In conclusion, the recovery of the Cheonghwa Sword was fully entrusted to the Samyeon Group.
It was a rather complicated process, requiring insurance due to crossing borders.
“Wouldn’t it be better to exhibit it at the Louvre Museum so more people can see it? Surely our Cheonghwa Sword would love to play in bigger waters…”
Upon hearing this, the eyes of the director of the Samyeon Art Museum sparkled like a tiger.
Unable to continue their sentence, they ended the video call.
And on the day I returned to Korea.
Various OTT platforms aired a documentary chronicling the journey of Love Unni and me at the National Exchange Tournament.
‘Tour de France’
As I soaked in warm water, I enjoyed the live broadcast.
[Is that it? A documentary. Annyeong annyeong.]
It captured the moment I first joined the national team.
I remember answering the PD’s questions as sincerely as I could.
However, contrary to expectations, there were no cool or mature responses to be found in the documentary at all.
[Would you like a lollipop?]
[Oh! How did you know I like candy? I can’t have these at home. You have to keep it a secret from my dad! squeaky squeak.]
“Tsk, what are these kids putting in?”
I pouted, grumbling.
But the reactions in the chat window were quite heated.
[Live Chat]
– Wow, so cute! Haha
– I’ll buy you a lot when you come to my aunt’s!
– Dad, please buy Nam-e a lot of candy!
– Father, reflect!
– Nam-e is getting prettier as she grows!
– Seriously too pretty and cute! 😭
[Thus, NoName will be recorded as the only player to have won at the National Exchange Tournament at the age of 10 years and 1 month!]
The match against Narita became a significant turning point, shaking off all public distrust.
[Are you really okay? If something goes wrong, it could lead to a fracture during the match.]
[We won’t forfeit.]
Just before the match against England, I suffered a sprained ankle, which was quite a hassle.
[100,000 people came to see my 30 minutes. Sorry, but I don’t want to waste 50,000 hours.]
Shortly after, a grand orchestral soundtrack played.
Splash—
“Ugh…”
As I read the chat responses, I felt embarrassed, hiding my face below the surface for a moment.
[Beyond challenges, beyond legends, a whirlwind challenging myths. South Korea’s NoName enters! Bow down! She is the true ruler of the training arena!]
The match against David Everett passed quickly.
Victory, victory, and once again, victory.
In the end, I defeated the United States, the birthplace of magic battles, breaking through the death I group, and Part 1 concluded.
[South Korea 64th round group stage joint results (NoName, Love Kim): 6 wins, 0 draws, 0 losses]
– Wowwwwwww!
– Seriously so cool! Hahaha
– That’s what I’m talking about!
– Invincible South Korea!!!
– Nam-e is truly a goddess!
– Maximum dopamine rush! Hahaha
– Love Kim was like a lion in the group stages!
“This is fun…”
Even knowing the results beforehand, my heart raced.
Round 32, Round 16, Round 8, and then the finals.
Unfortunately, Love Unni couldn’t advance to the finals as she was blocked by Emika.
I didn’t know much about what happened afterwards, but it was quite shocking that she burst into tears as if the world was collapsing.
On the opposite side, I defeated Argentina’s divine figure, leading to a historic Korea-Japan confrontation.
The scene where I mischievously teased Professor Cheon also made it into the documentary.
[Dad, what do you think about the finals?]
[Huh? What do you mean?]
[My daughter is going to get stabbed now. How do you feel watching your daughter pushed to the brink…]
“Hehe.”
Seeing Dad’s awkward expression made me laugh again.
Isn’t that just a reaction that comes out of love for me?
– Nam-e, you went out because you wanted to!
– Haha, you’re all crying! 😂
– This is the political skill honed by early training in LoL! 😱
– Seriously caught off guard! 😂
– Having a daughter like that would make every day so happy! 😭😭😭
– Wait, Adella…?
– Wahhhhhhhhhh!
– Is Adella out right now?
– What’s with Nam-e’s cuteness? Haha, adorable! 😊
– Your sister’s name was Saetbyeol, huh?
In the video, Saetbyeol sang with a clear voice.
Though it couldn’t compare to professional singers, her tone brought comfort and joy to listeners.
I hummed along, enjoying the serene atmosphere.
After appreciating every uplifting moment post-finals, two hours passed by in a flash.
I stared at my wrinkled fingers and toes, chuckling.
“Hehe, you guys have also worked hard during your water torture. I’ll let you out soon.”
*
Even though I returned to Korea, we weren’t given any time to unwind.
The very next morning, I led Saetbyeol to a nearby tax office.
In the capitalist world, the most important thing is money, money, and more money.
Since it was confirmed that Cheon Saetbyeol and Adella are the same person, any tax issues related to this needed the help of an expert.
“Still, when you’re in Korea, you should at least dye your hair. Silver hair attracts too much attention.”
“Hwaam I woke up early and now I’m feeling hungry. What should we eat for lunch?”
“If you don’t like black, how about blonde? There are often people with bleached blonde hair on the streets.”
“Today, I’m craving spicy stir-fried octopus. Would you like to join?”
We both spoke in a collective monologue, not even knowing why we were chatting, as we picked our queue number.
[Reception Number 009]
“Oh! It was worth coming early. It’s our turn right after!”
