Arena

We went around Europe, vacationing, and then returned to Korea. Marie tagged along all the way to Korea and stuck next to me.

“Is there somewhere you want to go?”

At my question, Marie smiled big and gave an energetic answer.

“I want to see Hyun-ho’s family.”

“……”

“I’m going to say hello again! I even practiced Korean.”

“Korean?”

“Hello, I am Marie Johanna. Mother-in-law, give me your* son.”

(TN: She used the informal ‘your’ rather than the respectful way when talking to someone older than you.)

Her Korean had a really good accent. Up till now, I’ve only heard her speak in Arena’s language so I was completely surprised.

But it’s mixed with some informal speech.

“We are already in a deep relationship.”

“Stop it.”

“I am pregnant.”

“Ahhh, stop!”

We were in Incheon Airport which was bustling with people. I felt a deep embarrassment when hearing the surrounding people mumbling about us.

In this midst of all of this, Cha Ji-hye’s expression didn’t change and I respected her for it.

First of all, we went back to the house in Bucheon and gave my mom a call after. 𝒇𝚛e𝘦wℯ𝑏𝓃𝑜νℯ𝒍.co𝗺

I’ve returned from abroad, I should call once in a while.

-Son! You’re back in Korea?

“Yep.”

-Heartless son. Come visit home every now and then.

“Okay, but I’ve got Ji-hye and Johanna too.”

-Johanna, you mean that crazy……?

“Yea, that gal that may have lost some of her marbles.”

-Hoho, good. Why don’t you all come by?

“But that woman has learned some regrettable Korean. I don’t know what she’s going to say.”

-Really? It’ll be fun, hurry and bring them by.

……. That’s mom for you.

-But are you still dating that woman?

“Yeah.”

Now its not a lie, I can confidently tell her the truth.

-That…… does she still not want to get married?

Mom asked cautiously. I could sense her desperation for a daughter in law and grandchild.

“The situation has changed a bit. She won’t cut off the idea like she did before.”

-And you?

“Aww, of course I want to get married.”

-What, really? Son! So, you aren’t a lone wolf?

“I said that because I was in front of Ji-hye, of course not. I’m going to win her over and get married, just you wait.”

-Hoho, my son! Fighting! Actually, if it doesn’t work out, just make a mistake……

“I’m hanging up now.”

-Alright, alright, I just got excited and went too far.

“At least you know.”

Like that I ended the call.

And when I looked behind me……

“Huk!”

I almost fainted.

Cha Ji-hye was looking right at me.

“Um, how long have you been standing there?”

“Since 10 minutes ago.”

“You’ve already unpacked?”

“Yes.”

Because of Marie we couldn’t use the same room so she was unpacking in the guest room, but she must be all done already. She definitely used to be a soldier.

“……”

“……”

An awkward silence fell upon us.

“Food, let’s eat food. Aren’t you hungry?”

I quickly ran away to the kitchen.

***

The next day, we all went together to Cheonan. It was to meet up with the rest of my family and eat together.

I heard nowadays that Hyun-ji was in Cheonan and was getting ready for the internet shopping mall business.

It had been a long time since the whole family had gotten together.

Cha Ji-hye and Marie tagged along too. It’s going to be a loud day.

We headed to the buffet where we already made our reservations.

It was a big restaurant that took up all 3 floors of the building, we got to the basement parking and the valet looked shocked.

It was because the car we rode in was Cha Ji-hye’s white Lamborghini.

The cars ahead of us followed the valet’s signs and went into the basement parking lot or down to the second (B2) floor.

But the valet looked at us and quickly led us to an empty spot on the first floor.

‘They must have left spaces open on the 1st floor for VIP.’

Such special treatment!

This is why people want to drive nice cars.

We had reserved a VIP room as well.

“Son!”

Sitting in the middle, mom greeted us warmly.

“Oh my, if someone saw they’d think we’re celebrating your 70th!”*

(TN: it’s a big celebration in Korean culture.)

“70 is still far away!”

Mom reacted sensitively.

Noona and Hyun-ji were there too, and Hyun-ji was nibbling on an appetizer bun that an employee fetched her.

“Hello, nice to see you again, mother.”

“Hello!”

Cha Ji-hye and Marie said their greetings.

Mom shook hands with Cha Ji-hye and shook Marie’s hands too and smiled.

“Miss Johanna, you speak Korean now?”

“Yes! I can speak it well now!”

“Hohoho, you really do. You must be very smart.”

“Hehe, I am smart!”

Mom had an expression like ‘oh it’d be nice to have a granddaughter like this’ as she looked at the cute Marie.

“Our Miss Johanna, I want to see how well you can speak it. Go on. How have you been dear?”

Asked mom, courteously.

Marie smiled wide and with a loud voice yelled out.

“I’m pregnant!”

Hyun-ji choked on her little bread bun. Noona lost all color in her face. Mom too lost strength in her legs and almost fell.

“It is not true. She just says what she feels like, so don’t take anything to heart.”

Cha Ji-hye tried to control the situation.

“I’m going to be a mom!”

“Would you stop it!”

After scolding her for a long time, Marie finally quit yapping like a parrot.

Finally finding her composure, mom asked me.

“So you aren’t a thing with Miss Johanna at all, right?”

“Yup.”

“Whew, thank goodness.”

No matter how urgently she wanted a grandchild, it seemed she found the daughter in law’s mental state to still be of importance.

From the buffet line, we brought back plates full of all kinds of food and began our meal.

We talked about how we are all getting along, but noona’s situation was something else.

