The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 9

On the night of December 24th, white snow fell heavily.

Jinhyuk sat on the floor with his mother, wrapped in thick blankets.

Behind them, colorful lights adorned a fir tree planted in a jar. They had used a jar because they didn’t have a flowerpot, and the sight of the jar ignited Jinhyuk’s competitive spirit, making him ignore the Christmas tree. Inner peace was more precious than visual pleasure.

The world outside was dark and cloudy, yet everything felt white and cozy.

“When is Dad coming home?”

He pressed the light button on his blue digital watch, which had both a strap and a body.

Click-.

「09:21:05」

There were no streetlights in their neighborhood.

His father wasn’t usually out this late, but he had gone to a year-end party at the newly opened corner store in the neighborhood. All the adults in the village had gathered there, and families with one child either went together or, like Jinhyuk’s mother, one parent stayed behind to look after the child.

While all parents love their children, this couple was particularly unique. The mother stayed to take care of Jinhyuk. To think he had to grow up so quickly, losing such parents and living through so much. Even without the cold winter air, Jinhyuk’s nose tingled. He couldn’t help the thoughts that surfaced, no matter how hard he tried to suppress them.

It was like a scar etched into his heart, something that would follow him as long as he lived.

“Jinhyuk, you must be sleepy. Do you want to go to bed first?”

“No, I’m okay.”

“They’re showing cartoons. Don’t you want to watch?”

It must be because it was Christmas Eve.

Even though it was late, they were showing a Disney cartoon called 《A Christmas Carol》, featuring the miserly Scrooge. But wasn’t that for kids? Jinhyuk had grown up without even having time to like Donald Duck.

It was fascinating to see the old black-and-white television after so long, but more than that, cartoons weren’t really Jinhyuk’s thing. When would the Larva he had enjoyed watching in his 30s come on? Poor Yellow. The good ones always get picked on.

“I’ll go to bed when Dad comes home.”

“Hmm, that’s a problem…”

It was a problem indeed.

He was worried about his father, like a child left near the water.

That must be why people who love each other live together.

Because they worry.

[Hey, you little blue guys-!]

It seemed that 《A Christmas Carol》 had ended and the Smurfs were on. He could hear Gargamel’s voice from the living room. Even without an expensive turkey dinner or a pile of presents, Christmas was special. It was even more special with his mother. It would be nice if Dad were here too.

He leaned his head against his mother’s chest. Her hand gently stroked his arm. He must have dozed off for a moment.

“Jinhyuk.”

“Yes?”

“Go inside and sleep if you’re sleepy, sweetie.”

“I’m not sleepy.”

How long would she keep calling him sweetie?

It felt good, but it was a bit embarrassing to hear. What would his mother say if she knew there was a man in his forties inside him?

He was anxious because his father hadn’t come home yet, even though it was snowing so much. In his past life, he had fallen asleep at home, unable to keep his eyes open, and the nightmares had started the next day.

“Jinhyuk, why do you think Gargamel calls the Smurfs ‘little blue guys’?”

Isn’t that usually the kind of question children ask their parents? His mother really had a childlike quality. Her spirit was so pure.

Still, since his mother had asked, he should answer.

“I don’t know, they look gray on TV.”

“Right, right?”

Her repeating the same words also made her seem like a child.

“But they’re colored blue on the drawing paper they sell at the stationery store. Maybe they look gray because it’s a black-and-white TV.”

“Oh, I see. Should we ask Dad to buy a color TV? So our Jinhyuk can see the blue Smurfs?”

“……”

He didn’t even watch cartoons.

He was already embarrassed to be carrying around that Mekander V bag [a popular robot anime character bag].

But wasn’t his mother cold? Why was she still outside?

His mother’s gentle voice was like a dream. The snowflakes made a soft rustling sound as they fell. He drifted off to sleep, a nap that came on its own.

“Jinhyuk should go inside and sleep.”

No, but why was his mother trying to get him to go inside? It wasn’t cold, even though it was snowing heavily. It felt cozy, perhaps because he was with his mother.

In his first, shallow sleep, the past came to him like a dream.

‘What did I do on Christmas in my past life?’

Home Alone, Love Actually, Die Hard…

He had even blocked the number of Lee Yoon-sung, a junior colleague he wasn’t close to, who had bragged about his girlfriend dressing up as a sexy Santa. That must have been why he trusted Jinhyuk, who was good at keeping secrets. But how happy must he have been to brag about it, when he had kept quiet even when he bought a Benz? Was her name Ji-hyun? They were like slaves to hormones.

Still, the manly Jinhyuk had given a generous wedding gift at Yoon-sung’s wedding.

He had quietly cursed them.

‘Just get married again this time.’

I’m going to live with my mom.

Grrr, woof-.

A low growl of a dog was heard.

It was Janggun.

Jinhyuk’s eyes snapped open.

‘Did I hear wrong?’

The focus he had briefly regained faded again.

He lay down completely, using his mother’s leg as a pillow.

‘I should stay awake until Dad comes home….’

