The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 330

Huff, huff.

Jin-hyuk, still in his work clothes, was intensely mopping his room’s floor. He’d lured Yu-jin, who was about to roll up her sleeves and take off her school uniform vest, into the living room with ice cream and kept her there.

“Because Oppa is busy… He wakes up early to exercise, then has meetings after breakfast, more meetings after lunch, exercises again after dinner… then goes back to the office to work before finally sleeping… Sometimes he meets friends outside too…”

Mutter, mutter.

Yu-jin, using her brother’s grumbling as background music, devoured a whole container of Together ice cream.

Yu-jin, almost lying down on the spacious sofa, craned her neck towards her brother’s room.

“Oppa! Why aren’t you using the vacuum cleaner?”

“I need to do a ‘Mising House’ to feel refreshed!”

Mising House? Ah, I see.

That’s what the uncles who live in the ‘mole house’ [a term for a cramped, low-ceilinged dwelling] often call deep cleaning. They roll up the mop like a club and vigorously wipe the floors and rooms. Just watching them makes it feel like a workout. Once the cleaning is done, the mole house becomes surprisingly pleasant.

Oppa is also wiping the room and desk with water mixed with toothpaste right now.

If he’s not going to use the robot vacuum, he should sell it at a flea market…

Burp-. That was good.

As expected, during growth spurts, you need to fill your belly with vanilla ice cream to avoid hindering development.

“Yu-jin, let’s go now.”

Jin-hyuk came out, putting on his jacket with a flushed face.

Yu-jin’s eyes narrowed as she looked at her brother. His face made her wonder if he had been cleaning or doing something else. His face color was similar to the day he tripped over his pants and fell?

“Are you going in a suit?”

“I guess so.”

It would be troublesome if he shed fur again while changing clothes.

“Wouldn’t this be less noticeable? When Oppa wears workout clothes or casual wear, people recognize him. I guess it’s because he’s an athlete.”

“Hmm-”

It seemed quite convincing. Yu-jin, with a spoon in her mouth, nodded.

*

‘It was my mistake. It’s not the clothes that are the problem.’

The crowd, with their backs to the dazzling lights illuminating the store, all looked in the same direction.

Their eyes stopped when Jin-hyuk and Yu-jin stopped, and moved again when they moved.

“Excuse me-”

“Thank you-”

Yu-jin loudly asked for understanding and expressed gratitude each time she pushed through the crowd.

Jin-hyuk smiled lightly at those who asked for photos and gave autographs as he slowly moved forward. He felt sorry that the congestion in the alley seemed to be caused by him.

“I’m my brother’s younger sister. Not his girlfriend-. It’s nothing weird-”

Ah, Yu-jin. You don’t have to say that.

She’s so like Dad, being so meddlesome.

“My brother must be feeling uncomfortable because of me.”

“It’s okay. It’s not the first time.”

Compared to the pride of seeing that little one grow up so much and go on dates with her brother, discomfort is nothing.

They stopped in front of a cosmetics store.

It was a store that she had often visited with Choi Mi-kyung and Kim Eun-jung, and she had heard that it was a popular store among young women.

“Oppa, why?”

“I’m going to buy Yu-jin some cosmetics.”

“It’s okay-. Ehehe-”

She said it was okay, but she was squirming, so it seemed like it wasn’t okay at all. He took her hand, not wanting to lose his sister, and led the way.

“Um, um-. You know-. Mom says that students shouldn’t use makeup.”

Yu-jin chattered as she obediently followed her brother into the store.

“Mom is old-fashioned. You should understand what Mom says, but Yu-jin is a modern person, so you can live like a modern person.”

Scratch, scratch-. Mom is old-fashioned, I am modern-.

While Yu-jin was memorizing her brother’s words, he looked for a store employee.

“Could you recommend some products for a student to use?”

“Is there anything you are particularly looking for?”

He turned to Yu-jin at the employee’s question.

“What do kids use these days?”

