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# Chapter 03. I Willingly Choose to Live as a Genius
Ever since he was young, Sim-rok had possessed an unusual constitution.
He carefully observed most of the things that entered his field of vision, while almost never forgetting them.
Even he couldn't explain how it was possible.
It was simply something he had always been able to do.
Someone who heard about it would surely have praised it as a ‘talent’ to be envied, but Sim-rok himself never considered it a talent.
Because he had suffered far too much pain that he never wanted because of it.
The unfamiliar environment, the malice people unconsciously revealed, and the suffering of his mother and younger sister that they tried not to show but which was plainly visible to his eyes.
At the same time, he was forced to confront his own helplessness, his inability to do anything about it.
All he could do was ‘read’ other people's expressions and suppress his own emotions so that he wouldn't offend them.
His memory was the same.
His father's death at far too young an age, his despairing family, and his crumbling household.
Even after entering the chaebol family, although his circumstances improved, all the verbal abuse and rudeness that poured down on him remained vividly etched in Sim-rok's mind.
Whenever he slept, they became waves of memories that crashed over him.
At times, it felt as though he might suffocate beneath their weight.
Because of that, to Sim-rok, his ability was less a talent than a constitution, almost like a ‘disease.’
Day after day was painful.
And what allowed him to escape that pain was none other than ‘writing.’
A few years after entering the Kim Jun-hwan family, Sim-rok happened to enter Kim Jun-hwan's study one day.
There were a large number of books lining the shelves, including quite a few works of literature such as novels and poetry.
Among them, one book he picked up and read without much thought came as a shock.
The words on the pages unfolded in his mind as vivid images.
Only when he concentrated on a story could he stop observing and remembering everything else around him.
It was the first time in his life he had ever felt such peace, and Sim-rok became absorbed in the allure of writing.
The fact that people rarely interfered with him as long as he completed whatever tasks he was given also contributed to his becoming immersed in reading.
In that way, books became another ‘place of refuge’ for Sim-rok, apart from his mother and younger sister.
And to keep the chaotic memories inside his mind from invading that place of refuge, he devised a method.
He created an imaginary ‘forest’ inside his mind.
A vast stretch of land, divided into different sections, with trees called ‘memories’ planted throughout.
So that by looking inside them, he could know which memory each one contained.
So that he could take out any story he wanted to recall whenever he wished.
For Sim-rok, who had become accustomed to unconsciously forming images while reading all kinds of stories, it wasn't particularly difficult.
Once he became accustomed to it to a certain degree, the waves of memories no longer came crashing over him in his dreams.
Naturally, he could breathe a little easier, freed from the pain caused by his ‘constitution.’
Perhaps that was why.
Why Sim-rok's writing won an award in the midterm exam.
All he had been given was a topic and a minimum required format.
There was nothing else.
For nearly five years, Sim-rok had grown accustomed only to reading other people's expressions and giving them the appropriate response.
So the act of directly expressing his own thoughts was incredibly fresh and fascinating.
Especially because the means of doing so was writing, the very thing that had become a shelter allowing him to endure life.
Perhaps that was why.
For the first time, Sim-rok was unable to hide his emotions as he wrote.
And he realized something.
Writing was incredibly fun.
For the entire allotted time, Sim-rok lost himself in writing, enjoying it and pouring everything he had into the page.
The fact that he wasn't submitting it under his own name didn't seem to matter to him at all.
But not anymore.
‘From now on, everything will be different.’
And he would be at the center of that change.
‘Since things have turned out this way, I might as well willingly live as a genius.’
With that silent declaration, darkness filled his vision, and before long, a new landscape took shape.
He was already flying above a vast forest filled with thickly grown trees.
It was his mindscape, the ‘Forest of Memories.’
Floating through the forest inside his imagination, Sim-rok approached one of the trees.
The moment he touched it, the writing from twelve years ago vividly surfaced in his mind.
The more he recalled the clumsy, awkward writing, the more his heart began to race for some reason.
He never imagined he would feel this emotion again.
‘Perhaps there was only one choice from the beginning.’
Writing something ordinary so that he wouldn't attract attention right away.
To him, that was absurd.
Even if he was exploited, even if nobody knew who he was—
There had never been a moment when Yoo Sim-rok wasn't sincere when it came to writing.
