The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 27

Jinhyuk parted ways with Mr. Park Jae-seung and headed off alone.

New Seoul Dabang. Even though he had no connections in Seoul, that was the name on the sign.

As always, there was a clothing store on the first floor and a teahouse on the second. Inside the teahouse was a living space with two rooms, and attached to the small room was the attic where Jinhyuk used to live.

‘Why did I come here?’

There were only three red scooters where six should have been. I think their name was Tact. The other three must have gone out for deliveries. At this time, they’d probably be at the real estate office or the billiard hall.

Perhaps Jinhyuk looked strange just standing there and observing the teahouse, as the market merchants began to stare at him. It must have been odd to see a kid who wasn’t old enough to use a teahouse acting like that, even if he was taller than others his age.

They don’t know Jinhyuk.

The merchants were seeing Jinhyuk for the first time, but Jinhyuk could vaguely recognize them.

‘I know all these faces.’

It was an interesting experience. A place where he had lived for over ten years had become an unfamiliar space. It felt like the shadow lurking like mold in the darkest part of his heart was being broken down by the spring sunshine.

‘Freedom.’

A smile of satisfaction from someone who had finally gained freedom appeared on Jinhyuk’s lips.

He moved his steps from the teahouse towards Taeyang Elementary School.

He didn’t walk far before he came to a place that made him stop.

Taeyang Pharmacy. It was run by the parents of his friend, Lee Yoon-kyung. The girl who had confessed to Jinhyuk when he was a high school student in his past life. Lee Yoon-kyung had turned red in the face and left after Jinhyuk’s gentle rejection. Jinhyuk didn’t feel sorry.

That didn’t matter, and it wasn’t something to remember. He wasn’t here because of Lee Yoon-kyung.

There was a chicken restaurant next to the pharmacy.

Rings Chicken. Even though it wasn’t open yet, the smell of chicken stimulated his sense of smell.

‘Mmm, smell-.’

They said it was so delicious, and he had only smelled it every day as he passed by the store during his elementary school days. He didn’t get to taste it until he was over twenty.

‘I came here with Woosung and Seunghoon to drink beer.’

The door was firmly closed because it was not yet open.

Jinhyuk set a small goal.

‘When I get to middle school, I’ll buy chicken and eat it with my family.’

Mom and Dad will like it too.

He wanted to enjoy the simple happiness of sharing something with his family with the money he earned himself.

Coming to the town after a long time, the dark past that had been trapped in the mud briefly crept up, but he didn’t waver or fall into depression. It was a past that had become nothing now.

He browsed through a brand-name sporting goods store and looked at other shops.

‘Is it because it’s the old days? Nike and Adidas are all so old-fashioned.’

Slazenger is a really old brand.

“Let’s go home.”

He turned his steps towards the terminal.

He saw the sign for Chabu Pharmacy, which he hadn’t seen in a long time.

Instead of the banner that used to flutter in the winter wind, the building’s outer wall was covered with smooth stone that shone dazzlingly in the sunlight.

Perhaps he had been too deep in thought, Jinhyuk hit his head as if he had suddenly come to his senses from the dazzling light.

“Ah! I could have just taken it from the stop.”

He had walked three stops.

It had been so long since he had taken a rural local bus.

‘Ah, you idiot.’

***

Yujin was learning to speak quite quickly.

Jinhyuk was in the yard, holding his younger sister and teaching her the names of the family members.

“Dad, Son Kwang-yeon.”

“Dad, Ddong-gang-gang!”

“Mom, Han Yu-young.”

“Mom, Han-woo-ung!”

“Oppa, Son Jinhyuk.”

“Oppa, Ddong-jing-yeok!”

Ah, Yujin.

Jinhyuk looked at his younger sister with a disappointed look.

He was just trying to teach her names, but he only got hurt.

Still, his younger sister, who was trying to follow along, was so cute. She looked just like their mother, like a fairy, and it would be strange if he didn’t think his nine-year-old younger sister was cute.

“Oogoo-goo-gook, you’re so pretty, our baby!”

“Akka-kkak! Giggling!”

When he rubbed his cheek against hers, Yujin laughed hysterically.

Thanks to the competition, he came home earlier than usual, so his mother left Yujin with him and went to the rice paddies where his father was. The workers would do all the work anyway, so he wondered why she liked to stay there so much. As a solo life Jinhyuk, it was a difficult problem to understand.

