The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 60

‘It’s just soft and doesn’t seem to have any effect.’

The headache was still there.

For a moment, I suspected Yujin might have some fantastic ability, but it seems it was just a fantastic imagination after all.

Honestly, it was a bit disappointing.

‘Is this what they call adolescent delusion?’

I fully woke up and regained my senses. It really must have been time for me to get better, and as expected, the night has a way of making you overthink.

Jinhyuk chuckled and brushed it off.

What’s impossible in imagination? In my delusions, it’s even possible that I got better because of the drool Hong Sujeong left while sleeping.

‘This kid is so wet, it’s ridiculous.’

Hong Sujeong has a habit of drooling when she sleeps. I’ve witnessed it quite a few times when we’ve taken flights together for business trips or training.

‘My mind is just filling up with delusions and random thoughts.’

The shoulders of someone thrown alone into a world full of mysterious phenomena couldn’t possibly feel light. Trying to worry alone without anyone to confide in, the headache is no joke either.

‘Still, it feels good to hold my sister.’

Holding Yujin, I went to the refrigerator and opened the door.

It’s hard to call her a baby now, but anyway, babies are curious. Even now, she’s reaching her short arms towards the refrigerator.

“Yujin, that’s soy sauce.”

“……”

Yujin, for some reason, isn’t repeating my words. That look in her eyes, as if she’s disappointed, must be my imagination.

I took a swig straight from the heavy glass bottle of barley tea, which was showing off its golden hue.

‘Kuh-uh-, is this my esophagus!’

The coldness swept down to my stomach. It was a chill that allowed me to track the barley tea’s path in real-time.

I even felt like I had grown taller, as if it really was growing pains. My workout pants had become shorter in just a few days, revealing my ankle bones.

Jinhyuk stood against the wall and measured his height.

Even if it wasn’t exact, it was possible to compare it to his previous height.

‘I grew 5cm in ten days?’

Is this a plant? Jinhyuk muttered like a crazy person.

A plant-human? No, this is weird. Is this a plant-based human?

Compared to my past life, this is a growth spurt that’s five years too early.

Huh-, I let out a sigh.

‘I need to buy some clothes.’

But it didn’t seem like I would grow this much often.

This was also based on a hunch, and it felt like it had gone beyond the realm of intuition.

While Jinhyuk was surprised by his height, the fathers were exclaiming for a different reason.

“Wow, Jinhyuk’s on the arm, right? He’s exactly on the arm now?”

Son Gwangyeon and Hong Gijun, who were watching the TV broadcast, were surprised by South Korea’s overall ranking.

But Jinhyuk knew. By tomorrow morning, there would be another gold medal in the marathon, and South Korea would rise to 7th place. He didn’t know the overall ranking, but the result of the marathon, which had a single gold medal at stake, was very famous.

‘This is going to be a bust…’

Jinhyuk, who often felt hungry because he was a light eater, drank the lukewarm milk on the table, using his disappointment as a side dish. It seemed like Hong Sujeong had left it unfinished, and it was very lukewarm.

Wait, but if no one gets it right, what happens to the bet?

Son Gwangyeon raised the same question as Jinhyuk.

“Then we go with the closest guess.”

Hong Gijun casually tossed out the answer.

Hong Gijun’s words made Jinhyuk’s head even more complicated.

If they end up in 7th place, between 6th and 8th, who would be the winner, Dad or Jinhyuk?

“We can go by the number of medals.”

The current 7th place was Hungary. They had the same number of gold medals as South Korea, 11, but their total medal count was 30, which was 2 more. So, if Hwang Young-jo wins the gold medal as in the original history, South Korea would rise to 7th place with 12 gold medals…

Jinhyuk quickly checked the total medal count of the 6th place country.

Spain, 22.

‘That’s it! Is this my victory?’

When Hong Gijun suggested the bet, Jinhyuk briefly suspected him of being a regressor [a person who has returned to the past]. The conversation at the schoolyard and the way he got the Olympic rankings wrong made that suspicion almost disappear. But intuition doesn’t only activate based on evidence.

The content of the conversation he overheard from the adults was enough to raise suspicion.

