The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 112

Wow-! Clapping, clapping, clapping-.

The residents didn’t hold back their cheers at the splendid and powerful martial arts demonstration.

Every time an SSS agent hit the mat with their body, applause erupted, and the next sparring partner stepped up.

“Next!”

Team Leader Bear, with his physique, displayed flashy techniques, pinning all the SSS agents to the mat. Meanwhile, Moon Seok-il stood by Jin-hyuk’s side with his arms crossed.

Jin-hyuk glanced at Moon Seok-il.

“How does he compare to your uncle?”

Jin-hyuk gestured with his chin towards Yang Kang-wook, and Moon Seok-il replied dryly.

“In Judo alone, there’s no one who can beat Team Leader Yang. He could go to the Olympics, you know?”

‘Is he that good?’ Well, he does seem like a complete warrior with just his strength, even without technique.

Jin-hyuk had subtly wanted to see Moon Seok-il and Yang Kang-wook spar, but Moon Seok-il’s eyes showed no interest.

“Hey, young man! You look like you’ve got some strength; how about a match?”

Yang Kang-wook, still immersed in his Three Kingdoms character, pointed at Choi Tae-yang.

Choi Tae-yang, with his arm around Choi Mi-kyung’s shoulder, smiled awkwardly.

“I’m a Ssireum [Korean wrestling] wrestler, so I don’t know Judo…”

“Then let’s do Ssireum!”

Thud-!

Yang Kang-wook knelt on the mat. It seemed more like he slammed his knees down rather than knelt. ‘Doesn’t it hurt?’

Wow-, clapping, clapping-.

The crowd pushed Choi Tae-yang forward with applause.

The residents seemed to want Choi Tae-yang to uphold the village’s pride.

Even Jin-hyuk, who didn’t usually enjoy such festivities, had his eyes sparkling with interest.

‘Tae-yang hyung [older brother or close male friend] is someone I could try to fight.’

After hesitating for a moment, Choi Tae-yang, who had been watching the intense matches of the martial artists, also had his blood boiling. He was one of the best Ssireum wrestlers in Korea; there was no way he would lose. Choi Tae-yang took off his jacket and handed it to Choi Mi-kyung, then took off his socks and stepped onto the mat.

The silent tension emanating from the two giants made the residents and the SSS swallow hard.

“I am Dian Wei of Gi-oh!”

“Tae, Tae-yang, Choi Tae-yang- is here.”

‘He’s doing it again, just because he was asked to.’

Choi Tae-yang, with a flushed face, bowed his head.

Ignoring the chuckling, the two strongmen grabbed their belts.

‘Ugh-!’

As Yang Kang-wook pulled on the belt, Choi Tae-yang felt the blood draining from his head and the strength leaving his body.

He felt a monstrous force that seemed like it would snap his waist by pulling the belt.

‘When have I felt like this before?’

Choi Tae-yang’s eyes searched for the person who had given him such an experience in the past.

Jin-hyuk, who was cheering for his neighborhood hyung with a thumbs-up, was smiling slyly.

‘That annoying guy.’ Choi Tae-yang also sent a sheepish smile towards Jin-hyuk while grimacing.

“Stand up-.”

At Chun Gil-ryong’s signal, the two strongmen stood up, holding their belts.

Jin-hyuk thought he heard a creaking sound from somewhere.

It was an effect that was more of a sensation than a sound, only audible to Jin-hyuk’s sensitive ears.

The sound of power surging like a tidal wave into the taut muscle fibers of the strongmen.

“Dong-! Start-!”

With a strange shout, Chun Gil-ryong slapped the backs of the two strongmen.

And then.

Thud-!

Choi Tae-yang’s legs seemed to lift, then he spun 90 degrees sideways and fell to the ground. The pose was so artistic that it was reminiscent of Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man.

And just like that, Choi Tae-yang was pinned by the bear.

There wasn’t even time to say, ‘Oh, no.’

