Chapter 55
Chapter 55
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Joker Captain (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The end of a truly ordinary first semester was in sight, on the eve of summer vacation.
After classes ended, Jin-hyuk sat on the seesaw.
Just like he had back in the old days.
'This is some real downtime.'
Off in the distance, he spotted Yeom Byeong-taek goofing around with the ssireum club kids.
Jo Seol-chan, who had been training with the track team without a coach, waved cheerfully and came over.
"Hey there, our Joker Captain! What're ya doin' all by yer lonesome? Chewin' on some solitude? That tastes mighty bitter, don't it?"
Jin-hyuk couldn't help but chuckle at Jo Seol-chan's usual bright banter.
Jo Seol-chan was the first friend to rush over when Jin-hyuk got into a fight. He'd carefully asked if he was hurt and why it happened. And after hearing Jin-hyuk's explanation, Jo Seol-chan had gone the most berserk of them all.
'The kid's got a good heart.'
Jo Seol-chan plopped down on the opposite side of the seesaw, and the two friends rode it together.
One might wonder why there was even a seesaw at a middle school, but no one had questioned it in over 40 years since the school opened. It was there, so they rode it. Come to think of it, the private high school Jin-hyuk had attended also had one.
As Jo Seol-chan kept yapping nonstop while they seesawed, Jin-hyuk's mind drifted back to his previous life.
'It's all fuzzy. I was fourteen back then.'
After finishing his newspaper route, he'd often sat here alone, watching people come and go through the back gate.
One day, a hunched old lady had entered the school. When she left, she was carrying a bag with books wrapped in cloth.
He later heard she'd come to collect the belongings of a classmate who had committed suicide after falling victim to a cruel prank game. What must that grandmother have felt, visiting the school to gather her grandchild's things?
'Why's that memory popping up while I'm looking at Seol-chan?'
He remembered her back. Sitting alone on the seesaw reading a book, Jin-hyuk had gazed at the old lady's stooped figure and wondered if his own back would look that lonely someday.
Jo Seol-chan's voice broke through Jin-hyuk's reverie amid the creaking friction of the seesaw.
"Jin-hyuk, whatcha gonna do on vacation?"
"Play with my little sis."
Yu-jin was 49 months old now.
When he woke up early for workouts, he'd find her asleep in frog pose right in front of his door on the second floor, startling him every day. She'd clearly fallen asleep in Mom's arms—why was she there in the dead of night?
Still, thinking of the world's most adorable little sister brought a happy plan to mind. He could spend the whole vacation playing with her.
'Gotta teach her animal names properly.'
She'd mimic Mom and Dad at first, but later she'd call them weird things. Pigeons became "abdu," sparrows "brapsa," eagles "neuroe," frogs "adoruk," and so on. No one had taught her that way, either. Mom had first suspected Dad's swearing rubbed off, but she was rethinking it now.
- "I've watched all the kids around here, and they all babble nonsense till they start kindergarten."
Thanks to Two Village genius Jo Il-heon, Jin-hyuk's family wasn't too worried. The parents were reassured partly because their own son had hummed mysterious weird songs as a kid.
'Eh, as long as she's cute and healthy.'
Yu-jin was the tough sort who shoveled dirt into her mouth daily but never caught a cold.
"Jin-hyuk, can I come play at yer place?"
"Sure thing. Come on over. Anytime."
Jin-hyuk smiled at Jo Seol-chan—a softer expression than usual.
He always spent vacations with family, but hanging with friends too would make great memories for both.
"Answerin' that easy makes ya a pushover, y'know."
"Does it?"
Jin-hyuk kicked the ground hard.
A firm smackdown for the pushover.
Thud—crash!
Jo Seol-chan winced at the sudden jolt of pain in his butt and back.
"Ow-! Granny, Seul-chan's dyin' here!"
What had become of that grandmother afterward?
Her grandson had lived alone with her after his parents passed. A first-year middle schooler who drank pesticides and killed himself after being used in one of those prank games in his past life.
Jin-hyuk still couldn't recall his name.
"Whaddaya wanna do when ya come?"
"Swimmin', fishin'. Pick plums in the yard. Stay a while."
"Eek—plums in the yard too?"
"Peaches too."
