Chapter 209

<Luck (6)>

***

After handling various tasks, Moon Seok-il visited Cheonggyecheon for personal reasons.

‘There must be an “Op-sang” somewhere around here.’

Although it’s mostly known for selling tools, there are also dealers who handle special orders while traveling through trading ports. They’re called “Op-sang,” which has a different meaning from the usual brokers who mediate between buyers and sellers. These people can get you anything, even items from countries with strict import bans, as long as you pay. From rare creatures to poisons and firearms, they deal in all sorts of things.

Moon Seok-il, who had checked on the progress of Jin-hyeok’s request and finished the operation ordered by Hong Ki-jun, searched through Uijeongbu, Dongducheon, Namdaemun, Dongdaemun, and Itaewon but couldn’t find what he was looking for. So, the last place he visited was Cheonggyecheon.

‘That knife fits perfectly in my hand.’

It was a knife made in Yugoslavia, an invaluable high-end item. Since it wasn’t officially imported, the price was whatever the Op-sang decided.

He lost it while dealing with a criminal organization in Songpa-gu the other day, following Hong Ki-jun’s orders. He didn’t even use it, just carried it around.

For Moon Seok-il, it was like a talisman.

Without it, he felt uneasy; with it, he felt at peace. You could say it was his lucky charm.

‘My luck is just terrible.’

Jeong Sang-tae told him he didn’t need to get involved, but he couldn’t sit still and ended up losing his talisman. Should’ve listened to his friend…

Or maybe he should’ve just stayed in the countryside, playing with Yoo-jin and messing with Jo Il-hun instead of coming to the city.

Thinking about it, he felt a bit guilty, like an uncle who sneaks away to avoid playing with the kids or a younger sibling who ditches farm work to go out and have fun.

*Rustle.*

As he adjusted his sunglasses and looked around, the secure phone in his back pocket vibrated.

‘Is it Yoo-jin?’

Every time he steps out, someone calls to ask when he’s coming back. It gives him a sense of belonging, a warm feeling that words can’t fully describe. Especially when that someone is a cute and lovable kid.

He smiled, thinking of the little one who would ask why he wasn’t coming on a Saturday.

“Hello.”

– It’s Jin-hyeok.

“Oh-! I’ll be down soon.”

He hurriedly answered without being asked and laughed at himself.

The kid doesn’t even give hints, yet here he is, flustered for no reason.

– If you’re still in Seoul, could you stop by Cheonggyecheon?

“Ch-Ch-Chonggyecheon?”

Moon Seok-il’s eyes darted around slyly.

Luckily, no one seemed to be paying attention, and only the sound of car engines struggling up the hill could be heard.

– If it’s too much trouble, it’s fine.

“No, it’s a bit far, but I’ll make time. But why Cheonggyecheon?”

– I was wondering if you could make an incubator module and send it by registered mail. The sooner, the better.

What is this guy up to now, trying to make an incubator?

Did he find a dinosaur egg or something?

If it’s Son Jin-hyeok, and that neighborhood, it’s entirely possible.

I heard Kim Chun-sam found a Joseon-era general’s tomb while digging up a hill to expand his barn. Among the relics, the general’s sword was said to be extremely valuable.

– It needs a temperature sensor and a switch to control the light. If you can leave the wires at least 10 cm long, that’d be great.

“What about the thermometer?”

– That’s just for checking, so you can use the one at home.

“Got it. I’ll make that first and head down.”

– You don’t have any work left?

“No work today. I’ll be down soon.”

– Thank you.

This kid.

He even knows how to say thank you. He’s really grown up.

Good thing I didn’t mention Cheonggyecheon.

Scoring points like this.

***

*Click.*

After hanging up, Jin-hyeok carefully put the phone down. Afraid of waking his sleeping sibling, his movements were as gentle as a hen sitting on her eggs.

‘Hmm-. I heard some whispering about a video or something.’

Even the noise about a lottery ticket was picked up by his sensitive hearing.

I told him to meet Shin Sang-yeol while in Seoul to check on the progress of the operation, but where is this uncle wandering off to?

*

Jeong Won-i is an interesting baby.

Even when adults talk loudly nearby, he doesn’t wake up. Even when Yoo-jin blows her recorder loudly, he treats it like a lullaby and smiles in his sleep.

