Chapter 246

Hehehe-.

Kang Heon-chang, who had been laughing like a fool, caught up with Moon Seok-il.

“Seok-il hyung.”

“Hmm?”

“You know, right?”

It was a cautious question, but the atmosphere suddenly felt like an interrogation.

A puff of white breath escaped Moon Seok-il’s mouth.

“Where did all those thugs disappear to? They’re at the Yeouido site, right?”

Kang Heon-chang was as quick-witted as he was agile.

If he had studied, he would have been called a genius.

“Gotta give them a way out.”

Those guys, digging the ground and building skyscrapers.

That was also Jin Hyuk’s idea.

“We picked them carefully. Paid them well too. The muscleheads, the ones with weird eyes, the drug addicts, and so on. We handed those kinds over to the police…”

The message was clear: if you’re going to build, do it right.

*Pfft- Bang-!* In the cold weather, Jeong Sang-tae, whose nose was stuffy, plugged one nostril with his thumb and let out a loud sneeze.

“Sniff, why are they being so lenient?”

“Something about self-reliance and independence. They say true rehabilitation isn’t about locking people up and beating them, but helping them realize they can earn a living on their own.”

Listening to that, it made sense. Kang Heon-chang nodded.

With no worries about making a living, there are three people here who have turned their backs on their past.

They’re human too, so they must feel something. If they can survive without dying.

“Did the chairman say that? He doesn’t seem like the forgiving type.”

At Jeong Sang-tae’s question, Moon Seok-il shook his head.

“Ah… It must have been the boss.”

“Yeah. You can’t change the past, but you should give them a chance to come back. But, we gave them the choice. Those who refused were discarded.”

“Sounds reasonable. I used to live as a thug too, but I got my act together after going through the army. If it’s the Yeouido site, it must be fun to work there.”

Moon Seok-il smirked.

Because of Kang Heon-chang, who only knew half the story.

‘Seems like he didn’t notice we sent most of them to the underwater site.’

“Hyung, why did you throw these guys to the police this time?”

“They said one chance is enough.”

They’re the kind who squandered the chance they were given and couldn’t change their ways.

Even if given a second chance, they wouldn’t take it seriously.

“We took the chance we were given.”

At Jeong Sang-tae’s words, Moon Seok-il also nodded.

The more he thought about it, it was the right choice.

***

Jo Seol-chan and his grandmother decided to stay in the earthen house for the time being after being discharged.

It’s called an earthen house for convenience, but it’s a far cry from the traditional earthen houses made of mud and straw. It was rebuilt with a strong foundation and frame, finished with loess, maintaining a comfortable environment. So, after working out, Jin Hyuk would light a fire in the earthen house’s hearth and relax his muscles. He cleaned and maintained it whenever he had time, so it was always ready to move into.

At first, they considered a molehill house, but it was a decision made out of consideration for the grandmother, who might feel stifled.

“Couldn’t she just stay at our house?”

“It’s not something we can do to Grandma.”

With a gentle smile, Mom shook her head and spoke as if explaining to Jin Hyuk, who looked confused.

“Would Grandma really be comfortable staying at our house? If she stayed with us, she’d probably wake up earlier than me and try to do all the cooking and cleaning.”

“Ah…”

“She’s not used to sleeping on a bed, and the stairs would be inconvenient for her.”

Listening to that, it made sense.

She might feel obligated to help out, thinking she’s a burden. The unseen pressure of habits not yet ingrained would also arise.

Indeed, Mom is the wisest elder in the house.

*

They packed Jo Seol-chan’s belongings with the help of Jo Il-hun’s truck.

Jo Seol-chan tried to persuade Grandma to buy new household items, but where would an old lady learn to throw things away? Grandma packed even the dented aluminum pots without missing a single one.

“Mom said she’d provide all the household items.”

“That house has a lot of guys, so even if it’s used as a dog bowl, it’s fine.”

“There’s even a dog bowl that’s never been used.”

Despite Jin Hyuk’s attempts to dissuade her, Grandma was adamant.

‘Let’s just use our strength.’

Without needing help from Jo Il-hun or Jo Seol-chan, Jin Hyuk alone carried the luggage across the field.

Even though Grandma packed so meticulously, the luggage didn’t even fill half of the truck’s cargo space. It showed how frugally the two had lived.

Grandma rode in the car sent by Mom, Yoo Tae-hwa, while Jo Seol-chan and Jin Hyuk rode in Jo Il-hun’s truck.

