Chapter 195
Chapter 195
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 195
Chapter Title: Festival
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This massive building wasn't entirely an aquarium.
At its core, it was a facility packed with exhibition halls, but it also clustered together all sorts of conveniences and amusements—department stores, restaurants, a movie theater, you name it.
Since they'd decided to make the most of the day here, Siwoo headed straight to a restaurant for lunch.
"Hoo... that was delicious."
"Assistant, I'm so full I can barely walk. Could you carry me?"
"I'll give you a piggyback ride when we get home, so walk for now."
"What? Me too, then!"
"Yes, Odile, you get a number ticket too."
Todays lunch had been kimchi jjim.
The twins had thrown a huge fuss about wanting to try food from the assistants hometown, so thats what they went with.
Hed picked it half-heartedly since nothing else came to mind, worrying it might not suit their tastes—but those concerns turned out unfounded.
After all, the three of them had devoured nearly eight servings.
"Wasnt it too spicy?"
"Not at all? It was salty, but pairing it with the dongchimi made it fine."
"I loved that chewy pork belly. Oh, and the kimchi soup with oysters!"
"I was a bit worried it wouldnt be to your liking, but Im glad."
Truly, kimchi—an international Korean traditional food.
Watching it instantly win over the refined palates of these elegant twins filled him with a surge of national pride.
Hed even hand-shredded the kimchi for the twins, who werent adept with chopsticks, and they ate it up so eagerly it felt like feeding baby birds begging nonstop for more.
Next, each with an ice cream from Baskin-Robbins in hand, they headed to the bustling arcade, alive with the clamor of game sounds and music.
For the twins, experiencing this atmosphere for the first time, the arcade was another world entirely—different from the aquarium, but just as wondrous.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa... what is all this?"
"Artifacts... everywhere...!"
The twins shoved their remaining ice cream into their mouths in big bites (the ice cream had gotten middling reviews, for the record) and scampered off.
They were too busy peering at screens streaming game footage and machines loaded with bizarre gimmicks.
"Assistant! Look at this! Its spinning round and round!"
"Assistant! Check this out! Its sparkling! Dolls? So many dolls?"
They seemed even more thrilled than at the aquarium...
The twins couldnt contain their excitement, jumping in place and bouncing around.
They moved so frenetically that Siwoo worried theyd vanish if he looked away for a second.
He exchanged three ten-thousand-won bills for game cards.
"Anything youd like to play?"
"Whats all this? What can you do with them?"
"Its a kind of amusement."
"Like... chess or duck hunting?"
"Well..."
Explaining video games to twins who didnt even understand electricity was a puzzle he couldnt quite solve.
Thankfully, their attention quickly shifted to the machines.
Odile zeroed in on a Wild West-themed gun shooter with a rifle-shaped controller, while Odette gravitated toward the pink, cutesy claw machine.
"I wanna try this. Tell me how."
"Want to give it a go? Step on this pedal to take cover. Aim at targets on screen and shoot. Pull the trigger to fire, same as always... Lets see, reloading is by shaking the gun."
"Ill try. Feels doable."
Odile listened intently, then aimed at the screen.
While Odile ran through the tutorial, Odette came scampering back, tugging Siwoos wrist.
"Assistant! Assistant! I wanna try this. How do you get the dolls?"
They stood before a claw machine piled high with plush toys like a mountain.
Words wouldnt cut it; he gave a quick demo.
"You work this lever like so, press the button, and the claw drops to grab one."
"Ah! So close! Almost had it..."
Whether due to their youth or sharp minds, they picked it up lightning-fast.
Odette seized the lever right away, zeroing in on the bunny shed been eyeing.
Shed fawned extra over the rabbits at the aquarium too, even buying bunny pajamas...
Not sure if she knew rabbit meat was tasty.
A memory surfaced unbidden: rabbit stew hed eaten long ago on a trip to the countryside with his father.
"...Brother Siwoo."
Siwoo stayed close to Odette, keeping Odile in sight to prevent her from wandering off.
Odette, targeting that rabbit which the rigged claw could never hope to snag, suddenly called to him.
Shed used brother' for once, figuring Odile wouldnt hear.
The title shifted when they were alone.
Felt oddly like sneaking around as an adulterous couple.
"Yes, Lady Odette."
"Just felt like calling you. We made a new title yesterday for once, but I havent gotten to use it, so I was bummed."
"I see."
"Yeah. Thanks to you, Brother, Ive had so many fun new experiences. Im grateful."
"Im the one living luxuriously thanks to the Gemernai family, so this is the least I can do."
"Thats just the result of your own good deeds, Assistant."
Siwoo found Odettes demeanor utterly adorable and patted her head.
Odette, laser-focused on the bunny, hadnt seen it coming and jolted, slamming the claw down in the wrong spot.
Soon, the attempt counter ticked from 50 to 0, the final claw dangling futilely over the prize chute.
Unfortunately, despite burning through the full game card Siwoo had loaded, Odette snagged not a single doll.
-Ding ding ding!
The electronic game-over chime.
Odettes shoulders quivered as she shot Siwoo an indignant glare.
Shed started for fun, but now her competitive streak had kicked in.
"This is ridiculous! I swear I grabbed it right! I calculated all five rotation patterns as the claw descended! I nailed the head, but it wouldnt budge, let alone lift the bunny! This is a scam!"
