Chapter 190

<The Coward (7)>

***

Hong Ki-jun completed the construction of a website equipped with a search engine through a web-based software competition held by Sain Electronics. All sorts of eccentrics and geniuses, whose whereabouts were hard to trace, had appeared.

However.

“Let’s start the service already.”

Due to the slow spread of the internet, the full-fledged portal site service was being delayed, deemed premature. The collection of information to build the database was complete, and there were enough people to input the data.

“The mole’s den and our house have decent connections.”

It was a selfish and unreasonable thought, considering only his own situation, but he kept grumbling.

“Why can’t we just do it? No one’s going to say anything, but you keep worrying about this and that.”

Grumbling, grumbling.

Even though no one was listening, Jin Hyuk muttered while rummaging through the dirt house storage.

If internet searches were possible, he could find information about sea anemones. Anyway, Hong Ki-jun is someone who can be both good and bad. He delays applying knowledge that could make life easier for people just because he doesn’t like how humans look.

Under the slogan of being fair and square, Jin Hyuk vowed not to use unknown powers, yet he held Hong Ki-jun to a different standard.

But power is power, and knowledge is knowledge, right?

In this complicated world, you can’t simplify and equate all phenomena and objects, as the smart Yoo Jin said.

Hong Ki-jun is someone who walks a fundamentally different path from Jin Hyuk. Jin Hyuk couldn’t have not known that. Even without him saying it, just by observing, you could tell their tendencies.

“Ugh. He’s been the complete opposite of me since forever. Totally opposite.”

Sea anemones are just something you catch, but he was curious about the recipe and worried if eating that tentacled monster would cause any harm.

Isn’t knowing power?

And you can’t just know it roughly; you have to know it precisely.

Gwak Hyang-rim knows the recipe, but the appearance is just not satisfying.

“Phew. I got excited again.”

Because of a sea anemone, he ended up badmouthing Hong Ki-jun, who could be considered the family’s benefactor. But hey, people curse the king in private, so what’s the big deal?

“Jang Gun, let’s go.”

Putting on boots, a straw hat, and a farmer’s iconic gray checkered shirt, he completed the perfect farmer look.

Now, with a hoe and a shovel in the basket on his shoulder, it’s time to head out.

“Jang Gun, let’s go.”

Woof! Woof woof!

Jang Gun, who was chewing on a dog treat, stood up on all fours and barked but didn’t follow Jin Hyuk. Maybe because it was a dog treat bought at a department store, the dog seemed very satisfied.

“We’re going to the sea, aren’t you coming?”

Woof! Woof woof!

What is this guy saying…

Judging by the tone of the bark, he didn’t seem angry, but it sounded like he was saying something, though Jin Hyuk couldn’t understand.

“Oppa! Where are you going? To catch crabs? Crab fry is delicious. To catch crabs? Steamed crabs are good.”

Huh? When did Yoo Jin get here?

Yoo Jin, wearing Jin Hyuk’s old sweater, appeared looking like a beggar. Seeing Yoo Jin return home first with Kim Sang-ho, it seems Dad is still taking a walk with Yang Gang-wook.

“Geez, this kid, what’s with the pretty princess look?”

Jin Hyuk knelt down and brushed off the dirt from Yoo Jin’s clothes.

On her days off, Yoo Jin patrols the neighborhood as soon as the sun rises, running around so much that even if her mom makes her look like a princess every morning, it’s useless.

Once, she brought a completely crushed can from the back mountain, looking like a perfect beggar.

“What’s wrong with how I look?”

“Nothing. You’re pretty.”

Hehe.

You can’t call it a beggar look; you just have to say she’s pretty.

Still, she’s a healthy and lively younger sister, so even in her shabby appearance, you don’t feel sorry for her. Yoo Jin doesn’t lack any nutrients and doesn’t have a runny nose like other kids.

Jin Hyuk went back to the storage and brought out a carrying frame.

If she insists on following her oppa even to the army, I should take her.

Putting a straw hat on Yoo Jin and carrying her on the frame, they set off.

