The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 338

“Be careful on your way.”

“Yee-yeah, I will.”

Jo Seul-chan put his grandmother and Kim Eun-jung in the car and set off on a long drive. He had made up an excuse about going on a day trip, but Jinhyuk could tell that he was going to see his mother. His flushed face gave it away.

Several years ago, Jo Seul-chan had proudly reported to Jinhyuk that he had gone with Kim Eun-jung to see his mother, had dinner, and given her some spending money.

– “I was the tenth happiest when Si-sang was born.”

– “When were you the second happiest?”

– “When our Eun-jung grabbed me by the collar.”

His mother was a person of the past, so he had no desire to live with her.

He was content with just meeting her and resolving his lingering feelings.

Living together is what makes a family.

That’s why the people currently by his side are more precious, and that’s why he’s happy.

His current happiness was thanks to his grandmother, Jinhyuk, and Eun-jung, not his mother.

Kim In-rang and the Hwang sisters, Ga-yoon and Ga-young, had left for a Southeast Asian trip with their two mothers. Hwang Ga-young had chatted with Jinhyuk for a long time the day before her departure, saying it was her first time on an airplane.

On the porch where the lunch table had been cleared, Dad, Hong Ki-joon, Chun Gil-ryong, Yoo Myung-sun, and Choi Jang-hwan were sitting and sharing drinks. The Johnny Walker that Jinhyuk had gifted to Chun Gil-ryong was the main attraction.

“Speaking of this Walker, our Son family’s Jinex president bought this precious item at the duty-free shop to commemorate his victory in Australia…”

There was no one at Choi Jang-hwan’s house.

Choi Tae-yang was at the Chuseok [Korean Thanksgiving] Ssireum [Korean wrestling] Wrestling Tournament and wouldn’t be home until the evening of Chuseok, and Choi Mi-kyung was studying and then going to cheer on her brother. Whether she was going to cheer on her brother or her boyfriend, who was aiming for his second consecutive title of the strongest wrestler, was now ambiguous. Well, she’d probably cheer for both.

Inside the house, Han Yu-young, Yoo Se-ra, Kim Soon-bok, Hong Su-jeong, and Yoo Jin were having a lively conversation.

“Jinhyuk’s mom, do you not prepare a Charye [ancestral rite] table separately?”

“My husband intentionally told me not to. We don’t hold ancestral rites separately either. So, we just make the food that the family likes.”

Braised short ribs, bulgogi [marinated beef], raw beef, japchae [glass noodles with vegetables and meat], various kinds of pancakes, sikhye [sweet rice drink], meat, meat, and more meat.

Even so, it wasn’t too much work because Kim Soon-bok, Jang Jin-nam, and the SSS family living nearby helped with the preparations.

“Just light incense at the memorial hall and that’s it? It’s easy.”

“They say it’s important for the living to be well, so don’t go through too much trouble.”

Uhh-huh. That sounds like Gwang-yeon oppa. Yoo Se-ra tilted her wine glass.

It was a famous wine she had bought during her trip to Europe, and she paired it with dried goby.

Kim Soon-bok said to Yoo Se-ra, who was surprised by the seemingly mismatched combination of the two dishes,

“This dried goby is a satisfying treat no matter where you put it.”

Han Yu-young handed a glass to Hong Su-jeong, who was sitting demurely beside her.

“Su-jeong, you drink too.”

“Oh my, Mother, I’ve never had alcohol before?”

“Oh my? Our Su-jeong hasn’t even had her 100th-day celebration drink? Everyone drinks before the college entrance exam.”

“Yes. I didn’t have my 100th-day drink either. I heard that Jinhyuk oppa didn’t have it either.”

The clumsy Hong Su-jeong was exceptionally well-behaved in front of Han Yu-young.

“Ehehe-, Mom. I’ll drink instead of Su-jeong unnie-”

“Sss-! You’ll get scolded.”

Even though she had grown quite a bit, Yoo Jin was still no match for her scariest mother when she tried to hang around the adults.

“Okay-. I’ll go check on Haeng-un’s eggs…”

The incubator that she had taken out again was still working.

