The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 55

The end of the truly ordinary first semester was in sight, on the day before summer vacation.

After class, Jinhyuk sat on the seesaw.

Just like he used to.

‘This is like a break.’

He saw Yeom Byeongtaek in the distance, fooling around with the wrestling team members.

Jo Seulchan, who was training with the track team without a coach, waved his hand happily and approached.

“Hey, what’s our Joker Leader doing all alone? Are you chewing on loneliness? That stuff doesn’t taste good, you know?”

Jinhyuk chuckled at Jo Seulchan’s ever-bright banter.

Jo Seulchan was the first friend to rush over when Jinhyuk had caused the incident. He had cautiously asked if he was hurt and why he had fought. After hearing Jinhyuk’s explanation, Jo Seulchan was also the most furious.

‘He’s a really good kid.’

Jo Seulchan sat opposite Jinhyuk, and the two friends rode the seesaw together.

It was strange to have a seesaw when they weren’t in elementary school, but no one had questioned it for over 40 years since the school’s founding. It was just there, so they used it. Come to think of it, there was a seesaw at the private high school Jinhyuk had attended too.

While Jo Seulchan talked non-stop as they rode the seesaw, Jinhyuk briefly recalled his past life.

‘It’s hazy. It was when I was fourteen.’

There were many days when he finished delivering newspapers and sat here alone, watching people come and go through the back gate.

One day, a hunched-over grandmother had entered the school, and when she left, she was carrying a bag and a bundle of books wrapped in cloth.

Later, he heard that she had come to collect the belongings of a classmate who had committed suicide after being victimized by loan sharks. What must have been the grandmother’s feelings as she visited the school to collect her suicidal grandson’s things?

‘Why does seeing Jo Seul make me remember that?’

He remembered that back then. Sitting alone on the seesaw, reading a book, Jinhyuk had looked at the hunched-over grandmother’s back and wondered if his own back would look just as lonely.

Amidst the creaking of the seesaw, Jo Seulchan’s voice broke through Jinhyuk’s reverie.

“Jinhyuk, what are you gonna do during vacation?”

“I’ll play with my sister.”

Yujin was now 49 months old.

When he woke up early to exercise, he was often surprised to find Yujin sleeping in a frog position in front of Jinhyuk’s room on the second floor. She had clearly fallen asleep in her mother’s arms, so why was she sleeping there in the early morning?

Still, thinking of his most beloved sister in the world, Jinhyuk made happy plans. He could play with her all day during the vacation.

‘I need to teach her the animal names properly.’

She followed along well when her mom and dad taught her, but after some time, she often called them strangely. She called pigeons ‘Apdu,’ sparrows ‘Beurapsa,’ eagles ‘Neurae,’ and frogs ‘Adoreuk.’ No one had taught her that way. At first, her mother thought it was because of her father’s swearing, but she was starting to think differently.

– “I’ve been watching the kids in this neighborhood, and they all talk nonsense until they enter kindergarten.”

Thanks to the all-knowing Jo Ilheon, Jinhyuk’s family wasn’t too worried. Jinhyuk’s influence also helped his parents feel at ease. Their son had also hummed strange, unidentified songs when he was young.

‘Well, it’s enough if she’s cute and healthy.’

Yujin was a remarkable sister who never caught a cold, even though she ate dirt every day.

“Jinhyuk, can I come over to play?”

“Of course, you can. Come anytime.”

Jinhyuk smiled at Jo Seulchan. It was an unusually gentle smile.

He always spent time with his family during vacations, but wouldn’t it be good for both Jinhyuk and Jo Seulchan to make good memories by hanging out with a friend?

“They say if you answer too easily, you’ll get taken advantage of.”

“Really?”

Jinhyuk kicked the ground hard.

It was a firm punishment from a pushover.

Thud- Whoom-!

Jo Seulchan grimaced at the sudden pain in his buttocks and back.

“Aigoo-, Grandma Chani is dying-.”

How had that grandmother lived alone after that?

He had heard that she was a friend who lived alone with her grandmother because her parents were not around.

A middle school first-year student who had been used by those loan sharks in his past life, and had committed suicide by drinking pesticide.

Jinhyuk couldn’t remember his name in the end.

“What should we do when I come over?”

“Let’s swim, and fish. Let’s pick plums in the yard too. Stay for a long time.”

“Heek-, you have plums in your yard?”

“We have peaches too.”

His father had expanded the yard and planted various fruit trees around it. Apricots, plums, peaches, apples, grapes, quince, etc. It would be faster to find a fruit tree that wasn’t there. He said he liked seeing the flowers, but seeing the unripe fruits disappear every day meant someone was eating them.

“My grandma farms alone, so I can’t play for long-. Can I come over for just two days?”

“Sure. Of course, you can.”

Jo Seulchan smiled awkwardly.

He was used to being rejected by his friends, but the Joker Leader was different. He was pleased with Jinhyuk’s unreserved answer.

