Chapter 52 – Yiyu’s Revenge (1)
Ian disconnected and emerged from the capsule. He contemplated on his play last night.
It was a long journey. He started at Orcrox, which was on the edge of the continent. It passed through Anail, Arnin, and Chesswood to the centre of the continent. He was now stronger than anyone who wasn’t a ranker.
He also got revenge on the Thawing Balhae Clan. There would be a little delay as he searched for Hyunchul and the clan leader, but the crippling blow to the Thawing Balhal Clan had already been dealt.
He could now work on the reason why he began playing this game. The reason he started playing the game was for his sister Jung Yiyu. Her character was in the center of the continent, at one of the starting points for elves.
“That is the reason why I am playing the game, for Yiyu…”
Ian hummed before suddenly stopping.
“……!”
This wasn’t something he normally did.
He had hummed unconsciously because Jeremy was always making noises beside him. It was just like Iron, F4 the roleplaying group, and the orcs who played the game. Meeting all of those people had changed Ian in real life.
Ian started laughing. Change. It wasn’t a bad feeling.
He stretched, afraid of becoming unhealthy after spending so much time in Elder Lord. He needed to move his body properly. Ian slowly moved. By the way, his body was softer than he thought. No, rather, it seemed more flexible than before.
Ian cocked his head. Somehow, strength was overflowing in him. What was this? Ian looked down at his hands before suddenly falling face-down to the ground. He put weight on both hands in a push-up stance and then slowly lifted his lower body from the ground.
Ian’s mouth dropped open. It was a success. This type of body movement was called a Planche. He supported his body with only his arms and formed a straight position in the air, like Superman.
He hadn’t thought that it would be possible after not exercising for a while. However, it actually seemed easier than before. Ian got up and pondered over his body. Maybe it was thanks to Elder Lord.
There was a similar reaction as one conducted image training, so maybe Elder Lord had that effect on the body as well.
Ian showered and left home. After dropping off some food at the café for Han Yeori and Yoo Sooyeon, he headed to Yiyu’s university. It was lunch time so he thought he would buy her something delicious.
He contacted her and told her to wait in front of the cafeteria.
“Oppa.”
“You came?”
They entered the cafeteria.
Ian ordered a set of sushi and noodles. Yiyu loved sushi. When she was young, she had been impressed by the classic cartoon, ‘Mister Sushi King’, and dreamed of being a chef. Of course, she gave it up after realizing that she had no talent in cooking.
“Why did you come here all of a sudden? And you’re buying the meal as well?”
“It isn’t sudden, I’ve bought you a lot of meals.”
“You haven’t done it lately, so I thought you didn’t care about your little sister anymore. Have you been busy meeting that pretty sister?”
Ian smiled and poked Yiyu’s forehead with his fingers. She frowned.
“Does it hurt?”
“It hurts,” Yiyu complained, and moving her gaze to her phone. She seemed to be messaging someone. Ian touched his chin.
This was good enough.
One year ago, Yiyu had been awkward with Ian. It had been seven years.
As soon as he became an adult, he received an exemption from military service due to having a minor dependent on him. He was then sent to the foreign troops through Baek Hanho’s recommendation.
He sent and received letters, but he hadn’t been able to communicate with her properly due to the circumstances of his unit, the time difference, and security issues. Yiyu was left at a relative’s home and Ian supported her living expenses and tuition. Yiyu wasn’t bullied, but she also didn’t receive any love.
When Ian was discharged and returned to Korea last year, the 13 year old child had already become an adult.
Yiyu was unfamiliar with Ian.
She told her brother, whom she hadn’t met in seven years, that she would get a job as soon as she graduated high school so that he didn’t need to worry about her. It was regrettable, considering their past relationship, so he just told her to go to the school that she wanted to go to.
His father had always said to him,
‘Mother and Father are busy, so you have to protect your little sister. A brother and sister should be closer with each other than with their parents. You have to depend on each other until you die. It is the deepest family connection. So… You must protect Yiyu. I believe in you.’
Then there was his parents’ funeral, who had died without even leaving a will. Ian didn’t cry. He smiled and made a pledge towards his father’s photo. ‘I won’t let you down.’
He sometimes doubted if he was meeting his father’s expectations, but the resolution of that time still remained in his chest.
“Oppa, why are you smiling like that?”
“……”
“I-It hurts!”
Sometimes that resolution was shaken. The meal arrived and Yiyu started eating the sushi.
“How’s school?”
“Good.”
“And your course feels right?”
“No… I don’t know.” Yiyu sighed. “Oppa, sometimes I wonder about my dream. I thought that I’d find it in the economics department, but I don’t know anymore.”
“Wasn’t it to become the sushi king?”
“Ah, not that.”
“You should do what you want.”
“I can’t always do what I want. I need talent.”
“Talent?”
“Yes. For example, even if all soccer players practice, that doesn’t mean they will be like Pele, Ronaldo, Maradona, and Messi.
Ian laughed. Yiyu raised her eyebrows. “What, what?”
“There is no need to be the best.”
“Then?”
“There are plenty of soccer players out there. You don’t have to be the best. Even if you can’t play, you can open a soccer school and coach. Or you can open a neighborhood gym.”
“I see…”
“You should just be happy as you do what you want.”
Yiyu looked at Ian with a strange expression before going back to swallowing her sushi. She gasped, “Ah, wasabi, wasabi. Spicy.”
Ian handed her some water which calmed her down as she drank the water.
