Located by the sea, the Jagal Elementary School has its own track and field team. In the hearts of the boys in the team, waves of desire and fear surge forth. Their sea, which has become deeper since 2020, remains blue.  It is okay to be a little quirky and pathetic. Using his unique sense of humour, director Seo Chung-sik presents an exhilarating portrait of the boys who do not hesitate to express their feelings.

“I’m neither a fish nor a person.”

“What are you then?”

The struggles of the 12-year-old boys, often getting up to something in their hideout, remind us of our own hectic lives. We can’t quite put a finger on sportsmanship. Yet, we all stand at the starting line, and prepare to run at our own pace today. Let’s get ready!

SYNOPSIS

At the Pebble Elementary School where you always get a whiff of the salty sea breeze, there is only one school sports team, the track and field team. In the team, Hojun has always been the best by far, and Sangwu the second or third, and Eunsu the last. With no changes to their rank, everything has been business as usual until someone transfers to their school: Jeongmin. He is good-looking with inborn athletic abilities, not to mention being a great sportsman. 
When Jeongmin becomes the number one in the school track and field team, things become topsy-turvy. Belittling his teammates’ reaction, Hojun decides not to run anymore. Seeing Jeongmin bragging after setting the new school record, Hojun tells the track and field teammates that he can’t run anymore because a mermaid ate his toes. Intrigued by his story, everyone in the team heads to the beach with Hojun to catch the mermaid that ate his toes.

Playwright Kim Yeon-ju

With her quintessential black humor and sophisticated theatricality, Kim Yeon-ju conveys reality and human nature—in a candid yet daring manner. She majored in theater directing at Korea National University of Arts, where she is currently studying screenwriting in the School of Film, TV & Multimedia. She write for various media platforms including TV and the stage. She adopted Boy with Bicycle Thief Helmet for the NTCK’s TYA(Theatre for Young Audiences) and wrote and directed Good Protein for Doosan Art Lab.

Director Seo Chung-sik

• Senior Director of Theater Company Outsiders
• Professor in School of Drama, Korea National University of Arts

Seo Chung-sik’s previous directorial works Ballads for Roxanne and The Wrestling Season were staged in some thirty cities across the country. He is undoubtedly one of the most important directors for the NTCK’s TYA repertoire. The combination of lively tempos and rhythm—as well as Seo’s unique sense of humor and spontaneity—effectively puts across the physicality and emotions of teenagers. Set in a seaside village and imbued with a visceral sense of pathos, his new TYA production Genius Toe Sprinter tells the story of a group of 12-year-old boys in a running club.