The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 79

The exertion had made his eyes sink in, but he couldn’t just collapse and rest.

‘I have too many mouths to feed.’

This must be what it means to be a provider. The weight of responsibility felt heavy on his shoulders, but as always, it was a welcome burden. The fact that he wasn’t alone was a constant source of emotion, making each of Jinhyuk’s days new and happy.

As soon as he got home, he changed Janggun’s water. He figured the panting meant he was thirsty, and sure enough, Janggun drank like crazy. Instead of lapping with his tongue, he dunked his snout in the bowl and sucked it down, just like a cow drinking water.

“Janggun, you worked hard.”

“Janggun worked hard, didn’t he? Ehehe-.”

Even Yujin, who was past her nap time, stroked Janggun with half-closed eyes.

Jinhyuk went inside, washed Yujin, and put her clothes in the washing machine. He was worried she might have caught some waterborne disease from the wild animal. While his sister played in the living room, Jinhyuk scrubbed himself clean. The warm water eased the stiffness in his muscles, and the fragrant soap relaxed his mind.

“Oppa, Yujin wants her meal-”

“Is our baby hungry? Let’s see. What should we eat?”

“Piggy.”

Oh my, this kid is persistent.

Jinhyuk, who had underestimated the baby’s focus, almost lost his balance while opening the refrigerator.

“We’ll eat the pig at night. Oppa will grill it for you.”

“Yes, ehehe.”

Yujin was really good. She didn’t throw tantrums or insist on things. She accepted whatever her brother said without any conditions, and he was grateful for that.

“Should I make our baby some egg rice?”

“Yes, ehehe-. Egg rice is yummy, right?”

She wasn’t picky about food either. Just seeing her enjoy the spicy catfish stew that her brother wouldn’t touch showed that Yujin was better than her brother.

Jinhyuk put a fried egg on top of the rice, added a spoonful of sesame oil, and half a spoonful of soy sauce, then mixed it all together. The savory smell made his mouth water. Had he been so focused on using his strength that he hadn’t noticed his hunger? He wiped away the drool that had unconsciously escaped.

*Chomp.*

‘Is it hand, foot, and mouth disease?’

Still, his sister came first.

He finely shredded some kimchi that had been washed in clean water and placed it on Yujin’s spoon, one piece at a time.

“Is it yummy, my baby?”

“Yes, ehehe.”

She ate so prettily, munching away. How could children be so adorable? Watching her was so moving it brought tears to his eyes. Was she just pretty because she was his sister, or were all children like this? Or maybe, who knows, it was because there was an old man’s soul inside her.

“I’m all done, ehehe-”

“Let’s gargle with water.”

After Yujin finished her meal, he gave her some water and let her play in the living room for a while.

By the time he finished washing the dishes, Yujin was sitting on the sofa, dozing off. She must have been tired after her big adventure in the mountains with her brother. How could such a gentle soul fall asleep on her own without fussing? Of course, she came from her mother’s womb, but still.

“Sleepy-, sleepy-”

Jinhyuk held his sister, patting her back as he walked around the living room, worried that she might have indigestion or feel uncomfortable. It was something he had often done when she was a baby, so he was used to it. Then, he heard a small burp and laid her down on the bed in the master bedroom.

‘Sleep well, my baby.’

He kissed his sister’s cheek and forehead and quietly opened the front door and went outside.

Janggun, who had seemed dazed, was now lying on his back with all four paws in the air, fast asleep.

‘That mutt looks like he’s smiling?’

He wondered if he was dead, but his belly and chest were slowly rising and falling, so he was definitely still breathing. His long tongue was hanging out, touching the ground and covered in dirt.

Jinhyuk carefully picked him up, but Janggun didn’t even flinch.

He moved Janggun into his doghouse and secretly went up to the rooftop. It was usually a place where he relaxed, looking out at the vast fields, mountains, and the distant sea. His father and Jinhyuk had made a flower garden for his mother and planted small fruit trees, but unexpectedly, it had also become a good hiding place. It was a place to hide from the terror of the pork cutlet or, like now, when Jinhyuk was observing suspicious men.

‘Who are those people?’

As he had checked earlier, the sedan the men had arrived in had a Seoul license plate.

