Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
52. Holidays and school anniversary (2)
Kim Cheol, currently fulfilling the role of Ju Su-hyeok’s bodyguard and secretary.
He visited the family’s head’s house[1] during Chuseok after a long time.
During the national holidays Kim Cheol’s family would gather at the family’s head’s house, but it wasn’t a place where someone would nitpick over the family’s generational names[2] or complicated ancestral rites procedures.
Those were just holidays, so they gathered to see the faces of relatives they didn’t see in a long time.
The ancestral table was prepared very simply, and the people with some time would gather to chat, share holiday food and then part.
They made effort not to burden their close ones at the family’s head’s house, and knowing that, Kim Cheol decided to come here.
“Look who it is! Isn’t it our Cheol, who went to a big company!”
“I don’t know how many years it has been since I saw your face, hehehe.”
“I apologize I didn’t come to visit in the meantime. Great uncle, great aunt.”
Because he had a vacation after a very long time, Kim Cheol visited the family’s head’s house.
Ju Su-hyeok forced Kim Cheol, who kept being unable to concentrate after the Cymopoleia incident, to go on a vacation.
At first Kim Cheol insisted that he wouldn’t go, but Ju Su-hyeok didn’t withdraw the order.
— After I received the alias, I often go to conquer otherworlds. And hyung follows me as a bodyguard. Hyung may get hurt if that goes on.
He didn’t express it indirectly and was worried about Kim Cheol, but speaking frankly, it meant that Kim Cheol became a nuisance.
Kim Cheol, who fully realized his shortcomings, obediently went on a vacation, and because he didn’t want to stay at home alone, he visited his great uncle’s house.
Kim Cheol’s uncle and aunt didn’t ask why the workaholic Kim Cheol suddenly came to the hometown, and just welcomed him warmly.
“Did I tell you that our punk of a son went to Eungwang School this year? Now he is Cheol’s junior.”
“Hyeon-gu is already a highschooler?”
“Yeah. Hehe, I guess you were so busy you didn’t hear! There was some kind of sport competition at school this year, and he even got a medal.”
Kim Cheol’s uncle gave a delayed boasting about his son.
While applauding to his words, Kim Cheol reflected inside.
He was alienated because of work, but he didn’t even know that his younger cousin became his junior?
He recalled the face of his young cousin Kim Hyeon-gu, who couldn’t live without soccer and diligently attended the soccer classes, but was greatly saddened when his superpower bloomed.
He guessed that after that he changed his mindset and honed his superpowers, managing to get into the Korea’s most prestigious highschool.
‘If he was admitted to Eungwang School, he would leave the house and live at the dormitory, huh? If he lives in Seoul, he would use a lot of money, so should I see Hyeon-gu’s face after a long time and give him some pocket money?’
Kim Cheol, who finished meeting and greeting the family’s adults one after another, headed to his younger cousin’s room.
When he took out a few checks from his wallet and put them into the prepared envelope.
Whistle, whistle…
At the sound of whistling brushing against his ears, Kim Cheol almost dropped his wallet.
Compared to the sound Kim Cheol heard before, it was awkward and not filled with a superpower wave, but that was the sound that kept haunting him.
Kim Cheol ran towards the source of the sound.
Bang!
When without knocking, he urgently opened the door, he saw his younger cousin Kim Hyeon-gu, who he didn’t see in a long time.
As if worthy of a Player, Kim Hyeon-gu sensed Kim Cheol approaching, instead of being surprised, he greeted him with a bright face.
“Cheol hyung! It has been really long time. Sit here.” [3]
Kim Hyeon-gu stopped lifting a soccer ball and offered him a seat.
But instead of sitting down, Kim Cheol tightly grabbed his younger cousin’s arm and urgently asked:
“That song, where did you hear it?”
“Wha?”
“That whistle a moment ago.”
Even though confused by Kim Cheol’s words, Kim Hyeon-gu obediently replied.
“Did you hear there was a sport exchange with the Military Academy’s Highschool department at our school?”
He knew about it very well, because Ju Su-hyeok mentioned the fierce matches a few times.
When Kim Cheol nodded, Kim Hyeon-gu escaped Kim Cheol’s hand, which lost its strength, and turned on the device to play a video.
“During the opening ceremony, someone from our school danced a Byeoksa’s sword dance, and that song appeared at that time.”
