The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 128

Fearing his head might crack open, Shin Sang-yeol quickly bolted out of the president’s office.

Money was good, but he was starting to think he might die any day because of that filthy temper. What good was a lot of money if you were dead?

‘You son of a bitch. The guys I hired to take care of Moon Seok-il were found as vegetables, so how the hell am I supposed to finish this?’

That was the problem with the rich. They thought money could solve everything, but there were many things it couldn’t. He had offered a fortune to catch Moon Seok-il, but the fixers, after finding out who their target was, ran away as if they had seen a ghost, dusting off their clothes, saying they wanted to live until they were old and senile.

It was a goddamn mess.

He wanted to quit this dirty work right away, but if he did, they would kill him to shut him up. Wasn’t this a perfect example of being stuck between a rock and a hard place?

Leaning against the wall, he couldn’t help but sigh.

Ha…

‘I miss Mom.’

It was the forlorn heart of a man nearing forty.

As he wiped the sweat from his forehead, a woman with a haughty look glanced at Shin Sang-yeol and walked past.

Shin Sang-yeol made a fist and flipped her off behind her back.

‘I can’t stand any of the Park family’s faces.’

What kind of conversation were they going to have?

He took out his earphones from his pocket and plugged them into his ears.

After listening quietly for a while, Shin Sang-yeol fumbled in his inner pocket and pressed the record button.

***

As he was angrily lighting a cigarette, he heard a knock, and the door opened.

Park Woo-jung yelled.

“Who is it!”

“It’s me.”

A woman with sharp eyes and a strong jawline, Park Woo-jung’s younger sister, Park Sa-rang.

Park Woo-jung, exhaling a long stream of cigarette smoke, asked.

“What brings you here?”

“Did you see the newspaper?”

Park Woo-jung stared at Park Sa-rang without answering.

That old man was having an affair with a 20-year-old model this time. Affair my ass, he just bought her with money. Men and women craving young energy was a family trait, if anything.

Park Sa-rang, deliberately avoiding Park Woo-jung’s gaze, sank into the plush sofa.

“Gwang-yeon seems to be doing well.”

Park Woo-jung’s eyebrows twitched. He was already fuming because of that guy, so he couldn’t be in a good mood.

“Doing well? So you’re happy about that? Do you still see that vulgar bloodline as your brother?”

“Why? Are you trying to do something to Gwang-yeon because he’s vulgar?”

“You…”

Park Woo-jung gritted his teeth and glared at Park Sa-rang.

He had a hunch where the data Baek Young-rim had collected had gone. Anyway, it was Baek Young-rim’s handwritten ledger, and Park Woo-jung could just deny knowing anything about it. However, if it was made public, he would be in trouble.

“Sa-jung.”

“When did I change my name? Stop calling me that!”

Park Sa-rang yelled.

Park Woo-jung chuckled and leaned his upper body towards Park Sa-rang. His expression was incredibly nonchalant.

“President Park Sa-rang, think carefully. When Father passes away, it’ll just be us siblings left.”

“Of course, he won’t live much longer. Isn’t it right to see him as already dead? So, are you worried that Gwang-yeon might get a DNA test and try to get his hands on the inheritance?”

“Isn’t that obvious? What else would those lowlifes be after if not money? They sold their bodies to get close to Father.”

As he said that, Park Woo-jung suppressed a laugh.

How could she be so stupid, even though they came from the same womb? She was completely off the mark.

‘DNA test, my ass.’

Well, since he was the only one who knew the truth, it was understandable that she would think that way.

Park Sa-rang, avoiding Park Woo-jung’s bloodshot eyes, sighed through her nose.

Her older brother, Park Woo-jung, was like their father, Park Woon-chul, with a fiery temper and no filter in his expressions.

His methods were so ruthless that it was terrifying to even talk about the things he had done.

‘If I hadn’t manipulated Young-rim to steal the evidence, I would have been in danger too.’

She had brought it up to let him know that she held his weakness, and thankfully, he seemed to have caught on. At least he wouldn’t try to do anything rash to her.

