The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 129

< The Unsent Season (4) >

Even with Pia’s identity confirmed, there was nothing he could do immediately.

The urge to go and end his life was strong, but if he did that, how would he be any different from the villains Jin-hyuk despised? Besides, Park Woo-jung shouldn’t die so easily.

‘It would be a problem if he died comfortably.’

Whether Park Woo-jung’s dirty tricks stemmed from a misunderstanding about Son Kwang-yeon or if he had other motives, those questions were no longer important. What was the point of wondering if the robber trying to kill you wanted money or your watch?

The only thing that mattered was the method.

There were too many options.

‘I’ll let you live a few more years for now.’

I’ll use Se-in to get your blood pressure up first.

Murderous intent flashed in Jin-hyuk’s eyes.

It was such an inappropriate look that Jung-won, who had been babbling in his arms, fell silent.

***

Winter vacation had arrived, but Hong Ki-joon’s family didn’t come down.

The last time he saw them was after Chuseok [Korean Thanksgiving] last year, so it had already been over a year.

Hong Ki-joon was successfully managing the group and pushing forward with reforms, so he was extremely busy. He was actively engaged in exchanges with Russia in the telecommunications and aerospace industries. He had also received a tip, though not officially, that they were simultaneously developing commercial geostationary and low-Earth orbit satellites. He also heard about a plan to reclaim one of the uninhabited islands in the shallow West Sea to build a rocket launch site.

Of course, it was information secretly passed on through Min Yong-rak, on the condition of strict confidentiality.

Yu Se-ra was surprisingly engrossed in the joys of childcare. She said it was twice as hard as raising her daughter, but she was enjoying it. She was definitely a unique woman.

The phone that little Hong Su-jeong used to call on every day had also fallen silent. Hong Su-jeong was said to be the second busiest person in the house after Hong Ki-joon. Well, she was busy with various things, and also with her younger sibling’s education? He didn’t know what she was teaching a baby who wasn’t even a year old, but she was a unique child, just like her mother.

When Jin-hyuk’s voice talking to Hong Su-jeong wasn’t heard, silence fell over the spacious Son family living room. The only sounds were the soft patter of the thick snow hitting the living room window and Son Jung-won’s babbling.

In contrast, it was noisy outside the house.

Children love snow. Yoo-jin’s laughter, as she rolled around in the snow with the dogs, never stopped.

“Kyahaha-. Hongsi is rolling well now too-”

Jin-hyuk was pacing around like a bodyguard.

There was no danger of getting hurt since a lot of snow had piled up on the soft lawn.

But he couldn’t let his guard down because of the short General.

“Where’s General?”

Woof-! Woof!

He couldn’t relax because he couldn’t see him buried in the snow.

Goodness, he never thought he’d be guarding a dog in his life.

“Oppa will make a huge snowman for you.”

Jin-hyuk also liked snow.

He didn’t know why he liked it when it was just cold to the touch. Maybe it was just the neatness of the pure white that shone.

For various reasons, he didn’t welcome his social identity as a minor, but he liked that he didn’t have to keep up appearances when playing with his younger sibling.

‘It’s good to have someone to play with.’

For Jin-hyuk, making a snowman alone was something that required a lot of courage. He didn’t have the confidence to deal with the looks of ‘What’s the story with that adult man?’, of course, he had never tried it.

It was natural for a child to gather and roll snow, so there was no need to keep up appearances, which made it comfortable. Even rolling a snowball was proof of existence for Jin-hyuk.

Whether she liked the snowball her brother had made, Yoo-jin hugged the heavy, well-packed snowball from above like a ball.

It was so tightly packed that it didn’t break even when Yoo-jin climbed on it.

“Oppa, let’s make a snow house.”

“A snow house?”

“Yes. I saw it on TV. Let’s sleep there and bake potatoes too.”

Yoo-jin’s demands were increasing day by day, but he was not an oppa who would refuse.

Let’s see…

‘How do you make an igloo?’

Since it was something he had never tried, he needed time to plan. But there was no time to think for long. He had to show her that he was moving so that Yoo-jin wouldn’t get sulky. She was a kid who would fidget and whine like a child with cold feet if he hesitated.

