In such a situation, Byeong-ho was in a frenzy, pressing Jin-ho.
"You fool! There’s a limit to how reckless you can be! You want to make gunpowder? Are you trying to get someone killed? You fool! Not just my head, but everything around me will be blown away!"
"But... getting gunpowder is..."
"Firecrackers are everywhere in stationery stores, what nonsense are you talking about!"
"There are impurities..."
"You fool! Tear it all down right now!"
After a heated argument, Jin-ho promised to plow the field.
Before leaving, Byeong-ho warned Jin-ho once more.
"I’ll come check in two days, so make sure you plow it well! Got it?"
"Got it!"
With Jin-ho’s assurance, Byeong-ho grumbled as he started the engine.
"That crazy nerd..."
The term "crazy nerd" was a nickname given to Jin-ho not only by Byeong-ho but also by his relatives and even his parents.
Since childhood, Jin-ho had caused various incidents due to his obsession, leading everyone to worry that he would eventually cause a big disaster.
"Kwangdeok" was a nickname given by acquaintances who got to know Jin-ho through social media or online hobby cafes.
Initially, they used the character for "wide" (广) to describe Jin-ho's diverse interests, but later changed it to the character for "crazy" (狂) after witnessing the various incidents he caused.
From a young age, Jin-ho displayed extraordinary traits.
He had remarkable concentration and memory compared to his peers.
"It seems he’s not an ordinary child!"
With the kindergarten teacher’s words, Jin-ho's parents’ expectations grew higher and higher.
When Jin-ho entered elementary school, his parents had his intelligence tested and received the following response from the doctor:
"His memory, concentration, and comprehension are all above average. His intelligence is at a near-genius level."
"Thank you!"
Hearing the doctor’s explanation, Jin-ho's parents were overjoyed and filled with hope.
However, that hope soon turned to despair.
Jin-ho’s exceptional concentration, memory, comprehension, and intelligence were not applied to studying.
He remembered the embarrassing moments from his parents' fights when he was just three or four years old, using that knowledge to silence them, and he recalled his own embarrassing moments from kindergarten and elementary school all the way to college, causing him to cringe.
His intense focus on binge-watching his favorite TV series even led him to skip meals and end up in the emergency room.
"He's a smart kid!"
Despite sending Jin-ho to tutoring academies and trying various methods to make him study, his parents were frustrated when they received his report card.
Jin-ho’s grades were always average, whether in the top class or the bottom.
His scores in Korean and history were excellent, but his average English and failing math grades held him back, leaving Jin-ho feeling frustrated.
"I can’t connect the dots..."
Jin-ho complained to his friend.
"Connect the dots?"
"In Korean and history and other memorization subjects, when I read the textbook or problems, scenes come to mind like a movie. So I remember clearly and understand how to solve them quickly, but damn math just doesn’t work that way..."
In the end, Jin-ho had no choice but to choose the liberal arts track.
Due to various stresses, he became even more engrossed in his hobbies.
From the fourth grade until entering middle school, he was obsessed with a famous robot animation—being a staunch supporter of the Universal Century—and actively engaged online, making friends.
Jin-ho’s obsession turned into "Kwangdeok" from the second year of middle school.
He became deeply enamored with a steampunk drama set in the 19th century and began fervently searching for and watching the series.
Since it was a highly niche drama, he had to go through "dark channels" overseas to find it, and with no subtitles available, he translated the scripts he found online, becoming addicted to the show.
Seeing Jin-ho so engrossed in the drama, his parents were angry, but at least his English grades skyrocketed, allowing him to watch the series until it ended without any issues.
The impact of the drama on Jin-ho was immense.
He transformed from a "watching nerd" into an "active nerd."
Captivated by the charm of steam engines, Jin-ho, along with his friends, created a miniature model of Watt's steam engine and its connected generator to enter a science competition.
The model, made mostly from easily obtainable items except for the pressure cylinder and a few driving parts that had to withstand steam pressure, performed well enough to light up an LED lamp when heated with an alcohol lamp, earning them an excellence award.
