Chapter 1

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In a live telecast of the 2004 Athens Olympics, announcers herald a new dark horse from South Korea, who's about to come out of nowhere and potentially win a gold medal in pistol-shooting

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In a live telecast of the 2004 Athens Olympics, announcers herald a new dark horse from South Korea, who's about to come out of nowhere and potentially win a gold medal in pistol-shooting. The seventeen-year-old shooter is competing in his very first international competition, and the sportscasters introduce him as KANG CHUL (Lee Jong-seok). [His name literally means "steel."]

He leads the first eight rounds and makes a critical mistake in the ninth, leaving him in second place before his final shot. As he steadies his nerves and prepares for the last round, we zoom into the TV screen as it flickers, and it's like we go through it and come out on the other side, in the richly colored arena.

 As he steadies his nerves and prepares for the last round, we zoom into the TV screen as it flickers, and it's like we go through it and come out on the other side, in the richly colored arena

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Kang Chul takes his time making the final shot, and with only a second to spare, he fires. His coach (and father) is breathless as they wait for the results... and it's a bulls-eye!

Kang Chul picks Dad up and whirls him around in a victory cheer. Dad cries like a baby and Kang Chul mugs for the cameras as they announce his gold medal win.

The TV screen flickers again and shoots ahead to the 2006 World Cup, which Kang Chul's family—Mom, Dad, little brother and sister—watch in their living room. The shelves are lined with Kang Chul's trophies, and when they hear the front door open, Mom calls out, "Chulie, is that you?"

 The shelves are lined with Kang Chul's trophies, and when they hear the front door open, Mom calls out, "Chulie, is that you?"

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But when she gets to the door, she looks up in terror. Dad hears a thud and goes looking for Mom, and finds her lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Dad looks just as terrified when the intruder, a dark figure in black gloves and black boots, points what looks like Kang Chul's sports pistol right at him.

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