The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 266

Unpredictable (2)

Jin-hyuk dislikes conflict. Not because he’s scared, but because it’s annoying.

‘Dealing with idiots only leads to exhaustion.’

However, he wasn’t the type to avoid a fight that came his way.

Even during his uneventful adult life in his first go-around, he would lash out like a stinger at anyone who bothered him. Looking back, it was probably just his natural disposition.

He stared impassively at the Japanese reporter, who was gaping like a goldfish, as if under a curse of silence, and opened his mouth. Clearly and precisely.

“I’ll bet ten million dollars that I’ll advance to the finals.”

Not ‘hwainal.’ It’s ‘fi,’ ‘final.’ You have to lightly scrape your lower lip with your upper teeth, but they can’t seem to do that.

If it were just an insult directed at him, he might have ignored it.

But that reporter crossed the line.

He disrespected the country where his family, friends, and neighbors lived, which was the same as insulting them.

As he recognized the existence of an enemy, a sense of belonging activated his defense mechanism.

“How much will you bet?”

Like a white blood cell burning with fighting spirit against an invading virus.

The venue buzzed with murmurs.

What did that kid just say?

That wasn’t Korean he used.

Isn’t that what the Japs use?

Just because viruses are sometimes helpful doesn’t mean they’re indispensable.

“You should have understood well enough, so why are you silent? Speak. How much will you bet? Shouldn’t you bet on the victory of the athletes you support? Especially if you’re a reporter from such an outstanding country.”

Jin-hyuk glared directly at him, but the Japanese reporter couldn’t openly argue back and instead rolled his eyes, avoiding Jin-hyuk’s gaze.

“When provoking an enemy, make sure you have at least one advantage.”

Whether it’s money or skill.

Your ancestors at least had numbers.

Even then, they got their asses kicked by the Saintly Hero and ran away. Ah, should I say ‘fundoshi hashiru’ [running away in loincloth]?

It was the Olympics, a festival of harmony and peace, so he swallowed those words.

He was confident he could unleash all sorts of contemptuous language, but hitting a downed opponent was unsportsmanlike.

It was fun watching his face turn red, but he decided to stop the public shaming there.

Still, he had to deliver the final blow.

“I hope all four of the athletes you support get to meet me.”

I’ll show you the difference in class.

Japan had sent two athletes each for the 100m and 200m to the Olympics.

If he was lucky, he’d meet them in the preliminary rounds.

He planned to make it their misfortune.

“Let’s go.”

Without looking back, Jin-hyuk spoke to the interpreter and calmly left the press conference, heading to where Yu-jin was.

“Thorn!”

“Sun!”

Some reporters raised their pen-wielding hands, but he lightly raised his hand to ask for their understanding.

The press conference was over.

He pointed at the Japanese reporter with his finger.

It’s over because of that bastard.

‘Why is that jerk talking like that? It’s infuriating.’

That reporter would not only face public shaming from Jin-hyuk but also the glares of other reporters.

‘Anyway, I won. I spoke informally, after all.’

He felt relieved at the thought that he had taken the initiative, no matter what happened in the future.

It’s right to win a fight.

There’s even a saying that you should start after winning.

Elsewhere in the airport, Son Yu-jin was talking to Han Yu-young on Yang Kang-wook’s phone.

“Really? Is it Haeng-soon?”

– Yeah. Jang-gun asked about it.

“Jang-gun asked? So, is Haeng-soon dead? What should I do?”

Son Yu-jin stamped her feet.

– No. It seems they brought back a hurt one that was huddled somewhere. Grandpa Chun Gil-ryong put medicine on her. It hasn’t been long, so the wound hasn’t festered, and he said she’ll be fine soon.

Yang Kang-wook, seeing Jin-hyuk leaving the press conference and heading towards his sister, gently nudged Son Yu-jin’s back.

“Yu-jin, let’s talk while we walk.”

Holding Yang Kang-wook’s hand with her free hand, Son Yu-jin continued the call.

“Mom? Where is Haeng-soon now?”

– She’s scared of people, so we put her in the nest. But it seems Haeng-woon kept taking care of her.

“Oh? How did she take care of her? How do you know that?”

– I think Haeng-woon caught bugs and fed them to Haeng-soon. She’s not skinny, she’s plump. So, our daughter, don’t worry about here and have fun there.

Ooh-wah.

It wasn’t that Haeng-soon ran away from home, but that she got hurt and couldn’t come home!

Listening to her mom’s explanation, she understood why Haeng-woon had been leaving the nest so often.