“Shall we go to the sea to catch fish? Shall we go to the mountain to catch fish?”

With her high-pitched singing, Jin Hyuk felt like his head was about to explode. But he had no intention of ruining his sister’s fun. Seeing Yoo Jin happy makes Jin Hyuk happy too.

Still, I wish she’d pronounce things correctly.

“Yoo Jin, it’s not ‘catch to,’ it’s ‘catch for.'”

“Ah, really? I didn’t do it on purpose.”

“It’s not ‘on purpose,’ it’s ‘purposely.'”

“Shall we go to the sea to catch fish? Shall we go to the mountain to catch fish?”

Just stop talking.

Even after playing for a while, Yoo Jin doesn’t get tired.

“Fill this bottle up and yayayayayaya here we come!”

Woof woof woof!

Holding onto the carrying frame, she sang at the top of her lungs, and all the neighborhood dogs responded.

Spending the day so energetically, she must sleep well at night.

“Oppa, what do you do with sea anemones when you catch them?”

“Eat them.”

“Wow! Sea anemones must be delicious.”

Is there anything Yoo Jin can’t eat?

The little girl drools over every living creature she sees. It’s a blessing she grew up considering Jang Gun as family since she was a baby.

Seeing a duck floating in the waterway, she reacted like an old man.

“Ugh. It would be delicious roasted with mud. Right?”

Seeing a hawk soaring high in the sky, she showed off some strange knowledge.

“I saw on Animal Kingdom that birds like that are called raptors, and Uncle Jjorang said raptors should be cooked well.”

Do you have to eat raptors?

Just how much has Jo Il-hun neglected the neighborhood kids?

In spring, she saw a roe deer running through a garlic field full of straw and spouted nonsense.

“Roe deer tastes like roe deer. Must be delicious, right?”

As expected, the only one to suspect is Jo Il-hun.

They say the neighborhood kids talk nonsense, but upon closer inspection, isn’t it Jo Il-hun who influenced them?

She also made various other comments.

“Ogye chicken is more delicious than hamburgers.”

“Arrowroot is more delicious than gum.”

“Clams are better in stew than in soup.”

“Ah! What would sea anemones taste like?”

Now she’s even saying that sea anemones, whose appearance she doesn’t even know, must be delicious.

“Oppa, have you eaten sea anemones?”

“No. Oppa won’t eat them.”

“Why?”

They’re scary.

Tentacle monsters.

Jin Hyuk’s shoulders trembled once.

“Only cowards eat those.”

“Hmm. They must give you courage, strength, and muscles! That’s why oppa doesn’t need to eat them.”

My smart little sister.

Whose daughter is this clever?

Tututututu.

When they were halfway to their destination following the bus road, a tractor appeared, filling the road.

Jin Hyuk carefully moved aside so Yoo Jin on the carrying frame wouldn’t shake. If they were in a blind spot and hit by the tractor, it would be a disaster.

Bang bang bang.

The engine noise grew louder, and the tractor stopped next to Jin Hyuk.

“Hey! Jin Hyuk and Yoo Jin!”

“It’s Uncle Jjorang! We’re going to catch sea anemones!”

Bang bang bang.

“What!”

“We’re going to catch sea anemones!”

Bang bang bang.

“What!”

“Sea anemones!”

Squeak!

Ugh, the tractor noise and the shouting from both sides are only hurting Jin Hyuk’s eardrums. But Jin Hyuk stayed quiet to not take away his sister’s chance to speak.

High-tech communication you can only experience in the countryside, and Yoo Jin is a country girl, so she needs to experience it.

Vroom.

Seemingly frustrated, Jo Il-hun turned off the engine.

Yoo Jin, already used to the high volume, shouted again.

“We’re going to catch sea anemones!”

“Huh? Ah, they’re delicious this time of year.”

Jo Il-hun, taking off his green pesticide hat, scratched his head and laughed.

His dark face was full of the day’s fatigue.

“Is now a good time?”

“Nah. You can eat sea anemones anytime. They’re like ginseng from the sea.”

Wow. Jin Hyuk’s eyes widened.

