The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 162

< Summer Camp of Cholera (10) >

It was ‘So Internal Medicine,’ the most renowned hospital in Taeyang County.

Son Gwang-yeon, unable to go to work because his son’s friends were all sick, listened to the director with a dark expression.

“To be sitting here so healthy with such good color despite having diarrhea. Haha, you students are really robust.”

Just as he was feeling relieved, the director of So Internal Medicine raised his reading glasses and smiled at Son Gwang-yeon.

“It looks like food poisoning, sir.”

After examining the patients with symptoms of dizziness, headaches, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and fever, the director made his diagnosis. He had already heard what had happened the night before, so the diagnosis wouldn’t have been difficult.

‘It’s like gastroenteritis, right? So, it was the meat after all?’

Jin-hyuk looked at his friends with worried eyes.

If it was food poisoning, even with injections and medication, they wouldn’t be able to exercise for more than a week. He was worried about his friends’ condition collapsing, not to mention the muscle loss from the body they had built over two weeks.

“Umm, excuse me-”

Calling for the doctor, Jo Seul-chan cautiously glanced at Jin-hyuk.

He thought Son Jin-hyuk might make even patients exercise.

“It’s not heatstroke or anything, is it? We were running around in the heat, so I was wondering if that’s why…”

“The symptoms are somewhat similar, but you guys definitely have food poisoning.”

Director So Woo-cheol was firm, unlike his gentle image.

Yum Byeong-taek also looked at So Woo-cheol with eyes pleading for help. There was fear that he might have to keep exercising in this condition.

“I’m dizzy, nauseous, and I keep getting cold sweats.”

“And you keep having diarrhea, right?”

“Yes, yes. That’s right.”

“Yeah, food poisoning.”

“Yes. I thought so, and it seems my guess was right.”

Yum Byeong-taek drooped his head dejectedly when the hospital entrance slowly opened.

It opened softly, slowly, and at a constant speed, like an automatic sliding door.

“Eugh-”

“Ughhh-”

Three zombies staggered in.

It was Min Yong-rak and the SSS bodyguards who had eaten the pork belly together.

Min Yong-rak, supported by two other patient agents, couldn’t even walk and dragged his feet as he came in.

At the sight, Jin-hyuk’s head tilted to the side, and his brow furrowed.

‘I feel like I’ve seen this somewhere.’

He looked like the bear character being dragged around by the ear by Yoo-jin.

***

The supporting characters are quiet yet busy.

They are doing miscellaneous tasks unnoticed, in places where they are not in the spotlight, so that the character who has set himself as the protagonist can stand out.

The footsteps carrying firewood were busy.

‘Hoo-ah, hoo-ah-, the supporting characters are busy.’

Fortunately, although their condition wasn’t severe, Jin-hyuk laid his friends down in the main room of the mud house and lit the underfloor heating to prevent them from getting chills.

He also didn’t forget to turn on a fan towards their feet. It was a measure for a comfortable recuperation.

“Rest well. Don’t do anything.”

The friends lay side by side, only rolling their eyes towards Jin-hyuk. It was a relief that they didn’t ask to go out for training. Their condition was good enough that they could do it if they had to.

All they did was stare at the IV bags that the SSS bodyguard team’s medical officer had injected.

It was strangely fun to watch the IV drip, drip, drip, one drop at a time.

‘Hey, but don’t you think our bodies feel lighter?’

‘Yeah, I feel comfortable too.’

‘……Did all the waste get flushed out?’

Was it thanks to the injections at the hospital, or was it because of their robust bodies, as the doctor said?

The kids were full of energy, and their desires were stirring.

‘I want to read comic books.’

‘Jin-hyuk doesn’t have those.’

‘……I want to eat pork belly again. Well-done. I also want to call Jung-hwa.’

But it was only in their minds.

“Don’t even think about moving, and sweat it out lying down today.”

Jin-hyuk, worried about his friends who had become gaunt in just half a day, went outside.

‘That’s strange. Why am I fine?’

He must have eaten the most, for all he knew.

Well, pork should be cooked thoroughly.

Since his brother had picked out only the well-cooked meat for her, Yoo-jin must be fine too.

Jang-gun and Hong-si are also fine. Ah, are they okay because they’re dogs?

Jin-hyuk got on his bike and called Jang-gun.

“We’ll go slowly. Let’s go together.”

Hehe-heck-. Hong-si followed too.

He headed to Jo Il-heon’s house with the dog mother and daughter.

Jo Il-heon’s house was about 2km down the bus route towards the town.

He raised his voice in the yard.

“Is anyone home? Is Il-heon hyung [older brother] home?”

