The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 174

Yang Kang-wook arrived from Seoul on Monday morning to assist Son Kwang-yeon. Despite his fatigue, his physical stamina was remarkable, and his work ethic was impeccable.

He claimed he was fine since he was only providing rear support for the second team, but could it really be that simple? It might be understandable for Yang Kang-wook, with his superhuman strength, but for an ordinary person, it would have been an impossible task. It was only because they were SSS agents [Special Security Service agents] who had endured and overcome brutal training to gain superhuman stamina that they could handle it.

‘I heard you won two titles? Congratulations. I didn’t have any special issues,’

Watching Yang Kang-wook speak casually as usual, Jinhyuk was newly impressed. Setting aside his physical abilities, he had expected Yang Kang-wook to feel some self-reproach, knowing his stance on illegal activities.

However, no complex emotions were visible on Yang Kang-wook’s face.

‘Are you okay?’

Yang Kang-wook, who had been glancing at Jinhyuk as if bothered by his gaze, muttered while waiting for Son Kwang-yeon to hug Han Yu-young at the entrance. It was as if he wanted someone to hear.

‘They were bad guys. They’re a cancer to the nation and society.’

He didn’t seem like the Yang Kang-wook he used to know, but it was better this way.

Perhaps it was because he had been discharged early, but he seemed to have a more flexible way of thinking. That must be why he was also working as an assistant in his father’s business.

Seeing the car drive off, he suddenly felt relieved.

Along with the thought that worrying excessively about his family’s safety was enough until yesterday.

‘I should request a bonus payment for Sakdo [a nickname for Yang Kang-wook].’

Hong Ki-joon would also be considering it, but it was something Jinhyuk had to do as a manager.

He must have done the difficult work of physically stopping those who were desperately trying to escape and rendering them unable to fight. It must have taken a lot of strength to subdue the large men wielding weapons like knives and steel pipes, but SSS agents were monsters, after all.

Jinhyuk, imagining the difficult scene in his head, was simply grateful. Thanks to Yang Kang-wook coming down early, he could see his father going to work with an even brighter face.

Although Myung Hyun-woo was sufficient when it came to safety, Yang Kang-wook’s presence was more than just a bodyguard for Son Kwang-yeon. Didn’t he discuss work with Yang Kang-wook more often than with the head of management support?

As he got on his bike to go to school, Jinhyuk recalled what he had mentioned about Yang Kang-wook during a game of Go [a strategic board game] with his father the previous evening.

*

‘I’m going to make Bear Team Leader into Bear Director.’

Son Kwang-yeon was determined to bring Yang Kang-wook on as an executive at General Farm when he was too tired to work in the field and had to retire.

Jinhyuk, who believed that essential personnel should be scouted early, was puzzled.

‘Why don’t you just hire him now?’

When he asked that, Son Kwang-yeon clicked his tongue, looking like Chun Gil-ryong [a character known for being cunning].

‘Ohoho-, this. My son, you still have a long way to go.’

‘Yes…?’

He was suddenly starting to feel bad.

Who was it that couldn’t win a single game of Go or Janggi [Korean chess] and always brought work home to dump on his son?

As if he was going to teach him a lesson, Son Kwang-yeon leaned in and whispered.

‘If I hire him now, I’ll have to pay him the salary that Ki-joon is giving him. Bear Team Leader says it’s a secret, but it seems like he’s getting quite a lot. Besides, Se-in gave him a car and a house. We have to save what we can, right?’

Like air escaping from a balloon, his bad mood turned into fatigue.

That meant he was feeling tired.

Jinhyuk didn’t think he could ever catch up to his father’s cunning, even if he regressed two or three times.

‘Dad, you’re like a chameleon…’

‘Wahahaha! As expected, my son understands his father!’

Even Jinhyuk could see that his father had many talents, so it wasn’t a wrong expression, but he was happy without knowing the hidden meaning, so he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Setting aside the original meaning, his father, who was capable of transforming from being bold and serious to being endlessly light and frivolous, truly deserved the name chameleon.

‘Should I give you some pocket money?’

‘Thank you, my chameleon father.’

As expected, it was better not to let him know the hidden meaning.

His pockets had become light from buying toys for his younger siblings at the department store, and he would have to rub his palms until his fingerprints wore out to refill them.

That was how Son Jinhyuk went through the socialization process.

***

Moon Seok-il, who came down a day later than Yang Kang-wook, sat on the porch next to Jinhyuk, who had returned from school.

They jogged together along the waterway, washed themselves in the yard, ate hard peaches, and ate the last of the watermelon.

‘This is becoming familiar now.’

He had thought that the life of chasing the smell of blood in the dark would be forever etched into his soul, and that the sin would never be washed away. That was what imprinting was like.

But now, he had both the expectation and satisfaction that he could live like an ordinary person. The thought that he would never change was wavering. Was it because of the people, or the environment?

Old man Chun Gil-ryong, who had taken away his combat boots, had said something like that.

