The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 7

One day, when the wind grew even colder, Jinhyuk hurried home without stopping.

“Janggun, I’m home.”

Janggun only perked up her ears, pretending not to notice him. Her eyes were downcast, staring at her empty dog bowl.

‘It’s like she’s deliberately avoiding me.’

It felt like she was being careful not to growl if they made eye contact.

Well, she should be. After all the fish guts she’s been getting. Any dog with manners would lower their gaze.

“I’m homeee-!”

“Oh, is that our Jinhyuk?”

Mom was struggling in the storage shed.

Worried, he rushed over to find her trying to move a millstone. It wouldn’t do for his frail mother to overexert herself. Jinhyuk quickly jumped in.

“Oh, it’s heavy! Let’s lift it together!”

“Oh my, it won’t budge. It won’t work even if we both lift it. Let’s ask your father to move it when he gets back.”

Mom wiped the sweat from her forehead and straightened her back.

Following Mom’s gaze, he turned his eyes to the floor, where he saw cleanly washed soybeans.

It seemed she was planning to make tofu.

‘Mom’s tofu is the best.’

The finished tofu was delicious, but the taste of freshly curdled, soft tofu with seasoned soy sauce, eaten by the spoonful, was something else. Even without the sauce, the slightly bitter yet savory taste was perfect for a child’s palate.

In his past life, he had missed that taste so much that even in his forties, he had visited famous tofu restaurants, but none of them could replicate it.

“Mom baked cornbread. Wait a bit.”

“Wow, sounds delicious.”

It looked similar to the cornbread sold on highways or in markets, but the taste was different. Cornbread baked in a cauldron with the batter on a tray was the best snack that money couldn’t buy.

Jinhyuk swallowed his saliva and pretended to lift the millstone.

Clunk-.

‘Why can I lift this?’

Everything was strange.

Janggun suddenly stopped growling, and he could lift a millstone with one hand…

If he told Mom that he carried the millstone alone, she would surely be surprised.

Jinhyuk quietly put the millstone down.

‘This is absurd?’

They say a boy prodigy can lift a millstone, was I a boy prodigy?

In his past life, when he was left alone, he had no need to use his strength. Anyway, he didn’t remember being a prodigy. He never had the chance to show off his guts when he was young.

“Jinhyuk, come eat the bread.”

“Yes!”

Jinhyuk ran to the faucet and washed his hands and face first.

He didn’t want to catch a cold, so he decided to live cleanly, so Mom wouldn’t worry.

He munched on the cornbread, deep in thought.

The witty and lively Son Jinhyuk of the past was gone. He had the demeanor of a dull, unmotivated middle-aged man when he decided to retire. The personality inside Jinhyuk was worn out, and he had lost the excitement that only a child could enjoy.

Sigh- A sigh escaped him.

It was the same on the day they went clam digging. Normally, a child would have whined, cried, or thrown a tantrum to get their way. But he had acted maturely, unlike a child.

‘I feel embarrassed to throw a tantrum. I’m not a kid.’

To others, he might look like a child, but knowing the age of his own soul, he was reluctant to act like one.

Ah, so it’s because I’m old. Jinhyuk swallowed his thoughts along with the bread.

Thump-! A loud noise echoed from the storage shed.

At the same time, Mom, startled, flinched.

“Oh my, Father! What was that noise?”

Oops, it seemed the millstone had been placed crookedly.

*

Jinhyuk and Sohn Kwang-yeon sat politely on the porch, watching the mysterious process of making tofu. They looked like new recruits in front of a female army officer.

At first, Sohn Kwang-yeon had taken hold of the millstone. He had volunteered to grind the soybeans, worried that his wife’s frail arms would get sore. However, his pure intentions were dismissed after exactly two and a half rotations, and he was relieved of his duty.

Perhaps feeling sorry for her dejected husband, Han Yu-young raised the corners of her mouth.

“You have to turn it with consistent force and speed for it to grind smoothly. The tofu will taste better too.”

“Yes, ma’am. I will correct it.”

“Please help with something else.”

Following Han Yu-young’s instructions, the two men moved quickly.

Jinhyuk filled the cauldron with water and lit the fire in the stove.

Sohn Kwang-yeon gathered the bittern [a byproduct of salt production used to coagulate tofu] that had flowed from the sun-dried salt in a corner of the shed and presented it to the officer.

“No, not there, by the stove…”

“I will correct it!”

Jinhyuk thought it was a good thing his father hadn’t gone to the military. He would have been beaten to a pulp.

Han Yu-young slowly stirred the curdling tofu with a clean stick.

