The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 328

A thick flurry of snowflakes created a noisy mirror effect, like rain streaks. Park Woo-jung’s face was reflected clearly in the glass window, which had turned into a mirror, cloaked in darkness. If there were such a thing as pure mockery, it would look like that expression. The sneer that returned in response to the question of whether he intended to ask for forgiveness showed not a shred of conscience. Not that I expected any.

“Even if it weren’t for those documents, I’ve already finished all the preparations to erase you from this world. It’s been almost ten years since I started preparing. I don’t move until I’m perfectly ready. Money won’t stop it. All your funds will be tied up anyway. The prosecution will also try to survive by stepping on you. We’re both in the same boat, with fires on our feet.”

“I was curious, so that was the reason…”

Park Woo-jung opened his mouth, but Jinhyuk, who had his palm on the window, didn’t turn around.

“If it’s to bring me down-”

“You’re probably wondering why I bothered to meet you and give you a chance instead of just doing it. That’s what you’re curious about, right?”

I cut him off again because I didn’t want to hear his voice.

“I wanted you to apologize to my father. He’s such a generous person that he even forgives and feeds scum like you. So, if my father forgave you, I was going to forget about you too.”

“Hehehe-”

“I wanted to give you a chance to kneel before my grandfather and grandmother’s spirits and beg for forgiveness. Not a chance for you, but a chance for my grandfather and grandmother to close their eyes in peace. That’s why I waited after finding my grandfather, giving him time to rest before making my move.”

“Hehehe…”

Jinhyuk, ignoring Park Woo-jung, who was heaving his chest as if in disbelief, continued.

“Of course, you have no intention of apologizing.”

And you shouldn’t. You must remain a villain to the end. Jinhyuk pressed his hand against the window, applying pressure. It was the same thing he did when helping Park Sa-rang make her decision.

“What you can choose is not life or death.”

Crack, crack, crack.

The thick tempered glass began to crack, unable to withstand the slowly increasing pressure.

“Social punishment is too lenient. The law can’t punish all your sins, even with evidence.”

Crack, crack, crack.

“So… you’re going to throw me out there and make me a murderer?”

“Death is too easy and comfortable a punishment. I thought about what would be more painful for you than that.”

Park Woo-jung narrowed his eyes, unsure of what was coming.

Against the backdrop of the cracking sounds, Jinhyuk proposed a deal that was impossible to refuse, just as he had done with Park Sa-rang.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned from history, it’s that the true revenge is to wipe out the lineage and ruin their wealth. You should be grateful. I’m not the type to take life lightly like you. But I’m confident I can ruin all the wealth you’ve accumulated. Your eldest son, daughter, second son, third son, and more. Your grandchildren. I’ll make them drink sewage and scavenge for rotten food. I’ll make them beg those they considered mere paper, sell their bodies like dogs in dirty alleys to earn pennies, and live like sewer rats, licking the toes of beggars. All while being watched so they can’t even die as they please.”

It was something he had never imagined, yet the words flowed naturally. The daily life of another world that he had seen, heard, and felt as a possessor. The words were born from the emotions that welled up from those harsh memories.

“Will you die alone-”

Crack, crack, crack.

After stopping the pressure, he pushed the spiderweb-like cracked glass a few times.

“-or will you make your children crawl through the sewers like bugs? That’s all you have to choose.”

Whirr, whirr.

The tempered glass groaned with a heavy movement, like jelly or pudding.

“If you refuse my offer, you’ll die another way. I’ll sell off Daejeong piece by piece. The heavy industry will be shut down, the machinery will go to Taiwan, the cars to India, the electronics to China, the chemicals to Japan, and the trading company to the Philippines. I’ll sell them off for cheap. You’ll disappear without a trace. Will you die after watching that complete annihilation, or will you leave something behind as an inheritance? Just choose.”

Having confirmed that the glass was weak enough, Jinhyuk turned around.

