Chapter 123

< Healer (4) >

***

Jang Gun-i is a Confucian dog.

I don’t know what it means, but the owner calls him that.

Grrr-.

Anyway, a Confucian dog pursues a hierarchical society.

By rejecting the subversive idea that all dogs are equal under heaven, every dog under Jang Gun-i practices humility.

Woof-!

As Jang Gun-i barked with dignity, three dogs sat quietly.

One is Jang Gun-i’s daughter, Hongshi, and the other two are new recruits who arrived a few days ago.

They’re called a Shepherd and a Doberman, but their breeds are weird—some unheard-of, rootless mutts. Look at that black one. Where did they sell it? It doesn’t even have a tail. How can you call it a dog if it doesn’t have a tail to wag while eating?

They say one used to detect explosives in the military, and the other worked as a guard dog for a wealthy family in Seoul, but I have no idea what that means. Why detect explosives? Why guard a house? To Jang Gun-i, a free spirit, such thinking is incomprehensible.

Grrr-.

Anyway, Queen Dog Jang Gun-i has no business meddling in the affairs of these lowly subordinates.

No matter where they rolled in from, if they want to mark their territory in this neighborhood, they’ll have to follow Jang Gun-i’s lead.

Woof!

Got it?!

Whimper-.

They answered yes.

Perhaps because they’ve lived in organized groups, they’re quite good at understanding commands.

Jang Gun-i felt that his perseverance had paid off.

After living alone, he gained a daughter and several subordinates, so it seems like he won’t be bored anymore. He used to get really bored when the kids went to school. His subordinate, Son Ang-ang, wasn’t as active as Son Wang-wang.

There’s more good news.

This old dog named Jjamppong from the neighbor’s house still challenges Jang Gun-i with his head held high. Of course, in a fight, Jang Gun-i would lose due to strength and size. But since they’ve never fought, there’s no winner or loser.

Jang Gun-i was pleased.

Sniff sniff-. With these guys by his side, Jjamppong will soon have his head smeared with soybean paste.

Just lick it off after smearing it.

Nothing works better than dog saliva.

Once treated, Jjamppong will bow his head in gratitude to the queen.

Hehehe-.

What a brilliant plan.

Now it’s time for the new recruits’ OJT.

Even though he’s a Confucian dog, Jang Gun-i is a kind dog.

He taught them where the bathroom is.

If they do their business anywhere, Son Wang-wang, the kid in this house, will shake his butt.

It’s a place called the compost pile. One day, they stacked bricks and gathered fallen leaves, so they started doing their business there. Then the kid praised them and gave them two fish.

As a rule, when dogs are praised, they repeat the behavior.

If these guys do their business at the compost pile, they’ll get two fish each.

Let’s see, if I skim one fish from each, Jang Gun-i will get…

The number isn’t important. Anyway, he’ll get to eat a lot.

Jang Gun-i is a smart dog, so he knows these things.

Next, it’s time to teach them the patrol route.

Whimper-.

The Doberman guy asked why they patrol if they’re not guarding the house.

Grrr- Woof! You stupid mutt! You have to protect your territory!

We patrol because it’s Jang Gun-i’s territory, not out of loyalty!

These rootless mutts are so hard to teach.

Starting from the owner’s house, head towards the sunrise, then check near the house that looks like a tomb as if the sun is circling the sky. It’s good to mark the territory like punching a time card.

Mark-. Huh, it’s not coming out. Hey, someone do it for me.

After one round, return to the owner’s yard, and the patrol is over. Repeat until your stomach is empty, eat, and repeat until your stomach is empty again.

Whimper-.

The Shepherd guy asked if it’s too tiring.

These rootless mutts have no perseverance.

Muscles of steel don’t just appear on their own!

Grrr-.

I’ll bite your balls off.

“Mommy-!”

Woof!

Quiet! When you hear noise from the owner’s house, perk up your ears and focus.

It’s not about loyalty. It’s about broadening your horizons and becoming an enlightened dog by listening to the world’s news.

Four dogs sat in a row, ears perked towards the living room.

*

“Whyyy-?”

As Son Yoo-jin made a fuss, Han Yu-young rushed out of the bathroom.

“Mommy-! Mommy! Jeongwon flipped over!”

“Yoo-jin, it’s dangerous to leave the baby on his stomach when I’m not around.”

“Okay. Hehe-.”

Who does she take after to be lying already? To Jin-hyuk, who firmly believes that lying makes horns grow on your butt, his sister was fascinating. She’s lying with a smile to the scariest mom in the world.

He chuckled and turned his attention back to the newspaper.

‘Nothing. Nothing.’

It’s August, but there’s no news of a plane crash in the paper.

There are articles suspecting North Korea as the terrorist mastermind, columns condemning North Korea and urging vigilance, and speculative reports that the closure of Mokpo Airport might be prolonged.

‘Why is the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty being mentioned here?’

Jin-hyuk tilted his head while reading the column. The mental world of columnists is as incomprehensible as ever.