Anyway, there was plenty of snow everywhere, so the materials were plentiful.

But if he made it by hand, he didn’t know when he would finish. They were going to sleep there and bake potatoes, so it couldn’t be too small.

‘Okay. Let’s make bricks.’

Not small bricks, but big bricks.

Jin-hyuk immediately searched the warehouse and found a fruit box.

He shoveled snow into the plastic box with holes in it.

Then Yoo-jin pressed it down with her hands and feet.

‘As expected, my smart little sister.’

She understood her brother’s intentions perfectly.

All children would have that much insight, but it was the unavoidable delusion of a doting older brother.

The temperature was low, but the day was clear. Thanks to the snow maintaining a good level of viscosity for clumping due to the sun’s radiant heat, the snow bricks didn’t break easily and kept their shape.

“Hold on tight.”

“Yes-”

He drew a large circle using Yoo-jin, who was holding the rope, as the center of the circle.

Then, he placed the snow bricks along the line and showed her how to do it.

“If Oppa puts it here, Yoo-jin smooths it out with her hands. Like this-”

“Yes, ehehe-”

It would be better for Jin-hyuk to do the construction himself, but he wanted his younger sibling to enjoy it too.

This was a season that wouldn’t come again.

Someday, even after Yoo-jin had grown up, she would remember today and think fondly of her oppa.

Yoo-jin smoothed the bricks with her tiny hands as her brother had taught her. Even though she was young, her hands were skillful. She was quite good at smoothing the bricks, which were close to rectangular, diagonally so that there were no gaps.

“Higo-, it’s hard.”

“Go inside if you’re cold. Oppa will make it well.”

“Eung eung-”

Yoo-jin shook her head, stubborn as ever.

She just plopped down in the snow and stretched out her legs. The ski pants that Hong Su-jeong used to wear were good for keeping out the cold. And with four dogs surrounding Yoo-jin, the warming effect would be considerable. Still, she would get cold if she stayed out too long.

Jin-hyuk had no choice but to speed up.

“Wow, Oppa is good.”

Why did the little one’s praise make him feel so good?

With a grin on his face, Jin-hyuk accelerated his work.

He scooped up the snow, put it in the box, and stomped on it.

He turned the box over to make a brick and used a piece of wood to shape it so that it had a slight slope.

Finally, the circular wall began to slope inward.

The upper bricks were made lightly, but he was worried that they would collapse due to the weight. He checked several times to make sure the joints were firmly attached.

“It’s okay, right?”

“Eung-, it’s okay.”

Hongsi sat behind Yoo-jin so she could lean on him. General was sleeping with his head on Yoo-jin’s legs. Yoo-jin put her hands on the heads of Chunma and Gwangma, who were lying on either side of her, and watched her brother’s construction work.

The neighborhood construction workers did it slowly, but this oppa was moving back and forth like a dog, very, very fast. It was like he wasn’t breathing.

“Oppa, aren’t you tired?”

“Yeah. I’m still okay.”

He had no choice but to bluff. He didn’t want to be an oppa who showed weakness in front of his younger sibling. There was no problem with his stamina. But after several hours of work, he was hungry and his eyes were dry. He drew strength from looking at his younger sibling’s sparkling eyes.

The igloo was completed before Jin-hyuk collapsed.

It wasn’t huge, but it was an igloo big enough for four dogs and four or five adults to sit comfortably. The ceiling height was similar to Jin-hyuk’s height, so it was a major construction that even required a ladder.

As a finishing touch, he made a hole in the center of the ceiling and a window so they could see outside.

‘I have to use my strength like this.’

Jin-hyuk was a student and a member of a family. He had a place to return to every day and people waiting for him.

It wasn’t a war situation, and in a highly developed system, he was part of an organic relationship as a citizen. A world where you suddenly go on an adventure without any affiliation only existed in fiction.

That’s why you shouldn’t just run out and use your strength recklessly just because you’re good at fighting. You can’t just complain that the world is peaceful and why doesn’t it recognize your strength.

‘That’s crazy.’

