The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 194

Even someone with a double-digit IQ can get a result by inputting according to the book’s instructions. Creative development might be difficult, but following examples is just another task.

Yet, Jinhyuk starts coding with this example every time.

“Hello, World!”

‘Hello.’

A new sentence every time he sees it.

Is there a more touching and romantic greeting for someone living a new life?

Now, let’s put the romance aside…

Instead of doing nothing, he’s just studying C++ with the textbook.

He has friends and a younger sister, so it didn’t seem right to wander around alone all day, claiming to exercise. It was Jinhyuk’s way of making an effort to stay in the same space as them.

There was also the meaning of warming up for later use.

Not knowledge, but his brain.

‘My brain feels strangely sluggish.’

It’s not like his brain feels old, but it feels soft and his thinking is becoming clumsy.

Since a few months ago, his concentration has been scattered, and recently, it’s like ink has been poured into his head. He has to reread sentences he just read. At one point, he even suspected he might have dementia.

“Jinhyuk, when will Dam Hwa-rin and Han Bi-gwang get married?”

Choi Mikyung, now completely sprawled out and even covered with a blanket, asked without even shifting her gaze. The comic book she held up in the air with both arms looked like a hip roof.

“I don’t know… maybe in about 30 years?”

Jinhyuk, who was staring at the monitor, answered casually.

But it wasn’t a baseless statement.

“Eek- 30 years? Hey, you might as well curse them!”

Choi Mikyung, you flimsy sea anemone. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.

He hadn’t caught up to the latest chapters, but he often checked the plot. When he was younger, he even read it from the first volume.

‘I didn’t get to see the ending either…’

He might not remember the stock trends he had, but how could he not remember the comic’s story? Anyway, that comic wasn’t finished back then either.

Todotodok-.

`#include `

I’m dying to know the ending. Jinhyuk muttered as he created a new file and typed the first line.

“Jinhyuk, you type that every time, what does that mean?”

“It’s a header file that includes standard library function macros, constants, and various input/output functions.”

It’s in the book. Jinhyuk scratched the side of his head with the index finger that had been pointing at the book.

It’s best to read from the book for someone who doesn’t understand.

“Do you have to use it?”

“Um-. For example, it’s like a warehouse.”

Jinhyuk pointed to the `` on the monitor and said,

“If you type this, you can get the results you want just by typing simple commands. Like in a warehouse, there are sickles, shovels, and mortars. It’s like taking out what I ask for.”

Jinhyuk, who was explaining as kindly as possible, stopped talking.

Choi Mikyung wasn’t listening.

She was lying down, just flipping through the comic book with a blank stare.

‘That sea anemone…’

She shouldn’t have asked.

Jinhyuk turned back to the monitor.

But what was he going to do?

‘Ugh- I forgot because of that Choi Mi-jjal [a playful nickname for Choi Mikyung].’

*

Although it had become a temporary hangout for teenagers, the Mole Den was nominally the workplace of SSS employees. It wasn’t just Jinhyuk’s siblings and Choi Mikyung there.

[Ooo- ooo- ooo- ooo-.]

“-Parrryu shuto soldati-”

Hiccup-.

Jang Jin-nam’s shoulders shook as he sang along to the unidentified song.

Yoojin, who was peeling a tangerine next to Choi Mikyung, quickly crawled over on all fours.

“Uncle, are you crying?”

“Am I trembling?”

What’s wrong with him?

It’s not just housewives that dramas ruin.

Ah, should Jang Jin-nam be classified as a housewife?

“Why did Kang Woo-suk do that?”

“You mean the sentencing of Choi Min-soo?”

Choi Mikyung, who was flipping through a comic book, responded.

Jang Jin-nam just nodded, not taking his eyes off the TV.

It’s hard to understand people who record and rewatch dramas that have already ended, but people who get too immersed are also…

“Go Hyun-jung is so pitiful. She has to live alone. Who would be good enough for her? Park Sang-won is so bad- he acted all righteous but killed his friend. And he married Jo Min-soo. Park Tae-soo and Go Hyun-jung-”

Chatter chatter-.

Oh my-, even Choi Mikyung.

Jinhyuk also watches dramas with his parents from time to time.

Not because they’re fun, but because his parents like them.