“I don’t think of this place as a den of evil, nor do I see you as a wealthy man that the workers need to overthrow. I’m just a son who came to kill the bastard who tried to harm my parents. It’s my personal revenge, so keep your sarcastic remarks about righteousness or heroism to yourself.”

He dusted his hands a couple of times and rubbed his cold palms together.

“Do you know why I cut you off? Do you know why I’m not giving you a chance for a final statement?”

Park Woo-jung, his face pale, lifted his head. His eyes were blank, like someone whose soul had already left. He was no different from a condemned prisoner before an executioner.

“There’s no room in my head for the stories of villains. Go tell your sob stories to the dead.”

The chance for redemption ends with Moon Seok-il and his group. Giving a chance to someone who has no possibility of change is just the luxury of an arrogant ruler. Jinhyuk is not arrogant. He had become someone who knew exactly when to hide his strength and when to use it.

“I even thought about removing your limbs one by one to scare you. But that method is too obvious.”

There are many things to do, and it’s too much work. Jinhyuk gathered the documents on the table and took them.

“Imagine what I’ll do with these documents. Imagination is more frightening than reality. That imagination will soon become a nightmare. If you apologize even in the afterlife, I’ll undo all my plans.”

Because I’m the son of our generous father. It was a statement that didn’t reach Park Woo-jung’s already vacant ears. Finally, he took out his cell phone from his pocket and placed it on the table.

“If you press zero for a long time, I’ll answer. You have until midnight tonight to save your children.”

With those words, Jinhyuk turned and left the office. Leaving behind an air that was colder and heavier than the outside.

“Hey. Was this a plan set up with Hong Ki-joon and the Yankees too? Ah, no, that can’t be. There’s no way.”

Jinhyuk shook his head slightly, as if to say, to Park Woo-jung, who was muttering to himself with a blank face, and closed the door.

Thud.

The heavy sound of the door closing sounded like a thunderclap of the apocalypse to Park Woo-jung.

*

One hour, two hours…

He had seen many people who had been pushed out of management rights jump to their deaths. It was a pathetic sight. They had money, so they could just live, comfortably.

“That’s not it.”

Was it the taste of power? The sense of emptiness after losing everything was overwhelming. In just two hours, his eyebrows had turned white.

“Heh… Hehehe-”

It was a temptation that was frightening but hard to resist. His father, Park Woon-cheol, who had weakened while fighting his illness, had once told him a piece of his memory. Moon-ye had never once accepted his favor. Even that resolute and cold rejection was as thrilling as rubbing his heart with ice, and he had realized for the first time that the coldness a person emitted could be sweet. He had learned from Moon-ye for the first time that there were things that money could not buy. Was it the power of the blood inherited from his grandmother? That child was even tempting him with his revenge.

‘How romantic…’

A revenger who gives up the pleasure of directly cutting off his enemy’s breath and orders him to commit suicide. Even after creating a situation where he had no choice but to die, he didn’t enjoy taunting his opponent but just said what he had to say and left. He told him to take his frustration of not being able to say a word to the afterlife.

‘That’s a great revenge.’

It’s a merchant’s basic principle to accept an irresistible deal. He had reigned at the top of a class society that had built walls with morality, but he had not forgotten the qualities of a merchant. And the sense of duty as a parent that remained. He pressed the number 0 on the cell phone that Son Jinhyuk had left behind. No number was displayed on the screen, but a dial tone was heard. It seemed like a rigged phone.

– Speak.

“My children…”

– I’ll protect them. I’m a man of honor. Park Hyun-soo will be released tomorrow too.

Click.

Son Jinhyuk hung up first.

‘I thought it was Hong Ki-joon, but I was wrong. Still, I’m going knowing who the highest authority is. To think there was such a thing…’

Thud.

