The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 181

I arrived at the place where Jang-gun was waiting, running like the wind.

The only thing I suspected was the dog thieves.

‘Ah, thank goodness!’

Jang-gun seemed to be fine.

Seeing him wagging his tail with his tongue hanging out, it was hard to believe he was a dog in trouble.

Whew-.

I took a long breath, and I could feel my heart rate slowing down and my body temperature dropping.

The changes in my body were amazing, but I didn’t have time to be impressed.

Heek-ing-.

As soon as I arrived, Jang-gun, who had stopped howling like a wolf, whined pitifully.

‘It was the thieves after all.’

Where Jang-gun was restlessly circling, two black motorcycles were parked.

It was the path I used to take to go into the back mountain with Choi Tae-yang to dig up arrowroots, and with Yoo-jin to pick chestnuts.

‘Those damn bastards…’

I gritted my teeth.

Heey- Kkeey-.

Six lives, making metallic sounds like rain-soaked, sick dogs, looked at me with pitiful eyes. They were trapped in a chicken coop so cramped they couldn’t even move.

Anger surged.

Before I knew it, I had hooked my five fingers onto the metal chicken coop.

Crack-!

I tore it open.

Mary from Yook Sung-chan’s place, Doku from someone’s place, Dosa dog Jjampu [Dosa dogs are a Korean breed known for their large size and guarding abilities], and three other dogs I didn’t know the names of.

Even though I had asked them to leave them in a safe place, there were people who ignored me.

However, I couldn’t just dismiss their actions as carelessness and arrogance, thinking nothing would happen. In a scattered mountain village where houses are not close together, taking a dog to a neighbor is also a tedious journey. It was better to appreciate the sincerity of the person who came to leave the dog, rather than blaming those who couldn’t.

“Go. Go home.”

They say a barking dog doesn’t bite, but did they get caught just for barking?

That didn’t matter.

– “A person who has a lot of dog blood on them is like a grim reaper to dogs. A Dosa dog? Hey, in front of a dog butcher, they’re just a lump of meat, like a mouse in front of a cat.”

The dogs that smell that, instead of resisting, would lower their tails and back away.

Even though he might have bluffing as a passive skill, Cho Il-heon is a know-it-all who is knowledgeable in many fields. Even if it’s not in-depth expertise, his chatter is helpful in many ways in daily life. Thanks to him, I could understand the situation more deeply, how these scary dogs were caught.

‘To think there are guys who even steal Dosa dogs.’

Watching the large dogs running back to their respective homes with their tails between their legs, I felt more resentment than satisfaction. A clearer anger than the lingering resentment left in the Kim Eung-nyeo family, which was now fading into the darkness.

I took out my secure phone.

I hated having a backer, but I could use it in times like this.

It wasn’t for personal gain, so I was sure my uncle would understand.

Ring-, it was before even one signal rang.

As if he had been waiting for the call, Hong Ki-joon appeared on the other end of the line.

– “Yes, Jin-hyuk.”

It was a warm voice, no matter when I heard it.

‘Wow, is it really this comforting to hear his voice?’

It must be the soul imprint effect, but hearing Hong Ki-joon’s voice made me feel at ease.

Perhaps because my head was hot, I explained the situation without any order.

– “What do you mean sorry? If it’s a request from our Jin-hyuk, I have to listen. Wait a minute. I’ll call the Commissioner of the National Police Agency…”

“No, no. It’s just, you know-”

Uhh, uhh-.

My anger was boiling over, and I felt like my thought process had stopped. My body was getting bigger, but for some reason, my mind wasn’t the same as before. It was like an air conditioner with no refrigerant, only blowing hot air.

Anyway, calling the Commissioner of the National Police Agency to catch dog thieves was too much.

“I called you because you’re the fastest person who can help. If I report it one by one, I don’t know when they’ll come to this countryside.”

It wasn’t something SSS [Special Security Service] should get involved in. That’s what I decided.

They were personnel who shouldn’t be exposed to the outside, and the personnel stationed here were currently enjoying the feast. I was already regretting leaving my galbi-tang [Korean beef short rib soup], and I didn’t want to take away their enjoyment.

If a strong SSS agent inflicted unnecessary injuries on the thieves during the apprehension process, it could become a headache.

‘It’s best to hand them over to the police.’

If the other party was a simple thief, there would be no need to worry about future problems, so that would be the most humane way to handle it. This was perhaps a judgment that reflected my desire to live as a human.

