The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 66

“Morning meal done, about to leave the house—the brilliant sunlight embraces me.”

Perhaps it was thanks to his settled thoughts, Jinhyeok hummed a song he didn’t usually sing.

“The general is coming down—the general is coming down.”

He sang endlessly until he reached his destination, and many of the songs were ones that hadn’t yet been released to the world.

Janggun followed Jinhyeok, who was babbling strange songs.

‘Maybe it’s because it’s the first time, but I feel a bit nervous.’

His steps were light and fearless, but the anxiety that naturally accompanies facing a stranger kept pace with him.

‘Should I go in?’ He hesitated for a moment.

Past Lee Hae-won’s corner store and deeper than Yuk Seong-chan’s house, there was a small tiled house on a hill where a cemetery once stood. At first glance, it resembled a shrine of a prestigious family.

On both sides of the gate, long bamboo poles were adorned with white, red, yellow, blue, and black flags, and a piece of paper with scribbled writing was attached to the gate.

‘Well, it’s hard to read, but it must be auspicious words.’

The old man, Mr. Cheon, who lived in this house, was like a living national treasure who painted folding screens or fans, but because his works were expensive and there were few buyers, he now lived by cultivating a vegetable garden.

Of course, the reason Jinhyeok came was different.

Mr. Cheon was known as a baksu [male shaman]. However, he was said to be different from shamans who performed rituals or told fortunes. He was an elder who gave words of blessing and received drinks and meals when there were important events in the village. Still, there were rumors that he had quite remarkable abilities. Choi Mi-kyung’s grandmother had said something similar.

He had never received a divine calling, nor did he serve ghosts, but the villagers, not knowing how else to describe him, simply called him a shaman.

He also gave names for free, and there were few children who hadn’t received a name from Mr. Cheon. Choi Tae-yang’s name was also given by this old man.

The reason Jinhyeok came was simple.

‘They said he’s so powerful he can see ghosts.’

Squeak-.

While he was hesitating, the gate opened from the inside.

Jinhyeok gasped. He hadn’t made a sound, yet he was greeted.

The old man was wearing a yellowish hemp robe and a tanggeon [a traditional Korean hat], and he was as tall as a totem pole with piercing eyes. His gray hair and beard made him look more like a Taoist immortal.

‘He looks more like Gandalf than Gandalf.’

Jinhyeok bowed his head lightly, but the old man turned away abruptly.

“If you’ve come, come in. Leave the dog outside.”

The old man’s smooth turn and concise words were very well-matched.

Although he was inwardly surprised by the sudden appearance, Jinhyeok followed the old man over the threshold.

Janggun sat with his back turned, pretending not to care. It wasn’t that he understood the words, but rather he seemed indifferent. He had the poise of a queen surveying her territory from a high place. Though, why he hid his tail was a mystery.

The seaside Gandalf, sitting with a folding screen behind him, offered Jinhyeok a seat.

As Jinhyeok sat facing him, unexpected words flowed from him.

“So, the one who caused my brother’s death has come.”

“Excuse me?”

What on earth was he talking about?

Before Jinhyeok could even be bewildered, the old man pushed a teacup in front of Jinhyeok.

“When your parents settled in this village, my brother tried to dissuade them.”

Filling the teacup, Cheon Gil-ryong began to speak.

Jinhyeok was seeing Cheon Gil-ryong for the first time, yet he was suddenly talking about his brother. He was dumbfounded, but he listened quietly.

Cheon Gil-ryong’s brother, Cheon Gi-ryung, was more famous than his younger brother.

When Son Gwang-yeon and Han Yu-young drifted in, Cheon Gi-ryung advised them to build their house elsewhere, as the site was extremely ominous.

It was a suggestion without any force, and perhaps it was because he was just an old man giving advice, or perhaps the young people dismissed it as superstition. Son Gwang-yeon did not change the site.

In fact, it would be more accurate to say that they couldn’t move the site.

Son Gwang-yeon and Han Yu-young had nothing, so they simply built a mud house on the land that Choi Jang-hwan had given them. They were in no position to listen to a fortune teller who spoke his mind without considering their circumstances.

Anyway, Cheon Gi-ryung warned them.

– ‘If you build a house here, people will die.’

Even after the house was built, he went to warn them.

– “Tear it down and at least change the direction. You’ll have a funeral within 10 years.”

