The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 158

< Summer Camp of Cholera (6) >

As soon as I returned home from my walk, I made a phone call. Each time I called Yu Myeong-seon’s residence, I often spoke with Kwon Je-hak, whose voice I had become familiar with.

‘Hello, sir. It’s Jin-hyuk. Yes.’

Fortunately, he told me to wait a moment.

Yu Myeong-seon believed that if you stopped working just because you were old, you would quickly get sick and die, so he always found something to do. It was similar to what Jo Il-heon had once said, that old people who had only farmed their whole lives would quickly age and wither if they moved to the city to take care of their children.

Therefore, Yu Myeong-seon said that he never answered the phone directly when he was focused on something. He said it was because it was significantly harder to regain his train of thought compared to when he was younger.

After tapping the desk with his index finger for about thirty seconds, a voice, surprisingly energetic for an old man, greeted Jin-hyuk from the other end of the line.

‘I went to the inner village today and heard some behind-the-scenes stories.’

– Hehehehe-!

A gasping sound came from the other end of the line.

No, I hadn’t even started the story yet, so why was he so happy?

‘…There was a young woman picking greens nearby. …And that… thing… yes, yes, that’s right. Oh my, how should I say this? It, it stood up…’

– Hehehehehehe!

The reaction was so intense that I was worried the old man might lose his breath.

Just from the laughter, I could picture Yu Myeong-seon’s face, red as a beet.

Finally, after the story was over, Yu Myeong-seon gave his impression with a wistful tone, as if he had finally resolved a lifelong regret.

– Hehehehehe! That’s a story I never imagined. It’s not something you can easily hear anywhere.

However, there was a strange hint of disappointment in Yu Myeong-seon’s voice.

‘I think it would be more flavorful if Grandpa Cheon told you himself.’

– You even know about the ‘flavor’ of a story, you’re quite something. Who tells the story is also important. I can’t help it. I’ll have to go there myself soon.

The story was just an excuse; he must have missed people.

Could it be that he missed Cheon Gil-ryong, who didn’t treat him like a difficult group chairman but as a friend or younger brother?

‘Are you sure you’re okay?’

– When this old man was young, I sold hydrochloric acid and alcohol, and there’s no place in Korea I haven’t stepped foot in. That distance is as easy as a walk in the backyard.

It seems men can’t live without boasting, whether they’re young or old.

Still, he wasn’t habitually boastful, so his occasional exaggerations were charming.

‘I was just wondering if you were busy.’

– Hehehe. You’ve even learned to worry about this old man, you’ve grown a lot. I’ve finished everything so that I could die right now without any problems, so don’t worry.

‘Ah…’

I wish he wouldn’t talk about dying so much.

It seemed like old people mentioned the word ‘death’ more often than what they wanted to eat. Did it mean they had given up their desires and were willingly accepting the darkness that was soon to come? I heard that many people couldn’t let go and were still greedy in their old age, but it seemed to depend on the person.

– By the way, how are those people doing now?

‘Ah, they’re not there. Their son is already forty-seven years old.’

– Oh, is that so? Is the son doing well?

‘He’s getting married to a town office worker in the fall. They’ve already moved in together.’

– Aha-. Come to think of it, the man I saw at the youngest’s first birthday party was named Jo. It was that guy. I clearly heard that it was his father’s story that day, but I’m like this. My memory is failing as I get older.

‘Yes. But my dad calls him ‘hyung’ [older brother], and that ‘hyung’ tells me to call him ‘hyung’ too. He makes the neighborhood kids do the same. He gets angry if you call him ‘ajussi’ [uncle]…’

Chatter, chatter-.

Jin-hyuk even rattled off stories he wasn’t asked about.

‘Why am I like this?’

From teasing Jang-gun to talking so much.

It seemed to be a habit that had developed from meeting and interacting with so many people, unlike before.

– Hehehehehe-! He’s a funny guy.

Even though I tried to cut the call short, Yu Myeong-seon was enjoying it too much, so I couldn’t stop him.

Sweat dripped from the ear holding the phone.

Still, it was a rewarding time.

‘It feels strangely good.’

*

I wiped the sweat from my ear and boiled water.

‘It’s hot even with the air conditioner blasting. When will autumn come?’

Two spoons of creamer, two spoons of sugar in a mug.

After pouring boiling water and dissolving it well, I mixed in cold water to make it moderately warm.

