The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 146

I had resolved to treat her coldly, but…

Jin-hyuk’s icy armor was disarmed by Hong Soo-jung’s wide, startled eyes. He saw a resemblance to Executive Director Hong Soo-jung, who would shrink back in front of the outspoken Team Leader Son Jin-hyuk.

When Hong Soo-jung took a step back, looking surprised, Jin-hyuk’s troubled feelings vanished without a trace.

“Uh… Soo-jung, what’s wrong?”

Hong Soo-jung didn’t immediately speak, instead fidgeting with the hem of her dress she had gathered in front of her. She seemed hesitant, as if she had something difficult to say.

Jin-hyuk had a memory of seeing this behavior somewhere before.

It wasn’t the Hong Soo-jung of the past.

‘Isn’t that the pose you take when confessing?’

Back in high school, a girl who attended the same private school had confessed to him, along with a carefully wrapped gift. Jin-hyuk, after agonizing over it for what felt like an eternity, had of course rejected her. What a fool.

That shy girl had turned red in the face and fled the scene.

He hadn’t told any of his friends, but it was the kind of thing they would have called him an idiot for.

But the current Son Jin-hyuk was the son of Son Gwang-yeon, a man of Seoul. [Seoul is the capital of South Korea, often associated with sophistication and success.]

He had grown into a man who knew the basics of making someone feel comfortable in such situations. There was also the wisdom one gained from life, and the influence of Son Gwang-yeon, who had forced him into tutoring sessions.

Besides, wasn’t this the same little girl who would confess and get marriage promises all the time? I’ll play along with your little game for once, little one.

“Ahem! Soo-jung, you can speak comfortably. Whatever you say, your oppa [older brother or male friend] is o-.”

“Mom wants you to film a video next week.”

“-kay.”

He had agreed to something unexpected.

But what was happening next week? Jin-hyuk, the man who was about to preemptively accept a confession, looked as dumbfounded as a heat-exhausted German Shepherd, Chunma.

“It’s Soo-hyuk’s first birthday party. She said that kind of thing is usually filmed by family, so she asked me to do it.”

“That…”

What…

Another family thing?

They would have hired a professional for the first birthday party. Jin-hyuk’s mouth gaped open like the Doberman Gwangma’s snout.

Hong Soo-hyuk had two uncles and older cousins, so why Jin-hyuk of all people?

“You were filming so well today, so she wants you to film ours too.”

Hong Soo-jung spoke clearly, avoiding Jin-hyuk’s dumbfounded gaze. She was shy, but she said everything she needed to say. Seoul women were indeed scary.

Since he was planning to attend Hong Soo-hyuk’s first birthday party with his family anyway, there was no reason to refuse. Jin-hyuk slowly nodded and looked at Hong Soo-jung with expectant eyes.

“…Okay. Anything else?”

But Hong Soo-jung silently bowed and ran towards Yoo-jin.

“Yoo-jinaaaa!”

“Unnieeeeee!” [Older sister or female friend]

Did they just reunite after being separated?.

The sight of the little girl who had grown up and the little girl who was growing up hugging each other reminded him of Hongsi and Jang-gun grooming each other.

It was a bright side of her that he hadn’t seen in front of Jin-hyuk.

“Unnie, let’s go to the bear gym.”

“Okay.”

Hong Soo-jung and Yoo-jin linked arms and skipped across the lawn. They looked very excited and happy.

Jin-hyuk, who had been staring blankly at them, tilted his head.

‘Is it because the world has changed? Has she changed too much?’

The way she acted with Yoo-jin was more like a mature older sister than a mischievous child.

He would have been upset if she had only been awkward around Jin-hyuk, but Hong Soo-jung acted maturely in front of Son Gwang-yeon and Han Yoo-young as well. So, even though he felt a little uneasy, Jin-hyuk was able to shake off his disappointment.

Actually, he was a little disappointed, but he couldn’t grab a grade-schooler by the collar and ask her why she was doing this to him.