In just two weeks, Haeng-un would come out into the world and grow up eating the larvae that Yoo Jin and Jung-won would give her. After she grew up, she would sing “peep-peep” every morning and tilt her head with her round eyes shining. Just imagining Haeng-un wagging her tail from side to side as if she had something to say made Son Yoo-jin happy.

“Hey, Hong Su-jeong. Mom’s here, and Jinhyuk’s mom is here too, so just have one drink. This is expensive wine.”

“Okay-”

Jinhyuk went outside with Jung-won and Hong Su-hyeok.

The role of an unmarried man: taking care of the little ones.

It was a common task that could be seen in any household during holidays.

‘Gwangma has become incredibly energetic? Is it his time to die?’

Jang-gun was shiny because he had been bathed, but the sight of Gwangma, who hadn’t been as energetic as before, running around like a deer made the phrase “a final burst of energy” come to mind.

‘Has it been so long since I’ve been away? The neighborhood has become strange. Even the dog seems crazy.’

The dog that Yoo Jin had picked up kept jumping into the waterway and being rescued by Hong-si. Surprisingly, the dog had minnows or pale chubs in its mouth. How did it catch them?

But what should he do with these ten-year-old kids who were full of energy?

“Jung-won, Su-hyeok. What do you want to do?”

“Hyung! Make a kite for me!”

“Ooh! A handmade kite! Hyung! I want a kite too!”

Well… should he?

It was still hot and the wind wasn’t right for flying a kite, but there was no set time for playing.

Stationery stores and toy stores sold kite materials, but there was probably no better experience for the children than making them themselves.

He approached Chun Gil-ryong, who was alternating between whiskey and cola on the porch.

Chun Gil-ryong, who was tipsy from drinking in the middle of the day, raised his eyebrows at Jinhyuk.

“Yo-, young President Son. Want a drink? Hehehe-”

“No, thank you. Please enjoy your drink, Grandpa. But can I cut just one bamboo?”

“What do you need it for?”

“My siblings asked me to make kites for them.”

“Ohoho-. Is that so? Cut a good one and use it.”

“You have to tell me which one to cut, though.”

When he made fishing rods for Yoo Jin and Jung-won, Chun Gil-ryong had told him which bamboo to cut, saying that he couldn’t just cut any bamboo.

“It’s nothing, my friend. Don’t bother worrying about it, just cut one! Chop! And use it. Ohoho-, I feel so good today! Another one is going up to heaven today!”

“Huh? Who’s going up?”

“Ohoho-. It’s nothing-”

He was told to cut any bamboo, so he cut one that stood straight towards the sky.

While he was cutting the bamboo, Jang-gun made whimpering sounds, but it was nothing new for Jang-gun to do that whenever they came to the bamboo forest, so he ignored it.

On the way back home.

Hong Su-hyeok, who was following with one of the two divided bamboos tucked under his arm, looked up at Jinhyuk as if he had a question.

“Hyung-. Is making a kite difficult?”

“No. It’s easy.”

In the winter, he had made not only sleds but also tops and kites for Yoo Jin.

He would split the bamboo with a sickle, smooth it out, and then attach and tie the bamboo to a feed bag or calendar. When he put more effort into it, he used Korean paper.

He arrived home and took a seat far from the porch.

Hong Ki-joon’s gaze was still uncomfortable.

He was a major criminal who had stolen a precious treasure, so it was best to be cautious.

Somehow, Hong Ki-joon’s gaze was more affectionate than in the morning and more than usual, but he couldn’t know what was on his mind, so he had to be careful.

Crack-. Crack-.

The bamboo was split into even thicknesses with precise and light movements.

In the winter, he would sit on the living room floor to make them, but making kites under the huge Mongolian oak tree, away from the scorching sun of September, wasn’t bad either.

“Wow-. Our hyung is so good-”

“Hyung is good.”

“Su-hyeok, is this the first time hyung is making a kite for you?”

“Our hyung made a lot for me-”

“I’m so jealous. I wish I had a hyung like that too.”

“Hehe. I’m your hyung now.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Oh, is that so. Hong Su-hyeok was growing up repeating the words that Hong Su-jeong used to say.