“I hardly use any color makeup, just tints, lip gloss, lip balm, and BB cream, whitening, brightening… Ah! What was that good for acne?”

Blah blah blah.

Words that Jin-hyuk couldn’t understand poured out of the mouth of the girl who said she didn’t want anything.

Jin-hyuk smiled gently as he watched his sister talking to the employee.

‘A girl.’

Even though she was unique, smart, and deep, Yu-jin was also going through puberty like other kids her age.

Sometimes, due to emotional ups and downs, she would laugh like a crazy person and cry like she had lost her country. But that was because she was happy and had no other worries, so she could be true to her inner self and emotions, Yu-jin shrugged. She said it was a growth period that everyone goes through. So, she was living with gratitude to her dad, mom, and brother. She knew who she could grow up happily thanks to…

‘Can I be a little proud of the peace I brought?’

My siblings are growing up well and normally.

It was the sight that Jin-hyuk had desperately wanted and hoped for.

“Unnie! I’ll take that one, that one, and that one too. Ah! And please gift wrap that one and that one-”

Gifts?

What Yu-jin pointed to were cosmetics that adults would use. Choi Mi-kyung had recommended them to Kim Eun-jung, saying that if you dabbed them on your cheeks, they would turn rosy like a peach, making them the best for attracting men. He didn’t know why girls with boyfriends focused on such functions, but anyway, Choi Mi-kyung, the medical student, had definitely said that. She had said that she couldn’t use them herself, so she was sorry that at least Eun-jung should use them.

“Yu-jin, who are you going to give that to? Your partner?”

“Eee-gosh-! Why would I buy my friend’s gift with Oppa’s money? I should buy that with my allowance-. I’m going to give this to Su-jung Unnie.”

“Ah, Su-jung?”

“Yes. I chose something that matches Su-jung Unnie’s skin tone, so Oppa, you give it to her.”

He felt embarrassed by his sister’s consideration.

He had forgotten that she was no longer a little kid.

He had never forgotten her, but he had been refraining from contacting or visiting her out of consideration for her as a test taker. Jin-hyuk was also busy as he had to juggle being an athlete and a business executive.

They also watched a movie that wasn’t planned.

“Stephen Chow’s movies are absurd and silly, but they’re funny.”

Yu-jin also liked the snacks they bought on the street like a child.

It must be because there are many foods that are hard to find in the countryside.

“Oppa, are you busy during the World Cup too?”

“Yeah. Because I’m an office worker.”

“Sigh-. That won’t do. I should give Unnie’s gift myself. If I leave it to Oppa, he’ll keep it stashed away until it expires-”

She knows her brother too well, no matter when she sees him.

It’s been 10 years since Jin-hyuk started getting nagged by Yu-jin, so now he just picks at his ears and has reached a point where he’s not hurt by it.

“Ah, it’s a shame.”

“What is?”

“I wish I could do some street cheering with Su-jung Unnie…”

Will my brother ever get to date properly? Yu-jin sighed.

Jin-hyuk gently stroked his sister’s head and chuckled.

“I asked her about that for sure. She said she wants to focus on her studies. And she said she’s not interested in sports and doesn’t like crowds.”

“Why? I enjoy it when there are a lot of people?”

“She said it’s because the bodyguards have a hard time because of her.”

“Ooh-ooh-. Su-jung Unnie has matured.”

What is she saying, the little one.

“It seems like the bodyguards who secretly followed her when she met her friends got caught.”

“Then, Oppa, are you watching the World Cup at the company?”

“I don’t know? I have something else planned… It’s something I have to do.”

“Our Oppa is too busy.”

There is something he must take care of.

Something that can only be done with the power that Hong Ki-joon passed down.

***

June.

The whole country was buzzing with the World Cup co-hosted by Japan.

The sight of red crowds taking over the city centers and shouting for South Korea was no different from the past.

In his past life, he was in the military during the World Cup.

