The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 305

It was still too early for 38-year-old Chicken Johnson Jr. to be crying.

Hong Gijun, who had been sprawled in the middle of the dark living room, slowly rose to his feet.

“Aigoo, my head.”

He couldn’t remember the last time he had a hangover.

Ah, it had been a long time since he drank at all.

“Aigoo, my back.”

It had been a while since he had back pain too.

His body, accustomed to the bed, did not appreciate the hard floor.

He had passed out completely drunk. Han Yooyoung had laid a soft mat for the fallen Hong Gijun, but it was useless.

“Aigoo, my balls.”

Testicular pain was familiar.

It was because of Yoo Sera, who seemed to be kicking him every night as if she was dreaming of playing soccer.

Was that why he only had one child, Hong Sujeong, in his past life?

Crack-crack-crack-! Flutter-flutter-! Whee-hee-hee-! Pew-pew-! Pad-deu-deu-deu-!

He made noises comparable to the end of the world with his mouth.

“Heh heh, Yoo Sera. You are truly an amazing woman in many ways.”

It seemed he had a worse headache than his hangover because of her grinding her teeth next to his ear.

Hong Gijun, who was pressing his temples to soothe his headache, briefly looked around the dark living room.

Is no one here?

Just as he was about to take his wife’s hand and kiss her forehead,

The curtain shadow fluttered once.

【Old man.】

“Eek-!”

Damn, you scared me.

【Freedom, old man.】

Suddenly?

Hong Gijun adjusted his posture and knelt down.

Even then, he did not let go of Yoo Sera’s hand.

It couldn’t be that he was hearing things because of a severe headache. Nor was he seeing things in his blurry eyes after waking up. The curtain fluttering without any wind proved Dugu Elil’s presence.

“Is it true? Are you leaving now?”

【I cannot leave yet.】

“You’re changing your words again.”

This bastard changes his words at the drop of a hat.

He acts like he’s a serious being who can’t lie, but every time he opens his mouth, he says things that don’t make sense. If that’s the case, why did he even make a contract in the first place?

【I have a task left by that one.】

“Ah, I see.”

Still, the more I see him, the more I think he’s a good kid.

He’s being punished by Tulosso, so he’s working hard as Jinhyuk tells him to.

Hong Gijun tried to guess what task was left for Dugu Elil.

According to Jinhyuk, Dugu Elil was investigating the place where Jinhyuk’s grandfather was buried and the background of why Park Woojeong tried to harm Son Kwangyeon. Well, he said that he had no work skills, so Jinhyuk had to point out everything, making him feel like he was training a problem soldier. However, since he was investigating matters that could not be confirmed with modern investigation techniques, Jinhyuk was putting up with it.

Since Dugu Elil had a different concept than humans, it was right for Jinhyuk to endure it, even if it was somewhat uncomfortable.

【Live as you wish, old man. Kind soul.】

Having spent 300 years with the shadow, Hong Gijun thought the shadow’s voice sounded strange.

It was also ridiculous that he was suddenly talking about being kind. It felt like he was missing Hong Gijun for some reason.

“Why do you sound so down?”

【You said it… old man. That one scolded me. It was bad words. Harsh and vile words…】

The shadow, which had no facial features, shook its head, drooping like a scolded child.

It made Hong Gijun want to pat the intangible shadow.

– “You son of a bitch! It’s not like you’re giving me medicine after giving me the disease! If you made a promise, you should have kept it! Am I a moron who suffered all that time, you bastard! Was that why you restored the world or whatever? Because you destroyed the Earth, you son of a bitch? Where are you now! Let’s fight, you dog! What about those people who died once! You think I couldn’t curse because I didn’t? Cursing is a passive skill for Korean men who have served in the military, you moron! Release the chairman right now, you son of a bitch!”

The shadow flinched as if it could hear Jinhyuk’s barrage of curses.

How could language composed only of consciousness without substance be so brutal? It felt like his spirit was being slashed by the murderous intent contained within.