Kim Cheol stared at the screen.
On the other side of the screen, a student wearing a white Tiger’s mask danced the Byeoksa’s sword dance.
‘He isn’t using an ordinary skill. With this much, he is obviously connected to that hero.’
Kim Cheol concentrated all his senses trying to catch the whistle sound.
But no sound was heard.
“It seems to be muted, can you turn on the sound?”
“Ah, the sound wasn’t recorded. They said they used broadcasting equipment from Namkung Electronics, and because the machine broke, the sound recording was screwed.”
It was a pity he couldn’t hear the sound’s recording, but energy returned to Kim Cheol’s face.
Kim Hyeon-gu didn’t know Kim Cheol’s thoughts, but after his expression got better, under the pretext of talking about the sport exchange, he boasted about becoming MVP in the first soccer match.
Kim Cheol put a few more checks in the pocket money envelope he gave to his younger cousin, while praising him greatly.
Kim Cheol was certain that he found a clue about the real hero, who saved him and the Cymopoleia.
* * *
The first Chuseok in this world arrived.
Chuseok was supposed to be celebrated with family, but my family didn’t exist in this world.
There were traces of the family, who had never been in this world, just like there existed the game records of the games I never played.
But all of those things were just fakes existing so my status of ‘Eungwang School’s 1st year student Jo Uisin’ wouldn’t be doubted.
Fake pictures, fake ashes, fake actions’ traces.
The traces of family members, who didn’t exist in this world, were scattered in this world.
Was it because those fake traces were too vivid?
The death of my family was a distant past for me, but I often thought about the last Chuseok I spent with my family.
‘I should have talked more with my parents-nim and play with my dongsaengs more that day.’
Even though it was the last Chuseok with my family, it was so pitiful there wasn’t anything to remember.
As it was close to the time when I was to leave the country, because there was not a lot of time remaining until the tournament, except for the Chuseok Day, I ate alone and almost didn’t talk with others.
Each time I thought about the past, my hands got cold, and I felt like I was suffocating.
‘Regrets won’t change anything. Let’s do what I can.’
There were no people connected to me by blood in this world, but there were many people I owed.
As Chuseok drew closer, I sent regards and gifts to the people I should take care of before Chuseok, the thoughts of the past decreased.
Moreover, there were three besides me of our class children, who were remaining in the dormitory for Chuseok Day.
As we met early in the morning, tasted together the luxurious holiday menu and ate Moon Rabbit Rice Cakes’ songpyeon[4], the thoughts about Chuseok decreased.
“The morning buffet’s theme was vegetables, correct? I have high expectations for the lunch and dinner.” [5]
“Seafood for lunch and meat for dinner.”
“I want to eat shad pancakes[6]. Are they on the menu?”
“There is an autumn shad pancake on the menu.”
After the lunchtime drew closer, the children chatted, while looking forward to the lunch buffet.
I worried if they won’t be depressed because they were staying at the dormitory even during Chuseok to study, but everyone’s faces were bright.
Mok Uram lacked sense, but had a bright personality, the gourmet Maeng Hyodon was impressed by the quality of the dormitory meals that raised a level for the national holidays, while Kwon Lena seemed to find a bit of peace for the last few days.
“Then I’ll go first.”
“Uh, I’ll stay here for a moment and then go.”
“I’ll be back.”
When reassured I left my seat, the message arrived.
The message was sent by Hwang Jiho.
[Hwang Jiho] … In the end you didn’t come in the morning, eh? I should have told you to come as early as possible.
[Hwang Jiho] Come before eating lunch.
I said I wouldn’t come in the morning, so what sound was that?
Hwang Jiho told me nonsense like I should come early in the morning or come a day earlier and stay for a sleep-over.
Wasn’t the Hangawi[7] morning supposed to be spent with close relatives?
I decided to visit after the lunchtime passed, because I didn’t want to barge in to a meal that the Ho tribe members should enjoy among themselves.
‘Now is fine, because the afternoon is a good time for the guests, who aren’t close relatives, to visit.’
In fact, I didn’t want to go visit them on the Chuseok Day, but Snare and descendants were waiting, so I really couldn’t help it.
Packing the prepared beforehand holiday gifts, I headed towards the Hwang Myeong-ho’s great mansion with much heavier steps than usual.
