The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 157

The children’s reactions to running towards Gubong Mountain were quite different from the first week.

Their arms and legs, cutting through the air without rest, contrasted with their relaxed expressions and breathing, were enough to make one forget how they looked last week.

‘Uwaaa! I feel amazing!’

‘This is totally awesome!’

‘…This is why we run.’

Whew-ha, whew-oop-whew.

The sight of them forcefully exhaling the air they had inhaled, as if their lungs had doubled in size, through their mouths curled into a muffler shape, and their rhythmic breathing, was reminiscent of a two-cylinder motorcycle.

‘Heehee-. Hey, they can’t keep up with us?’

Jo Seul-chan, looking back, snickered.

Jang-gun and the other dogs were sitting in the shade near the reservoir, their tongues hanging out. No matter how good the track and field team was, they couldn’t compare to the stamina of the muscular dogs. However, as the season got hotter, their body temperatures would have risen rapidly, especially with their thick fur.

Watching his changed friends, Jin-hyuk once again thought about the words ‘tempering’ and ‘growth.’

‘I guess we can move on to the next stage.’

Now that they’ve bulked up, it’s time for definition… no, that’s not it.

It was time to start training with the crouching start and standing start.

Using the electronic starting gun Yu Se-ra had found, they would measure reaction times and record the starting speed after receiving the baton in a standing position.

Based on those records, they would plan the order.

‘Ah, running in the mountains is still a bit tough?’

‘My knees hurt.’

‘…It’s not your knees. It’s the muscles that support the upper part of your knees.’

Thanks to Park Sang-gi’s explanation, Jin-hyuk could save his breath.

‘Now that I hear it, it makes sense?’

There were few exercises as helpful for improving stamina as climbing mountains. Moreover, it also improved the power to push off the ground. Therefore, mountain running was an indispensable part of their training.

‘Tighten your thighs when you step on the ground! That way, your knees won’t get hurt, and your muscles will be trained!’

Kang Heon-chang, who didn’t seem to have any trouble keeping up with the kids, was diligent in his coaching.

Far from looking tired, he was full of energy as he ran the path he had run with Jin-hyuk for years.

‘When going downhill, I get cramps in the back of my thighs?’

‘It just feels like it, it doesn’t actually cramp.’

‘…That’s your hamstrings getting trained.’

As the second week of training was coming to an end, the children were enjoying the changes, sharing what they had felt and learned.

On the way home after descending the mountain, only the heat haze remained to guard the track, as Hong-si, Cheon-ma, Gwang-ma, and even Jang-gun had returned home. Six winds ran through the heat that rose like a dizzy spell.

Without anyone telling them to, the athletes increased their pace, considering their optimal condition for the destination.

‘It’s amazing.’

‘Yeah. It doesn’t feel like my own body.’

The smiles of Jo Seul-chan and Yeom Byeong-taek, who made eye contact, seemed to say just that.

When the rhythmic footsteps behind him got closer, Jin-hyuk would widen the gap, and when they narrowed again, he would widen it again.

They never managed to catch up to Jin-hyuk, but when they arrived home, none of his friends were holding their knees. They were just slowly heaving their chests, which had grown bigger than before.

‘See? It works if you do it.’

If you do it, it works, and if something doesn’t work, you just make it work.

In the end, everything works out.

It’s logical, after all.

***

With so many things going on, it was the busiest vacation since he was born.

Besides the training camp and SSS [Special Security Service], there were things he had to take care of himself.

‘Byeong-taek, could you ask your father about it carefully today?’

‘Sure. It’s not a difficult thing. I know that guy too.’

Although it had expanded dramatically in the past few years, many people who had been in business in the town for a long time were connected through associations and knew each other. It was a casual inquiry, but Yeom Byeong-taek said he knew Hwang Young-mo well.

‘That guy used to come to our teahouse sometimes when I was little. People who run teahouses all know each other and are business partners. I don’t know why, but if you don’t greet the people who were in business before you, you can’t do business.’

Was it because they were sharing the profits as if it were a money-making venture?

People who voluntarily created and enjoyed rights that the state did not allow. Jin-hyuk, who didn’t know much about that kind of system, thought of the drivers who had been exposed in the media for seizing some busy hubs and acting tyrannically.

Yeom Byeong-taek even added things he hadn’t been asked.

‘My dad also hates that guy. He doesn’t care about his wife and kids and just drinks and gambles. But sometimes, he seems to envy him?’

‘Envy him?’

