Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: A New World
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Jin-hyuk parted ways with Teacher Park Jae-seung and headed off somewhere alone.
New Seoul Teahouse. A sign like that, even though it had no ties whatsoever to Seoul.
The first floor still housed a clothing store, and the second floor the teahouse. Inside the teahouse was a living space with two rooms attached, and next to the small room was the loft where Jin-hyuk had lived.
'Why the hell did I come here.'
Where six red scooters should have been parked, there were only three. Tact, was it? The other three must be out on deliveries. At this hour, probably to the real estate office or the billiard hall.
As Jin-hyuk stood there quietly observing the teahouse, the market vendors' gazes turned toward him. It must have looked strange—a kid not even old enough to patronize a teahouse, loitering around like that, even if he was tall for his age.
They didn't know Jin-hyuk.
The vendors were seeing him for the first time, but Jin-hyuk could vaguely recognize them.
'All familiar faces.'
It was an intriguing experience. A place where he'd lived for over ten years was no longer unfamiliar. It felt like the moldy shadows lurking in the darkest corners of his heart were breaking down under the spring sun.
'Freedom.'
A triumphant smile finally graced the lips of the one who had obtained his freedom.
He set off from the teahouse toward Tae-yang Elementary School.
He hadn't walked far before something caught his steps.
Tae-yang Pharmacy. It was run by the parents of his friend Lee Yun-kyung. The girl who had confessed to Jin-hyuk back when he was a high schooler in his previous life. Her eyes had turned bright red after his gentle refusal, and she'd stormed off. Jin-hyuk hadn't felt sorry about it.
It hadn't mattered anyway, and it wasn't worth remembering. He hadn't come here because of Lee Yun-kyung.
There was a chicken joint next to the pharmacy.
Links Chicken. Even before opening hours, the aroma of fried chicken teased his nose.
'Mmm... that smell.'
They said it was so damn good, but back in elementary school, he'd passed by every day, inhaling the scent without ever tasting it. He hadn't gotten to try it until he was over twenty.
'Came here with Woo-sung and Seung-hoon for some beer.'
Still pre-opening, the door was firmly shut.
Jin-hyuk set himself a small goal.
'When I start middle school, I'll buy some chicken and eat it with the family.'
Mom and Dad would love that.
He wanted to earn money with his own hands and share that ordinary happiness with his family.
Being out in town after so long, the dark past trapped in the muck tried to creep up on him briefly, but he didn't waver or sink into depression. It was all a past that no longer existed.
He poked around a branded sports shop, then browsed other stores.
'Must be the old styles—Nike and Adidas both look so tacky.'
Slejjinjer really was an ancient brand.
"Let's head home."
He turned toward the bus terminal.
The sign for Cha-bu Pharmacy came into view after a long time.
On the building's exterior, smooth stone gleamed dazzlingly in the sunlight, replacing the banner that had fluttered in the winter winds.
Was he too lost in thought? The blinding light snapped him back to reality, and Jin-hyuk smacked his forehead.
"Ah! I could've just gotten on at the station."
He'd walked three bus stops.
Riding the rural slow bus was a novelty after so long.
'Ah, you idiot.'
Yu-jin was picking up words at a pretty quick pace.
Jin-hyuk held his little sister in the yard and taught her the family names.
"Dad: Son Gwang-yeon."
"Dada Doo-gwang!"
"Mom: Han Yu-young."
"Mama Hanoo!"
"Oppa: Son Jin-hyuk."
"Oppa Doo-jing!"
Ah, Yu-jin.
Jin-hyuk looked at his sister with hurt eyes.
He'd tried to teach her names and ended up hurting his own feelings.
Still, his babbling sister was too cute. She took after Mom completely, like a little fairy, and with a nine-year age gap, it would be weird if his baby sister wasn't adorable.
"Oogoo-goo, so pretty, our little baby!"
"Ack! Kekeke!"
As he rubbed her cheeks, Yu-jin burst into laughter.