Just as I was about to taste it, I made eye contact with Yu-jin, who had her hands on her hips.

‘Is it ready?’

It sounded like she was speaking informally, but Jin-hyuk didn’t mind.

‘I have to be patient.’

It was because of the coffee incident.

Although he wasn’t scolded by his parents, Jin-hyuk didn’t miss the look of disappointment in their eyes. It was a moment when a complex mix of resentment and embarrassment was etched into his heart.

Slurp-.

After checking the temperature and taste first, Jin-hyuk handed the mug to Yu-jin.

‘It’s ready. You can drink it.’

‘Okay-.’

I said ‘okay, okay,’ and now she’s crossing the line….

Still, it’s only for now.

It seemed like Yu-jin only fell into role-playing situations when she was being served milk.

‘My pretty little sister.’

Jin-hyuk patted Yu-jin’s head once and then checked on Jeong-won, who was sleeping in the cradle.

Sweet Jeong-won occasionally smacked her lips and twitched her eyebrows, as if she was dreaming, but she was sleeping soundly without flailing her arms and legs.

‘It’s amazing every time I see it.’

Adults called it the soft spot.

It was the place where the baby’s skull was not yet hardened. Cheon Gil-ryong called the anterior fontanelle and posterior fontanelle the large fontanelle and small fontanelle, and if you carefully placed your hand on it, you could feel the pulse, and it would swell and contract with the baby’s breathing.

Jeong-won’s soft spot had narrowed a lot after passing her first birthday, and it looked like it would completely close in a few months.

‘Mom said not to touch it there.’

Yu-jin, who was drinking her milk, scolded her brother for quietly placing his hand on the baby’s head.

‘Uh-huh. I was just praying.’

‘Oppa doesn’t go to church.’

‘You can pray even if you don’t go to church.’

‘What did you pray for?’

‘For her to grow up healthy.’

Yu-jin, with white milk smeared all over her mouth, tilted her head.

She didn’t remember, but it sounded like she had heard those words before.

It was definitely a voice similar to her brother’s now.

***

Kang Heon-chang used the electronic starting gun, and Min Yong-rak recorded the times as they practiced starts.

Jin-hyuk repeatedly examined the paper that Min Yong-rak had recorded.

It was to check a few plans.

Who would start for the best results?

They had decided to fix Yeom Byeong-taek, who was good at running straight, as the second runner, and were debating between Jo Seul-chan, who had a slight advantage on the curves, and Park Sang-gi, who had good instantaneous speed, as the starting runners.

‘It’d be better if Byeong-taek did it.’

Jo Seul-chan’s reaction time to the starting gun was slow.

Park Sang-gi wasn’t any better. He could kick his legs at the same time as the signal, but his shoulders would unconsciously hunch. It was like a soccer player who had committed a foul and was intimidated by the referee’s whistle.

‘I should try practicing in a different order.’

Jo Seul-chan seemed to prefer the familiar third runner position, and Park Sang-gi looked like he was fine as long as he wasn’t the starter.

They were friends and kids before they were athletes. If I forced them into roles they didn’t want, how would I be different from the one-way leaders? It wasn’t like their lives would dramatically change even if they got good results.

‘Okay, let them do what they want.’

The deeper Jin-hyuk’s worries, the more difficult the problem, the more he tried to remember the basics. Teacher Kim Young-tae always said to keep that in mind when teaching.

‘Okay, guys, let’s take a break and then practice baton passes.’

Jo Seul-chan, who knew about his burden with the starting gun, scratched the back of his head.

‘I keep wanting to look at the gun, for some reason.’

‘That’s why you always get a false start when you run the 100 meters, Jo Seul.’

As Yeom Byeong-taek pointed out, Park Sang-gi, with a sulky expression, analyzed his own problem.

‘…I think my auditory response is slow.’

‘It’s okay. Let’s find the best order while practicing.’

Desire and motivation for the best results were important, but more than anything, his friends had to enjoy it. He had already received Min Yong-rak’s objective analysis that the provincial preliminary round was difficult. Either way, the provincial competition, which would be held as soon as the vacation ended, would be the last journey with his friends.

‘It’s okay if we don’t get first place.’

***

After dinner, Jin-hyuk’s lecture began.

The friends ate boiled duck eggs while focusing on the lesson.

They were eggs laid by the ducks that floated in the waterways and went into the coop at night to avoid predators.

