Chapter 108

“Stepping Through the Seasons”

In the past, Jin Hyuk had no one to look up to or learn from.

Even those who were respected by society or had their own fanbases were nothing more than free operators walking on two legs to him. It wasn’t that they were lacking, but rather that Jin Hyuk’s mindset was that closed off.

The only things he could learn from were books and printed words, and the people he wanted to model himself after only existed in biographies.

But now, how fortunate is it that he has someone to refer to?

A while ago, his father’s words to the SSS came to mind.

– “If you’re going to follow me around, dress like a farmer and carry a shovel.”

Well, since the harvest was already done, there wasn’t much work left, but farmers never walk around their fields empty-handed. They carry shovels, repairing collapsed ridges and uprooting weeds, flipping them over to satisfy their work ethic. They even whack the overturned weeds with their shovels—whack, whack!

Anyway, it was good news for the SSS agents.

At least when Son Kwang-yeon went out, they could move together.

Seeing their positive response, Jin Hyuk took it a step further.

It was a way to naturally blend the SSS into the countryside, and Yang Gang-wook, as well as the other agents, welcomed the idea. Disguising themselves as locals was part of the operation, after all.

And so.

Sturdy men in green hats carrying shovels spread out across the village. The names of pesticides stitched in large yellow thread looked oddly natural. Ssaksuri, Igeulhwaek, Guramoksun…

Jin Hyuk monitored the agents whenever he had the chance.

“Ah… this doesn’t look natural at all.”

They looked more like thieves scouting for empty houses than farmers. Ah, that uncle’s pants are so tight he looks like a pervert. The color, apricot, makes it look like he’s wearing the ultimate “missing bottom” fashion from afar.

Jin Hyuk sighed as he sat on the rooftop with Yoo Jin on his lap, reading her a book.

He immediately noted improvements in his log.

「Enhance diversity in acting and clothing integrity」

Well, writing it like this, they’ll understand, right?

Thankfully, some agents with good observation and learning skills gradually improved over time. Some chopped firewood, while others carried A-frames up the mountain. To an outsider, it might look like they were being treated as servants, but it was clear they had volunteered. Some agents stayed inside, after all.

Still, the SSS preferred to roam around.

“Uncle, have some sikhye.”

“Ah! Thank you!”

While wandering around, they could sometimes get tasty food from the village ladies, which was incomparable to the food they ate in the hobbit bunker.

The ones who usually chatted with the agents were Han Yu-young and Yoo Jin. After all, they were the only ones always at home.

“Is that a gun, Uncle?”

“Haha, it’s me, Uncle.”

“Ah-. Can you give me a piggyback ride?”

“Huh?”

When a little kid stands on tiptoe and raises their arms, no one would misunderstand what they meant.

The agent caught on Yoo Jin’s radar now had an additional piggyback duty, but he seemed to enjoy it even more.

Some agents went fishing unrelated to their work, but no one scolded them. Even the inflexible Jin Hyuk acknowledged it as normal work, saying, “Even in office life, people slack off sometimes.” It was a judgment filled with comfort, thinking that without such little joys, it would be hard to endure in this boring countryside.

One agent was twisting rope, claiming it was for rock climbing, and even Jin Hyuk thought it looked usable. It was thicker than a tug-of-war rope.

‘It probably won’t break easily.’

Even if you told them to twist it like that, they probably couldn’t. Jin Hyuk clicked his tongue.

Sometimes agents got stung by bees, their eyes swelling up, but having a medic on hand was reassuring. Autumn bees are hard to spot, but once stung, they’re dangerous enough to warrant a funeral. And the bees in the mountains were usually hornets.

Anyway, the SSS gradually blended into the quiet countryside scenery.

Jin Hyuk chuckled as he recorded incidents in his log.

“Good thing we have two medics. Without them, Jo Il-hun would’ve turned into a soybean paste-covered mess after getting stung.”

Jang Gun-i, lying at Jin Hyuk’s feet and wagging his tail, suddenly lifted his head. The mention of soybean paste seemed to startle him, but it must’ve been a trick of the mind.

Jang Gun-i’s belly was now round, even without stealing food from the yellow dog.

Jin Hyuk still patted the head of his loyal friend by his side.