"Thank you, Jin-ho! This isn’t much, but use it for your allowance."
"What’s the point of a liberal arts student winning an award! You should rather use that effort to memorize math formulas! Honey! Don’t give him allowance! He’ll just make something weird again!"
While friends who were science students received thanks and allowances from their parents for their award-winning efforts, Jin-ho received scolding from his own parents.
However, the following year, he created a working model of a steam locomotive using steam pressure, which made his parents pull their hair out.
In such circumstances, Jin-ho did his best for the entrance exams and managed to pass the worst hurdle of regular admissions, getting accepted into a "in-Seoul" university in the administrative department, just below the SKY universities.
On the day Jin-ho’s acceptance was confirmed, his parents gathered relatives for a celebration.
"Now that you’re in college, don’t cause any more trouble and just study!"
"Administrative department? You need to work hard and become a civil servant."
"Just study without thinking! You know how much your parents have suffered because of you!"
Relatives gathered at the celebration all mixed threats and advice directed at Jin-ho.
Even after entering college, Jin-ho’s "active nerd" behavior did not cease.
In his first year of college, during the summer vacation, he used the money he earned from a part-time job to create a human-powered flying machine and successfully flew it over the Han River estuary.
"It’s flying!"
"It’s really flying?"
Due to safety concerns, the police and emergency responders present at the site looked on with strange expressions as they watched Jin-ho’s human-powered aircraft soar.
Jin-ho's flight became a hot topic, even making it onto the news.
"Talented college student inventor" was one of the headlines, but Jin-ho’s parents were left with their heads in their hands, feeling overwhelmed.
"What a child... what a burden..."
"What sin did we commit in our past lives...?"
This was referred to as the "First Kwangdeok Incident" by relatives and acquaintances.
Perhaps due to the effect of being on TV news, Jin-ho became known as a peculiar person at school.
His eccentric behavior continued.
He once tried to make a proper leather armor from the Three Kingdoms period after watching a historical drama that completely disregarded accuracy, and he even spent his vacation living and working in a traditional swordsmith's workshop to learn the proper methods of making Joseon-era swords.
During the semester, he was inspired by a movie about the Crusades and spent every weekend hammering away in a workshop to create Western full plate armor.
"What are we going to do with him...?"
In an attempt to curb Jin-ho's antics, his parents even resorted to hitting their adult child.
Yet, watching their son continue his eccentric behavior, they felt their hearts sinking.
"If only he couldn’t study at all..."
During the semester, except for weekends, Jin-ho diligently focused on his studies and achieved excellent grades, making it even harder for his parents to give up on him.
Every time Jin-ho caused a ruckus, his parents recalled what his high school career counselor had said.
"Jin-ho is very smart. However, it’s not in an academic way. To put it simply, he’s suited to be an inventor."
"An inventor... isn’t it tough to make a living in this day and age?"
"That’s what’s unfortunate. If Jin-ho had been born in 18th or 19th century Europe, he would have been an inventor who left his name in history."
As Jin-ho approached his third year of college, he caused a massive incident.
It all started with an email from an acquaintance he met online.
They were gathering people to build a famous ship from a pirate movie using traditional methods.
Although it was to be made at a quarter scale, everything was to be done according to historical accuracy, which made Jin-ho's eyes light up.
He immediately submitted a leave of absence and flew to America.
This was the "Second Kwangdeok Incident."
Jin-ho's mother once again buried her head in her hands, while his father exploded in anger.
"You brat! I’ll disown you!"
Jin-ho’s stay in America turned out to be longer than expected.
The reason was an Arab wealthy nerd who had funded the project.
Pleased with the completed product, the Arab tycoon made a proposal to the participants.
"I happen to need a cruising yacht. How about making it to full size? I’ll provide the funds for construction and pay you a salary. Deal?"
"Deal!"
The participants unanimously agreed to the Arab tycoon’s proposal.
Although the ship was modified from a traditional sailing ship to a motor-sailing ship with an engine and modern conveniences, it was reborn into a vessel that retained most of the structure and appearance of the old sailing ships from the Age of Exploration, crafted by nerds from various countries.
