The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 72

The pace of time in the countryside seems to flow both slowly and quickly. No one has been able to provide a logical analysis of why this is so. As evening darkened, Jinhyuk lit a mosquito fire for Janggun. He started by burning pine needles and twigs, then mixed rice husks and mugwort on top. It was said that this would make the mosquitoes rise into the sky with the smoke instead of bothering people or animals. The smell was also pleasant, making one feel good when sitting nearby. Yu Sera came out to the yard with coffee. “Jinhyuk, shall we have a date with your mother?” They say the world is wide and there are many people, and here was someone calling herself ‘mother’ with her own mouth. She was a woman who was fascinating and amusing in many ways. “Yes.” The ‘date’ didn’t involve going anywhere; it was just a conversation while sitting on the porch, watching the mosquito fire. “I heard you wanted to participate in the track and field competition?” “Yes. They said I don’t need to join a sports club separately.” It was enough to register as a player for each competition. This was the information he had confirmed with Lee Byung-se. Yu Sera nodded, staring at her notebook. “Yeah. I looked into it, and that’s right.” Jinhyuk glanced at it; the notebook was filled with tiny, dense writing. There were traces of hard work, and even something that looked like bloodstains. “You’re only going to participate in two years?” “Yes. I plan to go in my third year.” “What about training?” “I train every day, but the only proper training ground is the schoolyard.” Yu Sera sighed, looking quite serious. There was no track, only a sandy field. Could proper track and field training even be done there? They would probably just drag tires or do partner training. She wanted to recruit a star player while establishing the basic physical education foundation, and she thought it would be possible if this kid grew up well. But the training environment was too poor. “Do you want to transfer to Seoul?” “Seoul?” “Yes. There’s an indoor gym, so you can train even when it rains, and there are schools with tracks.” Jinhyuk hesitated for a moment. He was cautious about refusing because of Yu Sera’s serious expression and tone. “As I’ve said before… I like living here. With my family.” Cheon Gil-ryong had also told him that it was good for Jinhyuk to live in this neighborhood in many ways. He said it was a good match for his energy. Yu Sera nodded as if she had expected that answer. She placed her hand on Jinhyuk’s shoulder and muttered to herself. “Then, we’ll have to bring the training ground here.” “Is there a need for that?” He didn’t know how long he would do track and field. He liked it, but there was no guarantee that his feelings would remain the same. He had decided to live quietly, and he was just enjoying it because it was an unpopular sport that wouldn’t draw attention. “Don’t you want to go to the Asian Games? It would be great to win a gold medal, even in a different sport than track and field.” “I haven’t thought that far.” “It’s a military service exemption, you know?” Ah? He hadn’t even considered that. Still, if he had to go, he would go. In the past, Jinhyuk had felt most at peace when he was in the military. It would be different now that he had a family, though. “Men have to go to the military when they come of age. It’s their duty.” He still hadn’t changed his mind about that. Yu Sera sighed deeply, looking at Jinhyuk’s blank face. Some guys would do anything to avoid going. ‘Aish, this kid is like an old man.’ Even her dad and brothers in Seoul weren’t this bad. Where did this old-fashioned guy come from? He was a self-disciplined old man, so she couldn’t even scold him. “Zneu-geu, it-zzeu-neu…” Yu Sera gritted her teeth and forced a smile. “You said you like living with your family. You’ll have to be apart when you go to the military.” “Ah…” That was true. Jinhyuk awkwardly scratched the back of his head. Even if he loved his family, he would have to live apart when he went to college or the military. He was too happy with the present, so he hadn’t thought much about the future. “If building a training ground here is too much, should we decide after looking at your competition records in the third year of middle school? Whether you want to continue or not.” “Yes.” Although Yu Sera seemed clumsy and naive, she reminded him of Director Hong Su-jeong at times like this. She didn’t act on a whim but made calm judgments. He thought she was someone he could trust and work with. “They say that just because you were good at sports when you were young doesn’t mean you’ll maintain that form as you grow. More than 99% of athletes fade away like that. Even if you combine the people who become coaches or work in related organizations, there are very few.” It meant that it was difficult to succeed in any field without adding effort to talent. Jinhyuk thought she was right. And one more thing. ‘Luck.’ Jinhyuk was a lucky person. He had been so far. He was surrounded by capable people. He had just planned to blend in and live an ordinary life. But now, he had a goal to strive for. “Excuse me, Ajum-Mother [a playful way of saying ‘Aunt-Mother’, combining ‘ajumma’ and ‘mother’].” “Huh? I almost got offended for a second there? Ohohong, what is it?” “If I do well, what happens after that?” “I’ll tell you then.” Everyone was making him frustrated. However, Jinhyuk had an idea of what to expect. The conversation he had with his father after the Daegu competition last year. He didn’t need to confirm that the content had flowed from his father to Hong Gi-jun, and then to Yu Sera. The two men’s mouths were as light as if they were competing with each other. ‘Hmm, if I do well in sports, I’ll get an agency? I also need to think about the military.’ The term ‘dream’ settled in Jinhyuk’s mind for the first time. Being a farmer was something he would have to do whether he liked it or not as long as he lived here, so it was hard to call it a dream. He didn’t think that the business Yu Sera was planning was a system that didn’t fit the times or the country. He didn’t have the relevant knowledge, so he didn’t know what was right, and anyone who introduced it first would establish the system. “If you establish an agency, will you manage it yourself?” “Manage it myself? No way. I’ll hire someone who’s good at it to support…” Oops, Yu Sera’s eyes widened as she spoke. It was supposed to be a secret, but her mouth was too lively. A winner’s smile spread across Jinhyuk’s face. ‘She’s just like Su-jeong, not being able to hide things.’ That was a relief. If he were to be affiliated with her, he would have to go around with her. He was worried that many uncomfortable things might happen. Nothing was certain yet, but you never knew. *** Vacation ended, and a few days passed. Today, after finishing his morning exercise, he was the first to enter the classroom and unfold the newspaper. 「Seo-kyung to Return Mobile Communication License. No-Kim Conflict Enters Resolution Phase.」 「Seo-kyung Forfeits Second Mobile Communication Business Rights to Sein Telecom.」 「Hong Gi-jun, President of Sein Electronics, Appointed as President of Sein Telecom, Concurrently.」 「Sein Electronics Announces Acquisition of Dae-oh Telecom. Sein Group Rises to Second Place in Business World.」 Jinhyuk, who would have fainted if this had happened just a month ago, calmly scanned the headlines again. It was a well-known fact in the 21st century that Seo-kyung would grow into a leading company with the mobile communication business rights it had acquired through connections. But not only had it given up that business, it had unexpectedly handed it over to Sein. Not only that, but Sein had also acquired Dae-oh Telecom, the third-largest electronics company, and had risen to second place in the business world. ‘This is very strange…’ Even if Jinhyuk didn’t have future information, he knew the history of major companies. He had been suspecting Hong Gi-jun’s regression, but he had not expected him to aggressively increase his size like this. He then stroked his chin and nodded. “So that’s how it happened…” Hong Gi-jun had quite clear future information, no matter what method he used. However, he was negative about the judgment of whether he was a regressor. If that person’s personality had returned, he would not have taken these steps. That was Jinhyuk’s conclusion. Even Jinhyuk himself had not changed his old personality. Not only was the person’s character different, but there was also a difference in the precision of the information. Jinhyuk had no information at all. Even though he had studied and worked so hard. ‘I can’t ask him directly how he knows.’ It was only possible in a virtual world for a child to have business-related conversations with a conglomerate chairman or CEO. And most of them were related by blood and saw each other often. Jinhyuk was someone who was hesitant and found it difficult to even have everyday conversations with Hong Gi-jun. ‘Anyway, the chairman wouldn’t do this.’ The Hong Gi-jun that Jinhyuk knew was a conservative person in the dictionary sense. Safety was his first, second, and third priority. How many executives had requested support from Jinhyuk in the past to persuade such a chairman? But now, he seemed to be taking risks beyond adventure. It was almost impossible to take away Seo-kyung’s mobile communication business rights, which were like candy in a child’s mouth, no matter how he had persuaded them. Did he put a knife to their throats? Would he have bought the golden goose that laid the golden eggs with money? It didn’t make sense. Would he have carried out the threat with the decisiveness of a young man combined with future information? Jinhyuk set up a hypothesis by reverse-tracking the phenomenon, as was his habit. He was purely curious. It was close to academic curiosity. ‘There’s no other way but to threaten them.’ But who would threaten the family of a president from the military in this era? It would have been easier to brainwash them into thinking that the mobile communication business was a rotten egg and make them throw it away themselves. And Dae-oh Telecom. ‘Did he have that much money?’ It was a group affiliate and a large company. A huge amount of money would have been needed to acquire and merge such a company, obtain business rights, and increase the number of affiliates. Although Sein was a company with a solid financial structure, it meant that it had little debt, not that it had a lot of cash. If so, all the huge funds that went into the acquisition would be debt. ‘What is he going to do in five years? If he knows the future, he wouldn’t overdo it.’ The executive branch and the financial sector were business-friendly now, but what would he do about the crisis that would come soon? What would he do if the money dried up and there were no dollars? He couldn’t erase the premise that Hong Gi-jun was behind it. Yu Sera had also bragged about her husband during her vacation. She had said that he had become president just one year after being promoted to manager. It was possible because he was carrying out such a project with the chairman’s full confidence. ‘It was suspicious when Sein released a PC. And now mobile communication.’ They were also making pagers and releasing cell phones? In Jinhyuk’s eyes, it looked like the Sein Group was trying to do everything. ‘Why? Why not make cars while you’re at it?’ As he thought that, his eyes continued to scan the newspaper. 「Asia Motors to be Sold to Sein Group.」 Cough-. Thud-. Jinhyuk banged his head on the desk. His heart, which had been maintaining its composure, rapidly thawed. ‘Is he out of his mind?’ Was this what it felt like when the world went crazy? The world that he thought was normal, the world that he thought should be, had completely disappeared. He barely suppressed the nausea that rose from his churning stomach. Jinhyuk felt lonely for the first time in a long time. The word ‘Sein’ seemed to take up half of the newspaper. Honestly, it wasn’t like Jinhyuk would be jealous if Hong Gi-jun did well, since he knew him. There was another reason why this middle school student was acting like this. ‘Aish, just in case, I was going to make a little bit of money later, not a lot…’ When he became an adult and saved up seed money, he was thinking of doing something with it. Originally, he had no intention of doing so, but as Yu-jin was born, he had a desire to be a cool and rich older brother. Jinhyuk had once thought that using future knowledge to make money was a cowardly act that robbed others of their fate, so from his point of view, it was a very secular and shabby reason. Still, in a capitalist world, what desire was as honest as money? It was also proof of how precious his younger sister was to Jinhyuk. It was also because the thought of Hong Su-jeong from his past life caused ripples in his heart, which was as hard as iron. What a man he was. ‘Everything’s ruined, damn it.’ But now, the past stock price information that he had vaguely known had become trash. Because of the name ‘Sein’. One group now owned almost all the stocks, so the impact on the stock market was unimaginable. It was a relief that they hadn’t touched semiconductors and new materials yet. Anyway. ‘Hmm… But is there a way to get information without returning?’ Jinhyuk, who had reached his own conclusion, nodded with his eyes narrowed. If that person had returned, he couldn’t have done this. There was something else. As a result, it had become difficult to gauge where and how the world had changed. ‘It seems like they don’t know that I’ve returned, of course.’ Regardless, the suspicion that Hong Gi-jun knew the future had turned into conviction. However, there was one major concern: the actions of a middle school student in the countryside and the actions of a CEO of a large corporation were bound to have different scales of repercussions and aftereffects. If a big shot like Hong Gi-jun flapped his wings, the future would be even more distorted, and it would be very difficult to predict the next step. As far as Jinhyuk knew, Hong Gi-jun was not a person who was good at strategy. He was diligent, but he was not a brilliant strategist with a sharp mind. If so, there was only one thing to suspect. ‘Maybe, I saved my dad, and my dad gave Mr. Gi-jun advice about this and that.’ As far as Jinhyuk knew, the most outstanding strategist among the people around Hong Gi-jun was Son Gwang-yeon. They talked on the phone every day and were together 24 hours a day during vacations. The topic was mostly business-related conversations. If Jinhyuk’s guess was correct, the current changes were ultimately caused by Jinhyuk. ‘The world is turning in an interesting way.’ Jinhyuk’s eyes shone sharply like Team Leader Son Jinhyuk of the old days. However, he was disappointed that there was nothing he could do. He never thought that being a middle school student in the countryside would hold him back so much. Then he had to find something else to do. Something he could do. Thud-, thud-. As he organized his thoughts, he banged his head on the desk. He didn’t have this strange habit before, but it was an action he took whenever he concentrated after returning to the past. Chae Gyu-ho, who was entering the classroom, was startled and took a step back into the hallway. After banging his head for a while, Jinhyuk organized his thoughts and took a long breath. He stroked the area around his heart where the order of the missing-toothed great wizard was engraved. ‘What should I do to become a famous rich person in that interesting world?’ He neatly folded the newspaper and put it in his desk drawer. He wanted to tear it up, but today was the day his group was in charge of cleaning the windows.