Dad had planted all sorts of fruit trees while expanding the yard: apricots, plums, peaches, apples, grapes, quince—you name it, it was quicker to list what wasn't there. He said it was for the flowers, but with unripe fruit vanishing daily, someone was clearly snacking.
"My granny farms alone, so can't stay long. Maybe a day or two?"
"Sure. Of course."
Jo Seol-chan grinned sheepishly.
He got rejected by friends all the time, but the Joker Captain was different. Jin-hyuk's straightforward answer felt great.
"Bring somethin'? Granny says don't come empty-handed."
"Bring some. If ya wanna sleep in the doghouse."
Our General sleep-talks a ton, man. Snores too. Jin-hyuk muttered with a straight face.
Jo Seol-chan clutched his belly laughing at the rare joke from Jin-hyuk, tumbling off the seesaw. He rolled on the ground belly-up like General, cackling away.
'He's gonna dislocate his jaw.'
Jo Seol-chan didn't know one thing.
Jin-hyuk had zero talent for jokes.
Jo Seol-chan came over for vacation.
Jin-hyuk's parents, whom he'd met in Gongju, greeted him warmly.
"Ma'am, sir, how ya been?"
"Oh my, Seol-chan! It's been ages. Come on in."
"Yeah, how's Granny doin'?"
Han Yu-young and Son Gwang-yeon welcomed him like their own son. They were kind folks anyway, but their son had asked them to make it special.
- "I want to make good memories for Seol-chan. He seems to look up to me..."
Jo Seol-chan's grandma maintained their livelihood by tending a vegetable patch and selling greens at the market. No tutoring or cram school costs, sure, but feeding and clothing a growing boy wasn't cheap. Knowing her struggles, that's why he trained in sports and skipped snacks.
'Seol-chan's inner wishes must be like mine back then.'
A friend who missed his parents but couldn't see them.
The difference? Seol-chan was full of energy.
Watching Jo Seol-chan devour the heaping table of food, a fond light flickered in Jin-hyuk's eyes.
Han Yu-young slid a plate of gochujang bulgogi toward him.
She'd made spicy stir-fried octopus and boiled chicken since her son's friend was visiting from town.
"Seol-chan, eat up slow and plenty. Mom made lots."
"Gack! Yes, ma'am!"
Did "mom" catch in his throat, or did he choke on his reply?
Jo Seol-chan nodded vigorously, eyes misty.
After clearing lunch, Son Gwang-yeon pulled out a Go board, a smug smile on his lips.
"Seol-chan, you play Go?"
"Naw. If ya teach me, I'll give it a shot."
Jo Seol-chan was friendly, but learning Go in a short time wasn't easy. Especially since he had no talent for it. So they wrapped up with pick-up stones.
"Whoa, Seol-chan's a pro at this. Here! Won, so ten thousand won!"
Jo Seol-chan blinked at the bill like he'd never seen one.
Only after Jin-hyuk nudged his side did he bow deeply and take the money.
By the time the pick-up game ended and digestion had settled, Jin-hyuk grabbed two buckets and a black plastic bag. The bag was stuffed with fist-sized, fragrant rice cake bait.
"Seol-chan, let's go catch loaches."
Visiting the countryside meant giving him the full rural experience.
While Jo Seol-chan slipped on his flip-flops, Jin-hyuk reviewed the plan.
〈Energy into Memories〉
「Purpose: Promote healthy expenditure of turbulent adolescent energy through outdoor activities」
I. Loach catching and sales for production activity, profit generation, and economic awareness
II. Stream play and aquatic exploration for physical fitness
III. Reed collection at reservoir for primitive hunting experience and survival skills
IV. Night hike for friendship and magnanimity cultivation
V. Wild edible intake and historical context explanation
Notes. Rainy days: Indoor training (push-ups, full-body twists... 50 reps, 5 sets each)
A perfect packed schedule for two days. Even scribbled with a pen sans PPT, his unrusty planning skills brought a smile.
"Leeeet's gooo!"
Yu-jin grabbed Jo Seol-chan's hand and trailed after her big brother. Jo Seol-chan, in pink mom-slippers with closed toes, tiptoed along the rice paddy ridge.
"Slippery 'cause the pesticides ain't all dead yet?"
"No pesticides in our fields."
Rice paddy loaches were usually caught before the monsoon.