That was Jin-hyuk’s analysis of the imbalance he had felt as the year changed.

If there was a threat, he would take action, but all he did was exercise morning and evening, change Jung-won’s diapers, play with Yoo-jin, and catch General’s fleas. As an energetic Jin-hyuk, he couldn’t help but feel restless.

There were quite a few kids his age who ran away from home these days, and if Jin-hyuk had been alone, he might have left right away.

But he had a family that made him tear up if he didn’t see them for even a day, so why would he? He was experiencing an identity crisis from time to time, but Jin-hyuk was not a child.

‘This is where I belong.’

He nodded, carefully filling the seams of the igloo’s outer wall with his gloved hands.

The uncles at the gym weren’t much help either.

They were people who were reluctant to spar with Jin-hyuk because of their pride, but Jin-hyuk also didn’t get any help in improving his skills or stamina by sparring with them. The difference in level was too great. Even though they were careful not to get hurt, the SSS agents were knocked out before Jin-hyuk even got warmed up because they couldn’t keep up with his stamina.

It was better to keep clumping snow and building an igloo.

Because when you work alone, you can push your pace to the limit.

The reason he exercised every day was no different.

Since there was nowhere to release his overflowing power, he was controlling it by suppressing it alone.

“Waaaah-! I’m so excited! It’s so cool!”

Yoo-jin was jumping up and down inside the igloo.

General and his subordinate dogs were wagging their tails as they went in and out of the entrance.

“Yoo-jin, do you like the snow house?”

“Yes-! Ehehe-. I like it so much!”

Kyaaak kyaaaak-!

It was a sudden ultrasonic wave.

General and his dog friends cried out and escaped from the igloo.

Jin-hyuk put his hand on his younger sibling’s head to protect her, just in case the igloo collapsed due to the ultrasonic wave.

‘Kids’ voices are really amazing.’

Fortunately, the igloo he had worked so hard to build did not collapse.

After playing in the igloo for a while, Yoo-jin started to doze off while leaning on Hongsi.

Besides her voice, she was a younger sibling that he couldn’t think of anything else to say other than that she was really amazing.

Even though she was dressed warmly, the temperature itself was below freezing, so how could she fall asleep?

Chunma and Gwangma lay down close to Yoo-jin.

Hehehe-.

Selfish General burrowed between Hongsi and Yoo-jin to save himself.

Jin-hyuk, who had been thinking about picking up his younger sibling and moving her, crawled out of the igloo.

To give his younger sibling, who wanted to bake potatoes, a memory.

***

It was a large igloo that had suddenly appeared.

Watching from afar, he saw Son Jin-hyuk bringing firewood into the igloo.

‘That kid isn’t old enough to play with fire.’

Son Jin-hyuk wasn’t the type of friend to start a fire for no reason.

Yuk Sung-chan and Lee Hae-won had almost burned down their house when they were eight years old by burning weeds, but Son Jin-hyuk had been careful since he was young.

Then he must be trying to bake something. Would it be a mudskipper or a sweet potato? Whatever it was, it would be delicious. Anything tastes good on charcoal. He remembered the day when he was in kindergarten and he was playing around while grilling skewered rice cakes on charcoal. A sly smile appeared on Choi Mi-kyung’s face.

Anyway, this Choi Mi-kyung’s pig radar couldn’t be avoided.

So she broke through the snow and visited.

“Jin-hyuk-”

Jin-hyuk’s eyes narrowed on their own as he was pulling charcoal from the bonfire.

He was just about to start baking potatoes, but she had appeared like a ghost. He vowed to find a telescope at Choi Mi-kyung’s house someday.

“Welcome.”

“Why are you alone?”

Choi Mi-kyung, who had looked around the inside of the igloo with her mouth wide open, asked.

She knew that he wasn’t the type of guy to do something like this alone.

“Yoo-jin went to pee.”

Ah, I see. Choi Mi-kyung nodded absentmindedly.

Come to think of it, the only dog in the igloo was General. The other three must have followed Yoo-jin.

“It’s really cozy and warm.”

“Sit on this.”

Jin-hyuk pushed the thick piece of firewood he had been sitting on.

