Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Growing Pains (3)
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'It's just soft... no real effect.'
The headache was still there.
For a moment, he'd wondered if Yu-jin had some fantastic ability, but nope—it really had just been a fantastic delusion.
Honestly, it was disappointing.
'Is this what they call puberty delusions, the kind you only hear about?'
As he fully woke up, his mind cleared. It must have gotten better right on time. Nights really do make your thoughts spiral.
Jin-hyuk chuckled it off.
What couldn't happen in imagination? In a delusion, even something absurd like getting better from Hong Su-jeong's drool while she slept was possible.
'This kid... she's drooling all over.'
Hong Su-jeong had a habit of drooling in her sleep. He'd caught her at it plenty of times on business trips or training flights.
'Just piling up delusions and stray thoughts.'
In a world full of inexplicable phenomena, it was no wonder his shoulders felt heavy being thrown into it alone. Brooding without anyone to confide in wasn't easy on the head either.
'At least Yu-jin's sleeping well.'
Holding Yu-jin, he headed to the fridge and opened the door.
She wasn't exactly a baby anymore, but kids were curious little things. Right now, she was reaching out with her short arms toward the fridge.
"Yu-jin, that's soy sauce."
"......"
Yu-jin wasn't mimicking him for once. The disappointed look in her eyes was probably just his imagination.
He grabbed a heavy glass bottle of golden barley tea and chugged it straight from the jug.
'Grrrah— is this my esophagus?!'
The cold sensation swept down to his stomach. He could track the barley tea's path in real time from the chill.
If it really had been growing pains, he felt even taller now. In just a few days, his gym shorts had ridden up, exposing his ankles.
Jin-hyuk stood against the wall to measure his height.
It wasn't precise, but he could compare it to before.
'5cm taller in ten days?'
Like a plant. Jin-hyuk muttered like a madman.
Vegetative state? No, that didn't fit. Vegetable human?
Compared to his previous life, this was five years ahead of schedule.
Whoa— he let out a stunned breath.
'Gotta buy new clothes first.'
Still, he doubted this kind of sudden growth spurt would happen often.
This was just a hunch too, but it felt like it transcended mere instinct now.
While Jin-hyuk was shocked by his height, the dads were amazed for a different reason.
"Whoa, Jin-hyuk nailed it, right? It's exactly arm-wrestling height now?"
Son Gwang-yeon and Hong Gi-jun, watching the TV broadcast, were surprised by South Korea's overall ranking.
But Jin-hyuk knew. Come tomorrow dawn, another gold in the marathon would bump South Korea to 7th. He didn't know the exact overalls, but that single gold in the marathon was legendary.
'This means I win...'
Always hungry from his big appetite, Jin-hyuk drowned his regret in the milk on the table. It looked like Hong Su-jeong's leftovers—totally lukewarm.
Wait, but what if no one guesses it right? What happens to the bet?
Son Gwang-yeon voiced the same question as Jin-hyuk.
"We go by closest guess."
Hong Gi-jun tossed it out casually.
His words complicated Jin-hyuk's mind further.
If it hit 7th, was that between 6th and 8th? Who won between Dad and him?
"Medal count it is."
Current 7th was Hungary with 11 golds like South Korea, but 30 total medals—two more. If Hwang Young-jo grabbed gold as in original history, South Korea's 12 golds would take 7th...
Jin-hyuk quickly checked 6th place's total medals.
Spain, 22.
'Nice! My win.'
When Hong Gi-jun proposed the bet, Jin-hyuk had briefly suspected him of being a regressor. The school field talk and Olympic ranking flubs had mostly dispelled it. Instinct didn't need hard proof.
Just eavesdropping on the adults left plenty of room for doubt.
Hong Gi-jun's rise was faster than before. Way faster.
'Heard he became president already.'
Jin-hyuk didn't remember his past trajectory exactly.
He wasn't the company-lifer loyal-to-the-owner type. Just basic company history in his head. Still, his senses diagnosed this growth as plenty faster.
'Over 10 years ahead?'
Like Yu Se-ra said, achievements crammed into a few mad years spanning a century? Living a month like a decade made it plausible.
Yu Se-ra too. Someone turning to grassroots sports before the 2002 World Cup? Easy to guess Hong Gi-jun behind it.
Anyway, Jin-hyuk's instincts still eyed Hong Gi-jun warily.
'Slippery ice of an uncle.'
Solid from afar, but opaque ice that could shatter and swallow you anytime.
An ominous chill.
That chill subtly warmed the pores on his head.
*
Anyway.
The world stayed the same, but the histories of people he knew had changed way too much.
'Yoon Sung-dong and those delinquent circle punks vanished from school. All because of me, huh.'
Messing with things altered the world he knew.
No other explanation.
'Hate puberty. Really hate it. Someone buy my puberty off me.'
Lately, staying calm and focusing on one issue was tough.
Jin-hyuk turned inward.
'Eating well, getting strong, growing fast. Good up to there. But hormones overproducing? Head's too noisy.'