【He said it was something only a greedy bastard would do. Like that guy who deliberately broke a bird’s leg. I was just doing what Tulosso told me to do…】

I love birds. That’s why I was even more flustered. The shadow pulled the curtain and rubbed it against the place where its eyes would be.

To Hong Gijun, it looked very pathetic and miserable.

“Even if the whole world condemns you, I know that you are a neutral being who loves all things. That friend of yours didn’t mean to do it out of hatred.”

【Thank you, old man. I know too. I understand why he cursed. So it’s okay. It’s just that it’s unfamiliar. I’m just surprised right now.】

For once, he’s talking like a human.

Hong Gijun was inwardly surprised.

“But is the contract really over? I’m sorry to say this, but I’m suspicious.”

Do you think I’ve been fooled by you once or twice, you bastard? It wasn’t that Hong Gijun didn’t want to curse. But he was a decent person, so he held back. He also felt sorry for the reversed relationship between Jinhyuk and the shadow.

【I think so too. It’s incomplete. A perfect contract doesn’t exist in the first place. It’s just important whether both parties faithfully fulfill it.】

That was also true, so Hong Gijun nodded, forgetting his hangover.

A contract is about mutual agreement and compliance. You only look into the law when there is a problem with the contract. And in the first place, how could there be a contract that can be made equally with a transcendent being?

– “There’s also such a thing as a breach of contract, you bastard! You break it! Then you don’t have to hold the chairman responsible! Ugh, you moron. You have no power here! You’re like a problem soldier who’s been sent to a disciplinary training camp! If you’re upset, come find me! Curses? Curses? Do you even know how I feel right now? You can do things that deserve curses, but you don’t want to be cursed? Do you want to be cursed all night? How many curses do you think I learned from Grandpa Cheon Gilyong! I’ll split you like bamboo, you bastard!”

The shadow didn’t bother to repeat Jinhyuk’s words.

It was his last bit of pride.

He sighed, or so it seemed.

【Tell me your wish, old man. I will keep my promise.】

Hong Gijun, pulling Yoo Sera’s hand even closer, smiled as he stroked his wife’s cheek.

“I think I can live like this. Someone said that living as you are is a privilege only humans have.”

Was it that bastard… The shadow muttered, staring at Yoo Sera.

Even though it was just a silhouette, the way it kept tilting its head looked like a cat or a child watching a strange animal.

Snore-. Puh-ka-ka-ka-. Pew-pew-.

【She’s dazzling. Is she your female?】

“In our world, we call them spouses.”

【A beautiful body with a terrible sleeping habit. I would believe she was a demon from Serbeda.】

Hong Gijun, recalling the world of Serbeda where demons lived, which Dugu Elil had shown him, nodded. They were good and beautiful troublemakers, not befitting the name of demons. Hong Gijun also thought of his clumsy wife when he saw them.

“She must be tired from the motion sickness. She’s not usually like this.”

Even though it wasn’t an important story, Hong Gijun defended Yoo Sera, saying she was his wife.

【Live well, old man. Farewell… I have work left.】

“It’s a hard time for such a noble being.”

【I have nothing else to do anyway. It is also a punishment that I must receive as a servant of Tulosso.】

“Dugere, Adzeh.”

The curtain stopped moving, and the darkness, darker than dawn, receded.

After the shadow disappeared, Hong Gijun laughed like a crazy person.

Heh heh heh-.

Anyone could see that he had become humanized.

That terrifying being had turned into a child.

‘Should I call it humanization? He hardly changed even after being together for 300 years, but he’s changed as if he’s been meditating while being punished.’

He pursued perfection, a flawless existence, but was always full of flaws. Just like a human.

Hong Gijun had subtly provoked him, but he was too proud to change easily.

But he had changed quite a bit from the scolding he had been receiving from Jinhyuk.

It reminded him of a military buddy who had been a rich playboy but became a solid young man after his military service.

‘Right. Team Leader Son was also good at rehabilitating people.’