It was the moment when the Halla Jangsa [a top-ranked Ssireum wrestler] was completely defeated by the bear.

Choi Tae-yang, who blinked a couple of times while lying down, growled softly.

“Again.”

‘Shouldn’t they stop him?’ Some people murmured.

However, Jin-hyuk, knowing the personalities of Choi Tae-yang and Yang Kang-wook, wasn’t worried.

He was just looking forward to how Choi Tae-yang would get his revenge in the next match.

At the same time, his limbs were filled with a thrilling excitement.

‘What’s wrong with me?’

Was it the blood of a warrior flowing through him? Jin-hyuk suppressed his pounding heart for no reason.

Although he was pushed back by brute force and missed the timing in the first round, the Halla Jangsa was still the Halla Jangsa.

Choi Tae-yang won the remaining two rounds against Yang Kang-wook, restoring his honor.

“Young man, your skills are amazing!”

“Hey, it’s you who won the first round that’s amazing. This guy is the Halla Jangsa from the Chuseok [Korean Thanksgiving] Ssireum Tournament.”

Yang Kang-wook’s eyes widened at Chun Gil-ryong’s explanation.

He was wrestling with the Halla Jangsa.

“It was an honor. If you’re not busy, let’s fight again over there next time.”

Yang Kang-wook pointed to the sandpit in the distance. It was a space prepared for Jin-hyuk’s long jump and Yoo-jin’s sand play. The area was the same size as a Ssireum ring and filled with fine sand.

“Yes. I’ll bring my satba [Ssireum belt] next time.”

He had won 2 to 1, but he was still bothered by the first round he had lost so quickly. And Yang Kang-wook seemed like a good training partner. Choi Tae-yang bowed politely and stepped back, promising the next time.

Then, suddenly, he became curious.

“Try it with Jin-hyuk.”

Yang Kang-wook smiled, placing his hands on his hips, showing no signs of fatigue.

“Even if he’s a beast, kids’ bones aren’t fully developed, so they could break-.”

“Jin-hyuk won’t break.”

It was Choi Tae-yang’s conviction.

Even ordinary people could tell how strong someone was just by holding their hand or touching their forearm. How could Choi Tae-yang, who had only eaten and wrestled, not know Son Jin-hyuk? The memories of hugging Jin-hyuk whenever he had the chance until last year were like marks etched into his cells for life.

Choi Tae-yang winked at Jin-hyuk.

‘I don’t want to, with so many people watching.’

Jin-hyuk tried to ignore Choi Tae-yang and Yang Kang-wook.

However, he couldn’t ignore the wish of his beloved younger sister.

“Oppa [older brother], you’re strong, right? You beat the wild boar, right? You can beat the bear ajussi [older man] too, right?”

It seemed that Yang Kang-wook looked like a bear to young Yoo-jin.

Anyway, it was Jin-hyuk’s history known only to Son Yoo-jin.

He was her oppa, who had a record of 1 win and no losses against wild boars.

And that was a life-or-death battle, not Ssireum or Judo.

“Yes! Let’s see our son’s skills!”

“Our son is weak; he might get hurt…”

Amidst the parents’ mixed expectations and concerns, Chun Gil-ryong whispered in Yang Kang-wook’s ear.

‘Hey, did you get life insurance?’

‘Huh?’

The company did get it for me, but.

What was he talking about all of a sudden? Yang Kang-wook, who showed no signs of fatigue, tilted his head.

A strange tension flowed as Jin-hyuk stepped onto the mat.

Even if it wasn’t a life-or-death battle, Jin-hyuk was releasing his fighting spirit because he couldn’t subdue that bear-like man with just a casual effort.

“Humph! I am Dian Wei of Ogi! Who are you!”

‘Ugh, this is so embarrassing.’

But that bear doesn’t know how to give up.

Jin-hyuk recited a line he used during his military service.

