The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 186

< Coward (3) >

Apart from the lingering awkwardness, Jin-hyuk, with his naturally introverted personality, struggled to become close with people he had just met.

However, just as the spring after enduring a harsh winter feels warmer, Jin-hyuk felt a gentle breeze from the Hwang sisters as they affectionately cared for his younger siblings.

Perhaps because his tension had completely eased, he felt hungry again and began to devour the yukgaejang [spicy beef soup with vegetables].

‘It’s so good.’

Jang Jin-nam, feeling a subtle competitive spirit, joined in, but from the start, the only people who could compete with the light-eating Son Jin-hyuk in terms of appetite were Choi Tae-yang or Lee Seung-hoon. Even they weren’t guaranteed to beat Jin-hyuk.

“Jin-hyuk, you’re really like a cow.”

“What are you talking about?”

“No, I mean, you eat a lot.”

It was like reading scriptures to a deaf ear. Ignoring Jang Jin-nam’s grumbling, Jin-hyuk continued to slurp the red broth. He couldn’t miss the ingredients he loved.

‘Bracken! Bean sprouts!’

How could a yukgaejang fanatic resist a dish that contained all his favorite vegetables?

The medical center was located downtown, and the weather outside was lovely.

After eating his fill, Yu-jin took his hand, and they went out for a walk downtown.

“I want to go too.”

Hwang Ga-young followed them.

Caught off guard by this unexpected situation, he cautiously asked,

“Is it okay for you to leave your post?”

“My friends already visited in the morning… I was feeling stuffy being inside all the time…”

There was no reason to object.

It would be ridiculous to politely ask for social distancing when they were still socially awkward.

And so, the two of them walked, holding Yu-jin’s hands on either side.

‘This is unusual.’

He didn’t remember ever walking together like this in the past.

It was clear since he couldn’t recall it at all.

Perhaps she was also feeling awkward, as Hwang Ga-young scratched the back of her head and asked,

“Which school do you go to?”

“Taeyang High.”

“I heard you’re good at studying; that’s a shame.”

“No, well… it’s just…”

Jin-hyuk also scratched the back of his head.

They had met through their mothers’ connections and were only lightly acquainted, so there wasn’t much to talk about. Like a general pressing piano keys with his feet, the rhythm of their walk was not quite dissonant, but certainly unpleasant to hear.

Amidst the awkward conversation between her older brother and sister, only Yu-jin was excited.

“Sister, I’m going to Eodong School!”

Perhaps grateful that the child had broken the uncomfortable silence, Hwang Ga-young lowered her head towards Yu-jin, her eyes widening.

“Eodong? Where is that?”

“Yes, yes-, it’s in Eodong-ri because it’s Eodong School-. It’s less than 10 minutes by yellow bus from my house. Sister, come to Eodong when you graduate too-”

“Oh my-, what should I do? Sister has to go to university now?”

“It’s a shame our school is so good-”

“Ahaha-. You’re so funny.”

Hwang Ga-young, adjusting her glasses with her index finger, stroked Yu-jin’s head.

To Jin-hyuk, Hwang Ga-young’s shy smile looked like a girl marveling at a small, cute chick. This side of her was also unfamiliar.

She was already quite talkative in front of her older brother, but Yu-jin was even more excited and chatty in front of Hwang Ga-young.

Is this how a child actively expands their world by meeting new people? Grateful for his younger sister’s voice that gently smoothed the awkward air, Jin-hyuk also listened to Yu-jin’s words.

“Yes, yes, at our school, there are cows and goats in the playground. And there are these tiny cow dung balls rolling around. I went close to look, and there were black bugs pushing them while doing handstands. The teacher said they were dung beetles. When our kids were observing them, Kim Ho-jin hit a dung beetle with a stick, and Lee Dong-ho told him not to, but Kim Ho-jin said, ‘No, I was just trying to help.’ So Lee Dong-ho said that wise children leave nature alone, that’s how you help, and then the teacher said, ‘Oh, oh, don’t fight, kids,’ and then Kim Ho-jin said, ‘Then who am I supposed to fight with?’ and everyone laughed.”

“Ahahahahaha-!”

Hwang Ga-young clutched her stomach.

It was a genuine laugh. Even a tear had welled up.

‘Now… I don’t have to be afraid anymore.’

Jin-hyuk gently let go of Yu-jin’s hand.

So that Yu-jin could get closer to Hwang Ga-young.

Hoping that his younger sister might brighten Hwang Ga-young’s shadows, if any.

This was the greatest kindness Jin-hyuk could show at this moment.