Hong Gijun and Yoo Sera had gone to Hawaii with Jinhyuk’s parents, and Hong Sujeong was said to be spending time with her maternal grandfather, so they couldn’t be related to those people. If they were related to them, they would have driven to Jinhyuk’s house.

‘They’re unusual.’

I’m not ordinary either. He muttered quietly to himself, even though no one was listening.

He felt a chill down his spine as he watched two men talking in the distance, pointing at the house where Jinhyuk lived. The aura they gave off was not that of ordinary real estate agents or wealthy people.

‘If I can feel it from this far away, there’s something going on.’

It’s weird that I can feel it too. Jinhyuk’s brow furrowed.

Was it because of the ominous feeling he had felt when he passed by them earlier? There was no way to explain how he could sense the presence of people so far away. It wasn’t an important issue at the moment anyway.

‘I need to get to the bottom of this and find out.’

If he didn’t know what was happening around him, he was worse than Janggun. That’s what Jinhyuk thought. It was a resolution not to live passively anymore.

He had heard the neighborhood elders talk about modern-day grim reapers. Of course, the main speaker was Jo Ilheon. If two men in black clothes pointed at a house, someone would die. The person marked for death could see those grim reapers even while lying in their house. There were rumors that this had happened more than once in the neighborhood.

It was not worth paying attention to, and he knew it was just a way to scare children into being careful of strangers, but…

He couldn’t dismiss it as mere superstition.

‘Me going back to the past is even more absurd.’

Jinhyuk had never taken his existence for granted, nor had he taken the world lightly. It was his own way of keeping himself from living carelessly or blindly.

Anyway, he couldn’t just ignore them, worried about his parents and his young sister. There was no telling what they might do when Jinhyuk wasn’t around.

That’s when it happened.

“Jinhyuk-ah, are you home?”

Choi Mikyung’s clear voice rang out from the wide yard.

Was the boar butchering already done?

*Grumble-.*

Ah, come to think of it, he hadn’t eaten yet.

***

“Holy, holy, ho-ly- gracious Lord-.”

A tall, old man wearing a bamboo hat and rubber shoes, dressed in hemp clothes, hummed a hymn. He had never sung it properly, so the pitch and rhythm were all over the place, but his clear voice was still worth listening to.

“If a scholar learns, isn’t it also the Lord? Amen-.”

His purpose was to explore religion as a seeker. Of course, there was a more worldly reason. It was a holiday, and he had walked a long way to the church because they were serving food. He had also gotten a Bible and a hymn book.

“They came, those who learned properly. Holy, holy- *hiss*-.”

The pastor was very polite. He had bowed deeply, saying, ‘An elder has come,’ and had even offered to send a van next time so he could ride in it.

“I’m not going again, you rascal. *Hiss*- Holy, holy, ho-ly-.”

It was a place where people knelt on the floor of the chapel and prayed. Of course, he didn’t feel like it. It wasn’t just because he was a Taoist who never knelt or bowed his head to the sky.

“My knees hurt-. Holy, holy *hiss*- ho-ly-.”

He kept imitating the way the churchgoers sang hymns. He didn’t know if it was because it was hard to control his breathing or because his mouth was watering, but they kept making a hissing sound in the middle, like someone who had eaten spicy food.

Cheon Gilyong’s holy steps had reached near Choi Janghwan’s house.

“Elder, where have you been? Have you had your meal yet?”

One of the young men who was chatting loudly in the wide yard called out to Cheon Gilyong. It was Jo Ilheon, who was always in sync with Cheon Gilyong.

Cheon Gilyong closed the hymn book he had been holding and hid it behind his back.

“What are you all doing?”

“Jinhyuk brought a wild boar-”

“They say our Taeyang became a champion, so they gave it to us for a village feast, this thing.”

Jinhyuk? Who was that?

Cheon Gilyong lifted his bamboo hat to get a better view. The boar, lying neatly stretched out on a large sheet of plastic, was dazzling.

“Hehe-, that pig is really something.”

“Have a bite and go. It’s Chuseok [Korean Thanksgiving], so it would be nice if you stayed here tonight.”

Choi Janghwan knew that Cheon Gilyong’s visits had increased recently.

Even without Choi Janghwan’s good-natured smile, Cheon Gilyong was already feeling inclined to stay. He had decided to retire from being a guardian spirit and enjoy life.

‘This is the house where Lee Boksu used to live.’

