The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 187

< Coward (4) >

Son Yu-jin is happy.

Finally, today! Dad told her she’d be on the news.

“Kyahaha! Oppa! Try to catch meee-!”

“Hongsi! Bring the plate!”

“Aww, did my little sister poop a lot?”

After riding bikes with her brother, playing with Hongsi, and changing Jeongwon’s diaper, she took a warm shower.

Sitting in front of the TV, using her brother’s lap as a sofa, her neck kept snapping and drool dripped from her mouth.

‘What time is it?’

There were still 15 minutes left before the 9 o’clock news started.

Her brother was right when he said eyelids were the heaviest.

But what is simplification and what is physique?

She remembered and used the difficult words from the conversations between her dad and brother, and it worked well. Her friends looked up to her.

[This is the nine o’clock news.]

Oh! It’s starting.

Son Yu-jin focused her eyes.

[- Our first story today. Amidst record-breaking heat waves… a gang of thieves who stole large dogs and sold them to dog meat restaurants, and restaurant owners who knowingly bought the stolen dogs…]

That man’s voice is so sleepy.

The nine o’clock news is for bedtime, so the sleepy-voiced man does the news.

So the kids go to sleep quickly.

[It turns out that the student who caught the thieves is a promising athlete who holds the Korean record in the middle school short-distance track and field, and recently signed a management contract with Sein Sports-.]

Contract, signed.

That word is easy because she often hears it when her dad and brother talk.

A person who looks like her brother is on TV, but he looks similar and not similar at the same time.

Our brother’s face isn’t that pale.

「Son Jin-hyuk (15)」

[I had a feeling that the criminals were surveying the scene beforehand, so I didn’t let my guard down. Our Janggun [a dog’s name] surrounded the thieves and gave me a signal… Our Janggun caught them all. Janggun- Janggun-.]

Janggun-ga-ga-ga-ga-.

Tch. They didn’t say anything about our Yu-jin.

Son Yu-jin’s eyelids slowly closed.

Kaa-.

“Wow, our son looks good on screen.”

“Our Jin-hyuk speaks well too.”

“Yu-jin came out looking like a doll.”

What? Did they call me Achi bear?

Why is it so dark in front of my eyes?

[The police have announced that they plan to award Son Jin-hyuk a medal for his bravery.]

My brother is getting something, so he’ll give me a bite, right?

I hope it’s not spicy…

I’d prefer meat, please-.

[It is said that the house of Cheonhajangsa [a traditional Korean wrestling champion] Choi Tae-yang is also in the village where the dog theft gang was caught. There’s news that his house was also burglarized. Reporter Kim Yu-deok is here with the on-site report.]

The sleepy man’s voice came back and then disappeared.

“Aww, our son’s interview ended quickly.”

“Dad, it seemed really long?”

Jin-hyuk comforted Son Gwang-yeon, who was feeling disappointed.

“Really? Did it feel like it went by quickly because our son was on?”

Jin-hyuk thought his dad’s words made sense.

Happy encounters are short, and unfamiliar encounters last long.

Is that also a theory of relativity? Jin-hyuk scratched his cheek while having random thoughts.

“Hya- Still, it’s great. Three of our family members were on TV.”

Son, daughter, and Janggun.

With her dad’s voice as the last thing she heard, Son Yu-jin lost consciousness.

[Let’s meet with the mother of the victim, Choi Tae-yang.]

Jin-hyuk was gaping, not even knowing that Yu-jin had fallen asleep.

He was more amazed that Kim Sun-bok was on TV than he was about himself being on it.

「Kim Sun-bok (45, Choi Tae-yang’s mother)」

[Aigoo-. I went to a feast and came back to find footprints all over the kitchen. My son’s golden calf [a metaphor for something precious] is there, but they didn’t touch it, and they only stole the dog food I made for our Nurungie-? Aigoo-, I left Nurungie with the neighbors and didn’t even feed him, but our Nurungie is so gentle that he’d follow anyone who asked him to. So, these thieves stole him because I left him there-.]

A white object that looked like Choi Mi-kyung’s hand pulled at Kim Sun-bok’s clothes, but Kim Sun-bok shook it off and continued to speak as if she had made up her mind.

[Ah, why is she like this? Let go-. Anyway, these cursed people had nothing to steal, so they stole our Nurungie’s food-. They should have come to the feast and at least gotten a meal. Why did they steal a dog and get arrested-?]

[Ah, Mom-. Stop it-.]

Choi Mi-kyung’s faint voice sounded pitiful.

Kim Sun-bok was all dressed up.

Choi Mi-kyung must have helped her for the interview.

Her hair was freshly permed, and her curly hair was shiny.

“Your sister looks beautiful.”

Han Yu-young covered her mouth and laughed.

As if she was holding back what she wanted to say, Han Yu-young’s face was red, and her nostrils were flaring uncontrollably.

[-The authorities are investigating charges of trespassing and aggravated theft…]

Ah?

That happened?

[You, you little brat, why do you keep interrupting when your mom is talking-.]

[Ah, we have to do it as we practiced-.]

