Ryu's House # 2
Ryu's House # 2
After going back and forth with Ryu like that, we arrived at his house.
"Whoa."
It was a spectacular building.
The massive structure, big enough to be mistaken for a fortress, was surrounded by high walls, and the entire roof was done in a traditional hanok style.
What is this, a fusion building?
It gave me the feeling their family traditions might lean heavily toward the old-school. Ryu, man, you live in a place like this? Guess a rich young master really is a young master after all.
"Whoa. Your house looks like something from the Joseon dynasty."
"It is tradition. Though I doubt a cretin like you has the eye to appreciate the beauty of tradition."
"You always gotta tack on that little extra comment, don't you? Alright, what's the name of Joseon's third king?"
"Wh... what?"
"I asked, what's the name of Joseon's third king?"
"..."
At the sudden question, Ryu shut his mouth.
"Oh dear, the man who appreciates the beauty of tradition, huh? Doesn't even know Joseon's third king?"
"Ha! And I suppose you know?!"
"I do."
"Then prove it! First, I must verify whether you are even qualified to pose a question to me!"
That's the best excuse you could come up with?
Absolutely pathetic.
"Heh heh heh, fine. If you're that desperate, I'll answer."
"..."
"Yo. It's Myeongjong. Myeongjong, you dipshit."
I don't actually know either, but I just said something. Ryu won't know anyway, so there's no chance of getting caught. In a situation like this, if you just brazen it out like a total bastard, they have no choice but to believe you.
"You."
Anyway, Ryu listened to my bullshit story and nodded.
"For a cheapskate, you have at least a minimum of culture."
This motherfucker...!
He doesn't know and he's just pretending!
"Pfft...!"
I barely managed to hold back a laugh that almost killed me.
This bastard isn't just clumsy, he's straight-up stupid. And this guy scores higher than me on general academic subjects? That's a fact I absolutely cannot accept and refuse to acknowledge.
"Then here's a question for you. What's the name of Joseon's fourth king?"
"That's Sejong, obviously."
"Ha...!"
Seriously, who wouldn't know that? Even a complete dumbass rock-for-brains would know. This is common sense. Is there a single person in the Republic of Korea who doesn't know what number king Sejong the Great is?
"It seems you have at least a minimum of culture!"
"See, so I do have an eye for tradition, huh? See?"
"I get it, so shut up! We're going inside now!"
"Trait of a guy with nothing left to say: resorting to swearing."
"I said shut your damn mouth...!"
Anyway, as we stood in front of the wall, the gate opened automatically, and I went inside with Ryu.
"Ooh."
A courtyard.
No, could you even call this a courtyard? It felt like walking into a high-end apartment complex, but arranged so traditionally that it felt like a tourist attraction.
"Beautiful. A garden this beautiful... I've never seen one before."
"Ha, a bastard who doesn't even know the B of beautiful sure talks a good game."
"Ryu. So, the name of the third king?"
"Shut up!"
He already forgot, huh.
Next time, after I look it up, if he starts giving me shit, I'll stick to my story and insist that was the right answer all along.
—Beep beep beep.
Ryu, arriving at the front door, punched in the security code and we stepped inside. But what's with this red corridor the moment you walk in? Why is this house so ridiculously luxurious?
"Yo. Anyway, where are we going? This place is so huge I have no idea where I'm supposed to be."
"I don't know!"
"Then let's go to your room."
"As if I would ever let the likes of you into my room!"
"Just let me in a little."
Anyway, we were walking down the long corridor.
—Pitter-patter.
Some girl came walking from the other side.
A girl with sky-blue hair, at that.
"Oh, you're here, Cheon-hwi?"
Wait, he had a little sister?
"Can you not see? That I'm here?"
"Of course I can. I just said it anyway. It was a simple observation, and here you go again. You always do that, Cheon-hwi."
"You always have to get the last word in. Stop your yapping and go study or something."
Guess Ryu even treats his little sister at home like this, huh. Looking at them, I can get a rough idea. Seems like this kind of bickering is a frequent occurrence.
I immediately said to him.
"Wait, Ryu, you had a little sister? Why didn't you tell me?"
"I have no reason to tell the likes of you!"
"What do you mean no reason, man. You can't even tell a friend something like that?"
"Who's your friend!"
"You little punk. Playing shy, huh? Hmm? But, hey?"
Ryu's little sister was staring right at me. With a face full of curiosity. Is it just the interest of seeing an outsider?
"Wow. For real? You actually brought a friend?"
"It's not like that, so don't get the wrong idea! This bastard is not my friend!"
"He's embarrassed, so he's acting like this. Truth is, we're the best of friends."
When I said it jokingly, the little sister covered her mouth with her hand.
"Good heavens!"
"What are you saying!"
He immediately whispered to me.
"Hey. You told me to pretend to be your friend."
"That's...!"
"Keep quiet. I'll handle this."
The little sister was amazed.
"This weirdo actually made a real friend? I can't believe it. Um... what do you do? If you're close enough to be friends with my weird brother, does that make you a weirdo too?"
Look at this cheeky little thing?
"Heh heh heh, how does it look to you, little sister?"
"I'm Ryu A-yeong."
"Alright, how does it look to you, A-yeong?"
"Hmm."
A-yeong narrowed her eyes and scanned me.
"You look ordinary... Kim Geun-cheol. Even your name is ordinary."
"Yeah. The only unusual one here is Ryu."
"Calling my brother ‘Ryu’... wow."
She kept expressing wonder, like it was really that fascinating.