He didn’t know when the due date was, but her belly wasn’t sagging much. Seeing her swollen teats, she must be pregnant, but it’s strange. Kim Eun-jung’s dog’s belly sagged so much it dragged on the ground, and she gave birth to eight puppies.

“How many puppies will you have, Jang Gun-i?”

Jang Gun-i, who had been enjoying Jin Hyuk’s touch with her eyes closed, tilted her head once.

Hehehek-?

Judging by her puzzled look, she probably doesn’t know either.

Jin Hyuk sighed as he closed his log.

Amidst the returning peace, there was something that bothered him.

‘Since when did we have to go to school five days a week?’

Even if the five-day workweek became a thing, it wouldn’t apply to Jin Hyuk, but it still felt unfair to have to go to school on Saturdays.

The company he used to work at had a bi-weekly four-day work schedule. It was a system energetically pushed by Chairman Hong Ki-jun to improve corporate culture, and with positive employee feedback and visible performance improvements, it was on the verge of becoming a full four-day workweek.

“Wow! The persimmons are really ripe, huh?”

Mom, who had come out to collect laundry, exclaimed in admiration.

Jin Hyuk followed her gaze.

The persimmons were always plentiful. Even though all they did was sprinkle leftover fertilizer, charcoal, ash, and food scraps, the tree still bore fist-sized fruits—a remarkable tree.

“If we ripen them on the heated floor and eat them one by one when it snows, it’ll be delicious, right?”

“Yeah…”

The situation was described in detail, but the request wasn’t clear.

She could’ve just said it directly, but Mom always spoke in such roundabout ways.

That’s why it’s harder to refuse.

She wants to eat them, and I wasn’t planning to refuse anyway.

Jin Hyuk put down his log and stood up without hesitation.

“Yoo Jin, want to go pick persimmons with me?”

“Yes-! Hehehe-.”

Yoo Jin, who had been drawing pictures on the ground with small stones, jumped up. Following her brother, the bell on her hat jingled like a car wiper.

Perhaps because her belly was full and her body heavy, Jang Gun-i only wagged her tail to see the siblings off.

***

After finishing his business at the county office, Son Kwang-yeon stopped by the market and packed a bundle of sundae. He also filled it with pig intestines and liver, known as “badger hats,” which Han Yu-young particularly loved. His wife’s appetite had been poor lately, and her meals had decreased, leaving Son Kwang-yeon uneasy.

Yang Gang-wook, who had accompanied Son Kwang-yeon, gestured to gauge the weight.

“You bought a lot.”

“Haha, there are many mouths to feed.”

Is family only those related by blood? Yang Gang-wook silently laughed, remembering Son Kwang-yeon’s habitual saying. He’d share with the SSS and probably Jang Gun-i too.

Son Kwang-yeon sank into the plush car seat and groaned.

“Ugh, I’m exhausted. Hyun-woo, let’s go.”

“Yes, sir.”

The scenery outside the window changed rapidly as they drove.

The town grew day by day, and the old outer road became the central road, with a new outer road being built.

“Bear T-, I mean, Yang Team Leader. That’s probably a missile, right?”

Son Kwang-yeon pointed to a large cargo covered with a military tarp and netting, being transported by a roaring truck.

“Yes, that’s correct. It’s probably heading to Anheung.”

It was an open secret that Anheung had a missile launch site.

They usually moved during the quiet early morning hours, so it was unusual to see them moving in the late afternoon.

“Nothing’s going to happen, right?”

“It’s probably a test launch. They might be running late due to the West Coast Expressway construction.”

Son Kwang-yeon nodded at Yang Gang-wook’s explanation.

Though he spoke cautiously, he was more informed than anyone.

Busy and tired, his nerves were on edge. With strong allies and a fortress built, it was only natural for his attention to wander elsewhere. Besides, he had lived his whole life with a sense of unease.

Thinking this, Son Kwang-yeon sighed deeply, noticing Yang Gang-wook’s odd behavior.

He kept glancing around, as if checking what Son Kwang-yeon was doing.

“If you have something to say, say it. Don’t hold back.”

“Ah-, did you see?”

How could I not see? You’re turning your big bear head around like that.

Amused, Son Kwang-yeon shrugged his shoulders alone as Yang Gang-wook asked quietly.

“Should we not monitor the people from Moon’s side?”

Son Kwang-yeon sighed lightly and turned his gaze out the window.