Son Yu-jin let go of Yang Kang-wook’s hand and stopped.

She automatically stood on tiptoe.

In times like this, you have to cheer! It’s not like she got a new sibling, but who cares!

It’s not even the season for gizzard shad, but the runaway daughter-in-law has returned!

“Hoor-.”

Just as she was about to shout with all her might, Son Yu-jin’s body was suddenly lifted and soared high.

Her brother had put her on his shoulders.

“Yu-jin, are you that happy to be in America?”

Son Yu-jin put one hand on her brother’s forehead to balance herself and asked.

“They found Haeng-soon! Can I cheer?”

“You can.”

She held her phone tightly and stretched out both arms.

As Son Yu-jin’s body swayed, Hong Su-jeong quickly supported her bottom.

I should do it in English here, right?

“I am a Son Yu-jin!”

Kiyaaaaaa-!

Click-, click-click-click-.

Startled for a moment by the roar, the reporters displayed their amazing professionalism and simultaneously pressed their shutters.

The next day, photos of Son Yu-jin cheering while riding on the shoulders of the new track and field sensation graced the front pages of newspapers in several countries.

The latest model cell phone, shining brightly under the camera flashes and lights, was particularly clear.

「Don’t trust futurists.」

– 「Here’s proof they were wrong. The world always laughs at them.」

「A girl with a future, her name is Son Yu-jin.」

– 「A future, technology, sports, and Hong Junior, all captured in one photo.」

「Three futures arrive in Atlanta. From the world.」

– 「The person supporting Son Yu-jin is surprisingly revealed to be the daughter of Raymond Hong, chairman of the world group······.」

Japanese newspapers featured a completely different photo.

It was of Son Jin-hyuk with his hands in his pockets, looking down at the reporter with an arrogant expression.

「Why no courtesy?」

– 「From the unhumble attitude of confronting the reporter, we can glimpse the bleak future of Korea······.」

And so on.

The saying that you get slapped in Manhattan and take it out on the Hudson River wasn’t made for nothing.

“You pathetic bastards.”

If you want to get hit with another nuke, keep yapping like that. Hong Ki-joon’s lips curled up wickedly.

He had wanted to deploy the submarine from the seabed several times, but he left it alone because the land acts as a breakwater against earthquakes and tsunamis.

They secretly possessed warheads with 1,000 times the power of Little Boy, which fell on Hiroshima 50 years ago, and were developing even more powerful ones.

Even though the history of the world had changed, it was fortunate that weapon and technology recipes were unrelated to history.

‘Not that I made it for that purpose. Is there anything I can’t do?’

Even the scientist who invented the rocket didn’t know it would carry a bomb.

The future is a mystery that doesn’t allow anyone to predict it.

That was no exception, even for a regressor.

‘Every day is a new history.’

Hong Ki-joon’s cheekbones protruded nicely as he looked at the newspaper photo again.

“I like his expression.”

The face of Team Leader Son Jin-hyuk, which had been hazy because it was so long ago, came to life.

And the gaze that shone in silence and suffocated his opponents.

‘That rascal. He hasn’t changed a bit.’

***

Yu Se-ra is Yu Se-ra.

It seems she poured all her straightforward personality into finding accommodation.

“Ooh-wah! It’s two hundred and fifty thousand times bigger than my house!”

It wasn’t quite that much, but it was magnificent.

Not only Yu-jin but also Hong Su-jeong couldn’t close their mouths.

The three-story mansion had eight rooms each on the first and second floors.

The first floor was to be used by the foundation and federation staff, and the broadcasting crew, while the security team that came from Korea was to stay on the first and second floors. There were two rooms on the third floor, one of which was assigned to Yang Kang-wook, and the other was decided to be used as a conference room by Yu Se-ra.

“Mom? Whose house is this that’s so big?”

“This is actually a hotel. A secret private hotel, you know?”

“Whatever.”

“People like Middle Eastern royalty or people with a lot of money and followers like your mom… Hey, I’m talking, where are you going?”

Hong Su-jeong shook her head as she headed to the second floor with Son Yu-jin.

“…They’re not followers, they’re attendants. She likes to show off, so what’s with the private? What’s with the secret?”

Jin-hyuk and Jin Seon-gyu unpacked their luggage in a second-floor room with a double bed and a bathroom.

Jin Seon-gyu had a dazed look on his face, not knowing what to do.

“It’s really nice. I heard the athletes’ village is a mess. The advance team’s reviews were so bad. So, some of our athletes are looking for hotels near the main stadium. But even those are fully booked and hard to find.”

