The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 143

Moon Seok-il gritted his teeth.

‘It’s not difficult. If I can’t get them, I’ll just make them.’

Making bombs was nothing to him. He just didn’t make them because there was no need.

He had inadvertently made a firm statement in response to a provocation that had touched his pride. However, there was a difference between not doing something you could do and not being able to do something because you lacked the ability.

‘Don’t do that.’

It was a firm tone. Moon Seok-il’s hand on the steering wheel tightened.

Moon Seok-il was still afraid of Jin-hyuk. He was also bound by the contract with the grim reaper-like figure lurking behind him, so if Jin-hyuk strongly demanded something, he had no justification to refuse. Still, what was not right was not right.

Moon Seok-il was inwardly surprised.

‘That’s unusual. Does this mean we’ve gotten a little closer?’

He had always been in the position of fulfilling Jin-hyuk’s requests, but this time, he felt like he was scolding him as an adult for the first time.

Jin-hyuk buried himself deeper into the seat without answering.

He was the type who didn’t care what anyone said, but it was strange that he was shrinking back just because an adult spoke firmly.

Still, there were things that he couldn’t give up on.

‘If I just block both lanes of the bridge at dawn and collapse it, it’ll be fine. It’s going to collapse anyway.’

If he just left it alone because he was told not to, wouldn’t the same chaos happen again?

He had asked Moon Seok-il because it was something he couldn’t do alone, but he had been rejected.

Jin-hyuk closed his mouth.

It was impossible to have a discussion between people with different levels of information.

‘Plan B is out the window.’

Well, who would believe him anyway if he said he wanted to destroy a bridge that was going to collapse without any sacrifices?

Ah! There was one person.

The plan itself was a terrorist plot, and if carried out, it would clearly be seen as an anti-state act of terrorism, so it was obvious that no one would want to get involved. But Hong Ki-joon was different.

Jin-hyuk finally realized that it was time to talk to Hong Ki-joon openly.

‘How should I bring it up?’

The car sped along in silence.

Jin-hyuk’s brow furrowed as he pondered how to broach the subject with Hong Ki-joon. He needed to be careful because he didn’t know how his words and actions would affect Hong Ki-joon.

‘The old man didn’t know everything either.’

From Jin-hyuk’s perspective, it seemed that Hong Ki-joon hadn’t even received the disaster information. If he had known, he wouldn’t have been the type to deliberately ignore a disaster. Hong Ki-joon’s social influence was incomparable to Jin-hyuk’s, so he believed that he could stop it in a more legitimate way.

However, some of the disasters that Jin-hyuk couldn’t remember still occurred, and the media was constantly criticizing the lack of safety awareness, calling it a man-made disaster. He didn’t care about the behavior of those who wore the hat of the media. What bothered him the most were the victims of the accidents.

Every time, Jin-hyuk shed tears of blood in his heart as if it were his fault.

‘I’m sorry.’

For not remembering.

This was also just a consumption of emotional energy, not an intention to worry about others. Jin-hyuk drew a line for himself.

Perhaps it was because of his guilt over the accidents he couldn’t prevent, but Jin-hyuk’s expression was dark the entire way back.

Then, when he arrived home, he couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear.

‘Oppa-ah-ah-!’

Yu-jin, with her hair disheveled and clothes covered in dust, ran towards him, waving her hands. Even though she was washed every morning and evening, Yu-jin’s appearance was a mess by the afternoon, as if she had deliberately rolled around in the mudflats.

***

Chijijijik-.

Jang Jin-nam was making pancakes, saying that Moon Seok-il had come to visit.

He was wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt and shorts, with an apron, and his bulging biceps skillfully handled the spatula. He was quite adept at it.

‘How does it taste?’

‘It’s delicious. Much better than what my mother makes.’

It was just a pancake made with flour batter, sliced zucchini, and chili peppers, but it was so delicious that it brought tears to his eyes. Maybe it was even more delicious because he had been mentally tormented by Jin-hyuk.

‘Don’t say things you don’t mean. Tell me what brings you here.’

Jang Jin-nam punched Moon Seok-il’s shoulder, and Moon Seok-il’s body shook like a sandbag. It was strength befitting his size.

After downing a bowl of makgeolli [Korean rice wine], Moon Seok-il cautiously confided his worries.

‘Senior Jang…’

Yang Kang-wook was undoubtedly Son Kwang-yeon’s man, and Min Yong-rak was Hong Ki-joon’s employee, but he didn’t have enough of a relationship with them to confide in them. Besides, they were just kids.

His friend, Jung Sang-tae, was too talkative, so there was a limit to the information he could share. That’s why he chose Jang Jin-nam.

