Chapter 226

Running Wild (7)

*

Stay calm.

Though much had changed with the new winds blowing through the land, Jin Hyuk’s strength remained unshaken by the winds. Getting angry in a hurry doesn’t solve anything. It only worsens the situation or messes things up. With a pounding heart, he first checked if Yoo Jin was okay. Then he pondered over the clue his younger sibling had given him.

“The evil horde······.”

“Yes, the evil horde.”

Upon reaching the yard with the streetlight, he examined Yoo Jin’s mouth.

Just like Jang Gun-i, who had climbed onto the dog thief, Yoo Jin was drooling excessively, making Jin Hyuk think it might be due to psychological shock. But one of Yoo Jin’s lower teeth was crookedly pointing forward.

‘Ah, no wonder. The pronunciation was off because of the pain.’

Yoo Jin wasn’t particularly hurt anywhere else.

Now it was time to check on the safety of the other family members.

They were almost home, but there was no sign of life.

Cheon-ma and Gwang-ma, who would wag their tails in greeting, Mom sitting in the rocking chair knitting, Dad laughing like a fool while touching Mom’s feet, and even Jeong Won, who should be laughing while hitting Dad’s back—none of them were there.

‘It’s too quiet.’

The car was still parked in the garage.

Even if he tried not to think ominous thoughts, the rising anxiety was unavoidable.

“Where did Mom go? And Dad?”

“I don’t knooow-.”

Yoo Jin answered in a shrinking voice, pulling their neck in.

The sight of Yoo Jin gripped by fear stabbed sharply at Jin Hyuk’s heart.

“Let’s look together, okay?”

“We shouldn’t looook-. Waaah-.”

What do you mean we shouldn’t look? What kind of nonsense is that?

How scared must they be to talk like this?

Perhaps Yoo Jin was scared of Jin Hyuk’s cold, expressionless face as he tried to stay calm, struggling in his arms.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. We have to look.”

Patting Yoo Jin’s back repeatedly, they moved toward the living room.

If something had happened, of course, no one should be—but.

“Huh! Huh!”

“Whoosh-!”

Stumbling around. Mumbling.

‘There are so many······.’

Kim Sang-ho, who was supposed to be on safety duty, was playing badminton with Kim Soon-bok, and Kang Heon-chang, who loves jogging, was also seen across the pool.

After half a lap around the track, Kang Heon-chang approached. A smile was plastered on his face.

“Huh? Yoo Jin is here?”

Even though Yoo Jin was already in Jin Hyuk’s arms, they clung even tighter to his neck.

Still dazed, Jin Hyuk’s sharp eyes softened, and a calm breath escaped his lips.

“Do you know what’s going on? I was worried because there was no one at home.”

“Everyone went looking for Yoo Jin. Only Sang-ho and I are left here. We have to take care of the residents. This little one is so fast that my sister-in-law has been chasing them all day······.”

What, what is this······.

Kang Heon-chang’s explanation was getting long, so Jin Hyuk furrowed his brow.

But he didn’t want to cut him off, so he listened quietly, patting Yoo Jin’s buttocks.

“······It seems their tooth has been loose for a while. My sister-in-law said they should go to the dentist. But they ran away. By the time Tae-hwa went looking, they were already gone. So everyone scattered around the neighborhood looking for Yoo Jin.”

Ah, it’s true that lately, by the time Yoo Jin gets home from school, the younger ones are already asleep, so he hadn’t noticed.

“I didn’t hear anyone calling.”

“If they’re not nearby, they must have gone far. And if we call out loudly, wouldn’t they just hide more?”

“Ugh-, you little rascal.”

Jin Hyuk lightly tapped Yoo Jin’s head.

“Waaah-.”

Yoo Jin pretended to cry, tightening their arms around Jin Hyuk. Even when he tried to put them down, they dangled stubbornly.

“Don’t fake cry. Do you know how scared I was?”

“Yeeah-, hehe.”

Sometimes, when looking at the back of a baby’s head, you wonder, ‘What are they thinking right now?’ That thought comes to mind when looking at Yoo Jin as a baby, or even at baby Jeong Won. Seeing the back of their heads filled with the worries and sorrows of life, you can’t help but think that even though they can’t speak, babies probably know everything.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

Even if we set aside the fact that Yoo Jin labeled Mom and the SSS uncles, who were searching for them, as the evil horde, worrying that something bad might have happened and getting angry on their behalf might be an overreaction.

“Because I only have you, oppa.”

But Yoo Jin is only eight years old now, and in three months, they’ll barely be nine.

Still a baby. They might not know the sorrows of life, but their actions are those of a scared little child.