He did high-altitude jumps, was deployed on search and reconnaissance missions, and was ambushed in the mountains of Gangwon-do.

‘Towards the end of the World Cup, I received live ammunition and boarded a transport plane…’

The special forces were prepared for battle with their respective missions, such as rear disruption, destruction of key facilities, and assassination of key figures, in preparation for the start of the war. It was an operation from which they could not expect to return, and they had even left their wills in their lockers. Jin-hyuk had left his will to Choi Mi-kyung at that time. She was the only person he considered family.

This life is different.

On weekends, Jin-hyuk visited Sakdo and watched the West Sea from the seabed.

The Sakdo underwater research institute consists of a total of eight floors.

Even to reach the first basement floor, you have to take the elevator for more than a minute. That’s how deep it is.

The first basement floor has a warehouse full of various supplies and materials, and from the second to the sixth floors, there are research institutes where various studies are conducted by floor.

The seventh floor is the situation room, and the eighth floor is a huge open space that is so high that the word ‘floor’ is meaningless, where submarines and various military facilities are located. It is where the final military power and all the secrets of the Sein Empire are hidden.

Jin-hyuk was in the deepest and most secure room in the 7th floor situation room, the operations control room.

“Steve, don’t you have to watch the World Cup?”

A staff member, who was glancing at his colleagues watching the game outside the control room, asked.

Everyone, regardless of age or gender, was cheering in the streets and pubs, but this person came to work even on weekends, so he couldn’t help but be curious.

“I find it more fun to watch soccer alone in the early morning.”

Even as he said that, Jin-hyuk’s eyes did not leave the large monitor.

It was a display that detected and marked aerial, surface, and underwater obstacles and moving objects. If an object was more than 1.5m long, it would appear on the screen with different colors and color densities depending on its size.

“Team Leader Hwang.”

“Yes, Steve.”

“Is the North Korean movement similar to last week?”

“Yes, they are frequently violating the NLL [Northern Limit Line, the de facto maritime border between North and South Korea] recently to protect their fishing boats.”

Hwang Je-min handed over a report on a transparent acrylic sheet.

“The Navy is trying to push them back, but it seems they are still responding with body checks because the revision of the rules of engagement is delayed.”

He was deliberately not putting pressure on them because he was curious about how they would react.

However, he did not neglect surveillance using satellites, radar, and underwater surveillance systems.

“I don’t see any semi-submersibles.”

“Yes, there are three or four patrol boats going up and down.”

“The frequency of collisions has increased recently.”

“That’s what the Navy’s simple report says, but…”

Hwang Je-min trailed off. He seemed to have something to say as he scratched his cheek.

“What is Team Leader Hwang Je-min’s opinion, not just the simple report?”

Hwang Je-min had served as a major in the Navy Intelligence Command, and he was recruited based on Hong Ki-joon’s advice that in order to become an outstanding power holder, one must be able to place talented people in the right places. He had a keen sense for data analysis and understanding the situation. He should be able to come up with a sharp opinion.

“Looking at the deployment identified by our advanced equipment…”

Hwang Je-min approached the display and pointed to a specific location.

“Many patrol boats have come down. The ones waiting behind them are torpedo boats. Just in case, I sent a coded message to the Navy, but…”

“But?”

Jin-hyuk urged him to answer.

“Because it’s a sensitive area, they’re just using small guns to check each other out. They’re too busy looking at the patrol boats that are right in front of them and chasing them away. They either don’t think it’s a big deal, or the command’s responsiveness is low-”

“Or they’re interested in something else?”

“Yes. I think so.”

“Cover position.”

At Jin-hyuk’s short words, the control room staff quickly locked the door and lowered the blinds.

It was a pre-arranged shielding code within the control room that blocked sound and light.

Hwang Je-min activated the sound blocking device. It was a measure to prevent sound from leaking outside the control room.

“Since when?”

“It’s been a week.”

“Why didn’t you report it?”

