Chapter 55

#55 <The Joker Captain (2)>

***

The day before summer vacation, when the end of an ordinary first semester was in sight.

After finishing class, Jin-hyuk sat on the seesaw.

Just like in the old days.

‘It’s like a moment of rest.’

In the distance, Yeom Byeong-taek was chatting with the Ssirum Club members.

Jo Seol-chan, who had been training with the Track and Field Team without a coach, approached with a friendly wave.

“Hey, what are you doing alone, Joker Captain? Chewing on loneliness? That must taste bitter, huh?”

Jin-hyuk couldn’t help but chuckle at Jo Seol-chan’s usual banter.

Jo Seol-chan was the first friend to rush over whenever Jin-hyuk got into trouble. He would carefully ask if Jin-hyuk was hurt or why he had fought. And after hearing Jin-hyuk’s explanation, Jo Seol-chan would be the most furious.

‘He’s such a good kid.’

Jo Seol-chan sat across from Jin-hyuk, and the two friends rode the seesaw together.

It was curious why there was a seesaw in a place that wasn’t even an elementary school, but no one had questioned it in over 40 years since the school was founded. It was just there, so they used it. Come to think of it, Jin-hyuk’s private high school also had a seesaw.

As Jo Seol-chan chattered away while riding the seesaw, Jin-hyuk briefly reminisced about his past life.

‘It’s a bit hazy. It was when I was fourteen.’

There were many days when, after delivering newspapers, he would sit here alone and watch people come and go through the back gate.

One day, a hunched-over grandmother entered the school, and when she left, she was carrying a bag and a bundle of books wrapped in cloth.

He later heard that she had come to collect the belongings of a classmate who had committed suicide after being bullied. How must that grandmother have felt, coming to school to collect her grandson’s things?

‘Why does that memory come to mind when I see Seol-chan?’

He remembered her back. Sitting alone on the seesaw, reading a book, Jin-hyuk had watched the hunched-over grandmother and wondered if his own back looked just as lonely.

The creaking sound of the seesaw was interrupted by Jo Seol-chan’s voice, snapping Jin-hyuk out of his thoughts.

“Jin-hyuk, what are you going to do during vacation?”

“I’ll play with my sister.”

Yoo-jin is now 49 months old.

Every morning, when he wakes up early to exercise, he finds Yoo-jin asleep in a frog-like position in front of his second-floor bedroom door. It’s always a surprise. She clearly falls asleep in her mother’s arms, so why is she sleeping there in the early morning?

But thinking of his adorable little sister, Jin-hyuk made happy plans. During vacation, he could play with her all day.

‘I should teach her the right names for animals.’

She follows along well when Mom and Dad teach her, but over time, she starts calling them strange names. Like calling a pigeon “Apdu,” a sparrow “Brap-sa,” an eagle “Neurwe,” and a frog “Adoruk.” No one taught her that. At first, Mom thought it might be because of Dad’s swearing, but now she’s starting to think differently.

– “I’ve been watching the kids in this neighborhood, and before they start kindergarten, they all talk nonsense.”

Thanks to Jo Il-hun, the quick-witted doctor from the neighborhood, Jin-hyuk’s family wasn’t too worried. Jin-hyuk’s influence also helped reassure his parents. After all, their son used to hum strange, unidentified songs when he was little.

‘Well, as long as she’s cute and healthy, it’s fine.’

Yoo-jin is a remarkable little sister who eats dirt every day but never catches a cold.

“Jin-hyuk, can I come over to play?”

“Of course. Come anytime.”

Jin-hyuk smiled at Jo Seol-chan. It was an unusually gentle smile.

He usually spent vacations with his family, but hanging out with a friend would create good memories for both Jin-hyuk and Jo Seol-chan.

“If you answer too easily, people say you’re a pushover.”

“Really?”

Jin-hyuk stomped the ground hard.

It was the pushover’s decisive retaliation.

Thud-! Wham-!

Jo Seol-chan winced in pain as his buttocks and lower back took the brunt of the impact.

“Owwww, Grandma Chan is dying~.”

I wonder how that grandmother lived alone after that.

He had said he lived alone with his grandmother after his parents passed away.

