Ryu Family Trip # 4
Ryu Family Trip # 4
"Cheon-hwi! No matter how happy you are playing with your friend, how could you throw what your little sister gave you!"
"You were playing, so why are you getting angry! How can you throw a friend!"
In the end, Ryu got bombarded by his mom and dad.
"This is just perfect..."
See, that's what you get for throwing a friend and your little sister's present around.
What goes around comes around, you reap what you sow.
"Th-that's! I didn't throw it, I simply..."
Seeing Ryu act that meek and crumpled, I practically flew. I don't know why, but every time Ryu suffers, I'm honestly thrilled.
"Right? Serves him right."
Ryu A-yeong, standing next to me, watched Ryu getting scolded with a satisfied face. It's really something: she's like a sister who can't wait to devour her own brother. But to other people, she's polite.
"It's so perfect. I'm always so happy whenever I see Ryu in a tight spot."
"There's a little bit of that. That weird older brother of mine only tastes good when he gets what he deserves. Still, it's too much. Throwing away the duck tube his little sister gave him."
"The worst thing in the world."
So, munching on some snacks, I happily watched Ryu. Soon, after getting a thorough scolding, Ryu started trudging over with his head hanging low.
"Hohoho, Cheon-hwi? It's fine to have fun, but you shouldn't chuck things away like you're sick of them, okay?"
"I wasn't having fun! And I didn't throw it because I was sick of it! Get lost!"
—Fwoosh!
That jerk?
A pretty older sister like that comes to comfort him, and he snaps at her? He’s really too much.
But maybe he got so upset from the scolding that he's practically radiating an "I'm not saying a word" vibe. So obvious. It's so obvious. Outwardly he's acting sulky, but inside he's dying for consolation. That's Ryu's true feelings.
So I.
"Hey, Ryu."
I put on a deliberately serious expression, pretending to be sorry, and approached him.
"..."
He paused.
Ryu stopped for a moment, glanced at me, then—
"...Don't talk to me."
He made it obvious he was in a huff and walked past me toward the water. Good. He's sulking very nicely. Ryu went to the water's edge and stared off at a distant mountain, lost in thought.
"Hey, Ryu. Look, uh, you know. I..."
"...I said don't talk to me."
"No, I mean."
Definitely a different attitude from before.
He's in a downed state.
But I could feel it. This bastard thinks I came to apologize or something.
"Water cannon!"
I actually came to shoot a water cannon!
—Boom!
I dashed into the water and blasted him with all my might.
"Argh!"
Ryu, who'd been sulking and lost in thought, got hit by the water and stumbled! In an instant, he looked like a drowned rat!
"Hahahahahahaha! Hey! Are you sulking! Oh my, he's sulking, they said!"
"Aaaargh! Who! Who said I'm sulking, stop with your bullshit!"
"Ohh? Swearing?"
"You're done!"
"Eep!"
—Splash!
I waited for the timing and shot my water cannon, but—
—Fwoosh!
Ryu lightly dodged it and jumped into the water. Good. Round two began. I'd show him a different me from before!
"I'll shut you up for good so you can't spew that accursed nonsense! I'll make you drink water for real!"
"Try it, punk!"
—Splash!
—Splash!
With full force.
I fired water cannons from both hands, fending off Ryu's attacks. But he was already creating spray. His true power, unleashed by rage...!
This bastard!
"Are you cheaply taking out your sulky anger on me? Hey! That's so unfair!"
"Everything from start to finish with this guy is nothing but nonsense, I can't even pick it apart piece by piece! Just shut your mouth, please!"
A big one's coming!
—Splash!
"Ack!"
A tidal wave is rushing in...! What the? Did I dive? I thought that for a second, but no. A literal big wave swallowed me and dumped me underwater.
"Glub!"
Quickly.
I swam underwater and approached Ryu from behind. I can see his legs over there. But then, out of nowhere, Ryu suddenly stomped his foot, unleashing magic power from his leg.
—Boom.
That moment.
—Whoooosh!
My body, which was approaching underwater, shot high into the air!
"What the heeeell?!"
He just stomped once and created a Dragon Spout?! A Dragon Spout strong enough to lift me?!
"What is this!"
I'm standing on a pillar of water right now!
