Chapter 76

#76 <Ingkum Ingkum (2)>

Yoo-jin, a five-year-old, has been eating well lately, and her smell has become seriously adult-like. Still, Jin-hyeok never frowned and took care of Yoo-jin as if she were his own daughter. At first, he was clumsy, but as they spent more time together, he became quite accustomed to parenting.

‘My mom and dad must have raised me like this too.’

His nose tingled sentimentally.

He was also grateful to his younger sibling.

‘If Yoo-jin grows up like this, I won’t ask for more.’

Yoo-jin is doing her part by growing up healthy and strong without catching a single cold.

“Yoo-jin, come here. You need to wash with water to get clean.”

“Okay~. Hehe.”

Son Yoo-jin, who had just gotten off the toddler potty, awkwardly backed away toward the washbasin. She stuck her butt out toward her brother like a puppy.

“Ouch, the smell.”

“Ouch~, it smells, right? Hehe.”

Since the whole family uses polite speech, five-year-old Yoo-jin learned to speak politely too. Seeing this, you realize how important the environment is for growth. Yoo-jin even speaks politely to Jang Gun-i.

‘By the way, when will bidets become mainstream?’

This thought crossed his mind as he held his breath while washing Yoo-jin. Of course, it was a concern for himself, not Yoo-jin. The bidets imported from the Middle East are available domestically, but there aren’t many products on the market, and they don’t have a hot water function. Probably because warm countries don’t have cold water, so they use room temperature water.

‘Should I make and sell bidets?’

The working principles of simple home appliances like bidets, water purifiers, and air purifiers remained in his mind from his time working at Sain Electronics. Of course, he was also aware of the practical challenges.

‘It won’t be easy to find a parts manufacturing company now.’

Even if he somehow managed to design it, the cost of creating molds for each part would outweigh the benefits. In the end, it was impossible without capital.

‘I should ask Mr. Hong Ki-jun for help.’

This was the grumble of Son Jin-hyeok, a regressor who had to wash with water every time for cleanliness and freshness. In his previous life, bidets made things convenient. His tastes are from the 21st century, but his body is living in the 20th, so there are more than a few inconveniences.

“Oppa, let’s go outside. Let’s go play.”

“Is Yoo-jin feeling stuffy? Should we go pick chestnuts with Oppa?”

“Okay, let’s go get chestnuts.”

It’s still September, so it’s a bit early, but Jin-hyeok knows a place where chestnuts can be harvested. It’s a sunny spot on the back mountain with lots of rotten wood and fallen leaves, where chestnuts tend to fall early. If you go too late, bugs make it less fun. Now is actually better.

Jin-hyeok placed a large basket over Yoo-jin’s head. It was to protect his sister from chestnut burrs that could fall at any moment. He gently pinched the cheek of his sister, who was looking at him with bright eyes under the basket.

“Aigoo~, so cute.”

“Gurgle~.”

Why are children’s cheeks so soft and bouncy? Seeing toddlers walking and babbling, he could understand why friends wished they wouldn’t grow up.

“Jang Gun-i, let’s go for a walk.”

“Jang Gun-i, let’s go. Choo-choo-choo~.”

Hehehe.

The guard dog Jang Gun-i followed the siblings.

“Sparrow~.”

“Chirp chirp!”

“Duck~.”

“Quack quack!”

“Frog~.”

“Ribbit ribbit!”

“Pigeon~.”

“Coo coo!”

“······Huh?”

Ah, Yoo-jin is truly a genius!

“Nuhuhu~.”

The doting older brother held his sister’s hand and headed to the back mountain.

As they climbed the slope and crossed the bus road, a luxury sedan parked far away caught his eye.

‘Still here?’

It felt oddly unsettling. They arrived in the morning and still hadn’t left by late afternoon. There were no houses near where the car was parked, just a soybean field. They didn’t seem to be here to pick soybeans, and they didn’t look like the land workers who had all left recently.

‘The land workers didn’t show up as promised during the holiday.’

So, he couldn’t investigate them.

Just by seeing them chatting with their hands in their pockets, they looked very different. The brown sunglasses and striped suits also seemed out of place.

‘Suspicious.’

