Chapter 213

***

The calendar turned to June, and more than a month had passed since the rice planting was completed. The rice plants, having spread their roots, absorbed compost and fertilizer, growing vigorously.

Cheon Gil-ryong and Yoo Myung-sun, both wearing straw hats, enjoyed the leisurely pace of their old age, admiring the neatly growing rice fields in the paddies.

As they watched the carp fluttering in the paddies, Yoo Myung-sun pretended to know something.

“Is this Jin Hyuk’s paddy?”

“In this village, it’s hard to find something that doesn’t belong to Chairman Son, isn’t it?”

A warm breeze blew, sweeping a giant green wave across the paddy.

“Ah, this hat is really something. Just wearing it makes this scorching heat feel so cool.”

“It’s not just any ordinary straw hat, that’s why.”

The hat was woven by Cheon Gil-ryong himself, using bamboo imbued with a cool spiritual energy. It was said to have a ghostly aura, though no actual ghosts were ever heard.

But since no one would believe such a tale, it remained Cheon Gil-ryong’s little secret.

“The air is good, and the greenery is even better. Haha.”

Since moving to the countryside, Yoo Myung-sun’s face had been constantly lit with a smile.

He had thought he would spend his remaining days tending to the garden within the high walls of his mansion, leaning on his gold-tipped cane, staring blankly at a chessboard, and getting excited over the distant sound of car engines.

After five surgeries at the Sein Medical Foundation’s general hospital, he had given up on treatment when told his body would no longer function properly due to old age.

But after moving to the countryside, the knee arthritis and shin pain that had plagued him for years vanished as if washed away.

“I never thought I’d walk without a cane again.”

“It’s all thanks to that kid Yoo Jin, isn’t it?”

Cheon Gil-ryong seemed to have more to say but stopped himself.

“Haha, it must be in my head, but every time that kid massages me, it feels so refreshing.”

After school, Son Yoo-jin would walk the long distance to visit the training center.

Sometimes with one dog, sometimes two, and on some days, even five.

Whenever she arrived, she would examine Yoo Myung-sun’s eyes with a sharp gaze, as if she were a doctor looking at an X-ray.

Not only his legs but also his eyes had cleared up.

Yoo Myung-sun no longer needed reading glasses.

“The air here is so good, even my eyes feel clearer.”

“That’s a good thing.”

Once again, Cheon Gil-ryong held back his words.

As people age, their thoughts and words often become lighter, but for a sage like Cheon Gil-ryong, his thoughts became clearer, and he knew what to say and what not to say.

Truth is beneficial when spread, but personal secrets unrelated to the world are better kept silent.

Splash-.

At the sudden sound of water, Yoo Myung-sun, who had been walking slowly, widened his eyes.

Following the sound, he saw a dark gray bird stirring the paddy with its beak.

“Is that a water hen?”

“That’s what they call a moorhen.”

“Ah, so that’s a moorhen.”

“Didn’t you see them when you were young?”

“Haha, it’s my first time.”

Though he had worked hard in business since his youth, Yoo Myung-sun, who grew up comfortably in the city, had never seen a moorhen before.

“This is the time they come to build nests and find mates. That black one is a male, catching fish in the paddy to impress his mate. A courtship gift, you could say.”

Ah-. Like a kindergarten student on a guided tour of an ecological park, Yoo Myung-sun’s eyes sparkled as he listened intently.

Mmm-. Cheon Gil-ryong smacked his lips.

“They taste really good.”

“Oh, you’ve tried them?”

“Not just tried. I even stole their eggs and raised them.”

“Wow, can they be raised as livestock?”

At Yoo Myung-sun’s question, Cheon Gil-ryong lifted the brim of his hat with his bamboo staff and gazed toward the distant sea. His eyes seemed somewhat wistful.

“Livestock? They all flew away after I raised them. Turns out they’re migratory birds. No wonder they only appear in warm seasons. I was young and foolish back then, giving my heart to something I shouldn’t have…”

“Hahahaha!”

Yoo Myung-sun clutched his stomach.

Seeing Cheon Gil-ryong, usually so composed, scratching his cheek in embarrassment, Yoo Myung-sun burst into laughter.

Everything he encountered in the countryside was new, delightful, and yet bittersweet.

Even in his seventies, there was so much to see, hear, and learn, and it was all so enjoyable.

In comparison, life felt so short.

He cautiously opened his mouth.

“Um, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask for a while. If it’s not too rude…”

“It’s rude.”

“Ah, I see.”

Yoo Myung-sun quickly closed his mouth.

He hadn’t even stated his business, yet he was cut off.

But he didn’t feel disappointed.

