The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 179

It was when the SSS agents were also enjoying the feast that had been prepared.

Jang Jin-nam, who had been chatting with Min Yong-rak, suddenly turned his meddling attention to Yoo Tae-hwa.

“Tae-hwa, you should get married too. It’s great. Yong-rak is getting married next year, you know.”

Even without this encouragement from those around him, Yoo Tae-hwa, who had been a staunch bachelor, was seriously considering marriage. Of course, this was only if he found someone to marry.

“I’ll think about it if I meet someone nice.”

Min Yong-rak picked up a liquor jug.

“Tae-hwa hyung [older brother], have a cup of makgeolli [Korean rice wine] too.”

“No, I’m on duty.”

Yoo Tae-hwa politely raised his hand.

He had only come along because Han Yu-young was attending the party.

Yang Kang-wook and Myung Hyun-woo, who were seated near Son Kwang-yeon, were each eating their fourth bowl of galbi-tang [beef short rib soup] without touching alcohol, so Yoo Tae-hwa couldn’t possibly drink.

He wasn’t good at talking, so he wasn’t confident in dating, and he had lived as if exercising was his greatest goal in life.

That was until he became Han Yu-young’s personal bodyguard.

The wealthy people Yoo Tae-hwa had guarded in the past tended to show off to their neighbors and look down on those they employed.

But Han Yu-young was different. She treated Yoo Tae-hwa like a sister, not an employer. And it wasn’t just him; she was the same with the other SSS agents.

They say generosity comes from a full barn, but these people are exceptionally different.

It must be because their kind nature hasn’t been warped by the storms of time.

Seeing them living harmoniously with their husbands and children, he began to dream of what a family was like and whether he could live like that if he got married.

Because he was envious.

Han Yu-young, dressed in a beautiful hanbok [traditional Korean dress], approached the group of SSS agents.

“Tae-hwa, have you eaten a lot?”

“Yes. I had two bowls of galbi-tang.”

Oops, I didn’t need to report that in such detail.

It’s an unavoidable occupational hazard.

“Tae-hwa, have a glass of makgeolli.”

“Ah, I’m-”

“It’s okay. Have a sip on a day like this. Team Leader Yang has given permission too.”

“Then I’ll have just a little.”

Gulp-.

Kuh-, that’s amazing. He had only intended to wet his throat, but he emptied the bowl in an instant.

It was definitely makgeolli similar to what was sold in bars or stores, but the liquor brewed in a rural brewery tasted different. Perhaps the atmosphere and the people of the day were also important, but there was an inexplicable charm to it.

Jang Jin-nam, who had a sensitive palate, also tasted it and was emptying the jug repeatedly, saying it was excellent.

“Isn’t there saccharin in it? Ack-!”

Min Yong-rak, who was ruining the mood, was put in a headlock by Jang Jin-nam.

Min Yong-rak became a troublemaker when he drank. He was somewhat like that even when sober.

It was when Yoo Tae-hwa, who had finished a bowl of makgeolli, was munching on a pumpkin pancake.

Drrr-.

The secure phone in his pocket vibrated.

‘This isn’t my phone?’

It was the phone that Han Yu-young had entrusted to him, saying that it was uncomfortable to wear with her hanbok.

Han Yu-young’s brow furrowed when she saw the phone that had come out of Yoo Tae-hwa’s pocket.

It was a number she had seen many times and knew well.

‘A hospital?’

Her sister wasn’t the type to call at nearly midnight.

Han Yu-young snatched the phone and went outside the gate, away from the commotion.

***

Slap-!

Ahhh!

An unexpected commotion swept through the venue.

It was the sound of elderly people tying up Jo Il-heon’s legs and hitting the soles of his feet.

“Hahaha! This is a real thief!”

“How can a man who’s almost fifty get such a pretty young woman?”

“His father was my friend, and he also met a young woman.”

“Like father, like son, did he seduce her with his assets?”

It seemed that Jo Mu-saeng’s love story was a famous anecdote among the elderly.

The elderly, who had been freed from their hard farm work and whose aging had stopped, took this opportunity to show off their strength.

No one was on Jo Il-heon’s side.

“Hit him more. More, more-”

Even Gwak Hyang-rim, who was to be his spouse, was shaking her wallet with a smile. It was the most effective encouragement for the elderly.

Gwak Hyang-rim’s encouragement fueled Jo Il-heon’s thrashing show.

Wahaha-!

“Beat him hard-!”

“Aigoo- [expression of exasperation], I’m out of breath. Now you hit him-”

Wahahahaha-!

Heok heok heok-!

Not only the onlookers but also Jo Il-heon, whose ankles were tied, laughed until he was out of breath.