“It’s really a good time.”

That was the only criticism Jinhyuk could offer.

Bwoooong-.

The sound of a car coming home was heard.

Recently, visits from outsiders had been frequent.

‘Are they people who came to look at the land again?’

There was a constant stream of wealthy people from Seoul and nearby cities.

Some people offered several times the market price.

Every time, Jinhyuk had strongly opposed it. It was absurd that his father would listen to a child’s opposition, but Son Kwang-yeon was well aware of Jinhyuk’s extraordinary nature, and he had no intention of selling, so no deals were made.

Besides, his best friend Hong Ki-joon, who had come to see the land first, had also declared an absolute ban on selling. It was strange that the person who wanted to buy the land had changed his mind, but Son Kwang-yeon didn’t hesitate for long because he was a best friend he could trust and rely on more than anyone else. Thus, the outsiders had to return without any success.

Two men in suits got out of a sedan with a Gyeonggi Province license plate.

Skinny and Fatty.

Kaak- Tooey. Fatty, who spat out phlegm, took out a cigarette and lit it.

“Hey, are you the only ones home? Tell your dad to come out.”

The peace was shattered in an instant.

Jinhyuk’s eyebrows furrowed menacingly. It was because he turned his body to keep the cigarette smoke from reaching Yujin.

‘This bastard?’

It was as if they had entrusted his father to them and were demanding him to come out. They were openly ignoring him, thinking he was just a naive country kid, but it was too much.

Besides, Jinhyuk’s soul wasn’t that of a child.

Jinhyuk felt a tightness in his chest and had trouble breathing.

‘Hah-, who do they think they are, telling people to come out like that?’

If they had spoken politely, he would have responded respectfully. These guys had messed up from the start.

Jinhyuk looked around. If there were any other adults, they would have helped. There was no one in sight.

Fatty glared at him.

“Hey, can’t you hear an adult talking?”

‘I can hear you. So don’t shout. It’s already like a pig squealing, and it’s uncomfortable to listen to. You little brat, you have no manners.’ Jinhyuk growled inwardly.

It wasn’t because they were old-fashioned people. Jinhyuk had seen many such rude brokers and wealthy people in Seoul in the 21st century. So, seeing these punks in the early 90s wasn’t new to him. But the problem wasn’t Jinhyuk.

“Ehhh-ehhh-ehhh.”

Grrr-.

At the sudden shout, Yujin burst into tears, and Janggun bared his teeth.

Squeak-!

He clenched his teeth as if they would break. How dare they make my sister cry and anger Janggun.

Jinhyuk gently placed Yujin, who was trying not to leave her brother, on the porch.

Janggun, who jumped onto the porch, stuck close to Yujin and licked her cheek to comfort her.

Fatty, as if taking out his anger on the wrong person, looked around the house and said another word.

“Where did they go, leaving only the brats?”

Brats? Did he just curse at Yujin too?

His mind became clouded with rage, as if red and black paint had been splattered in his head.

His head was hot and throbbing as if boiling water had been poured on it.

He was choked by the rising anger.

He took a slow breath. He felt the need to calm down.

Jinhyuk narrowed his eyes.

He barely opened his mouth, suppressing his anger.

“…They’re not here, just go…”

“Huh! Just go? You little brat!”

Thwack-! Fatty slapped Jinhyuk on the head.

It was like a soliloquy that came out like a curse, and Jinhyuk understood Fatty’s feelings. He saw the hand, but he didn’t avoid it. It didn’t hurt. It just felt dirty.

‘Go now, that’s enough.’

Jinhyuk stared at Fatty calmly. He hoped they would just go back.

But Janggun seemed to have a different idea.

Grrr-, Arf arf!

Janggun lunged at Fatty. It was a quick movement like a weasel.

But Fatty’s kick was faster. He kicked Janggun in the jaw.

“Get away! You mutt!”

Squeak-.

That was the moment.

“Cough!”

Jinhyuk grabbed Fatty by the collar and twisted it.

It was a movement that no one noticed.

‘I won’t forgive you.’

He remembered Janggun, who had died after being kicked by his uncle.

There was no room for leniency for those who touched what they should never have touched.

Jinhyuk cursed countless times in his mind.

He slowly tightened his grip.

“How dare you lay a hand on my family…?”

A growling wind could be heard through Jinhyuk’s teeth.

“Cough-cough!”