After listening to Moon Seok-il’s concerns, Jang Jin-nam rotated his stiff shoulders and neck. It was an action for stretching, but his serious expression conveyed his grave mood.

‘He’s been a little strange lately.’

‘What should I do?’

‘Seok-il, that’s your problem. You’re too caught up in it. You’re like an uncle who does everything he’s asked to do.’

Moon Seok-il couldn’t reveal the details of his contract with the shadow that forced him to move according to Jin-hyuk’s orders, so he just nodded. It was true that he was trapped.

‘No matter how talented a kid is, the world they live in alone will fall apart. Think about what happened to our toys when we were kids.’

‘Yes, well…’

More often than not, they were broken because they were tired of playing with them rather than due to durability issues. He even burned them for fun.

‘Kids who express their overflowing energy and craziness are easier to handle. But Jin-hyuk is a guy you can’t read. Those kinds of kids become perverts later on.’

‘Huh?’

‘Listen more. When I was Jin-hyuk’s age, I was so interested in looking at dog butts that I roamed the neighborhood with a twig and a magnifying glass.’

‘……’

Moon Seok-il’s eyes, rolling the hot pancake in his mouth, wandered aimlessly. He had come to Jang Jin-nam because he thought he would get sick if he kept it to himself, but maybe he shouldn’t have come. What was with the dog butt thing?

‘But after being bitten by a dog, I cured that disease. I’m afraid of dogs now.’

He didn’t know why he was saying that, but it was a story that didn’t suit Jang Jin-nam. Even now, Jang Jin-nam was walking around with dogs all the time. But why the dog butt story…

‘Kids need scary adults to keep them from going astray. They also learn to be aware of others’ gazes and be careful. In my case, a dog did that for me.’

‘Are you telling me to become a dog…’

‘Did I give Seok-il alcohol for nothing? I’m not telling you to bite or bark. In my opinion, Jin-hyuk doesn’t have anyone he’s afraid of. His parents don’t get angry, so he’s not afraid, and he’s not the type to cause trouble, so he doesn’t care about anyone’s opinion.’

Ah, so what the hell are you trying to say? Moon Seok-il’s chopsticks nervously tore the pancake.

Jang Jin-nam sighed.

‘Report it. To the Vice Chairman. Reality is scarier than delusion.’

Moon Seok-il’s ears perked up.

Ah, he had been keeping it quiet because of Jin-hyuk’s request, but should he try reporting it?

He was a human too, so he would be mindful of the person who gave him money.

***

The end of Sunday was regrettable.

Jin-hyuk sat on the porch, with Yu-jin on his lap. Anyone could see that they were an adult and a child. Jang-gun and Hong-si were by their side, and Chun-ma and Gwang-ma had followed Jang Jin-nam, who had gone to deliver pancakes to Chun Gil-ryong.

‘Where are the eyes, here-, where are the ears, here-.’

The tiny hands of the child, who was touching her brother’s face while singing, were adorable. The comfort given by the soft hands of the child seemed to relieve the fatigue of the day.

She would learn songs at kindergarten, but Yu-jin liked the songs her mother used to sing to her when she was a baby.

‘Oppa, oppa, come here- look at this-.’

Until she sang a few more songs, Jin-hyuk wrapped his arms around Yu-jin’s waist to keep her from falling and smiled like a fool. She was still more like a daughter than a younger sister. The song she sang like a lark, with her eyes sparkling, made Jin-hyuk happier than any music.

Jin-hyuk often asked Yu-jin various things because he liked listening to her clear voice.

It was when Yu-jin’s song ended.

‘Yu-jin, do you like your mom or your dad more?’

Oops.

One of the questions that Jin-hyuk hated the most had unconsciously popped out. He had always wondered why people asked such questions, but now he was doing it himself.

‘I like oppa. I like oppa the most.’

Yu-jin answered without hesitation.

Hehehe-.

It wasn’t a logical answer, but there couldn’t have been a better answer in this situation. What good was success? He had a chick-like sister who liked her brother the most, and he didn’t envy anything in the world.

‘Our baby, is there anything difficult at kindergarten?’

‘Hmm…’

He thought she would say no, but she seemed to be pondering for a moment.

Could there be someone bullying her? A shadow fell over Jin-hyuk’s face.

‘They don’t give me lunch.’

‘Huh? Lunch?’

That was the same for the older elementary school students, wasn’t it?

Besides, kindergartens only had morning classes, so there was no need for lunch or packed lunches.

‘Yu-jin, would you like to have lunch at kindergarten?’

‘I ate kimbap [Korean seaweed rice roll] with my friends on a picnic. It was fun.’

