Chapter 25
[Midsumr Barbecue]
Mr. and Ms. Giulietta, who live on the third floor, are naturalized citizens of Italy.
Ms. Julieta is a woman of noble beauty, like a flower on a cliff, but in reality she is like a wild flower. She doesnt seem to have ever gotten her hands dirty, but she cooks food and shares it with her neighbors, and she listens to classical music but dances to EDM.
She also has a childlike and innocent personality, which sotis leads her to co up with out-of-the-blue plans.
Were having a barbecue!
This was one of those days. Julieta ca to the door without knocking and threw a party unannounced.
Hey, Julieta. What are you doing today? Barbecue?
Her mother, who hadnt realized it, greeted her politely.
Eunas mom. Its a barbecue, were all grilling at in the yard!
Julieta rambles on about the barbecue.
Her mother, who held her hand, wasnt surprised by her story, as she was used to by now. In fact, she even chid in.
Barbecue?
Hi, Euna! Do you want to have a barbecue with your Unnie? (1)
Whats a barbecue?
Its when you grill at outside. Its delicious, right?
Yes! It sounds fun! I want to eat!
It was very easy for Julieta to get Eunas attention. Euna, who was struggling with her sumr vacation howork, reacted quickly.
Big sister Julieta, on this hot day?
Eunha, who was taking care of his younger sister, Eunae, who was born this year, had a negative opinion: he didnt want to leave his lovely sisters side.
Of course, Eunhas opinion was not accepted.
There was no way that the two people with the think before you act temperant would leave him alone.
Haa.
My wife is sorry.
No, Mr. Bruno.
It was Julietas husband, Bruno, who comforted him as he was dragged out into the yard.
Bruno. He was the kind of man who could kill you just by looking at you. No one would believe that he was an ordinary office worker when they saw the way he swaggered like a bear hunting salmon in Alaska, the slit in his left eye, and the scars on his thick forearms.
When Eunha first saw Bruno, he too suspected him of being a gang mber.
But despite his appearance, Bruno is a man who is skilled enough in the kitchen to clean, bake bread and cakes while wearing a pink apron.
Mister, can I help you with anything?
I need you to set the plates at the table.
Sure, okay.
The yard was already set up for several people to sit.
Eunha began to set the dishes on the table where Bruno pointed.
anwhile, Bruno placed at, sausages, corn, and mushrooms on the hot grill.
The sizzling sll of the at cooking on the grill was incredibly appetizing. Swallowing hard, Eunha set the setting the table.
It was really hot.
The sun was setting, but the nearly 30-degree heat hadnt abated. Eunha and Euna, who were standing close to the grill, were drenched in sweat. They wouldnt have been able to stand it if their mother, who was taking care of Eunae at ho, hadnt brought ice water.
Yay!!! Sumr!!!
Julieta was drenched in sweat as well. Her sweaty light green dress revealed her body, and she was shouting as she raised her arms as if she had just raided Eunhas house.
Uh, hi, Eunha.
Huh, youre here too?
Eunha was in the middle of shovelling so overcooked at into his mouth when he heard Julieta call out from behind him and frowned.
Its you and Mukminji.
There stood Minji, the girl hed run into so many tis during his sumr vacation, and behind her was Hayang. Wearing a straw hat, a white dress, and sandals, she looked like she was on a sumr vacation alone.
I ca to Minjis house and they were having a barbecue.
Hayang didnt have to say a word to know what was going on. Just like Eunha, she had been dragged by Julieta, who had appeared out of nowhere.
Long ti no see. How have you been?
Ive been bored at ho. and you?
Ive been, uh, helping my sister with her vacation howork, so-so. You havent eaten yet, have you? Theres at here.
Mmm? Vacation howork? uh? ah, thanks.
Hayang tilted her head at the part about helping Euna with her vacation howork.
She has no idea, that Eunha is taking care of Euna and Eunae at the sa ti, so he cant even enjoy his sumr vacation.
Realizing that this would be a long story, he pushed the at from his plate into his mouth.
Delicious! she exclaid, her eyes sparkling.
Even Bruno, who was grinding on the griddle, was so happy that the corners of his mouth lifted.
Of course, if you didnt know him, youd probably freak out and run away.
But instead of being afraid of him, Hayang was eating the at he offered her.
I also have shaved ice, if anyone wants to eat shaved ice, co to this big sister!
Julieta, who had brought a shaved ice machine from sowhere, shouted, and the children, who were sweating in the heat as if they had been waiting for the mont, rushed over.