‘Yeah. That guy’s sisters are really good at studying. My dad says that because he’s a jerk, his sisters are working so hard because they feel sorry for their mom. So my dad sighed and said, ‘Ah, should I gamble and drink so that our Byeong-taek will study?’ and then got hit on the head with a ladle by my mom.’

Hehehehehe.

As Yeom Byeong-taek laughed, holding his stomach, his white teeth were revealed in his brown, metallic-looking face. Jin-hyuk’s face, which was laughing along, wasn’t white either.

After running around in the scorching sun for ten days, it would be strange if they didn’t get tanned.

Jin-hyuk, who was also red, was shedding skin from his shoulders and neck every day when he washed. Even if he put on sunscreen and wore a hat or a bandana, it would quickly wash away with sweat, so he had to be satisfied with not getting burned.

‘I have self-study until four in the afternoon, so I’ll call you then.’

It seemed as if Jin-hyuk was using his innocent friend to gather information, but Yeom Byeong-taek was actively participating.

‘Okay, please do. I have something else to do.’

‘What is it?’

‘I have somewhere to go after lunch.’

Jin-hyuk just winked and didn’t give a detailed explanation.

He had been disgusted by Son Gwang-yeon and Hong Gi-jun winking, but now he was doing it himself. It seemed that people do change.

***

After conducting classes after breakfast and giving self-study time after lunch, Jin-hyuk got on his bicycle with makgeolli [Korean rice wine].

‘Grandpa-, please tell me the rest of the story.’

Jin-hyuk, who had brought a mat, a kettle, and snacks, followed closely, but Cheon Gil-ryong just puffed on his pipe and let out a hollow laugh as he crossed the cool bamboo forest. He was wearing his Hawaiian shirt as always.

Cheon Gil-ryong kept laughing, as if he was very amused.

Reaching the edge of the bamboo forest, he pointed his pipe at the sea, which was full of water due to the spring tide around the new moon.

‘Hehehe-. Jin-hyuk, look over there. Even though the water is so murky, it’s all life. Those things called plankton take nutrients from the mud, and then other things eat them. And in the end, people eat them.’

‘Yes…’

Jin-hyuk answered absentmindedly, spread out the mat, and poured makgeolli into a bowl.

Whenever he received a call from Yoo Myung-sun, Jin-hyuk didn’t know what to do.

It was not easy to feel comfortable talking privately with the chairman of the richest group in Korea, even though he called him ‘Grandpa.’ Moreover, he was the one who had gifted him the gym, but he hadn’t resolved any of his questions.

Whether he knew Jin-hyuk’s burning feelings or not, Cheon Gil-ryong kept talking about other things.

‘Do you know what I do when the water is full on a new moon night?’

How would I know that? Jin-hyuk answered with his lips pouting instead of his voice.

‘The waves crash against the rocks over there, right? Then a very faint light turns on. When I asked Jo, he said it was plankton. When my brother was alive, I thought it was the tears of the spirits who had drowned in the sea. This old man lied to his innocent brother.’

Jin-hyuk had also seen it on the breakwater without streetlights.

The faint, greenish light that flickered every time the waves crashed against the tetrapods [concrete structures used to protect shorelines], resembling phosphorescence.

‘Was that plankton?’

It wasn’t as flashy as the night view introduction videos of famous overseas tourist destinations, but if you focused your vision, you could see a beautiful sight. Maybe it was because it was rich in nutrients.

Thinking that, he poured makgeolli into the already empty bowl.

Cheon Gil-ryong lightly emptied a bowl and held out his cup to Jin-hyuk.

‘No, I haven’t yet-.’

‘Pour more, you rascal.’

‘Ah, yes…’

Slurp.

He didn’t even say to taste it.

At the smell of the murky liquid filling the bowl, Jin-hyuk smacked his lips strongly, his mouth watering.

‘Kuh-, that’s good. These days, there are a lot of guys who drink soju [Korean distilled spirit], but if you drink soju on a day like this, you’ll just die. Soju doesn’t fill you up, so it’s dangerous.’

‘Yes…’

‘Makgeolli is the best. It fills you up and makes you feel good, doesn’t it?’

You haven’t given me a single sip, but you sure talk a lot.

He had drunk a whole kettle, so it would be strange if he wasn’t full.

While grumbling inwardly, Jin-hyuk tore off some jerky and handed it over with both hands.

However, Cheon Gil-ryong picked up some young radish kimchi from another dish and crunched it.

‘Are those dentures?’

Cheon Gil-ryong’s teeth looked so white and strong that it was suspicious.