Gulp—
“Hmm…?”
Suddenly, the responsiveness of the officials processing claims sped up noticeably.
A competition broke out over who could finish their work faster.
And the outcomes ebbed and flowed in a nail-biting manner.
Ding Dong- [↙009]
Ding Dong- [↘010]
“Let’s go!”
“Ahhh! I can’t believe I missed the opportunity of a lifetime! Huh, sorry, sorry!”
We sat in front of the officials with victorious smiles on our faces.
The employee shivering in despair beside us didn’t hold much significance.
“Hello! What assistance do you need regarding taxes?”
Smiling—
It’s hard to find such friendly officials in any country.
Isn’t there a chance they misunderstand this as a solo fan meeting?
“I came to change the name for the tax declaration. Is it possible to correct or amend past income declarations?”
Saetbyeol handed over her ID nervously.
“Ah…! Um… wait… ugh, this is…”
The official found himself in the most awkward situation, facing an ‘unusual claim.’
It was complicated enough with legal issues that he ultimately sent a help signal to his superior.
“This is not something we can decide carelessly at our tax office, so could you wait a moment, please?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
“I’m truly sorry. But merging names isn’t difficult, so I’ll take care of that right away.”
It took quite some time before we got a confirmation.
“They seem to be reporting it all the way up the chain, haha…”
After about 30 minutes, we started small talk with the awkward official.
“I can’t believe the report. So, really, 210 billion…?”
“Yes, yes, yes. That sister of mine is nasty, wanting me to pay it back.”
“Of course you have to pay it back. And it’s interest-free too.”
“If it’s interest-free, then you’ll need to pay the gift tax…”
“Huh?”
“Ah, no! That was just a joke! Haha, it’s like a habit for me.”
None of it sounded like a joke.
After another 15 minutes, we managed to escape the suffocating tax office.
“I don’t think there will be any problem. Since related laws haven’t been established, applying similar legal principles seems a bit strained.”
“Anyway, thank you.”
“Please be careful! Always cheering for you, Nam-e…!”
“Phew, that really took a long time. Did you report it to the National Tax Agency Director or something?”
“It probably went even higher…?”
Swish—
We exchanged awkward glances with the officials.
It feels strangely unsettling.
*
For lunch, we decided to go eat the stir-fried octopus that Saetbyeol sang so much about.
However, considering my carnivorous appetite, the menu was slightly adjusted to stir-fried octopus with pork belly.
“But isn’t octopus also meat-eating?”
“Have you ever seen a lion eat octopus?”
“If you give it, wouldn’t it eat it…?”
“Did you see it?”
“No.”
“Right.”
We walked along Yangjae Stream heading toward the popular octopus place that Saetbyeol recommended.
The sweltering weather was 30 degrees and rising since the morning.
Even I, who doesn’t usually sweat much, had beads of perspiration forming on my forehead.
Finally, unable to endure, I circulated my aura to forcibly expel the heat.
“Saetbyeol, hold my hand. Isn’t it cool?”
“Oh! What did you do? It’s so cold!”
“Just don’t hug me.”
“Ah, it’s so refreshing!”
The park built alongside the stream was rather pretty.
It genuinely felt like I was on a trip to Korea.
As we wandered aimlessly, we soon arrived at our destination.
[Ogam Jjukkumi Dogok Branch 2F ↗]
“Is this it?”
“Yep. Sometimes when the school lunch is bad, we come all the way here to eat.”
“But it’s quite far from your school.”
“Yeah. So if you come, you have to cut class for the 4th period. Haha, why?”
“Nothing, let’s go in.”
While there were hardly any people by the stream, the moment we came up to the city, we attracted quite a bit of attention.
Still, it was manageable with about 10 to 20 people.
Once we went to the second floor, the restaurant lady greeted us warmly.
“Oh my! Isn’t that Saetbyeol?”
“Hello, unni! It seems business is still good these days?”
“Psh, it’s no big deal! I was so surprised when you were on television! You really… Oh, wait! Did you come with NoName? What brings you here?”
“We came to eat lunch. Saetbyeol said this place has delicious stir-fried octopus.”
“Really? Then please come inside! Isn’t it hot outside? I’ll turn up the air conditioning for you!”
And this was just the beginning of the meeting.
After taking off our shoes and entering the restaurant, six young boys and girls all stood up at once.
“Uh?”
“Uh!”
“No way, Cheon Saetbyeol! Wow, NoName is here too!”
“Ahhh! What’s this? What a coincidence to meet here!”
“What are you kids doing here?”
“We’re skipping self-study to have lunch—”
“Wow, I’m a fan of Nam-e! So cute…! Small and precious!”
“Hold on, everyone, stop!”
Saetbyeol organized the excited kids.
Then she went to the kitchen and brought back an old bell.
“What’s that?”
“This? Hehe, just watch.”
Ding-a-ling-ding—!
“Waaaaahh!”
Instantly, all the people in the restaurant erupted in applause and cheers.
“Today, lunch is on Nam-e unni! Everyone applaud!”
“What, what?”
“Wow, that looks delicious, kids. You’ve been eating this without me? Can I have just one bite?”
I ignored her completely as Cheon Saetbyeol dashed straight toward her friends.
