The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 160

Jin-hyuk cooled the well-cooked meat and served it to Jang-gun and Hong-si. He couldn’t leave out Chunma and Gwangma, who were wagging their tails behind the boss. It was good to put it on dry firewood so it wouldn’t get dirty with soil.

‘Jang-gun, eat a lot too?’

Grrr-.

Judging by the way he bared his teeth at Jo Seul-chan, Jang-gun definitely looked down on Jin-hyuk’s friends. Should this be called a consistent mindset?

‘Hmm, hmm!’

SSS agents, who were on night duty, were also loitering behind Jang-gun, having arrived at some point.

How many people in the world could resist the smell of grilled pork belly late at night? They were also young people with hearty appetites, and their muscle mass was higher than average, so their energy metabolism would also be active.

The kids, who were munching on meat, widened their circle as if they had made a promise. The pot lid was wide anyway, and there was plenty of meat.

‘Jang-gun, I’ll just pass by for a second-.’

Grrr-.

The SSS agent kindly asked for permission, but Jang-gun stubbornly defended his position. Jang-gun seemed to consider even them beneath him. The firm sense of hierarchy that had established Jang-gun as a Confucian dog did not allow even a sliver of a gap.

‘What’s the occasion today?’

Min Yong-rak, who was holding a book in his hand, also peeked from behind, as if he had been out for some fresh air.

Min Yong-rak liked that it was cool at night even in summer, so he didn’t leave the molehill even during his vacation, which was why his girlfriend and family had visited from Seoul.

Even with mosquitoes swarming and moths flying around, the late-night pork belly party was a huge success, with no room to step.

Thanks to this, Jin-hyuk went back and forth between the mud house and the house several times to get meat and drinks.

‘Wow, it’s a good thing it’s late.’

If Tae-yang hyung [older brother] and Mi-kyung had come too, I might have had to catch a few of the six-year-old Chicken Johnson Juniors.

‘Oppa [older brother], is it unlimited?’

Perhaps it was because of the smell of fire and meat that had permeated her body, but when she opened the front door, Yu-jin sniffed with her eyes half-closed.

‘Yu-jin, do you want to eat meat?’

‘Uung-. Meat is delicious.’

As if she had never been dazed, Yu-jin focused her eyes.

‘Scary kid.’

After confirming that the master bedroom was quiet, Jin-hyuk took out the kimchi that had been sleeping deep in the refrigerator.

Now, it was time to wash off the chili powder and seasoning and tear it into small pieces.

Mom used to give it to Yu-jin like this whenever she ate meat, saying that it would make even kids who couldn’t eat spicy food like kimchi, and that aged kimchi helped with digestion.

Crunch, crunch-.

‘Uum-! As expected, washed aged kimchi!’

Of course, Jin-hyuk, who had tried wrapping meat with aged kimchi, was also crazy about the taste.

Jin-hyuk, who had prepared meat, cold rice, and aged kimchi, picked up Yu-jin.

‘Let’s go-.’

‘Let’s go-!’

‘Shh-! We have to be quiet because the adults and the baby are sleeping, right?’

‘Yes. Let’s go-.’

He used to enjoy the time when he carried Yu-jin, who was a baby, like this and had conversations. Jin-hyuk’s small joy did not change even after his younger sister entered kindergarten, and it would not change even when she entered elementary school.

‘If Yu-jin eats meat, she also has to brush her teeth, gargle, and wash her face-.’

‘Okay-.’

Well, it seemed like Yu-jin wasn’t enjoying it.

‘Ooh-?’

When they arrived at the place where the meat party was being held, Son Yu-jin’s lips, who were filled with happy anticipation in her brother’s arms, gradually curled up. Yu-jin’s smile reached its peak when she discovered the cola that Min Yong-rak had brought.

‘But, where is In-rang samchon [uncle]?’

‘Ah, that······.’

That uncle?

He’s been busy every night these days.

He goes out to the town and comes back with his hair disheveled and covered in dew.

If you look closely, it seems like his clothes are a bit disheveled when he comes back.

‘It seems like he’s doing something······.’

Kids, go away.

***

Hwang Ga-yun sat in the passenger seat of Kim In-rang’s car, biting her nails.

It was understandable that she had witnessed her father, Hwang Young-mo, while returning home after a date. No matter how long it had been since her father had come home, there was no need to see him entering his own house strangely.

The problem was that there were people grabbing Hwang Young-mo by the collar and going in with him.

Even though he was a hateful father, she couldn’t be happy to see him staggering and being dragged away.

‘Wait a minute. I called someone, so they’ll be here soon.’

Kim In-rang, who had finished talking to someone, held Hwang Ga-yun’s trembling hand and firmly guarded the driver’s seat. In addition to trying to calm Hwang Ga-yun, who was trembling with fear, there was also Moon Seok-il’s request that he never step forward.

– No matter who dies, you must never step forward. Stay by the young lady’s side. That’s your place.