"Both of you, cut the crap...! We're going in now!"
Ryu gritted his teeth and spoke as if suppressing his rage. Man, he's a textbook hothead, practically a painting come to life. Anyway, I should probably follow him. I started moving.
"Ah! I'm coming too!"
A-yeong said she was coming along and latched onto us.
"Don't follow me!"
"We're going to eat anyway, right? Why not just go together, Cheon-hwi?"
"I said don't follow me!"
"I said Don't dollow me!"
"Argh! This goddamn household, seriously!"
At last, Ryu exploded!
Getting bossed around even by his little sister... Dragon Sky!!!
Terrifying!!!
"Heh heh heh, oh man. Ryu, you're completely helpless against your little sister, huh? Just found that out, huh?"
"I'm simply leaving her be because I can't hit her! Stop your yapping!"
And as he said that, Ryu's face had already turned into a total tomato. That aside, it's damn surprising. I knew he was under his older sister's thumb, but he was getting pushed around by his little sister too.
That's not easy to pull off.
"You're a cadet too, Cheon-hwi?"
As we walked, A-yeong, who was stuck to my side, asked.
"Yup. I'm a cadet too."
"Are you stronger than my weird brother? About the same? Or a little weaker?"
"Objectively speaking, I'm just a tiny bit weaker."
The moment I said that, Ryu shouted again like he was having a fit.
"Th... this cheapskate bastard, telling a bare-faced lie without even changing color! 'Just a tiny bit weaker'? Don't belittle my skills! You worthless piece of scrap!"
"Why are you calling it belittling, man. I, huh? I might be so-so at swordsmanship, but I'm friends with Si-hoo."
"What the hell does that have to do with strength!"
"Cheon-hwi. We're talking. Please be quiet."
"It's always that bastard who makes me open my mouth!"
Fascinating.
A-yeong pushed Ryu's buttons very skillfully. Come to think of it, does she resemble Ryu's older sister, Ryu A-ra a bit? Even the long hair, too. Anyway, she's got a cute face.
You could say she's a girl with a slightly different feel from Kitty.
Kitty has... how do I put it... the shape of her eyes and her aura give off a bit of a mature vibe. But A-yeong is definitely a kid.
"So how did you get close to my weird brother?"
"Hmm, lots of things happened. But I guess you could say our 'hearts' connected?"
"What kind of hearts?"
"Well... Ryu kind of went on a gift offensive with me. Bought me meal tickets. Bought me cola too. And one thing led to another, we became friends."
"No way, Cheon-hwi! Are you serious? My weird brother gave food to a friend?"
A horrified A-yeong covered her mouth with her hand!
"Please! For the love of god, stop explaining things by skipping all the cause and effect, you cheapskate bastard!"
"No! I explained it all!"
"If that's an explanation, then the only things written on an exam paper would be '1' through '5'!"
At that moment.
"What's all this noise? Hey, Cheon-hwi. Your voice is echoing loudly."
A voice I remembered rang out. The person who turned the corner was Ryu's older sister, Ryu A-ra.
"Oh my? Geun-cheol's here? Hey, Cheon-hwi. Did you bring him today?"
"Can't you see?"
"There you go again. Cheon-hwi, how many times have I told you? Think before you speak. That's why you..."
"That goddamn nagging again! Stop doing it every single time you see me!"
"There he goes again. Raising his voice at his older sister."
From the get-go, she was treating him like a kid and inflicting pain. Ryu was practically writhing in agony, about to explode.
I'm seriously dying of laughter here.
It's hard to hold back.
Just what kind of concept is "coming home" for Ryu, anyway?
"Anyway, Geun-cheol, glad you could come. We've met before, right? I'm A-ra, Cheon-hwi's sister."
"Ah, yes. I'm Kim Geun-cheol. I'm the best friend our Ryu here has."
"You...!"
Man, he was the one who told me to pretend to be his friend, and now he's flipping his lid.
"Fufufu, really. It's fascinating that you can call our Cheon-hwi just 'Ryu.' Geun-cheol? Thank you for being so close with our Cheon-hwi."
"Heh heh heh, no need to thank me. Ryu's a great guy."
"A great guy... You haven't experienced any... inconveniences because of Cheon-hwi, have you?"
Ryu A-ra asked that with a very affectionate tone.
"Honestly speaking, the guy, Ryu, does have a somewhat bizarre personality, so it is a bit problematic."
"He really is."
"Please...!"
Ryu was about to blow up, but one gesture from Ryu A-ra and he couldn't do anything. It's obvious she's the strongest one here. He just can't afford to act up.
"Our Cheon-hwi is a little strange. Could you possibly tell me how Cheon-hwi gets along at school?"
"Umm... He's always mouthing off? And he has a tendency to ignore anyone he thinks is weaker than him. But that's just the surface. Actually, if you look deep into his heart, he's a really kind guy."
"Oh my!"
A-ra reacted to my explanation like she found it amusing.
"What the hell are you two talking about like you're close friends!"
"Hey. Then what am I supposed to do?"
"Ignore her!"
"How could I ignore my friend's sister, man? Honestly, Ryu, you're always saying weird stuff."
The little sister chimed in at that.
"Exactly, Cheon-hwi. You shouldn't say weird things."
"Cheon-hwi. I'm saying it, A-yeong is saying it, and even Geun-cheol is saying it. Just be quiet for a bit."
"Gyaaaaaaah!"
In the end, Ryu exploded and let out a scream.
You poor bastard, you.