A woman who had been blessed by the Three Gods, who had been tricked by his brother Choi Giryung and had been working as a midwife since she was young.

The brothers couldn’t go out of the village often because they had to suppress the yin energy of the land. Even when they did come out, Lee Boksu was often away, taking care of children from other places. So he hadn’t been able to thank her for her hard work, and she had gone to heaven.

‘I should offer a drink at the ancestral rites table.’

It was a feeling of guilt.

With that in mind, Cheon Gilyong nodded to Choi Janghwan.

“I’ll go up there for a bit.”

“Yes. Please come back. There are plenty of rooms-”

“Okay, okay.”

Cheon Gilyong smiled contentedly and turned to leave.

He had some business with the guys he had noticed on his way to church. Those bastards.

***

Choi Mikyung’s heart was about to burst.

Her parents were traveling, so she had come to deliver songpyeon [traditional Korean rice cakes] and Chuseok food to Jinhyuk, who was taking care of his younger sister alone. And now, Jinhyuk had his hand on Choi Mikyung’s shoulder as they walked together to Choi Mikyung’s house.

‘What if he tries to kiss me? I should refuse at least once…?’

She was old enough to know things. Girls were precocious, and they were just as curious as boys. It was the same with dreaming of romance and letting their imaginations run wild when they saw someone they liked. While Choi Mikyung was wondering whether to send her second daughter to Jongno Academy or Daesung Academy in the town for English lessons, Jinhyuk spoke.

“We should thank them for the food.”

Choi Mikyung’s red lips pressed tightly inward. The fantasies, excitement, and fears of a teenage girl were swept away by the autumn wind in an instant. Jinhyuk was holding the bowl that Choi Mikyung had brought, and on top of the bowl were some fruits like apples that Jinhyuk had taken from the refrigerator.

‘Sigh-.’

Choi Mikyung sighed inwardly. Son Jinhyuk had been a mature friend since he was young. No, it would be more accurate to say that he was more like an old man than mature.

He was a child who never got angry when other kids played pranks, but laughed like an older brother, or sometimes like a real old man. Maybe that was why she couldn’t get any closer than just being friendly. Other kids would tease each other like they were playing, but Jinhyuk acted like he was worried about the kids getting hurt. She couldn’t explain it exactly, but she felt like there was a wall in his heart that kept a safe distance.

‘He’s the type who would refuse even if I made a move.’

What?

Anyway, that’s how Jinhyuk was seen by Mikyung, his closest friend.

A guy like an old man.

‘Is there a problem with that? Because he’s like an old man?’

What?

He shouldn’t put his hand on my shoulder then. You bad bastard.

He hasn’t even done anything. The whole neighborhood is talking about it.

Jinhyuk, who had been on high alert, briefly turned his attention to Choi Mikyung.

Of course, those people would be watching. With that in mind, he had acted naturally, but a cold wind was blowing from Choi Mikyung.

Jinhyuk just scratched his cheek, thinking that Choi Mikyung was in a bad mood. His characteristic lack of awareness was more effective than any armor in situations like this.

In the yard of Choi Mikyung’s house, the boar butchering was in full swing. Jo Ilheon and Choi Janghwan were working on a large sheet of thick plastic that was used for making kimchi. Even though he saw the bright red raw meat, Jinhyuk was surprisingly calm. It was in stark contrast to Choi Mikyung, who couldn’t bear to watch and had gone back inside.

There were also some men standing around, holding soju glasses and chewing on something. They weren’t eating raw boar meat, were they? Eating raw wild animals is bad for you. Jinhyuk looked at them with concern, and he saw that they were holding jerky in their hands.

“Mother, thank you for the food you sent.”

“Oh my, you didn’t have to bring a gift among us.”

Mikyung’s mother replied to Jinhyuk’s gift with a beaming smile. He was quiet, but he knew his manners unlike other children. She had always wished he was her own son. It was something she and her husband, Choi Janghwan, always talked about. ‘I wish he was our son too.’

After saying goodbye to Mikyung’s family, Jinhyuk didn’t go home. He took a different path from the one he had come on, heading towards where the men had been. It was the path he had taken when he had dragged the boar. He didn’t even have to deliberately crouch down; the bulging bean field hid him like a hill.

‘Yujin sleeps for more than three hours once she falls asleep.’

I need to check.

Why those guys came to this quiet countryside and have been watching our house all day.