Chapter 43 — Oppa, Where Are You Going?
Chapter 43 — Oppa, Where Are You Going?
Translation: GodTL
Sia's Lair.
There, Sia was currently pouring her blood, sweat, and tears into a secret project she hadn't told anyone about—all to ensure its success.
The phrase "pouring blood, sweat, and tears" is usually just an idiomatic expression, but at this very moment.
She was literally scraping her own bones.
All to craft another accessory to gift Min-jun.
She had already forged a pair of matching black swords for him, and now it was time to make the accessories.
Back in her hatchling days, she had dabbled in making jewelry as if playing house, using the gems in her Lair. But this was the first time she was attempting to fashion an ornament out of her own bones rather than gemstones.
Because of that, this was by no means an easy challenge for her.
On top of that, since it was a gift for someone precious, she wanted it to be more perfect than anything else.
For days, she agonized over the designs for the ring, earrings, and necklace—and over the crafting methods too.
From her perspective, she still had a long way to go.
"I'll take a short break."
Letting out a big yawn, she buried her face in Min-jun's old clothes left on the desk.
Though barely any of his scent remained, doing so still seemed to ease her fatigue somewhat.
'Maybe... I should ask him for more spare clothes if he has any left.'
If she did, what excuse could she use to ask for them?
Lost in these thoughts, she settled in front of her laptop.
The moment she turned it on, what greeted her was none other than the childhood photos of Min-jun she had secretly copied from his family home last time.
No matter how many times she looked at them, they were adorable—and no matter how often she revisited them, she never grew tired.
'How could he have been this cute and handsome even as a child? Our Oppa.'
Even though she had seen them yesterday and the day before, she still couldn't get enough.
It was the same principle as eating rice every day without ever tiring of it.
After spending a long while admiring Min-jun's photos and changing her laptop wallpaper to one of her favorites,
she clicked on another file this time.
Not the photos collected from Min-jun's album, but the ones she had scraped together from the internet herself.
One might wonder how she could gather photos of someone who wasn't even a celebrity, but Min-jun had been quite active as a child model in his youth.
He had modeled for various advertisements and even occasionally worked as a child actor, so it wasn't strange at all for materials of him to still exist online.
Of course, he hadn't appeared in that many works, and since Min-jun's parents hadn't told her which projects he had been in, tracking them down wasn't easy.
But her blind love for Min-jun made everything possible.
Rewatching clips of dramas he had minor roles in, replaying commercials he starred in, and admiring posters of products he modeled for—
these were among the greatest joys of her life.
Only after scouring the internet and saving a few newly discovered childhood photos of Min-jun that she had missed before did she finally feel ready to resume her work.
But just then—
Min-jun called.
The moment her phone rang, she dropped the tools in her hands and answered his call.
"Oppa! How've you been? I've missed you so much—it's been over a week since we last saw each other."
[I've missed you too. But we'll see each other the day after tomorrow, right?]
"Yeah! Have you thought about what we'll do then?"
[I actually looked into it yesterday—there's this café with a great atmosphere and delicious bread. I think you'd really like the vibe there. How about it?]
"Sounds perfect!"
For over ten minutes, they exchanged sweet, couple-like conversation.
"Sia, I think I have to hang up now."
[Why? Are you going to a Gate? Or... training?]
Naturally, she assumed it had to be one of the two.
But it wasn't.
[That... appointment I mentioned before. The one with my mom and that noona... we finally set a date.]
"Ah."
At that.
The smile that had been plastered across her face just moments ago froze solid in an instant.
Min-jun had mentioned before that he would eventually schedule a meeting with Go Yu-na, but Sia hadn't asked him when or where it would happen.
Because knowing would only sour her mood for no reason.
[...Nothing's going to happen, so don't worry too much. I'll call you again as soon as it's over.]
"Okay."
She hung up immediately.
What had been a pleasant day was ruined by that single piece of news.
She wanted to rush to the meeting spot right away and use magic to spy on Min-jun and Yu-na's encounter... but ironically, she also didn't want to. The conflicting emotions arose in her simultaneously.
