There wasn’t a single journalist in the press conference who had the guts to ask me an awkward question outright.
I mean, who would have the courage with hundreds of fans behind me?
Most of the questions were predictable, and I answered them while throwing in just a touch of lip service.
How does it feel to win the Fields Medal? I’m happy to be recognized.
What about the opinion that you’ll be leaving for the United States? I never said I would leave.
What’s your goal for the upcoming National Exchange Tournament? Winning, of course.
A greeting for your Korean fans? I hope everyone is happy.
And so the press conference wrapped up in about ten minutes.
Yuna’s family offered to drive me home, so we all moved toward the parking lot.
We also found Seol Yoonseul, who had gotten left behind midway.
“How is Yoonseul Unni getting home?”
“I took a taxi here, so I have to take a taxi back.”
Upon hearing this, Yuna sneakily grabbed Yoonseul’s collar and said.
“Unni, then come with us. Our Oppa’s car is a nine-seater, so there’s plenty of room.”
“Uh, I’m really okay though…”
“Really. Come with us. It’s no fun taking a taxi alone. Maru Oppa, isn’t that okay?”
“Y-Yeah! You’re always welcome!”
“Doesn’t that sound like you’re too welcoming?”
“When did I ever say that?”
Did I hit the nail on the head? Seo Maru stumbled over his words.
Honk Honk—
A black Carnival was honking from a distance and stopped right in front of us.
The passenger window rolled down, and Yuna’s mother greeted us with a bright smile.
“Oh my, Na-me! So nice to see you! It’s been ages!”
“Hello. How have you been?”
“Thanks to you, I’m super healthy. Hello to Na-me’s Father as well. No-eul, why aren’t you opening the door fast enough?”
“Just a moment! Okay, I’ve opened the door. You can get in now.”
Professor Cheon and Seo Maru went in first and took the middle seats, while Yuna, I, and Yoonseul squeezed into the back seats.
Seo No-eul, who was driving, turned to look behind.
“Wow, NoName, you haven’t changed at all! Have you grown a little taller?”
“Yep. Oppa, you look a bit worn out.”
“Hey, that’s not true! Mom! Na-me is teasing her precious son!”
“No-eul, when are you going to grow up? Hurry and start driving!”
“Ouch! That hurts!”
And so began our noisy ride home.
Yuna’s mother said she kept doing rehabilitation exercises after being declared fully recovered, so she’s healthy now.
Seo Maru found that working as an editor suits him well, and is also editing for other streamers, while Seo No-eul got accepted into physical education.
According to my older brothers, the most changed one is Seo Yuna.
“Yuna has become super sassy. She must be going through puberty. She used to be like that with us, but last time she even lost her cool with Mom!”
“Ugh, that was because Mom spilled water on my vocabulary book… It was the night before the exam!”
“Exactly! Hear that tone? Seo Yuna is starting to show her true colors.”
“A fifth grader wearing tint on her lips. Tsk tsk, she has no awareness of being a student.”
“Haha, Maru! But actually, Mom started wearing makeup in elementary school too.”
“See! Mom says she wore makeup since she was little! Are you dissing Mom right now?”
“N-No! Mom, how could you spill the truth like that…!”
Seo Yuna was cornered by her brothers’ joint assault.
She narrowly escaped thanks to her mother’s distraction tactic.
Mom chuckled and asked Professor Cheon.
“It’s true that Yuna has become very assertive recently. How about you, Abeonim? Is Na-me still respectful at home?”
“Yeah, for now.”
“You’re really lucky. Na-me is so gentle and nice.”
“Na-me, Mom says you’re gentle. What do you think?”
“I’m not really that gentle.”
I admitted to that much and moved on.
“Hahaha, I’m starting to get worried about Na-me’s upcoming puberty.”
While the adults continued their talk in front, Yuna and Yoonseul showed me photos taken in the United States.
Yuna cozied up next to me and kept pinching my cheek with her hand.
“Ehh, Yuna, stop that.”
“Wow, Na-me, your skin is really nice!”
“Speaking of which, you changed your hairstyle too.”
“Did you just notice?”
“You no longer wear twin tails?”
Yuna let her bangs grow long and swept them to the side.
She twisted her hair with her fingers and said.