“Yes. I also saw an article saying that the facilities at the athletes’ village are very poor.”

At the Atlanta Olympics, which marked the 100th anniversary of the modern Olympics and had the most countries and athletes participating ever, the athletes were the victims of the commercialism that didn’t miss this opportunity.

Witnessing the commercialism of companies involved in the Olympics is something that can be seen in any host country. It’s one thing to wear the hat of a sponsor and engage in marketing that’s close to forced sales, but it would be better if the IOC’s [International Olympic Committee] support budget was used solely for the Olympics. Even the government doesn’t hesitate to take a big bite.

In the first timeline, 25 years later, at the Summer Olympics, they even made beds out of cardboard, probably because they used the IOC’s support budget to make beef bone soup. Such behavior of gobbling up money without an owner was nothing new.

“Baseball and soccer teams get separate hotels, chefs, and team doctors, but what about the support for athletes in unpopular sports? During Barcelona, some track and field athletes from South America slept on the streets.”

“What about volleyball?”

“It varies from country to country, but it seems our country’s support isn’t that great. They’ll probably go to the athletes’ village?”

“What about handball?”

“I don’t know about that. I don’t have any close friends there.”

Jin Seon-gyu, who had changed his clothes with a gloomy face, raised his voice, pretending to be okay.

“Let’s go loosen up our feet.”

Jin-hyuk and Jin Seon-gyu walked barefoot in the lawn garden.

There’s nothing better than barefoot walking to relieve physical fatigue.

“Why did you do that at the airport?”

“It’s a common squabble, I guess.”

“It’s not something anyone can do.”

“Any ordinary Korean would have done the same as me.”

At least, that’s what they’d all be thinking. Nodding, Jin Seon-gyu peeled off the dead skin on his heel.

“The coach and the manager will come to see the training soon.”

“Why didn’t they come together?”

He had an idea, but he asked out of courtesy.

He was too embarrassed to ask first on the plane.

“You know. It’s their pride. I was also hesitant after receiving the offer, but I was able to come because Chairman Yu Se-ra even sent a car.”

He was once again impressed by Yu Se-ra’s decisive handling of business.

It would be difficult to fully understand unless you were in that position, but it was like she had kidnapped them, thinking about the athletes’ situation.

“But the manager told me to keep a close eye on you since you’re training with him.”

“He’s probably just saying that.”

“No. He said you’re textbook material. Honestly, you’re a specimen that’s not even in textbooks. The coach told me to see if you have some kind of hydraulic system in your joints.”

Kiki-kik-.

When two young men got together, jokes naturally came out.

Jin Seon-gyu’s mood, which had been eroded by the hardships of being in an unpopular sport, seemed to have improved.

“If we just win a bronze medal, it’ll become a popular sport…”

“I guess so?”

“I’m sure of it. The sport itself is short and intense. Isn’t it almost the only sport that’s thrilling without physical contact?”

Nodding, Jin-hyuk slowly rotated his shoulders.

He lightly rotated his arms and waist to loosen his joints, and after walking around the garden several times, gently stepping on the grass with his entire foot, Liam Miller in a suit and Yang Kang-wook in sportswear came out of the mansion.

“The security isn’t great. When you go out, please be sure to go with Triple S.”

“Okay.”

Looking at them, Jin Seon-gyu whispered.

“What are they talking about?”

“They’re telling us to be careful when we go out. They say there are guys who rob foreign tourists with guns.”

“You’re good at English too.”

“I’ve been learning it since middle school. There’s also an English conversation instructor named Evans at my school, so I make a point of going to talk to him. It’s fun.”

“Looking at schools these days, they’ve changed a lot from our time.”

Jin Seon-gyu smiled happily, seeing that Jin-hyuk was talking more.

Even while talking to Jin Seon-gyu, Jin-hyuk kept an eye on Yang Kang-wook.

Looking at them discussing something while looking at the paper in Liam’s hand, it seemed to be a schedule.

Yang Kang-wook sometimes asked questions and sometimes nodded, looking like he was receiving a report from a subordinate.

‘He’s reliable as always.’

He was pleased as he looked at him, when he heard a crow’s voice from the second floor.

“Oppa-!”

When Jin-hyuk waved his hand in response, the crow made a megaphone with her hands and shouted.

“Can we swim in the pool? Unnie is going to join too!”

“Yu-jin, you should ask Team Leader Yang about that now.”

He’s someone whose nickname is Water Bear.