Chapter 27
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: You Weren't Joking?
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Yeon Jeong-suk and Han Mi-ra, and Seong Ye-rim, who had launched a preemptive strike by linking arms with Han Mi-ra.
Unable to watch the flustered Lee Ha-na any longer, Yeon Jeong-suk gestured, and Lee Ha-na shyly slipped in to join them.
And then Yu Han-seong and Writer Kim Seong-hui, who had rushed over shouting, "Whoa! A limo!" also squeezed themselves into the mix.
As spacious as the limousine's interior was, it was designed for six passengers; four would have been a comfortable number for moving around freely.
Yu-hyeon shot a look at Kim Seong-hui, as if to ask what this whole spectacle was about, bringing the CP along with her.
‘Shouldn’t you just take a taxi, Writer-nim? I called this for the ladies. Anyone else might not know, but you do.’
He didn't say it out loud, but his gaze conveyed his message perfectly. However, Seong-hui decided to shut her eyes and play dumb.
First-timers in Malta might be excited by the atmosphere, finding everything thrilling, but the drive to Camu's place would take at least an hour, possibly two. The traffic was a nightmare, and with the speed limits here, crawling like a turtle was the norm until the roads cleared up.
Since arriving in Malta, Seong-hui had been exclusively riding in Alain's taxis.
'I remember getting my taxi fare jacked up on the first day because I didn't know any better.'
She'd gotten an apology later, but the point was, she'd had enough of that experience.
There was no way she could endure that long ride supported only by a taxi's cushion.
‘My butt is precious!’
Yu Han-seong, who had scurried after Seong-hui, had also grown weary of the unique ride comfort while scouting filming locations.
He couldn't expect this kind of luxury every time, but he couldn't back down when the opportunity presented itself.
‘My butt is precious, too!’
In any case, with seven people now crammed inside, the limousine instantly felt as packed as a can of sardines.
Han Mi-ra, quick to read the room, patted Yu-hyeon's shoulder and spoke.
"Thanks to my nephew, I get to ride in a limousine."
"Not at all. This is how you should be treated, of course."
"I was wondering what we'd do, just the two of us feeling lonely, but it's nice having everyone together like this. Don't you think so, sis?"
"Yes. I like it too."
Yeon Jeong-suk nodded, looking perfectly content. To be honest, both Han Mi-ra and Yeon Jeong-suk were simply bewildered.
They hadn't been cast in any special roles. They were just ordinary supporting actors, yet they were receiving such excessive kindness.
Nicky, who had been watching from the driver's seat, asked cautiously.
"Camu. Should we get going?"
Though he wanted to kick out the extra baggage immediately, he couldn't spoil the mood when the two ladies wanted to travel like this.
"Alright. Let's go. Drive carefully."
"Ten years of accident-free limousine driving. I'll get you there safely."
Nicky closed the interior window connecting to the driver's seat and started the car.
As the pure white limousine took the lead, it was followed by the Lamborghini and then Alain's fleet of taxis.
The atmosphere inside the limo, which had briefly relaxed thanks to Han Mi-ra, once again grew strangely tense.
The two-person seat by the door where Yeon Jeong-suk and Han Mi-ra sat was less uncomfortable, but the long bench seat on one side, like those on a subway, was now overflowing, forcing everyone to sit packed tightly together.
The order was Yu-hyeon, Kim Seong-hui, CP Yu Han-seong, Lee Ha-na, and Seong Ye-rim. As fate would have it, the rivals Seong Ye-rim and Lee Ha-na ended up pressed together like sisters for the ride.
Just then, Yeon Jeong-suk spoke to Yu-hyeon in a warm voice.
"I noticed earlier that everyone calls you Camu. Is the name you told me your Korean name?"
At Yeon Jeong-suk's question, all eyes in the car turned to Yu-hyeon.
"Yes. They call me Camu here. It just so happens that the pension and the farm got the same name."
Han Mi-ra chimed in.
"Like how in Korea they'd call a place 'So-and-so's Snack Shop'?"
"Oh, you. Of all things to say, a snack shop?"
Yeon Jeong-suk shot her a look, chiding her for the less-than-glamorous comparison.
Yu-hyeon nodded with an awkward expression.