The mere thought of watching that woman cling to Min-jun in real-time made her blood boil.
"...Whatever. It's not like I can change it anyway."
She decided she'd hear the details of their meeting from Min-jun later. For now, to calm her nerves, she'd focus on crafting more jewelry.
Steeling her resolve, she sat back down and resumed her work.
But.
No matter how hard she tried to concentrate on shaping the delicate metal, visions of Min-jun with that woman kept flickering behind her eyelids, making focus impossible.
"That damn fox—I ought to wring her neck one of these days—"
What followed was a stream of profanity so creatively vile that, had Min-jun been present, it would have shattered his lifelong perception of Sia's vocabulary.
'...Sia must be furious.'
The temperature shift in Sia's voice before and after mentioning his plans with Yu-na noona had been night and day.
Not that I'm thrilled about this meeting either, but for Sia, it must be ten times worse.
Get your head in the game, Yun Min-jun.
Today's unpredictable. Stay sharp.
If I give Yu-na noona even a sliver of an opening, both of us will be booking one-way tickets to the underworld.
As I gathered my thoughts, Mother returned from the restroom, and we headed to the Italian restaurant in Gangnam where we'd agreed to meet.
"Can you believe this twist of fate? Honestly, son. I thought she was thriving in the United States all these years. What are the odds we'd bump into each other in central Seoul after twenty years?"
"Yeah, unbelievable."
Little does she know this "coincidence" is giving her son and future daughter-in-law migraines.
Oblivious, Mother chattered cheerfully, reminiscing about my childhood and Yu-na noona—half of which I barely remembered. Listening to her, it struck me just how close Yu-na noona and I had been back then.
Practically like real siblings.
Not that those days matter anymore.
Anyway.
When we arrived, Yu-na noona and her mother were already waiting, greeting us warmly.
"Oh my, unnie! It's been forever!"
"I know! When was the last time—ten years ago?"
The mothers exchanged delighted hugs first.
"My goodness, you've grown into such a lady! You look exactly like you did as a girl!"
"Goodness, look how tall you've gotten. Min-jun, you remember your aunt, don't you?"
Then they turned to us—Mother fawning over Yu-na noona, while her mother greeted me with equal warmth.
"Seeing you now, it's all coming back. How have you been?"
I couldn't help but feel genuine warmth toward Yu-na noona's mother. She'd helped raise me alongside my own mother during those early years.
The problem was the woman currently showering my mother with cutesy affection—Yu-na noona herself.
Every flutter of her eyelashes, every giggle was a landmine waiting to detonate Sia's temper. My shoulders tensed instinctively.
One wrong move, and any hope of returning to our peaceful daily life would evaporate.
After brief greetings, we settled in, placed our orders, and conversation bloomed.
Given the nature of the reunion, catching up dominated the discussion.
As I'd learned previously, Yu-na noona had retired early from being a Hunter and now thrived as a restaurateur. Her parents, it seemed, were equally successful with their business ventures in the States.
"So Yu-na, how many places are you running now?"
Mother sounded impressed as she asked—managing multiple restaurants at her age was no small feat.
"A Korean place, a Japanese spot, and a Chinese restaurant. The Korean and Japanese ones are still small, fairly new. The Chinese one... well, I shouldn't toot my own horn, but it's gained some recognition. Fantasy Pavilion, near here—"
"Wait, that's yours?!"
Mother looked genuinely shocked. "I had no idea you owned that place—it's been featured on TV multiple times!"
Fantasy Pavilion, huh.
So it was that famous?
I mean, objectively speaking—personal grievances aside—you had to admit Yu-na noona was undeniably accomplished.
"Yes! You and Min-jun should visit sometime—I'll treat you to the best dishes!"
"But don't reservations take months there?"
"Don't worry, Auntie! As the owner, I can always squeeze in one extra table!"
"Mom?"
It wasn't Sia, but hearing that woman call her "Mom" felt strangely dissonant.
Taken out of context, it almost sounded as if that woman were my mother's daughter-in-law or something.