The inner-outer heat clashing at his skull felt like weapons grinding, tingling down his jawbones in a flash.
What he needed was physical growth; his brain was serviceable enough. If only his body grew and brain stayed put. But the world didn't bend to wishes.
Went to bed early, woke up, no sleep now. Listening to dads, lost in thoughts. Jin-hyuk lay back down holding mumbling Yu-jin.
"Shhbebev nim tan do nadiska bu af nedrakdart i huhko af nedrakmarf... jiyo?"
What was Yu-jin saying? Unrecognizable language, weird accent. Jo Il-heon said something similar—local kids babble nonsense till kindergarten.
'Whoa, amazing.'
Tuning into her sleep-talk brought sleep crashing down.
He soon stepped into dream's edge.
A dream of cultured chat with Yu-jin.
'Barkslik byul sas ajos abip snifdet—jiyo?'
'Two bottles of sweet soy sauce in the fridge?'
'Oppa give to Yu-jin, right?'
'Yu-jin, lorip alok abip giddeg akks gazz, grinik sula nim.'
Ehehehe—.
Grinning in happy dream, Yu-jin giggled.
A dream riding bro's back, frolicking in a sea of sweet soy sauce.
Already past dawn, waiting for morning.
Through the screen door, crickets chirped cozily as Hong Gi-jun boasted to Son Gwang-yeon.
"We're acquiring Da-o Communications."
"That big a company? Pretty solid, wasn't it? And no word till sudden takeover?"
"Did some groundwork."
"Not some scheme, right?"
The two men, sprawled in the living room, kept voices low giggling so as not to wake the three sleeping kids.
"They were drowning in debt. Enough to shake the whole group."
"Struck a deal, huh."
Quick on the uptake without long explanations, Hong Gi-jun nodded happily at his friend.
"They'll beg you to come help, but you'll refuse?"
"No office experience, just a plain farmer now."
"All the plain guys are dead."
Talented waste, but knowing his friend's stubbornness, it was just talk for Hong Gi-jun. Help would be huge, but no intent to drag his hermit friend back out. Safer in the sticks.
"If Su-jeong's dad does well, raise our boy to use."
Sipping lukewarm barley tea long out of the fridge, Hong Gi-jun eyed Jin-hyuk. Curling shrimp-like, cradling the two tots cozy, like puberty was someone else's problem.
"If Jin-hyuk says he'll marry our girl, think about it."
"Not even as a joke. Kids decide that stuff."
"What's wrong with our girl—"
Hong Gi-jun clamped his throat mid-rage, checking the kids.
Son Gwang-yeon glanced at the family photo on the wall.
"Fate's unknowable."
Hong Gi-jun had to agree with his old friend.
Fate, bonds—who knew? Take Son Gwang-yeon, holed up in a no-relations village.
Summer rural dawn was still chilly. Yu-jin slept in bro's arms; Hong Su-jeong burrowed in like a nursing pup.
'Peaceful.'
Hong Gi-jun savored the pastoral scene kids made, feeling his lonely-upbringing friend finally found peace.
'Yeah, this dream life for him.'
Son Gwang-yeon shattered Hong Gi-jun's city-escape reverie.
"Hey, you really like our boy? Just a plain country kid."
Why not say all plain guys dead?
He knew, but asked anyway.
'Like him? Hell yeah.'
What fourteen-year-old stays cool after a huge screw-up? Personality too. Thought shy, but nah—just holds tongue to skip useless talk. Still dotes sickeningly on his little followers. Even the dog.
Felt like he saw the kid right.
'Hurry and grow.'
No, grow slow having fun. Looking back, those days best.
Well, height-wise already taller than adults.
As Hong Gi-jun gazed dreamily at Jin-hyuk,
In the dark, huddled sleeping Jin-hyuk shivered from cold.
Arms pinned by tots, somehow blanket up to chest.
Blanket sliding up on its own to cover kids—Hong Gi-jun went bug-eyed. Blood draining from head.
'Did I drink too much?'
Wide eyes scanned the eerie silence.
Friend snoring sitting up.
Right on cue, TV caster volume spiked like turned up.
Hong Gi-jun clenched fists, grinned satisfied with reddened eyes.
Grraaaah—.
Belched long, wrinkled nose at sour smell.
Made good use of the makgeolli all night.
Good it was Son Gwang-yeon's house to drink nose-numbing levels.
*
Morning birdsong as music, dads sat on the porch with a baduk board between.
Hong Gi-jun pointed far at the persimmon tree. Dozens of sparrows perched on it, then ground, repeating rowdy.
"Why do those sparrows only mess around that tree?"
"Beats me. Every year, month, day—same tree. Even winter. Their hideout maybe."
Hideout, huh.
Hong Gi-jun propped chin, craned neck. Below: open fields, waterways, streams; back: hill to bus road, distant Gu-bong Mountain.
East: woods to town; west: sea.
Cozy.
'I'm a sparrow too.'
Cozy, safe spot.
Swept the view again like appreciating scenery.
Wonder where Team Leader Yang is.