The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 134

I took a deep breath.

‘Deep breaths, deep breaths.’

*Hoo-hoo*.

My mom and dad were happy, so I decided to run, but being the center of attention still wasn’t pleasant. It was a relief that I wasn’t about to faint, thanks to my mechanically honed presentation skills and experience.

Anyway, even if I ran for my parents, I hoped my intentions were pure. So, I pondered. What could I do as student council president? What could I do for these friends?

I pulled the microphone closer.

[I-.]

They say speeches should be short.

It wasn’t just because the students were standing in the hot sun, breathing in dust.

If the main point could be delivered clearly, there was no need to speak at length.

It’s when you try to justify actions and add a narrative to a message that words become long.

Jin-hyuk decided to exclude the narrative and skip the persuasion process for securing justification. He needed to surpass the popularity of the other candidates and draw the attention of the voters.

[I have secured a budget by making an agreement with a company based in TaeYang County.]

It was a shocking statement, but he delivered it as plainly as possible, without any extra emphasis.

He knew that starting with too much force or exaggerated actions could create a negative reaction.

The students, who had been indifferent, began to murmur.

*Murmur, murmur*.

“What’s a budget?”

“Chungnam budget?” [Chungnam is a province in South Korea]

This is a pain in the ass…

Jin-hyuk bit his lip.

[……]

They say dad jokes are similar to elementary school kids’ puns, and that was spot on. Even now, some of the guys not wearing uniforms were standing around with their hands in their pockets, smirking.

Jin-hyuk, suppressing the sigh that reflexively came out at the sudden nonsense, recalled the next part of his script. He hadn’t prepared a speech on purpose, to give the impression that he was aware of all situations. Unfortunately, no voters were paying attention to such details.

‘I need to control the situation.’

I can’t let the election saboteurs’ interference get to me!

It would be best to start with the promises I can implement right away.

First, I’ll make sure no one envies others over trivial things.

[From now on, milk will be provided free of charge to all students.]

This was a promise he had conceived while thinking of Jo Seul-chan.

Despite the support from his mother, Han Yu-young, Jo Seul-chan wasn’t using that money for himself but for his grandmother’s medicine and hospital bills. Jin-hyuk had confirmed that it was by no means a small amount of money.

The murmuring grew louder.

The students were just staring blankly, sharing their opinions with each other.

“Does that even make sense?”

“Isn’t that bribery?”

“Is the budget county supporting the milk?”

Jin-hyuk, clenching his jaw to ignore the nonsense, stretched out his left arm and pointed to the hill next to the schoolyard.

[Secondly, do you see that vacant lot next to the schoolyard?]

“What’s a vacant lot? I see a swing?”

“Is ‘vacant lot’ a fancy word for swing?”

Now, Jin-hyuk had become immune to the boring puns.

He decided to ignore the nonsense and just tell his prepared story.

[A cafeteria will soon be built there. Perhaps we third-year students won’t benefit much from it. But our juniors, and high school students, will be able to use meal tickets to eat in that cafeteria. It will be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The school and the operating company will negotiate, but the meal costs will be very low.]

He thought this would be a bombshell.

It meant that they wouldn’t have to go through the trouble of packing two lunches, and if they came a little early, they could have breakfast too. Moreover, if a nutritionist was on staff, they could also receive a balanced diet.

But.

“What’s a cafeteria?”

“Are we supposed to go there to drink milk?”

Oh, these country bumpkins, really.

It was supposed to be a showcase of his groundbreaking promises, but the audience’s response was terrible. They were reacting worse than kids in front of a street vendor. It was a relief that at least the friends who had seen some of the city and watched foreign teen dramas seemed to understand what Jin-hyuk was saying.

Jin-hyuk wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

Was it because of the lack of response? Somehow, it felt several times harder than when he used to give presentations at work.

[And the third promise-]

The student council election day was coincidentally on the Day of the Disabled. It was due to the tradition of holding the student council election on the third Wednesday of April.

Jin-hyuk, standing on the platform, glanced at a first-year junior sitting in a wheelchair on one side of the schoolyard. He quickly looked away and spoke clearly.

[Accidents can happen to anyone. No one ever asks for an accident, and we don’t know when or how it will come.]

“What’s he talking about now?”

“They say that guy is the top of the class, but he speaks so difficultly.”

The first-year students with their buzz cuts scratched their heads.

[But those friends should also be able to attend school without any inconvenience. So, as you know-.]

This time, Jin-hyuk stretched his arm behind him.

The middle school building was hidden by the high school building.

But now, the students had a sense of what Jin-hyuk was trying to say.

Construction was already underway to install elevators for the disabled in not only the middle school but also the high school building. It had only been two days since they had torn down the side wall of the building and blocked student access with safety fences.

Someone donated it, and it was the local company that Son Jin-hyuk mentioned.