As always, yet for the first time,
Sim-rok revised the manuscript from his imperfect memories, one stroke at a time, and began completing a truly ‘personal piece of writing.’
#
‘Hmm.’
Lee Hyo-seok stood at the lectern with his hands clasped behind his back, looking around at the students.
Having spent a long time as a professor, he had a thorough understanding of the types of students who appeared in literary-contest-style exams like this.
For example, there were those who aimed to make their literary debut.
Hyeon University's Department of Korean Language and Literature had produced a large number of outstanding writers.
Naturally, there were quite a few students who had fought their way through fierce competition to enter the university with the goal of making their literary debut.
‘The winner will probably come from those students who have been honing their skills through extensive training since they were young.’
And naturally, another group formed below them.
They already knew the prize was out of reach, but since this was still an exam, they were the type who would work hard and write to the best of their ability.
Some tried using practice paper, while others repeatedly wrote and erased, clearly struggling over what to do.
‘Even if it's immature, when someone gives it their best, the traces of that effort will remain in the writing.’
And.
Lee Hyo-seok knew very well that not every student worked hard on their writing.
Some gave up on the exam entirely and left early, while others lazily scribbled a few words without really trying.
Among them, the one who naturally caught his attention was Kim Min-jae.
He was a student of particular interest who was frequently mentioned throughout the Korean literature department, by both students and professors alike.
There was no helping it.
He was the second son of Kim Jun-hwan, chairman of the major corporation GG Company.
The guy was lying flat against his desk, barely pretending to write anything on his exam paper.
‘Heh heh…… Jun-hwan must have his hands full.’
Lee Hyo-seok, who was acquainted with Kim Jun-hwan, gave a dry chuckle to himself before turning his head toward the seat beside Kim Min-jae.
“……Hmm?”
Yoo Sim-rok.
He was sitting with his arms crossed and his eyes closed, completely still.
At first, Lee Hyo-seok wondered if he was sleeping, but that wasn't the case.
Normally, someone sleeping would at least slump over or nod their head.
But this student sat perfectly upright, like a statue, without moving an inch.
Besides, they were taking an exam.
If he had been sleeping, he would have submitted his paper and left already.
‘What is he doing?’
Come to think of it, he had been the only one lying facedown on his desk earlier as well.
When he got up, he had looked dazed.
Could there be something wrong with his condition?
‘Still, I can't exactly ask about his condition in the middle of an exam…….’
Come to think of it, Yoo Sim-rok had also been mentioned fairly often.
After all, he too was a son of Chairman Kim Jun-hwan.
Of course, he was an adopted son brought into the family by Kim Jun-hwan's remarried wife.
But people's interest in him quickly faded.
Unlike Kim Min-jae, who actively showed himself off through department events such as orientation gatherings and freshman welcome parties, as well as through social media, Yoo Sim-rok didn't participate in anything.
It could simply have been because it was still the beginning of the semester, but compared to his classmates, he was a very quiet student.
That was the impression everyone who had exchanged even a few words with Yoo Sim-rok, whether student or professor, seemed to have.
It was as though he had no intention of interacting with anyone at all.
‘These days, do the kids call that a voluntary loner?’
Lee Hyo-seok had seen countless students like that.
People who treated university as nothing more than one step toward building their résumé and had no particular desire to interact with their classmates or seniors.
Those students usually tried to keep a low profile and live quietly.
Yoo Sim-rok had never stood out until now, either.
But now he was standing out in a completely different way.
Even Kim Min-jae, who was sitting right beside him, kept glancing over with an expression that seemed to ask what was wrong with him.
From Lee Hyo-seok's perspective, it was rather bewildering.
‘Has he given up completely?’
He had been like that for nearly thirty minutes.
The reason Lee Hyo-seok hadn't said anything to him sooner was because he sensed some indescribable aura from Yoo Sim-rok.
‘Yes. Like a writer pouring all of their concentration into writing.’
It was the first time he had ever felt that kind of impression from someone who wasn't even moving his hands.
And then.
Flash.
Sim-rok's eyes, which had remained closed the entire time, opened.
‘Hmm?!’
Lee Hyo-seok was startled for a moment.