At the time, Han Yu-young was pregnant, so Son Gwang-yeon couldn’t heed his words.

Listening to Cheon Gil-ryong’s explanation, Jinhyeok felt a chill run down his spine.

In his previous life, things had turned out as Cheon Gi-ryung had said.

But what did he mean by saying that Cheon Gi-ryung died because of him?

“My brother risked his life to reveal the secrets of heaven to save those young ones, but your parents didn’t listen. And there wasn’t a funeral within 10 years either.”

Cheon Gil-ryong closed his eyes and stroked his beard.

“My brother paid the price with his life.”

It was a story straight out of a Korean ghost tale.

Even if the same thing happened again, Jinhyeok would have saved his parents, but he felt sorry about Cheon Gi-ryung’s situation. After all, it meant that Cheon Gi-ryung had died because he had saved his parents.

“There’s no need to feel sorry. He was old enough anyway, and if he died saving young people, then he died a good death.”

It was a shocking story for Jinhyeok. But Cheon Gil-ryong just had a casual expression.

“When did he pass away…?”

“He passed away the day you went out to the sea and made the moon.”

Cheon Gil-ryong’s eyes narrowed.

According to Cheon Gil-ryong, Cheon Gi-ryung had watched the flashlights busily moving on the mudflats with pity, and then he laughed heartily when he saw Jinhyeok spinning the fire can.

– “It’s done! It’s done!”

He added that he was as happy as a child.

Maintaining a serious expression, Jinhyeok asked,

“But there wasn’t a funeral in the village at that time?”

“The spirits just go up to heaven. There’s no funeral. That old man quietly went into the sea.”

That was how Cheon Gi-ryung paid the price for revealing the secrets of heaven.

“Elder, I don’t understand.”

“Tsk. Why can’t a smart guy like you understand? It’s because you’re used to believing only what you see and calculating only numbers. There are things you have to accept with your heart.”

Not everything can be judged by right and wrong or reason. Cheon Gil-ryong clicked his tongue.

Even though Cheon Gil-ryong was saying that, Jinhyeok thought something was not quite right.

His parents were saved without the old man’s help, so why did Cheon Gi-ryung have to pay the price?

“Still, could you explain it a bit?”

“10 years. Within that time, the lives of the people in that house should have gone to heaven, but no one did. You must have saved them. If the person who is supposed to be struck by death doesn’t die, the grim reaper looks for another soul. They take anyone. They look for the spirit who first revealed the secrets of heaven as a punishment. But our brother isn’t just a shaman as the villagers say. The grim reaper can’t just take him as he pleases. If that happens, what will the grim reaper do? They’ll cause trouble in the village. They’re too scared to invade, so they’ll make innocent people fall, drown, or strangle them. It’s like a protest to come out before they take the wrong person.”

Even as he poured out those words, Cheon Gil-ryong’s breathing was calm.

Inwardly admiring him, Jinhyeok asked,

“Then that elder-.”

“Yes. He went on his own to save the young ones and the villagers. He wasn’t caught by the grim reaper, nor was he possessed by a ghost. He went on his own.”

He said that shamans who suddenly die or go missing usually disappear like that. To balance the karma.

Cheon Gil-ryong added that those were the real shamans.

It was hard to believe, but Jinhyeok, who had experienced many surreal things, couldn’t not believe it.

However, he felt resentful.

‘Since he revealed the secrets of heaven anyway, couldn’t he have saved me too?’

If he had, his past self wouldn’t have suffered.

But Cheon Gil-ryong stopped that thought.

“You only know that the day has come when it’s right in front of you. You shouldn’t interfere, but you can’t interfere. Only heaven knows the full meaning of heaven’s will.”

It was the word of someone who could see inside.

Jinhyeok straightened his posture.

“I will somehow express my apology-.”

“Apology? What for? Bring me some mantis shrimps in the fall. They say you’re the best at catching them in the village, right?”

Cheon Gil-ryong emptied his teacup in one go, as if his throat was parched from talking so much.

“Ugh-! Aish, damn it, it’s hot.”

Cheon Gil-ryong’s words were vulgar as he wiped the tea from his white beard. It was a vulgarity that didn’t match his appearance, but there was a charm in the disharmony. Even the way he glanced at Jinhyeok’s reaction seemed like the composure of a great man.