“What should I bring? My grandma said you shouldn’t go to someone’s house empty-handed-.”

“Bring it. If you want to sleep in the doghouse.”

Our Janggun [dog’s name] talks a lot in his sleep, you know. He even snores. Jinhyuk muttered with a blank face.

Jo Seulchan, who rarely encountered Jinhyuk’s jokes, laughed so hard he fell off the seesaw. He even rolled on the ground like Janggun, showing his belly and cackling, wondering what was so funny.

‘He’s going to dislocate his jaw.’

There was something Jo Seulchan didn’t know.

Jinhyuk was not good at jokes.

***

Jo Seulchan came to visit during the vacation.

Jinhyuk’s parents, whom he had met in Gongju, greeted Jo Seulchan warmly.

“Auntie, Uncle, have you been well?”

“Oh my, Seulchan, it’s been a while. Welcome.”

“Yes, is your grandmother healthy?”

Han Yuyoung and Son Kwangyeon also welcomed Jo Seulchan like their own son. They were already affectionate people, but they were even more so because of their son Jinhyuk’s request.

– “I want to make good memories for Seulchan. I think he likes me a lot too······.”

Jo Seulchan’s grandmother was said to make a living by farming a vegetable garden and selling the greens at the market. Even if they didn’t spend money on tutoring or academies, it would cost a considerable amount to feed and clothe her grandson, who was in his growth period. Knowing her grandmother’s hardships, Jo Seulchan was taking care of snacks and such while exercising.

‘Seulchan’s feelings are probably similar to my wishes in the past.’

He was a friend who couldn’t see his mom and dad even if he wanted to.

The difference was that Jo Seulchan was energetic.

Jinhyuk’s eyes briefly showed a tender light as he watched Jo Seulchan devour the food that filled the table.

Han Yuyoung pushed a plate of spicy pork bulgogi [Korean marinated grilled pork] towards Jo Seulchan.

She had made stir-fried octopus and boiled chicken because her son’s friend was coming to visit from the town.

“Seulchan, eat slowly and as much as you want. Your mom made a lot.”

“Cough-! Yes, Mom.”

Perhaps the word ‘Mom’ had caught in his throat, or perhaps he had choked while answering.

Jo Seulchan nodded with moist eyes.

After clearing the lunch table, Son Kwangyeon took out a Go board. A sly smile was on his lips.

“Seulchan, do you play Go [a strategic board game]?”

“No. I was going to learn if my uncle taught me-.”

Jo Seulchan was friendly, but it was not easy to learn Go in a short time. More than anything, Jo Seulchan had no talent for it. So, Son Kwangyeon and Jo Seulchan finished with a game of marbles.

“Oh-, Seulchan is good at marbles. Here! You won, so here’s ten thousand won!”

Jo Seulchan blinked as if he had never seen a ten thousand won bill before.

Only after Jinhyuk nudged him in the side did Jo Seulchan bow deeply and receive the money.

When the marble match was over and they had almost digested their food, Jinhyuk brought two water buckets and a black plastic bag. The plastic bag was filled with fist-sized rice bran bait that smelled savory.

“Seulchan, let’s go catch some loaches.”

He thought it would be good to give him a rural experience since he had come to the countryside.

While Jo Seulchan was putting on his slippers, Jinhyuk looked over his plan.

「Purpose. To encourage the healthy consumption of turbulent energy through outdoor activities」

I. Raising economic awareness through production activities and profit generation by catching and selling loaches

II. Improving physical strength through stream water play and aquatic life exploration

III. Cultivating primitive hunting experience and survival skills by collecting water chestnuts from the reservoir

IV. Fostering friendship and courage through night hiking

V. Consuming famine relief crops and explaining their historical background

Note. In case of rain, indoor physical training (push-ups, full-body twists······ 5 sets of 50 each)

It was a perfect plan to spend two days meaningfully. Even though it was written with a pen instead of a PPT, a smile naturally formed at his undiminished planning skills.

“Let’s go-!”

Yujin grabbed Jo Seulchan’s hand and followed behind her brother. Jo Seulchan, wearing pink mom’s slippers with closed toes, carefully stepped on the rice paddy ridges.

“Aren’t the loaches all dead from the pesticides?”

“They don’t use pesticides in our neighborhood.”

Rice paddy loaches were usually caught before the rainy season.

The reason was simple. Once the rainy season and the heat began, pests would become rampant, so they would use pesticides. So, they caught them before that. When pesticides were used, fish with their bodies bent into a ‘ㄱ’ shape would float on the rice paddies. However, rice paddies that did not use pesticides were an exception.

“How do you farm without using pesticides?”

“They use something called enzymes, which prevent pests but are harmless to animals.”

“That’s strange-.”

