The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 238

The Unconscious Self (5)

* * *

“Ugh-!”

It felt like I’d lost consciousness for a split second. Maybe I’d even dozed off.

‘I think someone called my name.’

I glanced around, but the only people I saw were smoking in the distance; no one seemed to have called for Jinhyuk.

The throbbing in my head and the tightness in my chest had vanished. It seemed my mind and body were simply exhausted, causing my energy to plummet.

As my vision cleared, I saw my friend and grandmother lying in the snow.

“What is this, you rascal…”

I gently stroked Jo Seul-chan’s cheek, wiping away the snow that had melted like ice. I remembered suggesting we switch to an oil boiler when renovating the house.

What did Seul-chan say back then…? I couldn’t quite recall, but I think he’d hesitated because of the oil prices.

He was always smiling, even when the other guys were being mean. He was happy to be with his friends, even when he was in pain or training was tough.

‘If I had made him study with me back in middle school, would his fate have been different?’

Strangely, the image of Jo Seul-chan’s room flashed through my mind. The standard drafting set worth 35,000 won that Jinhyuk had gifted him for his design studies, and the sketchbook Jo Seul-chan used were spread out. Even to an untrained eye, the blueprints looked quite impressive and detailed.

Books related to machinery and architecture that I had researched and gifted him were also neatly stacked.

‘He never took my words lightly.’

What good is being fast on your feet?

If I had run even a little faster, would the outcome have changed? If I had used my strength to run like a martial arts master and shaved off even a second…

‘Strength!’

You idiot!

Jinhyuk suddenly lifted his head. His face, a mess of tears, didn’t matter. Only then did he remember the moment he had blacked out, as if a film had been cut.

‘The shadow!’

The word ‘help’ must have referred to that power.

‘Gather.’

There wasn’t a single tree around, but I could feel it. I let go of myself for a moment, and when I regained my senses and filled my heart with strength again, my extremely sensitive senses detected the gathering of energy. From the roots of the grass buried in the soil, from the very air itself.

‘Please.’

I placed my hands on their chests and focused. Even if I couldn’t guarantee the result, it was worth trying. Nothing was more precious than life.

‘How do I do it!’

I had only used it to breathe, run, and share with Yujin. Stupidly, I hadn’t learned how to use it properly. I was too blessed, with too much power to spare.

If I had anticipated this happening, would the outcome have been different?

“How do I do it!”

I cried out, but only the cold wind whipped my face. The thickening snow quickly turned the empty field white and obscured the buildings across the road.

“Seul-chan must be cold. Let’s go inside. I’ll take you inside, Grandma.”

It was when I was wrapping the grandmother, whose complexion was growing paler and colder, in a blanket.

【Someone once said that a person who asks for and receives help when they need it, rather than someone who tries to overcome all hardships alone, is a truly human being.】

I had definitely heard that just now. The difference was that I was now enduring it without losing consciousness. The pressure was still there, but it wasn’t enough to make me faint.

I didn’t have the time to be shocked by the voice that suddenly rang in my brain, nor the time to satisfy my curiosity about how it appeared.

【You seem to need help. ⬛d ⬛rafe⬛ ⬛z, nwezh avel t⬛.】

It was an unexpected situation, but there was only one thing I needed to ask now.

‘What?’

【Is it difficult? ⬛shulid⬛spu ⬛rats⬛v.】

I didn’t know if I could even call this a language, but it didn’t stick to my tongue or remain in my head. I narrowed my brows and focused, but I couldn’t repeat the words the shadow had given me.

The sound that pierced my mind like a dream, without passing through my eardrums, had no form.

As I hesitated, the shadow, which I could only feel but not see, raised its voice again.

【There’s no time to explain. Of te⬛ tyal.】

‘Oh, of t-.’

I was desperate, but even imitating it was difficult.

Jinhyuk, who had never experienced frustration, realized how pathetic he was in the face of the laws of nature, such as life and death, and the mythical existence of the shadow.

The best I could do was to hold onto my consciousness, which was about to collapse in the face of sorrow and bewilderment.