They weren’t close, but Park Sa-rang used to secretly meet Son Gwang-yeon when she was younger. There wasn’t much they could talk about because of their age difference. However, she felt affection for him as a younger brother. It was also a pleasure to look at his handsome face, which didn’t resemble Park Woon-chul.

She had cut ties with him after opposing his pursuit of a country girl, but he was doing so well. That woman’s family had gone bankrupt, so they must have broken up. Looking back, she thought she had done the right thing by filing that complaint.

Park Sa-rang wanted to protect Son Gwang-yeon, at least with the little affection she had left.

“Gwang-yeo-”

“Ah, stop it. Don’t try to defend him. There’s nothing we can do now. We should just let him live quietly.”

Both of them sighed at the same time.

One was giving up, and the other was relieved, but there was a difference.

Still, Park Woo-jung seemed to have some lingering feelings.

“If he does anything dirty, I won’t let him get away with it. You be careful too! Don’t side with those lowlifes!”

Park Sa-rang frowned and shook her head. That temper would never be fixed, even in death.

Still, she agreed with one thing Park Woo-jung had said.

‘They are vulgar, that’s true.’

Even dogs and cats would get out of line if you were too nice to them.

How much more would it be for humans?

What had that democracy and freedom done? Even though they were born with different backgrounds, they shamelessly demanded fairness. It was the height of audacity. How could they dream of running on the same line and crossing the finish line together when their starting lines were different?

Even the employees they hired as servants with money often showed such behavior, so it was not unreasonable to assume that those who shared their blood would be even worse. Even a young child named Park Yoon-young, who was studying abroad, had already provoked Park Woo-jung’s anger because of her audacious personality.

「Daejeong Electronics President Park Woo-jung, a down-to-earth approach with employees.」

Park Woo-jung, holding up a newspaper with his name prominently displayed, grumbled irritably.

“Those bastards. They think they’re on the same level just because I did a little show in front of the camera.”

“These days, the world has gotten so good that they’re even trying to form unions, which is even more annoying.”

When Park Sa-rang agreed, Park Woo-jung slammed the table and responded.

“That’s what I’m saying! Is it even right for nobles to share a table with slaves…? Ha…”

He couldn’t finish his sentence and rubbed his temples as if he was dumbfounded.

“Negotiations? The world is coming to an end. Would this country even be able to live like this if it weren’t for us! If they’re jealous, they should just be jealous and take the crumbs, how dare they try to be equal…”

Tsk.

Park Woo-jung, clicking his tongue, twitched his eyebrows.

“But what brings you to your brother? You didn’t just come to talk about Son Gwang-yeon, did you?”

‘You son of a bitch, brother my ass.’

Park Sa-rang coughed and turned her head, mouthing ‘fuck’ with her lips.

Still, she had to reveal the reason she came. A large sum of money was about to come in, and if she wanted to get a piece of it, she had to tell him to his face, even if she hated seeing him.

“I got a call from Se-in. About Future Park.”

“Why is that?”

“They’re selling it.”

Park Woo-jung, letting out a sigh, opened his mouth wide as if he had never frowned.

It was the largest amusement park in the country, located in the Gyeonggi Province. It wasn’t particularly profitable right now. However, despite the inconvenient transportation, the number of visitors increased every year, and it was a business that Daejeong owned 100% of the shares without any debt.

Was Hong Ki-joon crazy? He was telling them to sell a decent business like buying cigarettes at a corner store.

‘Someone like him should know what Future Park means to Daejeong, right?’

It was a business that held the key to cross-shareholding. Of course, it could be changed at any time, but that was the current situation. How difficult would it be to change the governance structure when Daejeong had given out so many scholarships?

Anyway, if other business leaders in the industry heard about it, they would think that Hong Ki-joon had some kind of grudge against Daejeong.

However, Park Woo-jung’s judgment was different.

‘You fool.’

The business world and the media were praising Hong Ki-joon as an extraordinary figure every day, but he must have terrible financial soundness because he was expanding his business so aggressively. Park Woo-jung, who was closely watching Se-in, couldn’t have been unaware of that fact.

Then, helping him sink was also a way. To keep him spending money and going into debt.

