Chapter 205

<Luck (2)>

Yoo Jin was about to show Yoo Jin a boat show made of water and pine resin, but when something in the water swallowed a pine shoot under the rippling waves, the siblings’ conversation took an unexpected turn.

Kids don’t need laws.

It’s not that they can live without laws.

“They say if you get hit, you have to hit back.”

“Uh…”

Hah, what do you even say in this situation?

Jin Hyuk tilted his head with a dumbfounded look.

Clearly, Jo Il-hun must have taught him that.

Or maybe it was his dad.

“It was good that the snakehead went and hit them.”

“Since it was officially imported, we can’t say we were hit.”

“Why did you import it?”

“Uh…”

Oh my head.

Yoo Jin’s endless barrage of questions is unstoppable.

Even Jin Hyuk’s pupils are starting to dilate—who could handle this?

“Huh? Why did you import it?”

“I think it was to supply protein…”

“Oh? Is bass tasty?”

“I haven’t tried it either—”

Someone, please stop her. That’s what Jin Hyuk’s eyes were screaming.

She’s cute, sure, but she’s also draining my soul.

Unfortunately, Son Yoo-jin was as clueless as her brother.

“Let’s try bass later.”

“Sure. I’ll learn how to catch it and cook it for you.”

It’s probably easier than catching a wild boar, right?

“But what does bass eat?”

“They say it eats anything it can swallow with its big mouth.”

“Eek! Then all the fish in our country will disappear.”

That’s a question I can definitely answer.

I remember reading an article and even a paper about it because it was so interesting. Time and events blur with age, but the things I observed with interest remain vivid in my memory.

“Hmm. The greatest ability of life is adaptability. People wear thick clothes when it’s cold and seek cool places when it’s hot, right? Our native fish will grow bigger and swim faster to avoid being eaten, and eventually, they’ll survive. Then the bass will have nothing to eat and will start picking on smaller creatures like snails or tiny crayfish, gradually shrinking. In a way, isn’t adaptability nature’s greatest weapon and also a stroke of luck?”

They say that even if doom comes, creatures that adapt well will survive.

Like cockroaches.

There’s this fish called the snakehead that devours native fish like crazy, but since it’s not as noticeable, the bass gets all the blame. Poor bass, really.

“You and I have adapted too.”

Mutants pretending to be normal. Is this camouflage or what?

Whatever happens to the bass, the universe of nature will balance itself out. It’s not something Jin Hyuk needs to worry about seriously. But as someone who could also threaten the ecosystem, and as someone blessed with the greatest luck of regression, he might have wanted to defend the bass in his own way.

“Hmm…”

Yoo Jin furrowed her brow again, muttering about adaptation, weapons, and luck.

Seems like she’s planning to use it somewhere.

Jin Hyuk waited quietly until his sister’s brow relaxed.

She seemed to have memorized everything, but the mature Yoo Jin, noticing her brother’s serious expression, changed the subject.

“Brother, I like rowboats more than motorboats.”

“Huh? Motorboats?”

As Jin Hyuk tilted his head, his sister’s sticky hand from the pine resin came into view.

Ah, Yoo Jin must think the pine shoots floating on the water are motorboats.

“If it’s a rowboat, I know something else!”

Jin Hyuk got up, brushing off his butt.

Jang Gun-i and Hongshi, who were quietly waiting on the stairs, and Cheon-ma and Gwang-ma, who were sunbathing on the track, all jumped up.

“Oh, these guys. They’ve been working hard to protect our Yoo Jin. …Huh?”

Before moving, Jin Hyuk vigorously petted the dogs, but his face twitched slightly.

Because of Black Tan, who was sticking out his tongue and wagging his tail like crazy, now looking more like an adult dog.

Hehehe.

But Geon-ma, why are you still following me?

Go home to Gamma.

***

Hehehe.

The track by the waterway is so hard that no matter how much you scratch it with your front paws, it won’t dig up like the ground.

So Jang Gun-i and his underlings rub their bodies against this red track every night.

Sometimes, you hear a *pop*—whether it’s a flea or a tick—and it’s so satisfying it drives you crazy.

Even now, Cheon-ma and Gwang-ma are rubbing their bodies against the warm track, flipping their eyes back.

You guys love it that much, huh? People would think you’re crazy dogs.

But as a friend of Son Wang-wang, Jang Gun-i has to ensure his safety while…

Anyway, he has to watch over the giant kid playing.