A scene that was neither dream nor reality pushed through his half-closed eyelids.

A dark silhouette flickered beyond the gate, and he could hear whispers tickling his ears.

‘Are you asleep?’

‘He’s asleep.’

It felt like his mother’s body was swaying slightly.

Squeak.

Who was making that noise?

Squeak-squeak-.

Ah, he could still hear it.

Soon, he heard a rustling sound.

“Oof-, our son. You fell asleep waiting for Dad.”

He could hear his father’s voice, but he couldn’t open his eyes.

Still, he was relieved that his father had come home.

His father laid Jinhyuk down in the living room.

He said it had snowed a lot and it was Christmas, so the family should sleep together warmly.

“Oh my, that guy. It’s hard playing Santa Claus. Haha.”

“Shhh-. He’ll hear you.”

What was he saying?

He had seen him come in with something wrapped in newspaper.

All the kids in the neighborhood would get Christmas presents wrapped in newspaper.

It was probably snacks he bought at the store.

His mind was awake, but his body wouldn’t listen. They say the mind controls the body? Nothing controls a child’s body more strongly than sleepiness.

Jinhyuk spent a warm Christmas lying between his mother and father.

His mother’s hand patting his bottom and his father’s hand stroking his hair felt so soft.

‘I’m happy.’

He truly felt like a child.

In his sleep, he grabbed his mother’s hand and pulled it into his embrace.

***

Jinhyuk was very short when he was young.

It was partly because he didn’t eat well, but he also thought it was because he lived hunched over.

Huff-huff-.

“Hey, Janggun! If you exercise hard, you’ll grow too.”

Hehe-heck-.

Janggun seemed to understand.

Even though it was cold and the roads were icy, he ran with Janggun every day.

He also made sure to stretch and massage.

Was it thanks to that?

As the start of school approached, none of his clothes fit.

He was growing so fast that during the vacation, his mother had to add fabric and alter his clothes to make them longer. She had worked so hard, but even with her excellent skills, she could no longer make his clothes bigger.

His father was happy that his son had grown so much, and he took the bus to the town to buy clothes. He had an 88 motorcycle, but his mother stopped him, saying she was afraid of the icy roads and cold wind. Jinhyuk also dissuaded him.

While waiting for his father, who would come on the bus that arrived twice a day, in the morning and afternoon, Jinhyuk played with Janggun in front of Mikyung’s house at the bus stop.

“Jinhyuk, come inside, it’s cold.”

It’s okay, you know.

That Choi Mikyung kid was definitely trying to get him to help with her vacation homework.

He was writing a story with his left hand because of his promise to ghostwrite her diary. That alone was enough suffering for Jinhyuk. Even though his feet were freezing, Jinhyuk didn’t even look at Choi Mikyung.

“Your feet must be cold.”

No, this is exercise.

Why was he speaking in dialect?

Was he fully adapted to the local area?

Choi Mikyung pouted and went inside after seeing Jinhyuk, who was just stamping his feet without answering.

Finally, the afternoon bus arrived.

“Jinhyuk, Dad’s here.”

Whenever his father came back from town in the winter, he would bring tangerines, hotteok [sweet pancakes filled with brown sugar], and gukhwappang [chrysanthemum-shaped bread filled with sweet red bean paste].

They were winter snacks that his mother and Jinhyuk loved.

Of course, Janggun loved them too. Janggun was definitely a smart dog, considering he didn’t eat the tangerine peels.

His mother would dry the tangerine peels on the warm stove and make tea.

They would drink it sweetened with sugar, and perhaps because they drank a cup every day, they didn’t catch a cold.

***

It was a day with heavy snow and a biting wind.

“Honey! Honey!”

It was rare for his father to call his mother so desperately.

So it was easy to guess. He must have seen something disgusting or scary.

The most typical example was when he found a snake. At those times, his mother would fend off the snake with a shovel or a pitchfork, and his father would hide behind his delicate mother and fiercely point at the snake.

They were a couple who seemed to have switched genders.

‘Hehe, cute folks.’

But there was no way a snake would appear in the middle of winter, when the whole world was covered in white.

Instead of his mother, who was feeling under the weather and only peeked out through the slightly opened window, Jinhyuk asked.

“Dad, what’s wrong?”

“Jinhyuk, in the greenhouse over there-!”

His father pointed in the direction of the persimmon tree.

In the greenhouse?

“I was going to pick some green onions, but-.”

But?

“The door, the door must have been open-.”

The door was open?

“-They went in!”

His father, who usually spoke clearly and smoothly in a mid-low tone, was more difficult to understand than Janggun at times like this. But he couldn’t say that his father was worse than a dog.

Jinhyuk, who had been listening silently, couldn’t stand it anymore and asked.

“What went in?”

“Spar, sparrows! There are five of them!”

His father spread his hand wide, like a child showing off the size of something.

Five sparrows.

Jinhyuk, who had come down from the floor and was putting on his sneakers, almost lost his balance.

