Chapter 254

Ordinary People (4)

Jo Seol-chan scratched his cheek as he returned to the room to review the blueprint for building the frame.

“Is this… too much?”

The yacht he had boldly drawn was excessively large. Combining the cockpit, side seats, and deck space, it looked like it could fit over twenty people. It seemed impossible to even float it on the water.

“I need to revise the design from the start.”

The overly luxurious concept, influenced by Choi Mi-kyung and Kim Eun-jung’s demands, was also a hindrance. As the saying goes, too many cooks spoil the broth. Who would’ve thought a simple ferry would turn into a yacht?

“Seol-chan, make it smaller, smaller. Let’s remove the chairs too.”

“Alright. As long as people can sit, it should be fine.”

“But it’d be nice to have a motor, though.”

*Munch munch.*

Yoo Jin, who was dipping crackers into instant coffee, also chimed in.

It was a method Choi Mi-kyung had taught her. Dipping dry, bland crackers into instant coffee made them soft, moist, and flavorful. For Son Yoo-jin, who couldn’t usually have coffee, this snack gave her a reason to hang out with her brothers.

“Yoo Jin, didn’t you say you liked rowing boats?”

“Hehe. It was tiring when I tried it.”

“When?”

“At the training center pond. There’s a boat there.”

She must have tried it after frequenting the training center. Yoo Jin probably spent more time there than all the Sein Group employees combined.

“Kim Ho-jin and Lee Dong-ho went with Grandpa, and Dong-ho got a splinter in his hand. Ho-jin said his back and sides hurt. *Munch munch.*”

The fewer the drawbacks and the less effort required, the better. Thanks to her younger sibling, who unexpectedly brought up the downsides of rowing, the concerns were limited to the size.

“Geez, it’s still too big. How about the length? Around five meters?”

“Let’s make it seven meters.”

“Really?”

Why are these kids so impulsive? But seven meters is still incredibly long.

‘Whatever. It’s not like Jo Seol-chan is doing everything.’

Whenever Yoo Jin made a request, Jo Seol-chan immediately implemented it. He had pre-drawn designs, so changes were possible, but it wasn’t as easy as it seemed. It wasn’t just a matter of scaling down an existing design on a computer.

*Sketch sketch.*

Still, Jo Seol-chan proceeded with the new design using a ruler, protractor, and pencil.

‘Jo Seol-chan is amazing, huh?’

It wasn’t that he knew Jo Seol-chan had this talent. The background of encouraging Jo Seol-chan to study design was more about hoping he’d benefit from it later when tackling various projects.

“Wow. Oppa, you draw so well.”

“I just do it because it’s fun.”

But having fun and doing it easily are two different things.

“Wait a minute. Should we add holes here?”

“Yeah, let’s add them. Add them all.”

*Munch munch.*

Even as crumbs from Yoo Jin’s coffee-dipped crackers fell, Jo Seol-chan stayed focused on his work. Without turning his head, he called out to Jin Hyuk.

“Jin Hyuk, isn’t it time for your workout?”

“I can do it a bit later.”

“Then do it. You’re the one who always says we should stick to a regular schedule.”

Jo Seol-chan was right.

Jin Hyuk had always emphasized regular exercise, especially time management, to his friends in middle school and his juniors in high school. He even posted a workout schedule in the living room as a commitment and a request for family cooperation.

But still.

The guy who insisted on building a boat is now telling someone to go work out.

‘Ah, what am I supposed to do?’

The sight of him drawing the design was unexpectedly healing, making it hard to leave, but I got up from the chair.

“Alright, I’ll be back. Yoo Jin, let’s go. Don’t disturb Seol-chan oppa.”

“No. I want to build the boat with Seol-chan oppa.”

Wow. This kid has changed.

No matter how smart or grown-up they seem, kids are unpredictably fickle.

Just as I was about to leave, reluctant to go, there was a loud knock on the door.

*Bang bang bang!*

It sounded like Jeong Won, who had just woken up from his nap, was coming upstairs.

“Oppa, oppa! Can I have some udon?”

Mom must have sent Jeong Won after checking the living room schedule.

Time to work out.

“Alright, I’m going!”

***

“Mom, it’s time for my workout.”

“Wait a minute. Mom’s on a call.”

Hong Soo-jung, carrying a box, entered the living room.

“Mom, where should I put this?”

“Just put it anywhere! I’ll organize it after my call.”

Without complaint, Hong Soo-jung set the box down and read the label.

「SIT SCM-X760」

It was a phone.

The box had a color photo of the phone printed on it.

“It’s pretty.”

The latest model jointly released by Sein Electronics and Sein Telecom. Thanks to the nationwide base stations they’d been pouring money into, it was said to have great coverage everywhere. Of course, it hadn’t been officially released yet, so she only knew from overhearing her parents’ conversations. Thanks to the satellite network they’d launched, it could even be used in remote areas and overseas.

The phones adults used until now were as big and heavy as their palms.

But the phone inside the box was only slightly larger than a pager, incredibly light compared to brick phones, and even foldable.

“A flip phone?”

What an unusual name.

You’d think it would break if folded, but the fact that it could fold and unfold was fascinating.

“Mom, can I just take one out to look at?”

“No! Wait.”

Am I a dog? Grumbling, Hong Soo-jung picked up a box and her eyes sparkled.

Like a cat with a new prey, she tilted her head left and right.

‘Hmm.’

They said they’d distribute them before the Olympics anyway.

They’d decided to provide the latest phones to athletes from other sports as well.

The Olympics, where a massive press corps and athletes gather, would be the perfect stage to unveil the latest phone. The marketing impact would be explosive.