He was smart, but his features were so distinct that Yoo Se-ra had started educating him early. Behavior education, that is. She had even scolded him during lunch.

– “You can’t swing that, that, that thing around like your big uncle. You said you wanted to become the chairman of a big company like your dad, right? If you swing that, that thing around carelessly, you’ll be kicked out like your big uncle, not become a chairman. You have to become a gentle and reliable man like Jinhyuk hyung.”

Well, it was a bit meddlesome, but it was something that everyone from the adults to the children understood.

Gentle and reliable…

It was a secret that Jinhyuk had shrunk back at that fierce education.

“I’ll go get some rice from the house. Wait here.”

*

Kyahahahaha-!

At the kitchen table, four women with flushed faces had already emptied two bottles of wine, and Yoo Jin was finely tearing the dried goby so it would be easy to eat.

“Huh? Su-jeong, did you drink?”

“Yee-. Ehehe. I drank a little-”

Haah-. Is the drunkard’s resurrection?

Still, Jinhyuk felt like he was walking on clouds because Hong Su-jeong was smiling happily.

There happened to be some leftover rice, so he put it in a rice bowl, and he grabbed some Korean paper from the utility room. He also took out cooking oil and colored pencils.

“Hyung, why the cooking oil?”

“Su-hyeok, I’ll explain it to you. You draw a picture on this paper-”

“With colored pencils?”

“Yeah-. If you put cooking oil on top of it, it becomes translucent. Then only the picture will be clearly visible.”

“Do you put it on right after drawing the picture?”

“No. You draw the picture, make the kite, and then put on the cooking oil.”

Thanks to Jung-won, he could focus his efforts on the kite-making process instead of explaining.

What was a multi-billionaire doing being so pathetic?

Jinhyuk had been that kind of person since he was young.

He would go fishing with the sandworms he caught with his dad, turn over mountains and reservoirs for his mom, build dams in streams for Hong Su-jeong, and poke around in the mudflats for his siblings.

Now, Jung-won and Su-hyeok should also receive that benefit.

Making memories together as much as time allowed.

Creating happiness that was only possible because they were a family that could cry and laugh together.

“Wow-. Su-hyeok, did you draw a dragonfly? You’re good at drawing. Jung-won’s butterfly is also great.”

“Ehehe-”

“Our hyung only gives compliments. He’s more like a teacher than a teacher, you know?”

Jung-won should use either Seoul dialect or the local dialect, but his language identity was going back and forth. Well, that was also his unique charm.

While his siblings were drawing, he flattened the bamboo ribs.

The bamboo, where the soft grass had become woody like a callus, was always mysterious.

The curve of the wood shavings that curled up every time he pushed with the sickle also made his heart feel at ease.

“Hyung, but what if the wind doesn’t blow?”

“We can run. Did you forget? This hyung is the fastest person in the world.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

Ehehe-.

While making kites with his siblings, Jinhyuk found his childhood innocence for the first time in a while.

‘I wish it could last forever.’

Peaceful days like his siblings’ laughter.

However, the peace didn’t last even 30 minutes.

***

In the kitchen, the three women, except for Kim Soon-bok, who was good at drinking, were swaying as if they were in sync. There were five empty bottles of wine on the table.

“Hehe-, I’m the only one who’s busy-”

Yoo Jin diligently served fruit and dried snacks, and she put water on the stove for ramen for the men who wanted something hot and spicy. She didn’t show any signs of dislike because she was happy that there were so many people.

Hong Su-jeong shook her head repeatedly, as if her body was tired from the first alcohol she had ever drunk.

She was trying to stay awake, forcing strength into her eyes that were becoming hazy with sleep.

“Hey, if you’re tired, go lie down for a bit.”

“Ehee-. I’m Hong Su-dung. I’m okay-”

Ehehehe-. I feel so good-.

She was just like Yoo Se-ra’s daughter, even her bluffing was identical.

Although she was hidden by Yoo Se-ra’s strong meddling, Han Yu-young was also someone who was not far behind when it came to meddling.

The alcohol, which she rarely drank, became two glasses, then three glasses, then a bottle as she met people she was happy to see, and she slowly began to loosen up.

“It’s not because he’s my son, but how fast was Jinhyuk since he was young? Hic-.”

