Chapter 65
Regular chapter of the week .
The ending of this chapter is . . . Heh heh, you guys will have to find out for yourselves!
“I promised you that I’d be here . But did you keep your promise with me?”
“Of course, I bought 50,000 Wons worth of beef . My mom grilled me about where I got it from, hehe . ”
Haha… My mother was the type of person to get suspicious if I brought 50,000 Wons worth of food home .
“Good job . Here is your reward kiddo . ”
“A gift set!! Wow!”
“And give this spam package to your mother…”
“Thank you… But who are you, mister? I asked my mom yesterday, and she said she’s never met you before . ”
“Mmm… you can say I’m a distant relative . ”
“Ah… Then should I tell my mom a relative gave these to me?”
“Yeah . I’ll get going then . Listen to your parents and work hard in your studies, kiddo . ”
“Eh? You’re leaving so soon? My mom is home right now…”
“It’s fine . Take care~”
I petted his head a few times and moved my footsteps to the Mintra Computer shop where Yuki was .
&
Ugh, I skipped lunch again while talking to the owner of Mintra about the business . I felt guilty about not buying Yuki a proper meal since we landed on Korean soil; I hurriedly opened the door to Mintra Computers .
“Sorry, Yuki . You must be starving?”
“Ah… You came, Junhyuk?”
Yuki who was sitting with the owner turned her head as she heard my voice . Her shining smile was plastered with bits of black bean sauce everywhere .
“The owner ordered takeout for me . These noodles are amazing!? What was it called… Ja Jien Myun? You should try some!”
“Oh ho, you came back earlier than I expected . Should I order one more plate?”
Street stall foods yesterday and Chinese takeout today… I was glad she liked it; I smiled and glanced at Yuki .
“You should order orange chicken and dumplings while you’re at it . ”
I was getting hungry as well, so I didn’t refuse his offer and took a seat . A while later, a Chinese delivery man knocked on the door holding a plate of black bean noodles and the side dishes .
“Wow, having food with one phone call is amazing… I wish I had something like this back in Japan . ”
Yuki stared in awe at the food delivery process . Subsequently, as the plate of orange chicken was placed onto the table, Yuki’s eyes glistened in anticipation .
“Yuki, what did you say to the owner for him to order take out for you?”
“I just… When I rubbed my stomach and made a somber face, he ordered it for me . . . Like this?”
As Yuki pouted her lips and looked at me with puppy eyes, I couldn’t stop myself from bursting out in laughter . The owner saw this exchange and chuckled as he opened his mouth .
“She kept looking at me with those eyes . How could I not get her something to eat, haha?”
Really, Yuki wouldn’t starve no matter where she was on this planet .
It was at this moment . Without any warning, the owner poured the sauce on to the orange chicken!!
Ack!! He poured a steaming cup of sauce on the fried chicken!! This was not a way to show respect to fried food!! But the owner looked at us with a proud expression and spoke .
“Orange chicken goes best with the sauce on top . ”
Before it was too late, I hurriedly moved the unaffected ones to a new plate .
“Hmm!?”
The owner gave me a long hard stare . We might have been thinking the same thing at this moment: ‘He won’t do…’
“Wow… what kind of meal is this?”
Yuki couldn’t contain her curiosity as she grabbed a chicken coated with the sauce and bit down on it .
“Mr . Junhyuk, there are too many delicious foods in Korea . ”
“She just said it was delicious, right? See~ Pouring sauce over the chicken is the best way to eat it~”
No, I can’t agree with that at all .
&
Moments later, darkness had already set in when we stepped foot outside the shop .
“Then I’ll contact you again once I return to Japan . Please use the Dragon Emblem cartridges as prizes for the raffles for the time being . ”
“Yes, I will take care of it no problem . ”
The owner waited with us until a taxi arrived, and waved us off until we were out of view .
“Ah~ I’m full . Oh yeah, where did you go earlier?”
“Mmm, it’s a secret . ”
“Hmph, You didn’t tell me you made Dragon Emblem, and now you’re hiding something else from me . ”
“No, it’s nothing like that . ”
At that moment, the taxi driver cleared his throat and carefully asked me a question .
“Excuse me, where would you like to go?”
“Ah… I’m sorry . The North Mountain please . ”
“Yes, sir . ”
As we were traveling through the busy streets, I looked out the window and saw an old man lighting a cigar on the back of a public transportation bus . Wow… No matter how unrestricted smoking was in this period, I couldn’t believe that someone was lighting a cigar in a bus full of people . The 80s and 90s were the definition of heaven for smokers . Observing the insides of the taxi, I saw a black mark from cigarette burns in the back of the seat .