“Sister, come play at our house-. We have Jang-gun and Hong-si, and Chun-ma, and Gwang-ma, and if you go across the sweet potato field, there’s Mikyung’s older sister’s Geom-ma, and they’re all so cute-”

“Really? Should I go see Yu-jin?”

“You have to wear yellow clothes and a yellow hat-”

“Why?”

Hwang Ga-young’s eyes and mouth changed comically, and Jin-hyuk bit his lip. So she could make expressions like that too.

“So you can be seen well-. Oh, right! Bring a bag too.”

“A bag?”

“So you can float in the water-”

Ah, Yu-jin.

She was talking seriously with wide eyes, but it was definitely not a joke.

He thought she had grown up a lot, but she was still a quirky baby.

Jin-hyuk, ignoring Hwang Ga-young who was looking at him with a puzzled expression, just blinked like a calf.

***

Trying to avoid the reporters, he ended up eating yukgaejang all day.

Thanks to his father, who understood his mother’s desire to stay longer with her older sister, Jin-hyuk had yukgaejang for dinner as well. He might get sick of yukgaejang, or even the sight of Yuk Seong-chan, for a while.

‘Still, my stomach feels comfortable.’

It wasn’t just because of his soul food.

If he had to compare it, it was similar to the joyful shock when the bully who tormented him sincerely apologized. He felt a sense of relief, almost a certainty, that there would be no more fear.

“Thank you for coming, even though it could have been a somber occasion.”

The eldest daughter, Hwang Ga-yun, bowed respectfully.

“It’s nothing. Families should look after each other. Ga-yun, please think carefully about what I said. We’re planning to build a research center in the area soon, in collaboration with Sein Bio, to study microorganisms and viruses-”

“Oh my, we already talked about that. Why are you bothering a tired person again?”

“Ahaha-, I’m just eager to scout talent. Well, I’ll be going now.”

Thanks to Han Yu-young subduing her husband, the awkwardness of the farewell was brief.

With Han Yu-young, who reluctantly turned away, as the last to leave, Jin-hyuk’s family departed from the funeral home.

In the car, which was moving smoothly as if it were parked, Son Gwang-yeon pulled his wife’s hand.

“Honey, why didn’t you stay longer?”

“I need to feed our eldest son breakfast and send him to school. I also need to send Yu-jin to kindergarten, and I only packed enough diapers for Jeong-won for one day.”

Sitting in the passenger seat, Jin-hyuk lowered his head, listening to his parents’ conversation.

His mother was always a reliable mountain.

‘To think she has to worry about baby diapers too.’

Mothers are truly geniuses.

However, the expression on his father’s face, which he saw in the rearview mirror, was different from Jin-hyuk’s admiration.

‘He looks sulky?’

He was clearly acting like that because his mother hadn’t mentioned him.

What was he to do with his father, who was sulking because she was only taking care of the children?

But his mother was a person with a broad perspective.

“And I need to see our cowardly husband off to work.”

“Hehe-.”

Jin-hyuk, who was looking in the rearview mirror, squeezed his eyes shut.

Because of the person rubbing his head against his mother’s shoulder. He wasn’t a puppy, what was he doing…

But he was curious.

“Why is Dad a coward?”

He often saw his father wandering around looking for his mother after waking up late on his days off. His mother was busy in the vegetable garden, picking vegetables or tomatoes, or taking Jeong-won to the stream or the sea.

Remembering that he acted that way because of the memory of losing his grandmother when he was young, Jin-hyuk never spoke ill of him, even in his thoughts.

Anyway, was he called a coward because he acted like a child looking for his mother?

It was a genuine curiosity.

“Hmm-.”

“No, it’s just a saying. Your dad is so innocent and pure, and…”

But his parents’ less-than-enthusiastic reaction only fueled Jin-hyuk’s curiosity.

“Hyun-woo? Can you hurry up? Yes. Shall we go? I’m tired.”

“Yes, sir.”

Jin-hyuk glanced at Myung Hyun-woo, who was always with his father, wondering if he might know, but Myung Hyun-woo wasn’t particularly perceptive either. He was only quick when claiming the sandbag at the gym.

As they approached home, Jin-hyuk was faced with the urge to jump out of the passenger seat.

‘Wow, what is that?’

There were broadcasting cameras and people who looked like reporters swarming in the yard. Min Yong-rak was away for the weekend, and most of the SSS agents had gone to pay their respects, so there was no one to stop them.

‘Even if there was, they wouldn’t have stopped them.’

With the boss Hong Ki-joon’s orders, who would stop them?

He glanced at his father in the rearview mirror, and as expected, he was scratching his forehead, avoiding Jin-hyuk’s gaze.