A feeling of unease crept into the transparent, dazzling peace, and his nerves were on edge. It was a reaction sharper than intuition, like a honed blade.

“Oppa, let’s go. Let’s go.”

Yoo-jin urged her hesitant brother, gently shaking his hand.

“Okay. Let’s go.”

While keeping an eye on the suspicious outsiders was important, his sister came first.

He let Yoo-jin walk on the clear path, but carried her through the thick underbrush. Jang Gun-i, being a dog, followed along just fine.

It was still early, so there weren’t many fallen chestnuts.

“Wow~, there are chestnuts here.”

“Wow~. Are there chestnuts?”

“Ouch, I got pricked by a chestnut burr.”

“Ouch~. Does it hurt?”

“Yoo-jin, look, a squirrel.”

“Wow~. So cute~.”

Children are good at expressing wonder. They mimic adults and exclaim over even the smallest things. Jin-hyeok exaggerated his reactions to help Yoo-jin’s emotional development.

Even without that purpose, it’s an unwritten rule of the human world that adults talk like babies when around young children. In a house with a baby, the whole family babbles like toddlers.

He picked up a few glossy chestnuts from the fresh green burrs. Even though it was early for harvesting, there were too many to fit in his pockets, so he put them in a plastic bag.

“Yoo-jin, should we go home now?”

“Let’s go~. Let’s go now.”

Ah, right. Jin-hyeok suddenly changed direction.

“Yoo-jin, let’s go see the mushrooms.”

“Okay, let’s go. Let’s see the mushrooms.”

After eating rich holiday foods during Chuseok, he suddenly craved a hearty doenjang jjigae. The thought of making doenjang jjigae with pheasant back mushrooms, tofu, and zucchini made his mouth water.

To get to the mushroom spot, they had to push through thick underbrush and bushes. The underbrush was mostly azaleas, greenbrier, and oak trees, which were so resilient they didn’t allow for even a small path. Since Jin-hyeok was the only one who came here, no path had formed.

Jin-hyeok lifted Yoo-jin and carried her into the deep forest.

Hehehe.

Jang Gun-i followed closely, tongue hanging out.

“What’s that?”

“A squirrel.”

“What’s that?”

“A woodpecker.”

“What’s that?”

“Wild grapes.”

Yoo-jin’s wide eyes didn’t miss anything, even things high up in the trees.

She pointed and asked about everything, eager to learn.

“What’s this?”

“Hazelnut~, no, a filbert.”

“What’s that?”

“A wildcat······.”

A wildcat was watching from a high tree.

According to Jo Il-hun, they sometimes attack people from above, biting their necks, especially targeting the small and weak.

‘Ugh, you little beast. If you attack, I’ll take you down!’

Jin-hyeok glared back at the wildcat with equally sharp eyes and quickly moved away from the tree. Even if a bloody fight broke out, Jin-hyeok would win, but he didn’t want to show his sister such a scene.

After pushing through the fresh underbrush, they finally reached the deep spot where mushrooms grew.

“What’s that?”

“Huh~?”

Jin-hyeok gasped when he saw what Yoo-jin was pointing at.

‘What’s that······?’

Why is it here?

Thump thump~.

***

As his son Jin-hyeok said, September in Hawaii was truly wonderful.

He didn’t know what it was like at other times, but it was a great place.

Han Yu-young, who had climbed Wind Mountain, held onto her fluttering clothes and marveled. With one hand, she pressed down her hat to keep it from flying away.

‘It’s so amazing. Next time, I’ll suggest we come with our son and daughter.’

She felt an overwhelming sense of emotion, having never imagined she’d ride a plane or visit a tourist spot like Hawaii. She couldn’t help but think of the kids back home.

Son Kwang-yeon stood firmly by his wife’s side.

“Wow! The wind is so strong. It feels like I can’t breathe.”

“Honey, honey! This is called Wind Mountain because of the trade winds.”

“Ah, I see.”

“They’ve turned this cemetery into a park.”

“Honey, it’s because of American culture and sentiment-.”

“Ah, really? It’s peaceful and nice.”

“The mountain looks like a picture from a calendar.”

“Honey, that’s Diamond Head, a famous mountain-,”

“Ah, do they find gems there?”

