The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 58

It was when I arrived home after finishing the sacred Mya-Mya experiment.

“Ugh-”

“What’s wrong?”

Son Gwang-yeon looked at Jinhyuk with concern as he let out a groan while getting out of the car.

Sudden pain had come to Jinhyuk, who had been happy every day.

It was pain that could be dismissed as a minor hardship compared to his past life, but it was by no means light.

‘My back.’

He had only gotten out of the car, but he couldn’t straighten his back.

***

It’s the hot season.

The homeowner’s yard has a very hard dirt floor, a wooden platform, and a large zelkova tree that provides shade. It means it’s a very cool and dog-friendly environment. Janggun is a smart dog, so he knows this too.

Woof-.

The doghouse, made of wood when the house was rebuilt a few years ago, is also quite comfortable.

However, Janggun’s favorite place is somewhere else.

The furrow between the yard and the field. It was originally the place Janggun used as a toilet. After observing people, Janggun also designated a place to do his business, as he only processed his poop in one place. Then, suddenly, a new sprout appeared and a tree grew.

It was an acorn tree.

Janggun remembers exactly where that tree came from.

Maybe… it was before three winters had passed.

Or was it?

Janggun vaguely remembers where that tree came from.

It must have been when the child, who is now incredibly big, was as small as the yellowish dog of Choi Meong-meong, a female friend across the big field. Well, he was bigger than Janggun even then, but anyway. The child put acorns in his food bowl back then.

Perhaps feeling sorry, he filled it with smelly and delicious things on top of them.

Janggun looked up at the acorn tree with a wistful sniff.

…The acorn that explored Janggun’s body sprouted after a few winters.

‘Woof-.’

– I wrapped the acorn tree.

Or did I give birth to it? I’ve never given birth to anything, so I don’t know the exact expression. Well, a dog might not know.

A dog toilet. In other words, a dog poop field. There’s nothing as toxic as dog poop, but this crazy acorn tree is even more toxic. They say life is good even if you roll in a dog poop field, so is it the same for plants? Is this what they call strong vitality? The acorn tree that took root in the dog poop field bore fruit even in the middle of winter.

I heard that a guy named Jjong in the neighboring village uses a magnolia tree as a toilet, and that tree also bloomed in winter. Since we can’t communicate, I don’t know how the tree feels. But Janggun thought.

‘Woof.’

– It’s more toxic than my poop, I lost.

So Janggun changed his toilet to another place. The homeowner’s child doesn’t seem to like it very much, though.

Grrr-, Hehe-heck-?

No, what’s wrong with a dog pooping in the yard? Is it or isn’t it?

In the winter, he played with my poop with a shovel, saying he was playing golf. Anyway, humans.

Anyway, except for sleeping and playing time, I decided to live under the acorn tree. It was a sign of loyalty to the victor. Thus, the acorn tree became the second victor recognized by Janggun.

The first is the homeowner’s son, but this guy cut his hair short and suddenly started running faster than Janggun. Maybe he was just letting me win all this time.

Janggun thought that having short hair made you run faster.

But when you think about it, that wasn’t it either. As the season started to get warmer, the lady of the house trimmed Janggun’s fur, but Janggun’s speed didn’t improve.

Back in the day, when the legendary chicken Johnson had all his feathers plucked, he couldn’t even move a step, let alone show off his extreme speed. So that means there’s another secret besides fur.

Grrr-.

Janggun carefully observed the homeowner’s son. Then he realized.

That’s it, the bald spot on the back of his head was the secret.

So Janggun rubs the back of his head on the dirt floor today too.

Hehe-heck-.

Grow, bald spot.

Oh, so refreshing, dog.

Thump-, footsteps are heard.

Heavy yet cheerful footsteps, it’s the homeowner’s uncle.

The homeowner’s son hasn’t been seen lately.

He does show up sometimes, but he doesn’t run like he used to, and he doesn’t give me food either.

He’s changed…

Looking at the way he walks, it’s awkward, similar to when the son of the owner of Merry’s house in the inner village broke his horn. I think his name was Yuk-wal-wal.

Did the homeowner’s uncle’s son break his too?

These bipedal males.

***

‘My body must be growing more.’

Is this what they call growing pains?

My back was one thing, but all the joints in my body ached and itched.

‘I thought I was used to pain, but this time it’s unfamiliar.’

It was too much for Jinhyuk to go up and down his room, so he stayed in the living room.

He refrained from external activities except for occasionally opening the living room glass door, calling Janggun, and petting Janggun when he came running.

Even when his childhood friend came to play during vacation, he had to build friendship while lying down in the living room.

