The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 222

*

As the school break neared its end, Jinhyuk had single-handedly replanted all those trees.

Restoration after damage, a feat of history by a historical powerhouse.

Was that even something a human body could do? He actually replanted them just because he was told to.

Cheon Gil-ryong’s eyes, clear despite his age, sparkled, and General, who wouldn’t be second to anyone when it came to sparkling eyes, kept peeking into the bamboo forest beside him.

“Jinhyuk, how many did you plant?”

“Three hundred and fifty-eight, sir.”

“Heavens, you’ve sent off a lot.”

“Pardon?”

“No, it’s nothing. Just a slip of the tongue.”

Now that they were all planted, the other fellows who had been wandering aimlessly would come looking for a place to settle.

It was a good thing, actually. It was called a virtuous cycle, wasn’t it? Those who had to leave left, and those who had to come came.

If the waiting line got too long, customers would get tired of waiting and look for another place, and those customers would go around causing trouble in the wrong places.

Tsk tsk.

“You’ve worked hard, Jinhyuk.”

“Hehe.”

That rascal, so funny.

Cheon Gil-ryong also burst into a hearty laugh, thinking how much that kid had changed.

Even though it was his own doing, he came to this house every day without pay and sweated buckets. Wasn’t that admirable? Should he give him a bowl of cool, refreshing makgeolli [Korean rice wine]?

“Jinhyuk, if you come to my house, there’s a crock platform in the back garden. Let’s go together and-”

“Uh-buh-buh, goodbye! Let’s go, General!”

Jinhyuk, bowing hastily, called for the dog.

Judging by his eyes, filled with panic, he seemed to have misunderstood something. But before Cheon Gil-ryong could explain, Jinhyuk bolted.

“Hoo-. I wasn’t going to make him work.”

Whew-. That kid, he sure is fast.

Cheon Gil-ryong watched the young one running like the wind for a long time.

‘But…’

Cheon Gil-ryong’s round eyes narrowed into slits.

Apart from the admiration he felt watching Jinhyuk disappear like a gust of wind, a strange sensation suddenly hit him.

“Yin and yang, five elements, what kind of weird power is that?”

It was more like a lack of sensation than a sensation.

Even though he had been watching him closely the whole time he was working, he hadn’t felt any strange energy.

It was just a strange thing, and a strange kid.

When he met him a few years ago, a strong yin energy comparable to a full moon, or a chilling eerie energy comparable to a thousand-year-old fox, had lingered for a while before disappearing. Recently, the refreshing energy that had been subtly fragrant like pine needles had also vanished.

‘Something must have happened while I was away.’

He didn’t have the ability to see spirits, but how could Cheon Gil-ryong not notice if there was an extraordinary aura?

But recently, Jinhyuk only exuded a boyish yang energy, and no strange energy was detected.

‘Did he drive it all out with his own yang energy?’

If that were the case, it would be a truly bizarre thing.

His caterpillar-like eyebrows twitched as he pondered.

He had asked out of curiosity, but as expected of a whimsical kid who could bounce anywhere, he had received a nonsensical answer.

– “I just sat and breathed. Really.”

To Cheon Gil-ryong, it was nonsense that he had no reason to believe.

It must have meant that he didn’t want to tell him.

That’s what secrets are, after all.

“Changrim, you rascal, you weren’t trying to pin the blame for what you guys did on that young one, were you?”

It was forced.

Even the one who spoke knew it was a forced statement.

Having seen the twisted forest himself, he knew it wasn’t the doing of the guests, but he didn’t want to see the dead ghosts looking dejected, so he threw out a joke.

Saaah-.

Changrim, the grim reaper who had been shouting, ‘That bastard is a wicked bastard!’ until yesterday, shut his mouth like a ghost with aphasia.

After all, there was no one who could win against that old man with words. Whether ghost or human.

It was better to just accept the abuse, as was the fate of a ghost.

This world was where grim reapers were tormented by humans.

He just wanted to run like the wind, escaping the bamboo, and shout.

The king’s ears are donkey ears!

He didn’t have legs, so running was out of the question, but even ghosts had dreams.

***

With the start of school just around the corner, he drastically reduced his workout time at school. The limitations of a normal human body were too clear to carry out the same routine as before. Excessive exercise only brought unbearable fatigue and did not provide an opportunity for growth.

“Hey, president, why are you only climbing ropes these days?”

“I do pull-ups too?”

Instead, he spent more time with his friends.

It was because he had taken to heart the words of Grandpa Cheon Gil-ryong, that even if there was no way to run faster than time, there was a way to walk together.