'If Sia saw this....'
It left a vaguely uncomfortable feeling, but I had no choice but to let it slide.
If I overreacted, it would only make things weirder.
A little later, the pasta we ordered arrived, and the conversation continued even as we ate.
This place was supposedly famous for its food, but I was too tense to really taste anything.
"This brings back memories. Unnie, do you remember how, back in the day, nine times out of ten, we'd end up at a Chinese restaurant after filming?"
As the aunt brought up old memories, my mother, clearly recalling those times vividly, chimed in.
"That's right, that's right. Do you two remember?"
"A little?"
My own memories were faint, but it seemed that woman didn't recall at all.
"Yes! It was practically strange not to eat jajangmyeon. Even when someone suggested eating something else, Min-jun and I would always beg for jajangmyeon."
It was from so long ago that I barely remembered, but I did recall being oddly—almost obsessively—fond of jajangmyeon as a kid.
Not so much these days, though.
"Not long ago, I was flipping through an old album and found a photo of you two eating jajangmyeon."
With that, Yu-na's mother showed us the photo she had taken back then.
It was an adorable shot—both of us, like typical kids, had our mouths smeared with black bean sauce, only to flash bright smiles the moment we noticed the camera.
As my mother, lost in nostalgia, looked at the long-unseen images from the past, she suddenly recalled something and spoke up.
"That reminds me—I don't remember exactly when, but at a Chinese restaurant, Yu-na saw how much Min-jun enjoyed his jajangmyeon and said that when she grew up, she'd open a big jajangmyeon restaurant and let him eat as much as he wanted."
...Did that really happen?
I had absolutely no memory of it, but judging by the way Yu-na's mother nodded along, it must have.
Wait a second.
Does that mean the reason she opened a Chinese restaurant was...?
As soon as my imagination reached that point, I instinctively squeezed my eyes shut.
No, no—it must just be a coincidence.
If it wasn't a coincidence, that would be way too much.
"Yu-na, do you remember saying that?"
"No. This is the first I'm hearing of it. Wow, I really said that?"
In response to my mother's question, Yu-na shook her head, looking genuinely surprised.
"Life is funny like that, isn't it, Min-jun?"
Then, she turned to me and spoke.
"...Is it really a coincidence?"
"Huh?"
"Ah, nothing. Just thinking out loud."
I hadn't meant to say it aloud, but it slipped out.
I wasn't sure if she heard me.
"Then, noona. Just out of curiosity—was owning a Chinese restaurant really your dream since you were a kid?"
"Pfft, no way. Like I said, I don't even remember that."
At my question, Yu-na laughed and shook her head lightly.
"It's just—my dad was in business, and I love food. Being a Hunter paid well, but it wasn't for me, and the injuries piled up, so I retired. Things just kind of ended up that way."
I wanted to believe her, but for some reason, the suspicion that it wasn't just a coincidence kept creeping up on me.
"What, would you like it if that were the case?"
"N-No, of course not!"
Caught off guard by her sudden counter-question, I stumbled over my words.
This was exactly the kind of situation that would be ripe for misunderstandings if I didn't have a girlfriend.
Thank god Sia wasn't here to see this.
My reaction must have been amusing to the two mothers, because they burst out laughing the moment they saw my flustered expression.
"Why are you panicking so much? It's all in the past."
"Exactly. Kids say all kinds of things. Besides, Min-jun, you have a girlfriend now, don't you?"
That's exactly why I'm panicking, I wanted to say—but couldn't.
Embarrassed, I lowered my head, while Yu-na, clearly entertained by my reaction, giggled.
"Then, Yu-na—do you have a boyfriend?"
"No."
This time, it was Yu-na who shook her head slightly, as if embarrassed by my mother's question.
"My last relationship was back in high school."
"Really? That's surprising. A girl like you must have plenty of guys interested."
"There were some, but... I was too busy with work, and honestly, I'm not really in a position to date right now."
Hmm. That's what she said, but I'd seen a different side of her before.
Why did I keep getting the feeling she was lying?
Just then, my phone rang—it was Sia.