Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: 천재는 평범하게 살기로 했더-45화
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: I Have a Little Sister
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"The broken glass will be compensated by the wrestling club. Any objections?"
The high school captain shook his head.
Park Man-su, the third-year wrestling club captain, racked his brain trying to recall what had happened.
He had come to the first-year middle school classroom to check after hearing from his third-year middle school underclassmen that a freshman had beaten them up.
"You the one?"
The freshman didn't respond to the question, just tilted his head.
"You little shit!"
Infuriated by the kid's apparent disrespect, Park Man-su reached out with his arm. His body had been honed by eight years of wrestling. No matter how good a fighter the kid was, grabbing his shoulder would make him scream and beg for mercy.
So why did it suddenly feel like he was experiencing zero gravity?
"Wh-whoa—!"
He had grabbed for the middle schooler's shoulder, but the freshman spun around and drove his own shoulder into Park Man-su's armpit. Then Park Man-su's body floated up before slamming into the classroom floor. It was a clean shoulder throw.
The classroom ceiling spun wildly, and his nape and spine throbbed. His mind foggy, he couldn't grasp what had happened until realization dawned.
'Oh right! I came to grab the freshman.'
Cough-cough.
It hurt, but he could breathe. In that moment, one thought dominated: fear of the punches about to rain down on his face. He'd never fought or been hit after starting wrestling, but from memories of getting beaten as a kid, boys always mounted the fallen opponent and unleashed a flurry of fists.
But what returned wasn't a fist—it was a voice.
"Feeling like trying to talk it out now?"
"Uh, y-yeah. Sure."
Park Man-su looked up at the freshman with bewildered eyes. Despite it looking like he'd started the fight, this kid was suggesting they talk. He thought suggesting dialogue was something weaklings did.
'Or maybe he's just a good kid.'
Park Man-su grabbed Jin-hyuk's outstretched hand and stood. He could feel the freshman's sturdy forearm. It easily supported his weight.
"Let's talk outside."
"I have to eat lunch with my buddy here. We'll probably need witnesses anyway, so let's talk here."
"Okay."
Park Man-su rubbed his chest as he replied. He'd fallen on his back, yet his chest hurt—truly a wondrous body, he thought.
"How'd you get here? This is the middle school building."
"You beat up our guys."
"Guess they didn't tell you why they got hit."
It sounded sarcastic, but Jin-hyuk was doing his best to be polite. Not laying out the guys who barged in demanding violence was already generous.
"Hey, you third-years back there. You didn't tell the truth, did you?"
Jin-hyuk turned to the third-year middle schoolers standing at the back.
They avoided his gaze, shrinking awkwardly. It was embarrassing enough to get beaten, but being grilled in a first-year classroom made them want to crawl into a hole.
"They were trying to extort money from my friends. Tried to hit them too. What would you have done if it was you, high school senior?"
"For real?"
Park Man-su wasn't asking Jin-hyuk.
The wrestling club members rolled their eyes to avoid his gaze, saying nothing. It would be weird if they did. With Jin-hyuk, Lee Seung-hoon, and Shin Woo-sung as witnesses, they couldn't deny it. Admitting it was awkward too.
"Why aren't these punks talking?"
Park Man-su growled through gritted teeth.
But silence was as good as admission.
Time to help with the confirmation. Jin-hyuk wasn't some rookie.
"Seung-hoon, Woo-sung. Did these wrestling club seniors of yours hit you while I was just standing there?"
What better evidence than eyewitness testimony?
And not one, but two.
"Class rep's right. First day at Jungakkyo, they were cracking whips for discipline, told us to steal from kids and bring money even."
"Yeah. Waaah—."
Sensitive Woo-sung even shed aggrieved tears.
Grind.
Park Man-su ground his teeth.
The wrestling club had talented members with few rough edges. But lately, bad—no, weird—rumors about the club had spread. Finally, he had proof.
"My bad, bro. Sorry."
Park Man-su was pretty manly about it.
Shame secondary, he offered Jin-hyuk a handshake. As Jin-hyuk gripped it, he finally craned his neck and whined.
"Oof, thought my neck was gonna snap. You're seriously strong. Wanna try wrestling?"
"No thanks. Got a little sister at home."
Jin-hyuk shook his head gravely.
Turning down offers was hard for him. How many times had he refused Executive Director Hong Su-jeong's invitations to eat ramen? It always left him uneasy.
But Park Man-su took it differently.
"I see..."
His eyes softened with pity at the mention of a little sister. Definitely a misunderstanding. Towering over 190cm with barely a neck, yet his eyes were kind.
"Alright, next time under better circumstances."
"Take care."
He'd saved Shin Woo-sung and Lee Seung-hoon from their seniors' bullying.
Thinking it wrapped up well, Jin-hyuk pulled out his lunch.
Chae Gyu-ho, who had been waiting with chopsticks in mouth, opened his lunchbox too.
Then, a tremendous crash echoed from the hallway.
Vibrations like a buffalo charging followed.
Jin-hyuk turned toward the noise.
Thud-thud-thud-thud.
'Jumanji?'
It evoked adventure movie sound effects naturally.
"Man-suuu! Not thaaat guy! Uuurgh—."
Choi Tae-yang burst in.
He'd started from the back classes not knowing which one, so he was late.
"Ughhh—! Man, I'm beat—."
Jin-hyuk tilted his head, spoon in mouth, watching Tae-yang kneel and gasp.
That look, that dry heaving...
Where had he seen it?