Just like elementary and middle school, this happy and enjoyable high school life was also a first for him. If you had friends and your heart wasn’t closed, wasn’t it a time that everyone had the right to enjoy? He had thought he wanted to become an adult quickly because he didn’t feel regretful about his youth, but now he knew that this time of hanging out was only for now, so it was precious.

“Seunghoon, Woosung, let’s have a pull-up contest.”

“Ooh-ssa! Melon, are we having a contest!”

Lee Seunghoon had given up wrestling in the past due to a severe back injury.

In this life, his training level was good and well-managed, so he wasn’t too worried. Still, Jinhyuk wanted to temper him even through games like this. It was a well-known fact that the more you trained, the stronger you became.

“In that case, it’s only natural that I forfeit!”

Shin Woosung, an overweight guy who passionately admired Team Rocket’s Jessie from Pokémon, confidently gave up.

Slap-!

“Ouch!”

“Tsk! What a boast!”

Choi Mikyung, a high school girl, appeared, slapping Shin Woosung’s back hard.

He thought she was going to join as a player because she was rubbing her arms.

“Hey, hey! This older sister will count for you, so buy me a ‘Ssangssang Bar’ [a type of Korean ice cream bar]!”

Choi Mikyung held up her two outstretched hands.

Jinhyuk, who valued efficiency, didn’t miss the timing and offered his opinion.

“Then Woosung should go buy them first. We can get it from the loser later.”

“I’m going to lose anyway, so I should pay first. Here, take it.”

Lee Seunghoon, who had analyzed the situation, willingly took out his wallet.

Shin Woosung took out two thousand-won bills from Lee Seunghoon’s wallet, hesitated for a moment, and grabbed one more.

“Seunghoon, can I eat two ‘Chuwisanyang’ [another type of Korean ice cream bar]?”

“Yeah, go ahead, you rascal.”

Hehehe-.

They were guys who didn’t talk much even though they were close, but with Choi Mikyung joining the three of them, the atmosphere was more talkative than ever.

Of course, it wasn’t that he didn’t like it.

Jinhyuk also smiled broadly as he watched his chattering friends.

Hehe-.

*

After finishing classes and coming home, he adjusted the sprinting distance and tested his suitability.

After going through training that involved sprinting past his breaking point and his body was fully heated, he measured his 100-meter record in a tired state.

“Great! It’s the best record!”

Min Yongrak gave him a thumbs up.

「10.24」

Jinhyuk, having confirmed the record, also nodded in satisfaction.

A man’s firm expression of will was enough with a single nod.

‘It was definitely acting as a shackle.’

It was the paradox of power.

It had helped him not to get tired, but hadn’t it confined his body to its limits?

“Do you want to run one more time? I think the machine is a bit weird?”

“No, I’ll run tomorrow too.”

But how was it now?

His stamina was quickly depleted, and the speed at which fatigue accumulated was also fast, but his main power had improved. His body, which had been steadily trained, had begun to shine, breaking free from its shackles.

“You look very tired today?”

“It’s hard, but strangely, I feel good.”

It wasn’t a shame that the strange power had disappeared.

Just in case, when he did brain breathing, the energy immediately rushed to his heart and dantian [an area in the lower abdomen believed to be the center of vital energy].

“Then shall we stop for today?”

“Yes. It’s about time Yujin came with Jungwon.”

It was a bit late, but it was a satisfactory result just to have realized the method of emptying and filling. He had been racking his brain alone without anyone to teach him, but he had found and solved the problem, so how could he not be proud of that alone?

“I think Director Yoo Jae-woon has left work, but I don’t see him yet? Come to think of it, Chief Medical Officer Joo is also-”

“They came to exercise and got a page, and they went together. Mr. Kim Chun-sik’s cow had trouble giving birth to a calf.”

Was it Kim Chun-sam? Min Yongrak tilted his head indifferently.

Giving birth on such a hot day, Eun-jung’s cow must be having a hard time. Jinhyuk turned towards the shower room.

“You’ve worked hard. And cut back on the snacks. You’ll never get married like that.”

“Haa-, even you…”

Min Yongrak put the last remaining vanilla wafer in his mouth, his head bowed.

After measuring his record and finishing his meeting with Min Yongrak, Yujin would follow him like a cute weasel. Jungwon, holding his sister’s hand, would also come along.

“Oppa, are you done exercising today? Can we swim together now?”

“Ung-ah-. Ttai!”

“Okay, let’s play in the water. Our Jungwon, let’s take a shower with hyung first.”

“Ung-ah-ah-! Tta-ah-!”

Jungwon wiggled his feet, trying to catch up with his hyung.

Having lived almost in the gym with his hyung and sister during the vacation, Jungwon’s leg strength had improved, and he preferred running to walking.

Because of his head, his center of gravity was leaning forward, and he seemed to be moving his legs faster to avoid falling.