He used the term ‘hyung’ (older brother) that he had gotten used to, but there was no response from inside.

The truck, tractor, and excavator were all parked in the garage.

It seemed he had gone to the tin house next to the town office on his scooter.

It was a habit he had developed while living with Gwak Hyang-rim; he would give her a ride to work and spend time with her until she finished, then take her home.

‘Is he going to wait until his sister-in-law gets off work again?’

He was a true romantic.

‘How nice it must be.’

Jo Il-heon was a tractor driver, but he also cultivated all sorts of medicinal herbs. He had even gone into Gubong Mountain to dig up wild ginseng. He had attended an agricultural high school, where only the smartest could get in, and had acquired all sorts of knowledge.

He had a bad case of lying, but he was a knowledgeable hyung in his own way.

‘Ah, I came to get motherwort.’

He had no choice but to turn back. He couldn’t just pick crops from an empty house, and Jo Il-heon didn’t have a cell phone yet, so he couldn’t ask for permission over the phone.

Feeling sorry for Jang-gun, who was struggling with her short legs in the hot weather, he put her on the bike’s carrier and slowly pedaled back along the bus route.

It was before he turned into his house.

“Hey, you rascal, where are you going in this heat?”

It was the old man, Cheon Gil-ryong, who stopped Jin-hyuk with his booming voice.

“Hello, Grandpa.”

“Oh, yeah! Aigoo- shibal, it’s so hot my balls are sweating. What are you doing wandering around, Jin-hyuk?”

Jin-hyuk explained the situation. As he did, he looked at Cheon Gil-ryong’s attire with interest. He was still wearing a Hawaiian shirt and a bamboo hat, and he had a gray cloth bag, like a monk’s alms bag, slung over one shoulder. On his feet, he wore shiny military combat boots that he had gotten from somewhere, and he had two crucifix necklaces around his neck.

‘He’s getting more fashionable by the day.’

When Cheon Gil-ryong rummaged through his bag, two bundles of dull, pale green plants that looked like chives popped out. They were as dusty and pale as mugwort.

“Here you go.”

“Thank you.”

Ignoring his greeting, Cheon Gil-ryong was busy petting Jang-gun and Hong-si.

“Ohoho-, other dogs lower their tails when they see me, but these guys are quite remarkable.”

They were even cuter because they weren’t afraid of him.

That’s why Cheon Gil-ryong would bring snacks like dried sweet potatoes for Jang-gun and Hong-si whenever he came to Jin-hyuk’s house.

“Do you always carry motherwort with you?”

“Of course-, if you live in the countryside, you need it a lot in the summer. For heatstroke, stomachaches, water changes, and lack of energy. And that’s not all. If it’s too hot, your dick won’t even get hard-. That’s why there are no May babies in this neighborhood.”

“Ah……”

As always, TMI [Too Much Information], TMT [Too Much Talk] grandpa.

A true free talker who doesn’t consider the listening age.

“You can feed it to these guys too, if you can.”

“Do dogs eat motherwort?”

“They don’t. That’s why I’m telling you to feed it to them.”

“What does that……”

Before Jin-hyuk could say anything, Cheon Gil-ryong turned around and walked away towards the inner village.

Was it because he was wearing combat boots? His disciplined gait felt like that of a military honor guard.

‘I can’t even keep up with his walking.’

What did he mean by ‘they don’t eat it, so feed it to them’? Ah, did he mean to force them to eat it?

Jin-hyuk held out the motherwort to Jang-gun.

“Jang-gun, want to try some?”

Huh-huh-sniff-sniff-.

Huh-heck!

Jang-gun, smelling the motherwort, jumped off the carrier. Hong-si also ran away, tail between her legs, following Jang-gun.

Jin-hyuk, watching the dog mother and daughter’s wobbly butts, made a resolution.

‘I’ll make sure they eat it.’

How dare they abandon me and run away?

No, that’s not it.

He must have told me to feed it to them because it’s good for them.

***

Jin-hyuk sat on the wooden floor of the mud house.

He laid hemp cloth in a small stone mortar and put all the motherwort in it.

Now, all he had to do was pound it with a pestle to extract the juice.

He had a blender, but he was doing it manually. Living with old-fashioned people, Jin-hyuk felt like he was becoming old-fashioned too.

‘The medicinal effect will be better if it’s made with care.’

Thump, thump, thump, thump-.

Whenever Jin-hyuk did something, Jang-gun and Hong-si, who usually hovered around, didn’t even come close. The scent of motherwort was that strong.

