Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: The Wild Filly of Okinawa
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"It's especially hot today. On a day like this, I could just dive into the ocean."
When Jihoon had crossed from Korea to Japan, he was dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt, but by now his outfit had changed to a short-sleeved shirt.
It was something he'd hastily bought and put on in downtown Naha due to the unexpected trip to Okinawa.
Walking beside him, hand in hand, was Yeonwoo, wearing the exact same short-sleeved shirt as his dad, as they strolled through downtown Naha.
"Yeonwoo, what should we eat?"
"Lunch should be soba."
"You think so?"
Okinawa soba was unique to the island, made from wheat flour rather than buckwheat flour like the mainland Japanese version.
Its flavor was an exotic mix of Japanese, Chinese, and Southeast Asian tastes that could be polarizing for the uninitiated, but Yeonwoo ate it with gusto.
The father and son returned to the soba shop they'd visited just a couple of days ago, sat side by side, devoured their bowls in a flash, then stopped by a supermarket to grab some simple snacks before heading back to their lodging.
"Grandma!"
Heo Ok was lying down in the lodging.
"Mom, I got some food. Here, eat up."
When Jihoon laid out the snacks he'd bought from the supermarket, Heo Ok struggled to sit up.
"Catching a cold in this weather... You're both suffering because of me."
"No suffering at all. Yeonwoo and I are having a great time sightseeing in Okinawa, just the two of us."
Heo Ok gave a feeble smile at Jihoon's words and rose to sit at the table.
"Mom, everything here's so cheap. Okinawa prices are amazing."
"I see. What did you have for lunch?"
At Heo Ok's question, Yeonwoo shot his hand up and declared.
"Okinawa soba!"
"The place from the other day...? Did you like it?"
"Yeah, it was delicious."
Yeonwoo grinned and began chattering away next to his grandma.
Heo Ok smiled at him as she barely managed to eat some food.
Watching the pair, Jihoon spoke up.
"By the way, where did the old man go?"
"Who knows... He said he'd bring her, so he's probably gone to pick her up."
"Even so, it's taking too long..."
Ding.
Just then, the sound of the front door opening came from the entrance.
"Can't make it as a gentleman, that old coot."
"Haha, yeah."
Shunji entered the lodging with a weary face and gulped down tap water straight from the faucet at the sink.
"You're too old to be without any sense—where'd you leave your cup?"
Heo Ok spoke in English, thinking of her son, and Shunji wiped his mouth before replying.
"You're a scholar who cares about face, but I'm a samurai who doesn't sweat that stuff."
With that, Shunji irritably plopped down in a seat.
"Didn't find her?"
Jihoon asked, and Shunji shook his head.
"I did."
"And?"
"That damn kid said if he needs her, have her come herself."
At that, Heo Ok asked, puzzled.
"So you went yourself, right?"
"He asked if I was the producer who'd make him a singer. I said no, there's a separate producer, and he told me to have her come."
Heo Ok laughed at that.
"Quite the bold one."
"Not bold—arrogant punk."
At Shunji's words, Heo Ok reminisced about the old days.
"In America, guys like that get recognition and succeed. Didn't we both make it that way?"
"This is Japan, Jade."
"And Okinawa too. The one place where more people than anywhere pronounce McDonald's correctly."
"Oh, that kid had an American vibe too, so... Wait. Come to think of it, even for an Okinawan, she felt kinda Western."
As Shunji rubbed his chin, Yeonwoo approached his grandma and asked what was going on.
Having heard the story from Heo Ok, Yeonwoo went to Shunji, placed his hand on Shunji's massive pot-lid palm, and said.
"Grandpa, let's go."
"Huh?"
"Let's check it out. I'm curious what kind of person she is."
At that, Shunji replied.
"What if that punk goes blabbing about your identity?"
Heo Ok answered in Yeonwoo's place.
"You can handle that much, can't you?"
"Urgh... Fine, wait here."
Before Heo Ok and Yeonwoo, Shunji wasn't the Demon King.
He was just a long-legged old man.
* * *
Now a second-year high schooler at 17, Jinen Yuri had an unusual family background.
Her grandfather was American, her grandmother Ryukyuan, her father mixed, and her mother Korean.
There couldn't be many in Okinawa with such a mishmash of origins.
But she didn't care.
If anything, she embraced the mindset that no one was freer than her, with all those influences blended.
Her dream was to head to the mainland—specifically, to become a singer there.
But there were plenty of obstacles.
Starting with her family.
Her grandma called the mainland a land of beasts who invaded their country and forbade her from going, while her dad said mainlanders were two-faced backstabbers and opposed it.
Mom, being Korean, insisted she focus on studying.
The only one not opposing was her bedridden grandfather, whose health was failing.
Her grandfather had been in the U.S. military.
In his youth, he'd fallen for grandma at first sight and settled in Okinawa after discharge.
That grandfather's original dream? Singer.
Before becoming a soldier, he'd been a pub singer wandering from bar to bar.
"Grandpa, some agency called JOP came scouting me today. Ever heard of Datemura Shunji? He's huge in Japan."
