The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 317

The quadron carrying Jinhyuk went directly to Seoul.

It wasn’t a car, so it couldn’t stop midway to find a bathhouse.

As it landed on the rooftop of the building where the chairman’s office was located, Hong Gijun, who had been waiting, approached with a welcoming smile.

“Yo, you’ve had a hard time.”

I should salute him since I’ve been discharged.

I’ll keep my voice down since it’s a bit embarrassing.

“Unity.”

Indeed, the old-fashioned salute command is more comfortable.

We spent four weeks together, but the loyalty oath didn’t sit well with me.

“Hahaha! Yes, unity. You’ve worked hard.”

Despite wearing a suit, his posture was impeccable. Hong Gijun, a veteran, returned the salute sharply and patted Jinhyuk’s shoulder.

“I’ve told them at home, so rest and go home in the evening. Let’s have lunch first. What do you want to eat?”

“Jajangmyeon [Noodles with black bean sauce]. And a Coke.”

Ah, that’s the rule.

* * *

After getting permission from Hong Gijun, I went to the sauna first.

Even during the weekday afternoon, there were quite a few middle-aged men who looked like office workers in the sauna.

I could see why Hong Gijun didn’t want to come with me.

‘It’s consideration.’

How awkward would it be to run into the group chairman at the sauna during work hours?

Not to mention feeling intimidated by a chairman who is younger and in better shape than them, they would have to prepare to be called in front of their direct superior.

‘Ah, it’s nice and warm.’

As I soaked in the hot bath, the heat surged from the soles of my feet to the top of my head.

I soaked my body and even got a body scrub service.

It must be my imagination that the body scrub man looked exhausted.

Heuk-heuk-. It feels like he’s scrubbing a stone with a scouring pad, not a human body. The body scrub man’s eyes were saying that, but Jinhyuk closed his eyes and simply enjoyed it. Oh yeah, it’s so refreshing and great.

I also shaved cleanly with a disposable razor.

I’ve been growing a decent beard since last year, so I shaved every day, but while I was in basic training, the time to wash was short, so it was difficult to shave once a day.

“Ouch-ouch.”

Oh man, I drew blood.

Getting cut by a razor blade must be a man’s fate.

Since I didn’t have any skin lotion, I used the product provided in the bathhouse.

“Ouch-ouch.”

Mr. Cool Guy.

It was more stinging than the drill instructor’s gaze.

The area cut by the razor blade was several times more painful, and the wound was noticeably red and swollen.

As I left the bathhouse, hunger rushed in.

Hong Gijun and Son Jinhyuk.

As the two giants walked shoulder to shoulder down the street, they naturally drew attention. The two of them walked without paying any mind.

“This place makes great Chinese food.”

The chairman is still an old man at heart. The way he casually expresses himself is natural, and that naturalness makes the listener comfortable.

Clatter, clatter-.

I lightly emptied two bowls of jajangmyeon, scraping the bottom of the bowls.

“Want more?”

“I’m fine.”

One bowl is not enough, a double portion doesn’t taste like regular jajangmyeon, and three bowls are too greasy. So, two regular bowls of jajangmyeon are perfect. It was a decision based on the meticulous calculations of efficiency enthusiast Son Jinhyuk.

After the meal, we moved to the chairman’s office.

You could see the Han River, and above it, luxury apartments and villa areas, and beyond that, the Namsan Tower.

‘It’s facing north.’

Isn’t this layout clearly showing the direction of businessman Hong Gijun?

「Do you know why I’m frantically gathering money, buying oil fields and mines, and developing weapons? I want to swallow Manchuria and the Primorsky Krai [regions in Northeast Asia] someday. I want to build a national-scale aerospace base on that land. It’s called the Balhae Base. To do that, I have to step on the northern land. At that time, a lot of money is needed to reduce the burden on the people. Companies are, after all, interest groups that have grown while being protected by the people’s taxes. When the time comes, companies must release money to protect the people. If I were just thinking about my own well-being, I wouldn’t have gone through all that trouble to change history.」

His ambition had grown to the point where I couldn’t find any trace of his passive self from the past life.

‘The land we live on now is indeed small.’

A small land, a small country that cannot accommodate all the smart and talented people.

Still, I didn’t expect Hong Gijun to have a blueprint of that scale.

