Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
52. Holidays and school anniversary (5)
Chuseok Day, the four 1st year class 0’s students remaining at the dormitory were reduced to three.
With Jo Uisin absent, the remaining three were Kwon Lena, Maeng Hyodon and Mok Uram.
After only three remained, the number of conversations greatly decreased.
If It was as usual, Kwon Lena would work hard to lighten the mood, but she still didn’t have mental energy for that.
While Maeng Hyodon suffered from a math problem, Mok Uram would sometimes throw a word.
“Ah, why is this answer not correct?”
“In the third line when developing a composition function, you swapped f with g.”
“… You didn’t choose math, how do you know that?”
“Can’t You solve it by just looking at the explanation in the above examples and problems in the textbook?”
Maeng Hyodon looked at Mok Uram with eyes as if he was looking at an alien, and then started to develop an equation again.
‘I have to study too…’
But Kwon Lena couldn’t easily concentrate on studying.
During the previous final exams, she got mediocre grades because she studied diligently, but if felt like a distant past, no, it felt like it was done by someone else than herself.
Ding.
At that moment, she heard an alarm informing her about a new message on the device.
It was a message from her unnie, Lee Yeoreum, who she decided to meet today.
[Unnie] I’m in front of the school right now. Sorry for being late.
[Unnie] Can you come out right now?
As she couldn’t study anyway, Kwon Lena stood up from her seat straight away.
“I’ll be back. I don’t know if I will be back for dinner, so if I’m late, eat first.”
“Uh…”
As if Maeng Hyodon lost his energy and soul to the math problem, he replied half-heartedly, but Mok Uram stood up with her and asked:
“Lena-nim, where are You going?”
The word ‘Lena-nim’ was a bit too much, but Kwon Lena replied obediently.
“I’m going in front of the school. I have an appointment with family.”
“Is that so? Have a pleasant time with Your family, Lena-nim.”
“… Ok!”
Kwon Lena adjusted her hair and clothes, while heading to the promised location.
In front of the main gates, her unnie, Lee Yeoreum was waiting.
“Unnie, hello!”
Lee Yeoreum smiled awkwardly, as she nodded.
Just like before, her unnie didn’t speak and was stiff, but her expression was soft.
Looking at the face of family she saw after a long time, Kwon Lena happily and excitedly talked about all sorts of things alone.
After they moved to the café, a situation developed where Kwon Lena was one-sidedly talking and Lee Yeoreum was listening.
Then for the first time Lee Yeoreum brought up a new topic first.
“Is that you?”
Lee Yeoreum floated up two holograms.
On the first hologram was the scene of her playing together with Kwon Jane at the Youth Training Camp, and on the second was the video of Dokgo Miro’s busking.
Kwon Lena’s face didn’t show up, but it seemed that Lee Yeoreum recognized her.
When Kwon Lena shyly nodded, Lee Yeoreum spoke.
“Well done. You wanted to learn violin.”
“… You remembered it?”
“Yea.”
Because for some reason it seemed that hearing those words was about to make her cry, Kwon Lena clenched her fists under the table and endured.
Luckily or unluckily, the following words made Kwon Lena’s tears instantly dry up.
“Do you have contact with those people?”
Those people.
It wasn’t a designation accurately pointing at particular people, but Kwon Lena recalled the faces of the parents straight away.
Contact with Kwon Lena’s parents was cut off for a while.
The last message was sent in March, but there was completely no contact as if they were busy these days.
Because Kwon Lena’s parents threatened her to stop making things cumbersome for them by making them send unnecessary messages to her, she couldn’t even send her regards on Chuseok.
“No, it seems They’re busy these days.”
“… Okay.”
“Unnie…?”
“I contacted them when I got a job, but they didn’t reply. Ah, I got a business card. Here.”
Lee Yeoreum handed Kwon Lena several business cards.
On the business card ‘Namgung Local Products Otherworld Industry, Industry Department no. 1’s employee Lee Yeoreum’ was written.
‘I heard it’s difficult to get into the Otherworld Industry if one isn’t a Player…. Unnie worked really hard, huh?’