Yu-jin, who was listening to the lesson with them, as if she understood, handed Jin-hyuk a duck egg.

‘Oppa, you eat too. It’s delicious.’

‘Should I?’

Jin-hyuk stared at the egg he had received for a moment.

He often ate them, but today it felt new.

‘It must have been Auntie. The person who sometimes left boiled eggs on quiet nights.’

When the attic door creaked open, a round aluminum tray would slide in.

Three boiled eggs, a glass of water, and a little fine salt were always together.

As he thought that the misunderstanding about Kim Eung-nyeo had been resolved, the forgotten kindness came to him in an amplified way.

He took a big bite of the duck egg, which was bigger than a chicken egg.

The duck egg wasn’t as dry as a boiled chicken egg, so it didn’t make his throat feel blocked, and the yolk was chewy. It was also big, so it was a good snack to fill you up, and Jin-hyuk and Yu-jin enjoyed eating it.

‘Why is my throat so dry today?’

After patting his chest, he resumed the lesson.

Park Sang-gi said that Jin-hyuk taught better than the school teachers, so it was easy to understand. Yu-jin, who was sitting among her older brothers and listening to the lesson, also nodded. She was eating the boiled duck eggs that Jo Seul-chan was peeling for her.

Yeom Byeong-taek and Jo Seul-chan sighed and scratched their heads.

‘Why is Jin-hyuk so good at English?’

‘I memorized the textbook.’

Jo Seul-chan, who was about to mumble something, closed his mouth. There’s nothing Jin-hyuk can’t do. He’s also good at saying annoying things.

As it passed eight o’clock, some of his friends’ eyelids grew heavy, but he sped up the pace so it wouldn’t be boring.

‘That’s it for today. Tomorrow is math, earth science…’

Korean, English, and math were important. But if he told them to study other subjects on their own, they would definitely start thinking about other things. They were at an age where they had a lot of energy, and they were even exercising, so they were full of energy. So, he put other subjects on the schedule appropriately.

‘Ughhhhh- I’m so sleepy.’

Poo-oo-oo-oong-.

Yeom Byeong-taek stretched and opened his sphincter.

He had eaten more than five duck eggs during the lesson, and he had finally caused an accident.

‘Uuuuup-!’

‘Gas! Gas! Gas!’

As the children all covered their noses and tried to escape, Jin-hyuk unconsciously launched a chemical warfare alarm with a practiced motion. It was a good thing they were having class in the room that Jo Seul-chan and Yeom Byeong-taek used.

‘Uh-buh-buh- Yu-jin!’

Get out of the way, you guys!

Jin-hyuk went back in and came out with Yu-jin, who was covering her nose with a pale face, tucked under his arm. He scolded himself for leaving his sister behind to save himself.

*

It was after ten o’clock when everyone had gone to bed.

‘Aaaahhh-! Yeom Byeong is really pooping!’

Jo Seul-chan screamed and ran out of the room.

‘Hehehehehe-!’

Yeom Byeong-taek, who had released gas again, was holding his stomach and giggling.

Jin-hyuk decided to sacrifice himself for Jo Seul-chan, who had turned pale.

‘Let’s sleep together in my room.’

Jo Seul-chan, who was lying on the bed, sighed deeply.

‘This is the most fun, boring, long, and short vacation of my life.’

‘What does that-‘

Drrr-.

He was about to ask what he meant, but Jo Seul-chan had already fallen asleep after leaving those last words, like a will.

Ah, but Seul-chan, this guy is snoring.

He didn’t snore when he came to visit before, so it must be because the training is so hard.

Jin-hyuk grabbed a pillow and went down to the living room.

He had trouble sleeping because of snoring teammates during company workshops. Just thinking about the sleepless nights back then still made him grind his teeth. Maybe he should have given them a bad performance review.

‘After appetite, it’s the desire for sleep!’

Sleep could never be disturbed.

The refrigerator compressor noise was a bit annoying, but the fish tank bubbler noise was close to white noise, so they could cancel each other out.

‘Hoo- Peace like a river.’

It had been a difficult day for Jin-hyuk too.

Just as he covered himself with a blanket and closed his eyes.

Tung- Tung- Tung-. Srrr-.

A strange sound that made his nerves stand on end could be heard.

‘What is that now…’

A chill ran through Jin-hyuk’s calm eyes as he slowly turned to find the source of the sound.