“The speed of turning the millstone and stirring the cauldron is very similar. Is there a reason for that?”

Sohn Kwang-yeon, a draftee with no military experience, asked with precision.

Han Yu-young chuckled as if she found it amusing.

“No.”

“The steam from the cauldron is gathering on your face, is that perhaps the secret to your beauty?”

“Oh my-”

Dad’s work skills were not as good as Jinhyuk’s, but his flirting skills were outstanding. If he had served as a GP soldier [a soldier who broadcasts propaganda to North Korea], his shamelessness would have made the North Korean army grind their teeth.

Watching his father flirt with his mother, Jinhyuk thought.

‘They’re having a good time.’

Slurp-, slurp-.

Feeling the warmth from the stove, the three soldiers drank the tofu.

“It’s so delicious…”

Janggun seemed to like it too, burying her snout in her dog bowl.

*

The fall sports day at the rural elementary school was held later than in the city. It was to accommodate the parents who couldn’t rest or enjoy themselves due to their busy farming schedules and to encourage their attendance. So, it was usually held after the fall harvest. Sometimes it was held right before the rice harvest, but for some reason, it was held late this year.

Later, he heard it as gossip, that someone had used their influence to campaign for the first direct presidential election in 1987. It was a great opportunity to gather the parents, who were voters, and campaign. As a result, rural schools were pushed back in the schedule.

It was just a rumor, and the truth could not be confirmed.

Anyway.

The countryside had a large land area compared to the population, and many houses were far apart. It was a true festival, as people packed lunch boxes and bought fried chicken to attend the sports day, seeing neighbors they rarely saw.

Merchants who displayed toys and cosmetics that were hard to find on a regular day also came from afar, not missing this opportunity. The small schoolyard was crowded with children and adults, with no room to step.

‘Wow, what a sports day.’

In his previous life, he had hidden in a shady corner during sports days or picnics.

No one had paid attention to Jinhyuk, and no one had asked him to join them. Sometimes, his friends would share their lunch, but that was it. It was a time when Jinhyuk had completely withdrawn into himself.

‘Hehehe-, Mom and Dad seem more excited than I am.’

Watching his parents enjoy themselves, Jinhyuk’s heart fluttered.

To think he would see such a happy sight again after being reborn.

However, it seemed that the other adults in the village didn’t see it so favorably.

The rural men. They gave Jinhyuk’s parents, Sohn Kwang-yeon and Han Yu-young, rather uncomfortable looks. It was inevitable, as they were outwardly gruff and rough people, regardless of their inner feelings.

‘Why are they holding hands like that-.’

‘What a shameful thing to do-.’

Listening to the couple’s conversations, he felt like the kimbap [Korean seaweed rice roll] he had eaten at lunch was coming back up. Why wouldn’t he? Even the young children used a rustic dialect, and there were no such things as pet names between couples in this town.

“Oppa-, it’s Dad’s turn for the tug-of-war.”

“Honey, it’s the moms’ beanbag toss time. Have fun.”

Unlike the men, the women looked at Jinhyuk’s mother with envy. They were witnessing a scene straight out of a youth movie, no matter which family it was.

Sohn Kwang-yeon and Han Yu-young held hands tightly and strolled around the school.

To Sohn Kwang-yeon, who had only lived in Seoul, the single-story rural school building was charming, and to Han Yu-young, who had grown up under a strict father, the fact that she was enjoying the festival with her husband and son was incredibly joyful.

“Should we buy that toy for our Jinhyuk?”

Dad asked in a gentle tone.

“No.”

Jinhyuk frowned and firmly refused.

“Why? It looks fun. It’s a car that shoots missiles.”

The toy Dad pointed to was a miniature military jeep with a rocket launcher. Dad’s pockets were full from getting a good price for the soybeans.

‘Does this man think I’m a child?’

Besides, it wasn’t even a car, but a ‘bba-bbang’ [onomatopoeia for a toy car sound].

In his previous life, Jinhyuk had amassed billions of dollars but had never been interested in even the most common cars. With a forty-year-old man inside a nine-year-old body, there was no way he would be interested in toys.

‘This is good enough as it is.’

The past, no, the future had changed.

Just by saving his parents, Jinhyuk’s sad life had disappeared, so Jinhyuk only had one desire.

‘I’m going to live quietly and peacefully in this countryside.’

Future aspiration.

Recently, the class had a survey about future aspirations. Jinhyuk had written ‘farmer’ as his future aspiration. The teacher and his friends had all laughed. Most of the children had written president or scientist, but the best student had said he wanted to be a farmer.