Yoo Se-ra was happy to see Han Yu-young like that, so she kept encouraging her to talk.

“That’s right, he was.”

“Was it when he was twelve? No, this kid wanted to go eat pork cutlet, but he ran away for days-”

“Oh my? So, so what happened?”

“What do you mean what happened? He didn’t get caught. Ahehehehe-”

“Oh my! What should we do! Kyahahahahang-”

That’s when it happened.

Hong Su-jeong, who had been dozing off with her eyes almost closed, suddenly opened her eyes wide.

Alcohol, give me courage!

The courage to tell the truth.

‘Ooh-. Courage is rising.’

Her eyes were filled with strength.

And words that should not have been said came out.

“Oh my, Mother? Oppa was caught, you know?”

There was a moment of silence.

Yoo Se-ra and Han Yu-young, who were pondering what that meant, and Yoo Jin, who had her mouth wide open, were speechless. Only the sound of the ramen water boiling was disturbing the awkward silence.

Hong Su-jeong tilted her head.

Ah, it seems like they don’t understand. Should she explain?

She put her thumb on her four fingers that were gathered like a stick and made a circle. Mother, look here-.

Unnie, no! Yoo Jin waved her hands frantically in front of the gas stove, but Hong Su-jeong’s vision, who was drunk, was extremely limited.

Sss- was it a little bigger? She tilted her head once and made the circle bigger.

“Like this-. Hool…”

…Thud.

Oops. She came to her senses as she lowered her hand.

Han Yu-young’s eyes, which met hers, were shaking violently.

She should have just pretended to be drunk and passed out.

But it was already too late.

“How does our Su-jeong know about that?”

Han Yu-young asked, taking a breath, although she had an idea of what it was. Her jaw was slightly clenched.

Yoo Se-ra, who had sobered up, also had her eyes shining.

“Yeah. How do you know?”

Her mind had returned, but her mouth, which was controlled by alcohol, moved on its own.

“I saw it.”

Hong Su-jeong, seeing Yoo Se-ra’s gaze, had a feeling that she was doomed.

Her body was not under her control, but her mind was clear.

‘I’m screwed…’

It was almost simultaneous.

Thud-!

The three women jumped up from their seats and ran to the front door.

***

“Tada-. It’s all done.”

“Wowww-. It’s much cooler than the ones you buy!”

“This is a method that only our hyung knows. I took it to school, and all the kids asked me about it. So, I kindly taught them-”

Indeed, only the butterflies and dragonflies were visible from afar.

Even though it wasn’t as transparent as a kite made of vinyl, the translucent stingray kite made of Korean paper with cooking oil on it was great.

It also had a long tail.

“The longer the tail, the cooler it is.”

The kite string was also tied, so now all that was left was to connect it to the reel.

If there wasn’t enough wind, they could make up for it by running.

“Wait a minute, let me clean up first. Do you want to try connecting it to the reel yourself?”

“Yes!”

Jung-won and Hong Su-hyeok wiggled their butts and tied their kites and reels together.

Meanwhile, Jinhyuk gathered the wood shavings, paper scraps, and leftover rice to burn in the stove.

“Okay-, now-”

Thud-!

“Whoa! You scared me!”

Startled by the loud noise, he turned around and saw Hong Su-jeong, who had a frightened look on her face, burst out of the front door, followed by the mothers.

“Su-jeong, what-”

Jinhyuk, who had jumped up, didn’t even have time to ask before Hong Su-jeong grabbed Jinhyuk’s hand.

“Oppa! Run!”

“What, what, what is it!”

“We’re caught!”

Damn it. He should have sensed it when she was drinking.

It was even sadder because no explanation was needed.

As expected, Hong Ki-joon, who had guessed the situation without an explanation, was seen covering his forehead, and the other men, who had no idea what was going on, were looking at Jinhyuk and Hong Su-jeong.

“You little brat! I sent you to college to study! I even allowed you not to study abroad because you said you would only study hard, but what is this! What was oppa caught doing?”

Yoo Se-ra, who wasn’t even wearing shoes, was spewing venom at Hong Su-jeong.

“Honey, what’s going on?”