Thanks to the match ending early, he'd come home sooner than usual, so Mom had left Yu-jin with him and gone to the fields where Dad was. The laborers handled all the work anyway—why did she feel the need to stick around? It was hard for a lifelong bachelor like Jin-hyuk to understand.
"Truly the best of times."
That was the only commentary Jin-hyuk could offer.
Vroom.
The sound of a car approaching the house.
Lately, outsiders had been visiting frequently.
'More people here to look at land?'
The parade from Seoul and nearby cities never stopped—wealthy folks offering several times the market price.
Each time, Jin-hyuk had vehemently opposed it. In a world where a father's word outweighed a child's, it might seem absurd, but Son Gwang-yeon knew his son's extraordinary nature well and had no intention of selling anyway. No deals went through.
Plus, his best friend Hong Gi-jun, the very first to scout the land, had insisted against any sale. It was odd for a buyer to suddenly flip, but as someone he trusted more than anyone, Son Gwang-yeon's hesitation didn't last long. In the end, the outsiders left empty-handed.
Two men in suits stepped out of a sedan with Gyeonggi plates.
Skinny and Fatso.
Hack—ptui. Fatso spat phlegm and lit a cigarette.
"Hey, you kids alone at home? Get your dad out here."
Peace shattered in an instant.
Jin-hyuk's eyebrows furrowed menacingly as he turned away to shield Yu-jin from the smoke.
'This bastard?'
Talking like Dad had been pawned off to them. They figured a naive country kid would just take the blatant disrespect, but this crossed the line.
Besides, Jin-hyuk's soul wasn't that of a child.
His chest tightened, breathing labored.
'The hell? Who do you think you're ordering around?'
If they'd at least been polite, he would've responded courteously. But these guys had started off on the wrong foot entirely.
Jin-hyuk glanced around. If another adult were there, they'd help. No human-like figures caught his eye.
Fatso glared.
"Hey, can't you hear a grown-up talking?"
I can hear. So shut up and don't yell. Your voice already sounds like a pig squealing—it's grating. Brat's got no manners. Jin-hyuk growled inwardly.
They weren't old-timers acting this way. Even in 21st-century Seoul, he'd seen plenty of sleazy brokers and asset managers like this. Seeing these punks in the early '90s wasn't novel. The problem wasn't Jin-hyuk.
"Waaah!"
Grrrr.
At the sudden shout, Yu-jin burst into tears, and General bared his teeth.
Crunch!
He ground his teeth as if they might shatter. How dare they make my sister cry and anger General.
Jin-hyuk gently set Yu-jin, who clung to him, down on the bench.
General leaped onto the bench and pressed close to Yu-jin, licking her cheek to soothe her.
The innocent target of their ire, Fatso scanned the house and spat another word.
"Where'd they go, leaving just the brats behind?"
Brats? Was that an insult aimed at Yu-jin too?
Red and black paint splashed across his mind, thoughts muddled.
His head burned hot and throbbed like scalding water poured on it.
His breath caught in surging rage.
He took slow breaths. He needed to calm down.
Jin-hyuk narrowed his eyes.
Suppressing his anger, he finally spoke.
"......They're not home, so just go......"
"What? Just go? You rude little shit—!"
Crack! Fatso backhanded Jin-hyuk's head.
The grumbled retort like casual speech—Jin-hyuk understood Fatso's feelings. He saw the hand but didn't dodge. It didn't even hurt. Just pissed him off more.
'That's enough—now leave.'
Jin-hyuk stared silently at Fatso, hoping they'd turn tail.
But General had other ideas.
Grrrr—arf arf!
General lunged at Fatso with weasel-like speed.
But Fatso's panicked kick landed first, striking General's jaw.
"Get lost, you mutt—!"
Yelp!
That was the moment.
"Guh!"
Jin-hyuk grabbed Fatso's collar and twisted.
No one saw the movement coming.
'No forgiveness.'
He recalled General, kicked to death by his uncle's foot.