It was because he was worried that she, as a guest, would sit on the floor with her thin pants on. He had cursed her to have her butt blocked, but he didn’t want her to get frostbite on her butt.

‘It’s amazing even when I see it again.’

Jin-hyuk stared at Choi Mi-kyung. His gaze was quite pleased.

His oldest and closest friend. He was happy that he had more opportunities to see her face and spend time with her.

Did Jin-hyuk’s gaze seem inappropriate? Choi Mi-kyung glared at Jin-hyuk, adjusting her knit jacket.

“Hello, unnie-”

Fortunately, the moment of misunderstanding was quickly erased because Yoo-jin returned just in time.

“Wow-, our Yoo-jin has grown so much since I last saw her.”

“Right? They said I’m as big as a student.”

“Who?”

“Some random people said that.”

A moment of silence fell inside the igloo.

That wasn’t the way to use that phrase.

Jin-hyuk, who had let out a shallow sigh, asked carefully.

“Yoo-jin. You only played with General when Oppa went to school, right?”

“I also met Old Man Chun, and Jjorong Ajjici too.”

No wonder her way of speaking was getting old.

Yoo-jin added proudly.

“I also met Lee Dong-ho.”

“Lee Dong-ho? Who’s that?”

“He lives over there. Oppa gave him a goldfish last time.”

If it was a goldfish…

Ah! It seemed that the youngest of the three brothers was named Dong-ho.

“The oldest oppa is Lee Jun-ho, then Lee Bum-ho, and my friend is Lee Dong-ho.”

Yoo-jin was excited to introduce her friend.

She also said that they would be going to kindergarten together soon, and she also divulged unnecessary information that Dong-ho was shorter than Yoo-jin and still wet the bed.

“Who did you go with all the way over there? Your legs must have hurt.”

There was a phrase that should be engraved in the rural areas where there were fields all around.

「Things are farther away than you think.」

There were no obstacles, so you could see it clearly, but if you walked there, it was boring and you might even curse. The place where Dong-ho lived was a 10-minute walk for Jin-hyuk, and a 30-minute walk for Yoo-jin.

“I went with Hongsi, General, Chunma, Gwangma, and Jin-nam Ajjici.”

Jin-hyuk nodded. If she went with the dogs, she wouldn’t have been bored. And it would have been safe with Jang Jin-nam.

It was a relief as an oppa that Yoo-jin had many friends.

He was about to start staring at the fire, but he was short on firewood.

He felt bad for taking away what his friend was sitting on, so he decided to bring more.

While Jin-hyuk was away, Yoo-jin showed interest in Choi Mi-kyung.

“Unnie, you must be cold.”

Choi Mi-kyung snorted.

Her tone had changed from interrogative to declarative, making her sound like an old person.

“Unnie isn’t cold.”

“Are you wearing thermal underwear?”

Choi Mi-kyung stroked the head of the little one, who was sparkling her eyes.

“I’m not cold even if I don’t wear it? Our Yoo-jin will know when she’s as old as unnie.”

Perhaps she was curious as to why she wasn’t cold, Yoo-jin’s hand went past Choi Mi-kyung’s thigh and groped her butt.

It was at the same time.

That Jin-hyuk came into the igloo, grunting as he held firewood in his arms.

Hehe-.

“Omma!”

Choi Mi-kyung was startled and jumped up.

And she glared at Jin-hyuk fiercely.

“Son Jin-hyuk, you…”

“What-”

Jin-hyuk raised his chin with his eyes half-closed.

It was a gesture that Choi Mi-kyung always made.

Choi Mi-kyung, who had narrowed her eyes sharply, put her hands on her hips.

“I’m going to tell your aunt.”

“Tell her what?”

Jin-hyuk tilted his head.

What was she going to tell her? Building an unauthorized structure? Arson?

Jin-hyuk, ignoring Choi Mi-kyung, who was still glaring at him with cold eyes, scratched his cheek.

Humming a tune.

‘Tell, tell the Japanese guy-. Even the bald one is a Japanese guy-.’

Outside the igloo, heavy snow began to fall again.