Yoon Si-hoo’s mother, Kim Seo-hee, sat on the hotel bed with bleary eyes, watching the news.
All over the world, it seemed there were only stories about Na-me.
The matches Na-me had participated in had become legendary, and every move she made was under the media’s scrutiny.
Moreover, it was reported that she had accidentally apprehended a criminal on the run yesterday, which made it hard for her to suppress a wry smile.
When did Kim Seo-hee start to feel displeased with No-Na-me?
If she had to pinpoint it, it was probably when the transfer student with an unclear background came and stole Si-hoo’s top spot.
But No-Na-me soared so high that she couldn’t even be considered Si-hoo’s competitor, prompting her to make the choice to promote Si-hoo a grade early, hoping to forge some friendship while avoiding direct competition.
When Na-me was being criticized by the entire country, she took the lead in shaping public opinion on the mom cafe.
When she had the support of parents nationwide, she felt a rush of euphoria.
“Looking back, I was intoxicated by a power that was really nothing.”
Ding-dong-
“I’m home! Mom, how’s your leg?”
“Si-hoo, I brought home your favorite handmade macarons. Come and have a bite.”
Si-hoo and his father had just returned from a leisurely stroll along the Seine, leaving his mother alone in the room.
Kim Seo-hee showed off her swollen leg like a dumpling.
She was too embarrassed to tell anyone she was aching because a 10-year-old had kicked her.
“My leg looks like this! How can I go out?”
“Aigoo, if you say your leg hurts, I’ll have to rush over to you.”
“Si-hoo, did you memorize your runes and sleep last night?”
“Yes, I did! I even finished today’s homework ahead of time.”
“Really? Mom will check it later?”
“What kind of studying can be done while traveling in Europe? Just let it be.”
“Summer vacation is such an important time! Do you know how hard it is to catch up once you fall behind at the academy? Plus, Si-hoo, your Magic Studies grades were below 10th last finals.”
Kim Seo-hee was squawking.
His father listened as usual with one ear, while Si-hoo timidly climbed onto the bed.
He cast a heat transfer spell on his bruised calf.
“Are you trying to give me an ice pack? Thanks, our little good son.”
“Mom, speaking of the academy…”
“Huh?”
“I plan to attend 5th grade again next year. I’ve already talked to Dad about it.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Si-hoo bit down hard on his molars and mustered his courage.
“I’m ambitious like you, Mom, and I want to do well. I’m not satisfied with being 10th in the whole school. But it’s not that I can’t study! If I hadn’t skipped a grade, I’d still be 1st.”
“Yoon Si-hoo, what you’re saying is that you’re willing to lower your standards. You are—”
“Si-hoo’s mom, let him finish.”
For the first time, Si-hoo’s father sided with him.
Si-hoo held back his emotions and spoke up.
“Umm… and more than anything, it’s hard because I don’t have any friends… During performance assessments, my classmates don’t let me join their group, and I always do my homework alone.”
“Si-hoo, are you by any chance being bullied? If that were the case, you should have told me earlier! What kind of mentally challenged teachers are these?”
“What would talking to a teacher change? Do you think my classmates would see me as a friend?”
“I can’t understand. Are you throwing a tantrum because you want to go to the academy with Seo Yu-na? Be honest, aren’t I right?”
“What’s wrong with that? I think it’s you who doesn’t understand. Did you really think I wouldn’t notice you looking down on Yu-na’s family, thinking they’re poor and not worth much?”
“When did I ever say that?”
“You surely did. You said it would be hard to marry into such a family. Hmph, you were poor too.”
“Yoon Si-hoo, what are you saying!”
Ignoring a riled-up Kim Seo-hee, Yoon Si-hoo started stuffing his clothes into a carrier.
“I’ll stay with Maru-hyung and No-eul-hyung until you give me permission, Mom. Don’t even think about calling me before that.”
Bang!
With a defiant slam of the door, Si-hoo made his exit.
Kim Seo-hee grasped her neck and shouted at her husband.
“What the hell are you doing? Go bring Si-hoo back!”
“It’s okay; No-eul is downstairs in the lobby to pick him up. He just wants to feel like it’s honeymoon time again after putting up with ten years of work and raising kids.”
“Your son just called his mom poor, and you’re talking about feeling at ease?”