He had seen many people, who were nothing more than average, get infected with the CEO disease and flex their muscles during the greatest boom since the founding of the nation. But how long would such a boom last? They were just grasshoppers who had no technology, sales, or basic business management skills, looking down on the world from the top of a sandcastle built with bank loans.

Although he had a staff of advisors at the headquarters level, President Park Woo-jung, who had been told he was smart since he was young, often pushed things through on his own. Since his decisions always yielded good results, his father, Park Woon-chul, had entrusted him with management early on. Now, he was in a vegetative state, so he had no choice but to lie down.

‘If I send Se-in first, Son Gwang-yeon will be a kite with a broken string.’

It would be clean to deal with him after making it like that.

It wouldn’t be bad to have the scholarship students tear him apart, but it was more thrilling to hit him directly, wasn’t it? Park Woo-jung clenched his fist, anticipating the intangible sense of impact.

He then gestured to Park Sa-rang with his chin and asked curtly.

“How much are they offering?”

He would sell it at a high price, and then buy it back at a bargain price after it went bankrupt.

***

Jin-hyuk didn’t even breathe until the recording tape finished playing.

He supported his forehead with his folded index finger and faintly frowned.

– “Are you trying to do something to Gwang-yeon too?”

– “Isn’t that obvious? What else would those lowlifes be after if not money? They sold their bodies to get close to Father.”

– “Is it even right for nobles to share a table with slaves?”

– “How much are they offering?”

Even after the playback ended, Jin-hyuk remained silent for a while.

It was to the point that Moon Seok-il, who was watching him, felt like he wasn’t breathing. There was a frog that breathed once a minute, and he wondered if he was one of those frogs.

Jin-hyuk’s chest slowly swelled and then slowly sank again.

He finally opened his eyes.

“It’s certain.”

“I told you, it’s certain that Park Woo-jung ordered it, right?”

“No, not that. I mean, that you persuaded the Daejeong people.”

“They say you can buy a body with a small amount of money, and you can buy a soul with a large amount of money. And there’s a separate way to get unconditional cooperation…”

Moon Seok-il didn’t finish his sentence.

Even without saying it, it seemed like that guy, Son Jin-hyuk, knew even more methods.

“What should we do?”

“They’re not saying they’ll do anything right away. Se-in would be in danger if they push it too hard here.”

“Even if they act like that, they’re the kind of people who are likely to have different intentions.”

Jin-hyuk shook his head inwardly.

Park Woo-jung had died suddenly at the age of eighty. It was probably something that would happen more than 20 years later.

It was a miracle that the blood vessels in the brain of a person with a hot temper and high blood pressure as a passive trait had lasted that long.

It was said to be a sudden death during intercourse.

It was truly a fitting end for the meaning of his name.

Such a person would come up with a complicated scheme while being mindful of being wiretapped?

It was a story that would only fit a villain in a movie scenario.

“Right now, Hong Ki-joon is the player. It’s not our time to jump in.”

Moon Seok-il nodded.

Wasn’t it like a tag match? The players in suits would fight in the light, and the players with weapons would take turns fighting in the shadows.

“The substitute players should just focus on managing their condition.”

“Still, we can’t let our guard down.”

That was obvious.

“I’m counting on you.”

Jin-hyuk’s eyes smiled calmly as he said that.

Moon Seok-il raised one eyebrow.

“Until I graduate from high school… Please watch over me more carefully.”

Moon Seok-il, who had closed his mouth tightly, nodded briefly. He knew exactly what he was asking for.

Moon Seok-il left the room, and the sound of footsteps disappeared outside the door.

He pressed the play button on the cassette player and threw himself onto the bed.

‘So free!’

Lying on the cool and soft blanket and breathing in the air coming through the open window, it was like heaven. How pleasant and nice it was. It was a season he had never felt before.

He lay on the bed, wiggling his arms and legs like an octopus.

Humming along to the song playing from the mini component.

“Knock, knock, knocking on heaven’s door.”

However, his wide-open eyes were coldly sunken, not matching the music.

‘Nobles, my ass. Go ahead and do whatever you want. I’ll show you hell.’

He was planning to create a reality so terrifying that hell would feel like heaven in comparison.