【You want to save them, don’t you?】

“Of course!”

【Put your heart into it. Hurry. Aviel.】

The words it gave me this time were a bit easier.

“Aviel!”

Was something about to happen?

I looked with expectant eyes, but nothing changed.

【That won’t do. Empty yourself and accept more.】

It must mean to fill myself with that strange power.

Without a moment’s hesitation, I expanded my lungs and activated my heart. To increase the gathering speed, I placed my palms on my knees, facing the sky.

Contrary to when I emptied myself in the bamboo forest, power rushed in through my seven orifices, pores, and skin. Even from the accumulated snow, an invisible energy flickered and flew towards me.

How many times had I breathed?

The shadow amplified its already overwhelming presence.

A weight that pressed down on my heart and lungs like the pressure of the deep sea.

【Raise your hands.】

I placed my hands on their chests again.

【Gid rellafeb gaz, nwezh avel tyae.】

Woo-oo-oong-.

It was a sight I had never seen before, a strange sensation, an unfamiliar feeling. As if all the particles of light in the world were mixed together, an indescribable light emanated from Jinhyuk’s hands. As the energy flowed out, my heart was filled with warmth, and my reason found calmness. Moreover, the peace of meditation soothed my heart, which had been filled with sorrow.

The light flowed into their hearts without delay. From their hearts to their heads, then down their necks and throughout their bodies. It was so brilliant that it showed the location of each organ and blood vessel, as if it were passing through their bodies.

I knew instinctively. It was the life force that was newly filling their bodies.

【Now, try it yourself. Sadyunah.】

“Sadyunah.”

I tried to imitate the words the shadow was chanting as closely as possible.

But there was no change.

【It’s not about understanding with your head and repeating with your mouth. You must abandon your consciousness, empty your thoughts, and simply desire it with your heart. Only what you want to give them. Sadyunah.】

There was only one thing I wanted to give.

After taking a deep breath, I chanted it again.

With the desire for them to breathe again.

‘Sadyunah.’

Even if I wished with my heart.

“Sadyunah!”

Even if I shouted loudly, there was no change.

【The interference of your ego is too strong. I’ll do it. Sadyunah.】

Woo-oo-oong-.

Like a secret spell existing in the underworld, a mysterious power vibrated through Jinhyuk’s body. The vibration was transmitted through his arms and palms to Jo Seul-chan and the grandmother’s bodies.

Jinhyuk simply put his earnest heart into the connected hands, as if praying. Hoping that the bond of fate would not be severed.

Heuuu-. Kkeueuuu.

Jo Seul-chan and the grandmother’s chests swelled. Their lips were pale from the cold, but their cheeks were flushed.

It was a miracle among miracles.

‘Did it work?’

【You’ve only passed the critical point. Place your hand on their foreheads.】

Jinhyuk obediently followed. There was no reason to be proud or stubborn. Wasn’t it the only being he could rely on at this moment? And I was grateful that it had appeared at such a crucial moment.

It must be swaying in the air, becoming an invisible, giant silhouette.

【Anghnavee.】

It was a language that was faster and more convenient to think internally than to speak aloud.

My palms warmed, and light flowed onto Jo Seul-chan and the grandmother’s foreheads. It was as if hundreds of fireflies were moving in swarms in early summer.

‘Does it mean to sleep soundly?’

【You’re quite something. The pain of being reborn is comparable to the extinction of a star. If they wake up like this, they will feel pain worse than death.】

‘I don’t know if this makes sense, but I felt what you said…’

【That’s it. It’s the language of the heart, not the head, of will, not knowledge.】

‘Why can’t I do it?’

Even though I already knew the reason from the shadow’s words, I asked out of frustration.

【You must empty yourself, abandon yourself, and abandon yourself again.】

It was a difficult thing to say, and as a pathetic being, a human being full of stubbornness, it was nearly impossible to put into practice.

【If there are more places that need it, place your hand there.】

Since the ribs that covered the chest cavity were bound to fracture when performing chest compressions, Jinhyuk placed his hand on the places where he had applied force to save them.