He had a knack for discovering and utilizing the strengths of his seemingly lacking team members, and he had the ability to raise all their abilities above average.

But still, to reform even a god.

“Heh heh heh heh-. It’s funny. Sss-, aigoo, my head.”

It didn’t matter anymore. He had reached the end of the story.

There was no sadness he had expected.

No, rather than an end, should he see it as the beginning of a new story?

Snore-. Puh-ka-ka-ka-. Pad-deu-deu-deu-.

He covered the blanket over the demon of Serbeda, the master of testicle kicks, the outwardly weak but inwardly strong Yoo Sera, and put his jacket on her.

*

Summer is a peculiar season.

Despite the cloudless day, the dawn sky was filled with heavy dark clouds.

Hmm- haa-.

He took a deep breath of the air filled with the scent of grass and water, waking up his mind.

“Aaaah, good. I haven’t lived enjoying this kind of leisure. Ogu ogu, do you like it here too? That’s right, you’re pretty.”

Huff- huff-.

He petted Hongsi, who had come to his feet following the sound of his voice, and fully enjoyed the rural atmosphere.

He felt extremely thirsty, but he was too lazy to go get water, so he sat on the porch.

“Freedom, freedom…”

It was an incredibly unequal contract, a contract like a child’s play.

Yet, by the word freedom, he felt like he had finally returned to being human.

It was like the moon, which had been hidden by the clouds, revealing its brilliant form.

“Why are you awake already?”

Jinhyuk came out dragging his slippers.

He had Yoojin on his back, and in one hand, he held a glass bottle full of barley tea.

“I slept well, even if it was for a short time.”

Hong Gijun patted the space next to him on the porch.

Jinhyuk didn’t sit down right away, but poured barley tea into a glass and handed it to Hong Gijun.

As he received the glass filled with cool barley tea, Hong Gijun peeked behind Jinhyuk.

“Is Yoojin already awake?”

“No. If I come out alone, she crawls after me. So I brought her.”

Jinhyuk was still standing, rocking his younger sister on his back.

She’s a funny one. Hong Gijun smiled and rummaged through his pockets.

“I have something to give you.”

Jinhyuk’s eyes briefly shone with admiration when he saw the object that came out of Hong Gijun’s pocket.

Despite being made of leather, it emitted a mysterious light resembling the aurora borealis under the streetlights.

“As expected, it’s not an Earthly object.”

“They say it’s dragon leather. Whether to believe it is another matter.”

Considering the credibility of Dugu Elil, who had been reduced to a cosmic errand boy, there was enough reason to doubt it. Besides, how could those who had never seen a dragon recognize dragon leather?

“Did he give it to you?”

“Yeah. He said it’s the leather from the part that holds the scales so they don’t fall off. So it’s tough, doesn’t burn, and doesn’t wear out.”

Hong Gijun held out the thick leather, folded several times.

There must be a lot of technology to travel the universe inside. Jinhyuk shook his head with a smile.

“Even those who know how to read said that there seem to be errors in the translation process. I don’t even know the letters, and I’m not an engineer either.”

He was no different from an illiterate person who could understand the words but not read them.

It was like giving a pearl necklace to a pig, since it was a document he couldn’t decipher.

“But I brought this for you.”

“Please keep it until someone who can properly understand and implement it appears. If you can read it as it is without translating it, you can reduce trial and error.”

“Will there be such a person…?”

There was no strength in Hong Gijun’s words.

Even if an excellent engineer appeared, deciphering it was the problem, and it wasn’t a language that could be easily taught like a foreign language. It took Hong Gijun over 100 years to barely learn it.

Jinhyuk smiled without answering.

He laid Yoojin, who was struggling not to get off her brother’s back even in her sleep, on the porch and took off his shirt to cover her shoulders.

“Because of me, you slowed down the clock to let me enjoy the changing times, right?”

“Hmm, I did.”

The world had become much faster compared to his past life, a time that didn’t exist before.