"Haha..."
Even to Siwoo, it looked fishy.
Hed figured the buried positioning made it tough, but this was excessive.
Odette swallowed her frustration and asked Siwoo,
"Can I use magic? Just a tiny bit of telekinesis."
"Of course not. Thats not how this game works. Want me to give it a shot?"
"No! This is my fight!"
"Alright, Ill top up the card. Hang on."
"Okay, Ill review more scenarios."
Odette pursed her lips determinedly, huffing, while Siwoo stepped away to recharge—spotting Odile still glued to her machine.
"Huh?"
Come to think of it, quite some time had passed.
Siwoo glanced at the screen blasting screams and explosions.
In the game, Odile embodied a Wild West outlaw.
Her gun barrel chased foes like a beam of light, trigger yanked relentlessly.
Tracking shots following enemies, snap flick-shots—every one of ten bullets landed clean hits.
Sudden obstacles were no exception.
She deftly shouldered, aimed, and detonated five grenades mid-air in a flash.
Even hordes spawning from all sides: pedal clicks for cover, gun shakes to reload, then swept clean in seconds.
"What in the..."
Siwoo, being a guy, had played these shooters before.
Most were built for two players; solo, he couldnt recall clearing even stage two boss.
As Siwoo watched her mad movie reel, Odile one-coined the final hidden boss, tilted her head, and noticed him.
"Huh? Assistant, how long you been watching?"
"Whoa, youre amazing."
"Huh? What?"
"First time on a game like this. I could never get past stage two."
"Im always confident in shooting. Odette could do this too. But its kinda boring. Enemies shatter unrealistically on hit, and the gunshots are obnoxiously loud and fake. Still, good experience! Anything else? I could handle something harder."
Despite her words, Odiles shoulders perked up at Siwoos praise, nose in the air.
The real Odile wouldve spared the games flaws out of consideration for Siwoos efforts in bringing them—making her gripes obviously feigned.
She was trying way too hard to play it cool.
Suppressing a laugh, Siwoo suggested a game they could all play together for once.
"Sounds good. Lets check out more. That ones pretty fun."
"Yeah?"
"Assistaaaant! I got it!!!"
Right on cue, Odette bounded over, beaming with the bunny held triumphantly aloft.
Next up was air hockey.
Even in a rundown arcade, it claimed a spot for couples.
After an exhilarating league match...
Odette didnt win once and became todays pack mule.
2.
"........."
"Odette, why the long face?"
"........."
"No big deal, right? I always beat you at new games."
"........."
"Youre not seriously refusing to accept the results?"
Squish.
On the department store escalator ride up side-by-side, the bunny in Odettes grip crumpled slightly.
Unable to stand it, Siwoo intervened.
"Lady Odile, enough teasing. Lady Odette, dont take it to heart. Your opponents me, after all?"
Even Siwoo, whod sided with her expectations, piled on—snapping Odettes patience.
"Eeeeek! Youre all meanies! Dont talk to me, Sis! I wanna go home! Take me back!"
"Just kidding, kidding."
Siwoo soothed the tantrum-brewing Odette.
They were en route to the womens clothing section to cap the day with shopping.
The twins adapted remarkably.
From marveling at elevators to now standing calmly on the escalator as if routine.
Using the black card from Countess Gemernai, they bought plenty to satisfy the twins before heading home.
Afterward, hed unveil the famed Shin Siwoo officetel specialty: the Delivery Food Parade that even charmed Ms. Sharon.
The twins seemed to fancy local cuisine, save desserts.
"This is intriguing. Stairs that move on their own—space magic?"
"No, its like a belt. Loops around, going down one side, up the other. No magic."
"Hmm, I see."
Elevator wouldve been fine, but to let them sightsee the whole store, they took the escalator up.
Siwoo caught a hubbub.
Department stores werent quiet to begin with, but this was unusually rowdy.
Amazement, excitement—hard to pin down the crowds murmurs.
Mid-ascent...
Something odd near the opposite ceiling pinged the twins hyper-sensitive curiosity.
Odile and Odette pressed to the handrail, pointing at the object floating leisurely in midair.
"Assistant, whats that?"
"Hey! Thats like the one from the aquarium! Piranha? Pirana? That thing!"
"Its huge! Taxi-sized?"
Siwoo followed their fingers and gaped.
"Huh?"
There floated a bizarre creature, fins lazily flapping as if swimming through air.
Flat, broad body.
Spear-like teeth jutting too sharp to close its mouth.
Eyeballs rolling in sockets that gave no hint of direction.
The murmurs from below were people whipping out phones to snap pics and chatter over the piranha.
Makes sense—no normal department store would have that thing.
The leisurely-floating piranha flapped slowly downward, approaching the photo-snapping gawkers.
"Kyaa! Whats this? So gross."
"Some event?"
"Hologram? Hey, film it, film it!"
"Yo, Kyung-seong! Still in the bathroom? Hurry, theres something insane here."
Shielded by civilization and order, had their primal danger sense atrophied?
Unlike monster flicks, no one fled screaming at the monster.
They just observed and tolerated it within their everyday norms, deeming it curious.
"Run away!"
Siwoos booming shout.
"Huh?"
Simultaneously, the gaping piranha maw lunged, chomping the upper body of a student holding his camera close.
The festival had begun.