Chapter 33 - Winter, the Season of Storms (1)
I decided to visit a place called a gifted coaching center for Han Gaeul’s child intelligence test.
PD Kim Hwachang said he would film the other family members, so he didn’t follow me today.
Gaeul tightly held my hand. Her hand was soft and warm like a steamed bun.
“Noona. Where are we going?”
Unlike the other twins, Gaeul’s pronunciation was relatively clear.
But how should I explain it?
“…To eat pork cutlet.”
“Pork cutlet? Yay!”
Han Gaeul smiled brightly and swung my hand wide as she held it.
“We’ll do a test before eating.”
“What’s a test? A test with knives?”
“Uh… not that kind of test. It’s to check how smart our Gaeul is.”
“I’m not very smart though.”
We went up the stairs to the second floor and opened the center’s door.
Tension and wariness showed on Gaeul’s face.
“It looks like a hospital.”
“Don’t worry, it’s not a hospital.”
I sat Gaeul down and filled out a questionnaire labeled ‘Korean Child Personality Rating Scale’. There were so many items that I was exhausted before even getting counseling.
After carefully checking the items and giving it to the staff, another questionnaire came back as if in exchange.
It asked to fill in the child’s birth timing, developmental state, and emotional state.
…At this rate, it feels like I’m the one getting tested.
After finishing the second questionnaire, Gaeul went into the room to take the intelligence test. The staff told me it would take about an hour.
While waiting, I turned on my phone.
Let’s check the reactions to yesterday’s outdoor broadcast first.
When I opened KakaoTalk, there was a message from Moon Jaehyun.
[Moon Jaehyun: Noona]
[Moon Jaehyun: I cut yesterday’s outdoor broadcast]
[Moon Jaehyun: And uploaded it as Shorts]
[Moon Jaehyun: The algorithm exploded]
[Moon Jaehyun: It’s a huge hit..?]
[Moon Jaehyun: https://nutube.com/fKEojeOg]
Moon Jaehyun sent 3 hyperlinks.
[Jamsil Mediation Expert]
[Hoping to Join the NBA]
[Female Streamer Extorting Viewers]
Even though it hasn’t been long since they were uploaded, the view counts all exceeded 500,000, and the number of comments was enormous.
@user-vy2mij1k
Those 50-60 year old uncles are real masters of skits lol “Are you a security guard?” is legendary lololololol
@user-tfj23Q5Y
Fck this is so hilariously stupid for real lololol What the hell is Jamsil anyway
@user-ph932j9aqw
Her face looks like the lead in a melodrama but watching her act crazy makes it seem like a sitcom not a melo lolololololol
@user-vxjf923miw
The reason comedy shows failed
@user-jx4dc2ix4n
This noona was walking around barefoot yesterday lololol She was really crazy pretty in person
└For real her body and face are insane;
└Chahyeon High went crazy for 20 minutes
└Lol I even took a photo ss
@user-j290jak3f
I can read faces and she has serious peach blossom luck. She’ll enchant both men and women.
└Is that a compliment or an insult
└It could be a compliment or an insult. It could be poison or it could be beneficial.
└I wish I had even a bit of peach blossom luck, how many years have I been single fck
Fortunately, the reactions are good.
It seems like a good opportunity to make even ordinary people who don’t know Galaxy War or don’t watch Twimer, commonly called muggles, into my fans.
And, that twin-tailed kid I saw yesterday.
The one who boldly approached and boasted she’d beat me in the semi-pro selection.
No matter how I looked at it, she was the only opponent I’d meet in the Courage Match finals.
When I saw her playing games with Han Sieun, her race was Alien, right?
I decided I should practice same-race matchups as much as possible.
And so the clock hand made a full rotation…
Han Gaeul came out of the room with drowsy eyes.
I stretched wide and yawned.
“Gaeul, did you do well?”
Han Gaeul looked at me with puffed cheeks and a sulky expression.
“I did some hard stuff on the computer. They also tested me with a phone.”
“Good job! Let’s go eat pork cutlet now that it’s over!”
The gifted center director patted Gaeul’s head.
“Who did Gaeul take after to be so smart?”
“After noona!”
I left Gaeul in the playroom for a moment and followed the director into the counseling room.
To get straight to the result…
They say she’s gifted.
A gifted child in the top 1%.
Almost all areas were excellent and her IQ was 135.
The center director put the test results in an envelope and said,
“The kindergarten she’s attending now can’t provide education suitable for Gaeul. Should I write a recommendation for her to take classes at a gifted institution in Gangnam?”
Gifted institution…
I thought deeply. What’s right for Gaeul?
I decided to think realistically for now.
Considering both cost and distance, it was a difficult question to answer hastily, so I postponed the decision for now.
As we left the center, the cold winter wind stung my cheeks again.
Gaeul and I ate our fill of pork cutlets and walked home. Even then, Gaeul didn’t let go of my hand.
Suddenly, Gaeul stopped in place.
“Noona.”
“Yes, Gaeul?”
“My legs hurt. Give me a piggyback ride.”
Han Gaeul was throwing a tantrum, even feigning illness to be carried.