“Jinhyuk, did that friend leave?”

Choi Mikyung, a teenager, showed a cautious demeanor because they had been distant for a while during the semester.

However, a few conversations were enough to readjust. Perhaps that’s what friends are like.

“You know, there’s a kid in my class who lives in Chowon Villa, and she’s such a fake? She’s not like that in front of the teacher, but when we’re alone, she swears and her skirt- are you listening?”

Jinhyuk only repeated ‘I see’ before losing consciousness.

His friend’s clear voice, like the sound of wind chimes, was more effective than any painkiller.

“They’re saying to come to church because the summer bible school is going to the beach. No, we have a clean beach in our neighborhood, why would I go to church for that- are you sleeping?”

Choi Mikyung, a teenager, sat in front of Jinhyuk, who had fallen asleep, and only diligently tucked her hair behind her ear before leaving. She had developed a new habit of occasionally clearing her throat, ‘ahem-‘.

Although he couldn’t see her off, Jinhyuk was happy even though he was in pain because he had a friend who came to visit.

On days when Choi Mikyung didn’t come, Choi Taeyang came.

“Jinhyuk-! Wrestle-.”

“Ehehe-. Oppa Yujin is sick, right? You’re not playing with Yujin, right?”

“Really? That iron man is sick?”

“Hyung, you’re good at piggybacking, right?”

“Huh?”

Yujin was bored because her mom had put up an iron wall to prevent her from bothering her sick brother.

Choi Taeyang came to wrestle but ended up carrying Yujin around the neighborhood.

Even after playing with Yujin, he wasn’t free.

“Wouldn’t it get better if someone who exercises massages him? Uh- it’s hot.”

It was because of what Son Gwang-yeon muttered while brushing Janggun’s fur.

“Does this feel cool?”

“No. I don’t feel anything. My knees feel cool.”

“That’s strange. Even though I put my weight on it, it doesn’t feel soft. Did you put an iron plate inside your skin?”

What are they saying? The siblings were saying strange things, competing with each other. Still, Jinhyuk wasn’t bored because he had the Choi siblings.

It was when Choi Taeyang, who had massaged Jinhyuk until his hands were numb, was leaving the house.

Yujin jumped around like a cheerleader.

“Hyung, are you coming tomorrow too? You piggybacked Yujin, right? Hyung is tall, so it’s fun, right? Yujin said thank you, right? Ehehe, thank you, hyung?”

Ah, Yujin.

Choi Taeyang glanced at Jinhyuk as if asking for help, but Jinhyuk turned his head away and ignored him.

“Ahaha-, Yujin is good at talking short and long…”

Who could refuse Yujin’s eyes?

Choi Taeyang was bothered by those eyes and came every day. He asked his mother to make a baby carrier out of mosquito netting, saying he was worried that Yujin would get hot.

Jinhyuk was happy that Yujin was having fun even without her brother.

Jo Ilheon, the know-it-all, gave him green pills that looked like goat droppings, saying they were a panacea. Just in case, he put them in his mouth, but they just tasted like grass.

‘Are these real goat droppings?’

Ew-spit-spit-.

A thick, green liquid shot out like a poison dart.

***

Around the time the Barcelona Olympics were ending, Hong Gijun’s family came to visit.

Jinhyuk had improved a lot, so he stood up to greet the guests.

It was an earlier visit than usual, and Jinhyuk and Son Gwang-yeon guessed that Hong Gijun had come in a hurry because of a bet.

But that wasn’t it.

“I forced him to come because I was worried that Sujeong’s dad would collapse while working.”

Hong Gijun said he had a lot of things going on.

He also added that he was living a month like ten years.

“My goodness, Jinhyuk seems even bigger than at graduation?”

“Oppa, what did you eat to get so big? You look bigger than my dad.”

Yu Sera and Hong Sujeong made the same expression. They had the eyes of a cat surprised by something.

You grow if you exercise, eat well, and sleep well, but how do I explain this?

Jinhyuk thought back to Hong Sujeong in the past.

‘A little kid.’

Let’s stop thinking about it.

“Oppa, oppa! I also do the yo-da-ju-nun-ki [a type of exercise] and do-ging [jogging]? And, uh, uh, this, uh, ballet too, uh, uh-.”

Well, it sounded like she was doing all sorts of things.

Jinhyuk patted Hong Sujeong’s head as a sign of praise and then carefully examined the little one’s mouth. Why was this proud kid making a lisping, nasal sound? I remember her being kind but not the type to act cute when sober.

‘She lost her front teeth. She looks like she needs dentures.’