“That just means his self-made mom is impressive. Seriously, I wish for a child who respects their parents. It’s not easy, you know? Hahaha.”
Kim Seo-hee was even more irritated because her husband wasn’t joking but being 100% sincere.
She stared blankly at the door through which Si-hoo had dashed out, lost in thought.
“Coming all the way to France for a hotel vacation… What a waste of money.”
*
“Ugh, I can’t breathe…”
My breath was coming short, and my chest felt tight.
It felt like something was squeezing my body tightly.
If I was being kidnapped, I would have known.
I struggled to lift what felt like the heaviest eyelids in the world.
Blink, blink
Two moist lumps filled my vision.
I quickly turned my gaze to the side.
A damp pillow.
It smelled a bit weird.
“Ahhh!”
I pushed away Cheon Saetbyeol, who was gripping me like a dakimakura.
“What the heck!”
Thud!
Saetbyeol rolled off the bed.
She groaned and clutched her waist as she sat up with a frown.
“Geez, why are you like this early in the morning… Did you have a nightmare?”
I pulled out a tissue and dabbed my wet forehead and hair.
“Sniff sniff Ah, gross…”
It was clear she had drooled on me.
I pointed silently at the tissue, applying pressure.
Embarrassed, Saetbyeol wiped her mouth with her sleeve.
“How can you drool while sleeping? That’s just too much. My drool is clean!”
“When did you crawl into my bed again? I told you to sleep over there!”
“I couldn’t take it; you were being too noisy! If I didn’t do this, you’d throw another fit!”
“When have I ever—”
I glanced at the messed-up bed cover.
How did it get stuck in between the mattress so tightly?
“I knew this would happen, so I filmed everything in the dead of night. If I hadn’t documented it, I would have died of injustice.”
The video Saetbyeol sent was shocking.
[Σ∯Σ 🜂∯%‡🜃 †ΦΨ⊛Λ ΣΦ]
“I almost lost my mind when you mumbled in alien language at 4 AM. I thought a ghost was possessing you; it was so scary.”
And that wasn’t the end of the video.
I groped around until I found the remote control, hugging it tightly.
Then I wielded the remote like a sword, swinging it around.
[Fuh-huk, she’s going off.]
Because of one line from Saetbyeol in the video, I couldn’t bear to look up.
Then, losing my grip, the remote flew through the air.
Thwack!
[Ahhh! How did this fly straight at me? Was that sleep talking? Was it intentional?]
[Ugh…]
It must have hit her right in the forehead, as she showed me a clear mark left by the remote.
“I’m sorry. I must have been really tired lately. Maybe many battles lately are making me more noisy?”
“After being held, you were quiet afterward. Haaah, come on now! You’re ten years old; you should act your age.”
As she found another way to tease me, I clutched my aching head and checked the time.
“Wait, it’s already 1 PM?”
I had overslept past lunchtime.
I had almost slept for 12 hours straight.
I immediately turned on my phone to see if I received any messages.
The most important was from Professor Cheon.
[Dad (3)]
Three messages? That’s a bit ambiguous.
[Dad: Na-me, are you awake?]
[Dad: I’m at the Korean Mart now; if there’s anything you want to eat, let me know.]
[Dad: Our daughter, always fighting through training~~]
“Phew…”
I wiped my startled chest.
It seemed he didn’t know about what had happened at the restaurant yesterday.
It also seemed Si-hoo had worked things out well with the incident.
It looked like he was enjoying a picnic at So Park with Yuna’s family.
[윤시후: (Tuna Gimbap.jpg)]
[윤시후: (Group Photo.jpg)]
[노나메: Is it good?]
[윤시후: It’s refreshing.]
[노나메: It’s refreshing, but outside is boiling hot.]
Are they really eating tuna gimbap all the way in France?
Still, it seemed that Yuna’s mother was quite skilled at cooking.
Gurgle-
A thunderous sound came from my small stomach.
At the sound, Saetbyeol poked her face in.
“Aren’t you hungry now?”
“Yeah, a little?”
“I bought frozen lasagna and frozen beef potato pie from Pikamart yesterday! Let’s share half.”
“Oh great! I was too lazy to go out today.”
“Hehe, having a staycation with Na-me is truly a luxury!”
While Saetbyeol dashed off to the kitchen, I opened the window leading to the balcony wide.