Minji was among them, scrambling for shaved ice. Eunha, who didnt want to wait in the long line, nibbled on a large sausage.
By the way, who are these two.
Eunha thought as he watched Bruno grilling at and Julieta handing out shaved ice to children.
Before the regression, Eunha, who lost his family at the age of 6, was raised by his grandmother. His mories of his childhood are still fuzzy, and he has no recollection of Julieta and Bruno.
So when he first t them, he was surprised.
Julieta glides through the crowd with a tray of food. Despite the fact that she looked unsteady as she moved with the food on her plate, she never lost her balance. She was using her mana to keep her balance.
After the End of the Century Destruction, ordinary people began to actively manipulate mana. However, those who were not accustod to mana still clung to their old ways of life, and the only people who did were those born after the End of the Century Destruction.
The situation was probably no different in Italy. Nevertheless, Julieta was not only comfortable with mana, but also utilized it in her daily life. Her casualness in distributing mana was sothing that few players could do.
Uncle Bruno, I want more at!
I want corn! Corn!
Okay.
Bruno was even nicer than Julieta.
Eunha hadnt forgotten the shock he felt when he first t him.
People spill mana unconsciously. Players might try to keep it contained in their bodies to hide their skills or to stay alive, but they couldnt control the small amount of mana they shed unconsciously.
Being able to control even the unconscious realm ant that you had a lot of power as a player.
However, Bruno had been grinding the mana in his body to the point where he couldnt find the mana he was unconsciously shedding. Even Kang Hyun-chul couldnt control his mana, but he, a re office worker, was controlling his mana perfectly.
The small scars on his forearms or the scars across his eyes were not unusual. As a pre-Regression player, Eunha could tell that the scars were the result of battle.
Of all things,
Eunha.
What?
Eat more.
Yes, I will.
Bruno was aware that Eunha was watching his mana. Even though he hadnt made any effort to show it.
This makes
think that Bruno is the equivalent of the Twelve.
It was hard to believe that these people were naturalized in Italy. They were living upstairs until now.
Eunha was in turmoil. People of this caliber had never been known before the regression.
Eat more.
Thank you.
Eunha, who had been observing the two of them, released the mana in his hand, and Bruno nodded and looked away from him.
It wasnt just the neighbors who were coming to the yard. No wonder, the sll of grilling at was everywhere.
Huh?
Eunha, who had been enjoying the barbecue, tilted his head as he spotted soone among the people wandering the yard.
I dont think. I act before I think. I think after I act.
Clutching her newly acquired skewers in both hands, Euna pushed her way through the crowd.
Hi!
Uh-uh, mmm uh?
Eun-hyeok, who had been lurking, flinched as she approached him with the skewers.
He still had his toy knife, even though it had gone out of style. A band-aid on the bridge of his nose and a toy knife strapped to his back with a string, it reminded
of a typical prankster.
What is it?
Eunhyeok, who didnt recognize Euna, hesitated and stepped back.
Youre Eunhas friend, right? Ive seen you in kindergarten before.
Eunha? No Eunha? Whos friends with him?
Thats right. Ive never been friends with him either.
Euna rembered Eunhyeok, which is why she thought he was Eunhas friend and ca to see him unexpectedly.
But neither Eunha nor Eunhyuk thought of each other as friends. They would be entering elentary school next year, and they were still fighting over nothing, so there was no way they could be friends.
No Eunha.
Yeah, its been a while. Why dont you stay here and eat so at with ? Julieta brought a lot of it.
Who says Im going to eat the at you give . Ouch!
If its Eunhas friend, its my friend! You should try it! Uncle Bruno grills at so well!
It was indeed Euna. Without any hesitation, she put the skewers in his mouth as soon as she saw Eunhyuk. Eunhyuk, who had his mouth full of skewers at an unexpected ti, choked and tears stread down his face.
It was a hilarious scene for Eunha who was watching.
Delicious.
Eunhyuk barely swallowed the at, but he was hooked on the charm of barbecue.
Isnt it delicious?
Yum!
He admits honestly.
Already, he was being led by Euna towards the grill where the children were gathered.
And in the middle of it, Eunha grabbed Eunas hand.
Huh? What?
Euna asked with sauce around her mouth.
Eunha wiped the sauce off her finger and said, Ill co too. Dont just eat alone.
Yeah! Lets eat sausages this ti!
Euna was happy as Eunha held her hand. Eunhyuk looked at them from behind, and chuckled to himself.
Who would dare to hold their sisters hand so boldly?
Eunha and Eunhyuk were already able to fight just with their eyes. After losing the staring contest, Eunhyuk confidently rushed towards the table.
Hmph! How childish!
For a mont, Eunhyuk was overwheld by Eunhas atmosphere. Eunhyuk regained his senses and stuffed his mouth with at as a way to vent his frustration towards Eunha.
Oh? Choi Eunhyuk, youre here too?
Uh, hey Eunhyuk.
What? Were you here too?
He gave a lukewarm response to Minji and Hayang. His cheeks were already so stuffed with at that there was no room left.
Youre still carrying a toy sword around. Youre not a child anymore.
Hmph, dont co crying to
later asking
to help you.
You wont have anything to ask for my help with!
Hey, hey, dont fightJulieta unnie! Minji and Eunhyuk are!
A year later, the kids relationship hadnt changed. Now it was Minji and Eunhyuk fighting with chopsticks.
Hayang, caught in the middle, couldnt do anything about it.
Oh, thats what I was grilling!
They werent the only ones in the at fight.
There was no business before the at. Euna joined the fray, battling with the two of them, trying to get one more piece of at.
Ugh, take that one.
Childish. Childish.
Eunha gobbled it up while the three of them fought chopsticks in the air.
Mmm, delicious. Its ripe because my sister set it aside.
Aaah! Eunha, you! Thats what I left for
to eat!
No Eunha, are you still human after what you did?
You bloodless, tearless bastard!
Hey, that doesnt an its the end of the world.
The price he paid for stealing a piece of at was too much. The three of them glared at him in unison.
In tis like this, its best to run. Eunha wielded his sword with his shield, keeping his distance from his enemies.
anwhile, Julieta was feeding Bruno at with a smile on her face.
Here, ah~
You were like that when you were younger.
Oh, ?
It seems like just yesterday, at the banquet where all the families were gathered, you were arguing with the heir to the Myron family over at.
Yes, it was. It was a long ti ago, how well do you rember it?
Because Ive been watching you since you were a child.
Bru.
Julie, you dont regret this choice, though, do you? If you could go back now, youd be.
No, I like it now, Bru, Im so happy to be with you.
Julie.
Bru.
With or without the others, the couple was lost in their own world. Already, their faces were close enough to kiss as the sun set.
The girls, who were watching a scene from Beauty and the Beast, squealed and watched with their eyes lit up.
Yeah, lets pretend we didnt see it. Lets pretend we didnt hear it.
I didnt want to know what was going on between Bruno and Julieta anymore. If I intervened, Id be caught in the crossfire.
Yeah, Ill eat while I can, but when?
There had been tis when hed had to survive for weeks on a few days worth of food while rebuilding a city that had been destroyed by monsters, and hed learned the lesson of eating while you can.
So eat. When you can. As much as you can eat.
Choi Eunhyuk, youre not going to give up that seat? Dont you know about ladies first?
The person who gets there first gets the seat. Why would I give it up?
Hehe, I hope we can have another barbecue later. Right?
Dont fight, everyone. Ill share my at with you
On one side, the kids furiously fight over the at,
Bru.
Julie.
On the other, a couple filming Beauty and the Beast.
It was one quiet day after another.
Eunha shook his head at the noise and gulped down his soda.
Even though it was evening, the cicadas were still chirping loudly.
So houses had their windows open and the sound of the television was leaking out.
It was a very hot and noisy day.
Lets go inside.
If Im the last to leave, Ill have to help clean up.
It was hot, so he decided to run a cold bath.
Eunha went ho, out of sight of the others.
Thats mine!
Youre the one who ate it first!
This is mine, you cant touch it!
Everyone, everyone, dont fight~!
It was a very hot and noisy day indeed.
Urgent breaking news. At 4pm today, there was an appearance of a monster goblin of the seventh rank near University Road.
The Mana Managent Bureau considered the 30 or so goblins to be of the 6th rank, and ordered the local clans to deal with them imdiately.
The Mana Managent Agency in Seongbuk-gu assus that the escaped goblins are likely to hide in residential areas and has decided to deploy players near the area.
Residents living nearby are advised to be cautious of goblin sightings and refrain from going out unnecessarily, and imdiately report any sighting of the monster.
Notes!
(1) Unnie: The Korean word unnie refers to an older sister. Youve probably heard this one before on TV or on social dia.
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