“What?”

“I’m the one who’s going to run away.”

It’s such an old memory that I had forgotten.

Jin Hyuk also had a childhood, and when in trouble, he would run to his mom. Yoo Jin was waiting for their oppa to protect them when Mom tried to pull out their tooth.

“I’m sorry for getting angry.”

“It’s okay. You weren’t mad at meee-.”

From the tangled threads of memory, Jin Hyuk pulled out a strand of recollection.

A world where they lived in a small dirt house with no lawn, just a small yard. There was nowhere for Jin Hyuk to hide from Mom’s grasp when she tried to pull out his tooth.

‘I also cried and resisted.’

Crouched in a corner, banging his head, he somehow managed to pull out his tooth with his tongue and fingers. His face was a mess of tears.

Now······.

There are countless places to hide. Yoo Jin’s field of vision and range of movement are so much wider than Jin Hyuk’s that if they hide, they’d be harder to find than an armed guerrilla.

Just then, Yoo Tae-hwa, who had received a call from Kang Heon-chang, arrived with Han Yu-young.

Jeong Won was asleep in Mom’s arms.

“Oh my, this kid. They even went to the old man’s house in the next village.”

Since Jang Gun-i was also missing, Han Yu-young had gone to Cheon Gil-ryong’s house and even the faraway training center, just in case.

Jin Hyuk’s heart grew heavy.

He had to calm down Mom, whose eyes were bloodshot.

“We’ll do it tomorrow. Since it’s Saturday, there’s no self-study, so I’ll try to persuade them.”

“Sigh-, okay. I’ve aged ten years, really. I had no idea where this kid went-.”

Listening to Mom’s complaints with half an ear, Jin Hyuk steeled his resolve.

After all, the tooth had to come out. It was a matter of principle.

It was like the determination of a true man to chase down and kill a fly disturbing his inner peace.

‘I can’t be the only one suffering.’

Hmph-.

A rare, mischievous laugh escaped Jin Hyuk’s nose.

***

I was curious.

No matter how fast Yoo Jin is, they’re still a child with short legs. How did they escape Mom’s grasp?

Pat-pat-.

“Waaah-.”

Around noon on Saturday, Yoo Jin, who had been playing in the yard, spotted their oppa returning from school and immediately ran toward the waterway.

It seemed they had been preparing to bolt after overhearing Mom and oppa’s conversation the day before.

‘Goodness······.’

Jin Hyuk saw it.

The faint, scattered stars breaking away from Yoo Jin’s body, especially their legs.

More mysterious than plankton breaking in the night sea, more beautiful than moonlight scattering on a stream.

‘Has it become part of them?’

Yoo Jin’s heart was sending that power to their legs.

Though it didn’t seem particularly fast.

Still, it’s a skill they’ve had since they were a baby, so it’s only natural they’d pick it up quickly.

“Owaah-.”

While rubbing their belly with one hand, Yoo Jin busily moved their feet.

They might not be faster than an adult, but it was enough to escape Mom’s grasp.

‘So it’s just a supplementary ability.’

It wasn’t like in the cartoons where they’d shoot out like a bullet.

To Jin Hyuk, watching, it was a yawn-inducing effort.

Pat-pat-.

They’re still short-legged.

Jin Hyuk slowly walked in the direction Yoo Jin had run.

Owaah-.

He watched blankly until the sound of fake retching faded, then admired the waterway reflecting the blue sky, waiting with Jang Gun-i.

Until Yoo Jin, who had fled with Hong-shi and Geom-ma, returned.

*

“It’s chilly with the wind blowing.”

Even after 30 minutes, Yoo Jin hadn’t returned.

So, he had no choice but to go look.

Enjoying the autumn atmosphere, he slowly walked along the track.

The smell of water, grass, and someone’s doenjang jjigae cooking.

“Mmm- so good-.”

Hehehek-.

Drooling, Jang Gun-i followed closely behind.

Finding Yoo Jin wasn’t hard.

This little rascal, who knows it’s hard to shake off their oppa, had given up on running and was hiding in a secluded spot.

‘Wow-, impressive.’

Most of the area beside the track is high ground due to the fields.

Because of the gentle slope, Yoo Jin was hiding in a spot invisible from the entrance, under a long overgrown grass roof covering a dugout.

Though it was more of a dug-in area, with the floor level the same as the track.

‘When did they dig this?’

It seemed quite old, but unless you looked closely, it was almost invisible.

They even dug a beet field. Yoo Jin really is a sibling more skilled than an armed guerrilla.

Hong-shi and Geom-ma must have helped dig the beets.

‘They’re just like me.’