Some students rubbed their noses with their index fingers.

[I have secured sponsorship for the installation of elevators that connect each floor to the corridors from the ground.]

Wow! Clapping.

It wasn’t loud, but finally, cheers and applause rang out.

He had started working on things before even running for the election. It must be true, seeing the teachers clapping along. Where else would you find a middle school third-year like that? The expressions of the students, who had been joking around, finally turned serious.

With that, Jin-hyuk’s breathing eased.

‘I’m finally alive.’

*Whew*, it was a bit weak, but the reaction he wanted finally came.

They didn’t react to food, but they cheered for the elevator.

They were good kids after all.

[Lastly, I have one more thing to say.]

The hall became quiet.

[I stood here to share the issues I mentioned earlier. I thought that we, the students who are the owners of the school, should know what’s going on at school, so I stood here with a happy heart to deliver good news. I wasn’t interested in being the student council president.]

“What’s he talking about now?”

“If he’s not interested, why did he come out?”

“Is the election a joke?”

Jin-hyuk ignored the murmuring students and said what he wanted to say last.

It might sound like nagging from an old man, but when else would he get to hold a microphone in front of the students and say these things?

[There are moments when everyone feels alone. But humans can never live alone. I hope that our friends and juniors will help those who are weak, not discriminate, and take the lead in ensuring that no friend is placed at a disadvantage by the school or teachers-.]

He mixed his past and present experiences appropriately.

Finally, everyone was holding their breath and listening intently.

[And if you grow into adults with warm hearts, I will have nothing more to wish for. If there is anything I can do to help in that process as president, I want to dedicate the rest of my school days to it.]

It seemed best to stop here.

He wanted to shout, ‘The times have called me here!’ but he held it back. The famous line, ‘If you shout my name, your wish will come true,’ also flashed through his mind, but he shook his head.

Jin-hyuk differentiated himself by not joining the others in their meaningless babble.

‘I’m the only normal one.’

Jin-hyuk was taciturn.

Many friends were afraid of Jin-hyuk. Even the high school seniors were afraid of him, so how much more would his classmates and juniors be?.

There were also sensitive things he said that could put him at odds with the teachers. There were some teachers and students who didn’t look at Jin-hyuk favorably. He knew that not everyone in the world could be loved, and he didn’t want that kind of love, so he didn’t care.

After all, the milk program, the construction of the cafeteria, and the installation of the elevators were already faits accomplis [a done deal]. It meant that they would happen even if he wasn’t elected.

‘I’ll feel bad for Dad if I lose, though.’

Dad had been making calls and meeting people everywhere at Jin-hyuk’s request.

The Board of Education, the county office, the school, and even Hong Ki-joon.

He had just wanted to live quietly, but his parents wanted a president son.

[Number 5.]

He stepped away from the microphone and bowed his head lightly.

There was a moment of silence. It was quieter than when he had greeted them before announcing his promises.

But after a moment, there was a reaction.

*Waaaaaaah!* *Wheeeeee!*

Cheers, applause, and even whistles. It was far from thunderous, but it was definitely an encouraging response.

Jin-hyuk’s brow furrowed as he observed the reaction.

‘This isn’t enough…’

The election is about the atmosphere.

To ride the wave, you need a hype strategy. Jin-hyuk had planted hype men. It was underhanded, but they said elections were war. What’s underhanded in war?

If you’re wronged, win.

Jin-hyuk winked at Lee Seung-hoon, who boasted a confident physique among the middle schoolers.

“Son Jin-hyuk! Son Jin-hyuk!”

Lee Seung-hoon and Shin Woo-sung, the hype men, raised their fists and chanted Jin-hyuk’s name.

Son Jin-hyuk! Son Jin-hyuk!

Then all the students in the schoolyard began to follow.

*Hoo*.

Thanks to the hype men, but the response was hotter than expected, and Jin-hyuk’s eyelids opened wide.

‘This is like an election campaign.’

It is an election campaign.

Looking at the schoolyard that had turned into a full-fledged election campaign, Chae Gyu-ho smiled faintly.

“How can I beat the class president?”

Building a building, supporting milk, and even installing elevators.

Giving things away is the best way to win an election.

Chae Gyu-ho learned one more thing like this. The other friends didn’t know, but Son Jin-hyuk was always a class president who gave Chae Gyu-ho some kind of realization.

Jin-hyuk bowed to the schoolyard and glanced at the junior in the wheelchair.

He couldn’t hear the conversation, but he was smiling brightly and talking to the teacher next to him.

It wasn’t that he wanted the kid to be moved.

It was just something he started to help that friend, and somehow he ended up running for student council president. Well, he did get a bit of election fever, but that friend was the reason he decided to run.

‘You’re not alone.’

There was a question Jo Seul-chan had asked him.

Why was he helping him when the other guys didn’t care?

