Chapter 11

#11 <The Great Magician>

***

Finally, the Saturday at the end of July, when the vacation had arrived.

As soon as Jin-hyeok returned from school, he rushed to the faucet in the front yard. As the days went by and he kept running, his breathing became more comfortable, but the increasingly hot weather filled his body with a burning heat.

The sight of the groundwater quietly basking in the sunlight inside the red rubber barrel was almost mesmerizing.

He stripped naked and poured cold water over himself.

Splash-.

‘Ahhh! This is the taste!’

The refreshing sensation of the groundwater running from the top of his head down his entire body.

That cool feeling on the balls that only a man can enjoy!

He soaped up every nook and cranny of his body. Even though soap got into his eyes, he didn’t care. Jin-hyeok was a real man. Since ancient times, it was said that a man who could endure the stinging of soapy water in his eyes without flinching was a true man.

After rinsing off the soap, he scrubbed his hands thoroughly. Especially if he was going to hold the baby, his hands had to be clean.

“Is our Jin-hyeok here?”

The door to the main room opened, and his mother greeted him.

Oops!

Jin-hyeok quickly covered his private parts with a basin.

“You can’t look!”

He was extremely flustered. Covering up was fine, but in his panic, he ended up showing his firm, bouncy buttocks as he turned around.

“Hehehehe-.”

His mother laughed as she closed the door, even shaking her shoulders.

Just a year ago, her son, who used to rub her chest and act spoiled, was now shy. It was the same when she bathed the baby in the main room.

– “Should I wash you too, Jin-hyeok?”

– “Nooo-, I’ll do it myself in the yard!”

He would wave his hands and blush. He even turned his head away when he saw the baby being breastfed. Han Yu-young thought that as he grew more mature, he would leave her side sooner.

Of course, the truth was far beyond the universe······.

***

The Son family father and son strolled through the fields.

After the rainy season passed, as humidity and temperature began to rise, farmers who grew rice would eagerly search for their fields. They needed to check if rice blast disease was spreading, and if it was, they had to apply fungicides. This rice blast disease could lie dormant over the years, so they had to disinfect the seeds, apply pesticides, avoid over-fertilizing, and carefully manage the water temperature.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yes. This year doesn’t seem as hot as previous years.”

Ten years ago, a kind man from the village, thinking how hot the rice could be in this heat, poured cool groundwater into his field and ended up spreading rice blast disease to others’ fields.

The identity of that kind but foolish Seoul villager was never revealed, thanks to Choi Jang-hwan’s well-meaning defense. Choi Jang-hwan encouraged him, saying that’s how you learn.

As soon as Jin-hyeok finished his walk with his dad, he washed his hands and face and picked up his younger sibling.

Dunggae dunggae dunggae-.

“Koeeeng-.”

“It must be the baby’s nap time. I should go out and play.”

Jin-hyeok handed the baby, who was starting to fuss, to his mom and went out to the front yard. He wanted to touch the baby and show affection, but he knew that babies need to sleep to grow.

He climbed onto the bench and unfolded the newspaper.

「President Roh Tae-woo Presents Credentials to the Ambassador of Free China」

Ah, there was a time when Taiwan was called Free China. How refreshing.

He read the print diligently to understand the world’s trends, but it wasn’t exactly fun. The newspaper quickly flipped through.

「[Topic] American Ice Cream Lands in the Soviet Union. Likely to Be Popular in Moscow」

The Soviet Union, a forgotten name revived today, how novel.

When did the Soviet Union dissolve? It must have been not long ago. Probably by the next Barcelona Olympics, they participated as the Commonwealth of Independent States. If it’s not a memory ingrained in my body, it’s too dark to know the future. Anyway, it’s boring, so let’s quickly read and move on.

「[Topic] Indian Police Bribed, AIDS Patient Escapes Hospital」

Wow, the dynamic global village since old times.

「“U.S. Cigarette Exports Are Immoral” U.S. Domestic Line “Quit Smoking” Overseas Line “Smoke More” Threat」

Those Yankees······. Jin-hyeok shook his head.

I crave a cigarette. But did I ever smoke?

I didn’t, but it’s strange.

「Pro Baseball Lotte Rises to 2nd Place. Youngest Seo Jeong-ryong’s Great Pitching」

It was shocking.

Hmm, were they such a team? Even though I wasn’t interested in baseball in my previous life, I remember fans cursing them as losers. Seeing them do well, it seems they have a genius hitter and a pitcher hiding a fastball this year.

Rolling around reading the newspaper, he naturally covered his face. The strong smell of ink on the newspaper made him feel drowsy and his mind drifted away.