They had known each other for more than a year or two, and they had gone through thick and thin together for years. Moon Seok-il and Kim In-rang were not the kind of people who would interpret words literally.

Kim In-rang was a pure-hearted person, but his mind heard it as if someone had to die.

‘That’s not right.’

For Hwang Ga-yun, it was her parents’ store and the place where she had grown up since she was a child.

She emphasized her mother’s sacrifice every time she met Kim In-rang, saying that it was not a place to be ashamed of, even if it was not something to be proud of.

Kim In-rang also grew up under such a mother, so Hwang Ga-yun’s feelings were not unfamiliar to him.

‘How can I just leave her when I don’t know what might happen to such a person?’

Hwang Ga-yun’s family was sleeping in that building.

Men with steel pipes and knives hidden in their waists and pockets, longer than a hand span, dragged Hwang Young-mo like a dog.

Even if nothing happened, no, it had already happened. Hwang Ga-yun had witnessed a shocking scene, and the other family members had already witnessed it as well.

Even now, screams and shouts were mixed up in a chaotic way, weren’t they?

‘Aaaah-, what should I do······.’

Seok-il hyung [older brother] never explains things in detail. In an operation, Moon Seok-il’s clear instructions were another weapon that saved time and energy. Kim In-rang always moved according to the instructions, and he always produced the best results, so his trust in Moon Seok-il was absolute.

That’s why he was flustered.

It wasn’t an operation to eliminate the enemy and rescue the key person, and it was a scene where a woman with whom Kim In-rang had direct feelings was watching. Kim In-rang had no choice but to struggle between the instinct to step forward immediately and the obedience to follow instructions.

‘I can’t do this. I’ll be right back.’

Thud-.

It was when he opened the car door and was about to step out.

‘O-oppa, be careful-.’

‘Don’t worry and wait.’

As Kim In-rang was about to get out of the car after comforting Hwang Ga-yun, who was trembling with anxiety, his body was crushed back into the seat by a huge pressure.

‘What the hell-.’

Just as a harsh word was about to come out, Kim In-rang’s face lit up when he discovered the owner of the hand.

‘Hyung [older brother]!’

Moon Seok-il, who lived in the town, had a weed in his mouth that he had gotten from somewhere.

Tu-.

Moon Seok-il, who spat out the weed, grinned.

‘I told you to wait until hyung came, you idiot.’

Moon Seok-il was not alone.

The huge shadow that stood like a folding screen behind him was staring at the teahouse building with an emotionless gaze.

‘Is that the place?’

A friendly yet strange tone of voice passed over Moon Seok-il’s shoulder.

‘In-rang, take care of your sister-in-law.’

At a time when most of the stores were dark and the sign lights were only sparsely lit, Jang Jin-nam walked ahead. Moon Seok-il followed behind him with his hands in his pockets, walking with a leisurely gait.

Kim In-rang’s eyes were filled with relief as he watched their backs.

‘Will it be okay? Mom and Ga-young······.’

‘Yeah, don’t worry.’

Hwang Ga-yun, who was still pale, gave Kim In-rang a worried look.

She had only known him as a slender office worker oppa [older brother], but the more she knew him, the more suspicious things there were.

The scars on his back, chest, and thighs······.

‘But who are those people?’

‘They’re close hyungs [older brothers].’

The people called hyungs were also suspicious.

They looked more like gangsters than the thugs who had dragged her father in.

‘Are your hyungs also office workers?’

‘Uung-.’

They were definitely office workers. They belonged to Sein Security Service.

Just as Kim In-rang was about to answer vaguely.

Crash-! Thud-. Shatter-.

The second-floor window exploded and shattered, and a large object and glass fragments fell down.

Kim In-rang quickly covered Hwang Ga-yun’s eyes.

***

Jang Jin-nam’s voice was still emotionless.

At first glance, it sounded like he was criticizing Moon Seok-il.

‘We’re not a private investigation agency, so do we have to do this kind of thing?’

‘It’s the vice chairman’s order. Jang sunbae [senior] doesn’t have to step forward.’

When the word ‘vice chairman’ came out, Jang Jin-nam, who had been about to add something while going up the stairs, closed his mouth. Min Yong-rak was an exception because he lived in a different world, and Moon Seok-il was the person Jang Jin-nam was closest to in the molehill, along with the person in charge of duties.

He had just followed Moon Seok-il, who was talking on a secure phone while taking a walk together late at night. He thought it was just a cleanup for the boss’s family because it was someone related to Han Yu-young. He had some sense of debt to Han Yu-young, who was a grateful person who taught him about gochujang [a savory, sweet, and spicy fermented Korean condiment], doenjang [Korean soybean paste], soy sauce, and cooking recipes. Even so, he only thought that he should help if Han Yu-young was in danger, not to the point of venturing into the darkness for a stranger.

But if it was the vice chairman’s order, it was a different story.

Jang Jin-nam was, after all, an employee of Hong Ki-joon who worked for the SSS.