“It’s something that happens often…”

“It’s okay. I’m not trying to blame you, so please speak comfortably. From the nuance of what you’re saying, it doesn’t seem like it’s a common occurrence?”

“Yes, actually, they don’t usually come down this far. Compared to our navy, their mobility and hull durability are lower, and the repair costs are high if they are damaged. They also don’t like colliding with our high-speed boats unless they have a reason.”

Sigh-.

Hwang Je-min tilted his head once and handed over another report that had been covered with black paper.

“This is the content of the wiretap.”

Oh my-.

Jin-hyuk, after skimming through the report, burst out laughing.

“They’re angry and want to ram us once? Is that what it means?”

“Yes, in relation to that, I requested intelligence gathering from Triple S, but they said they didn’t find any external factors.”

“So you think it’s just a simple provocation attempt?”

“Yes, that’s right. It feels like they’re just grinding their teeth, wanting to fight. How many times have those guys been beaten by our high-speed boats recently?”

What doesn’t change.

What people do.

In the same situation, around the same time, they often do similar things.

The guys who were quiet when Hong Ki-joon was yelling and warning them were stretching again while Hong Ki-joon was focusing on preparing for the space business.

“How far up the chain of command is this conversation related to?”

“First of all, the radio communication we obtained was not shortwave communication.”

“That means… only between ships?”

When Jin-hyuk raised his eyebrows, Hwang Je-min nodded once and drew a circle with his index finger around the largest and reddest dot among the dots close to the NLL.

“As a result of tracing the origin of the transmission, it was confirmed that the communication was only made in this area. The communication range only included patrol boats and nearby patrol boats.”

“It could be an order from above. Someone from the outside could have made a deal. They’re not the type to move easily, even because of the price of oil, are they?”

“That makes sense, but that’s all that’s been confirmed so far.”

Jin-hyuk unfolded his arms and rested his chin on one hand.

‘What would be the best thing to do…’

Does the military know about this fact? It’s safer to assume that they do and move as conservatively as possible. If they sent a submarine to sink a North Korean warship without the military’s consent, and it was discovered, the military, as well as the US’s view of the West Sea, would not be favorable.

In that case, it would be better to just warn North Korea not to act rashly since they are being watched. After all, no one in the world would believe whatever North Korea says.

If they have any sense and value their lives, they should be cautious just because Sein is warning them.

His thoughts didn’t last long.

“Can you communicate?”

“I’ll jam the patrol boat’s frequency.”

Hwang Je-min, holding the receiver and operating the switch, sent a nod to another staff member, who then operated the switch in turn.

“I’m blocking the wiretap.”

It meant that he would prevent other observers, whether from South Korea or the United States, from hearing the North Korean patrol boat’s radio communication.

Crackling-.

“Is this the North Korean West Sea fleet?”

– ······.

The mechanical sound decreased, and the sound of murmuring was caught, so it was clear that they were connected, but they seemed to be hesitating in confusion.

Hwang Je-min urged them to answer again.

“Is this the North Korean West Sea fleet?”

– Who is it? How did you connect?

The fact that they were calling themselves North Korea was enough to convey that South Korea was trying to communicate. Hwang Je-min, having confirmed the connection, nodded and handed the receiver to Jin-hyuk.

What should he say? What did Chairman Hong Ki-joon say when he sent a message to North Korea? If you mess around, Pyongyang will be a sea of fire? Sinuiju will run away in their underwear? No, Hong Ki-joon’s message is too strong.

‘We are all watching. If you keep making a fuss, Chairman Hong Ki-joon will not stand still. Yes, this much is good.’

Jin-hyuk, receiving the receiver, made a solemn expression.

“Are you going to mess around?”

Wow. Why can’t he fix the habit of saying nonsense when his thoughts get too long?

Is this war mode?

Ha-yoo-. Jin-hyuk lowered his head with the receiver to his ear.

Oops, Hwang Je-min, with his eyes closed, slowly shook his head. Steve, if that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to send a submarine and quietly sink them…?