< Chapter 2: He is Gwang-deok. (2) >
Chapter 2: He is Gwang-deok. (2)
Given the situation, Byung-ho had turned pale and was badgering Jin-ho.
"You bastard! There's a limit to acting like an otaku! You're making gunpowder? Who's head are you planning to blow off? You bastard! It's not just my neck—everything from top to bottom, left to right, front to back is going to fly off!"
"But... getting gunpowder is..."
"You can get fireworks overflowing at any stationery store, what kind of nonsense is that!"
"Impurities..."
"You bastard! Plow it under right now!"
After that wrestling match of words, Jin-ho promised to plow the field. Before leaving, Byung-ho gave Jin-ho another warning.
"I'm coming the day after tomorrow to check, so plow it properly! Got it?"
"Got it!"
After getting confirmation from Jin-ho again, Byung-ho started the engine while grumbling.
"That crazy otaku bastard..."
* * *
'Crazy otaku'
This was the nickname given to Jin-ho not only by relatives like Byung-ho but even by his own parents.
Due to the various incidents caused by his otaku activities since childhood, all his relatives worried that 'someday he's going to cause a major disaster.'
'Gwang-deok'
This was the nickname given by acquaintances who came to know Jin-ho through social media or online hobby cafes.
Initially, seeing Jin-ho doing otaku activities in various fields, they used 'broad (廣),' but after witnessing the various incidents and accidents Jin-ho caused, it changed to 'mad (狂).'
From a young age, Jin-ho showed an extraordinary appearance. Jin-ho demonstrated significantly superior concentration and memory compared to children his age.
"He doesn't seem like an ordinary child!"
At the kindergarten teacher's words, Jin-ho's parents' expectations grew higher and higher.
Around the time Jin-ho entered elementary school, his parents had his IQ tested and heard the following answer from the doctor.
"Memory, concentration, and comprehension are all above average. His IQ is at the quasi-genius level as well."
"Thank you!"
Hearing the doctor's explanation, Jin-ho's parents were overjoyed and filled with hope.
However, that hope turned to disappointment before long.
Jin-ho's excellent concentration, memory, comprehension, and IQ were nowhere to be found when it came to studying.
He remembered his parents' dark history that came out during arguments when he was just 3-4 years old and used it to silence them for a long time. He remembered his own dark history from kindergarten and elementary school all the way through college, making him kick his blankets in shame. His concentration was so intense that he once marathoned his favorite American drama series without eating and ended up in the emergency room. Yet when it came to studying, not even a trace of these abilities appeared.
"He's smart, but...!"
Jin-ho's parents, who had sent him to cram schools and wielded both carrot and stick to make Jin-ho study, exploded in frustration when they received his report card. Whether Jin-ho went to the advanced class or the remedial class, his grades always stayed in the middle.
He was excellent in Korean, history, and memorization subjects, but English which stayed in the middle and math which played at rock bottom held him back. Jin-ho was also frustrated by this.
"The association doesn't work..."
Jin-ho complained to his friend.
"Association?"
"In Korean, history, and other memorization subjects, when I read the textbook or problems, scenes come to mind like a movie. So the memory is certain, and I quickly understand how to solve it. But damn math doesn't do that..."
In the end, Jin-ho had no choice but to choose humanities as his path.
Due to various stresses, Jin-ho threw himself even more into otaku activities. From 4th grade through middle school entrance, he became deeply immersed in famous robot animation—becoming a Universal Century fundamentalist and hardcore Federation supporter—actively participating online and making acquaintances.
It was from his second year of middle school that Jin-ho's otaku activities turned him into Gwang-deok.
Having completely fallen for a steampunk drama set in the 19th century, Jin-ho enthusiastically sought out and began watching the drama. Because it was an extremely maniacal drama, he had to go through overseas 'dark paths,' and there were no subtitles, so he became addicted to the drama while translating scripts he found online.
Jin-ho's parents were angry seeing him obsessed with the drama, but thanks to his English grades rising at super speed during that time, Jin-ho was able to safely watch the drama until the series ended.
The influence the drama in question had on Jin-ho was tremendous. Jin-ho, who had been simply an 'otaku who watches and enjoys,' became an 'acting otaku.'
Falling for the charm of steam engines, Jin-ho made a scaled-down model of Watt's steam engine and its connected generator with friends and entered it in a science competition.