"I didn't want to use this, but... you. Prepare yourself!"
—Boom!
Ryu executed a stamping step once more.
—Ruumble!
Water streams surged up.
"Something like this... is possible?"
"That's the difference between you and me. With proper magic power control, something like this is doable. Well, a scrub like you wouldn't know."
Bluffing.
"You dare plot with my little sister to make me drink water! I'll make you pay!"
"Tch!"
It's a bluff-filled line, but dangerous!
—Fwoosh!
I rolled my body fast and escaped the water column. Gotta counterattack quick, whether by diving in or whatever.
"Ah."
But I think I'm too late.
—Swooooosh!
Because a huge tidal wave was bearing down.
"Aaaaaaaahhhh!"
* * *
"Ah, you little—? You seriously went all out. All out. You wanted to win that badly, huh? Huh? Was it because you were scared I'd steal your rank, so you went all out?!"
"Shut up...!"
In the end, I got completely trashed in the water fight.
The moment Ryu unleashed his real power, I couldn't do a thing and got utterly wrecked.
The swagger of Kim Geun-cheol, the world's greatest water fighter, is in shambles.
"Agh. I drank so much water. My stomach's about to burst."
"Ha. For once, that's good news."
"What?"
He's just laughing all pleased.
—Scrub.
I grumbled and scrubbed my hair with shampoo. The facilities are nice, so there's a shower near the stream. Right now, I'm washing up with Ryu.
"Are you happy? Happy that I drank water?"
"A bastard like you should live on nothing but water."
"If you only drink water, you die."
Ryu, I didn't take you for this kind of guy, but you're scary.
"Anyway... Ryu, you."
"What nonsense are you about to spout now?"
"Dude, you totally love water fights, don't you?"
"What did you say?"
"I had no idea you'd go that hard. You're a complete water-fight maniac, aren't you?"
I teased him while shampooing, and the reaction came right away.
"What...! Quiet! We're not kids, who enjoys water fights? Stop talking nonsense!"
This guy went all out and seriously threw himself into the water fight. So much so that I, Kim Geun-cheol, had to take him seriously.
"Heh heh heh, not enjoying it? Don't bullshit me, man. You sure as hell don't go that hard if you're not enjoying it, buddy?"
"That's...!"
Did I hit the nail on the head?
"It's, simply! You offered a water fight challenge, so I merely went along with it!"
"Went along?"
"Fighting seriously when we're not sparring with swords would just be a joke. There was nothing else to do there, so I did that... Hah, as expected of a scrub, you don't get it."
—Scrubscrubscrub!
Having said that, Ryu shampooed his hair aggressively.
He knows it himself.
That he had more fun than he expected.
"So don't get the wrong idea. You useless Taliban bastard who can't even handle a water fight."
"Hoh... you're that hung up on winning? That proves you were serious."
"Whatever it is, if it's a match, taking it seriously is an iron rule. Don't tell me... you weren't serious?"
"That was my full power."
"Even at full power, you're a scrub."
"No, hey. You used all those weird skills and then call me a scrub. You cheat and then you're all happy."
"If using your own abilities is cheating, then isn't everything in the world cheating, Taliban?"
I've got no comeback for that!
"Quiet, Ryu."
"Ha. Guess you have nothing to say."
—Swoosh.
While getting rinsed under the water, we got the suds off, then went out and got dressed. We played to our heart's content, so now it's time to eat. Earlier, Ryuna said there's a group outdoor barbecue area nearby, and we'd eat meat there.
"I'm gonna eat all your family's meat."
I'm dead serious.
I'll clean them out so they won't get a single piece.
"Go ahead, eat! Eat! You say that as if us eating all the family's meat would make our meat vanish and cause us huge trouble, but that's not the case at all, so please stop with your ridiculous delusions!"
"No."
This bastard reads my intentions way too well.
What I just imagined was the sight of the whole Ryu family, pale and hollow-eyed during mealtime, because I ate an unimaginable amount of meat... and he saw right through it.
"We can eat meat without limits! Don't think you can make things difficult with talk of eating it all! It's so ridiculous it pisses me off!"
"Hah, Ryu, man, you are so damn fussy."
Anyway, we headed to the outdoor barbecue area while having such trivial conversations.