“Dad doesn’t need to know!”

Yoo Se-ra didn’t seem to even notice Yoo Myung-sun.

“You little rascal! You’re not working and what are you doing to young Su-jeong!”

Han Yu-young pointed a broom at Jinhyuk.

As he ran alongside Hong Su-jeong, Jinhyuk felt wronged.

He was already being treated with suspicion because of Hong Ki-joon, but now even his mother was trying to kill him.

“Why! I worked hard too! Mom, you had me when you were Su-jeong’s age too!”

“You little rascal, what are you so proud of!”

Like mother, like daughter.

Hong Su-jeong also took this opportunity to protest to her mother.

“Mom does it toooooo!”

“You, you little brat! Are you comparing yourself to me! Don’t you stop there!”

Ah, this doesn’t seem right. It had the opposite effect?

Hong Su-jeong, holding Jinhyuk’s hand, ran around the yard and the lawn, feeling a deep sense of injustice.

[Title: I Did It

Hong Su-jeong, Freshman, Department of Business Administration, 〇〇 University

It’s not like I do it every day

There are days when I don’t do it

It’s not like I’m the only one who does it

All my friends do it

Mom does it even when she’s over forty

I’m an adult too, so why can’t I do it

Mom doesn’t know how I feel at all]

It was truly chaos.

Hong Ki-joon, who had given up, shrugged and laughed, and Son Gwang-yeon, who didn’t know what it meant, thought it was a good thing since his people were running, and he smiled happily. Ooh-, my darling is also running well.

Choi Jang-hwan quietly closed his eyes and shook his head. Our Mi-kyung was also caught sneaking out when she was a freshman like Su-jeong, and she played tag with her mom.

Chun Gil-ryong and Yoo Myung-sun just emptied their glasses, pretending not to know. It was a truly good time.

“Uuup-”

“You, you, you, you-! Uuup-”

“No! It hasn’t even been a month! It’s because I drank! Mom also uuup- does it-”

There was no one who could catch Jinhyuk by running, but Hong Su-jeong was different. It was because Yoo Se-ra and Han Yu-young, who were usually trained through exercise, were not easy opponents. Besides, Han Yu-young was the mother of a track and field champion.

Jinhyuk, who was running alongside Hong Su-jeong, had to duck several times to avoid the broom.

“Su-jeong, this won’t do!”

He picked up Hong Su-jeong in a flash.

Why did they have to keep running away? He didn’t have such thoughts.

Hehehehehe-.

A crazy, happy laugh came out.

Shame and guilt were secondary, he just kept running because it was fun.

‘This won’t do. We’ll get caught like this.’

He changed the route to a course that was advantageous to him.

The uphill path leading to the back mountain.

“Su-jeong, let’s go!”

Woof woof woof-!

Grrr-!

Squeak squeak-.

The dogs, excited by the chase, followed behind.

“Su-hyeok, let’s go fly the kites!”

“Yayyy-! Our mom also flies kites with her mouth-”

The little ones, holding their kites high, also kicked off the ground with energy.

“You little brat, don’t you stop there! I’m going to shave your head bald!”

“You little rascal! You think your mom can’t catch you!”

Someone said that women are weak, but mothers are strong.

When two mothers joined forces, they became more than twice as strong.

Huff huff huff-.

Running uphill while holding the tall Hong Su-jeong made his breath catch in his throat.

Ouch-. The broom that his mom swung grazed his butt.

Hong Su-jeong, who had been struggling, got down on the ground and grabbed Jinhyuk’s hand, and they ran together.

“Oppa, run! Run if you don’t want to see your girlfriend go bald!”

Hehehehehe-.

Jinhyuk’s heavy laughter was supported by Hong Su-jeong’s clear and beautiful voice.

‘Okay, Su-jeong.’

Us, starting.

Let’s run.

==============================

Thank you to everyone who has loved 〈The Genius Decided to Live Normally〉.

We were able to run this far together.

It was such a happy journey.

Thank you. And I love you.

― Jasonson

* Following the suggestion of a reader to write the 〈Start〉 episode up to 200 chapters, the subtitle of the final episode was attached as 〈Start (200)〉.