– ‘It depends on what you set your mind to. It’s not easy, though. All the young people in the world think they’re smart and rational. But in the end, they don’t follow the orders of their heads, but live as they please. They use their fists or their dicks rather than their heads. It’s not that doing what you want is wrong. As long as you don’t harm others. But they live as they please and pretend to be intellectuals or something, how can they not be ridiculous?’

It wasn’t something Moon Seok-il was meant to hear. It was a topic that had suddenly come up while they were chatting during a walk. Even so, could a person with a shadow in their heart easily dismiss any words?

– ‘Where is there an easy job in the world? But still, there’s nothing a man with all his limbs can’t do.’

He also added that it wasn’t bad to live in accordance with the changes of the seasons and the world.

Along with the words that the distinction between good and evil was not right or wrong, so he shouldn’t imprison himself because of his past choices.

– ‘Perhaps it’s because I’m uneducated, but your words are difficult, sir.’

– ‘Stop acting like you’re something special. You understood everything, so there’s no need to be humble. Who said that educated people are smart? There are idiots from Korea University all over this country. Do you think that if you come from Harvard or Octopus, you’re a sage or a gentleman? Do you think those professors are smart? Should I tell the messenger to catch some of those guys who studied because they wanted to make a comfortable living? How many of them would die overnight?’

It was Moon Seok-il’s fault that he had forgotten that he should just nod in front of Chun Gil-ryong. He suffered a two-hour earful.

– ‘Nothing stays the same. Min-seok, you can change too. Sure.’

It would be nice if he could call his name properly.

Still, if there was one thing he gained, it was the conviction that he could change. He was already experiencing it.

‘I should catch some mudfish and bring them to him.’

He had lived with everyone in the world as his enemy, but when he came here, everyone embraced him, and there wasn’t a single person who wasn’t on his side.

Chomp-.

He took a bite of watermelon and glanced at Jinhyuk, who was reading the newspaper.

‘It’s better not to tell this guy why I came down a day late.’

Moon Seok-il had come to take care of the aftermath with Hong Ki-joon and Jung Sang-tae.

Since Hong Ki-joon hadn’t told him to keep quiet or given him any other instructions, Moon Seok-il’s worries were bound to be great. It meant he was to do as he saw fit. Apart from being happy about the sign of trust, the freedom of delegation was burdensome for a life that was used to moving according to orders.

Huh-.

A sigh that came out without him realizing it.

Hee-hee-.

Janggun, who was chewing on a dog treat under the porch, also sighed along.

Hey, don’t copy me.

It looked like he was mocking him because the dog was doing that.

Moon Seok-il nudged Janggun with his hind foot.

Grrr-.

Janggun bared his teeth.

It was a look that said, ‘How dare you, you inferior being!’

‘Janggun, woof woof-.’

As expected, Jinhyuk was the only one who could stop Janggun.

As if he had never growled, Janggun hid his teeth and only cursed at Moon Seok-il with his eyes.

‘Do you have any worries?’

Jinhyuk, who hadn’t missed Moon Seok-il’s sigh, asked while keeping his eyes on the newspaper.

‘No, well…’

What would be the best thing to do? If it had been in the past, he would have reported it immediately to the person in the higher reporting line, but Moon Seok-il chewed on the watermelon and rolled his eyes.

Jinhyuk relieved Moon Seok-il’s worries. He was still scanning the newspaper.

‘They say it’s better not to do it when you’re debating whether to do it or not.’

The young boy often said things that sounded like an old man.

In the end, Moon Seok-il couldn’t say anything and just munched on the watermelon. It was the end of the season, but it was so sweet, so sweet.

*

How many times had he debated whether to do something or not?

Tsk- Jinhyuk clicked his tongue at the unfamiliar nuance of what he had said.

‘I lived without even having time to worry.’

He turned the pages of the newspaper, using the sounds of crunching watermelon, the scraping of dog treats, and the chomping as music.

There was no news about Jeok Song Construction or New Boss on any of the news. The most common news was about the increased inconvenience to citizens due to the closure of Seonggu Bridge for reconstruction, and that it was difficult to find detours due to the short period of prior notice.

‘Wouldn’t it have been less inconvenient for citizens if there had been prior notice?’

‘Well, I don’t think so. Drivers would have used that bridge until right before the closure. That’s how people are.’

Moon Seok-il was a person who didn’t speak unless he was sure, and Jinhyuk agreed with his opinion.

If the notice period had been longer, how many people would have found detours during that time? It was a hypothetical, but there was already a survey result that showed it wouldn’t be even 10%. It was inferred based on several other similar cases, so it wouldn’t be far off.

‘Just like my uncle said, people don’t change.’

Humans are creatures that don’t think much about changes in their habits, whether it’s their personality or group behavior, until the change in benefits is right in front of them. For better or for worse.