Hong Gijun’s success was faster than before. No, it was an understatement to say it was fast. His progress was beyond that.

‘I heard he’s already a CEO.’

Jinhyuk doesn’t remember exactly what his past actions were like.

Jinhyuk wasn’t the type to dedicate his life to the company and be loyal to the owner. He only had a brief history of the company in his head. Nevertheless, Jinhyuk’s senses diagnosed that Hong Gijun’s current growth was definitely faster than before.

‘Isn’t it more than 10 years faster?’

Like Yu Sera said, is it possible that the achievements he made like crazy for a few years are encompassing 100 years? If the saying that living a month like 10 years means anything, then it’s definitely possible.

The same goes for Yu Sera. Someone who would only turn their attention to basic physical education after the 2002 World Cup is already showing interest. It wasn’t hard to guess that Hong Gijun was behind it.

Anyway, Jinhyuk’s intuition was still suspicious of Hong Gijun.

‘He’s like a reservoir of ice, that man.’

From afar, he looks solid, but he’s like an opaque ice that could break and swallow a person at any moment.

It was an ominous chill.

That chill faintly warmed the breathing hole above my head.

*

Anyway.

The world is the same, but the history of the people Jinhyuk knew has changed too much.

‘That guy Yoon Seong-dong and the delinquent circle guys also disappeared from school. Is it all because of me?’

As I meddled with things, the world I knew changed.

There’s no other way to explain it.

‘I hate puberty. I really hate it. Someone, please buy my puberty.’

Since some time ago, it hasn’t been easy to focus on just one issue in a peaceful state.

Jinhyuk quietly went inside himself.

‘Eating well, exerting strength, and growing rapidly. That’s all good. But it’s like my hormones are being secreted too much, and my head is noisy.’

The tension of the internal and external heat clashing at the border of my skull, like weapons colliding, instantly traveled down my facial bones and even tickled my lower jaw.

All I need is physical growth, and my brain is reasonably usable. So, it would be nice if my body just grew and my brain was left alone, but it seems things in the world don’t always go as you want.

I fell asleep early and woke up, and now I couldn’t fall back asleep. I spent time thinking about various things while listening to the fathers’ conversation. Jinhyuk hugged the mumbling Yujin and laid back down.

“Shibeb nim tando nadiseukab apeu nedrakeudareute i heuko apeu nedrakeumareupe…jiyo?”

But what is Yujin saying? I don’t know what language it is, and the intonation is unfamiliar. Was it Jo Ilheon who said that Yujin, being a baby in this neighborhood, would babble until she entered kindergarten?

‘Huh-, that’s amazing.’

Listening to Yujin’s sleep talk, sleepiness washed over me.

I soon stepped into the realm of dreams.

It was a dream where I was having an educated conversation with Yujin.

‘Bakeuseullik biyul saseuajoseu abib seuinipeudete-jiyo?’

‘There are two bottles of sweet soy sauce in the refrigerator?’

‘You’ll give them to Yujin, right?’

‘Yujin, roreuballok abib gideuege akeuse gaejeu, geunilkseulla nimeu.’

Ehehe-.

Dreaming a happy dream, Yujin giggled.

It was a dream of riding on her brother’s back and playing in a sea of sweet soy sauce.

***

It was already past dawn, and the time was approaching morning.

Amidst the familiar sound of insects chirping beyond the mosquito net, Hong Gijun proudly said to Son Gwangyeon.

“We’ve decided to acquire Daeo Communications.”

“Such a big company? Wasn’t it quite solid? But suddenly an acquisition without any news?”

“I did some work.”

“Not some scheming, I hope?”

The two men chuckled quietly, careful not to wake the three children sleeping sprawled in the living room.

“Actually, they had a lot of debt. Enough to shake the entire group.”

“So you made a deal.”

As expected, he understood without needing a long explanation. Hong Gijun nodded with a pleased expression, looking at his friend.

“Even if I asked you to come and help, you’d refuse, right?”

“I don’t have any experience in social life, and now I’m just a simple farmer.”

“All the ordinary guys are dead.”

He was a valuable talent, but knowing his friend’s stubbornness, Hong Gijun had just brought it up. Of course, it would be a great help if he did, but he had no intention of dragging his friend, who was living in hiding, back into the world. It was also safer for him to be in the countryside.