But when you think he’s sound asleep and cover him with a blanket, he magically wakes up as soon as you step outside. It’s like he feels uneasy when it’s too quiet.

He came out to the yard with Yoo-jin to make an incubator, but the youngest woke up.

*Tap tap tap.*

“Waaah-. Uwaaah-. Ummaaa-. Daddy is duuumb-.”

Even now, Jeong Won-i is tapping on the living room window, left alone in the house.

He doesn’t cry like his sister, which makes him all the more endearing.

“Oppa, Jeong Won-i woke up!”

Yoo-jin, who was wiping Geon-ma’s eye boogers with a wet handkerchief, made a fuss.

She’s busy, so she’s pushing it onto her brother.

She does seem busy. Besides Geon-ma, other dogs are sitting around, waiting their turn. These brats, can’t they just lick each other’s eyes?

“Ugh-. Big bro’s coming.”

Jin-hyeok, who was crouching and sawing, stood up, leaning on his knees.

Mom went to town with a bunch of homemade side dishes, so taking care of the siblings is entirely Jin-hyeok’s responsibility. Mom trusts her eldest son, so she can go out with peace of mind.

“Oh no-, what if the baby wakes up too early-.”

“Daddy is duuumb-.”

“Ah-, did he wake up because it was too quiet?”

After hearing baby talk so often, you start to understand it. Jin-hyeok definitely interpreted it that way. Seeing Jeong Won-i nod, he wasn’t wrong.

“Baby, since you’re awake, want to go outside and play?”

Jeong Won-i didn’t answer or shake his head.

Silence means yes.

Jin-hyeok dressed Jeong Won-i and put him in the stroller.

When he’s in the stroller, Hong-shi comes over and wags his tail at Jeong Won-i.

Jeong Won-i loves playing with Hong-shi’s tail, but he seems to know better than to put it in his mouth now that he’s older.

“Where was I?”

Jin-hyeok looked at the saw and plywood, trying to remember.

You don’t need a blueprint to make an incubator.

The structure isn’t complicated, and since it’s a solo project, there’s no need to draw what’s already in your head.

“Oppa, if we make an incubator, will a bluebird come out of it?”

“Baby? Daddy is duuumb-?”

“Maybe it’s possible.”

He drew lines on a 7mm thick plywood and made grooves along the lines with nails. After cutting along the grooves several times, the incubator walls were ready.

“Oppa, can’t you just break it with your hands?”

“Waa-. Daddy is duuumb?”

“Still, using a knife makes it cleaner.”

He cut the top of the wall that would serve as the door.

“Why are you making a square hole there?”

“Baby?”

“I’m going to put glass here.”

“Ah! It’s a window! So you can peek inside!”

For some reason, Jeong Won-i didn’t follow his sister’s lead. Checking, he saw that Jeong Won-i had already fallen asleep, tightly holding Hong-shi’s thick, fluffy tail.

‘Did they say Jeong Won-i is a bit behind other babies?’

He heard it from Mom when she took him for a health checkup.

The doctor said Jeong Won-i’s physical development is excellent, but his language acquisition is a bit slower compared to other babies.

Maybe it’s because he was sick when he was younger. Yoo-jin and I secretly discussed it, but Mom had a different opinion.

– “He just doesn’t feel the need to talk yet. When he says ‘mama,’ we feed him, change his diaper, and bathe him. When he raises his arms, we pick him up, and when he yawns, we rock him to sleep. There’s no communication problem. That’s just how babies are. If they’re well taken care of, they don’t feel the need to talk, so they stay babies longer. Then one day, they just start talking.”

It made sense.

Mom also told stories from her volunteer work at an orphanage.

Babies there, not even 100 days old, hold their own bottles and drink milk. Jin-hyeok was amazed but also heartbroken.

Only 100 days old.

And when they’re hungry, they cry louder and learn to talk faster.

It’s their way of getting attention in an environment with fewer caregivers. They do it to survive. They quickly learn ways to express themselves because they need to.

– “Mom won’t get cocky if our kids are faster than others, nor will she feel down if they’re slower. So, Jin-hyeok, don’t worry too much and just have fun with your friends.”

Having many people to care for you and a loving family is such a great fortune. Not everyone gets to enjoy that happiness.