Even though Jo Seol-chan got hit in the legs every time Jo Il-hun shifted gears, he enjoyed the rhythmic jolts of the gear changes, saying the truck was comfortable.

“Seol-chan, which Jo clan are you from?”

“The Pungyang Jo clan.”

“What branch?”

“The Hanpyeong-gun branch.”

“Ah, I see.”

Tsk tsk.

Jo Il-hun clicked his tongue loudly.

“Why do you say that?”

“Weren’t they the ones who did political favoritism?”

Was that so? Jin Hyuk hadn’t studied that far, so he pretended not to hear.

Tsk tsk tsk.

Those damn guys. Jo Il-hun shook his head while keeping his eyes on the road.

“Ah, really? What branch are you from, Uncle?”

“Call me hyung, man. I’m from there too.”

“…”

“By the way, what generation are you?”

The two, who had been discussing family trees, realized that Jo Seol-chan was of a higher generation and things became awkward.

Jo Seol-chan was like a grandfather to him.

‘Why did we even bring up family trees…’

This is the problem with Koreans.

If there’s even the tiniest commonality, they try to connect it somehow.

Jin Hyuk thought there were too many things people in this small country worshipped.

“Is that family tree accurate…?”

“Yes…”

Let them sort it out themselves.

*

“Eun-jeong brought some ingredients, so I made some porridge.”

Hearing that a new family member was coming, Jang Jin-nam cooked a pot of porridge. He said that someone who had been hospitalized would have weak muscles and fascia, making even walking difficult, so he spared no expense on good ingredients for recovery.

“When Grandma comes, I plan to learn her recipes too.”

It seemed like he had some personal desires too.

Yoo Jae-woon, who had been receiving real-time updates on the situation that day, also felt concerned and came to Jin Hyuk’s house with his medical bag on his bicycle. It was possible because it was the countryside. In a crowded city, people wouldn’t even care about their next-door neighbors.

Yoo Jae-woon whispered softly to Jang Jin-nam, who was handing Grandma some dongchimi broth.

“Mr. Jang, there’s no evidence that dongchimi broth is good for carbon monoxide poisoning. And the poisoning is over now-.”

Jang Jin-nam’s eyes widened, and he snorted like an angry colt.

“What are you talking about? She asked for more, so I’m giving it to her.”

“Ah…”

He had only given it to Grandma to rinse her mouth after finishing the porridge.

Just as the idea that ‘dongchimi broth is for carbon monoxide poisoning’ was criticized as not befitting an intellectual, the assumption that giving dongchimi broth was due to carbon monoxide poisoning was also not the thought process of an educated person.

*

It wasn’t just Grandma and Jo Seol-chan who looked happy.

Besides Mom and Jeong Won, Yoo Jin, who now had more people to talk to, would visit Grandma after school. As a result, the time she used to spend running outside was now spent on the earthen house’s floor.

“Grandma, what’s your name?”

For several days, Grandma spent the afternoons with Yoo Jin, petting Haengun-i’s head until Jo Seol-chan returned from school.

“I’m Park Mak-soon.”

As the time spent talking with various people increased, Yoo Jin’s world expanded.

“Is it Bang? Like Bang-sil?”

“No, it’s Park. The Park clan.”

“Oh?”

The Park clan was a familiar surname to Yoo Jin.

“Is it the Gangnam Park clan? Did a swallow bring it?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

Well, as they talk, they’ll understand each other, and the world will expand.

“I’m from the Miryang Park clan.”

“Oh, right. There are three Miryang Parks in my class. But they weren’t born in Miryang. Isn’t that weird?”

“What are you talking about…”

It seems Grandma will need some time to adjust to conversations with Yoo Jin.

*

After sorting out the complicated and messy matters, March was already coming to an end.

Now, only the compensation issue for the house Jo Seol-chan lived in remained, but since it was entrusted to Moon Seok-il, it would be handled smoothly and satisfactorily.

Such matters can be managed with skill.

But people’s hearts can’t be forced, so it was even more concerning.

“Will Grandma be okay?”

I worried if she would feel lonely when Yoo Jin wasn’t around or when Seol-chan was at school. She used to spend her days at the market, but now she was left in the countryside.

“She’ll be more comfortable here. Mom will take care of her during the day so she won’t feel lonely, and our son should focus on school. You should exercise too. There’s a competition coming up in April, right?”

“Yes. It’s less than two weeks away.”

“But take it easy. Last time, I heard you groaning in your sleep, so it must be tough.”

“I’ll take it easy on weekends.”

Now, even if I skip a day of exercise, I feel my body getting heavier.

A heavier body means one thing.