‘Maybe it’s better not to know.’

What good would it do to know the day of his death?

Still, feeling the improvement in his health, he held onto a small hope.

Cheon Gil-ryong walked ahead, leaning on his bamboo staff, as if he knew exactly what Yoo Myung-sun was curious about.

“You’ve lived a long time. You made the right choice coming here. Didn’t I tell you before? It’s all thanks to that kid Yoo Jin.”

I see. Yoo Myung-sun pursed his lips and followed.

The inflammation in his joints and respiratory system had disappeared after moving to this place with good water and air. Blaming it on Yoo Jin was just an excuse to appreciate the child who visited him to keep him from getting bored. After all, they say spending time with children can rejuvenate you.

Feeling the strength in his legs, Yoo Myung-sun stepped into the footprints left by his senior.

“If you don’t have any special plans this summer, would you like to visit Seoul?”

“Seoul… I haven’t been since the Japanese occupation. Maybe I’ll take this opportunity to go, thanks to you.”

“I’ll accompany you. Let’s go together.”

“You’re probably just saying that to get some fresh air, but why suddenly go to Seoul?”

“My son-in-law has been insisting. He’s a capable guy, but he still asks for my advice sometimes. I think he just wants to get this old body moving…”

“Hmm. I see. Something’s blocking you.”

Yoo Myung-sun’s mouth formed a perfect “O” without making a sound.

Cheon Gil-ryong never seemed like just an old man from the countryside.

With just the smallest clue, he seemed to understand the workings of the world.

‘As Gwang-yeon said, he truly is a sage.’

Then perhaps he could seek advice from Cheon Gil-ryong?

Even about the fortunes of his business.

“Lately, in Southeast Asia…”

“I don’t know.”

“Yes…”

Clink-.

Yoo Myung-sun quietly bowed his head.

“Look at the green scum on the surface of that reservoir. The water in the stream in front of Jin-ek’s house always flows clear, but the reservoir doesn’t. Stagnant water rots, as they say. Fish swim around thinking the water is flowing, but in the end, it’s just a pond. Size isn’t the issue; even the sea would rot over tens of thousands of years without tides. Living things with life and brains are like that, but money, which has neither eyes nor a brain, is even worse.”

Ah-.

Yoo Myung-sun could only express his admiration, not daring to ask more.

“Without the moon, even the sea would rot, and we’d all have died long ago from the rotten water.”

It was an exaggeration.

Yoo Myung-sun knew it was Cheon Gil-ryong’s way of expressing his thoughts indirectly.

“I’m just saying, with all the capable advisors you have, there must be a reason you’re calling me, right?”

“Yes, that seems to be the case. Haha.”

Listening to Cheon Gil-ryong, there was no fault in his words.

But what an interesting senior.

He cuts you off when you’re being rude or when he doesn’t know, but then he tells you everything.

In all his life, Yoo Myung-sun had never met someone so easy yet not shallow.

Tap tap-.

The sound of light, brisk footsteps approached.

Cheon Gil-ryong, who already knew who was coming, didn’t turn his head, while Yoo Myung-sun slowly turned around.

“Grandpas! Mom says to come eat bibim guksu.”

It was Son Yoo-jin, sent by Han Yu-young to fetch the two old men.

Behind her were three dogs: Jang Gun-i, Hong-si, and another one named Geon-ma.

Yoo Myung-sun, who had been nodding contentedly, widened his eyes as wrinkles formed on his forehead.

“Yoo-jin, what’s that on your shoulder?”

“It’s Haengun-i.”

At first, he thought it was a doll, but it was too small to notice its movements. It was a bird smaller than a child’s palm, shaped like a ball. A brownish bird with a tail longer than its body sat on Son Yoo-jin’s shoulder, grooming its feathers with its beak.

“It doesn’t fly away?”

“It flies away and comes back.”

Haengun-i, a growing sparrow, would mingle with its flock but always found its way back to Son Yoo-jin when she returned home, just like the chicks that had followed her like a mother.

At night, it would peck at the window and nestle under Son Yoo-jin’s armpit to sleep, and in the morning, it would fly off to find food. At first, Son Yoo-jin had been sad, thinking it had left, but she quickly adapted to Haengun-i’s habits. She didn’t cage it or force it to stay. She had learned to let nature take its course.

“Can I touch it?”

Yoo Myung-sun cautiously reached out toward Haengun-i.

Peep-!

At Haengun-i’s trivial warning, Yoo Myung-sun flinched.

“Ah! You scared me!”

***

The training program he had been following alone had hit a plateau.

It was hard to call it a slump, since Jin Hyuk still enjoyed running.