‘Jeong Won-i is already happy enough. That’s why he wants to stay a baby longer.’

With a family that provides everything he needs without him having to ask.

Following Mom’s always-wise words, he decided to stop worrying. So what if the angelic baby is a bit slow to talk?

“Oppa?”

Yoo-jin tapped her brother’s shoulder, who was lost in thought.

“Huh? Yeah? What?”

“You said it’s a window to peek inside, right-?”

Yoo-jin seemed frustrated that she hadn’t gotten an answer to her earlier question.

“Ah, it’s not really for peeking… more like monitoring.”

Jin-hyeok quickly got up and headed inside.

He wanted to cover the sleeping baby with a thin blanket.

Like a chick following its mother, Yoo-jin followed closely, bombarding him with questions.

“Monitoring? What’s that?”

“Tracking, observing, checking for any issues, and then…”

Ah, this kid really doesn’t give me a break.

*

While patiently explaining to his curious sister, Jin-hyeok’s hands didn’t stop.

He cut wooden blocks to make the four corner posts.

*Tap tap tap.*

Though startled, the baby didn’t wake up from the hammering.

Still, not knowing when the baby might wake up, Jin-hyeok sped up his work.

After assembling the walls, when he showed the cube to Yoo-jin, her mouth formed a perfect ‘O.’

“Wow-! It’s a big dice.”

“Looks like one, right? Now we’ll attach the glass here-.”

Using a glue gun, he attached a small piece of glass, smaller than Yoo-jin’s palm, to the door.

Now, the door just needs to be connected to the body with hinges.

“Is it a bit crooked?”

“Oppa, it’s loose here.”

“Ah, my sharp little sister.”

The door sagged, creating a gap at the top.

“Working together is definitely easier than doing it alone.”

“Working together, easier…”

“It means things get done faster when we combine our strength.”

Yoo-jin nodded, her mouth wide open.

Like in gym class during tug-of-war, when the whole class pulled together, even Teacher Park Jae-seung got dragged along.

“Is that a martial art?”

Yoo-jin blinked at the black, round object in her brother’s hand.

“This? It’s a light bulb socket.”

“For when it gets dark?”

“The light bulb will keep the incubator warm.”

“Ah! Like when Hong-shi was born!”

“Exactly.”

Yoo-jin has a great memory and understanding, so there’s no need to explain things twice.

He inserted the socket into a hole at the top of the plywood and sealed any gaps. The hole for the temperature sensor can be made after the module arrives…

“Hmm. Perfect.”

A small, neat incubator was made.

Of course, there’s still a long way to go.

Jin-hyeok cut the prepared grill with work scissors.

Yoo-jin’s eyes widened.

“Are you going to cook the bluebird? Oh no-, you can’t do that-. Slurp-.”

“Don’t worry.”

Who would eat such a tiny egg? There’s nothing to eat anyway. But why are you drooling?

“It’s just so the egg doesn’t roll around on the wooden floor.”

He inserted the cut grill horizontally inside the incubator.

After drilling several holes in the walls and securing the grill with wire, he also placed a flat dish inside.

“Is that the bluebird’s toilet?”

“Hahaha-.”

Should I call her sharp or just quirky?

Talking with Yoo-jin makes time fly.

“We’ll put water here to keep it from drying out. Like a humidity control, I guess?”

“Ah-. So it’s a humidifier.”

That’s my sister. No one compares to her smarts.

A proud smile never left Jin-hyeok’s face.

“Watch the baby here. I’ll go find something in the shed and be right back.”

“Okay-, hehe-.”

Yoo-jin didn’t seem like she was going anywhere.

Crouching and staring at the incubator, she looked just like the kindergarten Son Yoo-jin who watched chicks hatch.

‘Back then, the chicks thought Yoo-jin was their mom and followed her around.’

If Jang Gun-i hadn’t growled and stopped them, the chicks would’ve followed her onto the school bus.

“Ugh-, where did it go? Ghosts must’ve taken it-.”

Even though everything is neatly organized, when you need something, it’s nowhere to be found. It’s enough to drive you crazy.

Ah, found it!

Struggling to back out of the shed, he heard Yoo-jin calling from a distance.

“Oppa-! When are you coming-?”

“I’m coming-!”