‘Now, how do I keep these guys here?’

Thump-thump-.

Even when I heard about Hwang Young-mo’s death, even after sprinting for about 1km, my heart was fine, but now it was beating too fast. Apart from the comfort I felt from having Hong Ki-joon as a reliable backer, my anger towards the dog thieves was that great.

While I was thinking for a moment, Hong Ki-joon, who had finished another call, comforted me.

– “Don’t go out if it’s dangerous, just wait. I’ll be there soon.”

“Thank you.”

– “No. Thank you.”

Hong Ki-joon was always like this.

He always ended the call with a thank you, but he never told me what he was thankful for.

Crack-.

After the call, I crushed all the chicken coops. I felt like I had to vent my anger like that to calm my blood pressure. If they asked me to pay for it, I’d just give them a few bucks. My dad has a lot of money.

Even after crumpling all the metal chicken coops into balls, there wasn’t a single scratch on my hands.

I made a few balls out of the wire mesh and shook my hands.

“Jang-gun?”

But Jang-gun was nowhere to be seen.

Come to think of it, I didn’t hear Jang-gun panting while I was on the phone.

“Ha-, where did this rascal go?”

But I wasn’t worried.

Because it was Jang-gun.

Then I chuckled.

‘Look at this guy? Now that I think about it, he called me to save his friends?’

To think I’d be used by a dog.

*

At this moment, there was no greater relief than the fact that Jang-gun was safe.

Peace like a river in my heart, digestive juices like a waterfall in my stomach.

‘I’m hungry.’

Two bowls of galbi-tang and two plates of braised pork ribs were completely burned up after one full-speed sprint.

I could just replenish the lost fuel, and to do that, I needed to finish this quickly and go back to the feast. It was logical.

Woof-woof-.

I busily moved my feet, following Jang-gun’s howling.

Grrr- Krr-.

Now, I had reached the point where I could distinguish what kind of dog it was just by the threatening sounds. The one growling so fiercely was definitely Gwangma. Even though he was a really gentle and affectionate dog, when he saw a mole cricket or a grub, he would bare his teeth and look like a mad dog. Despite the growling, his actions were completely different.

‘He’s holding someone.’

Sure enough, following the sound, I arrived at Choi Mi-kyung’s house and found a large person lying prone in the middle of the yard. It was a perfect camouflage for the darkness, but it was too visible on the cement-paved yard. Thanks to the shoes and socks that had been taken off, his soles were also dazzling.

Maybe his soles were clean because of Gwangma.

Grrr-.

That guy Gwangma makes that kind of battle sound when he licks something.

“Stop.”

Gwangma, who was licking his right sole, moved away as soon as I spoke.

Hong-si was sitting at the head of the dog thief, blocking his escape route.

‘Why is Jang-gun riding on his back?’

I thought I understood him quite well after living together for so long, but Jang-gun was a really strange dog.

Heh-heh-.

He was constantly licking the neck of the person he had subdued, and his secretions were excessive.

Jang-gun’s loyal subordinate, Chunma, was pressing down on the dog thief’s back with his front paws, as if he was giving him a dog massage. He was always like that, spending time pressing on Hong-si’s back. Ah, is he a cat?

“Get down. He’s not a wild boar.”

Heh-heh-.

I was glad that he listened to me.

I had always warned the dogs. Never hurt a person.

Kong Seok-doo, who had raised his head and found me, shouted urgently.

“I, I’m just passing by-”

“Shhh-.”

I squatted down at Kong Seok-doo’s head and put my index finger to my lips. I was petting Hong-si’s head, praising him.

Even if it was the 20th century, how could he try to use the ‘passing traveler’ excuse that wouldn’t work anywhere?

“I’m in a really bad mood right now, so just answer my questions.”

Grrr-.

In Kong Seok-doo’s ears, it was another growl.

Could it be that he was speaking in dog language because he was so good at handling dogs? For a moment, I had a strange thought.

“Who else is there? Where are they?”

Kong Seok-doo rolled his eyes.

“Don’t roll your eyes.”

“Bo, bo-bo-”

Kong Seok-doo stuttered.

“Don’t stutter.”

“Behind the health center-”

Huh?

There were two motorcycles, so I asked about his accomplice, but what was he talking about with the health center?

The health center was more than 3km away from here.

“Mister, if you want to go back in one piece, you’d better tell me the truth.”

I’m in a bad mood because I came here from eating!

“Re, really! One person is waiting there!”

“The person who came on the motorcycle?”

“I don’t know. I’m lying here, how would I know where the guy with legs ran off to…”

Now that I heard it, it made sense.

Kong Seok-doo’s foolish-looking face also increased his credibility. Surrounded by dogs and lying face down like a toad, he wouldn’t dare to use his brain.

“Jang-gun. Keep this guy from going anywhere.”

Heh-heh-.

Jang-gun jumped back onto Kong Seok-doo’s back and wagged his tail.

“I, I-”

“If you resist, I’ll eat you.”

“Hee-ik-!”

At my fierce threat, Kong Seok-doo pressed his cheek tightly against the cement floor.

‘It’s a lie. Is he really an idiot?’

I just wanted him to experience what it was like to be in a weak position.

The helplessness of the victim, the fear of the weak.

‘Experience what you did to the dogs.’

I was heading home when I paused and looked back.

Heh-heh-.

Jang-gun was glaring at Kong Seok-doo’s neck with a mad glint in his eyes.

Excessive drool dripped onto Kong Seok-doo’s neck.

Every time, Kong Seok-doo would shrink his neck.

‘Hmm…’

Nah, no way.

Jang-gun wasn’t that indiscriminate of a dog.

Woof-.

Jang-gun gave a low, deep command.

Gwangma, who seemed to like Kong Seok-doo’s feet, started licking them again.

Chunma resumed the massage.

“Ugh-ugh-ugh-. Father God-”

Kong Seok-doo’s sobbing prayer received no response.

***

An empty lot near the health center at the entrance of the village.

Distributor Kim Woo-don was sitting in the driver’s seat of a 5-ton truck, anxiously waiting for his partners.

Kong Seok-doo and Ma Gun-cheon.

They were skilled and had been friends for a long time, so they worked well together, and that was true.

Newbies would use vehicles with poor mobility or wear any clothes, but Kong Seok-doo and Ma Gun-cheon wore black clothes like uniforms. Not only that, but after a brief barking sound from the farm they entered, they would appear with a heavy dog.

Kim Woo-don had made some money this year thanks to the record-breaking heat wave.

There were no adult dogs to sell.

The method he chose when there was a disruption in supply was to steal dogs from private homes. Ma Gun-cheon suggested it.

“Why aren’t they here…?”

To get to Cheonan, where the buyer was waiting, they had to drive for three hours along the national highway.

Although road conditions had improved recently, most of the roads they had to take were dark, two-lane country roads.

It usually took them less than an hour to fill the chicken coops on their motorcycles and return, but it had been more than two hours and they were still nowhere to be seen.

But he couldn’t drive a large truck full of dogs into a remote village in the middle of the night.

He tapped his toes and shook his legs.

Booo-ooo-.

“Huh? What’s that sound?”

Booo-ooo-. Ba-ga-gak-.

It sounded like an engine noise, and then there was a loud sound of tires on the road.

Seeing the red light, Kim Woo-don quickly lowered his head.

Thud-.

“Ugh-, damn it.”

He hit his forehead on the steering wheel while quickly lowering his head.

He rubbed the spot where the pain was rising and carefully rolled his eyes.

‘One, two, three.’

Why were there so many patrol cars in this remote village?

Without even a siren, the red flashing lights, like the devil’s tongue, quietly broke the night as they sped away.

Towards the village where Kong Seok-doo and Ma Gun-cheon had gone to work.

“This is a mess.”

Kim Woo-don knew he was screwed.

What he needed at times like this was-

Speed.

He quickly fumbled for the car key.

The key he had carefully inserted couldn’t have run away, but why couldn’t he grab it when he was in a hurry?

Click-click-. Click-click-.

To make matters worse, the starter motor, which had been working fine, was acting up.

“Damn it-, I’m going crazy, really. Huh?”

Kim Woo-don, who was about to try again after complaining, froze when he looked ahead.

It was as if he had seen a ghost.

Sure enough, there was a person standing right in front of the driver’s seat.

“Who…”

It was when he was about to move his lips.

Bang-!

Drrr-drrr-.

“Aaaah-!”

Kim Woo-don hit his forehead again.

A huge vibration followed the loud noise.

It was like the impact of hitting a utility pole while driving at high speed.