After Lee Yeoreum entered an university with a dormitory, her contact with parents was cut off.
Their parents rebuked that the reason why Lee Yeoreum didn’t contact them was because of Kwon Lena.
But Lee Yeoreum avoided their parents’ eyes and contacted Kwon Lena, or gave her gifts.
Last year, during the busiest period, when job-seeking time was just around the corner, Lee Yeoreum worked part-time to gift Kwon Lena a whip item.
‘At that time I worried that unnie would fail to get a job because of me.’
Luckily, Lee Yeoreum safely passed the last first half of the year’s general recruitment for a big company and succeeded in getting a job.
Knowing that Kwon Lena was anxious, Lee Yeoreum contacted her first to make her relax.
“You went with those people there… where there no problems?”
When the story of the Fantasy Auction came up, Kwon Lena’s heart sunk.
As she knew that Lee Yeoreum wasn’t asking to blame her, but out of worry for her, her heart was even heavier.
Because at those words she once again realized the fact that she didn’t receive any punishment and was living a comfortable, worry-free life.
“No…”
Lee Yeoreum didn’t know Kwon Lena’s thoughts and was relieved.
“I’m glad. If something happens, contact me straight away. If you need a guardian, use my name instead of the names of those people.”
At that moment, a message arrived at Lee Yeoreum’s device.
Lee Yeoreum, who checked the message, said she was sorry, while she stood up.
She had no spare moment to check Kwon Lena’s darkening expression.
“It seems I’ll have to go to the company right now. We won’t be able to eat a dinner together, sorry.”
“… It’s okay. Thank You for coming to see me, though You’re busy.”
“Make sure to eat dinner.”
Lee Yeoreum pleaded, but Kwon Lena didn’t feel any appetite.
After Kwon Lena parted with Lee Yeoreum, she blankly walked to Eungwang School, instead of using an air shuttle.
‘… I should go a little bit more from here.’
But that little didn’t end any time soon.
Even after the sun set, Kwon Lena couldn’t get to the place where the children from the same class were.
As she very slowly walked towards the dormitory, her heart and steps felt heavy.
* * *
The only family connected by blood with Kwon Lena was Kwon Jane, but Kwon Lena didn’t know it.
‘Then did she go to meet her family on the family register?’
In the instant, I thought about the shameless pair, who I threw off of the Hwang Myeong Tower’s rooftop, but I dismissed that thought straight away.
That pair was currently managed by the Eternal Lake’s team.
It was certain they would be watched even more thoroughly today, considering the poor treatment Kwon Lena received on the national holidays like Chuseok.
If so, that family would be someone else than the parents.
‘Kwon Lena had an unnie, right?’
While sending-off Baek Ho-gun and Snare, I finished reasoning out who the family Kwon Lena went to meet was.
When the angel, who looked back a few times, completely disappeared from the view, Mok Uram spoke up.
“I thought about the possibility that Lena-nim went to the dormitory instead of the Earthly Wings Hall, where the study room is, but it doesn’t seem like She came here.”
“Have you tried to contact her through the device?”
“I never sent a message to Lena-nim before, so…”
Mok Uram spoke shyly.
Using a strange title like ‘Lena-nim’ was noting, so why couldn’t he send a message?
“I’ll send a message…”
“Ah! Here comes the Lena-nim!”
Mok Uram cut me off with a sudden excitement.
Looking in the direction Mok Uram pointed, I saw a silhouette of a person in the darkness.
It was a distance that an ordinary human would have to use a skill to recognize her, so I don’t know how he recognized whether it was Kwon Lena or not.
The face of Kwon Lena, standing under the bright moon, looked pale.
As I approached Kwon Lena with Mok Uram, she belatedly recognized us and made a surprised face.
“Did you eat dinner?”
“Um…”
Instead of properly replying to my question, Kwon Lena made a face as if she was forcing a smile.
Even without being the stagnant and rotten oil of PMH, I would be able to recognize that Kwon Lena didn’t eat dinner.
‘There was a description that Kwon Lena’s unnie was like the only family for her, so did something happen? She could be like this, because they met and when talking, the parents story came out by chance, but… Even so, I should investigate it.’