No mercy for those who touched the untouchable.
Jin-hyuk unleashed a torrent of curses in his mind.
Slowly, he tightened his grip.
"How dare you lay a hand on my family......?"
A growling whisper escaped through Jin-hyuk's clenched teeth.
"Gack!"
"Hey! Hey! Kid! Easy!"
Skinny rushed over and grabbed Jin-hyuk's arm.
But Jin-hyuk's arm didn't budge.
"Let go. Unless you want to see this fatso's throat ripped out."
Words he'd never have occasion to use spilled from Jin-hyuk's mouth.
Meeting Jin-hyuk's eyes, Skinny involuntarily stumbled back four steps and fell on his ass—right in General's shit.
"Gulp... gu...lp......"
Fatso, neck constricted by his collar, rose onto tiptoes as his body lifted.
A middle schooler at most, fifteen maybe—how could his arm strength be this terrifying? The village was known for wrestling, so maybe a wrestler? Shame secondary, Fatso felt his pants warm with urine.
As Fatso's eyes rolled back toward the sky, Jin-hyuk released him.
Finally freed, Fatso gasped in the fresh country air.
"Kuh... heuk..."
Jin-hyuk looked down impassively at the collapsed Fatso.
Anyone who disrespects my family or speaks ill of them gets no mercy. Who do you think you are, playing thug here? He said countless things inwardly but uttered none aloud. His glare alone served as the eviction notice.
"You okay, General?"
Stroking where it might hurt, General licked Jin-hyuk's hand. Seemed unharmed, not kicked too hard. Relief that General was safe nearly buckled his legs.
'Whew, that scared me.'
He didn't care if they came back complaining to Dad. No—if they did, he'd give them a proper thrashing where no one would see.
His heart had pounded when they insulted his family and kicked General. Yet after the violence, it wasn't racing. If anything, he felt at ease.
'This is unexpected. Too many beatings in life made me numb to violence?'
Watching them scramble into the car and flee, Jin-hyuk resolved to train harder.
To protect his family.
While running, he'd sporadically tried old martial arts moves. Oddly, his body remembered, making retraining easy.
Jin-hyuk picked up Yu-jin and scanned the surroundings again.
Thankfully, no neighbors' gazes.
Even he was surprised by his sudden action.
'Best choice I could make.'
Maybe just self-satisfaction.
Strictly speaking, wasn't it attempted murder over rude words?
Brief regret, but no shame.
A dog you raise is dearer than some stranger. With family insulted and precious friend kicked, Jin-hyuk vowed the same response if repeated.
'Anyone who touches my family gets no mercy.'
With that resolve, he turned and hugged his sister.
"Yu-jin, were you scared because of Oppa?"
"Oppa, Oppa."
Innocent of the world, she patted his cheek.
Looking at Yu-jin's face, he inwardly sighed in relief.
She hadn't been too startled, beaming happily.
Jin-hyuk hoped she wouldn't remember what just happened.
He hugged his sister tight, who gleefully twisted his cheeks, and stroked the back of her head.
"Sorry, Oppa."
No regrets, but his actions had cracked the peace—a shadow fell over his heart.
'So confusing.'
It felt like he was finally learning the human world properly.
For Jin-hyuk, who once only needed to look after himself, this was another new world.
Son Jin-hyuk was still young.
Tall and broad-shouldered, but still a kid. A child getting Children's Day science kit #5 as a gift. Anyway.
'When a kid causes trouble, hide behind the parents!'
Only those with no one to care for them, handling everything alone, could bulldoze obstacles and climb to success. Like his previous self.
After much deliberation, Jin-hyuk boldly decided to hide behind Dad.
"Earlier, when you went to the fields..."
Over dinner, he brought up the day's events.
He omitted the violence. Felt cowardly, but prioritizing Mom not freaking out came first.
So he detailed only Fatso's rude words.
Mom and Dad's reactions were immediate.
"What?!"
"Those bastards, right now......"