Simple reason: Monsoon heat brought pests, so pesticides were sprayed—better to catch them before. Sprayed fields would have fish floating belly-up like question marks. Uns sprayed ones were the exception.
"No pesticides and still farm like that?"
"Uses enzymes. Blocks pests, harmless to animals."
"That's weird."
Son Gwang-yeon was testing homemade enzymes on several fields. Started with the family's rice paddy, then scaled up and shared the recipe with neighbors after proven results. Made from common ingredients, so cheap—but oddly, other uncles couldn't get it right and sighed about it.
Seeing loaches flapping and black snails blanketing the paddy, Jo Seol-chan nodded. Better than any explanation.
"No pesticide bottles anywhere nearby? If ya take 'em back to the shop, they give 300 won each."
New info for Jin-hyuk, who never collected empties.
Soju bottles 10 won, cola 20, beer 30? Pesticide ones paid ten times more.
"Coated fancy like sunglasses, that's why pricey."
Jin-hyuk knew zilch about it, so he just nodded along.
"I think so. Not sure exactly."
Jo Seol-chan left himself an out.
"Whoa, Yu-jin might slip. Stick tight to big bro Seol-chan, okay?"
"Yessir, heehee!"
Jo Seol-chan minded the narrow path and kept an eye on Yu-jin too.
The little girl in a kid-sized straw hat and floral boots toddled after her brothers. General trailed her heels, glancing around like a bodyguard.
Jin-hyuk waded into the paddy and lifted a small basket trap.
Shorter and thicker than an adult man's thigh.
Flap-flap-flap!
Fish thrashed wildly inside.
Loaches, minnows, snails, even crucian carp.
"Eek—whoa, tons caught!"
Jo Seol-chan's jaw dropped as loaches poured into the bucket.
Jin-hyuk deftly emptied it, stuffed in perilla-seed rice cake bait, and reset the trap.
"Gimme. I'll do it."
After watching a few, Jo Seol-chan took over, dumping the wriggling loaches and adding bait like Jin-hyuk, then handed it back.
"Whoa—this is fun! You do this every day, Jin-hyuk?"
"Nah. Not usually in the heat."
You're doing it for my fun, huh. Jo Seol-chan muttered just loud enough, falling silent. Not the sharpest, but he had street smarts. He could see his friend's intent. Made sense—no way a guy in that big house did this daily without need.
"Come out here. I'll handle the next."
"Got it."
Jo Seol-chan kicked off his flip-flops and stepped in.
Jin-hyuk sat on the ridge hugging Yu-jin for a break.
Straw hat kept her head cool, but his back was scorching.
"Feelin' cool, baby girl?"
"Yup, heehee! Oppa fan good, right?"
As Jin-hyuk fanned her with his hat...
"Kyyaaahhh! Hehehehe—"
Woof-woof-woof!
Jo Seol-chan's ultrasonic scream rang out, General barking in response.
Jo Seol-chan flailed in the paddy like he'd seen a ghost, splashing mud. Each thrash made the lush rice shoots dance.
Shocked by the sudden chaos, Jin-hyuk narrowed his eyes to spot the cause.
'Ah, water snake.'
A brownish water snake, near clay-colored, slithered out of the trap and swam elegantly away. Slender and long, head above water tracing endless S-shapes.
Jo Seol-chan wiped mud from his face, eyes utterly defeated.
"Jin-hyuk..."
"What's up?"
Jin-hyuk clenched his teeth at the mud-caked, sprawled mess. Holding back a blatant laugh to spare feelings.
Jo Seol-chan looked ready to burst into tears.
"I... peed myself. But it's just water, right? No biggie? You'll keep it secret from ma'am and sir?"
"Ugh-huh! Khk!"
Jin-hyuk nodded furiously before he could speak, tears streaming. Moments like these made life worth living.
But stifling himself wasn't enough.
Little short-armed Yu-jin pointed accusingly at Jo Seol-chan.
"Heehee! You peed? Didn't hold it, huh? Heeheeheeheehee!"
Oh, Yu-jin.
Defeat washed over Jo Seol-chan's face.
Woof! Woof-woof!
Even General wagged his tail, seeming to join the teasing.
Worried for his friend, Jin-hyuk bit his lip till it bled, holding back the laughter.