He had always thought that people didn’t change, but seeing the once wild and crazy girl become a Confucian scholar was shocking and refreshing.

Well, I’ve changed too. Jin-hyuk muttered as he wiped the table with a dishcloth.

‘Still, it’s a shame.’

Crazy Hong Soo-jung was so lovely.

The image of her asking to be carried on his back after getting drunk on two glasses of whiskey made his eyelids heat up.

He clicked his tongue, thinking that he probably wouldn’t see that side of her again, and looked at the children who had almost crossed the lawn.

‘But has she grown that much?’

She looked similar to the little girl from his past life.

Choi Mi-kyung, the married woman, had told him that she had a tall friend in elementary school, but when she met him again as an adult, he was still the same height. She said that there were actually many friends like that.

Could it be that Hong Soo-jung’s height in elementary school was…

If so, she would only grow a little more in two years.

Oh my god!

She’s all grown up, all grown up.

Like a frog forgetting its tadpole days, Jin-hyuk didn’t remember that he was already taller than the older kids when he was ten years old.

***

Not many people stayed long for the first birthday party.

The neighbors and company guests had already left, and only the VIPs who had come from Seoul stayed a little longer.

With the SSS agents keeping their distance, Yoo Myung-sun was being given a tour of the neighborhood, disguised as a history lesson by Chun Gil-ryong. Since he was holding Jin-hyuk’s hand tightly, Jin-hyuk couldn’t talk to Hong Gi-joon or Hong Soo-jung.

“If you look down at the sea on a moonlit night, you can see a serpent crossing the sea. It was very lively and full of energy as it swam.”

“Oh, so a serpent actually existed?”

Jin-hyuk held back a laugh as he watched Yoo Myung-sun respond with wide eyes. He saw the image of Hong Soo-hyuk straining while pooping in that face.

“I don’t know if it was a serpent or a dragon, but if something thicker than a log was swimming in the sea, wouldn’t it be a serpent? Like this, like this.”

Chun Gil-ryong waved his arms to demonstrate how a snake swims.

Fortunately, Yoo Myung-sun seemed to find Chun Gil-ryong’s story interesting.

“Hoo, that’s a scary story that makes you forget the heat.”

“Isn’t that what stories are like in the summer? The more rural it is, the more stories there are. But people are scarier than ghosts or goblins, aren’t they?”

“That’s right, that’s right. Our ghost stories are scary but fun. The scary stories that people make are just sad and infuriating.”

Ha ha ha-.

Chun Gil-ryong laughed heartily, his face crinkling up. No one would dislike it when their story was found interesting. He had gained a passionate subscriber late in life, so what could be more rewarding than this?

“These days, the kids in the neighborhood don’t want to listen to old stories. This guy, Jin-hyuk, is so brave that he wouldn’t be scared even if I told him these stories. And when I come to tell him a story, he just runs away.”

Jin-hyuk scratched the back of his head. I’m running away because I’m scared.

He remembered the serpent story he had heard from Choi Mi-kyung, and he still slept with the blanket over his head when he was alone.

Scary stories were supposed to be forgotten over time, but for some reason, instead of forgetting, he sometimes felt like the serpent was staring at him from inside the blanket. He thought it was the influence of his developed senses, but since a serpent couldn’t actually exist, it was more plausible to dismiss it as a delusion.

“Hahaha, you should have listened to him a little.”

Yoo Myung-sun smiled at Jin-hyuk and looked at Chun Gil-ryong.

“You must have been lonely and sad.”

“Fortunately, Jin-hyuk’s younger sister, Yoo-jin, is keeping me company, so I’m not as lonely.”

“That’s a relief. It would be a shame if such interesting stories disappeared. You should publish a book.”

“Oh my, a book? If you come down here, I’ll tell you many more interesting stories anytime. If I put it in writing, it would be more than Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People.”