Because of his tone and job, he might seem like a person who was strong on the inside but weak on the outside, but he was a person with a clear life principle.

Moon Seok-il, who was watching Jang Jin-nam’s large gluteus maximus twitching as he climbed the stairs, laughed silently.

‘The vice chairman told me to work for Jin-hyuk, so it’s the vice chairman’s order, isn’t it?’

Thud-.

Jang Jin-nam pushed the second-floor glass door, which was coated in black, but it was locked.

In this case, you shouldn’t rush in, but use a method that reassures the other party.

Jang Jin-nam knocked on the door with his thick fist.

Thump, thump-.

‘Are you inside-?’

Jang Jin-nam’s tone also seemed to help ease the other party’s wariness. Soon, the latch was released, and the door opened a crack, and a man revealed his face through the gap.

‘We’re closed, go back-.’

The man tried to close the door as it was.

However, the door did not budge.

It was because Jang Jin-nam was holding the door with his hands and feet.

‘I’m going to go in. Relax. You’ll hurt your shoulder.’

‘Huh-?’

The man was lightly pushed back along with the door.

*

The hall was relatively clean.

Except for the table and sofa occupied by three men.

Kim Eung-nyeo and Hwang Ga-young were hugging each other and sighing in the corner, but looking at their haggard but not surprised faces, it seemed like it wasn’t the first time this had happened. That’s how it looked to Moon Seok-il.

The man with a scar on his cheek, who seemed to be the leader, sat on the back of the sofa with his feet on the table, and the other two swaggered around behind Moon Seok-il and Jang Jin-nam.

The scar gestured with his chin toward Moon Seok-il.

‘Who the hell are you guys-.’

Moon Seok-il narrowed his brow and raised his palm.

It was an easy-to-understand stop signal that meant he had no intention of talking, so shut up.

‘I won’t make it long. If you don’t want to shit blood, just answer the questions I ask.’

‘You little-!’

It was when the man who had grabbed Moon Seok-il from behind was about to swing a steel pipe.

Jang Jin-nam, who had approached without anyone knowing when, grabbed the man and threw him away.

The man flew out of the window with a whoosh, still in the position he was about to swing.

‘Uwaaak-!’

Crash-!

Jang Jin-nam lightly shook his hand.

‘It’s unsportsmanlike to interrupt during a conversation. Violence is also not desirable.’

Is throwing a person around sportsmanlike and non-violent?

The scarred man suppressed the urge to ask that and took his butt off the back of the sofa. Then, he carefully and politely placed both feet on the floor. He had both hands together in front of him.

***

Min Yong-rak was the only one who could drink alcohol.

Min Yong-rak, who had emptied ten bottles by himself, saying that beer was not alcohol but water, made an excited sound.

‘Wahahaha! It’s so delicious! It’s so delicious! Right, hyungnim [older brother]?’

‘Yeah. It’s delicious.’

The SSS agent, who was eating comfortably but did not touch the beer because he was on duty in principle, smiled awkwardly.

Min Yong-rak, who was excited, shrugged his shoulders as if he was dancing.

‘Jin-hyuk, is there any more meat? There are so many people here-.’

‘I’ll go get more.’

If he drank that much water, he would be too full to eat more.

As expected, water and beer were different. Jin-hyuk smacked his lips and headed home.

He brought out all the meat that had been thawed.

Well, Mom wasn’t the type to get angry about eating, so she would understand.

It was a satisfying meat party just to see his friends and Yu-jin, who were inhaling pork belly until their lips were glistening.

‘This is what it means to have fun together. It’s so much fun.’

Until the morning came.

Everyone was happy, joyful, and it was a full party.

***

In the early morning, Han Yu-young’s big eyes grew even bigger when she went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

‘Oh my, Chef? How did you get hurt? Is it serious?’

A cute white gauze was attached to Jang Jin-nam’s burly arm.

‘It’s nothing. I put on some red medicine.’

‘If you move around when it’s hot, it’ll get worse. I can prepare breakfast by myself, so please rest today.’

‘Ah- that’s not-.’

‘Go rest. Hurry-.’

When Han Yu-young pushed him on the back, Jang Jin-nam had no choice but to be pushed away.

Not because of strength, but because he was embarrassed by the contact.

He was really a man who would be terrified if someone touched his body.

Han Yu-young, who had chased Jang Jin-nam away, checked the menu attached to the refrigerator and opened the refrigerator.

‘They said it’s better to eat meat for breakfast or lunch-, huh?’

The compartment where she had put ten geun [a Korean unit of weight, approximately 600 grams] of meat was empty.

Did she forget and leave it in the freezer?

Thud-.

It wasn’t in the freezer either.

She opened the refrigerator again, but the meat that was gone did not reappear.

‘Even the meat I got to give to Jang-gun’s kids is gone?’

It was 5kg of meat that she had gotten from the butcher shop because they were going to throw it away because it had gone bad.

Wow, where did 11kg of pork disappear to?