He was trying to live an ordinary life, but they messed with his family? Provoked a middle schooler?

Four years until high school graduation, it was more than enough time to plan his revenge.

“Knock, knock, knocking on heaven’s door.”

Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding.

He frowned and shook his head, pretending to strum a guitar.

Come at me, world!

***

The gochujang [Korean chili paste] she had made last year was already running low.

She used to eat it for more than two years after making it once, but it was a natural result since the number of mouths to feed had increased. It was because Jang Jin-nam had been taking it like crazy, saying it was a taste that couldn’t be compared to store-bought gochujang. Han Yu-young had also been giving it away like crazy.

Since the number of mouths to feed had increased, it was natural to increase the production volume, and Jang Jin-nam decided to repay it with labor.

Han Yu-young and Jang Jin-nam were making glutinous rice paste and preparing fine red pepper powder in the yard.

“I’ll do the heavy lifting. Madam, just give me the instructions.”

“We should do it together. Housewives feel more comfortable when they do it themselves.”

Jang Jin-nam wiped his nose to hide his sly smile.

She was the wife of a corporate boss, but she never acted haughty. She was always relaxed when talking to people around her, without ever pushing them. That’s why, even though she was younger than him, he sometimes blurted out the word ‘sister’.

Han Yu-young raised her voice towards Yu-jin, who was playing in the distance.

“Don’t come over here.”

“Okay.”

It was the day to make the sauce that would last for more than two years, so it would be a problem if even a single dog hair got in. Her smart daughter had taken the dogs away on her own, but she had to keep an eye on them from time to time. Children forgot things easily. When Jin-hyuk was seven years old, he had broken five lids of the crock while playing hopscotch.

“Why is Jin-hyuk just singing in his room today?”

The kid who used to help whenever his mom was doing something was playing loud music and singing. Had he gone crazy because of the change of seasons?

“He’s been cooped up in his room a lot these days. I guess it’s because of puberty.”

“Puberty?”

Jang Jin-nam tilted his head.

Did puberty come so quietly? He seemed like a real gentleman at this level.

Usually, when you think of puberty…

Jang Jin-nam shook his head.

He wanted to find a mouse hole because countless dark histories came to mind at once.

‘Is it because it’s a quiet neighborhood?’

Min Yong-rak, who visited the neighbors every day to act as a tutor, also said that Choi Mi-kyung was mature for a student in puberty.

Son Jin-hyuk was mature in a different way.

– “Hey Jude, don’t make it bad-”

He should close the window when he sings.

Was he going to sing that song until the end? He would probably kick his blanket later when he grew up.

Jang Jin-nam’s huge body shook with a burst of laughter.

***

Moon Seok-il, who had come out of Jin-hyuk’s room, paused for a moment and recalled Jin-hyuk’s request.

He had been watching how terrible the family love of these people was and had been able to gauge it well enough. Still, it was very strange to see him, at an age when he should only be thinking about himself, making such a desperate request like a person with a grudge. He had never seen such a person in his life.

Anyway, that kind of kid was one of a kind in the world.

‘What a funny guy.’

Suddenly, it became quiet, and another song started playing.

It was the Beatles’ ‘Hey Jude’ from Jin-hyuk’s room behind the closed door.

– “-to make it better-”

Jin-hyuk’s voice was louder than the music.

Moon Seok-il, who had paused to listen to the song, shook his head.

Until recently, he had been listening to piano or violin pieces, but these days, he was listening to songs with gibberish lyrics that he couldn’t understand. It was one thing that it was out of sync with the tastes of students these days, but it was inevitable that it would be strange from the perspective of someone who had always watched him, since his taste, which had been like a calm lake, had changed like a stormy sea.

Kid, if you’re a man, you should listen to Kim Wan-sun [a popular Korean singer].

– “Na na na- na na na na-. Na na na na- Hey Juuude.”

Jin-hyuk’s song, looking for Jude instead of Kim Wan-sun, continued.

Moon Seok-il’s body, which was stepping on the stairs, staggered at the sudden scream.

– “Jjujju-re- jjurejjurejjurejjure- au!”

Damn, that scared me.

‘He’s gone crazy for real.’