Son Kwangyeon had developed several enzymes and was testing them in various rice paddies. At first, he only used them in the rice paddies where they grew rice for the family, but when the effects were proven, he gradually increased production and was now teaching the manufacturing method to other farmers. The advantage was that it cost almost nothing to manufacture because it was made with readily available materials, but strangely, the other men in the neighborhood would sigh, saying they couldn’t make it properly.

Jo Seulchan nodded, seeing the crucian carp flapping in the rice paddies and the black snails covering the ground. It was more concrete visual data than Jinhyuk’s explanation.

“There really aren’t any pesticide bottles around here? If you take those to the pesticide store, they give you 300 won each-.”

It was new information for Jinhyuk, who didn’t have a hobby of collecting empty bottles.

Wasn’t it 10 won for a soju bottle, 20 won for a cola bottle, and 30 won for a beer bottle? One pesticide bottle was worth ten times that.

“They’re coated like sunglasses, so they’re expensive.”

It was a field Jinhyuk didn’t know about, so he just thought, ‘I guess so,’ at Jo Seulchan’s explanation.

“I’m not sure either. It’s not accurate.”

Jo Seulchan didn’t forget to leave room for escape.

“Oh, oh, Yujin might slip. Stick close to Seulchan, okay?”

“Yes, ehehe-.”

Jo Seulchan didn’t forget to take care of Yujin as he walked along the narrow rice paddy path.

A little girl wearing a straw hat for children and flower-patterned boots followed behind her brothers. Janggun followed Yujin’s tail, looking around as if he was guarding her.

Jinhyuk went into the rice paddy and pulled up a small fish trap.

It was a fish trap that was shorter and thicker than an adult man’s thigh.

Flap flap flap-!

The fish inside the trap were in a frenzy.

There were loaches, minnows, snails, and crucian carp.

“Heek-, there’s a lot in there?”

Jo Seulchan’s jaw dropped as he watched the loaches being poured into the bucket.

Jinhyuk skillfully emptied the fish trap, put in the prepared perilla seed cake bait, and then put the trap back into the rice paddy.

“Give it to me. I’ll do it.”

After watching a few times, Jo Seulchan took the fish trap, poured out the wriggling loaches, and then put in a fist-sized bait as Jinhyuk had done, before handing it back to Jinhyuk.

“Wow-. This is fun-. Does Jinhyuk do this every day?”

“No. I usually don’t do it when it’s hot.”

‘He’s doing this for my fun.’ Jo Seulchan muttered almost inaudibly, and then he was silent for a moment. He wasn’t smart, but he was perceptive. He seemed to see his friend’s heart. Well, there was no way a guy who had built such a big house and lived without any shortages would do this every day.

“Come over here. I’ll pull it up.”

“Okay.”

Jo Seulchan took off his slippers and went into the rice paddy.

Jinhyuk sat on the rice paddy ridge for a while, holding Yujin and resting.

His head wasn’t hot thanks to the straw hat, but his back was too hot.

“Is our baby cool?”

“Yes, ehehe-. Oppa, you’re good at fanning, right?”

It was when Jinhyuk took off his hat and fanned Yujin.

“Kyaaaaaa-. Heodeodeodeodeodeo-.”

Wooreoworewol-!

Jo Seulchan’s scream, which was close to an ultrasonic wave, echoed, and Janggun responded in surprise.

Jo Seulchan was floundering in the rice paddy as if he had seen a ghost. Every time he floundered, the densely and freshly grown rice plants danced.

Startled by the sudden situation, Jinhyuk narrowed his eyes and looked for the cause.

‘Ah, a water snake.’

A brown water snake, close to the color of ocher, had escaped from the fish trap and was swimming away leisurely. It was thin and long, and it looked elegant as it swam, constantly making an S-shape with its head above the water.

Jo Seulchan wiped the mud off his face. His eyes were utterly blank.

“Jinhyuk······.”

“What’s wrong?”

Jinhyuk gritted his teeth at the sight of him covered in mud and sprawled out. He was being considerate, not laughing outright so that Jo Seulchan wouldn’t feel bad.

Jo Seulchan looked like he was about to burst into tears.

“I, I peed. It’s water anyway, so it doesn’t matter, right? You’ll keep it a secret from Mom and Dad, right?”

“Ugh-huh-. Keuhuk!”

Tears fell from Jinhyuk’s eyes as he nodded vigorously without even opening his mouth. Jinhyuk enjoyed life because there was someone who made him laugh like this sometimes.

But it wasn’t enough to just cover Jinhyuk’s mouth.

Short-armed Son Yujin pointed at Jo Seulchan.

“Ehehe-. You peed? You didn’t wear a diaper? Ehehehehehehe-.”

Ah, Yujin.

Disappointment clouded Jo Seulchan’s face.

Woof! Wooreowol!

Janggun was also wagging his tail, as if he was teasing him too.

Afraid that his friend would be hurt, Jinhyuk didn’t laugh in the end and bit his lip until it bled.