Young Jin Hyuk also tried digging secret tunnels with a shovel near the house.

He never succeeded, but seeing Yoo Jin brought back fond memories of those days.

Thanks to his sharp eyes, finding Yoo Jin wasn’t hard.

Hong-shi and Geom-ma are smart and would understand if Yoo Jin told them to be quiet, but Haengun-i is different.

Beep-.

“Shh-.”

Beep-.

“Ah, be quiet, I saidoo-!”

Beep-!

“Haengun-i, you! Can’t you hear Mom?”

I hear you, kid.

Haengun-i might not, but your oppa hears you very well.

Jin Hyuk crouched beside the dugout, chuckling for a while.

While covering Jang Gun-i’s mouth to keep him from barking.

***

Son Yoo-jin returned home on their oppa’s back.

It was a trusty piggyback ride made possible by oppa’s promise not to force the tooth out.

“Ah, really? Then we’ll be there soon.”

Son Yoo-jin, who had been coloring at the dining table, rolled their eyes.

Dad had definitely called the dentist.

“Yoo-jin, want to go eat tonkatsu with Dad?”

Thump-thump-!

Look at that, look at that.

Son Yoo-jin’s eyes glazed over.

Oppa had said.

If Mom or Dad ever ask Yoo-jin to go somewhere alone, always run away.

Especially if they say let’s go eat tonkatsu, you should scream for help.

‘I don’t like tonkatsu, no, I do. It’s delicious. I’ll eat it twice.’

While mentally reciting the lines oppa had practiced with them, Son Yoo-jin kept messing up the script.

But their body moved as oppa had taught.

Backing up to the entrance, looking for their sneakers-.

“Yoo-jin, what are you doing?”

In that moment, Son Yoo-jin knew they were done for.

Behind them stood oppa, blocking the entrance, ready to go out.

What was it they were supposed to say in this situation?

They learned it at school.

Ah, right, if a man blocks your path front and back, you’re supposed to shout like this.

“Help meeeeee!”

*

Anxiety, nervousness, tension.

I need to go to the bathroom.

But since the whole family was going out, the mood wasn’t too bad.

“Moo, moo-. To, too-.”

Jeong Won, pointing at the cows outside the window, also seemed excited.

Half joy, half anxiety.

Noticing Yoo-jin’s constantly shifting eyes, oppa held their hand.

“Yoo-jin, fear is an illusion.”

“What’s an illusion?”

“Um···, it’s something that doesn’t exist but you think it does.”

“Ah, really?”

“Your brain gets confused. But the brain listens to your heart, right? Don’t be scared, don’t be scared. If you command your heart, Yoo-jin’s brain will stop being scared too.”

Don’t be scared, don’t be. Of course, don’t be scared. Oh no, I’m scareddd-.

This isn’t it.

“Back then, oppa pulled out his tooth at home, but doing it at home can cause injuries and make you more scared. At the hospital, a professional will do it painlessly and cleanly, so don’t worry.”

Painlessly.

At this moment, no words could be more reassuring.

Though their heart was still pounding, Son Yoo-jin gradually calmed down.

“Ughhh-.”

They couldn’t run away either.

Oppa carried them all the way to the dentist on the second floor.

***

Jin Hyuk, sitting on the dental chair with Yoo-jin in his arms, tightened his grip.

It was to keep the struggling sibling from falling.

Not to prevent them from running away.

“Waaaaah-! Help me! I don’t want toooo-!”

Facing the dentist, Yoo-jin finally burst into tears.

What good is all that talk about fear and commanding your heart?

“I’m scareddddd-!”

Mom, who had been watching pitifully, stepped in.

“Yoo-jin, if you’re that scared, Dad will go first. How about that?”

At those words, both the dentist and Jin Hyuk nodded.

Son Kwang-yeon, pale as a sheet, seemed to be out of the question.

“Honey, I, I-.”

“Sir, let’s start with your scaling, shall weee-?”

Drawn by the employee’s expressionless yet oddly kind tone, Son Kwang-yeon stood up abruptly.

Well, there’s no helping it now.

Son Kwang-yeon looked at his children with a solemn expression.

“Hmph, I’ll show you the spirit of a Seoul man.”

Though the corner of his mouth twitched, he maintained a smug smile as he lay down on the chair.

“If it hurts, raise your hand, okayyy-?”

Keeeeee-.

“Aaaaaah-! Agggroooo-.”

Spirit, my foot.

Son Kwang-yeon’s arm shot up.

Ah, Dad.

Jin Hyuk’s arm also tensed.

“Oppa, help meeeeee-!”

Yoo-jin had started using their mysterious strength to struggle.