* * *
Hwang Myeong-ho’s great mansion.
When I arrived, Hwang Jiho, wearing a golden dopo and embroidered with tigers kwaeja[8], was waiting for me.
Hwang Jiho abruptly handed me a cloth box wrapped in Korean paper.
“I assembled your share of Chuseok’s new clothes, wear it.”
“Why?”
“Didn’t you give me a gift not a long time ago? Think about it as a return gift.”
Isn’t it a bit too much as a return for a pine needle flavored drink sold at a supermarket?
But it was an atmosphere where it was difficult to refuse.
What’s more, Eun-ho’s descendants wore bokgeon and ayam[9] themselves and asked me to do it too, so it was even more difficult.
“The Divine Beast won’t come out until Uisin hyung changes clothes!”
“Didn’t You come to meet with the Divine Beast?”
At those words, I finally accepted the cloth box.
After I borrowed a room and put on a rope belt on a dopo and came out, the tigers at last made satisfied faces.
“It suits you well, eh?”
“Uisin oppa, it suits You well!”
“… Thanks.”
As we awkwardly exchanged pleasantries, the Snare, who hid somewhere, finally appeared in front of me.
The hanbok suited the angel very well.
Snare was wearing a multi-color jeogori[10], so it was enough to endure this burdensome gift.
“You came, Jo Uisin-gun. Everyone was waiting.”
“Hello.”
Kim Sinrok was also here today.
Alongside Jeok-ho, he was wearing a magoja[11] from red silk, and it suited him well.
The colors were different, but as I also wore hanbok and mixed among them here, I felt awkward, so I commented to the historical accuracy with not much meaning.
“Even though they’re all hanboks, the designs look different, so it seems they’re from different periods.”
“Hahahaha! In the eyes of this one, who lived for five thousand years, a few hundred years doesn’t make much of a difference. I just considered the people, who would wear them, and chose the design and color accordingly.”
So that’s why only Baek Ho-gun was wearing a dapho[12] made from white silk?
The tigers embroidered with a silver thread on dapho matched with Baek Ho-gun’s upright posture very well.
“Uisin hyung, let’s take a picture together. I’ll take two shots with the Divine Beast.”
“Let everyone, including the Mountain Spirit, to take a group photo!”
Because the descendants insisted, I couldn’t help it and was stuck in the tigers’ family photo.
The Mountain Spirit had a modernized hanbok and was circling in the air, but ran towards immediately at the word of taking a photo.
After taking dozens of pictures, including the picture of everyone, I sat down to eat lunch with the tigers.
Following the tigers’ words of blessing, a topic related to the elementary school life of a certain geezer, who forgot his age, came out.
“I punished the impertinent humans, who caused pain to my close friend, and even gained unexpected profit. I’m spending this time profitably.”
I was bothered by the word unexpected profit, but there was something I was bothered by more.
It was Hwang Jiho’s words about his current actions.
“You’re still attending the school?”
“Yeah, I’m planning on capturing the Gwangli Elementary School.”
The geezer said nonsense that even a back alley king wouldn’t say.
“I plan to take out some time to re-educate the students and change the teaching staff to suit my taste, to tidy up everything.”
I didn’t know why the hell he changed his thoughts, but it was clear that the geezer didn’t know right from wrong and planned to continue to imitate an elementary school student after a highschooler.
“A child with a pretty unique superpower is attending the Gwangli Elementary School. I got interested, so I plan to move him from the children’s home.”
“Unique superpower?”
“He developed superpowers at a young age, but as his superpower wave doesn’t usually get released, so it seems that no one knows that child developed superpowers, eh? That means that he even displayed Gwangrim on his own at the age of 10 at best.”
Orphan with a unique superpower.
At those words, I abruptly recalled my currently an elementary school student Playable Character.
Hwang Jiho looked at me with a meaningful face.
“If I circulate even a bit of a superpower wave, he makes a fuss that I’m like a tiger, or that I’m looking like a tiger. It’s not something one sees with their eyes, but feeling of an essence, but as he doesn’t know the concept of superpowers, he mistakes it for seeing it with his eyes.”
It was certain that the child Hwang Jiho decided on in his mind was my Playable Character.
Hwang Jiho added a useless sound.
“Jo Uisin, you’re donating to the children’s home where this child is. No way, it wouldn’t be that you know this child’s secret, right?”