His dad also took good care of his teeth, but he sometimes talked about plaque, so he probably didn’t have as good teeth as Cheon Gil-ryong. Son Gwang-yeon was afraid of going to the dentist and had never gone once.

‘That guy Jo-moosae, you know.’

‘Yes!’

Finally, the rest of the story was coming!

Jin-hyuk placed his hands neatly on his kneeling knees and perked up his ears. He was afraid that the rustling sound of the bamboo forest would interfere with his hearing.

‘Allergies are so scary, even ignorant people are afraid of getting poison ivy. That guy Jo was especially not suited to it. He almost died.’

‘But…’

He survived anyway, so he must have had children, right?

If he had died when he was single, Jo Il-heon wouldn’t have been born.

‘There was a woman who was picking herbs nearby. She went because she thought she heard some dog whining in the deep mountains, and there was some guy lying face down with his butt exposed.’

Cough-.

Jin-hyuk quickly suppressed his laughter.

It was because he had imagined the image of a woodcutter who had fallen with his butt exposed.

‘His face was red, his eyes were rolled back, and he was foaming at the mouth. Oh my! She thought this guy had been bitten by a snake while pooping. But what could she do? This woman grabbed his ankle and dragged him down.’

‘What about his clothes? What about his butt?’

The story was important, but the privacy of the characters was also important, and he was also curious, so he asked.

‘Good question! She roughly pulled up his pants and couldn’t tie his belt. Wouldn’t men and women be different? Besides, she thought he had been bitten by a snake, so wouldn’t she have taken them off to check anyway-.’

Ah, he could roughly picture it.

‘But when they got home, no matter how much they looked, there was no sign of a snake bite?’

Having said that, Cheon Gil-ryong looked at Jin-hyuk with mischievous eyes.

‘So? What happened next?’

‘Aigo-, I’m getting drunk-.’

Despite Jin-hyuk’s expectations, Cheon Gil-ryong lay down in a sprawling position and puffed on his pipe.

It was a life that looked like a hermit’s life.

‘So what happened? They looked for this medicine and that medicine, and then they found some white powder and fed it to him. And then, this guy Jo’s thingy stood up like a snake raising its head, didn’t it?’

Cheon Gil-ryong made a fist and slowly bent his elbow, causing his arm to rise up. Like a snake raising its head.

‘Later, they found out that the medicine they had given him was yam powder.’

‘Yam? Marijuana?’

‘Not that, you rascal, I’m talking about Gastrodia elata [a type of orchid].’

Ah, was that the white powder that his dad sometimes mixed with hot water and drank as a meal replacement when he was busy? Jin-hyuk quickly revised the image of the object. From a psychotropic substance to a health food.

‘She thought she had to take responsibility since she had seen it, with her own abilities. Haaam-. Whether it was because of responsibility or some other reason, I don’t know.’

It was amazing that there was something this grandpa didn’t know.

Anyway.

That was the story of how they fell in love, got married, and became Jo Il-heon’s parents.

‘A jinxed guy will break his nose even if he falls backward, and a lucky guy will find his spouse even if he falls while pooping. That’s life. I’m jealous, damn it. I’m jealous…’

Snore-.

Finally, having finished the story, Cheon Gil-ryong fell fast asleep and snored.

‘It’s like a romance, and also like an erotic story…’

What kind of powder is it?

A woodcutter swallows Gastrodia elata?

If I were to give it a title, it would be something like that?

Jin-hyuk, who had given Jo Moo-saeng’s story a plausible title, stayed by Cheon Gil-ryong’s side. If he just left him, a snake might attack him.

Whenever he felt lonely, he would open the kettle lid and smell the makgeolli, sitting there for two hours.

‘Ah-! The breeze is nice.’

The slightly pungent smell of makgeolli, which made him feel good, and the sound of the waves from the windy hill, created a rather elegant atmosphere.

‘I have to train, and I have to teach.’

He put aside his worries about training and teaching for a while.

In the past, he didn’t understand people who took walks or smoked in between busy work, but this was why they said to enjoy leisure in the midst of busyness. His head, which had been heated by various worries, cooled down, and his breathing stabilized, so he agreed with those words.

But this old man, isn’t he sleeping too long?

Snoooore- *cough*!

The snoring was so loud that the ground seemed to shake.

Swish-.

Even though it was daytime, the bamboo forest had an eerie feel.

Jin-hyuk shuddered at the chilling sensation that brushed against his neck.

Grumble-.

He was also hungry.