“Yeah. Honestly, it feels a bit embarrassing if I do it… I feel too childish.”
“Do you really look childish?”
“No, no, it looks great on you! You already have a bit of a baby face.”
“Baby-faced?”
“Gahahaha! NoName is getting eaten up by her friends now!”
Yoonseul howled with laughter, clutching her belly.
Yeah, dropping out of the academy might have been a good choice after all.
Even the grown-up Seol Yoonseul thinks I’m younger than her, and if my classmates treat me like a kid, I might fall into a pit of self-loathing.
“Na-me, can I stay over at your house today?”
“Hey, Seo Yuna! Na-me just got back from the U.S.! She deserves some rest!”
“No, it’s okay! Do you want to come to our house?”
“Uh… If I’m tired today, I’ll just visit later.”
“Why not just come today? Don’t make excuses!”
“Really? Is that okay? Yay!”
Yuna turned around and knelt to rummage through the trunk.
Then she pulled out a teddy bear pajama and proudly displayed it with both hands.
“Hehe, I’m glad I brought my pajamas.”
“That’s the one I gave you ages ago. You still have it?”
“Yeah, hehehe.”
“Na-me, make sure to tell Yuna to only wear that until today and then throw it away. It’s already two years old, and the stains won’t come out, and it’s too short for you now.”
“Hmph, I like this the best.”
“It definitely looks old. I’ll get you a new one.”
“Gah, yay! Na-me is the best!”
Yuna smiled in satisfaction at the deal.
In the meantime, we passed through a long tunnel adorned with orange stars and entered a densely packed area of buildings.
My last memory was getting caught at a red light after entering the city.
As people’s chatter gradually faded and the high carbon dioxide concentration wrapped around me, I started to doze off.
Amidst the laughter, chatter, and dozing off, we soon arrived home.
“We have arrived. Can someone wake Na-me up?”
“Mmm… I’m not sleeping…”
Puff—
“Ugh, it’s so bright!”
I was blinded by the sudden indoor lighting.
“There are clear marks on your cheeks from where you were pressed against the seat.”
I hastily rubbed my cheeks with my hands to erase the marks.
The family unloaded all the luggage from the trunk and carried it to my apartment door.
“Thanks for the ride. You all must be tired.”
“Na-me, take a good rest at home. Yuna, you can’t bother Na-me too much. We’ll be going now.”
“Okay!”
The group got into the elevator.
Yoonseul dashed up the stairs, saying she had to start broadcasting quickly.
“I wonder if Saetbyeol cleaned the house?”
“Is your sister home right now?”
“Yeah. You’ve never seen my older sister, have you? But why?”
“Just… What if she’s a scary person?”
“Right! You’re really shy. She’s not scary at all.”
Yuna is a pretty unique girl.
She’s so upfront with her close friends but has trouble talking to strangers.
So she says she can’t even order on her own when going to a restaurant.
I guess it’s common for kids who are very sensitive to other people’s opinions, but who knows, she will probably overcome it someday.
Ding ding—
“Cheon Saetbyeol. Come here and take the carrier!”
I opened the entrance door and called for Saetbyeol.
No need to exhaust myself calling, she was already waiting for us by the shoe rack.
What’s this?
Puu— Puu-!
A strange trumpet sound blasted from inside the house while taking off my sneakers.
“Ugh, what the…!”
I was startled and quickly looked up to see Cheon Saetbyeol blowing a party horn.
“Congratulations on your safe return!”
But that’s not all.
She was wearing a pair of ridiculously old-fashioned baggy pants sold at street markets, a round pair of Leon sunglasses, and a floral scarf tied around her head.
Seo Yuna, who followed behind, dropped the bag she was holding upon witnessing the scene.
“Gah! A-A foreigner? Na-me, who is this person?”
Saetbyeol also didn’t expect me to bring a guest, dropping the plastic bag she was chewing on.
“What the heck is this?”
A strong accent burst from her lips.
Ah, I’m seriously embarrassed to death.
I slapped my forehead and shook my head.
She’s not scary; she’s just weird.
“I’m a stranger. Call the police.”
*
For now, I left the luggage I brought from the U.S. inside the carrier.
With what we have in the house, I can survive just fine. Plus, sorting everything is such a hassle.