I didn’t reply.
It was common for Eungwang School’s members, who made a lot of money in the otherworld conquests, to donate it somewhere.
Jegal Jaegeol would also probably be donating to that children’s home.
I decided to act shamelessly.
“I donate according to the Newspaper Club’s advisor teacher Jegal Jaegeol-nim.”
“Hahaha! Let’s leave it on that.”
We finished the lunch holiday dishes, which were said to be personally cooked by Hwang Jiho, and moved to the drawing room.
Because from now on we were about to talk about the matter that didn’t suit Chuseok, Eun-ho’s descendants were left in the living room.
After everyone, who moved, sat down, Hwang Jiho, who took the highest seat, pointed at me with a chin.
“I laid down the ground. As I don’t know the specifics, I couldn’t talk about them, eh?”
“Then I’ll speak.”
I looked at Kim Sinrok and opened my mouth.
“I want to test something on teacher Kim Sinrok-nim.”
I might use Replay on Kim Sinrok here.
*~*~*
[1] family’s head’s house — referring to the house of the firstborn or the house where the clan head lives.
[2] generational names — 항렬 (hangnyeol). It refers to clan hierarchy where children of the same generation will have the same character in their names, and it follows a cycle, for example five element system ‘earth, metal, water, wood, fire’. That’s why siblings like Yu Sang-hun and Yu Sang-hui share ‘Sang’. Also, it’s terribly complicated.*
*Situation where Kim Cheol doesn’t share a character with his close cousin feels quite unusual.
[3] Kim Hyeon-gu’s tone towards Kim Cheol — He uses a casual tone, which could signal that they’re very close, or Kim Hyeon-gu is a very carefree person.
[4] songpyeon — Half-moon shaped rice cakes, traditional food on Chuseok.
[5] “The morning buffet’s theme was vegetables, correct? I have high expectations for the lunch and dinner.” — Mok Uram’s sentence, the last sentence of this dialogue is also his.
[6] shad pancakes — 전어전 — 전어 dotted gizzard shad Konosirus punctatus, 전어 also means to convey someone else’s words or words left by someone, or referring to both hunting and finishing. The fall shad is famous as being the best, and there are many sayings that the smell of a grilled one can lead back those who left.
[7] Hangawi — another name for Chuseok.
[8] dopo and kwaeja — dopo is the outer garnet of a hanbok. Kwaeja is a sleeveless garment put on the dopo.
[9] bokgeon and ayam — bokgeon (복건), fujin, a male traditional headgear. Ayam (아얌) is a female traditional garment.
[10] multi-color jeogori — 색동저고리, a type of hanbok worn by children with many, many colors, usually up to 10.
[11] magoja — 마고자, a type of kwaeja, with buttons usually made of jewels. Was popularized by Heungseon Daewongun, father of King Gojong, when he returned from political exile from Qing Empire.
[12] dapho — 답호 a type of dopo originating form Yuan Dynasty and popularized in Goryeo. It said to be a formal attire, but I had a few wikis note it down as mourning clothes. Also, white clothes were traditionally a mourning attire.
* Didn’t make a note, but when I say just ‘holidays’ or ‘national holidays’ this chapter the word used is 명절 (myeong-jeol) which has my favorite Myeong so I just thought I should note it down.
Translator’s note: Jo Uisin, you fool, you idiot, you…
Patron thank you note:
Thank you patron, Nobody, please accept this Ludwigia adscendens’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Al, please accept this Circaea lutetiana’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Dust, please accept this Fuchsia hybrid’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Maru, please accept this Chamaenerion angustifolium’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, kamisonk, please accept this Epilobium hirsutum’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Kasimir Ilmonen, please accept this Hauya elegans’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Tara Hess, please accept this Sonneratia griffithii’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Ice, please accept this Duabanga grandiflora’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, anonymous Kofi-supporter, please accept this Lopezia miniata’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Thank you patron, Hematite, please accept this Camissonia benitensis’s flower as a token of my sincere gratitude.
Links to support this translation and access to 8 advanced chapter (Patreon & Kofi)
> Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LibraryKeyTranslations
> Kofi-Euro: https://ko-fi.com/wanthetranslator
> Kofi-USD: https://ko-fi.com/wanthetranslatorusd
Did you see a mistake? 🐞
Leave a Reply