Instead, Cheon-ma and Gwang-ma sat like good dogs, looking up at Jin-hyuk. It was due to the learning effect of getting tasty snacks whenever Jin-hyuk did something in the mud house.

‘All done-.’

When Jin-hyuk entered the room, his friends’ eyes all turned towards the door.

Jin-hyuk held his friends’ noses and forced them to drink a bowl each.

With threats they couldn’t possibly refuse.

“If you spit this out, you’re dating me.”

Jo Seul-chan, feeling like he’d rather die than suffer, gulped down the motherwort juice.

He was a guy who always ate well.

“Uwaaa-! Grandmaa-!”

Jo Seul-chan was indeed a filial grandson.

“Keueuh-heuk-, is this the elixir of life……”

Yum Byeong-taek seemed to be possessed by Dragon Ball’s Kakarot [a character from Dragon Ball].

“……Keueuk- Your Majesty.”

Park Sang-gi, a fan of historical dramas, played the role of a traitor receiving poison.

After emptying their bowls, the friends lay down, sucking on scorched rice-flavored candies and rubbing their stomachs.

“I feel strangely good.”

“My eyes were blurry, but now they’re really clear. My head feels refreshed too-”

“……The spiderwebs on the ceiling look like goalposts. The optimal penetration route to the goalpost is……”

Unfortunately, he couldn’t feed it to Jang-gun and Hong-si.

They were so quick-witted that they didn’t come close even when Jin-hyuk didn’t have motherwort in his hands. They seemed to know that they would be forced to eat it if they were caught. They must have also heard the screams of Jo Seul-chan and his group echoing through the house.

‘Hmm-. I sent enough to the mole house, what should I do with the rest?’

It must have been his imagination that he heard Min Yong-rak’s scream from afar.

As Jin-hyuk was pondering with the remaining motherwort juice, Cheon-ma and Gwang-ma came into his sight. They were sticking out their tongues, looking at Jin-hyuk as if they were ready to be praised.

That’s it.

“Cheon-ma, Gwang-ma. Good boys, come here-. Ujjuju-”

Hehe-heck-.

***

The kids spent the day in the mud house’s heated room, eating spinach porridge made by Han Yu-young.

“Ah, it’s delicious even with just soy sauce.”

“Yeah, this porridge is amazing, isn’t it?”

“……I want more.”

Jang Jin-nam, who was clearing the empty pot, shook his head at Han Yu-young.

“Motherwort is really good.”

What kind of patients with stomachaches would empty a whole pot of porridge?

On the second day, Cheon Gil-ryong took the kids’ pulses and gave them acupuncture.

“Wow-, it feels so refreshing.”

“My head feels hot though?”

“Uh……, I see a soccer ball.”

Jin-hyuk greeted Cheon Gil-ryong, who came out to the porch, clicking his tongue.

“How are the kids doing?”

“It’s nothing much. Those doctors aren’t complete quacks either.”

From their complexion to their pulse, they were hard to see as patients. Their bodies were full of clear energy. He explained that the toxins in their bodies had been flushed out after going through cholera and sweating.

Jin-hyuk was delighted.

“Then can we start training now?”

It was then.

“Aigoo-, Grandma-.”

“Heueoaeu-”

“……I can’t see.”

Even if it wasn’t for the groans coming from the room, it was still difficult to push them too hard.

“It will take about three days of recuperation for their energy to return. Being clear and being full of energy are two different things.”

You are the sea, and those guys are streams. A flood has swept through and cleaned them up, but their water flow is insignificant. With those words, Cheon Gil-ryong patted Jin-hyuk’s shoulder.

“Thank you, Grandpa.”

“Thanks for what-. I have nothing else to do, so I do this kind of thing. Heo- it’s hot today.”

After seeing Cheon Gil-ryong off, Jin-hyuk sat on the porch and revised his plans.

He didn’t intend to train right away anyway. He had only mentioned training as a joke because he was happy that his friends were getting better.

‘This week, I’ll focus on resting and recuperating……, I could send them home, but it would be better for them to rest here if they want to.’

They had a heated room, a swimming pool, and facilities where they could work out anytime.

They could exercise and recuperate, and no one would interfere. Could there be a better place than this?

After completing the change of plans, Jin-hyuk took the textbook that Chae Gyu-ho had made and went into the room.

“Lie down, close your eyes, and listen.”

The patients, who sighed lightly, closed their eyes, and a clear voice spread through the mud house.

“Baekje in the 4th century, King Geunchogo, Goguryeo in the 5th century, King Jangsu, Silla in the 6th century, King Jinheung……”

Since the conditions weren’t right for lecturing, he planned to focus on injecting the key points.