He didn’t have to become a farmer. He just wanted to live happily with his family for a long time. He had enjoyed enough time alone to be tired and exhausted of it.

‘I’m going to live with my parents in my hometown.’

He had made enough money, and he had experienced how lonely and futile life could be. He could invest in future information with the knowledge and skills he had honed to become a key figure in a company, but Jinhyuk had no interest in such things.

‘Money will come when it’s time.’

The warmth of his father’s hand. Jinhyuk looked at his father’s warm hand holding his. Then, he made eye contact with his father, who smiled brightly at his son.

Jinhyuk’s heart warmed.

‘Heh! This is truly happiness!’

Everyone would agree that he was a father that could not be found anywhere else in the world.

Jinhyuk also looked up at his father and smiled awkwardly.

Beep-.

The microphone noise captured everyone’s attention.

[The relay race, the final event of the sports day, will begin shortly-.]

It was an announcement from the first-grade homeroom teacher in charge of the sports day.

“Wow-, that sounds fun. Let’s go watch the relay race.”

“The relay race is the most fun, right? Hoho.”

The grand finale of the sports day. Students from 4th to 6th grade sat in an oval shape, facing away from the track. The track was just a green nylon rope fixed to the ground with nails, but the 6th-grade male and female representatives ran on that track in the relay race.

“Let’s see…”

Physical education teacher Park Jae-seung muttered as he squatted near the starting line.

He rummaged through his pockets and pulled something out, then raised a hammer above his head.

“Ready-?”

His gaze was directed at the two runners who were in a standing start position at the starting line. It would have been embarrassing to be squatting at the starting line while hundreds of people watched, but the eyes of the tanned rural school teacher shone professionally.

A brick placed on the ground, and on top of it, paper firecrackers. A hammer aimed sharply.

It was a makeshift method chosen because the gun had broken down.

A whirlwind swirled in the middle of the schoolyard.

One of the runners, whose tension was at its peak, wiped his nose with his sleeve.

Then, Park Jae-seung forcefully brought down the hammer.

Clack-!

Oh no, he missed.

“Oh my! Oh my, again! Don’t go yet. Come here, come back here.”

There was no false start.

There was only a faulty signal.

“Sigh-.”

With renewed determination, he took a deep breath and this time, he hit it accurately.

Crack-!

The starting gun sounded.

“Blue team! Blue team!”

“White team, win!”

Jinhyuk’s mom and dad cheered for the blue team. Because Jinhyuk was on the blue team. Jinhyuk chuckled as he watched his mother jumping up and down like a child, clapping her hands, and his father swinging his fist in the air.

“Our Jinhyuk will run in the race when he’s in the upper grades, right?”

Thump-.

His heart pounded as he imagined his parents cheering for him.

‘Running…’

Even in his previous life, when he had nowhere to belong, he had felt alive when he ran.

*

On the way home after the sports day.

Dad carried Jinhyuk on his shoulders. Mom held the notebook Jinhyuk had received as a prize for winning the race in one hand, and with the other, she supported her son’s bottom, keeping pace.

“Mom, Dad.”

“Yes? Our son?”

“What is it, our Jinhyuk?”

Was it possible to be this happy with just one answer?

Jinhyuk wrinkled his nose and then relaxed it.

“I wish I had a wristwatch.”

Dad felt a pang of guilt.

His son was the son of the wealthiest landowner, yet he didn’t have a wristwatch that all the other kids had.

“Dad will go to town and buy you a pretty and good analog watch.”

“Yes. They say analog watches are good for children’s brains.”

Mom chimed in.

However, Jinhyuk had other ideas.

“A digital watch. It doesn’t have to be expensive.”

Even the cheapest digital watch would have a stopwatch.

It would be helpful when running.

“Okay. Dad will buy you a digital watch. One that lights up.”

He was going to wear the precious glow-in-the-dark watch that he had only heard about.

It was good that Dad never tried to change Jinhyuk’s decisions.

“If you buy them that, they won’t sleep and will just look at their watches in bed…”

“Haha, that’s just for a while.”

How much would they look at it when it only showed numbers?

What innocent parents they were.

They would faint if he showed them a smartphone.

‘Maybe there’s a smartphone somewhere on my body.’

Jinhyuk searched his pockets, just in case.

An acorn came out.

Mom always put things from the laundry bag into the next clothes when she changed them.

‘Status window! System!’

He must have read too many web novels. Nine-year-old Jinhyuk muttered to middle-aged Jinhyuk.

While others were raking in money with all sorts of future information and opportunities, Son Jinhyuk had returned with only useless memories.

‘I’m the only one without a regressor perk.’