A middle school freshman who had been bullied and driven to drink pesticide and commit suicide in a past life.

Jin-hyuk never managed to remember his name.

“What should we do when we hang out?”

“Let’s go swimming, fishing, and pick plums in the yard. Take a long break before you go.”

“Eek-, there are plums in the yard?”

“There are peaches too.”

Dad had expanded the yard and planted various fruit trees around it. Apricots, plums, peaches, apples, grapes, quinces—you’d be hard-pressed to find a fruit tree that wasn’t there. He said he liked looking at the flowers, but seeing unripe fruit disappear every day meant someone was eating them.

“My grandmother farms alone, so I can’t stay long. Can I come play for just a couple of days?”

“Of course you can.”

Jo Seol-chan smiled awkwardly.

He was used to being rejected by friends, but the Joker Captain was different. Jin-hyuk’s unreserved answer made him happy.

“What should I bring? Grandma said not to go empty-handed when visiting someone’s house.”

“Bring something. If you want to sleep in the doghouse.”

Our Jang Gun-i talks a lot in his sleep, you know. He also snores. Jin-hyuk muttered with a straight face.

Jo Seol-chan, who rarely got to hear Jin-hyuk’s jokes, laughed so hard he fell off the seesaw. He lay on the ground, flipping over like Jang Gun-i, and cackled uncontrollably.

‘He’s going to dislocate his jaw.’

There was something Jo Seol-chan didn’t know.

Jin-hyuk had no talent for jokes.

***

Jo Seol-chan came to visit during vacation.

Jin-hyuk’s parents, whom he had met in Gongju, greeted Jo Seol-chan warmly.

“Mom, Dad, how have you been~?”

“Oh, Seol-chan, it’s been a while. Come on in.”

“Yeah, how’s your grandmother?”

Han Yu-young and Son Kwang-yeon also welcomed Jo Seol-chan like a son. They were already kind people, but Jin-hyuk’s request added to their warmth.

– “I want to create good memories for Seol-chan. He seems to really look up to me······.”

Jo Seol-chan’s grandmother tilled a field and sold vegetables at the market to make a living. Even without the expenses of tutoring or academies, feeding and clothing a growing grandchild wasn’t cheap. Knowing his grandmother’s hardships, Jo Seol-chan made sure to save snacks while doing sports.

‘Seol-chan’s inner feelings might be similar to what I wanted in the past.’

He was a friend who couldn’t see his parents even when he wanted to.

The difference was that Jo Seol-chan was full of energy.

For a moment, Jin-hyuk’s eyes softened as he watched Jo Seol-chan devour the food laid out on the table.

Han Yu-young pushed a plate of spicy stir-fried pork toward Jo Seol-chan.

When she heard her son’s friend was coming from town, she made stir-fried octopus and boiled chicken.

“Seol-chan, eat slowly and as much as you want. Mom made a lot.”

“Gah-! Yes, Mom.”

Was it the word “Mom” that caught in his throat, or was he just flustered while answering?

Jo Seol-chan’s eyes moistened as he nodded.

After lunch, Son Kwang-yeon brought out a Go board. A confident smile played on his lips.

“Seol-chan, do you play Go?”

“No. If Dad teaches me, I’ll try to learn~.”

Though Jo Seol-chan was sociable, learning Go in a short time wasn’t easy. Above all, he had no talent for it. So Son Kwang-yeon and Jo Seol-chan ended up playing a game of marbles instead.

“Wow, Seol-chan, you’re good at marbles. Here! Since you won, 10,000 won!”

Jo Seol-chan blinked as if he’d never seen a 10,000-won bill before.

Only after Jin-hyuk nudged him did Jo Seol-chan bow and accept the money.

After the marble battle and once the food had settled, Jin-hyuk picked up two buckets and a black plastic bag. The bag was filled with fist-sized bait balls that gave off a savory smell.

“Seol-chan, let’s go catch some loaches.”

He thought it would be good to give Jo Seol-chan a taste of country life.

While Jo Seol-chan put on his slippers, Jin-hyuk looked over his plan.