Ha ha ha-.

Chun Gil-ryong stroked his beard and laughed heartily.

“Hahaha, I’ll consider it.”

Yoo Myung-sun’s eyes sparkled as he replied.

In the distance, the construction site of the Sein Human Resources Development Center could be seen where the sea shimmered.

Son Gwang-yeon, who had coldly rejected those who wanted to build resorts or pensions, had only allowed the construction of the Human Resources Development Center. He had heard from his daughter, Yoo Se-ra, that Jin-hyuk’s persuasion was behind it.

Chun Gil-ryong’s story continued until his mouth was dry.

He had met someone who was so engrossed and responsive, so he couldn’t miss the opportunity as a storyteller.

“There was a guy named Jo Moo-saeng, the father of a guy named Jo Il-heon who lived at the entrance of the village. When he was young, he was cutting wood and had to go to the bathroom, right? He just dropped his pants and did his business anywhere. There was no toilet in the mountains, you see. But this idiot wiped his butt with poison ivy leaves.”

“Oh my! He’ll be in big trouble if he gets poison ivy.”

Clap!

Yoo Myung-sun even clapped his hands in agreement, and Jin-hyuk also perked up his ears.

Did the Donggunyoung [a term for a young man] get poison ivy? Did his work get swollen? He was dying to know the result.

But Chun Gil-ryong narrowed his eyes, lifting his wrist as if he had a watch.

“Oh my, it’s already time… Ahem, we’ve done a lot today, so shall we continue the next story when we meet at Chuseok? [Korean Thanksgiving] Hoo, the weather is so hot.”

Chun Gil-ryong fanned himself with his bamboo hat and walked ahead.

“Oh, oh-. Senior-.”

Jin-hyuk chuckled quietly, forgetting his curiosity, as he watched Yoo Myung-sun follow Chun Gil-ryong, begging for the next story.

The SSS agents also held back their laughter, their faces turning red at the sight of the chairman they had never seen before.

“Ahem, what happened next?”

“Oh, I told you I’d tell you when you come for Chuseok.”

Chun Gil-ryong brushed off Yoo Myung-sun and walked away.

No matter how big a conglomerate chairman he was, he was just a child in front of Chun Gil-ryong.

“In the dark night, in the pitch-black night, I leave to find the dawn. Eolssu-.”

Chun Gil-ryong hummed a song he had learned at church and disappeared towards the village in an instant.

Yoo Myung-sun, who was disappointed, held Jin-hyuk’s hand with both of his. The effects of the makgeolli [Korean rice wine] he had drunk to his heart’s content were evident on his face.

“Jin-hyuk-ah.”

“Yes, Grandpa.”

“I have a favor to ask.”

Jin-hyuk knew without having to hear it.

He wanted to know what happened to Jo Moo-saeng, who wiped his butt with poison ivy leaves.

‘I’m dying to know too.’

But how could he get Grandpa Chun Gil-ryong to tell him the next story? He didn’t think he would tell him for 100 won, and he wasn’t the kind of person who would accept a bribe.

“I’ll tell you at Soo-hyuk’s first birthday party.”

Jin-hyuk answered confidently for now. If it didn’t work, he would just make it work.

He even came up with an uncharacteristic plan.

‘If necessary, I’ll just make it up.’

Yoo Myung-sun nodded with a pleased expression.

He thought that Jin-hyuk was as quick-witted as his son, Gi-joon.

Looking at Yoo Myung-sun’s trusting eyes, Jin-hyuk realized his mistake.

‘I’m in big trouble.’

It was the despair of someone who had forgotten his own writing skills.

*

After all the guests from Seoul had left, it was a peaceful Sunday afternoon.

Jung-won, who slept a lot, and his parents, who were tired from attending to the guests, decided to go home early to rest.

‘Where did Yoo-jin go?’

Jang-gun was lying on the second floor of the doghouse with his chin on his front paws, and the three large dogs, Hongsi, Chunma, and Gwangma, were all on the first floor, running the dog heater.