“If Sujeong’s dad does well, we can raise and use our son.”

Drinking the lukewarm barley tea that had been taken out of the refrigerator a while ago, Hong Gijun looked around for Jinhyuk, his eyes darting around. The boy, who seemed to have no care for puberty, was curled up like a shrimp, sleeping soundly with the two little ones nestled in his arms.

“If Jinhyuk says he’ll marry our daughter, I’ll think about it.”

“Let’s not even joke about that. Those are things the kids decide.”

“What’s wrong with our daughter?-”

Hong Gijun, who was about to get angry, quickly controlled his vocal cords. He was checking to see if the children were awake.

Son Gwangyeon turned his gaze to the family photo hanging on the wall.

“You never know about fate.”

Hong Gijun also had no choice but to agree with his old friend.

You never know about fate or connections. Just looking at Son Gwangyeon, he was living in a rural area with no connections.

Even in summer, the early morning in the countryside was cool. Yujin was sleeping in her brother’s arms, and Hong Sujeong was snuggling into the gap like a nursing puppy.

‘It’s peaceful.’

Hong Gijun, appreciating the pastoral scene the children were presenting, realized that his friend, who had spent a lonely childhood, had finally found peace.

‘Yeah, this is what this guy dreamed of, living like this.’

Son Gwangyeon broke Hong Gijun’s reverie, who had momentarily escaped the harsh life of the city.

“Hey, but do you really like our son? He’s just an ordinary country kid.”

Why don’t you just say all the ordinary guys are dead?

He knew, but he still asked.

‘Like him? I like him a lot.’

What fourteen-year-old could show such boldness, not being confused even after causing a major accident? And what about his personality? I thought he was shy, but it turned out he was just holding back his words to avoid unnecessary talk. Yet, he takes care of the little ones who follow him so much. Even the dog.

I felt like I had seen the person correctly.

‘Just grow up quickly.’

No, live happily and grow slowly. Looking back, that time was the best.

Well, he already seems taller than an adult, though.

It was when Hong Gijun’s gaze, as if walking in a dream, was vaguely looking at Jinhyuk.

Jinhyuk, who was curled up and sleeping in the dark, shivered from the cold.

His two arms were restrained by the little ones, but somehow, the blanket had risen up to his chest.

The sight of the blanket rising up on its own and covering the children made Hong Gijun’s eyes roll back. It felt like the blood was draining from his head.

‘Did I drink too much?’

With wide eyes, he looked around at the unfamiliar silence.

Looking at his friend, who was dozing off while sitting, he saw that Son Gwangyeon was asleep.

As if someone had turned up the volume, the TV caster’s voice suddenly became louder.

[Hwang Young-jo! Hwang Young-jo! South Korea’s Hwang Young-jo is entering the Montjuïc Stadium in the lead! What a moving moment! The hero of Montjuïc! Hwang Young-jo!]

Hong Gijun clenched his fists and smiled contentedly with his eyes reddened.

Guwooo-.

He let out a long burp and wrinkled his nose at the sour smell.

He had drunk a lot of makgeolli [Korean rice wine] all night.

It was only because it was Son Gwangyeon’s house that he could drink so much that his nose was crooked.

*

The fathers, with the morning birdsong as their music, sat on the porch with a Go board between them.

Hong Gijun pointed to a persimmon tree in the distance. At the place his hand pointed, dozens of sparrows were fluttering about, repeatedly landing on the tree and then on the ground.

“Why do those sparrows only do that on that tree?”

“How would I know? Every year, every month, every day, they only do that on that tree. There’s no exception even in winter. Is it their hideout or something?”

A hideout.

Hong Gijun rested his chin on his hand and stretched his neck out. Below, the rice paddies, waterways, and streams were visible, and behind, the bus route and the distant Gubong Mountain could be seen over the hill.

To the east was the forest leading to the town, and to the west was the sea.

It was cozy.

‘I’m a sparrow too.’

It was a cozy and safe place.

He scanned the surroundings once more, as if appreciating the scenery.

Where could Team Leader Yang be?