In the past, Jinhyuk had defined the patterns shown by groups as amateurism, from minor to major issues. That’s how it looked to the eyes of a workaholic who lived by planning and managing every minute and second. The pros must have come from reducing and reducing the 10% of the population who prepare in advance.

‘This is a bit unexpected.’

As Jinhyuk looked at another article, Moon Seok-il tilted his head and looked at the page Jinhyuk was reading.

In addition to the reconstruction article, an article on the social page occupied a portion of the space, stating that a construction material production company and a transportation company in Yeouido had been suspended from business at the same time due to a number of cases of overloading.

‘It seems like the rice buckets [a derogatory term for government officials] did some work for once.’

‘I guess so.’ Jinhyuk nodded.

‘It’s strangely resolved?’

He had only tried to prevent the bridge collapse, but didn’t it spread to areas he didn’t know about at all? Rather, it produced a more desirable result than intended.

It was a world that had changed greatly compared to the past anyway, but even if it was a completely new world, it was still amazing.

‘There’s a forecast that there will be a lot of backlash from companies and civic groups. So it looks like it’s going to get noisy here and there.’

‘Is it because of profit that they’re acting like that even though it’s necessary and it was handled legally?’

‘I guess so. It’s not an area I can comment on.’

As the public’s resentment towards the government grew, there was a follow-up report that the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport had been dismissed due to poor management and supervision, and that Vice Minister Jung Dong-joon had been appointed as the Minister, but it wasn’t Jinhyuk’s concern.

‘It’s just a revolving door and a scapegoat, isn’t it? That’s how it was in the old days.’

Anyway, it was a relief that the planned work was generally handled well. Thinking that, Jinhyuk turned the page, and his eyes became hazy.

Jinhyuk quickly scanned the special article that took up two full pages.

「SI Sports, groundbreaking contract with middle school track and field prospect. First in the sports world.」

– SI Sports Management (hereinafter referred to as SI Sports) under the SI Sports Foundation, signs an exclusive sponsorship contract with the holder of the Korean record for middle school track and field sprints.

– Senior Manager Min Yong-rak, ‘We will become the pioneers of an advanced system that supports sports stars like celebrities.’

「SI Sports to continue discovering promising athletes. Focus on fostering unpopular sports.」

A large photo of Jinhyuk smiling with his hands on his hips after finishing a race, taken at some point, was also plastered on the page.

‘This photo caused a commotion at school.’

Teachers and students alike had come to Class 1 of the 3rd grade to shake his hand.

Among them, there must have been many people who voted for other candidates during the student council election, right?

Jinhyuk chuckled at the petty annoyance that suddenly arose.

He had never felt so petty in his life.

He had already heard that a small photo would be in the newspaper, but it seemed that Yoo Se-ra’s standard for ‘small’ was very different from Jinhyuk’s. It was half the size of a newspaper page.

‘What a scale.’

Still, he didn’t dislike his smiling face, so he was secretly feeling good.

Jinhyuk’s smile after the race was similar to the smile in the photo taken in front of the school gate on his elementary school graduation day.

As if the couple had planned it, Hong Ki-joon’s column was also published on another page.

「Column, 〈A well-trained athlete will become a better diplomatic envoy than 100 diplomats〉 Contributor – Hong Ki-joon (Vice Chairman of Se-in Group)」

Judging by the fact that he had added strength with a column, it wasn’t difficult to judge that the other articles were also greatly influenced by Hong Ki-joon’s support and advice.

Yoo Se-ra’s interview photo was also as large as Jinhyuk’s photo.

She was smiling so happily that it was similar to the smile of the winner of the Miss Korea pageant.

‘Her teeth are going to fall out.’

There were some people that it was impossible to look at with a calm gaze, no matter how hard he tried.

For Jinhyuk, it was his father, Son Kwang-yeon, and Yoo Se-ra.

It wasn’t that he didn’t have affection for them.

Sigh-.

He could only sigh.

Both Yoo Se-ra and his father were said to have not been like that originally.

Hong Ki-joon and his father testified about Yoo Se-ra, and Hong Ki-joon and his mother testified about his father.

It wasn’t that they had changed drastically, but that their condition wasn’t that serious.

They had changed little by little, and Hong Ki-joon had tilted his head, saying that he didn’t know what the trigger was.

‘If Uncle Ki-joon says so, then it must be so.’

Because he was the most trustworthy person.

He was someone he had initially looked at with suspicion, but now he had become someone he could rely on more than anyone else. He was also one of the powerful people who had the power to shake and control the country, regardless of the media or the government.

But.

Sigh-, his frontal lobe tingled as he read the title of the last article.

‘Ah, it seems like even Uncle Ki-joon couldn’t do anything about this article…’

At the sensation of pain as if he had put ice on his forehead, Jinhyuk’s hand automatically went to his forehead before he even intended to.

– Chairman Yoo Se-ra, ‘Pursuing honor, not wealth or fame, my abilities are hidden by my outstanding beauty…’

…She said ‘outstanding beauty’ with her own mouth.