For the briefest instant, he thought he saw a strange glimmer in Sim-rok's eyes.
‘Those eyes…….’
As someone who held a respectable position in the literary world himself, Lee Hyo-seok had interacted with many writers.
There was one thing that talented writers seemed to have in common.
Their eyes.
As though reflecting the firm worldview within them, their eyes all possessed an unusual light.
Of course, it could simply have been Lee Hyo-seok's own imagination.
But the promising newcomers he had taken an interest in had always proven themselves through their writing, so he couldn't simply dismiss it as his imagination.
Especially from a distance, Yoo Sim-rok's eyes seemed to shine more vividly than those of any writer Lee Hyo-seok had ever seen.
Yoo Sim-rok unfolded his arms, picked up his pen, and began writing on the manuscript paper.
Amazingly, from the moment he began writing, his hand did not stop even once as it filled the pages.
‘What on earth is that kid……?’
What was the light Lee Hyo-seok had seen in Yoo Sim-rok's eyes?
Feeling a chill run down his back, Lee Hyo-seok couldn't take his eyes off Yoo Sim-rok.
#
‘This is fun.’
The corners of Sim-rok's mouth naturally lifted as he continued writing without hesitation.
The one thing that had never changed in his life from fifteen years ago until now.
Bringing out the stories that had existed only inside his mind was always enjoyable.
That was why he had been able to write for all those years, even when nobody acknowledged him.
But right now, it was more fun than ever.
Looking at the awkwardness in the first piece he had ever written, shortcomings he could now see so clearly.
The process of polishing each one and raising the quality of the work was a new kind of pleasure he hadn't experienced in fifteen years.
That was why Sim-rok could be certain.
This would become the starting point of his new life.
‘Finished.’
Tap.
Sim-rok finished the writing and placed his ballpoint pen on the desk.
He felt refreshed, as though he had expelled years of accumulated waste from his body.
Just then—
Tap, tap.
The sound of someone tapping a desk with a ballpoint pen came from beside him.
When he turned his head, Kim Min-jae, the person responsible for the sound, was signaling to him.
‘Hey. If you're done, switch them when you get a chance.’
He meant that Sim-rok should discreetly switch his exam paper with Kim Min-jae's.
Sim-rok glanced down at Kim Min-jae's exam paper.
There were only a few words written on it, making it little more than a blank sheet.
He soon raised his head and stared silently at Kim Min-jae's face.
‘Hey, what the hell are you staring at?! Switch them already!’
Kim Min-jae twisted his face into a menacing expression, intending to threaten him, but Sim-rok merely raised one corner of his mouth.
Heh.
“!”
Kim Min-jae was startled by Sim-rok's expression.
‘Did this bastard just laugh?’
For nearly five years, Sim-rok had maintained almost the same expressionless face.
And now Yoo Sim-rok was capable of making an expression like this.
Moreover, it was unmistakably a mocking smile directed at him, making Kim Min-jae's face burn with humiliation.
He wanted to shout at him, but the exam was still in progress.
Just as Kim Min-jae was grinding his teeth, unable to do anything about it—
“All right. There isn't much time left, so let's start wrapping things up.”
At Lee Hyo-seok's announcement, Sim-rok stood from his seat.
And he personally submitted the manuscript he had written to Lee Hyo-seok.
“Here you go, Professor.”
“Ah, right…….”
As he accepted the papers, Lee Hyo-seok subtly looked into Sim-rok's eyes.
Sim-rok noticed his gaze as well.
It was a look that resembled ‘curiosity.’
‘Why is he looking at me like that?’
Lee Hyo-seok's reaction was different from the previous life, when Sim-rok had submitted his exam paper.
After all, hardly anyone in his life had ever been curious about him.
‘Did I do something that stood out?’
Several things from the brief moment came to mind, but it didn't matter.
Unlike in his previous life, he hadn't committed any wrongdoing during the exam.
Therefore, he could confidently meet the professor's gaze.
“……Good work.”
Lee Hyo-seok simply nodded without saying anything more.
Sim-rok also bowed his head before leaving the classroom without looking back.
He was walking silently down the hallway when—
“Hey! Yoo Sim-rok!”
At the voice calling his name, he stopped and turned his head.