"You."
"What?"
"Lately, how's Lee Si-hoo's skill?"
"I sounded her out, and she says she's about a hundred times stronger than a guy named Ryu Cheon-hwi."
"That's my fault for asking!"
"No, I'm serious. She won't believe people. Rumor has it that this Ryu Cheon-hwi guy is barely better than a guy named Kim Geun-cheol? For real. They're goddamn neck-and-neck, and if they fought again, Kim Geun-cheol would win..."
"Just an endless stream of bullshit and more bullshit...!"
We arrived at the barbecue area.
Looking around, there are a lot of people here. They all seem to be superhumans—families and couples are gathered everywhere, grilling meat.
Even superhumans don't seem to hate grilling meat at a camp.
"Over here."
As we got closer, Ryuna waved. Everything was already set up. And Ryu Seong himself was doing the grilling.
"Alright, come and eat. If you've been playing in the water, you need meat."
"Oh my, thank you. Getting treated to meat like this, it's so nice. Heh heh heh."
"It's nothing, so eat as much as you like. Cheon-hwi, you eat too. Eating lots of meat is how you build muscle and all."
Muscle is important for superhumans too, I guess.
But still.
"..."
To think the chairman of Ryuseong Group, a man who could be called a ranker of South Korea, is personally grilling meat. My face is pretty thick, but even I have a hard time handling this.
While I was thinking that—
—Slip.
Ryuna naturally snatched the scissors and tongs and took over the meat-grilling spot.
"Here, Cheon-hwi. And Geun-cheol. I'll cut it for you, so eat up."
"Oh, thank you. For you to grill it yourself, Sis—I think it'll taste even better."
"Yeah. That's the kind of thing you should say to the person grilling for you. Cheon-hwi, want to try saying it to me?"
"Just grill the meat!"
"Hey! Is there anything you won't say to your sister!"
"Outsiders, be quiet!"
That's such a hurtful thing to say to a sister who cares about her little brother...!
Anyway, she cut the meat with remarkable skill. Just like that, everyone's plates got loaded with meat.
"This seriously looks crazy delicious. Hey, Ryu. Did you make me drink all that water so you could hog this kind of meat by yourself?"
"Could you not eat a little quietly?"
"You eat quietly."
"Hmph."
Nice one, Ryu A-yeong.
Watching that, I dipped the meat in the sauce and put it in my mouth... Man. Is it because it's grilled at an outdoor barbecue area? The flavor and aroma are so intense I almost teared up.
"The meat's good, right? It's supposed to be top quality."
"You can see that just by looking. So good."
Like that, I gobbled up meat indiscriminately.
As I did—
"Hohoho, you eat well."
Ryu's mother said with a smile.
"Heh heh heh, oh my, yes. The meat is really delicious. I can't stop my chopsticks."
"Help yourself."
"Thank you."
"No. Actually, I'm the one who's grateful today. Thank you for playing so well with Cheon-hwi. The kid came with a friend and is playing so happily. I can't tell you how good that makes me feel. Usually, even when he comes, he's quiet and reserved."
"Mom!"
Ryu.
So you're quiet when I'm not around.
"This kid. Stay put for a bit. Will you stay close friends with Cheon-hwi in the future too?"
"Ah, well, of course friends should get along well with each other! Hahaha!"
When I answered that way, his mother looked truly happy.
"Grrr...!"
Ryu, meanwhile—
He'd simply turned into a red man. His face was completely flushed as he picked up meat and ate; you could catch a glimpse of the mindset that, no matter how embarrassed, you still have to eat meat.
"Phew."
And so, that day,
I ate meat until my stomach was about to burst.
"Phew, Ryu. Thanks to you, I got to stuff myself with meat. Thanks."
"...If you truly know what gratitude is."
"Huh?"
"At the very least, get lost somewhere and sleep!"
"No."
Night came.
And I ended up sharing a room with Ryu.
Ryu threw a fit about going somewhere else, but that kind of talk didn't fly with his dad who'd come on a family trip, and the guy came into the same room as me with his fists trembling in rage.
"Are you really gonna act like that to a guest?"
"You're not a guest, you're a terrorist...!"
That frustrated screaming face of his truly satisfies me.