[The real thing is important-. Look at your brother-.]

[Oppa practices a lot too-.]

The quiet conversation between Kim Sun-bok and Choi Mi-kyung was broadcast unfiltered, as if it were a broadcasting accident.

[-This has been Kim Yu-deok with the news.]

Jin-hyuk bit his lip as he watched his friend’s embarrassing moment.

‘I need to preserve Mi-kyung.’

I’ve recorded everything, you rascal.

When the internet environment becomes more comfortable, this video will be useful.

While Son Yu-jin was falling endlessly into her dream, Son Gwang-yeon, who was staring at the TV, clicked his tongue.

“That happened at Tae-yang’s house. I’ve been too busy to take care of my brother’s family.”

“It’s a relief that no one was home. What if they had hurt someone? They say thieves can turn into robbers.”

“That’s true.”

Jin-hyuk, who had laid his sleeping sister completely on his lap, nodded while listening to his parents’ conversation. He didn’t know about the dog food theft either.

‘But is this news worthy of the 9 o’clock news?’

No matter how much he thought about it, it was too much.

Well…

Someone said it.

The world is a strange place.

***

Another weekend passed.

Class 3 of the 3rd grade.

Jin-hyuk wandered around the high school hallway.

The high school students glanced at him. He stood out because he was wearing jeans and a loose shirt among the high school students in their uniforms. If he didn’t have such a mature face, he might have been mistaken for an outsider and kicked out because of his height.

“Jin-hyuk, who are you here to see?”

A male teacher, who was passing by with an attendance book under his arm, asked.

“Ah… Yes. Someone.”

“I saw you on the news.”

“Yes.”

The teacher, whose shoulder was at the same height as Jin-hyuk’s, patted Jin-hyuk’s back with a smile and passed by.

Jin-hyuk came to see Hwang Ga-young.

He was going to get her old high school textbooks.

Textbooks don’t cost much, so why would he get books from a senior, but Jin-hyuk didn’t come for economic reasons.

Jin-hyuk was envious of Choi Mi-kyung.

He was watching his friend study with the textbooks and reference books her brother had left behind, saying she was going to do advanced learning.

– “Ugh, look at the drool on my brother’s books. Did he just sleep during class?”

Sniff sniff-. Ugh-.

Why are you smelling it? Are you a dog? Choi Mi-kyeon?

– “How little did he study for his books to be this clean?”

It was just a grumbling sound out of embarrassment.

Even when she was young, Choi Mi-kyung would wear her brother’s big clothes like a blanket or a cape and run around the fields and beaches. She said that when she wore her brother’s clothes, she felt like she had more strength, and it felt like her brother was protecting her.

‘I’m getting hand-me-downs now too.’

It would be weird to ask Hwang Ga-young, who has a different physique and gender, for clothes.

So, he thought of books.

He asked at the funeral, and Hwang Ga-young readily nodded.

– “I don’t have any reference books, is that okay… ?”

– “Yes. I only look at the textbooks too.”

She probably only focused on the textbooks because she didn’t want to burden Kim Eung-nyeo.

Jin-hyuk felt a deep affection for that heart as well.

Hwang Ga-young was seen coming out, struggling with the textbooks wrapped in a cloth.

Jin-hyuk quickly approached and took the bundle.

“Hehe, hi?”

Even after her father’s death, her complexion was bright. There was no shadow on her face as she smiled at Jin-hyuk.

“Since I got these from my sister, some of the textbooks will be different. The textbooks have been revised starting from the second grade. Oh! And boys learn agriculture, but we learn home economics.”

“Yes. It’s okay.”

Since he plans to apply for new textbooks when he enters high school anyway, it doesn’t matter if the books are old or if the subjects are different. The experience of receiving hand-me-downs is important.

“It’s amazing that you’re studying in advance. This is heavy, should I carry it for you?”

It’s funny that someone who looks like they could be blown away is worrying about someone else.

“I can carry it myself. I’ll take good care of them.”

Jin-hyuk easily divided the two bundles of books into both hands.

Behind Hwang Ga-young, a group of third-year female students came rushing in.

“Ga-young, do you know him?”

“He’s the person I saw on the news the other day.”

“Hey! What are you doing here, middle schooler!”

“Why is a boy in the girls’ classroom?”

Cackle-.

The cowardly female students, who couldn’t even talk to him one-on-one, showed off their courage in a group.

Even though he knew it was a mischievous prank, Jin-hyuk felt like he was losing his mind.

He quickly bowed his head to Hwang Ga-young.

“Thank you. I’ll be going.”

“Okay. Bye.”

Hwang Ga-young, behind her horn-rimmed glasses, waved her hand with a regretful look. Even that action was cautious.

“Are you two dating?”

“How do you know a famous person like him?”

“Ga-young, what’s your relationship?”

“Ah…”

Jin-hyuk stopped walking.

He could picture Hwang Ga-young looking embarrassed among her friends.

When he turned halfway, the female students’ gazes all turned to Jin-hyuk.