Despite her young age, Hong Soo-jung’s mind was sharper than her peers, having eavesdropped on her dad’s work for over three years.

She didn’t hesitate to voice her opinions either. Her dad always smiled proudly when she did.

– “Why not give them to foreign athletes too? Dad, you have the money.”

– “That’s the plan. We’ve already made models usable in the Americas and Europe.”

– “What about the model with a camera? I heard you were making that.”

– “Oh, how did you know about that, my daughter?”

– “I heard you talking to that American CEO, Hank, or whatever. I didn’t understand everything, but I caught ‘camera module.'”

Her dad’s surprised expression was a first.

It also meant he hadn’t been paying much attention to her education, but she didn’t mind. Dad’s a busy man, after all.

That was the first time Hong Ki-jun treated Hong Soo-jung as an equal, not just a child.

– “The camera model needs more development, but we’ll release it after the regime change. That way, Sein can continue to shine. And if we release everything at once, people will think it’s all thanks to the king. There are people working hard behind the scenes, you know. The limits of ordinary people.”

– “Yeah, I get what you mean.”

Her dad’s face looked so happy as he smiled at her nodding. He wasn’t even drinking, so why was he grinning so much?

– “Dad, will phones be able to access the internet by then?”

– “It won’t take too long, but it’ll still take some time. Internet connectivity is possible now, but to function like a computer and display like a monitor, we need to miniaturize processors and enlarge displays… Are you asleep?”

Dad tends to ramble on with difficult words when he’s happy.

‘Hmph.’

Hong Soo-jung set the box down and turned away without hesitation.

They’ll give it to me when the time comes, so there’s no need to rush.

Having lived a life where she could get anything she wanted, she didn’t feel any material desires.

Smart and aware of her social status as a chaebol’s daughter, Hong Soo-jung also understood why Yoo Se-ra’s mom worked so hard even on weekends.

‘She’s trying to sell off my brother Jin Hyuk.’

Something about sales.

Just try to sell him. Jin Hyuk belongs to Hong Soo-jung.

She’s enduring the sight of her immature friends fawning over Son Jin-hyeok’s book covers and bromides with extreme patience. She doesn’t understand why her mom makes those things, but since some of the money goes to Jin Hyuk, she tolerates it. Otherwise, it would’ve been a showdown between two lionesses.

*

Yoo Se-ra, who had just finished her call, turned to where her daughter had been.

“Soo-jung, we’ll activate that before departure— huh? Soo-hyuk, where did your sister go?”

Not seeing her daughter, Yoo Se-ra asked Hong Soo-hyuk.

Hong Soo-hyuk, lounging on the sofa with a pacifier in his mouth, pulled it out.

*Pop.*

“Don’t know. She left.”

Then he put the pacifier back in.

Yoo Se-ra sighed as she looked at Hong Soo-hyuk, sprawled out like a lion king, completely at ease.

‘Sigh, this family’s education is a mess.’

These kids are so casual with their mom.

Son Yoo-jin and Son Jeong-won even use honorifics with Jin Hyuk. The contrast is too much.

“Soo-hyuk, you should use honorifics with Mom.”

*Pop.*

The pacifier came out again.

“Mommy.”

“Yes?”

Is he going to use honorifics after a little scolding?

Yoo Se-ra’s eyes sparkled with hope.

“Want snack. Ate all.”

Ugh. This little king of the jungle.

“Mommy.”

“Alright, I’ll give you a snack. Wait a minute.”

“Pooped in pants.”

Oh, for heaven’s sake.

This is why I love work.

***

Monday, finally, the candidate registration closed, and the campaign period began.

Jin Hyuk, Choi Mi-kyung, and Kim Eun-jung, who arrived at school early, went around the high school building putting up posters in the hallways.

After putting up the last poster together, Choi Mi-kyung stretched.

“Ahhh! This is the first time I’ve worked so hard on something other than studying.”

“Mi-kyung, same here. It was tough.”

What are you talking about, Kim Eun-jung? You never work hard on anything.

But it was a fun experience.

It felt like working on a group project with friends, like what college students do. It was like getting a taste of the college experience I missed out on in high school.

“Good job.”

“Jin Hyuk, you’ll be busy now. Time to go shake hands.”

“Jin Hyuk, be careful when shaking hands with the boys.”

“Why?”

Kim Eun-jung squinted her eyes.

Is she a misandrist? From what I’ve seen, she hasn’t shown any signs of that.

“They don’t wash their hands.”

It was an overly realistic observation to dismiss as mere dislike.

“True. I won’t wash my hands either then.”

An eye for an eye, gross for gross.

“Oh, that’s a good idea. Go wash your hands first.”

Jin Hyuk turned around, furrowed his brow, and shook his head vigorously.

Talking to Kim Eun-jung feels like dealing with an alien—it’s mind-numbing.

*

After first period, the candidate officers finally put on their sashes and left the classroom to start campaigning.

They planned to start with the third-year classrooms.

Choi Mi-kyung looked around the hallway and spoke, puzzled.

“But why don’t we see any other candidates?”

“Right? Maybe they’re doing it during lunch?”

Lee Seung-hoon scratched the back of his head.

[Beep beep beep!]

“Ahh, crap!”

The speaker screeched, and Choi Mi-kyung reacted irritably.

The other friends also instinctively ducked their heads.

[Ah, ah. An announcement.]

Hurry up! We have to campaign!

The high school students, burning with determination, all narrowed their eyes as if they’d made a pact.

[Due to there being only one candidate for student council president, according to the single-candidate regulation, the 34th student council president of Taeyang High School has been elected without a vote. Ah, once again, an announcement.]

What the heck, elected without a vote? Seriously?