“Aigoo-, if you’ve done enough, stop and have some liquor. What’s the point of showing off your strength when you old folks don’t have any? You’ll end up collapsing with a stroke.”

It was a bluff.

His soles were burning hot, but he was enduring the pain because of the desperate feeling that he shouldn’t give in easily.

It was obvious that money would come out of Gwak Hyang-rim’s wallet the moment Jo Il-heon begged for mercy. He was about to accumulate a lot of cash, but it wasn’t because he was stingy about giving pocket money to the neighborhood elders. After all, the elders would use that money to buy candy for the neighborhood children or go to the town market on market day to buy senbei [Japanese rice crackers] or other dried snacks.

“Oh, come on, you’ll get sick. If you’ve done enough, have some liquor. Heok heok-.”

He was holding out for the sake of the onlookers who didn’t want the game to end so blandly. And a match was a match, wasn’t it? It was a battle of pride and a game for the old boys who couldn’t easily concede victory.

“This guy. Is he enjoying it?”

“His father was like that too. He’s got a lot of stamina. Like father, like son, I tell you?”

Jang Jin-nam, who was peeking from behind with a flushed face, cautiously raised his hand.

He seemed eager to get involved in the lively commotion.

“Shall I hit him?”

“Oh no, that’s not right-!”

Jo Il-heon’s expression changed as he laughed with the onlookers.

“Aigoo-, you’re going to cause a funeral. Young people should just watch.”

Knowing Jo Il-heon’s worries, the elders also stepped in to stop him.

Jang Jin-nam smacked his lips in disappointment and scratched the back of his head. He’s not that strong, though.

“That’s how old people play. Nowadays, people don’t know how to do it, so if they just hit with force, they’ll get hurt.”

The white-haired chairman of the elders’ association comforted Jang Jin-nam.

At that moment, a large hand rested on the chairman’s shoulder.

The chairman, who had staggered slightly, turned to look at the owner of the hand and bowed respectfully.

“Ohoho-, old people, you say… Then am I allowed?”

It was Cheon Gil-ryong.

His blazing eyes were looking at Jo Il-heon.

“Kkk…”

A strange sound came from Jo Il-heon’s mouth for a moment as he made eye contact with Cheon Gil-ryong.

Jo Il-heon urgently shouted.

“Hey, Hyang-rim! My love-!”

It was too late.

Cheon Gil-ryong was already holding a bundle of switches in his hand.

The elder who had been holding it had handed it over without a word.

The elders quietly bowed their heads and stepped back.

It was because they felt intimidated by Cheon Gil-ryong, who was much older and had a physique like a giant. Moreover, Cheon Gil-ryong had already been famous as the village’s living guardian since they were children.

Cheon Gil-ryong’s lips curved like a bow as he tapped the bundle of switches on his palm.

It wasn’t just Jo Il-heon’s delusion that he looked somewhat sinister.

“My love! Give me money! Give it to him and send him away! Hurry-! Someone, please untie meee-!”

***

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Whack-!

“What use is money to me! You rascal!”

“Aack! Ack! I’m going to die without getting marrieddddd-.”

Wahaha-.

It seemed like they were playing some fun game.

Jin-hyuk guessed as much.

When the duo of Cheon Gil-ryong and Jo Il-heon, the main characters of the voices, got together, they put on a skit that made the villagers roll around laughing.

“What! You’re going to get married! I can’t! You ungrateful bastard!”

“Aaaaaack-! Who said I couldn’t get marrieddddd-! Save me! My love-! Hyang-rimiiiiii-!”

Ignoring the commotion, Jin-hyuk lingered near his parents, keeping his distance.

He was curious about what kind of commotion was going on inside, but there was another important matter at hand.

He had followed his father, who had a serious expression, as he left the gate, and his mother was already outside. It seemed that his father had asked Yoo Tae-hwa and followed him because he couldn’t see his mother.

“Have they set a date for the funeral?”

“It’s just at the hospital’s…”

The noisy sounds of the party were a distraction, but it wasn’t difficult to catch the conversation between his parents.

‘Hwang Young-mo is dead…’

He was someone he hadn’t met in this life.

He had ended up as someone he didn’t know, without any connection, just someone who had existed somewhere, and had disappeared like that.

“Don’t you need to go right away?”

“No. I just… felt a bit strange, so I got some fresh air.”

“Let’s go together tomorrow evening. Your sister must want to see her, right?”

His father, ignoring Jin-hyuk, put his arm around his mother’s shoulder and went back inside.

After his parents went in, Jin-hyuk was left alone, resting his chin on his hand.

‘Is it presumptuous to say I understand Mom’s feelings?’

It was a strange feeling.

He had encountered Hwang Young-mo’s death twice.