Jin-hyuk tensed his neck and parted his lips. Now, looking at Hwang Ga-young’s eyes, which he could comfortably look at.

“She’s… my older sister.”

It came out quite naturally, as it was a title he had used before.

Still, everything about Hwang Ga-young is unfamiliar.

Especially her shy yet bright smile.

Of course, that doesn’t mean he dislikes it.

Jin-hyuk, holding bundles in both hands, slightly nodded, and Hwang Ga-young waved her small hand playfully. She was smiling even brighter.

Kkaaaaak-. It was a dazzling smile that buried the fuss of the female students.

Jin-hyuk’s cheekbones stood out as he turned around.

‘Older sister…’

Not bad.

Older sister.

Well, it’s not like she’s a brother.

***

There are many bicycles without carriers or even mudguards, but Jin-hyuk’s bicycle had a sturdy carrier. Thanks to that, he was able to get home safely with the textbooks he received from Hwang Ga-young.

He sat on the porch and looked through the books one by one. He tapped Janggun’s head with his toe.

Janggun was dozing off as if he liked it.

“Oppa, what are you doing?”

“Did our baby finish riding her bike?”

“Yes. It’s hard-. My calves hurt.”

Yu-jin sat next to her brother and picked up a second-year high school textbook.

Then, she pointed at each letter of the subject name with her index finger.

“Math. Iai?”

“Math Two.”

“Ah, Two.”

Come to think of it, this older sister is in the science track?

In the past, Jin-hyuk was in the humanities track.

‘Why did I go to the humanities track?’

Ah, that’s right.

In the first year of high school, my aptitude test came out as a judge, so I chose it without thinking. There was no one to consult with, and there was no need to discuss it, so I chose it without much thought.

‘Hmm. Should I try the science track this time?’

Only math will be a little different. How different can the other subjects be?

Looking through the textbooks, there was nothing difficult in the first-year curriculum.

He remembered quite a bit of the second-year curriculum as well.

As expected, memories once engraved in the brain easily return with just a small hint.

But.

‘Wow! What is this!’

Ulala-!

「Français」

Bongse.

The second foreign language was different from his past life.

‘Ah, I’m really good at Japanese though.’

Does this mean I’m screwed?

The private high school Jin-hyuk attended used Japanese, but Tae-yang High School used French.

However, he couldn’t change his career path now because of the second foreign language. It was the school he chose to commute from home after much deliberation.

‘Jotto…’

…Matte. Wait a minute.

It’s not a subject that’s on the college entrance exam, so do I really need to worry about it?

‘When have I ever repeated the same thing?’

Life after returning was different from his past life.

Isn’t that right? He only referred to some memories, but there was no same day, no repeated history.

“I’ll just learn French.”

Jin-hyuk shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

Yu-jin, who had opened a political and economic textbook, followed her brother.

“Okay, whatever-. Just do it.”

Fortunately, the handwriting of Hwang Ga-yun and Hwang Ga-young was neat, and there were no doodles.

It was probably due to Hwang Ga-yun’s influence, who used them cleanly to pass them on to her younger sister.

He was satisfied that he could see their distinctly different appearances from his past life even in the textbooks.

“Hmm-. A be ce de e ef je-. Je? Hmm. Je. …eh, ah? Ah? It’s not R?”

Ahhhhhhhhh-.

Since there was no teacher to demonstrate, he imitated the pronunciation symbols and pictures.

“Heeheeheeheehee-. Oppa is funny-.”

Is it funny? Oppa is going crazy.

“Un deux trois quatre? Quatre? Cinq-. …huit, neuf? Neuf? Neuf like in Bong Neuf?”

Phoo- booboo-.

A sigh came out so strongly that his lips turned inside out.

‘When will I get to relax?’

Which bastard said that you get to relax when you regress?

I’m going to go get him now.

‘No. Good thoughts. Good thoughts. I’m already happy enough.’

It seemed like there was no need to be afraid even though he was facing a new challenge.

It was a subject that all the students were learning, and learning something was fun.

If it doesn’t work out, he can just memorize the textbook. It will take time, but.

“Mont…? Mont Blanc like Mont? Montmartre?”

“Oppa, Montmartre?”

Hey, stop it.

Yu-jin looks like her mom, but her playful personality is like her dad.

It seemed like he would have to memorize the French textbook for a while for smooth advanced learning.

‘My head hurts.’

Is it because the number of things to worry about has increased as the family has grown and he has more friends? It wasn’t easy to focus on books like before.

Still, if it doesn’t work out, he can just make it work.

The pages rustled.

“Montma me ton ta te son sa se-.”

“Kyahahahaha!”

Yu-jin rolled around on the porch, watching her brother make funny sounds.

The unfamiliar pronunciation seemed funny to the child as well.

Or maybe she reacted to the word ‘poop’.

‘This shibueang-. Bongse is difficult-.’

Still, he’ll probably memorize it in a month.

The letters themselves are similar to the alphabet, so it seemed like he could learn the words easily.

“The first floor is… He- Headchossi? Headshosse?”

“Headchoksae! Kyahaha-!”