What should he do?

He couldn’t postpone her dismissal time, and he couldn’t pack her a lunch either.

There were quite a few working people now, but most of the locals were engaged in agriculture or fishing. There were no academies or after-school classes, so young children did not have any proper hobbies or special activities after school. Fortunately, because it had not been developed, they could still play in the fields and mountains like when Jin-hyuk was young, but it was undeniable that they were not keeping up with the changing world.

‘After-school classes…’

They said that a new cafeteria would be built at Eodong Elementary School during the summer vacation. The discussion about closing the school had been dropped because the number of students had increased and the residents had requested it. If so, wouldn’t it be possible to improve the educational environment, which was relatively poor compared to the children in the city, by introducing after-school classes?

‘The gap between the kids in the town was big even when I was a kid.’

In the past, when he was forcibly transferred to a school in the town, Jin-hyuk had been quite shocked.

‘Jamboree or Jammin. I think they called it something. Ha-, what was it?’

The sight of kids wearing uniforms like Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts and showing off, as well as kids carrying bags for taekwondo, piano, or computer academies, was a culture shock.

With the ever-increasing pace of change, the difference would be even greater now. That would be the case between large cities and county seats, and between towns and rural areas.

Jin-hyuk, who had added another idea, nodded.

‘Yu-jin, I’ll make sure you get to eat lunch at kindergarten starting next semester.’

‘Really? You promised?’

Yu-jin, her eyes wide, looked back at her brother.

She was dirty and grimy, with a musty and sour smell, but her eyes shone like stars.

Jin-hyuk put his hands under his sister’s armpits and lifted her high.

‘Euchya-. Of course! When have you ever seen your brother lie?’

‘Wow-! I’m so excited-!’

Yu-jin spread her arms wide like an airplane and smiled until her eyes disappeared.

Yes, it was to see this sight that he had decided to live diligently.

He carefully lowered his sister and rubbed his cheek against her cheek. She was a mess and smelled a bit, but so what? She was the most beautiful life in the world.

‘Oh my, you’re so pretty, my baby!’

She wasn’t his baby, but that’s how Jin-hyuk felt.

Wow, how was he going to marry her off?

Jin-hyuk was caught in an unexpected dilemma.

‘Who are you going to marry, Yu-jin?’

‘I’m going to marry oppa.’

No…, oppa had promised to marry Su-jeong.

‘You’re going to marry me too, right?’

‘Uh…’

What should he answer?

Son Jin-hyuk, the team leader who had confidently presented his opinions without being intimidated in front of the group chairman, had become a mute in response to a kindergartener’s question.

*

He pushed Yu-jin, who wanted to play with Jang-gun more, into the house.

‘Yu-jin, you smell. Stop playing for today and take a bath.’

‘Okay. Ehehe-.’

He left Yu-jin, who was scratching her head and going to find her mother, and went to find Min Yong-rak.

It wasn’t Min Yong-rak’s working day on the weekend, but since Jin-hyuk hadn’t rested on the weekend either, he decided to feel a little sorry.

Toda-dak-tok-tok.

Min Yong-rak was typing what Jin-hyuk was saying on the keyboard. It was a document creation program developed in-house by Sein Computer, and although it had not yet reached the commercialization stage, it was a program that Jin-hyuk thought was quite well-structured. If he had to compare it, it was similar to the future MS Word.

Anyway, his typing speed was too slow.

‘Wouldn’t it be better to just write by hand?’

‘No. You have to practice to improve.’

‘Yes.’

Jin-hyuk held back the urge to snatch the keyboard and type instead. He had to cooperate since it was for improving his skills.

There must have been an arrangement for Min Yong-rak’s growth in Hong Ki-joon’s decision to send him. Even if it was a very minor skill. Jin-hyuk was aware of that, so he waited for Min Yong-rak to think and realize it on his own. In a way that did not interfere with Min Yong-rak’s method.

Min Yong-rak was a person with strategic thinking skills. In the past, as the head of the legal team, he had taken responsibility for losing a consumer damage compensation lawsuit, but no one thought it was entirely his fault.

The lawsuit was handled by a law firm, so it was a matter of the litigation team’s capabilities, and the fault was with the company, so the cause was provided by the company. Min Yong-rak was just holding the poisoned chalice at a bad time.

‘Um, so… you mean to build three single-story buildings on the cableway and fill them with research personnel?’

‘Yes. That’s right.’

Min Yong-rak also added the opinion that young and talented people should be nurtured for the future.

‘The method is the problem? Well… even though the Vice Chairman is said to be excellent in that area, he doesn’t like it when you just throw out ideas like this. You know that, right?’

Of course, he knew.