In his previous life, he had only heard the news from Shin Woo-sung long after Hwang Young-mo had died and Kim Eung-nyeo and her two daughters had disappeared. He had heard that a family who ran a teahouse had been chased by loan sharks and had fled their hometown without even holding a proper funeral.

‘This time, they’ll have a funeral.’

A man who had stolen his mother’s property and committed robbery.

His appearance, the way he spoke, and the way he thought were all ugly. Moreover, even his actions were ugly, so it was natural to say that ‘his life was pitiful.’

It wasn’t pity.

But it wasn’t something to be relieved or happy about either.

‘It feels bittersweet.’

There were times when he had briefly considered how he would punish him if they met again, but it had turned out to be an anticlimactic situation.

Just a feeling of ‘I guess he’s dead.’

It seemed that was the feeling of facing the death of someone whose name you knew.

Hong Ki-joon had said.

‘How desolate must be the life of someone who only dreams of revenge, and how futile must be its end.’

Even without his point, Jin-hyuk hadn’t paid much attention to him in the first place.

It wasn’t because he was a fool, nor because he was generous.

‘He’s trivial and insignificant.’

Unpleasant emotions were just a hindrance to a happy life with his family.

Wasn’t forgetting the only blessing given to humans?

Jin-hyuk tried to protect his happiness by ignoring and forgetting his existence.

‘Maybe it’s thanks to my focus.’

Whether it was love or hatred, he had lived considering it as stray emotions.

Jin-hyuk had aimed at happiness and had finally hit the mark. It was a tearful effort to not waste his life and energy. Who wouldn’t want to bury the past if they didn’t have a heart, but the happiness of the present was more important than anything else.

In that respect, his mother was a truly generous person.

If his mother, the victim of this life, had wanted revenge, he would have gladly stepped up, but his mother didn’t want that.

– “Mom thinks of those people as fragments of a chaotic era. Mom was hit by those fragments. There were so many bad people back then. When Mom was young, all sorts of things happened. There was a friend’s older brother who was addicted to gambling and threatened his parents with a sickle, demanding they hand over the house deed…”

She hadn’t forgotten, nor had she forgiven.

She said that she was just one of countless victims of the era and didn’t think that she was the only one who was unhappy.

– “No one loves someone who thinks they are the only one who is unhappy. They don’t know how to love anyone either. If such a person forms a family, can they be happy? In the end, the other family members can also become unhappy. If that happens, Mom will just become a thief who steals other people’s lives, just like that person.”

She didn’t want pity, and she said that even the anger that welled up could be scattered with a sigh if you looked at it from a distance.

Depending on how you thought about it, it was a truly admirable objectification.

There were times when he thought she was just a cheerful person, but the more he knew his mother, the more he realized she was a broad-minded and deep person.

There was no way that Jin-hyuk wouldn’t have been influenced by such a mother.

While talking with his mother, his hatred must have unknowingly turned into indifference.

It was something he had repeatedly reminded himself of, and his worn and dulled personality must have also played a part.

‘My past is a problem without an answer.’

The sense of reality that had taken root in his mind as he was born and grew up could not be ignored.

He had no intention of becoming a lawless person to take personal revenge in a situation where he yearned to live as a human being, melted into the framework of society.

Perhaps the most perfect revenge was to completely ignore the annoying things and focus entirely on his own life and enjoy it according to his own will.

‘I like living like this now too.’

Let’s make it clear and move on.

It was an effort that only he had endured without anyone knowing, but Jin-hyuk now thought that the time had come.

***

Janggun’s long ears twitched repeatedly.

{Hee-, kkiiii-, kkeuee-.}

A sound that only sensitive dogs could hear!

The other dogs seemed to be wondering what was going on.

Only Janggun could hear it, and he also knew the identity of that sound.

Grrr-.

That was… the sound a dog makes when it’s too scared to resist and tucks its tail between its legs and backs away. The air had already been exhaled to bark, but the body had retreated, so the sound didn’t have any power. Janggun was a smart dog, so he knew that too.

Janggun looked around.

From the somewhat friendly brown dog to the indifferent yellow dog, white dog, black dog, gray dog, and brindle dog… How many ‘dogs’ were there? Anyway, it was a complete dog mess.

The humans guarding the Son Wang-wang’s house had gone to the party, leaving only one behind.

This meant that there were no humans here to help Janggun.

Then, in the end, the dogs had to step up.

Janggun was a smart dog, so he quickly grasped the situation.

Grrr-.

All the dogs in this neighborhood were Janggun’s subordinates.

He couldn’t let his subordinates be kidnapped by the black-clothed humans.

Woof woof woof!

Hey, let’s go!

Woof!

You cowardly brown dog, stay put and protect your pups!

After all, the guest dogs couldn’t follow because of their leashes.