What was he going to do with this father who was making such a fuss over sparrows?

“It looks like they went in through the open gap because it’s cold and windy.”

Hey, Mr. Son. It doesn’t seem like it’s time for root cause analysis right now.

There must be a reason why he called out “Honey” twice.

“The sparrows must have been looking for a warm place. But why? Did they make a hole in the plastic?”

If they had committed an act of terrorism in the greenhouse, he should strike them with the righteous broom.

At Jinhyuk’s words, his father’s expression turned into that of a kind fool, for the first time in a while.

But it was only for a moment.

Jinhyuk read a clear determination in his father’s eyes.

His father’s blazing gaze was none other than that of a hero facing the demon king who had killed his comrades.

“I want to eat them.”

“……”

His strength left him, and a sigh as light as a feather escaped his lips.

Jinhyuk picked up the broom that was standing in the yard and headed towards the greenhouse.

He thought he looked like Aragorn charging towards Mordor before the final battle. Would anyone know who Aragorn was? If not, then let’s say he was Zhao Zilong of Changban Bridge [a famous general from the Three Kingdoms period].

‘They’re pitiful.’

Still, he had to try since his father wanted to eat them.

His father followed Jinhyuk, carrying a shovel.

“The plastic will tear if you’re not careful. Just bring a basket.”

“Oh? Ah, should I?”

Jinhyuk’s blank eyes followed his father as he hurried back into the house. It was a mystery how this young man, who knew nothing about the world, had become a wealthy farmer.

Whoosh-!

“Poor-cough!”

Whoosh-!

“Sorry-cough!”

He had learned kendo, but he had never had a chance to use it in real life.

Every time he swung the broom, a sparrow fell to the ground.

Even though they were small and quick, and he should have cornered them to catch them, Jinhyuk accurately struck the sparrows flying around in the wide space.

“Oh, our son.”

He really can do anything.

Son Kwang-yeon clapped his hands together like a seal.

He had killed a lot of fish, but birds felt like higher life forms than fish. He felt a greater sense of guilt. Jinhyuk’s heart wasn’t very happy, but he justified his killing by saying that he had to do it since his father wanted to eat them.

He had to prepare them. His mother didn’t seem well, and his father would faint if he saw blood.

‘I’ll prepare them.’

Jinhyuk burned the sparrow feathers in the remaining charcoal in the stove. He cut open their bellies, cleaned out their insides, and washed them with water. Now, he just had to put them on the grill and roast them over the charcoal. He put the insides on too. He would give them to his best friend, Janggun.

“Jinhyuk, can we eat them now? They look like they’re burning?”

His father, who had been following Jinhyuk around, squatted next to the stove and asked.

He was drooling, craving the high protein. They had plenty of food compared to other houses, so why was he like this? He had heard from friends who were raising children in the past that children with hand, foot, and mouth disease drooled, so was it possible that his father had hand, foot, and mouth disease?

“They need to be cooked through. That’s why the outside has to burn a little.”

A look of admiration appeared in his father’s eyes as he looked at his son.

Ever since the mudskipper fishing, this look felt very inappropriate. Was it because Jinhyuk’s soul age was superior?

Crack-crack-.

When he sprinkled a pinch of sea salt, the salt made a cheerful sound as it met the charcoal.

His hand holding the grill was hot, so he switched hands several times, then gently grabbed a wing and twisted it.

It broke off crisply, not like a cracker, but just right.

“They’re ready to eat.”

He scraped off the burnt parts with a knife and cut off the heads.

He could have cut off the heads when preparing them, but he had roasted them to give to Janggun.

Janggun, who knew he wasn’t allowed in the kitchen, was wagging his tail at the kitchen entrance. Jinhyuk threw him the sparrow heads and insides.

His father carefully crossed the kitchen threshold, holding his mother’s hand like they were entering a wedding. The area with the stove was lower, and the area with the gas range was higher, so there was a step. The two adults sat on the step and each picked up a roasted sparrow.

Watching his parents eat so deliciously, Jinhyuk felt the reward of killing. So this is why people kill. Should he try catching a chicken in the summer?

“Thanks to Jinhyuk, we’re eating sparrow again after a long time. Jinhyuk, you eat too.”

His mother handed him a sparrow leg that had quite a bit of meat on it.

Sparrows actually have very little meat.

Why do people eat this small, pitiful thing- crunch-.

‘Oh, it’s delicious?’

It was salty, savory, chewy, and crispy, so much so that he wondered if he should have added the salt.

After the sparrow feast was over.

Jinhyuk, who had finished cleaning up the kitchen, left the greenhouse door slightly open. Even if there was only a small gap, wild animals would cleverly find their way in.

In the evening, his father, who was shocked by the taste of the roasted sparrow, opened it a little more.

This was partly due to the shock of realizing that the roasted sparrow he had eaten as a snack with soju [Korean distilled spirit] in college wasn’t actually sparrow, but also because the roasted sparrow was so delicious.

The next day, there were no sparrows, and all the green onions had frozen to death.