Chapter 622 (1/2)
“I’d send them off.”
Maru said to Daemyung, who was next to him.
“Competing against someone full of talent is a stupid thing to do. If you overpace yourself to catch up to a person running on a different track than you, then you’re bound to end up exhausted. That’s why you have to send them ahead. When you see geniuses running far ahead of you, you have to look at them and learn what you can, instead of actually trying to run next to them.”
“I guess that’s one way of thinking about it.”
“You’ll get hurt if you try to chase them. I don’t like the saying ‘know your place’, but there is definitely a need to keep that in mind to a certain extent.”
“Don’t you want to try going against them once?”
Maru turned his head to the left. It was Jiseok who said those words.
“A genius is not a genius in all aspects, are they? There should be something they’re bad at. Don’t you think you would be able to find a way to win if you dig into that part?”
“Maybe, but there’s no need to clash, is there? I clearly know that I’m going to get hurt, so I should avoid it if I can.”
“There are definitely things you can earn by being defeated.”
“If you can’t take care of the aftermath of the defeat, then you get into trouble.”
“Challenge always comes with the risk of failure. It might hurt, but it’s also an opportunity to change yourself, isn’t it? Whether it’s a genius or not, you might hurt your pride if you suck up to them, but you’ll be able to gain a lot of things too.”
“That’s how you become Icarus. If you have wings that let you enjoy yourself, then you should know how to be satisfied with them. The moment you seek to play with those above you and fly higher, what little you might have will be gone.”
“If you don’t have wings, you can just ride the plane.”
“What am I even talking about with you? Why don’t you just ride a spaceship then?”
“Spaceships are good. But you know the saying: A genius cannot win against a hard worker, and a hard worker cannot win against those that enjoy.”
“When you call something ‘talent’, it means that it’s beyond the scope that can be covered by hard work alone. It’s just like how I can’t become Michael Jordan no matter how hard I try. Above all, those who have the talent are probably hard workers as well. To catch up to a genius who is also a hard worker and enjoys their profession, you just have to give up on competing and chase from behind.”
“I can win against Michael Jordan.”
“Why don’t you say that again after winning against a neighborhood kid?”
“You’re way too pessimistic.”
“And you’re way too optimistic?”
Jiseok, who was listening, suddenly ran forward. Maru looked at what he was up to, and it turned out that he was approaching an elderly.
“He hasn’t changed.”
“He looks like a polite kid.”
“To be precise, he’s a meddlesome guy.”
Jiseok, who was talking to the elderly, returned while scratching his head.
“He told me he’s not old enough to receive help yet.”
“Elderly people who are still healthy often don’t like being helped. So do something about that meddlesome personality of yours. It’ll come back to haunt you later.”
“Even if it’s like that, I can’t help it. Also, wouldn’t that grandpa be happy to see someone like me? He might say something like ‘kids these days are so cocky, but there are at least boys like him’. He might also say stuff like ‘the future of this country is still bright.’”
“As if you weren’t delusional already.”
“I’m delusional? No way. I’m just seeing the world in a slightly better light. Though, I kinda stand out because you’re way too pessimistic. Daemyung, don’t you think so too?”
“It hasn’t even been that long since you two met and you’re trying to split us up already? Park Daemyung, don’t get influenced by him. Optimist Virus doesn’t have a cure.”
As soon as he said those words, Maru looked at Jiseok and chuckled. Leaving aside what he was saying, this fellow was definitely an interesting fellow. The way he trusted those that gave him goodwill was also rather manly, so Maru looked at him as a good guy. Of course, he managed to reduce the RPM of the motor behind his mouth.
“Should I not have called him?”
“Oh, no. When else would I meet an actor besides you who’s on TV?” Daemyung said.
Jiseok brightened up and got closer. Maru, who was pushed to the back, saw Jiseok and Daemyung putting arms around each other’s shoulders and laughing.
“Hey, it’s this way.”
He pointed at the building to their right as he called out to his two friends who were endlessly walking forward. Jiseok nodded and turned.
“What is all that that you’ve brought with you?” Maru asked as he looked at Daemyung and Jiseok’s hands, which were holding large plastic bags.
“Some gifts.”
“I bought some light snacks.”
Light snacks huh - Maru shrugged as he looked at the plastic bag which was filled to the brim. Perhaps it was okay since the fridge was empty anyway.
He climbed the stairs and stood in front of the door.
“Wait a sec.”
Maru opened the door and went inside first. His father was currently living somewhere else. He went to a factory in another province for a few months because of a new production line, and his mother would cook some food and bring them to him every weekend. Last week, the entire family went there and had a family meeting. After seeing the news about a migratory bird father on TV, she kept texting every single night.
After scanning the empty kitchen, he went to Bada’s room and knocked on the door.
“You there?”
Bada slightly opened the door.
“Yeah?”
“I brought a couple of friends so it might get a little noisy. We’re going to watch videotapes in the living room.”
“Okay. I’ll be in my room so consider me non-existent. Also, are the people coming handsome?”
“They look just like me.”
“Oh my word. How can they live such sad lives? Should I get some tissues ready?”
“Maybe.”
Bada grinned before closing the door after saying that she would stay quiet. Maru sighed a little before opening the door.
“Is your family inside?”
“My parents aren’t here, but there is a sensitive high school girl, who I’m worried about since I wonder who will take her as a bride in the future.”
“What the, you had a sister?”
“Didn’t I tell you?”
Jiseok chuckled before coming inside.
“I think I told you a lot of things, like how I have a brother in the military, that I don’t have a good heart, and that I don’t have a lot of friends due to transferring quite often. What did you do while you listened to all of my history? You didn’t even let me know about your sister.”
“There wasn’t any opportunity for me since you were confessing your sins all the time. Well, now you know I have a sister.”
Jiseok twitched his eyebrows as though he didn’t like it and grabbed Daemyung, who followed him in.
“Daemyung, did you know that Han Maru had a little sister?”
“Y-yeah. I did.”
“Wow, I feel betrayed now. Daemyung’s closer to you than I am, huh.”
Of course, duh - Maru replied before organizing the shoes the other two took off. Jiseok was saying that he was disappointed, but his expression was all smiles. In fact, it was Daemyung who was at a loss as he was without an understanding of what was going on.
“Just ignore most of his words. He’s the type to say stuff without going through filters in his brain.”
“R-really?”