「War is out of the question. We must open it with power, but with the power of money. Those who are dull will be puzzled. Why build up military power while saying you’ll open it with money?」

Well, isn’t that a fact everyone knows?

└ 「Isn’t it because possessing similar or superior power to the other party is the basis of politics and diplomacy, in order to confidently demand and present what you want? Even if they seem like different words, if you break them down, isn’t their essence negotiation and bargaining?」

It was knowledge that wasn’t greatly useful in everyday life, but it was wisdom that intellectuals who had learned and realized it should have as a basic requirement. If you didn’t know that, you’d be called a know-it-all or someone who studied in vain. In severe cases, you’d be praised for living in vain or eating your age with your butt.

「We can choose. This is the test question I’m giving.」

A test question······.

Since he didn’t tell me the specific meaning, I could only guess vaguely.

‘We can choose. What does it mean to choose? Jajang or Jjamppong [Spicy seafood noodle soup]······.’

Ugh, it’s greasy.

Come to think of it, this old man didn’t order me a Coke.

Knock-knock-.

Following the knock, an SSS security guard opened the door to the chairman’s office. The person who entered through the open door was the employee who had been on the quadron.

The secretary, holding a tray with tea, made eye contact with Jinhyuk, smiled slightly, and nodded. I liked his carefulness. When we were on the quadron together, Jinhyuk must have smelled musty, but that employee didn’t even frown once.

“You can look at the view anytime. Let’s have some tea first.”

“Yes.”

Was it because I was so engrossed in thinking about what the test question was? It sounded like he was telling me to take a test.

The warm black tea washed away the greasiness that had lingered in my mouth.

As I savored the tea, Hong Gijun spoke in a subtle tone.

“Even now, if you want to go to university, I’ll send you anywhere. America, England, Germany, France. Just say the word.”

This is the first test.

Jinhyuk’s keen intuition was telling him. Regardless of Hong Gijun’s true intentions, this was a question to test Jinhyuk, who was taking his first step into Sein.

“It’s really okay. They say truth is found in the field, not in the classroom. I’ve already experienced that that saying is the truth.”

It was something Henry Jones Jr., a tenured professor of archaeology, said in the movie Iguana Jones. Of course, Jinhyuk didn’t have that saying in mind.

“It’s not that I’m disregarding universities. I learned something at university too. My homeroom teacher said something like that one day. He said······.”

It was the first time Hong Gijun had heard about Jinhyuk’s university days.

Intrigued, Hong Gijun raised his eyebrows.

“The law is the minimum of conscience and common sense. The reason you study law is to protect this society from those who lack the minimum conscience and common sense. If you don’t have that intention, if you’re just studying law to gain power, get promoted, and marry someone from a rich and powerful family, then you’re not qualified.”

Oh ho-. Hong Gijun nodded, his lower lip protruding slightly. It sounded quite plausible.

“I thought it was a very cool thing to say. It seemed like a neat definition of the minimum of conscience and common sense, and of humans as social animals.”

Umm-. Hong Gijun made a sound as if agreeing, but he held back his words.

In Jinhyuk’s eyes, it seemed like he was listening attentively because he was being tested.

“But less than a month after he said that, a scandal broke out. With a female student.”

Jinhyuk smiled bitterly, and Hong Gijun clicked his tongue.

“It was a dirty deal. A despicable scam using grades as hostages.”

“I can see why you’re disillusioned with universities.”

“Well······ it’s not like I quit because of that. I didn’t expect it to be a hall of knowledge and culture, and I know the whole country was going through a dark period, but when I experienced it firsthand, it was only the powerless and poor people who were having a hard time. I didn’t really have any backing, but I didn’t have any debt and I could take care of myself, so I didn’t need to blame the world. I just wasn’t personally interested.”

Hmm-. He paused for a moment to catch his breath.

“But even so, I was compared to everyone else. Back then, and now. ‘Ah! It seems I’m not destined to live an ordinary life.’ So I just wanted to go out into the world. Back then, it was so boring and tedious. The time I spent waiting for classes. But when I actually went to class, it wasn’t like they were teaching new things, things I didn’t know······.”

Yes, he must have been a hidden gem even back then. Hong Gijun, with his nose on the teacup, slowly moved his head from side to side. The tea aroma was exceptional today.

“About you going to university with Sujeong.”

“Yes.”