Like ginseng? Are they that good?

But isn’t ginseng from the sea sea cucumber?

“Are they that good for you?”

“What do you mean? Sea anemones eat everything. Everything from the sea grows by eating them.”

“Uncle, uncle! Do sea anemones eat crabs too?”

Yoo Jin, with eyes as wide as her brother’s, asked.

“What are crabs? Even the stingrays we see a lot around here, who eats them? Anyway, dead things float around with the current and get sucked in by sea anemone tentacles.”

Ah, so that’s why sea anemones are good for you?

Jin Hyuk learned something new today.

‘Knowledge +1.’

Thinking back, when he went to the sea with his dad, the sea anemones he saw were holding something.

Crabs, fish, starfish, etc.

‘So that’s how they suck them in.’

They clean the sea, stuck in rock crevices, sand, and mud.

“Being good for you is good, but the taste is something else.”

“Is it that delicious?”

Jin Hyuk couldn’t help but ask.

“Yah, it’s a taste you can’t compare to anything. You have to try it. When I was young, I traveled all over the country and ate everything. Even in China, where foodies go crazy, I lived for a while. But that taste is unique.”

Unique, huh?

Jo Il-hun’s expressions were so rich, and his face so earnest. Even Jin Hyuk, who shuddered at the thought of tentacle monsters, felt curious.

Surely it doesn’t taste like octopus, right?

“Is it easy to cook?”

Mom said she learned from Gwak Hyang-rim, but Jo Il-hun, the know-it-all, might know other methods.

“Just dry them in the autumn wind and skewer them to grill. You know, like clams. That’s the taste.”

Ah, so you can dry them like clams and grill them. Mental note.

“You can also lightly boil them and eat them like meat with garlic and chili wraps. But stir-fry is the best. Mix it with rice, and it’s amazing. Some make soup or spicy stew, but if you have good ingredients, don’t water it down. If you’re going to water down alcohol, what’s the point?”

“I don’t drink alcohol.”

“Ah, right. Yoo Jin drinks cola. Watering down cola is just stupid.”

“Ah. That’s really dumb.”

It was good to ask.

Jo Il-hun truly lives up to the name know-it-all.

“Oppa, oppa!”

Yoo Jin tapped the carrying frame.

“Yeah? What?”

“Skewers would be delicious.”

Kids’ dreams are always about skewers. After catching a wild boar rib and tearing off the meat, Yoo Jin became obsessed with skewers and ribs. It must have left a lasting impression.

After hearing Jo Il-hun’s passionate explanation, even Jin Hyuk became curious about the taste.

Then, is there any need to delay?

“Let’s go!”

“Let’s go!”

“Bring back a lot!”

Vroom! Bang bang bang.

As Jin Hyuk walked briskly, Jo Il-hun started the engine.

Heading towards Jin Hyuk’s house where his wife is waiting, let’s go!

Bang bang bang.

After driving about 100 meters.

Screech!

As if remembering something important, Jo Il-hun stopped abruptly and looked back.

“Geez, what kind of walking is that? It’s like teleportation.”

The siblings were already over the hill.

Hidden by the hill, Jin Hyuk was out of sight, and only Son Yoo-jin singing loudly on the carrying frame was visible.

“Shall we go to the mountain to catch fish?”

Bang bang bang.

“Jin Hyuk! Yoo Jin!”

Bang bang bang.

“Fill this bottle up and yayayayayaya here we come!”

Singing or screaming?

Her voice was loud enough to drown out the engine noise.

For a kid, her lung capacity is impressive. Is Yoo Jin doing diaphragmatic breathing?

“Must be a wasted trip…”

Jo Il-hun’s voice never reached Jin Hyuk’s ears.

Today, the water isn’t draining… What’s with that guy, not even paying attention to the water level.

Worried about being blamed, Jo Il-hun sped up.

In the opposite direction of Jin Hyuk.

Bang bang bang!

Even if Jin Hyuk is like that, Son Yoo-jin is scary when angry.

If she finds out it was a wasted trip, she’ll roar at Jo Il-hun.

Better run.