"But is there a special meaning to the name Camu? If you went to the trouble of creating a local name, I doubt you did it for no reason."
"Well, it's actually because of the pronunciation. As is the case everywhere, it seems it's hard to pronounce foreign names correctly."
"Pronunciation? The name Yu-hyeon..."
"From Kang Yu-hyeon, 'Kang Yu' became 'Camu.' People around here often have long names, so they tend to shorten them or use nicknames."
"Ah. Kang Yu-hyeon. Kang-yu-hyeon. Kang-yu. Something like that?"
"Yes. It was something along those lines, and 'Camu' ended up being the final stop. They just kept calling me whatever was convenient for them, and that became my name here."
"I see."
Yeon Jeong-suk nodded as if it were an amusing anecdote. Just then, Kim Seong-hui, who had been listening from the side, tilted her head and posed a question to Yu-hyeon.
"Um, Yu-hyeon... ssi?"
"You can call me Camu."
"I'll just stick with your Korean name."
She had been calling the pension 'Camu, Camu' this whole time, and it felt strange to attach that name to Yu-hyeon himself.
"Did you have something to say?"
"Oh, it's not that. It's about your father."
"My father?"
"Yes. Other people were calling him 'Don Karman!' And what the CP here said..."
"Ahem, Writer Kim. You shouldn't go around repeating what others say so carelessly."
Through the story of Camu's name, it seemed highly likely that "Don Karman" had come about through a similar process. He had spun a whole tale, bringing up all sorts of history, and now he was on the verge of being embarrassed.
"It's because of the 'Don,' isn't it?"
"Ahem. Well, yes. That's right. It's just that I've studied the history of the Mediterranean region."
Yu Han-seong insisted that he had merely been making an educated guess based on historical facts and had no other intention.
"What is your father's name?"
Han Mi-ra asked with a curious expression.
"Kang. With the characters for 'Man' and 'Dong.' Just like with my name, the local pronunciation... they called him 'Karman-dong.'"
"Kang Man-dong. Karman-dong. The pronunciation got twisted and warped."
"Haha. Yes. But, if you pronounce it a bit strongly, it becomes 'Karman-ttong,' which made my father furious. It might not matter to foreigners, but..."
"For a Korean, 'ttong' is... well, you know. Hahaha."
Han Mi-ra burst out laughing, saying it was a perfectly understandable reason to get angry.
Kim Seong-hui shot a glare at Yu Han-seong and then spoke to Yu-hyeon again.
"So. They were calling him 'Karman-don,' but your father didn't like it, so it became 'Don Karman,' is that it?"
"Yes. The farm workers started it as a half-joke, but then everyone started calling him that, and now it's basically his name."
"Wow, just as I thought. I knew it. CP-nim, don't you have something to say to me?"
"To Writer Kim? What would I have to say?"
"Playing dumb, are we? What was it you said? Something about how anyone writing a story set in the Mediterranean should have a firm grasp of the local history, and how the title 'Don' refers to a mafia boss!"
At the mention of the word "mafia" from Kim Seong-hui's lips, everyone's eyes went wide. Yu-hyeon met their gazes with a faint, wry smile.
"What kind of mafia grows grapes in a vineyard?"
"Right? That's what I said. Our owner would never be someone like that. There's absolutely no reason! But the CP said you never know, that I should be careful."
"I'm sorry. I was wrong. Mr. Camu, my apologies. I was just talking about the meaning the word carries."
"It's alright. It's an understandable mistake. But please, never mention it in front of my father. He's raised me all by himself, so he's surprisingly soft-hearted."
At Yu-hyeon's words, Seong-hui's expression turned slightly incredulous.
‘Excuse me. What does raising a son alone have to do with being soft-hearted? Didn't you say that no one who's a pushover could ever become the owner of Camu?’
Yu-hyeon completely ignored Seong-hui's look and immediately turned to sweet-talk Yeon Jeong-suk and Han Mi-ra.
"Ladies."
"Yes?"
"So, I was wondering, could I ask you a small favor?"
Striking while the iron was hot, Yu-hyeon seized the opportunity while his father was the topic of conversation and went to work.
"A favor?"
"Yes. As it happens, the topic came up, but I live alone with my father."
"You do? And?"
"Since it's just two men living together... the atmosphere is a bit bleak. And since my father has no one to talk to but me, he seems a little depressed sometimes."