He pushed his feet while sitting on the sofa, and his shoes came off. I wonder what the headlines will be tomorrow. Consortium’s Tyranny! Chairman Park Woo-jung Commits Suicide Under Pressure to Resign. Yes, that’s clean enough. Isn’t the human world generous to the dead? Still, he didn’t bow down to anyone until the end, so he’s going with his pride intact. That was the honor of a noble, different from the servants, that his younger sister, Park Sa-rang, had also maintained. You little brat, do you think I’ll apologize even if I go to the afterlife?

Crack, crack, crack.

Was it the power of pride, or the liberation of someone who had enjoyed the world to his heart’s content and had all his desires extinguished at once? Shifting his center of gravity was not difficult. Whoosh. Park Woo-jung was always fast. He succeeded faster than anyone else, and he pushed others aside, regardless of the means or methods. The speed of his fall was faster than a snowflake. How luxurious. A soft-looking wool blanket. How well it suits a noble’s bedding.

***

「The Tragedy of the Daejeong Family Over Management Rights」

The suicide incident was concluded with Park Woo-jung’s extreme choice to jump, after having received prior information about the prosecution’s search and seizure while under pressure to resign. They say people will go to a dog’s funeral at a minister’s house, but not to the minister’s funeral. Park Woo-jung disappeared from the world, leaving behind only a pathetic bloodstain, like other old men from other chaebol [family-owned conglomerate] families who had made similar choices after losing in a fight with their siblings. Following the consortium’s decision, Yoo Joon-shik was appointed as the chairman of the Daejeong Group. He also held the position of CEO of Daejeong Electronics.

[We highly appreciate the contributions made to the development of the national economy and will provide support to ensure that the funeral of the late Chairman Park Woo-jung is carried out with due respect.]

Yoo Joon-shik was sparing with his words, whether there was a microphone or not. However, he did not hide his true nature. Park Woo-jung’s eldest and second sons, who held executive positions in Daejeong affiliates, tried to resist by mobilizing their connections and power, but it was just a good excuse for Yoo Joon-shik. Even if they had social prestige and the support of lawyers, they were more pathetic than mice in front of a cat in front of Yoo Joon-shik.

“I’ve been working nicely under my brother-in-law, and those little punks seem to think they can take me lightly. They must think they have inherited shares. President Son, is it okay to show these guys what’s what?”

– It’s up to you, Chairman.

“Even if I’ve been delegated authority, the opinion of the owner of Albi takes precedence.”

– I believe that protecting the innocent and forgiving those who act without knowing their place are different matters. If they were smart, they would have quietly received their executive salaries, built their foundation, and waited for the right time.

“That’s right, that’s right. They don’t know the truth that even young people know, and they’re acting up. They must have enjoyed a lot. By the way, did you get a call from that fat Hammond?”

– Yes, Park Hyun-soo, who was released, has gone missing near the airport. The American police say it seems like the Mexicans were involved.

“That’s a pity. I need to take good care of my children too.”

– If your children don’t listen, send them to me.

“Hahahaha!”

Every time he talked to Jinhyuk, Yoo Joon-shik thought of his son and daughter, who were in graduate school and college, respectively. However, Yoo Joon-shik tried to avoid comparisons. There was only one person like that in the world, so it was meaningless to compare. His brother-in-law Hong Ki-joon’s words were indeed plausible.

– “He’s the only one.”

***

The country was buzzing with the upcoming World Cup, but Son Yu-jin’s school was buzzing with other news.

「Congratulations! Son Yu-jin of Taeyang Girls’ Middle School! Grand Prize at the 〇〇th National Youth Science Olympiad!」

– Co-hosted by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Science and Technology / Sponsored by Sein Technica

Hehehe.

Son Yu-jin smiled like a fool, looking at the banner hanging at the school gate.

“Yu-jin, you’re so cool!”

“Hehe, thank you, unnie [older sister].”

“Yu-jin unnie, you’re the best!”

“Ooh, thank you, guys.”