【Ranchap nupien.】

Warm energy flowed again. With this, the damaged bones of the two would heal.

“All wounds will heal…”

I muttered as I felt the shadow’s words. It wasn’t a strange spell or a nasty incantation, but a simple command. With an irresistible power.

【It’s fortunate that it’s not too late. Well then.】

“Don’t go!”

Jinhyuk shouted, looking around at the empty air.

【If you stay like this, you’ll be in danger too. You’re already feeling it, aren’t you?】

It must be talking about the pressure that was crushing my chest and about to break my head. When the shadow suddenly appeared without gathering power, I had fainted, and now that I had used all the power I had gathered, it was intensifying, as if it would crush Jinhyuk.

【It’s enough time for a weak human to go insane. If you find a way, you can meet me again anytime.】

‘You’re not leaving?’

【I won’t leave because of your minions.】

‘Minions?’

【For now, focus on what you can do. It doesn’t seem like this will be the end. Our connection, and the matter of their lives.】

‘Hey.’

Without a word of goodbye or a sign, the shadow vanished. As the presence, which felt like the embodiment of the immense pressure of the deep sea, disappeared, the snow fell even harder.

‘It always just says what it wants to say.’

There were many things I wanted to ask, but the shadow was right. Jo Seul-chan and the grandmother were breathing and their hearts were beating, but they were still unconscious. I assumed it was because I had put them into a deep sleep.

I had to make sure they were stable. They were one of the many connections that allowed Jinhyuk to exist as a human.

I smiled like an idiot, tucking the blanket around them so they wouldn’t be cold.

“Heh-, still, it’s a relief…”

That they’re alive.

I had used all the energy I had gathered in a short time to save them. My mental and physical strength were at their lowest. Pathetic tears welled up, and I wiped them away with my sleeve. Like a child scolded by their mother, I just sat there, wiping away tears.

I was frustrated, reminded of the incompetence of humans, and relieved to see the lives that had been revived.

Why-ee-ee-ee-.

With a loud siren, two ambulances were speeding along the outer road.

* * *

When we arrived at the medical center, Jo Seul-chan was responding to external stimuli, and the grandmother was groaning softly, as if in pain. They were still unconscious, but it was clear that they were improving.

“Please take care of them.”

“We will do our best.”

After seeing Jo Seul-chan and the grandmother, who were being moved to the treatment room for intensive care because they were still unconscious, I looked for a public phone.

‘Ah, a public phone card…’

Did Kim Eun-jung, the alien, take it?

I went outside the hospital and took out the security phone. I had to let the school know so they wouldn’t worry.

– I don’t know where you’re hurting, but how can a student be absent on the first day? Your voice sounds fine, are you faking it? What’s your name?

“I’m Son Jinhyuk from the second grade, class four.”

– Huh…?

Fortunately, the school seemed to understand. Absent on the first day of the new semester… Since classes hadn’t started yet, would I be late even if I went later?

I hadn’t missed a single day except for competitions, but I could give the perfect attendance award to a dog. The Son Jinhyuk of the past, who was obsessed with the perfect attendance award as a model of diligence, was no more.

If you’re sick, you can rest, and if you have something to do, you can be absent. How many students are pushing themselves because of the framework of diligence that the world has created?

“Is this the faculty office of Eun-sang Technical High School? I’m Son Jinhyuk, a track and field athlete. I’m Jo Seul-chan’s friend.”

– Uh-uh-uh…

When I spoke to the faculty office of the technical high school that Jo Seul-chan attended, I boldly included unnecessary information. Chairman Yoo Myung-sun’s words about not being stingy with your name weren’t meant for this kind of situation, but if you use it appropriately with the necessary power, that’s all that matters. I didn’t feel uncomfortable with the judgment that I wasn’t abusing it.

‘Where else do I need to call?’

My head felt stiff, and I couldn’t think straight.

Growl-.

‘I’m hungry.’

Is it because of the carbon monoxide poisoning…? I decided to find the cafeteria first.