The work I had to do was added.
But before that, there was something I had to do first.
“Let’s go out to eat dinner to change the mood. I’ll pay.”
I couldn’t watch Kwon Lena skip dinner.
At my words, Kwon Lena opposed.
“Uh, n-no need.”
“The class 2’s president bought pizza for the kids during the exam period. I’ll do it as a vice president.”
“Thank You! In fact, I don’t have funds to eat out. I was worried what I should do if the dormitory dinner time ended.”
“Uh…”
Following the title hero Ju Su-hyeok’s anecdote, Mok Uram made such a comment, so it was difficult for Kwon Lena to say she wouldn’t go.
Maeng Hyodon was said to eat dinner earlier at the dormitory to study, but the tired of the math studying Master Small Stone accepted the offer to eat out without hesitation.
As it was Chuseok, there weren’t many places open, but luckily the franchise pizza specialty store door was open, and I could buy dinner for the children.
While Maeng Hyodon and Mok Uram each finished up a whole pizza, Kwon Lena at best only ate a yogurt pudding brought from the salad bar and one piece of pizza.
Looking at that scene, I desperately thought what I should do for Kwon Lena.
* * *
The day after Chuseok, the holidays continued like before.
In the morning, I visited the central zone infirmary no. 1 and got examined with Kim Sinrok.
Kim Sinrok came to the infirmary no. 1 with Jeok-ho, and even after the examination results came out, Jeok-ho was pampering Kim Sinrok as if he was a five years old child, and not someone who lived for five thousand years.
“Everything is within normal range, eh? The condition isn’t the best, but those are numbers that would appear for the Players who accumulated fatigue.”
“Then you should rest more, huh?”
“I wanted to return to the staff exclusive residence today…”
“Tomorrow is October 3rd, so where are you going back?”
At Jeok-ho’s words, Kim Sinrok shut his mouth.
It was obvious that the Nation Founding Day was an important day for the Ho tribe.
Then what were they doing that Hwang Jiho even invited me to the mansion that day?
“What is on the October 3rd?”
“We will hold a simple party. Because tomorrow is our birthday.”
“… Our?”
You could add modifier ‘our’ to a birthday?
At my question, Jeok-ho added an explanation.
“The day when we were born is unclear. But the day I, Hwang-ho, Baek-ho and Cheong-ho were granted life as Jin people was October 3rd.”
If so, tomorrow would be my main Playable Character’s, Baek Ho-gun’s, birthday.
In the setting book, Baek Ho-gun’s birthday column was ‘?’!
If there was a day my Playable Character from this crazy game wreck was celebrating their birthday[1], shouldn’t it be marked in the setting book? Why wasn’t it?
Was there no situation to receive congratulations in that game?
If so, I have to make sure to come tomorrow to give congratulations.
My tomorrow schedule became certain in that instant.
“I’ll buy a gift.”
“Jo Uisin, we will be happy if You just come.”
“No. I’ll make sure to buy a gift.”
Jeok-ho kept saying there was no need for a gift, but I planned to make certain to prepare a gift.
Then Kim Sinrok made a suggestion.
“Then can I request a cake?”
“A cake?”
Wouldn’t the gourmet Hwang Jiho prepare it?
I had no idea why he troubled himself with recommending a cake.
Kim Sinrok lowered his voice, while glancing at Jeok-ho.
“Hwangho-nim said he ordered Rice Cake Cake from the Moon Rabbit Rice Cakes. That said… I heard that at Jeokho-nim’s request, a lot of dried persimmons were added.”
I guess the aftermath of attacking his son was continuing to their birthdays.
*~*~*
[1] birthday — a different word for a birthday is used here. This chapter uses ‘생일 (saengil)’ which could be literally translated as ‘Day of life’, but here the word ‘탄생(tansaeng)’ is used, which could literally mean ‘life being born’, but it could also mean that something was founded, like an institution or a company. Also, celebrate also means to congratulate, so while Jo Uisin talks about congratulating, he also means to celebrate.
Translator’s note: Nooo… Not Lena’s neurodivergent family not being able to properly maintain eye contact leading them to miss her deteriorating mental state…!
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