Still, excessive immersion has a negative impact on one’s sense of reality…

“Um-, um-. If Uncle and Park Tae-soo fought, who would win?”

Ah, Yoojin. Not you too.

Tangerine juice dripped from the child’s mouth as she asked with a serious expression.

Jang Jin-nam wiped Yoojin’s lips with the edge of his apron and shrugged his shoulders.

“I’d win. For sure.”

Jinhyuk, who was typing on the keyboard, nodded.

Looking at the subtle aura he emits, he’s someone who surpasses the fighting power of two Dobermans combined.

‘In the drama and in real life, Uncle Jin-nam would win.’

He said he didn’t understand people who get immersed, but Jinhyuk was participating in their conversation, at least in his mind.

That’s how he fits in.

He’s watched it more than ten times already, replaying it once a day.

Every time Jang Jin-nam looks at the hourglass, Jinhyuk’s clock also ticks.

***

One day near the end of February, Choi Mikyung the teenager did not visit the Mole Den.

She had things to prepare for before entering high school.

And a guest had come.

“Wow-, Oppa’s school uniform fits Jinhyuk so well?”

“It seems a bit loose though…”

“Just wear it. Our oppa spent more time wearing only his underwear and a loincloth than his school uniform, so it’s completely new.”

“I guess so.”

Following the books, he even inherited the school uniform.

It’s a pleasant experience. It wasn’t a burden for Jinhyuk, but school uniforms are expensive, so he saved money.

Yoojin, who was leaning against Choi Tae-yang’s back while he was lying down watching TV, tapped his shoulder.

“How old are you, hyung?”

Yoojin still called Choi Tae-yang ‘hyung’ [older brother].

It must be because the habit she picked up as a baby is hard to break.

“I’ll be twenty-two now.”

“Are you going to be the strongest man in Korea again this year?”

“Hahaha-. It’s not up to me. I was lucky last year.”

“Uncle Yong-rak said luck is also a skill though?”

Choi Tae-yang lay on his back, supporting his head with both hands.

He seemed to be pondering what Yoojin had said, blinking his eyes.

“In my opinion, luck is not a skill. Absolutely not.”

After saying that, he had a thoughtful look on his face.

“Why?”

“Um… how should I put it? If luck interferes and affects the result, doesn’t that mean your skill was lacking? I think people who aren’t thoroughly prepared are hoping for a fluke.”

“Um…”

Yoojin was narrowing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers, as if she was memorizing Choi Tae-yang’s words. She’ll probably use them in front of her friends again.

Jinhyuk looked at Choi Tae-yang with surprise.

He’s always been cheerful and hates using his brain for anything other than exercise, but seeing him think so deeply, he thought he had become more mature.

‘Everyone has a time when they grow up.’

Maybe that time is now for Choi Tae-yang.

Experiencing someone’s change in real-time is always refreshing.

“Hey-. What are you doing? Take off the uniform and let’s wrap the books. Did you bring the acetate paper?”

“Uh-huh.”

Choi Mikyung brought out the wall calendar, and Jinhyuk took out the thick, vinyl-like acetate film he had prepared.

It was something they had done together every year with Choi Mikyung, so the division of labor was clear.

“Eek-! Why do you have so many books?”

“Oh, this? I’m going to wrap the books I inherited from my sister too.”

It’s a waste.

The old calendar that Hwang Ga-young had used was worn and tattered, showing how hard she had flipped through the books.

“You used to throw things away once they were worn, but now you know the value of things?”

Jinhyuk just blinked his eyes.

It wasn’t exactly like that, but it wasn’t wrong either.

And some things were more dear to him.

“You’re always so slow.”

“What are you talking about?”

“There’s just something about it.”

Choi Mikyung just shrugged her shoulders and didn’t try to explain further.

‘Who’s calling who slow when they can’t even run?’

Swoosh swoosh-.

Choi Mikyung skillfully cut the calendar and folded it to fit the shape of the book. Yoojin handed over the cut tape one by one with her small hands.

Then Jinhyuk would wrap the books with the film again.

Well, they say this double wrapping keeps the books clean for a long time, but he didn’t really care about that.

‘I guess this is what it means to give affection.’

If it weren’t for Choi Mikyung, he would have never known how to take care of books like this.