“But Oppa, what if I don’t know what I like?”
“You don’t know?”
“Yeah, I don’t know. Under these circumstances, it looks like I just have to live and die.”
“It’ll be okay.”
“You always say that it’ll be okay.”
“If you want to live roughly, than you should just do it. No one will scold you.”
“You scold me for my failing grades.”
“That’s a formality.”
“Then I’ll keep doing it in the future, okay?”
“No.”
“Yes, yes.”
“No no no.”
“Che.”
The two concentrated on their meal for a while. It was delicious. Ian decided to come here with his part time workers next time. Ian cut to the chase.
“You, how is Elder Lord?”
“Huh?”
Ian coughed. “Hmm, I’m actually…”
“I quit.”
“Very high…what?”
“I quit Elder Lord.”
Ian looked at Yiyu. She didn’t even look at Ian as she slurped her udon. “I won’t play anymore.”
Ian hesitated because her face seemed really determined. “Why all of a sudden?”
“I just did.”
Ian recalled a childhood memory.
Whenever something bad happened, Yiyu would stay quiet at home. Ian would ask what happened, and she wouldn’t reply. Ian always had to coax the details out of her. If he kept asking, then she would eventually confess.
As Ian looked at her glum expression, he couldn’t help asking, “What’s going on?”
“I just don’t want to do it.”
“Tell me.”
“……”
As soon as Yiyu closed her mouth, Ian grabbed her favorite tuna from the sushi set.
“Ah, what the?”
“You can’t eat until you speak.”
“Ah, why? How petty. Gimme.”
“Eat.”
“Okay, I understand.”
Ian gave her the tuna back.
“It’s just scary.”
“Scary?”
“Well…”
Yiyu was scared and weak. As she had told her friends, she had died to a rabbit. Therefore, she became a mystic to obtain spirits and carefreely roam around the world. One day, she encountered a group of users.
They were high level players that were normally not seen in the beginner’s area. They noticed that she was shearing sheep alone with her spirits and approached. They told her that they were high level users, and that they would help her raise her level.
Yiyu rejected, but they kept at it, quickly becoming angry at her clear refusal.
Before attacking her, they exclaimed, “Ah, fuck. This bitch must have spent a lot of money on her customization. Does she think she’s a real elf or something?”
Yiyu ran away as they laughed and chased her, as if they were hunting deer. Her spirits resisted, but they were eventually sent back to the spirit world, leaving Yiyu to fend for herself. Her assimilation rate was only 10%, so she didn’t feel a lot of pain. However, after being tied up like a hunted animal, she didn’t want to play Elder Lord anymore.
“I’m so sad about my poor kids being attacked,” Yiyu said. She called the spirits her kids. “At any rate, I don’t want to play anymore because there are many strange people. I apologize for forcing Oppa to play and then quitting.”
“Why are you sorry? It’s okay.”
“Oppa shouldn’t play as well. Elder Lord is too tough. Don’t play that tough game and remain a café boss.”
Ian laughed. His sister didn’t seem to know that he was the toughest person around.
“Where were you?”
“Was it Maillard? Oppa, this is delicious. I want more.”
“I’ll go.”
He ordered more sushi for Yiyu.
Ian remembered the name Maillard. He also got a description of her attackers’ appearances and some other information from Yiyu. The only reason she told him all this was because he had added more tuna sushi to the plate.
Maillard was a city of elves located a little further from where Crockta currently was. Unlike Arnin, it was a place where other species were free to enter. Elves were able to choose from a variety of starting points, unlike the orcs. Maillard was a favorite starting point among beginners.
He would show them the wrath of an orc warrior.
Ian laughed.
“Yiyu?”
Someone suddenly called out her name. Ian raised his head.
Yiyu replied, “Uh, Yunji.”
“Wow, I didn’t expect to see you here. Are you eating lunch?”
“Yes. You as well?”
“Yes. It has been a while.”
It was Yiyu’s friend. She glanced at Ian. “Is he your boyfriend?”
“No, my brother.”
“Brother? Really?”
She looked at both Ian and Yiyu. “You do look alike. Hello, I am Yiyu’s friend, Jung Yunji.”
“Hello. I am Yiyu’s older brother.”
Ian greeted her. He spoke politely since she was Yiyu’s friend. She came with another party, so a group of girls were waiting for her. Jung Yunji said goodbye to Yiyu and turned away. But Jung Yunji looked strangely familiar to Ian.
Her face was familiar. Her grouchy face complaining to Ian seemed to pop into his head for some reason. Ian frowned. Who was it? Where did he see her?
“Ah. I hate carrots.”
Yiyu spat out a piece of carrot as she ate the udon.
Carrot. Carrot…
‘Bah, will Ian’s strength make a difference?’
“……!”
‘Will it turn carrots into beef? You would be a wealthy merchant.’
Those words suddenly popped into his head. Ian looked back. He caught Jung Yunji’s eyes as her friend nagged her.
“……?”
She looked embarrassed by Ian’s gaze and turned slightly pink. She shyly bowed her head and tucked her hair behind her ears.
“Why are you staring, are you interested in her?” Yiyu asked sharply. Ian shook his head and turned forward again.
“No.”
“Then what is it?”
“She looks familiar.”
“Hrm…”
Yiyu made a questioning sound, but Ian just put the sushi in his mouth. It was obvious why. He actually met her in reality, so he couldn’t help feeling goosebumps.
But somehow, it felt like the back of his head was stinging.