He liked the column suggesting a review of airport safety due to frequent fog. The presence of nearby hills could cause accidents in bad weather like heavy fog. A precise point.

Just last week, articles complaining about the inconvenience of not being able to use the airport were endless, but as the closure prolonged, articles interviewing passengers disappeared. Humans are adaptable creatures, it seems.

‘Looks like it’s been brushed over.’

The once-small middle schooler Jin-hyuk bit his lip while reading the paper. No tears came from his dry eyes, nor did any sobs, but he could empathize a little with others’ sorrow.

It might have been the story of a girl who lost her parents and brother in a plane crash and was left alone. He didn’t pity her. It just felt like his own story, knowing the pain of being left alone.

‘You’ll be able to live happily with your family now.’

He sent an unwarranted consolation to a stranger.

Perhaps this was why he started all this. Maybe he felt guilty for being the only one living happily and wanted to help others find their normal lives.

If they had the same past life and scars in untouchable places, he hoped his actions would heal them.

So he plans to continue.

At least for the events he remembers, he wants to make some impact. Not as the main hero, but as an extra.

Past Jin-hyuk saw himself as an extra.

Someone who doesn’t belong anywhere, whose existence is unknown to the world, living quietly and disappearing silently, a silent and ordinary bystander. Even after being reborn, that thought hasn’t changed.

Jin-hyuk himself thinks he lacks the charm to be a protagonist. He’s not the type to be the center of human connections. Plus, his personality isn’t straightforward.

The charm of being blunt was far superior in the past Son Jin-hyuk. He was direct and didn’t hold back on harsh words. But now, like Grandpa Cheon Gil-ryong, he uses frustrating, cryptic speech.

Though his soul is getting younger, he can’t ignore the gap between body and soul. Maybe by the time he’s thirty, it’ll be better.

He smiled faintly as he flipped the last page of the newspaper.

‘I can rest easy for now.’

Well, Jin-hyuk always collapses as if he’d score 100 on a sleep tracker, but that’s what he means.

He flipped through the newspaper again from the beginning.

Even without intentionally extracting specific characters, the newspaper was dominated by the word “Saein.” The articles about the Daejeon World Expo starting on August 7th looked pitiful in comparison.

Saein Electronics announced plans to lead domestic production of cutting-edge semiconductor technology and develop DRAM that no other company could imitate.

In the business section, snippets about Saein Electronics’ computer software contest, Saein Shopping’s summer sale, Saein Cosmetics’ partnership with Japanese technology, and Saein Investment Trust’s development of stock-type income securities filled the pages. It made you wonder what the newspaper would contain without Saein.

As he flipped through, Jin-hyuk’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction as he reread a tiny article he’d already seen.

‘Uncle Moon Seok-il did a good job.’

Articles about increasing the number of small passenger ship operations on weekends, postponing the suspension of government subsidies, and strengthening crackdowns on overloading in exchange for easing regulations and maintaining support made Jin-hyuk pleased.

It was the result of Moon Seok-il meeting not only the navigation approvers but also higher officials and politicians. Whatever method he used, he’s truly an amazing person.

‘Ah, I want to check the internet.’

Even now, internet connection is possible. Though, as someone who lived in the future, it’s embarrassing to even call it the internet.

But.

‘I got scolded by mom.’

Connecting to the internet means you can’t use the phone. It’s a problem caused by using a phone line instead of a dedicated line. He connected a few times at night when the family was asleep and got scolded for the phone bill.

Jin-hyuk felt wronged.

As he sighed softly, a noise interrupted his focus.

[Ah-, this is an announcement from the Dunaeri Village Hall-.]

Finally, the broadcast came on. It’s the day to go fishing.

Jin-hyuk put on shorts, a T-shirt, and slippers.

“Oppa, I want to go toooo-.”

“Yoo-jin, you can only watch from outside. Okay? The waterway is dangerous.”

“Okay!”

The sun was scorching. He put a hat and umbrella on Yoo-jin and headed to the old waterway.

Jang Gun-i, Hongshi, Shepherd Cheon-ma, and Doberman Gwang-ma followed behind.

Cheon-ma’s original name was Max, and Gwang-ma’s was Lucky, but Jin-hyuk changed them because the names were too hard. Hongshi also didn’t get an English name like Tyson because the new dogs having English names didn’t sit well with him. The smart dogs quickly adapted to their new names, and SSS, who controls them, liked the simplicity.

“Yoo-jin, be careful. Hold oppa’s hand tight.”

“Okay.”

The bridge is wide enough for cars, but the waterway, now filled with water, is over a meter deep. If a child falls in, it could be dangerous.

Thanks to the pump working hard for ten days, the new waterway is full of water. The water is so clear you can see the grass, pebbles, and sand at the bottom.

“Oppa, there’s no fish.”

“Yeah. It hasn’t been long since the water was filled. They’ll come soon.”

Though it’s a rare festival worth being excited about, Jin-hyuk, crossing the bridge to the old waterway, couldn’t shake off his current obsession.