But the lack of progress made him feel stagnant.

“One-two-three-four, two-two-three-four.”

After running twenty-five laps around the field with the wrestlers and finishing the stretches to soothe his muscles and joints.

“Good work today.”

“Good work, Vice Manager!”

When the Ssirum Club members shouted their greetings to the vice manager, Jin Hyuk’s shoulders lifted slightly by about 1mm.

This must be what it feels like to be respected.

More than setting records and answering reporters’ formal questions, a simple greeting from those who ran and sweated with him felt much more rewarding.

Now it was time for his personal training…

‘Are those kids still spacing out?’

Even middle schoolers now wore uniforms.

But three middle schoolers in shorts and gym clothes sat on a bench, watching Jin Hyuk as if spying on him. They had been doing this since early June, so it had been over two weeks.

Before leaving for a training program, Teacher Lee Byeong-se had asked Jin Hyuk to look after the middle school track team if they needed guidance, as he would be away.

But these kids weren’t training; they just sat around chatting every day.

The coach was always there but never really present, so that was understandable, but even Yeom Byeong-taek and Jo Seol-chan had trained on their own.

‘Shouldn’t they at least do something so I can correct their form?’

Jin Hyuk was frustrated.

If they had no will to do anything themselves, no amount of nagging from the sidelines would help.

Running faster and more lightly than with the wrestlers, Jin Hyuk deliberately stopped far from the kids, glancing at them.

‘Should I test them?’

He placed one hand on his hip and raised the other, waving it.

Then he shouted.

“Run!”

Oh, they’re quick.

Like puppies stung by bees, the kids started sprinting.

Faster than a newly enlisted private, different from the wrestlers, and unlike the girls.

‘Oh, not bad?’

Jin Hyuk’s eyes widened slightly as he watched the juniors kicking up dust as they ran.

He didn’t measure their time, but they were fast.

Tall and with builds that could excel in sports other than track.

Thud thud thud-!

After a 150-meter sprint, the middle schoolers stood at attention in front of Jin Hyuk.

The person before them was the most famous and scariest senior in school.

Though their chests heaved, the middle schoolers tried not to make a sound as they caught their breath.

Hmm-. Jin Hyuk, unable to read their thoughts, scratched his chin.

‘Why are these kids so stiff?’

What should I say in this situation?

Do you have anything in your pocket? 10 won for a hit?

Ah, that’s not it.

Recently, the results of an IQ test had come out.

It was a test administered to all first-year high school students.

Jin Hyuk’s IQ was 149.

He was secretly thrilled.

– ‘I’m normal now!’

In his past life, his IQ was 158. He hadn’t cared, but when his homeroom teacher revealed it, his classmates started looking at him differently. They whispered about him being a genius or a psycho, so Jin Hyuk wasn’t fond of that number.

Anyway, he hadn’t deliberately underperformed on the test, but this time it had dropped by a whopping 9 points.

Whether it was due to that or not, lately he often found himself saying the wrong things. Just the other day, he had cursed in front of the Ssirum Club seniors.

Jin Hyuk thought this was just part of adapting to his new life.

Finally, he composed his question and opened his eyes.

“Why aren’t you training?”

The shortest of the three quietly raised his right hand.

“Teacher Lee Byeong-se said to do whatever you tell us to do…”

Sigh-.

Jin Hyuk closed his eyes, his brow twitching.

This guy, that guy, they all just pass the buck.

“Then why didn’t you say anything?”

“We were waiting to see what you’d do.”

“Why wait? No one’s giving you any hints.”

Baffled, Jin Hyuk placed both hands on his hips.

The middle schoolers hung their heads like guilty criminals, unable to speak.

They had clearly seen the Ssirum Club chubby guys standing at attention like soldiers in front of Jin Hyuk. The fear that saying the wrong thing might get them scolded dominated their thoughts.

Rumors obscure the truth, and rumors dressed in human imagination become fear.

Unaware of the kids’ thoughts, Jin Hyuk casually asked.

“Did you warm up?”

“Yes!”

“Relax a bit. You’re not soldiers, why are you so stiff?”

“Yes!”

Better keep quiet.

‘They warmed up, so where should we start…’

After a brief moment of thought, Jin Hyuk opened his mouth.

“Let’s start with first aid training.”

A hot summer was approaching.

Even the healthiest athletes could collapse in an instant, and life could slip away in a moment.

‘Safety is the most important.’

Planning ahead made his mind feel refreshed.

He smiled brightly at the bewildered middle school athletes.

“Who should I treat first?”

Damn.

Maybe it’s the heat, but I keep saying the wrong things.