How much was a single cigarette here… 200 Wons? 300 Wons?
I used to run errands to the store to buy my father’s cigarettes and alcohol…
“What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing much, just some old memories . ”
“Hmm…”
Yuki stayed silent .
&
Initially, I tried to get to the peak of North Mountain with the taxi, but the vehicles of in the 80s period couldn’t climb steep slopes . Yuki wanted to walk to the top to enjoy the scenery, so we got off the bottom of the mountain and slowly began our hike .
“Eughhh~ I love everything about Korea except for the cold weather . I’m freezing to death right now . ”
“Yeah, Japan should be warmer right now . ”
“That’s true, but…”
“But?”
“I’m really having fun . I knew I made the right decision when I boarded that plane . When I return home, I’ll have so many things to tell my mom: that I enjoyed Korea so much, and that I want her to come with me next time . ”
To be honest, I’ve never given Yuki a proper tour, yet she still followed me around without any complaints . Last night, while Yuki was fast asleep from walking around all day, I discovered a travel guidebook while I was organizing her carrier . The guidebook showcased various landmarks and attractions of Seoul, with star ratings hand-drawn by Yuki next to the locations .
Amongst them, she had given a 7-star to a night hiking trail .
‘She gave this 7-stars . I’m guessing she wants to visit this place the most?’
I closed the guidebook and stepped out to the terrace to get a view of Namsan tower before turning my head towards the sleeping Yuki .
&
The Namsan trail of 1988 was completely different from the trail I knew in 2015 . A walking path only existed up until halfway up the mountain; light posts were the only guide to the peak of the mountain .
‘Ugh, If I knew it was going to be like this, I would’ve taken her to the 63rd building instead . We could have taken the elevator to the top of the building and see a magnificent view . ’
At that moment, a large object passed by my head . This was the Namsan cable car .
‘Oh lordy!! I missed something like that!! Why didn’t I think of that earlier?’
As I was crying my heart out, Yuki who was walking beside me squeezed my hand .
“It’s a bit tiring… But it’s nice walking together with you . ”
“Ah… Really?”
Since she said that, I had no choice but to grit my teeth and make it to the top… I couldn’t start whining in front of Yuki, could I? I held her hand and resolutely marched to the top . An hour or so had passed . The peak of Namsan mountain finally came into view .
“We’re here…”
I let out a big sigh and looked around my surrounding and saw a plethora of people enjoying the view here . Yuki was staring at the starlit city with unblinking eyes .
“Mr . Junhyuk . ”
“Yeah?”
“We’re… dating right?”
Shocked by her sudden question, I stared at her speechless . In truth, we couldn’t be considered an official couple . But I wasn’t completely blind, I knew she felt some affection for me by watching her actions .
Yet if I were to marry Yuki in this time period… What choice would I have to make when I returned to 2015?
“Why aren’t you saying anything?”
As I stammered looking for the right words to say, Yuki asked again with a worried expression . My memories with Yuki beginning from when I met her to now flashed through my head . The more I stayed silent, the more her face grew sullen .
“Mr . Junhyuk…?”
“I’m sorry…”
A flash of disbelief appeared in her eyes as I uttered these words . I stared at her for a short moment before continuing .
“I was going to bring this up earlier, but I missed the timing . ”
In response, Yuki let out an inaudible sigh of relief and placed her head on my chest as she muttered .
“I thought my heart was tearing apart . You idiot…”
Yuki bursted into tears as her tiny shoulders heaved against my chest . Ah… I did not plan this at all . I wrapped my arms around her and gazed up into the sky .
“Oh… it’s snowing . ”
Flurries of white were descending from the sky . But Yuki who was buried in my chest seemed to be embarrassed of her tears and buried her face further and responded .
“You’re lying…”
“No… I’m telling you, it’s snowing!”
“I’m not falling for that . ”
Despite her insistence, the people in our surroundings bursted into chatter at the sight of snow .
“It’s a snowfall~”
“Wow~ The snow should be piling up quickly at this rate . ”
Yuki responded to the exclamations of the people beside us and peeked out from my chest . As soon as we made eye contact, she buried her head again . I couldn’t help bursting into laughter and gently separated myself from her .
After eyeing her closed eyes for some time, I matched my mouth to her opened lips .