At five years old, it was about time to stop giving piggyback rides. So I was going to firmly say no, but
Thinking that later I might want to carry her but no longer be able to, I changed my mind.
“Oh my, noona’s going to die.”
I hoisted Gaeul onto my back.
She’s heavier than a month ago, two months ago, three months ago…
The chubby rice cake-like twins were gradually growing.
What is this? I feel good that they seem to be growing well, but… somehow it’s bittersweet.
Gaeul wrapped her arms around my neck and clung to me like a leech.
Then she said softly,
“I want to become an adult quickly too.”
“Huh? Why?”
“So noona won’t have a hard time.”
For a moment, I almost teared up.
Just then,
“Han Yujin!”
An unpleasant voice was heard from behind. It was Sung Dojun.
Wow, look at that appearance of enjoying campus life at twenty.
While someone is carrying their young sibling on their back, someone else is holding coffee and all dressed up…
I was secretly envious of Sung Dojun enjoying his youth gathered with friends, both male and female.
Ah, really!
I was like that in my past life too, but what is this now!
Sung Dojun approached and smiled brightly.
“What are you doing here?”
“What’s it to you?”
“Ugh, unnecessarily prickly.”
I asked Gaeul,
“Gaeul, do you know who this ajussi is?”
“Hey, if I’m an ajussi, you’re an ajumma too!”
Then Han Gaeul answered lukewarmly,
“Yeah. Noona’s boyfriend.”
Sung Dojun and I both made dumbfounded expressions at the same time.
I put Gaeul down and gently stroked her forehead.
“Gaeul, are you sick somewhere?”
There’s no fever.
“No.”
This time I lifted Gaeul’s eyelids.
“Is your eyesight bad? Should we get you glasses?”
“I’m fine.”
Then why did such an absurd thing come out of your mouth!
Sung Dojun excused himself to his friends and ended the gathering. Then he rolled up his sleeves and stepped up to escort us home.
“Noona.”
“Yes.”
Gaeul held out her hand.
“Hand.”
I firmly grasped Gaeul’s hand.
This time, she turned her head the other way and held out her hand to Sung Dojun.
“Oppa too, hand.”
“Oh, Gaeul.”
Holding both our hands tightly, Han Gaeul spun our hands around as she took small running steps.
Sung Dojun looked at me with a sour expression.
“Hey, this makes us look like…”
“Shut up.”
Just then, a neighborhood ajumma we didn’t know came and asked,
“Oh my, how cute. How old is she?”
“She’s five years old.”
The ajumma suddenly took out her wallet and gave Gaeul some pocket money.
“Gaeul, you should say thank you.”
“Thank youuu.”
The ajumma looked at our faces intently again and opened her mouth.
“But you look like students… Have you had a wedding ceremony?”
“…”
Sung Dojun and I said simultaneously,
“We’re not a married couple!”
After putting Han Gaeul to sleep, I rushed to Kang Yohan’s studio apartment.
I entered the door lock password Kang Yohan had given me, and his figure was immediately visible.
Seeing me, he slightly removed one side of his headset and smiled brightly.
“Ms. Yujin, you’re here?”
“Focus on the game, focus.”
“Yes, yes!”
I watched the game with my arms crossed like a special forces instructor training recruits. Problems were immediately apparent everywhere.
In the end, the game ended with Kang Yohan’s victory, but it wasn’t satisfactory at all.
He must have felt the same, as he looked at me with a timid expression.
“Ahaha. Having you behind me somehow makes me nervous.”
Then he looked at me cautiously and asked,
“…How was it?”
“One thing to praise, nine things to point out. Which do you want to hear first?”
“I’ll hear the good thing first!”
I said firmly,
“That there aren’t 10 things to point out.”
“…Is that praise?”
Kang Yohan became gloomy like a rain-soaked mouse.
I showed Kang Yohan the points I had written down on my phone.
-Doesn’t know mineral boosting positions
-Can’t manage tanks
-Insufficient unit production during battles
-Slow on taking third expansion
-Siege mode all at once??
-Do some Vulture harass!
…
..
.
Kang Yohan looked at the phone, moistened his dry lips with his thin tongue, then smiled and said,
“I, I’m trying to think positively! It means I just need to fix those 9 things, right?”
“For other matchups, there might be 10 or 20 problem points.”
“…That’s true.”
I sat down at the computer instead of Kang Yohan.
“I’ll watch more replays.”
When I went into the folder, there were replays from yesterday. 40 replays.
Playing 40 games a day no matter what was one of the promises between Kang Yohan and me.
“You kept your promise?”
“Of course! I’m playing like crazy with the mindset of burning my last flame. I really want to win, you know.”
As I was watching the replays with an unimpressed look, I noticed he lost repeatedly to one person in particular.
He played five games and lost all five.
What’s this…?
“You lost repeatedly to this person?”
When I asked, Kang Yohan shook his head.
“Haah… yes, I lost repeatedly. But this person, their skill is pro level but they feel like an amateur. Who could it be?”
The mouse cursor pointed to the ID.
The ID was……
Nadir?
Who the hell is this?