“I am Zhao Zilong of Changban…”

It was a nickname he had used in his past life, raising his resistance to embarrassment to the maximum.

Of course, he only used it when sparring with Yang Kang-wook.

Huh?

The quiet crowd began to murmur.

The taciturn SSS were the same.

“Wasn’t Changban Zhang Fei?”

“I only know Zhang Fei when it comes to Changban Bridge.”

Yang Kang-wook moved his neckless head and tilted it.

“Zhao Zilong? Not Zhang Fei?”

“Zhang Fei is ugly…”

‘Ah-.’

It was an answer that anyone could understand.

That was the image of Zhang Fei.

There was no stronger persuasion than appearance.

Anyway, it seemed to have passed naturally.

“Let’s start.”

“What kind of match will it be? I’ll match the young man.”

“Let’s just do Judo.”

Jin-hyuk took off Myung Hyun-woo’s top gi and put it on.

Slap, slap-! Jin-hyuk slapped his cheeks and moved his jaw from side to side.

It was his habit from sparring in his past life, even though it was his first time doing Judo since returning.

There was no other reason. He saw Judo athletes doing it at the Olympics.

Yang Kang-wook, glaring at Jin-hyuk’s eyes and aiming for his sleeves, was using his sharp mind.

‘He shouldn’t hurt the VIP’s son.’

He would just trip him lightly and gently place him on the mat-.

Thud-!

-But instead, Yang Kang-wook was the one who fell.

He was sure he had perfectly wrapped his arms around Jin-hyuk’s neck and back and tripped him, but he had been countered.

That’s how it looked to the other agents, but Yang Kang-wook, who was blinking while lying down, thought differently.

‘As expected, a beast! This isn’t a counter.’

A counter is a technique that uses the opponent’s strength against them.

The technique Jin-hyuk used looked like a counter on the surface, but he had simply slammed Yang Kang-wook down with his strength.

‘A beast among beasts.’

Jin-hyuk was breathing, with a blank expression.

Even if he was strong, Yang Kang-wook was weaker than a wild boar.

Jin-hyuk knew the difference, so he needed to control his strength.

‘It’s harder to go easy.’

He asked Yang Kang-wook, who was standing up and adjusting his clothes.

“Do you want to do it again?”

“Sure.”

Thud-.

Thud-!

Splash!

Slap-!

Yang Kang-wook was sprawled on the mat four more times.

Whenever he tried to grab the sleeve, Jin-hyuk’s hand would disappear, and instead, his own sleeve would be grabbed. Then, an Uchi Mata [inner thigh throw] would come. He tried a low tackle, but he was grabbed by his belt and collar and flipped in the air. Then, he would be slammed on his back. If it weren’t for his instinctive breakfall, he would have tasted the pain of his intestines bursting. The bear thought as he spun horizontally in the air. ‘How strong is he to spin me around like this? Like he’s handling a child.’

Whenever he thought he had tripped him, he would fall flat on his back without fail.

Yang Kang-wook became the person who had seen the ceiling of the dome gymnasium the most.

Moon Seok-il and Jeong Sang-tae were seen chuckling in the distance. Although they were hidden by sunglasses, their eyes were round, and their teeth were showing, indicating that they were quite amused.

Kang Heon-chang and Kim In-rang were hitting each other’s shoulders and shedding tears.

Yang Kang-wook, who didn’t know what they had gone through, was just puzzled. ‘Is it that good that I’m getting beaten up?’

‘I see why Moon sunbae [senior colleague] said that.’

Yang Kang-wook was lost in thought as he looked at the spinning ceiling.

It was the day Moon Seok-il first came down from Seoul, saying that Hong Ki-jun had sent him.

– “There’s a martial god living in this town.”

He thought it was just the boasting of an old man who had read a lot of martial arts novels.

But now he seemed to know who that martial god was.

He could now fully understand why Moon Seok-il accepted tasks from Jin-hyuk without complaint and why the SSS were under his control.