A faint smile spread across Jinhyeok’s lips. He had thought he would be a scary old man, but he spoke like a neighborhood uncle, and he was grateful that the old man was trying to make him feel comfortable.

A sense beyond the five senses and the sixth sense also supported Jinhyeok’s judgment.

‘He’s a good person.’

Anyway, he doesn’t give me a chance to speak.

He had a different purpose for coming.

***

While Yoo Se-ra’s mom was engrossed in knitting from the morning, Hong Su-jeong unfolded the newspaper.

It was a crossword puzzle, and Hong Gi-joon’s dad had actively encouraged it, saying it was good for brain development.

A fairly easy question came up in the across clues.

Hong Su-jeong was a kind older sister. She read the clues clearly for Yu-jin, who was lying on the living room floor with her head next to her.

“Three letters. The mother of the Yedu [Jesus].”

“Jesus? Mother?”

Of course, Yu-jin’s pronunciation was more accurate.

Hong Su-jeong, with the pride of an older sister, filled in the answer while pronouncing it correctly.

“Ma. Ri. A.”

She smiled with satisfaction, revealing only red gums where her teeth should have been.

Hong Su-jeong encountered a difficulty in the down puzzle that started with ‘A’.

‘It’s Korean, but…’

She could read it with her eyes, but she couldn’t understand it with her head. It was a difficult question for an average nine-year-old to solve.

She lay on her stomach, supporting her chin with both hands, and pondered.

Hong Gi-joon’s dad had gone out for a walk in the neighborhood, and Yoo Se-ra’s mom had a wide range of knowledge, but it lacked depth. When she asked what the word ‘economic concept’ meant, she told her to brush her teeth and go to sleep, looking serious. Even though she didn’t have any teeth to brush.

Look at her now. Even though she made eye contact with her daughter, she just pretends to knit, saying ‘ahem’. I don’t know if that’s a scarf or a rag.

‘If my brother were here, he would have told me right away.’

As soon as breakfast was over, her brother, Jin-hyeok, had left the house with Janggun.

Yu-jin and she had clung to him, saying they would go with him, but he had told them not to follow him, saying he was going to a scary place. She didn’t know how scary the place was, but the way he told them not to come was even scarier. She felt sad. Hong Su-jeong cried alone in the corner of the yard, then wiped her tears and came back inside. Just you wait, Son Jin-hyeok.

Yu-jin sighed.

Whenever she did something with Hong Su-jeong, she would see her eyes glaze over as if it was natural, and she would sigh without anyone telling her to.

It’s best to ask Dad in times like this. Son Yu-jin is happy because she has many people to ask.

“Dad, what is this?”

“Huh? What?”

Son Gwang-yeon, who was cutting his toenails, turned his head to look at his daughter.

He was Son Gwang-yeon, who had been slapped on the back by his wife and wriggled like a squid on a charcoal fire because of the Ojakgyo Motel incident. This time, he tensed his trapezius muscles with the determination not to answer unconsciously.

“Dad, I’ll read it for you.”

“Okay. Su-jeong, will you read it?”

“Many people. In a miserable. Situation. Ugh-.”

Hong Su-jeong paused in the middle.

“A chaotic. Scene. Metaphorically. Called. A four-letter word starting with ‘A’.”

Son Gwang-yeon could understand because Hong Su-jeong had done her best.

It seems that a genius, as always, reacts with their brain before thinking.

The genius’s mouth opened unconsciously.

“Asari-pan [a chaotic mess].”

Yoo Se-ra, who had unknowingly nodded at Son Gwang-yeon’s response speed and extensive knowledge that far exceeded human intelligence, gasped. It was because she had witnessed Han Yu-young’s piercing gaze. Han Yu-young seemed to be refraining from outbursts because the children were there.

Was it the day before yesterday? She had heard the sound of fireworks exploding in the master bedroom. It was the same sound that Yoo Se-ra often heard when she hit Hong Gi-joon’s back.

Her brother, Gwang-yeon, had opened a strange book and was happy that this year would be a year of great fortune where wealth would rise like a wildfire, but it seemed that it was a fortune where the fire would be on his back, not a wildfire.

“Ahem! Where did this man go for a walk that he’s still not back? Su-jeong, Yu-jin, shall we dye our nails with balsam?”

Yoo Se-ra, who had been watching Han Yu-young’s reaction, quietly got up and took the two little girls’ hands.