"...Is that... so."
Yuri's grandfather spoke in a weak voice as he gazed lovingly at his granddaughter.
Yuri met his eyes and continued.
"But he was kinda cocky. Talking like I'd obviously join his agency? Said some amazing producer named Yuin would develop me."
"Y... Yuin...!"
A spark suddenly lit in her grandfather's eyes.
Seeing that, Yuri smiled.
Truth be told, she knew who Datemura Shunji was. How could she not?
For such a big shot to scout her after seeing a casual short she posted with friends and come all this way.
She was thrilled inside, nearly screaming, but she didn't want to seem easy, so she'd played hard to get.
And what he'd said?
"The one who'll make you a singer is Yuin. Know her? The one and only Yuin."
The moment she heard that, her grandfather came to mind.
Before being a soldier, he'd been a jazz singer.
Now, having forgotten his dreams and youth, waiting for death, her grandfather was a fan of Uesugi Himari.
And after hearing her latest album, he'd become a Yuin fan.
"That was... the most fantastical swing of my life."
Even as he lay listless, awaiting death, his eyes had come alive.
Seeing that, Yuri wanted to let him meet Yuin.
Sure, Shunji might dismiss him as a cocky kid, but wasn't it worth the gamble?
If Shunji approved, she figured she could break into the mainland as a singer through some path eventually.
"I told him if he wants to make me a singer, bring Yuin. Grandpa, we might get to see her."
"I see..."
"Got anything you wanna say if you meet Yuin? Ask her to play for you right there?"
At that, her grandfather's eyes sparkled unusually as he gave a mischievous grin.
"It's a secret."
"...Ugh, what? You gotta tell me, Grandpa!!"
Her grandfather just laughed and said nothing.
* * *
The next day.
Shunji, Heo Ok, and Yeonwoo rode in the car Jihoon was driving.
Yeonwoo looked worriedly at his grandma and asked.
"Grandma, you okay?"
"Yeah, a good night's rest and I'm all better."
Yeonwoo still looked concerned, but Heo Ok smiled warmly and stroked his head.
Meanwhile, the car navigated through narrow alleys.
"Whew, tight. Japanese alleys are narrow, huh?"
"Don't overthink it. Pretend the parked cars on both sides are Korean-style. This isn't a rental—it's our company car. If there's an accident, the company handles it, so drive easy."
At Shunji's words, Jihoon let out an "Ah" of realization and drove more relaxed toward their destination.
After weaving through alleys, they arrived at what looked like a rundown hospital.
"Why do all the buildings in Okinawa look like this? Peeling exterior paint and all?"
"Who knows? Typhoons probably. Not sure."
Parking in the hospital lot, the group got out.
"Looking closer, it's not a hospital—it's a nursing home? No way..."
"A patient? Nah, she's a spirited high school filly."
Shunji led the way into the hospital—no, nursing home.
At the entrance stood someone familiar to Shunji.
She waved at him as their eyes met, and Jihoon glanced at Shunji.
"Haha, now I get why you called her a filly."
"A damn wild one."
Ahead of them was Jinen Yuri, wheeling an elderly man in a wheelchair.
Her bronze skin and flashing white teeth screamed vibrant health.
Above all, her long black hair tied back in a simple ponytail gave off an untamed wild horse vibe.
Confirming her, Jihoon glanced at Yeonwoo.
Yeonwoo stared at her with utmost seriousness, unchildlike professionalism kicking in.
'So many...!'
Meanwhile, Yeonwoo marveled at her.
Blue and yellow fairies hovered around her.
A sign of musical talent—and commercial value.
At the very least...
"Grandpa, she's better than HQ."
At Yeonwoo's words, Shunji puffed out his chest proudly and strode up to her.
"Here, I brought Yuin."
Yuri looked around at that, opening her mouth to speak.
That was when.
"Oh, could it be... Jade?"
The old man in the wheelchair she was pushing stared at Heo Ok, speaking in a trembling voice.
Jinen Yuri startled and looked at him.
"Grandpa, do you know her?"
"Oh, do I know her... Didn't I tell you before? The Iron-Blooded Queen, the forgotten great jazz pianist...!"
At that, Jinen Yuri's eyes went wide.
Right—the musician her grandfather raved about endlessly, the one he adored.
The one who mentored Uesugi Himari, said to play piano ten—no, a hundred, a thousand times better...!
"Th-then, this lady is... Y-Yuin?"
A retired master hiding her identity for a second golden age?!
Jinen Yuri jumped in shock, grabbed both of Heo Ok's hands, and gushed.
"Wh-what an honor! Grandpa... uh, this is my grandfather right here, anyway, thanks to you, I've been listening to piano since I was little. No way, you're Y-Yuin...!"
Eyes shining, reacting intensely, Jinen Yuri—and no less, her grandfather, breathing raggedly as if he might keel over any second.
The group was taken aback watching them.
It seemed to be going well, at least.
'How do we explain Yeonwoo's the real Yuin?'
As always, the hardest part.