“Oh! Hey! Hey! Student! Calm down!”

Skinny ran over and grabbed Jinhyuk’s arm.

But Jinhyuk’s arm didn’t budge.

“Let go. If you don’t want to see this fatso’s uvula get ripped out.”

Words that he would never use in his life came out of Jinhyuk’s mouth.

Skinny, who met Jinhyuk’s eyes, took three or four steps back without realizing it and fell on his butt. Right on top of Janggun’s poop.

“Gasp-, Gasp…”

Fatty was being strangled by his collar, his body lifted up, and he was on tiptoes.

He looked like a middle school student at most, fifteen years old, but how could his arm strength be so terrifying? He heard that this was a town famous for wrestling, was he a wrestler? Fatty felt his pants getting warm, but his shame was secondary.

When Fatty’s eyes rolled up to the sky, Jinhyuk released his hand.

Finally freed from Jinhyuk’s hand, Fatty gasped for breath and inhaled the fresh country air to his heart’s content.

“Ughhh-, Ughhh-.”

Jinhyuk looked down at Fatty, who was sitting on the ground, without moving.

He would never forgive anyone who looked down on his family or spoke carelessly about them. How dare they try to act like thugs here? He had countless words in his mind, but Jinhyuk didn’t say anything out loud. He simply replaced the expulsion order by glaring at the uninvited guests.

“Janggun, are you okay?”

When he stroked the place that must have hurt, Janggun licked Jinhyuk’s hand. He seemed fine, as if he hadn’t been kicked too hard. He almost collapsed when he felt relieved that Janggun was safe and unharmed.

‘Hoo, that was a shock.’

He didn’t care if they came back to complain to his father. No, if they came back, he would teach them a lesson in a place where no one could see them.

When he heard them disrespecting his family and when Janggun was kicked, his heart was pounding so hard. But even though he had acted violently, his heart wasn’t racing. Rather, he felt at peace.

‘This is a bit unexpected. Have I become desensitized to violence because I’ve been beaten too much?’

Jinhyuk thought as he watched the guys hurriedly get into their car and leave.

He decided that he needed to work out harder to protect his family.

He had tried using the martial arts he had learned before while running. Surprisingly, his body remembered it, so it wasn’t difficult to train again.

Jinhyuk picked up Yujin and looked around again.

Fortunately, he didn’t sense the gaze of other neighbors.

It was a sudden action that even he was surprised by.

‘I made the best choice.’

Maybe it was just self-satisfaction.

When you think about it, wasn’t he trying to kill them just because they said a few rude words?

He felt a little regret, but he wasn’t ashamed.

Isn’t it true that the dog I raise is more precious than a stranger? But a stranger insulted his family and kicked his precious friend. Jinhyuk decided that he would respond the same way even if it happened again.

‘I won’t let anyone who messes with my family get away with it.’

With that resolution, he turned around and hugged his younger sister.

“Yujin, were you scared because of your brother?”

“Oppa, oppa.”

His younger sister, who didn’t know anything about the world, stroked Jinhyuk’s cheek.

He felt relieved as he looked at Yujin’s face.

She was smiling brightly, as if she hadn’t been particularly surprised.

Jinhyuk hoped that Yujin wouldn’t remember what had just happened.

He hugged his younger sister tightly, who was happily distorting his cheeks, and stroked the back of her head.

“I’m sorry, oppa.”

He didn’t regret it, but he felt like his actions had cracked the peace. A shadow fell over Jinhyuk’s heart.

‘It’s too confusing.’

It felt like he was finally learning about the human world properly.

This was also a new world for Jinhyuk, who had once only cared about himself.

***

Son Jinhyuk is still young.

He is tall and has broad shoulders, but he is still a child. He is a child who receives a science kit No. 5 as a Children’s Day gift. Anyway, that’s how it is.

‘When a child causes an accident, they hide behind their parents!’

Only someone who has no one to care for and has to handle everything alone can overcome all difficulties and climb the ladder of success. Like his past self.

After much deliberation, Jinhyuk decided to hide behind his dad with confidence.

“When you went to the rice paddies earlier today…”

He brought up what had happened during the day while eating dinner.

He left out the part about using violence. He felt cowardly, but his priority was to keep his mother from being surprised.

So, he spoke in detail only about the rude words of the fat man.

His mother and father’s reactions were immediate.

“What?”

“I’ll get those guys right now…”