I struggled to move the low round dining table to the center of the sunbed.
“Ta-da! Smells amazing!”
“Hey! What are you holding in your hand?”
I couldn’t hide my surprise as I pointed at the cylindrical object in her hand.
That shiny thing that made a refreshing sound when tapped with a fingernail…
“What do you think it is, beer! In France, you can buy it when you turn 16.”
Pshhh-
The smell of alcohol tickled my nose.
“Saetbyeol, can I at least smell it?”
“One sip and I’ll tell Dad!”
“Okay, okay. Huuhhh… Haaah…”
I enhanced my senses with aura.
I took a bite of the hot potato pie, which was deliciously mouthwatering.
“My goodness…”
Steam wafted from my mouth as I inhaled.
Saetbyeol laughed and chugged the beer.
“Whooaa! This tastes good!”
A clean shot.
In less than a minute, her face turned bright red.
“You’re surprisingly weak with alcohol.”
“Really? This is my first time drinking! Except for virtual reality.”
“What a bad habit to start drinking in the afternoon.”
Shaking my head, we enjoyed lunch together.
There was a mishap when Saetbyeol dropped her fork, and when I brought a newly washed fork, I dropped it too, but it was fine.
Today, we had plenty of time.
With a flush of alcohol, Saetbyeol gazed at her phone with slightly blurred eyes.
“Na-me.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you know I’m graduating from being a virtual YouTuber?”
A seemingly casual question.
Graduating basically meant quitting streaming.
“No, I had no idea. You graduated?”
“No, not yet. I’m going to soon. It’s still a secret to my viewers.”
“Why?”
I asked back with a serious expression.
Wasn’t Saetbyeol someone who loved streaming more than anyone?
“What did Yoon-seul say?”
“I’ve spoken with Kariri. The 2nd generation is settling down well. Ni-el unni is collaborating with a big agency right now. She’s doing great! Even if I leave, Safari Dream will be fine.”
“Are you leaving voluntarily?”
“Yeah. I’ll be a senior next year, you know? It’s tough balancing school and streaming. I’ve grown tired of lying to my viewers.”
I thought to myself if she was drinking just to say that.
‘So it’s the latter…’
In the past, Saetbyeol had shared a similar worry with me.
On days off, she had to come up with plausible excuses and some viewers would say ridiculous things like she wasn’t even human.
It felt sudden, but deep down I sensed it would happen someday.
“You must feel mixed emotions.”
“Right? I’ll still have a place among big corporations. I think there will be many who’ll cry when I leave.”
“Do you plan to stream again someday?”
“I mean, I want to, but… it might not be easy! Not if I’m not a virtual YouTuber.”
She sighed and lay back on the sunbed, interlacing her fingers behind her head.
She seemed to have a lot on her mind.
If she chose a suitable vocation and lived life, it wouldn’t be a problem.
But if her dream of becoming a celebrity and gaining fame was to become reality, then the day would certainly come when she’d have to reveal the truth of her past.
I poked her cheek as she sunbathed with her eyes closed.
“Cheon Saetbyeol.”
“Ahh, that tickles.”
“Ade-la.”
“Huh? What is it?”
“If you ever want to reveal the truth, you can do so anytime.”
“…”
“You’ve gained the strength to protect it now.”
*
A few hours later, Professor Cheon called me urgently.
[Na-me! Where are you and what are you doing?]
His voice sounded slightly angry.
I straightened up in surprise and answered the phone.
“I’m just resting at the hotel with Saetbyeol. Is something wrong…?”
Please tell me he didn’t hear about me kicking Si-hoo’s mom yesterday.
That would be a problem.
[No-Na-me. Have you been drinking?]
What a bizarre thing to say.
“No, only Saetbyeol drank.”
[You didn’t touch it at all, right?]
“I only smelled it a little…? I really didn’t drink even a sip! I swear!”
Professor Cheon sent me a link to an article.
[No-Na-me, drinking controversy during the National Exchange Tournament… The Korea National Team is ‘finding the truth.’]
There was a photo of me sipping from a beer on the balcony.
Wow, the angle makes it look like I’m really drinking.
My heart sank for a moment, but then I let out a sigh of relief.
“Thank goodness. If I had really drunk, that would’ve been a disaster…”
[What did you say?]
“Oh, it’s nothing, Dad.”