".....?"
Yeon Jeong-suk and Han Mi-ra wore expressions that said, "Oh? And so what?"
"While you're staying at Camu, would you be willing to stop by the main house from time to time to chat with my father? Maybe tell him some stories about Korea?"
"Us?"
"Yes. It's been a while since he's spoken Korean or met people from Korea. I thought talking about home might cheer him up a bit. It's been over eleven years since he left Korea, so I think he might be a little homesick, too."
At Yu-hyeon's explanation, Yeon Jeong-suk and Han Mi-ra looked at each other.
‘Doesn’t this feel like he’s asking us to pay for the limousine ride?’
‘Sis. This is why they say there's no such thing as a free lunch.’
‘But what Yu-hyeon said does make some sense. If it were me, raising a child alone in a foreign land for over a decade...’
‘Anyone would get depressed.’
The two exchanged playful glances before turning back to Yu-hyeon.
"Yu-hyeon."
"Yes, ma'am."
"What's so difficult about that? We don't mind, but if your father feels uncomfortable..."
"Oh, please don't worry about that. With such beautiful and wonderful ladies paying him a visit, there's no way that would happen. Don't worry, and please come by often. Oh, right."
Yu-hyeon snapped his fingers as if he'd just remembered something.
"If you come to the main house, you can have a proper meal. My father was an incredible chef back in Korea. Plus, he has a collection of coffees from different regions, as well as various flower teas that he picked and dried himself. So please, don't feel burdened and be sure to visit."
At Yu-hyeon's earnest tone, Han Mi-ra let out a soft laugh.
"Yu-hyeon."
"Yes, ma'am."
Yu-hyeon had already dropped the honorific from the end of the title.
"Be honest with me."
"About what..."
"Are you just asking us to come over and visit, or are you asking us to get 'close' with your father?"
"...."
Yu-hyeon was momentarily speechless at Han Mi-ra's blunt, direct question.
"You little rascal. Look how sly you are."
"That's... it's not like that. I didn't have any other intentions."
Han Mi-ra patted Yu-hyeon's shoulder as she spoke.
"It's okay. It's just admirable to see a son thinking of his father like this. Gosh, I don't know what I've been doing all my life. I should have gotten married sooner and had a fine, handsome, and dutiful son like you."
As Yu-hyeon wore another awkward expression, Han Mi-ra landed another strike.
"Sis. This is a blind date, isn't it?"
"Yes. It looks that way to me, too. But, you know, no matter how old I get, I'm still a woman, Yu-hyeon."
"Huh? Yes."
Yu-hyeon's head was spinning from the constant fastballs the two women were throwing at him. He had never expected the conversation to unfold this way.
It was a mistake born from not knowing just how formidable middle-aged women who had weathered every storm in the cutthroat entertainment industry could be.
"Still, a two-on-one blind date is a bit much."
At Yeon Jeong-suk's words, Yu-hyeon's face showed a flash of realization.
"I'm so sorry. I'm inexperienced, so I wasn't thinking clearly! I'll prepare a proper one-on-one blind date!"
As Yu-hyeon bowed his head in a declaration of surrender, Yeon Jeong-suk and Han Mi-ra's eyes widened for a different reason.
They had said it half in jest because they found his actions cute, but Yu-hyeon had taken their words so seriously.
‘Sis. What is this? This blind date thing... it seems like he's for real.’
‘Oh, my. What is happening? I just said that for a laugh.’
The other passengers, who had been watching the exchange between Yu-hyeon and the two women in a daze, were dumbfounded in their own right.
‘Writer Kim. What is going on right now?’
‘What? I don't know either!’
‘If you don't know, who does! Tell me the truth. Is there something I don't know? Right. Of course. That's why people with rotten personalities were absolutely forbidden from being cast... no. Wait a minute.’
Yu Han-seong glanced at Yu-hyeon with a look of dawning horror.
‘Writer Kim. Could it be...’
‘I don't know. I told you I don't know!’
Kim Seong-hui shook her head repeatedly with a troubled expression.
Seriously! If you're going to scheme, at least do it quietly where we can't see you!
Professor-nim, what do you think you're doing!
Who's going to take responsibility if weird rumors start spreading before we even start filming