His footwork, which was not like a baby’s, and his growth rate. It was more like a sprint.

“Oh my, you rascal. You’re going to fall.”

He picked up the cute youngest one.

Babies liked to roam freely, but as a hyung, he couldn’t give up the happiness of holding him close.

No matter how fast you were, nothing was faster than time.

The vacation, which had given him so much, had passed in the blink of an eye.

***

September, when the night air had cooled down.

Son Yujin had slept soundly last night.

She had almost crushed Haengun while sleeping so soundly, oblivious to the world.

As an apology, they went bug hunting together.

“Jinhyuk-ah-ah-!”

Choi Mikyung unnie [older sister] came looking for him early on Sunday morning.

She was holding a plastic bag in her hand, and she had heard that that unnie had come looking for oppa [older brother] with a plastic bag even when she was a baby. The only difference from then was that the bag color was black instead of semi-transparent white.

“Son Jinhyuk, come out-ah-ah-!”

Son Yujin, who was playing with Haengun on the rooftop, peeked out on tiptoes and shook her head gently. A while ago, Grandpa Cheon Gil-ryong had come looking for him like that, so it seemed like her oppa had caused some trouble again.

“Haengun, what do you think our oppa did?”

Bbi-.

How could he be so smart? Haengun shook his head whenever Son Yujin asked him something. It must mean he didn’t know.

“Right? I don’t know either.”

She decided to ignore it and continue what she was doing.

Son Yujin was rummaging through the rooftop flower bed with a thin twig.

Originally, she had rummaged through the compost pile, but oppa had stopped her, saying there was too much dirty stuff there. When she turned over the muddy ground next to the waterway, oppa had stopped her again, saying she could fall into the water.

– “Princess shouldn’t go to dangerous places.”

– “Why am I a princess?”

– “If oppa says you’re a princess, then you’re a princess.”

Um…, somehow it was a plausible statement, so Son Yujin didn’t argue any further.

If oppa said so, then it was so.

After seeing a snake while rummaging through the grass next to the field bank, she had complained to oppa. She wanted to feed Haengun, but she didn’t know where to hunt. Haengun was a smart bird that hunted on his own, but Son Yujin also wanted to prepare food for him. Because Son Yujin was Haengun’s mom.

Then oppa had scooped up the well-ripened compost with a shovel and moved it to the rooftop.

The compost from that compost pile that he had told her not to go near because it was dirty.

Thanks to oppa, there were many bugs living in the rooftop flower bed.

“Haengun, can you eat this?”

Bbi-i-i-. Chop chop-.

Haengun swallowed even grubs as big as his body. According to Jjorongie Ajjiji, it seemed like this big one was a long-horned beetle larva, and they lived a lot in the compost pile. The larvae that were too big were bigger than Son Yujin’s palm, so she couldn’t feed them, and she only fed the small ones.

He ate so deliciously that Son Yujin had once almost swallowed a bug herself while watching him.

But what was that unnie doing, dressed up so nicely?

“Haengun, go and eavesdrop.”

Bbi-i-i-.

Haengun only shook his head, opening and closing his beak, and didn’t take action.

“Hehe-. Everyone does that in cartoons.”

It seemed like Haengun didn’t have that ability.

Feeling embarrassed for no reason, she scratched her head with the twig she had been using to catch bugs.

“Haengun, still, birds have to be able to listen to words. Our dad said so. Um, what did he say…?”

Birds hear the day’s words, and they don’t want to hear the half-words.

So, eavesdrop on the day’s words.

Haengun, who was full, buried his head in his wings.

It seemed like Haengun’s education was going down the drain again today.

“Aaaack-!”

Oppa’s scream was heard from the yard.

Son Yujin, who moved like a stray cat, leaned her chin on the rooftop railing, and Haengun also poked his head out, curious.

***

“Oh my, you rascal!”

“Why are you pinching me-ah-.”

“What are you saying, you who can’t even get your nails in? Huh?”

Choi Mikyung looked at her hand in surprise.

It was definitely Jinhyuk, who was like a stone and she couldn’t even hit him carelessly, but today she definitely felt the sensation of pinching.

“Son Jinhyuk, you…”

Jinhyuk took a breath.

Oh no, could this sly fox with a sweet smile have noticed my secret?

“Son Jinhyuk, did you gain weight?”

Oh, never mind.

Only then did he exhale the breath he had been holding.

“I don’t gain weight.”

If he gained weight when he exercised like that every day, there would be a problem.

“Anyway, I didn’t come to pinch you. I heard it while talking to Sujeong? Are you the pervert who’s putting weird numbers on the pager?”

Wow, calling a man’s true love pure romance a pervert.

Let’s fight, you X.