I was curious how she would eat. Jinhyuk barely held back his laughter, his face turning red.

There are differences in growth rates, so I guess that’s how it is, but Hong Sujeong’s case seemed a bit late. Don’t baby teeth usually fall out around 7 or 8 years old? Even though Jinhyuk had no experience with childcare, he thought it was a personal difference and moved on.

Anyway, she was cute. She was so cute that he unconsciously grabbed Hong Sujeong’s cheeks and sang a serenade.

“The toothless troublemaker- don’t go to the stream-. The baby crucian carp will be surprised-.”

“You!”

“Ouch!”

Hong Sujeong punched Jinhyuk in the solar plexus.

It was a great hit with both emotion and weight. As expected, her skills were comparable to a special forces soldier.

“Dad always sings that song every day-. Don’t make fun of me-.”

Although she threw a spicy punch, Hong Sujeong only sulked and didn’t act spiteful.

Jinhyuk patted her head once more as an apology and slowly sat on the sofa.

It was nice to see the bright and cheerful little one, but his expression was distorted by the pain rising from his back.

He slowly lowered himself, supporting his weight on the armrest.

Seeing Jinhyuk’s appearance, Yu Sera’s face darkened.

“Jinhyuk, are you sick somewhere? Are you hurt? Is it because Sujeong hit you just now?”

“Kuhh-.”

Jinhyuk closed his mouth because he had unknowingly made an old man’s dying sound.

He had to be satisfied with just waving his hand to signal that he was okay.

“He says his back feels like it’s breaking, but the hospital doesn’t know what’s wrong. Even acupuncture only helps for a little while.”

Kind Son Gwang-yeon stepped in, speaking for Jinhyuk, who had his lips tightly shut.

When he got out of the car after dropping off Jo Seulchan, he thought it was because he was startled by something. Son Gwang-yeon had also experienced that when the temperature or humidity changed rapidly while working on the farm.

However, when his son, who had never been seriously ill, couldn’t get out of bed the next day, Son Gwang-yeon and Han Yu-young made a fuss. He couldn’t even do his favorite running or hiking.

Since he couldn’t bend his back comfortably, Son Gwang-yeon was taking care of Janggun’s food instead.

“Shouldn’t you go to a big hospital? Like a university hospital. Isn’t there a university hospital in Cheonan?”

“We’ve been everywhere. It’s gotten a lot better after about ten days, so we’re just resting and watching.”

They had gone back and forth between the town and neighboring city medical centers and had even received heat packs and acupuncture at the oriental medicine clinic.

Fortunately, it had gradually improved over the past few days, so they were just watching.

“Let this auntie take a look.”

Oh, this auntie!

Yu Sera suddenly lifted Jinhyuk’s shirt without warning.

“Oh-, look at those muscles. How can a human body be like this?”

That’s not the point right now! Jinhyuk wanted to argue, but he just closed his eyes tightly.

While Yu Sera was examining his back, he quietly turned his back.

It meant that since she was going to look anyway, she should look comfortably.

“Does it hurt if I press here?”

“No.”

She pressed a few places, but there was no pain.

Yu Sera nodded and muttered to herself as if talking to herself.

“This seems like that.”

“That? What is that?”

Son Gwang-yeon quickly asked back, full of hope.

Yu Sera had been quirky since she was young, but she was also intelligent, so maybe she could help.

“Growing pains.”

“What’s that?”

“I learned about it while studying youth sports-.”

Until the 20th century, there weren’t many teenagers who openly experienced growing pains. However, if nutrition and exercise are supported, they experience explosive growth, and these children’s growth plates are almost always open. In the process, energy consumption increases, and they suffer like a fever, she explained.

‘No, what is she talking about? I don’t have a fever.’

Jinhyuk, Son Gwang-yeon, and Han Yu-young. They were speechless.

It was because of Yu Sera’s expression, which was so proud of herself. Her words sounded plausible, but the symptoms were so different.

Hong Gijun, who was holding Yujin and chanting ‘dung-gae-dung-gae-ya’ [a lullaby] with a gentle face, closed his eyes like a monk in meditation.

“You know, listen more. So, what I mean is that the speed at which the joints grow- the muscles, and, uh, the nerves too-.”

Human intelligence Yu Sera started to stutter and make errors.

Someone needs to stop her.

‘Where have I seen that look before?’

It was a strangely familiar scene. Jinhyuk’s gaze, which had been tilting, caught Hong Sujeong.

The toothless little one was gaping and looking up at her mother proudly.

She’s a Yu, so she’s really knowledgeable. As expected, she’s my mom.