After a 12-hour flight, I washed off the stuffiness in my head and body and came out feeling refreshed.
While I was drying my hair, Saetbyeol and Yuna were playing Nintendo together in my room.
“Avoid! Avoid! Avoid! That’s it! Na-shot! Hurry and come save me.”
“Gahhh! I’m alive, Unni! I’m alive! Hehehe!”
“Hey, there’s one behind you! Guhayaak!”
When the character in the game died, Saetbyeol shook and trembled as if she were being electrocuted.
Is she actually getting electrocuted?
“Na-me, come join us!”
“I’m not a fan of games that require finger dexterity.”
“If Na-me doesn’t play, I won’t play either.”
“Hey, buddy, you can’t do that; we have to finish what we’ve started!”
As I lay down on the bed, Yuna jumped up and attempted to dive onto me.
Just before she could cling to me, I wrapped the blanket around her face.
“Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!”
“Cheon Saetbyeol, what’s with all these blankets on the floor? And why did you bring two pillows?”
“Yuna and I will sleep here. Na-me, I made a spot for you in the center!”
“Why would I sleep on the floor when there’s a bed right there?”
Saetbyeol and Seo Yuna.
Both of them are notorious for talking in their sleep.
I can’t let them disturb my precious sleeping time.
“Whoo! Why did the shower take so long? I thought my neck would break waiting. If we’re not playing games, want to watch me dance?”
“She can really dance well. This picky Cheon Saetbyeol admits it, for real.”
“Really? Show me one. What song should I put on?”
“The escape high from NV Unnis!”
Oh, that song the kids love.
And this kid range isn’t limited to just Korea; I heard that song countless times in the United States too.
Of course, I mean that I’m getting sick of it, not that I dislike the song. I actually like it due to its catchy hook.
Along with the beat, Yuna lowered her head, wearing a serious expression.
An impactful intro starts with drums and vocals.
In sync with the speedy moombahton rhythm, Yuna moved her arms and legs sharply, dancing impressively.
“Whoa, that’s awesome!”
Her dance ended at the first verse and chorus, but it was enough to leave a strong impression.
“Hehe, that’s it for now.”
“Yuna, that was really good. When did you learn to dance like that?”
“After school. I signed up for a broadcasting dance class.”
“Nice, nice.”
“Na-me, look at this too. I collected this many photo cards from NV Unnis!”
She sure has a lot to show off.
Saetbyeol and I watched Yuna’s antics with warm smiles.
She was adorably chattering about who is who in the NV member lineup and each of their roles.
“By the way, NV was originally going to debut as a five-member group, but one member left right before debut. Don’t you think that’s so sad? If it were me, I’d regret it every single day for missing the chance to be in such a famous idol group.”
“Well, if we’re talking about Rika, I think she’s probably doing well.”
“Huh? Right! Rika! How did you know, Na-me?”
“The Unni who sat next to me earlier was Rika. Kariri. Seol Yoonseul.”
“…!”
Yuna’s eyes went wide, as if they were about to pop out.
Cheon Saetbyeol also scrunched her face in surprise.
“Our boss almost debuted in NV?”
“Yeah. You didn’t know?”
“I knew she was a trainee in the past, but I didn’t know it was for NV’s debut lineup. Ah, so that’s what happened with Che-na.”
Anyway, that group has quite a complicated history too.
One ran away before debut, and another committed suicide.
Then they switched to a major company and recruited new members, forming a four-member group. This time, they succeeded in making the entire group known.
Now they are officially one of the top-tier idols in university festivals.
I figured it was too early to tell Yuna about this, so I quietly looked at the pretty photo cards.
“I’m definitely going to NV Unni’s concert when I grow up.”
“When you become an adult? An idol’s lifespan is so short; will they still be around by then?”
Cheon Saetbyeol made a heart-crushing statement immediately.
Yuna’s eyes teared up, and she wore a gloomy expression.
Suddenly, I remembered something and rummaged through my email.
“Which agency did NV belong to again?”
“Blue Sun Entertainment.”
“I got an email from them. Want to check it out together?”
“Huh? Really? Did they ask Na-me to debut?”
“No way they’d say that to me. I think they asked for help shooting a music video in April, but I didn’t look at the details.”
“Na-me, let’s definitely go! We have to go!”