‘I must be fully grown.’

During the growth spurt, even fatigue seemed to fuel the body’s growth. But now, fatigue is just fatigue, piling up without contributing to growth.

It’s not just because I’ve been pushing myself.

Literally, physical growth is reaching its peak.

“Shall we visit Dr. Jo’s house? Mom asked for a favor.”

“Sure. I’ll go as part of my exercise.”

After stretching my shoulders in the yard, I headed towards the earthen house.

I should go with Seol-chan.

Chit-chat.

‘What’s this? They’re sticking together again?’

Kim Eun-jeong came to play at the earthen house on weekends when there was no self-study.

Bringing precious Hanwoo beef. She said it was specially prepared for Grandma’s health, but to Jin Hyuk, it seemed more like she was excited to have a friend who reacted enthusiastically to her UFO stories.

“Hey, hey. What happens next? What happens after that?”

“A flood of light that could blind you. Seol, if a UFO shines light, you should close one eye. Otherwise, you could go blind.”

Ah, Eun-jeong. Don’t you ever get tired?

Out of all the topics, playing like that doesn’t resonate much, but…

‘Still, thanks.’

It’s Kim Eun-jeong, not Jin Hyuk, who’s helping Seol-chan adjust to neighborhood life.

Jin Hyuk doesn’t have topics to discuss with Seol-chan like Yeom Byeong-taek does.

It’s hard to hear from far away, but let’s listen closely.

It’s all to encourage healthy interactions between the kids.

Jin Hyuk quietly approached the earthen house.

*

When with boys, Seol-chan is endlessly eager and clingy. But when alone with a female friend, he’s as cautious as a kid called to the principal’s office.

Even now, Seol-chan is sitting quietly at the edge of the floor.

In contrast, Kim Eun-jeong is sitting cross-legged in the center of the floor as if it’s her own house.

“Close just one eye? What if the other eye goes blind?”

“You can still save the closed eye.”

Huh? Jin Hyuk, who was eavesdropping, tilted his head slightly.

It sounded logical yet illogical, but coming from Kim Eun-jeong, it seemed plausible.

“Like this, like this, if you open it slightly, won’t it work?”

Seol-chan almost closed his eyes like someone with poor vision.

“That’s not enough. Even a needle-sized opening can damage the retina.”

“Ah, then how do you see properly?”

“That’s why people don’t believe me. If I had seen it properly, I would have been on TV.”

“Do you want to be on TV, Eun-jeong?”

“Look at that guy.”

Where Kim Eun-jeong pointed, Jin Hyuk’s face was peeking out with a blank expression.

Oops, the newly built earthen house doesn’t have a gate.

Hiding behind the gate post and eavesdropping, he got so engrossed in the conversation that his head popped out without him realizing it.

“At school, even if that kid just walks down the hallway, girls throw their panties at him.”

Hey, don’t exaggerate. Some threw flowers, but no underwear.

Kim Eun-jeong, having grown up in an environment with many men from her father to her uncles, had a tough personality and a tendency to exaggerate.

Jin Hyuk turned around and gestured to Jang Gun-i.

He had planned to take a walk with Seol-chan, but now he thought he should take Jang Gun-i instead.

Hehehe.

As if waiting, Jang Gun-i quickly followed.

“Oppa! I want to go too!”

Yoo Jin, who was inside the house, hurriedly followed her brother.

As they left the house, Jin Hyuk’s ears perked up at Kim Eun-jeong’s whispers.

“You won’t understand the feeling of having a guy who’s been widely covered in the media at the same school.”

“I went to the same middle school too-.”

“But there were no girls there, right?”

“Right. It was an all-boys school.”

“That guy is an idol.”

“An idol? What’s that?”

“Seol, you should cultivate your humanities knowledge. It means an idol. Middle school juniors look at him and want to exercise. They want to be like Jin Hyuk. Even the wrestling team guys don’t know what to do when they see him. They’re like fanatics.”

“Even when we went to the same school, Jin Hyuk was like that-.”

“Seol, a man should keep his mouth shut.”

“Okay…”

At the warning not to argue, Seol-chan sat quietly, crossing his legs.

He was still shy, but seeing Seol-chan comfortably conversing in front of a girl, it seemed Kim Eun-jeong was positively contributing to his socialization.

“Seol, where did Grandma go?”

“She went to Uncle In-rang’s house. They have a lot of wild chives there. She went to pick chives with that house’s grandma…”

“That’s good.”

“Huh? What is?”

“Why are you sitting so far away? Come closer.”

Seol, you little rascal, fighting!