So he sits proudly, sticking out his tongue.

It’s not about loyalty or devotion or anything.

But Hongshi is Jang Gun-i’s daughter, so that’s fine, but suddenly this black guy is copying Jang Gun-i.

Woof.

It must have been since the cat theft incident when he was just a bit bigger than a cat.

That’s when Geon-ma crawled into Jang Gun-i’s house.

He’s the one who gets all of Son Ang-ang’s love.

Hongshi, Cheon-ma, Gwang-ma, and Geon-ma.

Jang Gun-i isn’t Son Ang-ang’s subordinate, so he doesn’t care about love or attention.

Woof.

He likes being petted but doesn’t like it.

Jang Gun-i is a sensitive dog, so he can express complex emotions like that.

Anyway, Geon-ma didn’t live in Jang Gun-i’s house from the start.

For the first few days, he came over and whined, checking the situation.

With fierce dogs around, it’s a natural reaction for a mixed breed with no pedigree.

But as everyone knows, Jang Gun-i is a generous dog.

So he allowed it.

Picking up the fallen food from the dirt.

Woof.

But then this guy started eating from the bowl.

How did the yellow one raise his kid?

The days Geon-ma stayed grew longer.

One day, two days, three, four, five…

The number isn’t important.

What’s important is that Geon-ma kept staying.

The first floor of Jang Gun-i’s house is packed with Hongshi, Cheon-ma, and Gwang-ma, but Geon-ma kept sneaking in. First in the yard, then under the eaves, then just his head inside the first floor. Geon-ma started living in Jang Gun-i’s house. Even after he grew bigger than Jang Gun-i.

Woof.

One day, Geon-ma whined.

He wanted to learn the spirit of a fierce dog, so he asked to be taken in?

What kind of nonsense is this?

And after squatting for months, now he asks for permission?

Sigh.

Damn it.

The ones here already drive me crazy with their inability to control their poop and pee, and now you want me to take in more?

So he accepted him. As Jang Gun-i’s son.

Well, if it helps with reproduction, since he wasn’t interested in it before.

Back to the main point, Son Ang-ang doesn’t matter.

But even Son Wang-wang seems to favor Geon-ma.

Grr.

Damn it.

He’s already bigger than Jang Gun-i, so I can’t just throw him out.

Thinking of him as Jang Gun-i’s son makes him kind of cute…

Jang Gun-i is a generous dog, so he knows how to endure.

“Oh, these guys. They’ve been working hard to protect our Yoo Jin.”

Finally, Son Wang-wang seems to be going home.

As expected, Jang Gun-i’s friend Son Wang-wang!

He pets Jang Gun-i first!

The kid who was petting Geon-ma last tilted his head like Jang Gun-i.

“Huh? Why isn’t Geon-ma going home?”

Oh no.

Geon-ma is my son now!

Woof.

Geon-ma, you better behave in front of this big guy.

Otherwise, it’s goodbye to your mom!

Hehehe.

He said he understood.

He’s a mixed breed, but at least he understands words.

***

It’s a shame Sunday is gone, but walking with Yoo Jin and listening to her sing at the top of her lungs is a happy thing.

“The moon is bright, Odongchu- the village girl has gone wild-.”

Yoo Jin’s left and right brains seem to work separately and then meet at some point. Right now, she’s naturally mixing two songs Jin Hyuk doesn’t know. Yoo Jin would do well as a composer.

“Yoo Jin, are you that happy being with me?”

“Yes! On school days, I can’t go out with you when it’s this bright!”

He was just teasing, but her detailed explanation shows she’s serious.

Jin Hyuk smiled warmly, holding his sister’s hand as she sang a strange song, and they moved to where the trifoliate orange tree was.

It’s the place with the bamboo grove used when making the dried fish rack and when fishing for catfish with Jo Seol-chan. Even Jang Gun-i, who has a wide range of activities, only comes here with Jin Hyuk, so it seems even the dogs avoid it because of the trifoliate orange tree planted close to the bamboo grove.

“Oh, Geon-ma is brave?”

The trifoliate orange tree, with its sharp and hard thorns forming a fence, doesn’t seem to scare Geon-ma, who walks ahead of Yoo Jin. Like a brave dog scouting for danger.

Geon-ma walks a few steps ahead, then turns back, sticking out his tongue and wagging his tail repeatedly. As if to say it’s safe to come this far.