“Hoo-hoo-. Hey, Son Jinhyuk, why are your hands so clumsy?”

“Oh, oh. I’m working hard. You should rest.”

She’s really nagging.

Is she showing off because it’s her house and her brother is next to her? Is she a Yoo Se-ra [a reference to a character known for being bossy]?

While Jinhyuk was clumsily wrapping the books, Choi Tae-yang turned back to his side and watched TV, and Choi Mikyung flipped through her new textbooks with a satisfied expression.

“Bong-say.”

“Oh-. Yoojin speaks French?”

“My oppa taught me-. Before Christmas.”

“Christmas? Why that?”

Why what why.

It just means they looked at the French textbook together around that time.

Choi Mikyung didn’t have a younger sibling, so she didn’t seem to fully understand children’s language.

‘Hehehe-. Who’s calling who slow when they can’t even understand that…’

Why does this feel so satisfying?

Jinhyuk chuckled and continued to move his clumsy hands.

“Unnie, this is read as ‘Moo-shoo’.”

“Ah, this is ‘Monsieur’. The spelling is weird though? Why is it M O N? Oppa, oppa.”

Choi Mikyung slapped Choi Tae-yang’s butt.

He seemed to have dozed off while watching TV, and Choi Tae-yang was startled.

“Huh? What?”

“Why do you read this as ‘Monsieur’?”

“…Just because. That’s how you read it.”

It was an accurate answer, but Choi Mikyung didn’t seem convinced.

Son Yoojin crossed her arms and made a haughty expression.

“I know. My oppa and Cheon Gil-rong Heavy told me-”

“Really? Why is that?”

“Do you know where the capital of France is, unnie?”

“Paris?”

“Right? Then, did you learn in English class what Americans call Paris?”

“Pae-riss?”

“Oooo-.”

What’s with the ‘ooo’?

What should he do with that arrogant Son Yoojin?

Still, Choi Mikyung didn’t seem to be in a bad mood.

“Ah, I think I roughly understand what you mean.”

“Listen more. Do you know what French people call Paris?”

“Well-, wouldn’t it be similar?”

“Pah-hee.”

Oh-. Jinhyuk, who was watching, couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

It was a similar pronunciation to what he had heard on the French native speaker conversation tape he had asked Min Yong-rak to get.

“This is what Cheon Gil-rong Heavy said-, he said that even if it’s not perfect, the only script that can perfectly reproduce the pronunciation is Hangul [Korean alphabet]. And this is what oppa said, memorizing words by pronunciation is a good memorization method, but you shouldn’t interpret the meaning of a word differently just because the pronunciation is different.”

“Um…, isn’t Yoojin saying things that are too smart?”

Choi Mikyung stared intently at Yoojin as if she was looking at a strange creature.

But Yoojin’s words were not over yet.

“Like Hollywood or Holly-wood, even the same word can be read differently depending on the region, culture, or person. Putting too much meaning on pronunciation is a stupid habit of those with an English-centric narrow-minded way of thinking. Every country has a different language, and even the same English word can have different pronunciations depending on the country and the person. It’s all just pretentious people trying to act smart because of their vanity. What’s the point of being good at English-, um, um. More important than English is data analysis, logical thinking, and then the ability to speak as intended-”

Ah, Yoojin.

You didn’t have to say all that.

Still, he thought it wasn’t wrong.

‘I did teach her that data analysis, logical thinking, and situational judgment are important.’

But Yoojin has an amazing memory. She memorized all that and is saying it? It was an ability that even Jinhyuk didn’t have.

However, her situational judgment seemed lacking.

Or maybe she’s just oblivious. Ah, is that the same thing?

Cough-.

Choi Mikyung coughed.

Choi Tae-yang pretended to be asleep and shrugged his shoulders.

It was as if the indigestion he had suffered for ten years from being ignored by his younger sister for not being good at studying had been resolved all at once.

Hmm-.

Choi Mikyung, who had narrowed her eyes, also crossed her arms, following Yoojin.

It was as if a picture of two women glaring and fighting had been completed.

‘Why are they acting like that when Yoojin didn’t say anything wrong?’

Jinhyuk blinked his eyes like a calf.

He felt it every time, but when he was with Choi Mikyung, he often just blinked his eyes.

Anyway, go Yoojin!