〈Turning Energy into Memories〉

「Purpose. To promote healthy consumption of youthful energy through outdoor activities」

I. Enhancing economic awareness through loach catching and sales

II. Improving physical strength through creek play and aquatic life exploration

III. Experiencing primitive hunting and survival skills by collecting water plants from the reservoir

IV. Strengthening friendship and camaraderie through night hiking

V. Consuming famine foods and learning their historical background

Note. In case of rain, indoor physical training (push-ups, full-body twists······ 50 reps, 5 sets)

It was a perfect plan to make the most of two days. Even though it was written with a pen instead of a PowerPoint, Jin-hyuk couldn’t help but smile at his still-sharp planning skills.

“Let’s go~!”

Yoo-jin grabbed Jo Seol-chan’s hand and followed her brother. Jo Seol-chan, wearing pink mom slippers with closed toes, carefully stepped on the rice paddy ridges.

“Is it slippery because the pesticide hasn’t killed everything yet?”

“We don’t use pesticides here.”

Loaches were usually caught before the rainy season.

The reason was simple. Once the rainy season and heat began, pests would thrive, so pesticides were used. After spraying, fish would float belly-up in the paddies. But paddies without pesticides were an exception.

“They farm without pesticides and still watch over it?”

“They use something called enzymes that keep pests away but don’t harm animals.”

“That’s weird~.”

Son Kwang-yeon had developed several enzymes and was testing them in various paddies. Initially, they were only used in the paddies where the family grew rice for themselves, but as the effectiveness was proven, production increased, and the method was being shared with other farmers. The advantage was that it was made from easily available materials, so the production cost was almost nothing. Strangely, other farmers often sighed, saying they couldn’t make it properly.

Seeing the flapping carp and the black snails in the paddy, Jo Seol-chan nodded. It was more convincing than Jin-hyuk’s explanation.

“I really don’t see any pesticide bottles around here? They pay 300 won per bottle if you bring them to the store~.”

This was new information to Jin-hyuk, who didn’t have a hobby of collecting bottles.

Soju bottles were 10 won, cola bottles 20 won, beer bottles 30 won? A pesticide bottle was worth ten times that.

“Maybe it’s because they’re coated like sunglasses, so they’re expensive.”

Jin-hyuk didn’t know much about the subject, so he just took Jo Seol-chan’s word for it.

“I don’t know for sure either.”

Jo Seol-chan left room for doubt, just in case.

“Hey, Yoo-jin, don’t slip. Stick close to Seol-chan oppa, okay?”

“Yes, hehe~.”

Jo Seol-chan didn’t forget to look after Yoo-jin as they walked along the narrow paddy paths.

The little girl, wearing a straw hat and flower-patterned boots, followed her brothers. Jang Gun-i trailed behind Yoo-jin, looking around as if guarding her.

Jin-hyuk waded into the paddy and pulled up a small trap.

It was a short, thick trap, shorter than an adult man’s thigh.

Splash splash splash~!

The fish inside the trap went wild.

There were loaches, minnows, snails, and carp.

“Whoa, there’s so many!”

Jo Seol-chan’s jaw dropped as he watched the loaches pour into the bucket.

Jin-hyuk skillfully emptied the trap, put in the prepared bait balls, and set the trap back in the paddy.

“Here, let me do it.”

After watching a few times, Jo Seol-chan took the trap and poured out the wriggling loaches. Then, like Jin-hyuk, he tossed in a fist-sized bait ball and handed the trap back.

“Wow, this is fun~. Do you do this every day, Jin-hyuk?”

“No. I usually don’t do it when it’s hot.”

He’s doing this just to entertain me. Jo Seol-chan muttered, barely audible. He wasn’t the sharpest, but he had good intuition. He could sense his friend’s intentions. After all, a guy who lives in a big house like that wouldn’t do this every day.

“Come out here. I’ll pull it up.”

“Okay.”

Jo Seol-chan took off his slippers and stepped into the paddy.

Jin-hyuk sat on the ridge for a while, holding Yoo-jin and resting.

Thanks to the straw hat, his head wasn’t too hot, but his back was burning.

“Is our baby feeling cool?”

“Yes, hehe~. Oppa, you’re good at fanning, right?”

Just as Jin-hyuk took off his hat to fan Yoo-jin—

“Kyaaaaaa~! Ughhhhhhh~!”

Worororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororororor