Kidult? (2)
"Yoon!!!" As Merrill threw herself into Yoon-gi's arms, he held her just as tenderly. "It's been a while."
"Yeah! Yeah!" Merrill nodded, already a college freshman, radiating an even more mature charm than before.
"Did you come because it's summer break?"
"Yes. I wanted to come earlier, but my filming schedule wouldn't allow it. I really wanted to be here sooner, it's such a shame." Merrill pressed herself closer to Yoon-gi, and he accepted her embrace, savoring the scent of her hair.
"So, how long are you staying in Korea?"
"Until early September?"
At Merrill's words, Yoon-gi nodded, then naturally pulled away and picked up the phone in the living room. "Ah, Secretary Ryu? I'll be taking time off until early September."
After finishing the brief conversation, Yoon-gi hung up the receiver, and a wide, beaming smile spread across Merrill's face as she watched him. "Nothing else matters. I'm on vacation until early September, too."
"Yoon!!!" Even more excited, Merrill hugged him again. Only after some time had passed and she finally calmed down did she look at him with sparkling eyes. "So, how are you going to keep me entertained until early September?"
"First, want to follow me? There's a place I want to show you."
Merrill followed Yoon-gi into Cha Pil-gyu's car, and the vehicle began heading toward the outskirts of Gyeonggi-do.
"What do you think?" Yoon-gi gestured toward the country house. It wasn't flashy, but it boasted a remarkably large plot of land.
"Wow... it really reminds me of the setting of Anne of Green Gables."
Just as Merrill said, the grass was well-manicured, and while there were no showy ornamental trees, a few trees were beautifully scattered around the mansion. Furthermore, the faint sound of water flowing from a nearby stream could be heard, and since there wasn't a soul around, it truly lived up to the name 'Little House on the Prairie.'
"Wasn't it expensive?"
Yoon-gi shook his head at Merrill's question. "No, it was much cheaper than you'd think. The person who built this was middle-class; they built it based on a romanticized dream, only to lose that dream completely. They said it took hours round-trip just to buy daily necessities, you had to fix everything yourself if it broke, maintaining the garden was unimaginably difficult, and the lack of people at night made the security feel terrifying. So, after living here for a few months, they gave up and put it on the market, but it wouldn't sell, so I bought it cheap."
Yoon-gi's words perfectly captured the problems that arise when an average person tries to live in a country house.
"Will we be okay?" Merrill asked, looking a bit intimidated. Yoon-gi smiled, draped his right arm over her shoulder, and pulled her in slightly.
"Don't worry. The staff will take care of buying and stocking daily necessities, two security guards will be monitoring the surroundings at all times, and gardeners will handle the landscaping. Naturally, if anything breaks, the staff can fix it all."
"It really is a romantic place..."
The wealth to match a country house. Because Yoon-gi possessed that, he could proudly show this place to Merrill. Moreover, while Merrill resided here, several former U.S. soldiers sent by Guster would be guarding the perimeter, so it was sure to be a top-tier mansion in terms of security.
"Yoon, that's the house, but what's that big warehouse-looking place over there?"
"Ah, that?" Yoon-gi tenderly led Merrill toward the building that looked like a warehouse.
"Oh my...!"
Although it looked like a warehouse on the outside, the interior was decorated like an aristocrat's study, and Merrill couldn't help but look surprised.
Display cases stood along both walls. They were filled with numerous games, including the Famicom Yoon-gi had recently brought in from Japan. Of course, not the entire stock was on display. He had given away over 80 percent as gifts to friends like Won-hee and Jin-soo, cousins like In-gi (the son of his second uncle, Choi Cheol-gyu), and the children of powerful figures who had close ties to YK Department Store. Still, so much remained that it covered the entire length of both walls, which was truly a sight to behold.
In the center of the room were several very comfortable sofas, a 20-inch color TV—a rarity for the 80s—and even a refrigerator stocked with drinks, creating an optimized setup for gaming. Not stopping there, the remaining space was filled with arcade machines from the 80s. Watching Merrill look around in wonder, Yoon-gi smiled sheepishly.
"Is it okay for me to have a hobby like this?"
Stories of wives nagging their husbands for playing games. Since such stories were common tropes in the 2010s, Yoon-gi was cautious. But Merrill looked puzzled, as if wondering what he meant.
"Why would I have any reason to interfere with your hobbies, Yoon? If anything, if it's a hobby you're interested in, I want to experience it too."
"I'm really grateful you say that. Then, shall we experience this later and head back outside for now?"
"Yes!"
Holding the hand of Merrill, who was happy just to be with him, Yoon-gi led her back into the house.
Yoon-gi and Merrill didn't even need to pack luggage to come to the country house. Everything they needed was already there, and anything they lacked was brought by the staff, including Cha Pil-gyu. Thanks to that, after showing her around the house, Yoon-gi took Merrill to a nearby lakeside.
"Merrill, smile."
"Hmm?" As the Polaroid camera pointed at her, Merrill instinctively struck a professional pose and smiled.
"Hey, not like that."
"It's become a habit..." Merrill laughed sheepishly and tried to strike a more natural pose, but a sense of awkwardness remained.
"I suppose that's inevitable when taking photos, isn't it?" Yoon-gi grinned and continued, "If I take these photos, I'll be able to see you every day even when you're in the States."
It was exactly the kind of thing Merrill wanted to hear, and she posed again. "Take as many as you want!"
Although her professional pose was far from natural, the visual effect was undeniable. The figure of a goddess with the lake in the background. Yoon-gi found himself blushing as he took the photo.
'Venus?' Merrill was so beautiful that it reminded him of that painting of Venus from his old textbooks.
"I want photos of you, too, Yoon!" Once the shoot was done, Merrill ran over, snatched the camera as if taking it away, and pointed the lens at Yoon-gi.
"Naturally! Relax!"
"Uh... like this?"
He looked incredibly awkward. He hoped it would turn out well, but Merrill didn't wait and pressed the shutter immediately.
Whirrr-!
The camera spat out the undeveloped photo. A moment later, as the image developed, an incredibly awkward-looking Yoon-gi appeared.
"This is too weird. Can't we take it again?" At Yoon-gi's words, Merrill shook her head. "I'm the only one who gets to see such an awkward side of you, right? I actually like it even more."
Hearing that, Yoon-gi immediately picked up the camera again. At the same time, Merrill's professional pose naturally kicked in.
"Hey!" At Yoon-gi's word, Merrill's body stiffened, and an awkward expression flashed across her face.
Click!
"Got it!" Yoon-gi cheered as he received the photo from the camera, and Merrill hurriedly tried to snatch it from him.
"Ack! No! I only want to show you my pretty side!"
"I like this one better!"
"Give it to me!"
Merrill ran to catch Yoon-gi, and he started running away from her. Carefully adjusting the distance so he would be 'almost' caught but not quite, Yoon-gi eventually let her catch up, and they both tumbled onto the grass, rolling over the meadow.
"Hahahaha!"
"Kya-hahahaha!"
The meadow, where only the sounds of nature could be heard aside from their laughter. Yoon-gi, who had fallen on top of Merrill as she lay on the ground looking up, stared into her eyes.
"Is it really not okay?"
"It's just... I'm shy..." Merrill blushed and turned her gaze away.
"I love even that side of you."
A passionate message from Yoon-gi, heard for the first time in a while. Merrill's face flushed crimson again. "...Just words?"
Merrill wrapped her arms around Yoon-gi's neck, and naturally, his head began to lower. Right now, they were in Pocheon, Gyeonggi-do. But because of the two of them, Pocheon had suddenly become Hollywood.
"Yes! Strike!" Contrary to Yoon-gi's cheer, Merrill scrunched her brows with a competitive spirit. "I definitely pressed the button!"
"Ms. Merrill, machines don't lie, you know?"
"Then, are you saying I'm lying?"
At the momentary sharp look in Merrill's eyes, Yoon-gi quietly gave up a home run to the next batter. "Kya-haha, it's a home run! A home run!"
Seeing her rejoice like a child, Yoon-gi thought it was a good thing he'd adjusted his pace. Just playing games with Merrill made him infinitely happy. Sitting side-by-side on the sofa, legs and shoulders touching. Yoon-gi enjoyed the Famicom with Merrill, adjusting his score as he went, because Merrill's body heat against his legs and shoulders and the scent of her that filled his nose were more than enough.
"It's amazing. To think I can enjoy baseball on TV like this."
Yoon-gi nodded at Merrill's assessment. "It's the same as real baseball, in that it's more fun when you play with someone else."
"I think so, too. If I played alone, I don't think it would be very fun, would it?"
It was 2:00 AM. Yoon-gi and Merrill were having a great time, completely immersed in the game. There was one fact Yoon-gi didn't know: the Famicom game 'Baseball' they were currently enjoying was originally supposed to be released in December, but for some reason, it had been launched simultaneously with the Famicom itself. This was the butterfly effect Yoon-gi had created. While major history didn't change, these minor historical details were shifting, which meant the board game 'Gomoku Narabe,' which was supposed to be released at launch, had been pushed back to December. Of course, Yoon-gi had no idea about this.
"*Yawn*, should we go to sleep now?" As Merrill showed signs of sleepiness, Yoon-gi stretched himself.
"Ah, no. I can do more." Merrill tried to shake off the sleepiness and shook her head. She was trying to be considerate because she had seen how immersed Yoon-gi was in the game. However, Yoon-gi was also considerate of her, and he scooped up Merrill, who was in her pajamas, like a princess.
"'Okay,' my foot. Your eyelids are about to shut down."
Carrying the shy Merrill, Yoon-gi moved to the mansion and laid her down on the bed in her room.
"Then, I'll see you in the morning."
Yoon-gi was about to leave after stroking Merrill's forehead, but she grabbed his neck with both arms again.
"No!"
"H-huh?"
At Yoon-gi's flustered response, Merrill opened her mouth with a pout. "Are you going to use a different bed after coming all this way?"
"B-but..."
"Did you forget we're engaged?"
"That's true, but..."
"Do you dislike me?"
"Of course not!"
"Then, that's that."
At Merrill's smile, Yoon-gi gave a bitter smile, pulled back the covers, and climbed into the same bed.
"*Sigh*... I wish you'd grow up quickly, Yoon."
If Choi Deok-bae had been here, what would he have said? Yoon-gi, feeling as if he'd just heard Choi Deok-bae's voice, sat bolt upright and looked around.
"Why, what's wrong?"
At Merrill's puzzled question, Yoon-gi forced a smile. "No, I thought I heard something."
"Don't do that, it's scary."
"Sorry, sorry."
Confirming that Choi Deok-bae wasn't there, Yoon-gi lay back down. Choi Deok-bae had agreed to wait at the mansion at Yoon-gi's request, and in return, he was to receive a proper reward after this vacation ended. In short, except for the security guards and bodyguards outside the mansion, there was no one in the house but Yoon-gi and Merrill. Feeling relieved, Yoon-gi lay back down, turned his body, and looked at Merrill.
"Good night."
"Yeah..."
Having finished the conversation that would have made Choi Deok-bae feel left out, the two closed their eyes, and it seemed they would drift off to sleep. But a few minutes later, the telephone receiver in the mansion's living room suddenly began to ring.