Considering Jang Gun-i and the other underlings stay as far away as possible, Geon-ma is truly showing remarkable behavior.

“Geon-ma, come visit often. I’ll give you lots of tasty things.”

Hehehe.

It must be my imagination that Jang Gun-i seems happier.

“Shall we go catch some meat?”

Yoo Jin, who finds joy just being with her brother, sang non-stop. I’m worried her voice might give out.

‘Was I like that?’

I was a troublemaker, but I don’t think I sang like that.

Yoo Jin, walking beside him, shook his hand and looked up.

“Brother, when’s the next match?”

“Hmm. Probably around September?”

“Wow! So no matches during vacation?”

“Of course. During vacation, I’ll go swimming with you.”

“Yay! I’m so excited! We’ll eat watermelon and melon!”

Hahaha. Yeah. Let’s eat them all to extinction.

Jin Hyuk had to calm his bouncing sister by patting her head, imagining the vacation that hadn’t even arrived yet. If she slipped, she’d slide right into the trifoliate orange fence.

Three competitions a year.

That’s what’s in the contract with SI Sports.

The competitions he participates in must be national-level or higher, and Jin Hyuk can choose which ones.

Qualifying for the main event is based on the previous year’s best record for the first half and the current year’s best record for the second half, so no separate preliminaries are needed.

The problem is international competitions.

At the recent competition in Incheon, Jin Hyuk beat out strong second and third-year students to earn a spot in the Asian Junior Championships. But the training camp for the competition overlaps with the first semester’s final exams.

“I might miss a lot of classes because of the competition, but I can’t skip exams. I want to take them with my friends.”

He had told Yoo Se-ra that.

Does a player who trains alone without a coach or partner really need to attend a training camp? Even if it’s for team spirit or a sense of belonging, he’s willing to participate. After all, even office workers go on workshops to eat and drink. But exams are non-negotiable. It’s not about wanting to be first or the thrill of taking exams.

‘They said we have to walk through time together.’

If an older brother doesn’t know something his younger sister does, can he really be called normal? He already receives special treatment at home and school, more than enough. Even if it’s because he’s a track athlete, it’s still rare treatment.

“I’ll try to negotiate. If it doesn’t work, what will you do? Your opinion comes first.”

Jin Hyuk couldn’t answer and went home. He needed time to think. But being able to voice his opinion freely and having someone who advocates for him like it’s their own business is a blessing as an athlete.

“Brother, are you making a boat out of bamboo?”

“No. Today, we’re making it out of leaves.”

“Making a boat out of bamboo leaves?”

“I’ll show you.”

You can make a boat out of regular bamboo leaves, but bamboo grass leaves are longer and wider, so you can make a bigger boat. To get bamboo leaves, you’d have to go to Cheon Gil-ryong’s house, but having bamboo grass nearby is lucky.

*Snap.*

When he plucked a leaf, the sturdy bamboo grass swayed left and right.

“You fold it like this. This side, then this side.”

Jin Hyuk folded both sides of the bamboo grass leaf. The folded ends slightly overlapped in the middle.

“Now, you tear the folded part into three strands. Tear it thinly, leaving the middle part intact. How much to tear…”

It’s fun.

Doing something he did as a kid, after so long, with his sister, made him smile without realizing it. Concentrating on fiddling with his hands, his lips parted, and his tongue peeked out.

“Tear it like this, then bring the torn ends together. Leave the middle alone, and it’ll stick out like a boat.”

When he inserted one torn end into the other, the bamboo leaf curled up like a canoe.

“Ohhh?”

Yoo Jin is having a lot of new experiences today.

Her eyes can’t get smaller, and her mouth can’t close.

“I want to try.”

“Sure. Be careful not to hurt your hands.”

Jin Hyuk held his sister’s waist as she tried to pluck a leaf herself.

To keep her from rolling down the slope.

‘It reminds me of when Sujeong broke the reeds.’

Back then, I held Sujeong’s waist like this too.

We had a big fuss because of a blood-sucking snake.

Now, even if an anaconda shows up, there’s no need to worry.

Five dogs are sitting around like bodyguards.

‘But why isn’t Geon-ma going home?’

The more I look, the stranger it gets.

Come to think of it, Geon-ma was sleeping at Jang Gun-i’s house even when Jin Hyuk went to school.

Isn’t the yellow one worried?