“No, unni, what is the matter with you? Going on a set up date with someone who fell in love with you at first glance, how do you get dumped by someone like that?”

Hyun-ji must’ve set up a date for noona.

Well, noona looks normal on the outside so some man took a liking to her.

“If I knew that then I’d already be married. What is the matter with men?”

Grumbled noona while grinding her teeth. She might bleed from how tightly she clenched her fist.

I could picture how noona’s blind date must have gone. I didn’t need to see it to know.

She would’ve emasculated him at once with what she always rides, in her Benz C class coupe.

After that, despite her tall height of 171 cm, she enjoys her heels and made the man feel small.

After that, with a gaze as if belittling the other person and her cold manner of speech that doesn’t say anything unnecessary, it was a sure kill!

With a feeling of inapproachability, the man whimpered and tucked tail.

In the end. Noona was still a spinster.

“Whew, our Hyun-joo might have to go buy a husband from somewhere like Thailand.”

Hyun-ji gripped her belly as she laughed at mom’s complaints.

Noona boiled over with humiliation.

“Noona.”

“What?”

“What was that man’s job?”

“A company man.”

“And his workplace?”

“Somewhere I know, a decently hardworking and honest place.”

“And how did he look?”

“Nothing to complain about.”

“And did you say those things to the man?”

“……?”

With a strange expression on her face, I said to noona.

“I know the company well, you work at a good place, you look handsome, did you compliment him like that?”

“There wasn’t anything worthy of compliments though.”

“Tsk tsk.”

I clicked my tongue and Hyun-ji too shook her head back and forth.

Getting compliments from a well to do woman like noona, the man would’ve been moved and showed tried harder to get her.

The gods really gave noona everything but a personality.

I looked to Hyun-ji.

“Now, Hyun-ji. Show me an example.”

Maybe because we’re siblings, we fit right in. Hyun-ji instantly turned her aegyo mode on.

“Oppa~! You make good money, you’re handsome, you’re soooo skilled! Could poor little me have some spending money!”

“Alright.”

I took a couple bills out of my wallet and gave it to her.

“Kyaak! Oppa you’re so awesome!”

Hyun-ji took the money and showed all kind of aegyo.

Noona’s skin was crawling just from seeing this, her clenched fists were shaking.

“You want me to act like that?”

Well, Hyun-ji did go a little too far.

Anyway, Hyun-ji began to try appeasing noona by saying she’ll introduce more men to her.

Noona was feeling crummy but was eased by Hyun-ji’s words and started asking who that man was.

Hyun-ji was determined to win noona’s favor. In order to successfully run the internet shopping mall, she instinctively knew she would need noona’s help.

Then again, even the internet shopping mall that dogs and cows and everyone was trying to get into was still a business that had more than a few legal problems.

Eventually, whenever something happens she’ll run to noona and ask how this and that is done. It’ll be a frequent occurrence. f𝓇𝘦𝒆𝘄𝑒𝗯𝑛𝗼ѵ𝙚l.𝒄𝘰𝓶

Obviously knowing that but still passively telling her to do the internet shopping mall showed that noona is actually a tolerant and generous person.

Like that, an enjoyable time passed and we were on our way back to Bucheon.

When my smartphone suddenly vibrated.

‘Who is calling?’

I took my smartphone out my pocket and checked.

It was an unexpected person.

[Yoo Ji-soo]

I hadn’t seen that name in a really long time.

When I was just a 2nd turn examinee, Yoo ji-soo was already a 19th turn veteran examinee. I quickly remembered her blonde dyed hair.

Her two teammates were men, one of them was Cha Jin-hyuk? The other I can’t really remember well.

Now that I think of it, Yoo ji-soo’s team would now be a 25th turn or so.

“Hello.”

-It has been a long time, hasn’t it?

“Yes.”

We are the same age but her speaking to me informally and me speaking formally, this strange relationship was the same.

-Its really been a long time, huh?

“Yes, from my end its been about 4 years I think.”

-Its about the same for me too. As we progressed, the examinees of the world were all converging into one timeline.

“Have you been well?”

-You think it would be for an examinee?

“That’s true.”

-Speaking of, you’ve been busy all this time. Ranked 7th in the world? Are you crazy?

“All thanks to me being a genius.”

-That’s funny! You were a rookie just a bit ago!

At my witty banter, Yoo ji-soo laughed hysterically.

-Anyway, I’m glad you seem to be doing well.

“Yes, thanks to you.”

When I had come back from the 3rd exam having lost all my teammates, Yoo ji-soo and Cha Jin-hyuk gave me lots of helpful advice.

Before I was thrown away by the Korean Arena Research Agency, they told me to get all the information I could on Arena.

It was a small bit of advice, but I made good use of the files I got at that time, and a savior is a savior.

“I’ll help you.”

-Uh, what?

“You’ve called because you’re in a bad situation.”

-Right on the money. How did you know?

“When I asked if you had been well, you changed the subject.”

-Wow, you catch on quick.

Yoo Jin-soon acknowledged it coolly.

-You’re right. Actually, I called to get your help on an awkward situation. I’m sorry I’m calling you out of the blue for a favor.

“Don’t apologize. I’m sorry I haven’t reached out to you sooner.”

-It’s a bit much to discuss over the phone, want to meet?

“Sure. Where?”

-Gangnam.

“We are on our way to Bucheon.”

-We? You and who else?

“Yes, two others. You’ll be happy to see one of them.”

-Really? Okay. Then we’ll head to Bucheon.

“Really? If not, we can go to Gangnam too.”

-No, no. We’re asking the favor, we should go.

Anyway, we set the appointment and she hung up.