If anyone asks who the leader of mansplaining is, just point to Son Kwang-yeon.

The guide was explaining everything, so why was he doing this?

Hong Ki-jun shook his head as he watched Son Kwang-yeon chatter away next to Han Yu-young. He didn’t like how they held hands and stayed close every second. His friend, who was so quiet in college, had changed too much. What kind of family behaves like that-.

‘Ah, they’re basically on a honeymoon.’

Then he spotted Yoo Se-ra, standing alone with her arms crossed, looking at the scenery. Her expression wasn’t bright. She had been upset ever since she misspoke about Son Kwang-yeon in front of her father, and it seemed she was still troubled.

Seeing the contrast between the cheerful Han Yu-young and the somber Yoo Se-ra, Hong Ki-jun felt something and quietly approached Yoo Se-ra, linking arms with her.

“Hey~?”

“Ah, what? It’s hot.”

“Yeah, right? It’s a bit hot here. Is it summer in Hawaii?”

He got brushed off.

This trip was supposed to be a vacation for the security team, and he had put aside his busy company work to come.

Hong Ki-jun was sad.

***

He learned for the first time that excessive panic can turn into sadness.

The happy holiday drama with his sister turned into a horror movie.

Squeak squeak~. A large beast was digging through the ground with its snout, making strange noises.

Grrr~. Jang Gun-i quickly bared his teeth, but closed his mouth at Jin-hyeok’s signal.

‘Why is there a wild boar here?’

Deer, badgers, and mountain rabbits were common in the area, but he had never heard of wild boars. And the back mountain was surrounded by a reservoir, rice fields, and cliffs, so the variety of wild animals wasn’t that diverse. Most importantly, wild boars usually live in remote, deep mountains. It’s still September, so there should be plenty of food in Gubong Mountain. Why is it here?

Jin-hyeok didn’t know that wild boars wander around, digging for food. But that wasn’t important right now.

‘Let’s just go back.’

As he turned to leave—

Squeak~!

The wild boar, startled by Jin-hyeok, tensed its legs. It seemed to share Jin-hyeok’s thoughts, giving a look that said, “Why is there a human here?” Its bloodshot eyes were eerie.

It must have been surprised to encounter a human after following the mountain scent carried by the wind. It hadn’t seen any humans on its way from Gubong Mountain.

Grrr~ crack crack crack, this sound was definitely not good. Instinctively, he knew it was a warning sound from the wild boar. Not a warning, but an attack signal.

The wild boar tensed its hind legs, ready to charge.

Jang Gun-i, less than a tenth the size of the boar, reflexively stepped forward.

‘It’s coming.’

Jin-hyeok was holding Yoo-jin in his left arm.

He could run, but the forest path was too rough to escape with his sister. He couldn’t leave his sister and Jang Gun-i behind either.

Keeping his eyes on the boar, he carefully set Yoo-jin down.

Yoo-jin seemed to understand the situation and quietly stepped back.

“Jang Gun-i, take Yoo-jin home first.”

Did he understand?

Whine~. Jang Gun-i folded his ears, looked at Jin-hyeok, then grabbed Yoo-jin’s dress hem and pulled. When Yoo-jin didn’t move, he nudged her shin with his head.

Yoo-jin, unafraid of the wild boar, didn’t cry and just opened her mouth. Or maybe she was too shocked.

It was fortunate that she was being led away by Jang Gun-i, even if slowly.

Jin-hyeok looked around and swallowed a low sigh.

‘Damn it.’

He needed to buy time. Though it was a small forest, the dense trees made it a place where people rarely came. There was no chance of finding any tools.

He clenched his fist to forget the sense of defeat.

The black plastic bag in his right hand seemed to cry pitifully.

‘Even if I get bitten by a wild boar, as long as I stay conscious-.’

There was a saying like that, wasn’t there······.

But the red-eyed boar, devoid of culture or mercy, didn’t give him time to think.

Squeak~!

The boar charged.

Thud thud thud~. The ground shook, and fallen leaves trembled under its heavy weight.

Whoosh~. Jin-hyeok took a deep breath and bent his body like a wrestler, bracing for impact.

Crack~!

It was a split second.

The boar, which had turned in front of Jin-hyeok, charged toward Yoo-jin.