‘Dad knew too. Did he tell me to hurry because he was worried they’d wait too long?’

But what questions would they ask?

What should he answer?

Jin-hyuk’s mind began to race, feeling a sense of desperation he hadn’t felt in a long time.

It wasn’t that he was scared.

He was just afraid of having to deal with it again at school.

Ah, was that the same as being scared?

‘Oh, whatever.’

*

It was dark, but the lights around the porch made it as bright as day.

He didn’t want his family’s comfortable home to be exposed, so he had the camera set up in the opposite direction. If he was going to do an interview, he might as well direct it properly. That was Jin-hyuk’s decision.

‘Hong Ki-joon must have threatened them.’

That if they didn’t cooperate, he would cut off all their advertising.

Still, it would have been nice if they had contacted him separately. Why did he feel like he was being tricked?

“So, our student? How did you manage to take down the organized dog theft gang? What was strange, were you scared, how did you move to catch them? Just talk about it like that. I won’t ask any questions, I’ll just record your comments, so feel free. Got it?”

While half-heartedly listening to the reporter’s explanation, he looked at Choi Mi-kyung’s house in the distance.

Choi Mi-kyung’s house was also lit up, and the outer walls were shining white.

Moths, attracted to the light, swarmed in the air like constellations.

“Did reporters go to that house too?”

“Huh? Ah-, according to the police, there was also an incident at that house-”

There was an incident.

The incident where a dog thief was caught by a dog.

“Okay, if you look here, you’ll see a red light on the camera. Start when that comes on.”

Jin-hyuk nodded with a stiff face.

I’ve heard things too, you know. Don’t treat me like a country bumpkin. That’s the recording start, isn’t it?

Whew-.

His father was grinning, and his mother was holding Jeong-won, looking proudly at her eldest son.

Even Yu-jin, sitting on her older brother’s lap, was hugging Jang-gun tightly.

With so many supporters, how could he be nervous?

‘It’s strangely nerve-wracking.’

Three years ago, he would have said everything he wanted in front of a camera. For the great Son Jin-hyuk to be nervous, it was a sight to see.

“We’ll start now.”

The reporter, holding a microphone in front of Jin-hyuk, folded his fingers one by one.

When his fist was clenched, the red light came on.

That was when it happened.

The reporter, with a serious expression, began to nod at Jin-hyuk.

‘What, why is this guy doing this?’

I haven’t said anything yet, you know.

***

On the yellow bus, to Kim Ho-jin, at kindergarten to Lee Dong-ho and the teacher, and on the playground to older sisters and brothers she didn’t even know.

Son Yu-jin bragged about her older brother.

“My brother caught the dog thieves. So yesterday, a broadcasting station came to film us.”

“Wowww-.”

Some friends widened their eyes, and others wiped their runny noses, listening to Son Yu-jin’s words.

“Is Son Yu-jin in it too?”

“Yes! I’m in it too. My brother held me and Jang-gun like this. Mom re-tied my hair and wiped my face too.”

Wowww-.

Son Yu-jin must be really happy. She’s on TV too. Lee Dong-ho mumbled.

“That’s nothing-. My uncle caught armed spies and went on vacation in a helicopter-”

“Hey, Kim Ho-jin! You can’t simplify and equate every phenomenon!”

The kindergarten classroom fell silent.

It was partly because Son Yu-jin had yelled.

‘What did she say?’

‘I don’t know either.’

‘It’s hard-.’

‘Son Yu-jin’s brother is big.’

‘I know what big is. It’s a really big fish.’

‘What’s that? Scary.’

He has a loud voice and is good at talking, so you can’t win against him-. Kim Ho-jin, defeated, just shot a laser gun into the air.

Pyobyo-pyobyong-.

***

That evening, and the next night too.

Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she stayed up to watch the 9 o’clock news, but Son Yu-jin failed to achieve her goal.

[This concludes the nine o’clock news. Thank you for watching.]

“They’re not showing it again today?”

“Did you ask Su-jeong’s dad?”

“It seems the police have put a restriction on the broadcast because there are still unresolved issues from the interview at Tae-yang’s house. They said it might help catch other thieves.”

“What happened at that house? Mi-kyung’s mom didn’t say anything. Did the police tell her to keep quiet too?”

“I’ve been too busy with work lately to take care of my brother’s family.”

Heeng-. Will it come out tomorrow?

Her friends will call her a liar.

Son Yu-jin was scared of being called a liar.

They said liars’ noses grow long, and a scary old man called the Mangtae Grandfather would take them away.

To soothe her saddened heart, she hugged her Achi bear tightly and fell asleep.