“Oh my, it’s so hot. You guys aren’t hot?”

Anyway, if the dog friends were at home, that meant Yoo-jin was nearby, but she was nowhere to be seen.

Jin-hyuk walked around the yard, calling for Yoo-jin.

“Where are you, Yoo-jin?”

“Hehehe-. I’m hereee-.”

Where?

Jin-hyuk followed the sound of her voice. As an older brother who used his developed senses solely for his younger sister, it wasn’t difficult to find her.

At the edge of the lawn where there was no zelkova tree, in the shade of three thick cherry trees growing close together, Yoo-jin was jumping up and down. It seemed that he hadn’t seen Yoo-jin because she was hidden by the drooping leaves, as they hadn’t trimmed the branches that spread out to see the abundant cherry blossoms.

“Yoo-jin, are you exercising?”

“Nooo-. I’m picking cherries.”

“Are there still cherries?”

He asked, but it seemed there were still some. Yoo-jin’s hands and mouth were all stained purple.

Cherries were bitter when they were in season, but they became sweeter when the heat started. Yoo-jin liked them, and Jang-gun also liked cherries. When the cherry trees that Jang-gun had fertilized sprouted from the compost pile, Jin-hyuk would transplant the saplings along the track by the waterway.

‘They’re so healthy because they sprouted from the compost pile.’

The cherries, which were at their peak in late June, were picked by Yoo-jin and Jang-gun, and Dad picked them to make wine, and Mom shook the trees to make syrup.

Since the season was over, the fruits on the higher branches would have fallen off in the monsoon rains, and there would be almost none left. From a distance, it just looked like a tree with dense leaves.

“Yoo-jin, I don’t think there are any more cherries.”

“Nooo-. There are some over there and over there-.”

When the cherry blossoms fell and the fruits began to form, the cherry tree leaves became so large and abundant that it was impossible to find the fruits. But it seemed that Yoo-jin could see them.

To appease his younger sister, Jin-hyuk picked a couple of cherries that were within reach and put them in her hand.

“I don’t think there are any more.”

“You must lower your body to see the fruit, which is no different for people or trees. Ahem- it is.”

What is she talking about?

“Grandpa Chun said that. Yoo-jin can see the cherry tree fruits by lowering her body. Like this.”

Looking at Yoo-jin squatting down like she was pooping and tilting her head back, Jin-hyuk was unexpectedly moved.

‘Lower yourself. You will see the other person’s fruit.’

It was a sudden lesson, but it was fitting for the season and a story that Jin-hyuk needed.

Instead of lowering himself to see the strengths of his track and field friends, he had only thought about lowering his expectations.

Oppa Son Jin-hyuk, who had knelt on one knee to talk to Hong Soo-jung at eye level, was just looking down and talking today.

Jin-hyuk lay flat under the cherry tree, put his feet together, and placed his clasped hands on his stomach.

Seeming to find it interesting, Yoo-jin also lay down next to her brother. She was short in length, but her heart was much bigger and deeper than her brother’s. Jin-hyuk turned his head towards his younger sister and smiled contentedly.

“Wow-. There are so many when you lie down.”

“I know. There really are a lot.”

The black fruits, hidden by the translucent green leaves, sparkled.

They shone like jewels, bathed in the afternoon sunlight that had penetrated the dense leaves.

Yes, they were jewels. The fruits, and this moment too.

“Yoo-jin is more mature than oppa.”

“Then call me noona.”

Ah, Yoo-jin-ah.

Hehehehehe-. Ehihihihi-.

The siblings, who looked like an uncle and niece at first glance, lay under the cherry tree, giggling. It was a scene that seemed to recreate the happy laughter of Son Gwang-yeon and Son Jin-hyuk on the day Yoo-jin was born.

With the green shadows cast on the siblings’ faces, summer peacefully seeped in.