"Urrghh—!"
Jin-hyuk suddenly smelled cow dung somewhere.
After school, Jin-hyuk headed to the newspaper distribution center.
It was the same place he'd delivered for before.
"Just until summer break?"
"Yeah. High schooler? You look middle school age without the uniform."
The distribution center chief, cigarette dangling crookedly, eyed him suspiciously. His youthful face belied his large build.
"Middle schooler here. No good?"
"Why not? Got a bike?"
"Yes."
Dad had bought him a steel TB bike for middle school enrollment.
He'd said he'd buy a pricier one in Seoul, but Jin-hyuk said anything that rolls was fine.
The chief squinted over his glasses.
"Can do two routes? Short on people lately. Pay extra."
Jin-hyuk suppressed a laugh.
How were even the lines identical to before? He'd done three routes back then, but no need now. Newspaper delivery wouldn't make him rich anyway.
"Just one route. Got a little sister at home."
"I see..."
The chief gave a sympathetic look, clearly misunderstanding.
To Jin-hyuk, it shone as the kind eyes of a good person.
'Gotta save enough for five chickens at home.'
Five family members including General.
Jin-hyuk wanted to earn money himself for a family chicken party.
Now in middle school, time to act.
With a bike, one route took 30 minutes.
A few days after middle school started, the hallways buzzed.
Rumors spread from middle to high school about Son Jin-hyuk and the wrestling club fiasco. It wasn't much of a fiasco—just a surprise event. Somehow twisted into him sending five high school wrestlers flying with one punch.
Jin-hyuk faceplanted on his desk, scratching his head furiously.
'Aaaah—ordinary life. Ordinary life.'
Tae-yang High wasn't fully boys-only but had girls-only classes. High school girls peeked into the classroom to see the middle school freshman who'd tossed the wrestling captain, creating a spectacle.
Dodging hallway stares, Jin-hyuk spotted a familiar face.
'Ga-young noona?'
His aunt's second daughter, Hwang Ga-young.
Three years older. In his past life, she'd come to him in her underwear.
The woman who'd snuffed out his budding interest in the opposite sex.
Recalling that day made his face burn with embarrassment.
"Kyaaah! So cute!"
Not because of them, though.
Misunderstandings were one thing, but a mob misunderstanding left him without a solution. Was there even one?
'Aaaah—transfer schools?'
At least the near-miss with the wrestling club ended well. The third-years dragged off by the ear wouldn't bully friends again. He just hoped time would make it fade.
He quickly banished thoughts of Hwang Ga-young.
It might not vanish, but effort was needed. The silhouette of her nude in the dim attic tried to uncomfortably dominate his adolescent mind.
'She was kind at least.'
Remembering her past fate soured his mood.
Hwang Ga-young didn't know who he was or their connection.
She wouldn't deliberately trip him up.
Still, worry nagged.
'What if she shows up at our house someday?'
What then?
People he didn't want to see.
Above all, Mom worried him.
Ten kilometers from school to home.
He considered running, but morning and evening runs would tire him out for other tasks.
'Refreshing!'
So he biked to school.
The course mixed ups and downs, building strength and endurance. Speed was a bonus.
On rainy days, he took the bus with Choi Mi-kyeong and Kim Eun-jeong from the town girls' middle school, plus other friends.
He had no intention of learning wrestling.
Upon arriving, he warmed up where the wrestling club trained.
The new training hall had spacious showers, free to use. He could sweat in the morning, shower, and change.
"Hup—huff—."
Every day without fail, he climbed the ropes. Thick ropes hung from tall iron bars.
Jin-hyuk climbed ten times using only arm strength, descending carefully. Great for wrists, shoulders, back—core training.
"Hey, join wrestling already."
"No thanks."
Wrestling coach Seong Bu-hyeon latched on.
A middle schooler climbing ropes ten times arm-only nonstop? He hadn't believed it at first.
'Boys exaggerate. Worse in the countryside.'
But all club members testified to the monster's existence. So he came early mornings.
Days, weeks passed; first-year Son Jin-hyuk kept at it. Climb times shortened.
'Real monster.'
So he clung.
Time to show leech tactics. In his player days, despite small size, he'd stick to big opponents to drain strength. Few wins, but.
"Wrestle? I'll buy meat daily."
"Got a little sister."
Replying thus, Jin-hyuk retied his sneakers tightly.
Expecting the usual "I see..."
"Bring your sister too."
He's lost it.
Jin-hyuk shot him a look like he'd seen a madman. Carry his not-yet-four-year-old sister to school daily? Captain Park Man-su, newspaper chief—now this coach. All misunderstanding deeply.
Receiving a pitiful look from a middle schooler froze the coach.
'Those kid eyes?'
They shone, but with otherworldly dignity beyond intelligence. Masculine-pride-wounding eyes. Seong Bu-hyeon unwittingly stepped back.
Anyway, Jin-hyuk needed to get home early to play with Yu-jin.
Her growing vocabulary made her antics erase his daily fatigue.
"Ah, just wrestle a bit..."
The coach smacked his lips at Jin-hyuk's broad shoulders and cracked back muscles.
Jin-hyuk glanced at Seong Bu-hyeon while jogging the field.
'New face.'
Past life, a burly bandit-like coach with rough speech recruited him. Now, a mild young coach speaking softly, cautiously.
'Same yet different world.'
Bigger dorms, more players.
Whatever. World already changed.
He shook his head to clear idle thoughts.
But it wasn't just the wrestling coach clinging to him.