“Yang Team Leader, you know what a vaccine is, right?”

“The flu…”

“Yes, that vaccine.”

Both Yang Gang-wook and Myung Hyun-woo in the driver’s seat perked up their ears.

Though he always seemed bright and lighthearted, when he spoke seriously, there was much to take in. He was the kind of person who inspired respect.

“Compared to Daejeong, those people are like a tiny virus.”

“You mean they’ve boosted our immunity?”

Still looking out the window, Son Kwang-yeon nodded. Though he looked like a bear, he was sharp—a fox-like bear.

“In the end, they’re moving with us, so there’s no side effect. They’ve not only boosted our immunity to fear but also planted the will to grow stronger. They’re people to be grateful for.”

“Antibodies.”

Bear Team Leader had a way of making you feel satisfied.

With such agreement, it was enjoyable to talk without needing to elaborate. Unlike his son, who made things harder than they needed to be, giving him a headache.

Whether anyone saw or not, Son Kwang-yeon nodded.

“That’s right. When the next virus appears, they’ll be the first to fight.”

Because they’re antibodies.

“Understood. I won’t deliberately monitor them.”

Yang Gang-wook answered briskly.

“Don’t create factions within my domain.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

The SSS was also a workplace.

He meant not to divide sides through politics.

As if he hadn’t been tired at all, Son Kwang-yeon’s eyes lit up as they left the gray town and entered the brown countryside.

“By the way, Yang Team Leader, is there something about Vice Chairman Hong Ki-jun’s actions that bothers you?”

“Ah, that is-.”

Turning to face Son Kwang-yeon, Yang Gang-wook lowered his eyes.

***

Jin Hyuk vented his frustration over the six-day school week by wielding a pole.

Each time, one or two persimmons fell to the ground.

“Wow! Brother, you’re really good at picking persimmons!”

This was only the second time he’d picked persimmons himself.

Last year, he was too short to balance the pole, so he only collected the persimmons his father picked.

He didn’t know the variety, but there weren’t many that turned into hongshi. They usually picked them before winter to make dried persimmons or let them ripen. Some were left on the tree to ripen naturally, and the slightly frozen hongshi were picked in winter.

Thunk-.

Twisting the branch with a U-shaped wire, the persimmon at the end followed.

“Hahaha!”

Every time her brother picked a persimmon, Yoo Jin clapped and cheered.

At first, she tried to do it herself but couldn’t handle the pole and gave up. Yoo Jin was in charge of collecting the fallen persimmons in a rubber tub, slipping and rolling on the fallen leaves but still enthusiastic. Her small hands made the work easier.

Feeling sorry for her panting, tongue-out sister, Jin Hyuk couldn’t help but smile.

“Jin Hyuk-, Yoo Jin-.”

“Hi, sis-.”

I wondered why she wasn’t coming. Choi Mi-kyung’s appearance made Jin Hyuk narrow his eyes.

Does she only watch us through a telescope? She always shows up like a ghost when there’s food. A legendary SSS foodie. But as a cherished childhood friend, Jin Hyuk always looked out for her.

“Just give me a little. I’ll be back soon to help.”

“Alright…”

Choi Mi-kyung, who had quietly set down her basket, headed home. To Jin Hyuk’s house.

Hey, where are you going?

“Is Auntie home?”

“Yeah-.”

She called me today because it’s cookie day. Choi Mi-kyung’s voice quickly faded.

She loves food so much, but she’s still short. Jin Hyuk grumbled and swung the pole more fiercely. The married Choi Mi-kyung of the past probably grew during high school.

‘Our Yoo Jin is struggling to collect them alone. Let’s help a bit.’

Huff! Huff!

Thunk, thunk-.

Eat the persimmon skin and get constipated.

Hehehehe-.

Thinking of his constipated, yellow-faced childhood friend, a sly smile spread across Jin Hyuk’s face. Swinging the pole while laughing, he looked menacing.

Yoo Jin, holding persimmons in both hands, looked up at her brother with strange eyes. Our brother is breaking innocent branches while laughing wickedly.

Yoo Jin sniffled, pulling back her runny nose, and blinked her big eyes repeatedly. Her eyes looked more scared than curious.

After running around every day, it seems our brother has finally gone crazy.

I should probably tell Mom, right?