He grabbed Jin-hyuk’s hand and lifted his bear-like body.

“Ugh-, thanks.”

Yang Kang-wook thought as he watched Jin-hyuk’s back receding.

‘He’s an interesting beast.’

‘Is he looking at me?’

They had sparred five times, but each time, the strength Jin-hyuk used was different.

It seemed like he had adjusted it to be just enough to win, and each match was ideal.

‘I shouldn’t spar with that guy for a while.’

‘My face is ruined in front of the SSS agents.’

But the residents’ reactions are also interesting.

‘They’re looking at me like it’s a natural result.’

‘This isn’t Korea after all.’

The feeling he had whenever he marched through sparsely populated mountain villages or farmlands resurfaced. It was a sense of déjà vu, as if he had fallen into a strange world.

‘It’s a strange world.’

While Yang Kang-wook was unfolding his 4D mental world, Han Yoo-young looked at her son with wide eyes.

“When did our son learn Judo?”

“From Seung-hoon at school…”

How convenient was the identity of a student?

If he made excuses with school, books, and friends, most people would just let it go.

Well, it wasn’t a lie since he spent a lot of time wrestling with Lee Seung-hoon, who had learned Judo.

***

Jin-hyuk swept the yard with his head covered in white snow.

There was nothing he could do about the wide land that had been a field and was now a lawn, but he had to sweep the snow off the dirt yard where he always lived. No matter how hard the ground was, it was likely to become a muddy mess when the snow melted.

Jin-hyuk, who shook off the snow and came inside, looked for his mother.

It was the middle of winter vacation, but something felt off.

“Isn’t Soo-jung coming down this winter vacation?”

“Soo-jung is also having a younger sibling.”

“…”

‘In his previous life, Hong Soo-jung was an only child?’

‘Wow, was Hawaii like that?’

Even though he had gone on overseas training several times in his past life, he had only gone sightseeing during the day and rested quietly at night.

‘I really wasted my time back then.’

Even if he went back to that time, nothing would change.

It felt somewhat empty that the girl who had clung to him like a leech every vacation wasn’t coming.

But it was a very temporary emptiness.

– Oppa! My mom is sending me to a hagwon [private academy] so I can learn how to get along with normal kids. I guess it’s because there are a lot of rich kids in this neighborhood. But what’s the point? The hagwon is in the same neighborhood. My mom is a good person, but she’s a bit lacking somewhere, right? Anyway, that’s why I don’t have a tutor like all my cousins.

“Oh, I see. Would you like to have a tutor, Soo-jung?”

– It’s not like I really need one. A tutor doesn’t teach you about life.

“Oh, oh. Right. Soo-jung, you’re already so thoughtful.”

– Oppa, I’ll call you tomorrow, so pick up. Okay? Because I’m planning to do something fun tomorrow. Let’s see, my schedule for tomorrow is…

He was glad that cell phones weren’t widely available yet.

However, he couldn’t ignore Hong Soo-jung’s calls because the loneliness he had seen in her past life was too deep. Even Jin-hyuk, who lived with the hardship of being left alone and the burden of exhaustion, felt pity for Hong Soo-jung.

‘I decided to treat her well this life.’

‘She’ll probably stop soon.’

Like in his past life, wouldn’t she be sent to study abroad in three years?

Because she’s a chaebol’s daughter.

***

One night, when snow was falling heavily, there was a commotion.

Just before Christmas, Jang-gun finally started having labor pains.

It was her first pregnancy, late at almost six years old.

If Jin-hyuk, who was watching the snow from his room on the second floor, hadn’t gone out at the sound of her whimpering, no one would have known.

Jin-hyuk, with a flushed face, leaned against the front door and shouted.

“Our Jang-gun is having puppies-!”

His throat choked up as he felt a sudden surge of emotion.

He put strength into his lower abdomen with earnestness and concern.

“-She’s going to give birth!”