“Was that something you said to make Sujeong feel good?”

Is this the second test?

No, is this even a test?

Why does it feel like the conversation is flowing so personally?

Shouldn’t he be asking about management or plans after joining the company?

“If the circumstances allow, I would like to go with her.”

While drawing countless question marks in his head, Jinhyuk expressed his thoughts honestly and calmly.

Hong Gijun’s eyes narrowed.

“Heh heh-. I thought you were someone who didn’t make empty promises, but it was real?”

“I owe her a debt too.”

He didn’t try to explain it.

– “Please take care of my daughter!”

It wasn’t because of Hong Gijun’s request either.

“When the time comes, if Sujeong prefers to hang out with her friends, I can just focus on work.”

I just wanted to make sure she wasn’t lonely.

His interest, which I thought would fade quickly, was not only still there but had deepened, which also had an impact. I didn’t want to ignore it or hurt her anymore.

“I see. Then you need to build a good foundation. You’ll have a lot to do in less than five years.”

“It’s a long time. I’m all prepared.”

Hong Gijun already knows what Jinhyuk wants to do.

That’s why the Sakdo Research Institute was created. And it was Hong Gijun’s idea to add the underwater research institute and the underground cavern.

* * *

It’s only natural that the tone and level of conversation should change depending on the person you’re talking to. If that person is someone like Hong Gijun, you have to be even more careful, and that’s why their conversations were always constructive and boring.

So much so that I almost cried from holding back a yawn.

“You look tired.”

“No, it’s because I’m full······.”

“About coming to Seoul-”

“Yes.”

“Do you have a place in mind to stay?”

“Not yet.”

“Would it be okay if I found one for you?”

“I-”

Jinhyuk, who was about to refuse politely, swallowed his words.

Hong Gijun’s eyes, looking at him, were not forceful or pressuring, but something was off.

Ah, is this a test too?

“It seems you have a place in mind.”

“Hehehe-. Yes. You have to notice. That’s Son Jinhyuk. I’ll prepare a place you’ll like. Don’t worry, I won’t ask you to live with me.”

“A place I’ll like······.”

“A long time ago, before you disappeared underground.”

“Yes.”

“You were a guy who didn’t talk much and seemed cold. But there was one time when you talked excitedly. Not that you were excitedly rambling like others.”

Jinhyuk was inwardly puzzled.

Was there ever a time like that?

“You said you lived in a rooftop room, that when you first came to Seoul, you deliberately looked for a place like that.”

“Ah······.”

I vaguely remembered something.

“You said you had the rooftop all to yourself, that you exercised, did laundry, read books, and that it was the happiest time, even though it was short.”

It was just a simple story, but I was grateful that he remembered it.

In reality, it was because I was trying to save money that I found a single room built on the rooftop of a building without an elevator.

“You said that in the summer it was like a sauna, and in the winter it was so cold that your joints would creak, but when it rained, you could hear the rain without any noise, and when it snowed, you could touch the untouched snow, which reminded you of when you lived in the countryside as a child. You also said you wanted to raise a puppy, but you couldn’t because you didn’t have time to take care of it.”

“Yes······.”

I was grateful and sorry.

Even though he must have had many hazy memories, he remembered things about me in such detail. I could tell how special Hong Gijun considered me.

“Hmm······ I also remember you saying it was an inconvenient but sufficiently romantic space.”

Listening to his past self being described by someone else, Jinhyuk could only nod.

“Then, I’ll prepare a place for you to stay······. You were a section chief, right?”

Hong Gijun, who had been reminiscing, changed the subject.

“Yes.”

“I see. It would be good to have you start as a section chief, but we don’t have section chief positions yet. We’ve been letting go of a lot of salary thieves, so there’s no personnel backlog and the departments aren’t very subdivided.”

Is this a test of humility this time?

Inwardly puzzled, Jinhyuk spoke his mind without delay.

“Even a probationary position is fine. I can climb up with my own strength.”

Ah, was that the wrong answer?

Unlike his smiling lips, Hong Gijun’s eyes were cold.

“Of course, you would. The workplace ecosystem is different from the past, so it will be easier for people with skills. But you have achievements, I have expectations for you, and you’ve done things, so I can’t tell you to start from the bottom. I have some shame.”

Ah, what do you want me to do!

“Then······.”

“How about starting as a vice president?”