It was a remarkable achievement for a second-year middle school student to surpass high school students, and it was the first in the history of Taeyang Girls’ Middle School. The model submitted by Son Yu-jin was a miniature spy drone. It had a small fan inside a 15mm diameter sphere to enable flight, and a lens smaller than a cell phone camera was inserted. It could fly for more than an hour using a mercury battery, but due to technical issues, the data storage space was not sufficient. It could only store a few photos. It was a crude device, but it worked as intended.

“Yu-jin, how did you come up with something like that?”

“I made it to find Fortune.”

“Fortune?”

“It’s a baby bird I hatched from an egg, but it hasn’t been around much lately. If it hides in a cliff cave or a hawk takes it, I can’t find it because it’s too high. So, I made it to investigate places that are hard for people to go, high and narrow places.”

Son Yu-jin felt that she deserved the award because she had devised and invented it herself without the help of Hong Ki-joon or Jinhyuk. She had designed the aircraft with the help of General and received help from Jo Seul-chan for soldering and assembly, but anyway. The judges also gave Son Yu-jin high marks, saying that her love transcending species was the reason behind her invention of the spy drone. Of course, they also highly valued its performance and usability.

“So, did you find Fortune?”

“Yes…”

**

It was the second day she hadn’t seen Fortune. Son Yu-jin, who had been searching with General and Geomma, found the corpse of a long-tailed tit with a pink ribbon around its neck at the top of a birch tree near the reservoir. General barked while looking up at the tree, so she flew the spy drone to take a picture and confirm it. It was a height of 30m, a place where even the agile General could not climb. Fortune was sleeping peacefully in an abandoned magpie’s nest. Having lived 1.5 times the average lifespan of a long-tailed tit, Fortune had lived a long life. Son Yu-jin guessed that Fortune, who didn’t want to show her mother her last moments, had fallen asleep in a quiet place. After checking the photos on her computer in her room, she went back to the birch tree and tied a pink ribbon around it. Since she couldn’t cut down the tree or climb it, she used that as a substitute for condolences.

“Let’s leave it as it is. Sleep well, Fortune. Mom will come often.”

Son Yu-jin took a few more pictures of Fortune sleeping and headed home. Now, the Fortune Juniors who live in the nest on the windowsill of her room are more important. The history that began with one red-headed long-tailed tit egg had now grown into a large family on Son Yu-jin’s window terrace. They don’t approach Son Yu-jin, but they don’t run away even if she reaches out her hand. That’s what her mom and dad did. That living things are more important, and children are more important than the elderly.

“At the top of the birch tree…”

On her way home, she hummed a song, recalling the memories of singing with Fortune. Fortune would chirp when Son Yu-jin sang, and perhaps Fortune was singing along with Son Yu-jin. Tears mixed with her voice.

“Waaaaah-. My baby, Fortune-”

Why did Fortune choose the birch tree, maybe because it was the highest…? Maybe it was because she often sang the birch tree song that her dad taught her. Fortune especially liked that song. Could she soothe her sadness? If she sang loudly, could Fortune hear her? She raised her voice.

“At the top of the birch tree- Kim Il-sung’s panties are hanging- Waaah-. Kim Jong-il who was passing by smelled it and collapsed- Waaah-, Fortune-. I miss my baby… Waaah.”

She was much taller now, and her walking speed was incomparably faster than when she was a child, but it was a day when the way home, wiping away tears with her sleeve, felt so long.

**

“Yu-jin, but isn’t the bus stop that way?”

“I’m going to the terminal. Today is the day I go to Seoul.”

Once a week, on days when she has classes, Son Yu-jin leaves school and goes on an adventure to meet her brother. Today, in addition to the award certificate, she has something to show her brother. Thinking of her brother, who would praise her for doing well, the emotions that had been submerged while thinking of Fortune warmed up. She walked briskly, swinging her arms wide, just like when young Son Yu-jin used to tour the neighborhood. Hehe-. Off to see my brother!

“Ahem-. It’s spring-. Uh-huh-. Ta-ta-at- huh-da-ah-.”

Someone said that the emotional changes of a second-year middle school student are similar to bipolar disorder.