Jin-hyuk didn’t remember what he had said to brush it off.

Jin-hyuk just wanted to say that a small act of kindness could make someone not feel lonely. He had only experienced kindness when he had stood on his own two feet and succeeded socially.

‘I feel proud.’

If he became president, his parents would be happy, and if the elevator was built, that kid would be happy. Jin-hyuk thought he wouldn’t get anything out of the deal with his dad. But the reward of doing a good deed followed.

‘Should I try to get artificial turf installed in high school?’

Seeing him optimistically planning the next election, it seemed that the election fever was indeed strong.

He hadn’t realized that starting something and observing someone’s reaction could be so enjoyable. It was like a young child wanting their parents’ praise.

*Hehehe*.

*

Teachers also participate in the student council president vote. They were also members of the school, so it would be stranger if they were excluded.

The ballot counting was underway with the student council president candidates, the vice-principal, and the student affairs director in attendance.

Only the occasional cough and the rustling of ballot papers filled the broadcasting room, which was the counting place.

The class presidents were supposed to count the votes, and the vice-presidents were supposed to tally them, but Jin-hyuk was a presidential candidate, so he sat quietly.

Reminding himself of his duty as a student.

‘They said we’d learn how to graft apple trees in agriculture class today. What a shame.’

It seemed he would have to learn how to graft apple trees on his own.

The ballot box was opened, and numbers and names were called out from here and there.

“Son Jin-hyuk.”

“Number 3.”

“Chae Gyu-ho.”

The counting speed increased as hands moved busily.

The vice-president of class 8, who was tallying the votes on the blackboard with the character ‘正’ [a Chinese character used for tallying], asked the vice-principal.

“We’ve passed the majority, should we keep going?”

“We have to.”

He thought it would be better to stop for the sake of the other candidates, but a 100% count was essential to transparently disclose the results to the voters.

The vice-principal’s lips curled up in a satisfied smile as he muttered the word ‘democracy’.

The student council president election was no different from a popularity contest. He thought that the guy who had come up with promises that were more like something a politician would make, rather than a student council president, would get a landslide victory.

But.

‘There’s no landslide?’

Even if the candidates were from the same class or the same school, the milk program alone would be enough reason to give all the votes to number 5.

Considering that in past elections, there had been winners who had received over 70 or 80% of the votes, Son Jin-hyuk’s vote count was quite poor.

‘If he had consistently participated in the track and field meets, the results would have been different.’

He had only participated in his third year, and there was almost no activity in his first and second years, so he must have been out of the students’ minds. The vice-principal analyzed the reasons in his own way.

“I’ll announce the results of the vote-counting.”

The class president of class 3 in the third grade, who was the head of the counting team, scratched his buzz cut and grabbed the microphone.

*Beep, beep*.

[Ah, ah-.]

[Just announce it, you idiot-.]

[Yes, yes-.]

With Lee Byung-se’s sarcastic remark, the results of the vote count flowed through the speakers.

[Before announcing the results of the 45th student council president election of TaeYang Middle School to all of you, I would like to express my gratitude to those who cast their precious votes to realize the value of democracy-.]

[Just announce it, you idiot, why are you giving a policy speech-?]

[Yes, yes. The class president of class 1 in the third grade is elected-.]

[You have to say the number and the name, you idiot!]

Son Jin-hyuk, who received 699 votes out of a total of 1,112 voters, was elected as the 45th student council president. Chae Gyu-ho was surprisingly in 4th place, so Jin-hyuk decided not to feel sorry. Well, it felt like the votes that would have gone to Chae Gyu-ho had gone to Jin-hyuk, but no one knows the minds of the voters.

“Jin-hyuk, congratulations.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

The other candidates congratulated Jin-hyuk without any ulterior motives.

They also expressed their gratitude for the improvement of the school’s welfare.

Jin-hyuk just smiled benevolently as he shook hands with each of his competitors.

‘They’re good kids…’

It was the reflection of a candidate who hadn’t thought about his reputation, that he should have gotten along better with them in the first place.

The school was also a small society, and he learned that in order to do something in this small world, it wasn’t enough to just have good grades or a school life without any red marks on his record.

‘Even if I live again, the human world is difficult.’

He thought that he wouldn’t have been elected without his dad’s help.

***

*Achoo!*

Son Gwang-yeon, who was enjoying a tea time with Yang Gang-wook in the lounge, rubbed the tip of his nose.

He hadn’t been in the sun, and he didn’t have pollen allergies, so why the sudden sneeze?

At that moment, the head of the management support department appeared in the lounge, interrupting their tea time.

“Sir, the middle school in town wants to give you a plaque of appreciation?”

Son Gwang-yeon put down his teacup and scratched his earlobe with a sullen face.

Avoiding Yang Gang-wook’s gaze, who was sitting across from him.