‘Internet, internet.’

In a time when 2,000 won got you two hours of unlimited service at a PC bang, and later, almost all content was accessible with a smartphone. Was it really worth getting scolded for using the phone line for a bit? Of course, the phone bill was astronomical.

‘Mom hates only me.’

Since having the baby, she treats her eldest son like a nuisance, pushing him aside with her foot. That’s how Jin-hyuk feels. She’s become more sensitive, and the always-smiling mom now often frowns. Timing-wise, Jin-hyuk should be just as sensitive.

Tsk, he pursed his lips.

‘I think she said her milk isn’t coming well.’

Yoo-jin drank too much milk, so it seems like she’s dried up, and even after having Jeongwon, her milk isn’t flowing well.

Anyway.

Since it’s too slow and there’s nothing to see, he thought of just connecting briefly. He learned how to connect from a friend who goes to a computer academy and tried it out of curiosity.

But.

It was fun.

It’s frustratingly slow and there’s nothing to see, but somehow it’s engrossing.

‘Ahhh-! When will high-speed internet and LTE come out?’

To solve this inconvenience, Jin-hyuk wants to grow up quickly.

Everyone says they hate getting older, but Jin-hyuk has no attachment to youth. Whether in the future or now, people say “those were the good old days,” but he can’t agree at all. Being young comes with many restrictions and isn’t free. He thinks those who say that are probably old pigs with stiff joints and heavy bodies.

‘That’s why you should exercise. I was flying around even in my 40s.’

He heard from Min Yong-rak that Saein Telecom will install an internet-dedicated line in Hobbit Bunker as a pilot case next year. It won’t be high-speed, but it won’t hog the phone line, and with Pentium-level desktops coming out, it should be quite usable.

It’s not just because flipping through newspapers is cumbersome. That’s why Jin-hyuk suddenly craves the internet and wants to grow up quickly.

It’s a longing for healing.

Of course, smelling the scent of an era he couldn’t experience and feeling the winds of time isn’t bad. It helps wash away the residue of loss.

But nostalgia for the future unexpectedly ignited Jin-hyuk’s desires. The most representative is Executive Hong Soo-jung. Jin-hyuk hasn’t forgotten her for a single day.

‘Since I turned back time, did she become a non-existent person, a non-existent event?’

He can confidently say nothing happened between them. Whether that’s something to be proud of is another matter.

Anyway, she was the only person he thought of at the end of a hard day, and thinking of her always made him smile. Seeing her smiling photos on SNS made him happy too. It was hard to see her smile like that in reality.

Sometimes he’s confused why he thinks so much of little Hong Soo-jung.

Maybe it’s because of the scars from the past. After much thought, Jin-hyuk concluded it must be that and didn’t try to dismiss it as strange emotions.

She was like a friend who healed his loneliness.

‘Why am I like this again? What am I even thinking?’

I shouldn’t be conflicted, I should live attached to this world. But is the human heart that simple? It’s just a reed swaying in the wind.

But it’s not about being tied to the past. It’s just curiosity and worry.

‘It’s just how it is.’

Being alive allows the luxury of contemplation.

While feeling around in the muddy water to catch a carp, Jin-hyuk kept chaining his thoughts. If he hadn’t, he might have cursed under the scorching sun. And it was too noisy all around.

College freshmen Choi Tae-yang and Yang Gang-wook, on break, left fishing aside and wrestled in the mud in just their blue shorts.

Those two grab each other’s waists and roll around whenever they meet, to the point where you worry if they’ll develop feelings. The women, who didn’t step into the drained waterway, cheered at their match.

‘Everyone’s gone crazy.’

It’s a world where Son Jin-hyuk is the only sane person.

As he stretched his sore back and sighed, Son Yoo-jin pointed somewhere.

“Oppa! There, over there!”

Where Yoo-jin pointed, the bottom of the waterway rippled like milk chocolate syrup.

Jin-hyuk took a deep breath.

‘It’s a snakehead.’

A huge fish, at least a meter long.

Jeong Sang-tae, Kang Heon-chang, Kim In-rang, and the other SSS members hesitated, their eyes wide. No matter how brave, everyone reacts similarly to bizarre creatures.

“Whoa-, damn, that’s scary.”

“Uh-uh-, Il-hun, don’t push- you’ll fall-.”

Jo Il-hun and Yook Seong-chan also made a fuss.

Choi Tae-yang and Yang Gang-wook, who were wrestling, quickly called a truce and ran off in opposite directions.

The men in the waterway quieted down, while those on the bank got excited.

“Why don’t we just let it live? Isn’t it a spiritual creature?”

It was Jang Jin-nam, covered in mud, who suggested releasing it into the lake-like water downstream.

Then Jo Il-hun shouted.

“That’s better than carp! Even a toothless granny would get milk if she ate that-.”

At that moment, Jin-hyuk’s eyes lit up.

Right, that thing could solve mom’s milk shortage.

‘It’s scary, but I can’t let my sibling starve.’

Give up your milk!