Except for the pressure cylinder part that had to withstand steam pressure and a few drive components, the scaled-down model made from easily obtainable market items showed enough performance to light LED lamps when the boiler was heated with an alcohol lamp, and received an excellence award.
"Jin-ho, thank you! This isn't much, but use it for your allowance."
"A humanities student winning an award, what's the use! Use that dedication to memorize math formulas instead! Honey! Don't give this kid allowance! He'll just make something strange again!"
Jin-ho received thanks and allowance from the parents of his science-major friends whose award history would help their college admissions, but was scolded by his own parents. But the following year, he made a scaled-down model of a steam locomotive that actually moved using steam pressure, making his parents grab the backs of their heads.
Amidst such situations, Jin-ho did his best for college entrance exams and passed through the worst gateway of regular admission (not early decision) to get into an 'In-Seoul' university right below SKY level, in the Department of Public Administration.
On the day Jin-ho's admission was confirmed, his parents gathered all their relatives and threw a feast.
"Now that you're in college, don't do useless things and just study!"
"Public administration? You need to study hard and become a civil servant."
"Don't think about anything else, just study! You know how much your parents suffered because of you!"
The relatives gathered at the feast all spoke to Jin-ho with words that mixed threats and advice.
Even after entering college, Jin-ho's 'acting otaku activities' didn't stop.
In his first year of college, Jin-ho used money saved from a summer part-time job to build a 'human-powered seaplane' and succeeded in flying it at the Han River estuary.
"It's up!"
"It's up, isn't it?"
The police and 119 emergency responders who were present due to safety issues made strange expressions while watching Jin-ho's human-powered plane flying in the sky.
Jin-ho's flight became a big enough topic to make it on broadcast news.
It occupied a segment of TV news with titles like 'Talented College Student Inventor,' but Jin-ho's parents had to hold their heads and lie down in pain.
"This isn't a child, it's an enemy..."
"What sin did we commit in a past life..."
This was what relatives and acquaintances called 'The First Gwang-deok Rebellion.'
Was it the effect of appearing on TV news? Jin-ho established himself as a famous eccentric at school.
After that, Jin-ho's eccentric behavior continued. He once wrestled with leather while trying to make authentic Three Kingdoms period leather lamellar armor after watching a historical drama that threw historical accuracy far away. He once spent his vacation eating and sleeping at a traditional swordsmith's workshop, saying he wanted to learn the proper manufacturing method of Joseon swords. During the semester, he was so moved by a Crusader-era movie that he spent every weekend hammering away at a workshop to make Western full plate armor.
"What do we do with that bastard..."
To stop Jin-ho's eccentric behavior, his parents even beat their adult son. Despite that, seeing their son continuing his eccentric ways, Jin-ho's parents felt their insides rotting away.
"If only he couldn't even study..."
During the semester—not just vacations—Jin-ho diligently applied himself to his studies and achieved excellent grades, so his parents couldn't completely give up on their son.
Every time Jin-ho caused various incidents, his parents had to recall what a teacher had said during Jin-ho's high school career counseling.
"Jin-ho is very smart. But it's not for academics. Simply put, an inventor suits his aptitude."
"An inventor... isn't that a hard life these days?"
"That's why it's regrettable. If Jin-ho had been born in 18th or 19th century Europe, he would have become an inventor who left his name in history."
* * *
Around the time he reached his third year of college, Jin-ho caused a mega-scale incident. It was because of one email from an American acquaintance he'd met online.
They were gathering people to build a sailing ship from a famous pirate movie using traditional methods. Though building it at 1/4 scale, the content said they would make everything according to actual historical accuracy, and Jin-ho's eyes spun.
Jin-ho immediately submitted his leave of absence and flew to America.
This was 'The Second Gwang-deok Rebellion.'
At Jin-ho's trip to America, Jin-ho's mother once again held her head and took to her sickbed, and his father exploded in anger.
"You bastard! I'll kick you out of the family registry!"
Jin-ho's stay in America grew longer than initially expected. The cause was a rich Arab otaku who had funded the project.
Satisfied with the completed result, the Arab tycoon made a proposal to the participants.
"I happened to need a cruising yacht. How about building it at full size? I'll support the construction costs and pay you a salary. Deal?"
"Deal!"
At the Arab tycoon's proposal, the participants agreed in one voice.
