don't need to look like that. I like customers like you, sir.”
“What? Suddenly?”
“It isn't sudden. I've been watching you all along. I wanted to see how long you'd keep listening seriously to what I had to say.”
“...? Why wouldn't I listen seriously? I'm the one who came here to look into things.”
“Ha! That's exactly why I like you. Other customers would have cut me off long ago and said they weren't interested.”
“?...??”
“Setting everything else aside, I've been going on only about the horse's ability. The fact that you listened seriously until the end is enough to make me like you.
“Ah, this is someone who truly came to choose a good horse. They're different from people who care first about dismount appeal...”
“...Ah.”
“Horses are living creatures. Unlike old cars, they're mounts whose dismount appeal fades as they age.
“So even if I sell a horse to people who care about that impression and make money, it leaves an unpleasant feeling behind.
“Like, ah... The one that left today won't get to die of old age, will it?”
Why were so many dogs and cats abandoned?
Because as they grew older, they became less cute while costing more money.
Horses had it worse than dogs and cats. Their upkeep cost far more.
Not to mention the trouble of caring for them.
The endlessly growing number of stray dogs throughout the province where the frightening boy lived.
Their numbers were an indicator that showed people's average sense of responsibility at a glance.
The average sense of responsibility among horse owners was no different.
Horses sold to owners who cared most about dismount appeal were highly likely to meet miserable ends...
“In short, customers like you are very rare.
“At times like this, I don't do business looking only at money. It's a rare chance to leave behind a good memory.”
Having been lavishly praised by the trainer, the hunter scratched his head again.
“No, really... You're making me far too embarrassed...”
The trainer clapped his hands.
“You've heard enough, so let's take a look at Thunder itself.
“While we're at it, I'll teach you what you should examine carefully when you visit other ranches.”
“Hehe...”
“I'll show you why meeting me was beginner's luck. Hahaha.”
Legal Hunter was a bad adult, but he was not so hopeless that he could not feel that ticklish warmth even in a moment like this.
After that, the trainer used an equine identification reader to show him Storm Thunder's identification record, along with its racehorse passport. He taught him how to inspect a horse's bone structure and musculature, and what to watch for when reviewing its medical history.
He even taught the hunter how to distinguish good horses among those that looked scrawny from poor care.
He seemed to mean that it did not matter if the hunter found a better horse elsewhere and bought that one instead.
When the hunter asked whether that was truly all right, the trainer shrugged.
“A good horse should go to a good owner. Nothing more, nothing less.”
The hunter could only laugh again.
#
Legal Hunter visited several more ranches, but failed to find a horse that looked better than Storm Thunder.
Beginner's luck had truly found him.
Like a gambling table where the very first hand came out especially well.
In the end, the hunter returned to the first ranch and signed the contract.
The horse for his young business partner was both a gift and an investment, so waiting around in the hope that a better horse might appear was not an option.
The bad adult's young business partner would surely create new content using a riding horse.
Even before the extraordinary boy became a national team athlete, the hunter's investment was likely to return enough profit to pass the break-even point...
As a result, the lonely boy in the aging village received an astonishing gift from his older business partner.
The boy was truly shocked, and even happier than he was shocked.
It was a Christmas the boy would remember warmly for the rest of his life.
Footnotes:
“Kong” refers to an old Korean online meme about former StarCraft player Hong Jin-ho, whose nickname was Kong and who was famously associated with finishing second. Legal Hunter’s “traditional folk games” joke refers to StarCraft.
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