Yet, everyday life was slow as if it had stopped.

Is that what civilization is like?

Slow like a giant’s steps, but with a wide stride in each step. If you take your eyes off it for a moment, it leaves the past behind like a passing scenery.

“I think it might be good to go a little slower. It’s good for other people to experience it too.”

“Yes, if that’s what you think, let’s do that.”

Hong Gijun stored the parchment, no, the dragon skin, in his arms with a satisfied smile.

“There are a lot of mosquitoes in the summer.”

Jinhyuk gathered rice husks and mugwort in front of the porch.

He was planning to light a mosquito fire.

“I heard you cursed at him.”

“That bas… he’s got a big mouth.”

Jinhyuk, who was squatting to light the fire, spat out lightly.

Hong Gijun flinched. It felt like he was included in that statement.

Whoosh-! Whoooosh-!

Jinhyuk’s upper body, which had blown hard to light the fire, shook like a starting cultivator. Heh heh heh-. Laughter also flowed through his teeth.

“I told him that…”

Jinhyuk’s face, reflected in the fire, was smiling.

“…He lives alone, right? I told him to talk a lot to find a conversation partner. Not to keep it all in. That becomes a disease. When I lived alone, the hardest thing was not having anyone to talk to. Anyway, so he must have gone straight to tell on me for cursing him.”

He’s a good listener-. Jinhyuk grumbled, poking at the mosquito fire.

That’s right. That’s right. I also forgot that a conversation partner is precious. Hong Gijun stroked the forehead of the sleeping Yoojin.

The darkness that had remained like dregs seemed to disappear in the fragrant mosquito fire mixed with mugwort.

Watching the sleeping child’s long eyelashes, his eyes filled with tears for no reason.

“From which star did we meet, that we yearn for each other so desperately-.”

Hong Gijun hummed like a lullaby, even with his lacking skills.

It was a song with lyrics written from a poem.

A song that Son Kwangyeon, who was happy to meet an old friend and had drunk a good amount of alcohol, had played on the guitar.

He didn’t have the talent to sing as wonderfully as Son Kwangyeon, but he sang softly, putting his heart into it, without force.

“From which star did we fall asleep, that we shake and wake the dawn so much-.”

Uhm- uhm-.

He hummed the parts where he didn’t know the lyrics.

“Na na na na-.”

He used na na na for the parts where he didn’t know the melody.

Jinhyuk listened quietly without looking at Hong Gijun or keeping the beat.

He was trying to figure out what it meant for Hong Gijun, who hated singing and was tone-deaf, to be humming a song.

“You and I, you and I. We will open the dawn before sunrise-.”

Woof! Woof! Grrr-.

Janggun, who couldn’t stand it anymore, barked fiercely from his doghouse on the second floor.

The patience of Janggun, the leader of the Dunaeri dogs, was not as good as Jinhyuk’s.

“Heh heh-. It seems like I woke him up.”

I don’t think so. Jinhyuk kept his words to himself.

He must have been awake a long time ago.

Dogs respond to good songs with wolf howls.

But the fact that he’s barking like he’s going to eat him… Hmm.

“Please sing more. It sounds good.”

“Really?”

“Yes…”

Hmm-, hmm-.

Hong Gijun, who didn’t know many songs, cleared his throat and recalled a song he had learned in school.

“Floating- floating- the boat is leaving-. On the clear spring sea-.”

Woof! Woof!

Grrr!

Clack-!

“The boat is leaving-. This boat is going to Gangneung to see the moon-.”

Janggun sent a warning by clashing his teeth, but Hong Gijun was steadfast.

Jinhyuk wanted to hear more, so he had to do his best to sing.

Jinhyuk only poked at the mosquito fire. Ah, why did I do that?

It seems that flattery is not something you can do anytime.

But the kind Yoojin responded with a mumble in her sleep.

“Umm-. Dinarbe…”

Jinhyuk, who understood his younger sister’s mumble, smiled softly.

‘Fire.’