It wasn't a 100% wind-powered sailing ship but was modified into a motor-sailer with an engine installed, and considerable modifications were made to install modern convenience devices. However, most of the hull structure and exterior remained exactly like the sailing ships of the Age of Exploration, reborn through the hands of otakus gathered from various countries.
After construction ended and the launching ceremony and test voyage were safely completed, Jin-ho grabbed a copy of the sailing ship's blueprints and returned to Korea.
Jin-ho's parents, who greeted him, said briefly.
"Go to the army. We've prepared everything."
"Yes."
At his parents' command, which radiated murderous intent, Jin-ho immediately bowed his head.
After returning from the military, Jin-ho quietly continued his school life.
Sincerely carrying out his studies and preparing for the civil service exam, Jin-ho passed the Grade 5 open competitive recruitment exam one year after graduation.
On the day it was decided he would become a central government official—in the Ministry of Economy and Finance no less—Jin-ho's parents once again gathered relatives and threw a feast.
"You've worked hard!"
"Finally we can rest easy! You've suffered!"
The relatives didn't spare praise, not for Jin-ho but for Jin-ho's parents. They knew well the mental suffering they had endured because of Jin-ho.
Through such twists and turns, Jin-ho began his civil servant life.
As Jin-ho started his civil servant life, his parents breathed sighs of relief, but problems arose for Jin-ho himself.
"It's suffocating..."
Crushed by daily work, Jin-ho suffered from spiritual thirst. To resolve this thirst, on his days off he made plastic models, played online games and smartphone games, participated in bicycle clubs, and tried various other efforts. But the spiritual thirst grew more intense, and finally he was diagnosed with depression and put on medication.
When things reached this point, Jin-ho's parents had to make a choice.
"Do what you want to do and live."
"Thank you."
The day after his parents made their decision, Jin-ho submitted his resignation.
After submitting his resignation and becoming unemployed, Jin-ho immediately got a job at a blacksmith shop run by a master craftsman.
Three years after starting to learn the trade while living and eating at the blacksmith shop, the master called Jin-ho.
"Now open your own shop. You've learned everything you can learn from me. From now on, what you need is experience, and only time can resolve that."
"Thank you, Master."
And so Jin-ho came down to Yangsan. Based on money saved during his 4 years of civil servant work and some support, Jin-ho bought an empty house with an attached field and set up a blacksmith shop.
* * *
After seeing Byung-ho off, Jin-ho scratched his head and grumbled.
"Fireworks sold at stationery stores have too many impurities, so rust forms in the gun barrel..."
Fireworks sold in the market contained various impurities to create different flame colors and to reduce the explosive power. And because those impurities seriously corroded the gun barrel, he had to clean the barrel thoroughly after every test fire.
"Anyway, he said to plow it under, so I have to plow it under... I'll have to go borrow a tractor from Old Man Hwang tomorrow."
Having decided what to do tomorrow, Jin-ho entered the storage shed.
"Let's see..."
Inside the storage shed, Jin-ho rummaged through the shelves. He pushed aside the steam engine works he had made in high school to one side and pulled out a small box.
"If this had been discovered, I'd be in jail by now."
Muttering to himself, Jin-ho opened the lid and examined the contents.
Inside the box, two small glass bottles were nestled deeply in cushioning material. Looking at the yellow-brown liquid inside the pinky-finger-sized glass bottles, Jin-ho let out a long sigh.
"Why did I make this..."
Inside the glass bottles was nitroglycerin.
After examining the glass bottles for a moment, Jin-ho closed the box lid and pushed it back deep onto the shelf.
Rumble!
Just as Jin-ho was coming out of the storage shed, the ground began to shake.
"Hmm? Is there construction somewhere?"
Jin-ho tilted his head at the small tremors, but when the shaking suddenly intensified, he screamed.
"That can't be! It's an earthquake!"
Having determined it was an earthquake, Jin-ho quickly ran outside. But before he could even take five steps, Jin-ho had to turn around and run back into the storage shed.
"If that damn thing explodes, I won't even get insurance money!"
Rumble!
Stumbling from the increasingly violent shaking, Jin-ho ran into the storage shed, grabbed the box, and ran back outside.
Clack!
Jin-ho opened the box, pulled out the two glass bottles, and hurled them with all his might toward the field.
KABOOM!
"Good..."
Just as he was feeling relieved seeing a large explosion in the field, the ground split open and swallowed Jin-ho.
< Chapter 2: He is Gwang-deok. (2) > End
ⓒ Gukppong