After the construction was completed and the launching ceremony and trial voyage were successfully finished, Jin-ho returned to Korea with a copy of the ship's blueprints.
When Jin-ho returned, his parents had only one short thing to say.
"Go to the military. We’ve prepared everything."
"Yes."
Under the pressure of his parents’ commanding tone, Jin-ho bowed his head immediately.
After completing his military service, Jin-ho continued his studies quietly.
Diligently pursuing his studies and preparing for the civil service exam, he passed the 5th level public competition exam just a year after graduation.
On the day it was confirmed that he would become a civil servant under the central government—specifically in the Ministry of Strategy and Finance—his parents gathered relatives once more for a celebration.
"Thank you for your hard work!"
"Finally, we can breathe easy! You’ve worked hard!"
The relatives praised Jin-ho’s parents rather than Jin-ho, fully aware of the mental anguish they had endured due to their son’s antics.
Through all those twists and turns, Jin-ho began his life as a civil servant.
While Jin-ho’s parents sighed in relief as he started his civil service, Jin-ho faced his own problems.
"This is suffocating..."
Overwhelmed by the daily grind of work, Jin-ho suffered from a mental thirst.
To quench that thirst, he tried making model kits, playing online games or smartphone games, and participating in cycling clubs on his days off, but the mental thirst only grew stronger, eventually leading to a diagnosis of depression and requiring medication.
With the situation having escalated, Jin-ho's parents had to make a choice.
"Live your life as you wish."
"Thank you."
The day after his parents made their decision, Jin-ho submitted his resignation.
After becoming unemployed, Jin-ho immediately got a job at a blacksmith’s shop run by a master craftsman.
Three years later, after learning the trade while living at the forge, the master called Jin-ho.
"Now you can open your own shop. You’ve learned everything from me. What you need now is experience, and only time can provide that."
"Thank you, Master."
Thus, Jin-ho moved to Yangsan.
With the money he saved during his four years as a civil servant and some support, he bought a vacant house with a plot of land and opened his own blacksmith shop.
After seeing Byeong-ho off and turning back, Jin-ho scratched his head and grumbled.
"The firecrackers sold at stationery stores are full of impurities that rust the barrel..."
The firecrackers sold in stores contained various impurities to create different colors of sparks and to dampen the explosive power of the gunpowder.
These impurities severely corroded the barrel, so after test firing, it was essential to clean the barrel thoroughly.
"Anyway, since I have to tear it down, I guess I’ll have to borrow a tractor from Mr. Hwang tomorrow."
Having decided what to do the next day, Jin-ho entered the storage room.
"Let’s see..."
Once inside, Jin-ho rummaged through the shelves.
He pushed aside the steam engine projects he had made during high school and pulled out a small box.
"If this had been discovered, I would have been in jail by now."
Muttering to himself, Jin-ho opened the lid and examined the contents.
Inside the box were two small glass bottles buried in cushioning material.
Looking at the amber liquid in the pinky-sized bottle, Jin-ho let out a long sigh.
"Why did I even make this...?"
The liquid inside the bottle was nitroglycerin.
After inspecting the bottle for a moment, Jin-ho closed the box and pushed it deep back onto the shelf.
Boom!
Just as Jin-ho was about to step out of the storage room, the ground began to shake.
"Huh? Is there construction going on somewhere?"
As he tilted his head at the small tremor, the shaking suddenly intensified, and he screamed.
"It can’t be! An earthquake!"
Determining it was an earthquake, Jin-ho dashed outside.
However, he barely took five steps before he had to turn back and run into the storage room again.
"If that damn thing explodes, I won’t even get insurance!"
Boom!
As the ground shook more violently, Jin-ho stumbled but rushed back into the storage room to grab the box and dashed outside.
Clang!
Opening the box, Jin-ho took out the two glass bottles and hurled them toward the field.
Kaboom!
"That’s done..."
Just as he felt relieved watching the massive explosion in the field, the ground split open and swallowed Jin-ho whole.