The comfort of the zelkova tree shade covering the bench made his body relax, and then he heard the sound of footsteps.

“Jin-hyeokaaaa-.”

It was little Choi Mi-kyung.

Country kids rarely hung out together after school. There were reasons like gender differences, but mainly because it was a rural village where houses weren’t close. Even though Choi Mi-kyung lived nearby, Jin-hyeok didn’t often play with the kids because they made him uncomfortable.

But what brought this kid here?

Little Choi Mi-kyung was holding an orange basin.

“When someone calls you, you should answer!”

“Oh, come on in.”

Choi Mi-kyung, who had shouted, narrowed her eyes. Son Jin-hyeok was always a weird guy. ‘Come on in’? That’s not something people in the village say. It’s how adults in Seoul on TV greet each other.

‘An old man in a kid’s body.’

Choi Mi-kyung pouted.

“Let’s go pick wild berries.”

“I’m a bit tied up with the baby.”

“The baby’s with your mom. I want to eat wild berries, but I’m scared of snakes.”

Wait, Choi Mi-kyung wants to eat wild berries, and Choi Mi-kyung is scared of snakes, so why is she telling me? Unable to find the logical connection, Jin-hyeok blinked in confusion.

He had heard that talking to girls was difficult, but as someone who had little experience or memory of such conversations, it was quite awkward. The only deep conversations he had were work-related, and the only human-like conversations were listening to the drunken ramblings of Hong Soo-jung. Even then, he just listened silently.

Even though he had a few meals with the adult Choi Mi-kyung, she was always polite, so this current behavior was unfamiliar.

‘Did I do something wrong?’

Jin-hyeok felt wronged.

But he couldn’t grab a child by the collar and argue. There wasn’t enough reason to retaliate. He had to protect his mom and baby from any potential danger.

“Are you coming or not!”

“······ Let’s go.”

Well, since mom likes wild berries, maybe I should go pick some.

He picked up a faded sky-blue basin from the faucet and headed to the back mountain.

Choi Mi-kyung followed at a reasonable distance.

It was indeed a village where genders were distinct.

*

There were a few snakes, but fortunately, they only saw the tails of the snakes fleeing at the sound of human footsteps. Jang Gun-i wagged his tail at the fleeing snakes. He was a friendly dog, even to snakes, so why did he cause so much trouble for Jin-hyeok last year?

“Mi-kyung picked a lot-.”

– huh?

He automatically closed his mouth upon seeing the ten-year-old girl with red hands and cheeks. Choi Mi-kyung had put the basin she brought on her head and was puffing her cheeks like a squirrel, giving him a look as if to ask if he had a problem.

Sigh-.

Jin-hyeok poured the wild berries he had collected into Choi Mi-kyung’s basin, matching the amount.

“Take them and share with your parents.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

As she spoke, wild berry fragments flew out, but Choi Mi-kyung quickly closed her lips to catch them.

It was impressive reflexes. Or maybe just a strong attachment to food.

Why did this busy eater bring a basin?

Kids are mysterious creatures.

At the fork in the road, they parted ways.

‘That, that kid! She’s still eating on the way!’

The adult Jin-hyeok decided to let it go.

Hehehe-.

He had to feed Jang Gun-i a wild berry too.

Crazy, the dog knows the taste and follows only if given one every few steps.

“Now it’s for mom.”

Keeeing-.

Seeing his disappointment, it was clear he understood human words. Jang Gun-i was a Korean-speaking dog.

Careful not to spill even one, they carefully walked down the hill and arrived home.

Jin-hyeok washed the wild berries at the faucet and felt a lump in his throat.

Catching fish for his parents, making sparrow skewers, picking wild berries.

Such ordinary daily tasks.

Could they really be this precious?

‘It would be nice if wild berries grew well near the house.’

They have thorns, so they could serve as a fence, and mom would love them.

It was strange. No matter how resilient wild berry bushes were, they always died when planted near the house. He tried transplanting them with soil, thinking the roots might be damaged. He even applied plenty of compost, thinking the soil might lack nutrients, but nine out of ten still withered.

But knowing that at least some survived, Jin-hyeok felt content.

After giving the clean wild berries to his mom, he watched over his younger sibling Son Yoo-jin sleeping.

‘Wow, how can she be so angelic?’

He played with her tiny fingers, compared hand sizes, and even brought her hand to his cheek. He smelled the baby scent from her.

Worried she might get cold, he gently covered her head with his palm and wished in his heart.

‘Grow up healthy.’

If money is needed, I’ll earn it.

If I can’t earn it, I’ll secretly sell some of dad’s land.

Even without detailed future information, I know how to make money. That’s how I managed to survive on my own. I don’t even need to memorize land transaction knowledge.

‘Steal the seal, get a seal certificate and family relation certificate, forge a power of attorney, stamp the sales contract-.’

There might be a time gap in knowledge, so I might be wrong. If I don’t know, I’ll just ask a broker.

Well, as the ordinary son of a landowner, I’d secretly sell land and such.

***

Summer in the countryside was manageable as long as you avoided the sun. Just staying under the shade of a pine tree would cool you down, and the earthen-walled ondol house maintained a comfortable temperature even at noon.

Jin-hyeok liked the forest halfway between the house and the sea.

Sitting there, he could see the distant stream, sea, reservoir, and even Gu-bong Mountain. The village’s scenery was all in one view. Above all, the cool breeze constantly blowing was great for cooling down.

He didn’t skip running, but he also didn’t skip meditating under that tree.

Sitting cross-legged and breathing calmly, the scent of trees and soil cleansed his body and filled him with something invisible.

‘It’s amazing, if only I had known this before.’

Probably impossible. Living in constant fear of when his drunken stepfather’s fist would fly, meditation was something that required peace of mind first.

A strong wind blew. The air that filled his lungs in one breath was overwhelming. His lungs expanded fully, and the forest’s vitality filled his entire body. The scent of pine resin and various grasses made his mind even more peaceful.

‘Mmm-, smell-.’

Hehehe-.

Jang Gun-i seemed to enjoy meditating too.

Truly a wise dog.

***

Jin-hyeok’s summer vacation was special.

Thanks to his dad’s consideration, his mom spent over a month at home, solely taking care of the baby and recovering. Even then, Jin-hyeok took full responsibility for his younger sibling Yoo-jin, so his mom received better service than any modern postpartum care center.

“Mom, have some food.”

Whoosh-.

His mom’s eyes widened as she tasted the seaweed soup with beef.

“Oh my, did our Jin-hyeok really make this?”

“Yes. I must have inherited your cooking skills.”

Just kidding, mom.

In his previous life, after becoming an adult, he lived alone for 25 years. Tired of eating out, he often cooked for himself, so even in this young body, cooking wasn’t hard. Both exercise and cooking were things his body remembered.

“School’s starting soon, and our son didn’t even get to play to his heart’s content.”

His mom looked genuinely sorry.

Whenever his mom went to wash or use the bathroom, Jin-hyeok always stayed by the baby’s side.

He had heard stories from the village elders about weasels or martens biting the necks of nursing babies. Of course, those were old stories, and even in the town, cars were common and people were plenty, but in the countryside, there were many wildcats and martens. Worried that these vicious creatures might smell the baby and attack, Jin-hyeok provided close protection.

“Playing with the baby is the most fun.”

Jin-hyeok laughed as he held his two-month-old sibling Yoo-jin. His younger sibling, looking up at him and moving his mouth, was too adorable.

“Arooroo- Akung-!”

“Koeeengkoeeeng-.”

He still didn’t laugh when playing peek-a-boo, but it seemed like he recognized his older brother and was babbling something. He made eye contact with his brother, moving his eyebrows and widening his eyes.

Jin-hyeok thought that even in his previous life, getting married might have been nice. He didn’t know he could love a baby this much until his sibling was born.

Before returning to the past, Jin-hyeok was at a crossroads regarding marriage.

‘The chairman’s daughter.’

She would be about five years old by now.

She was five years younger than Jin-hyeok and his direct superior. She must be living well somewhere in Seoul by now.

‘In this life, we probably won’t meet.’

The daughter of a conglomerate chairman. Someone Jin-hyeok would never meet unless he sought her out. Even if he did, she wouldn’t meet him. Thinking of her made ten-year-old Jin-hyeok’s heart beat for no reason. The only woman who made the tough, tearless, friendless Jin-hyeok’s heart race.

‘Looking back, her actions were cute.’

The Great Magician. A nickname she got because she frowned all year round like a woman on her period. She had been appointed to a key affiliate early to receive group successor training. With her brilliant mind and drive, she took control of the group, and no one doubted she would become the group’s owner. Of course, the fact that there was a person named Son Jin-hyeok behind her would remain unknown to the world forever.

Living while forming new relationships with people from the past.

People from the future only exist in Jin-hyeok’s memories.

Future information didn’t matter.

If someone like me exists, succeed to your heart’s content.

What was precious to Jin-hyeok were the people.

‘But if by chance we meet······.’

I’ll treat you well.

“Hmmuaaaa-.”

Yoo-jin, with his hand covered in a mitten, yawned.

He thought his posture looked like a crab.