92 – For her.
“Guero.”
…
“…No.”
“Hey?”
“No.”
“Um…Claes.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Elise?”
“It’s getting worse.”
“Yoona II.”
“…Ellen.”
“Yes.”
“Can’t you think about it more seriously?”
“Then Eren II?”
“Ha…”
Yoona eventually sighed at my poor creativity. She then shook her head and took out her book.
“Let’s just get on with the progress. How far have we gone?”
“Uh…Should I study on a day like today?”
“Of course. Actually, you know that this is more urgent, right?”
“hahahaha…”
I smiled and looked out the window. The wind, which was quite different from when I first came, was licking the thin tree branches. If I just look at it, it feels like green leaves are falling and waving at me.
It’s been two months since I returned to this world. Now was the time when the changes could be felt through the skin.
Not long after that incident, we encountered numerous problems. Right now, my illegal immigration status was a problem, and it was also about Yoona’s mother. And even my basic common sense and educational background became obstacles to my life.
Everything was too heavy to bear, but I had no choice but to solve it one by one. Of course, not much has been resolved yet. The status issue seemed to take longer than expected, and the issue related to my mother ended up being put on hold after two intense phone calls. Meanwhile, I haven’t even been able to talk about myself yet.
And from that day until this moment, it was this study problem that I had been constantly working on for two months. It’s not a joke, but except for the times when I was eating, sleeping, and having s*x, I think I only read books every moment. Even while I was doing all that, there were moments when I looked at books.
No. Have you ever studied while sleeping? Other than that, there is no exaggeration.
Despite all the effort, the results were poor. As I had already experienced in the other world, I had no talent for studying and had been away from it for too long. The good news is that Yoona is a very patient teacher.
Of course, even her patience was slowly fading away.
“You’re so good at fooling around, but why don’t you have any talent for this?”
Yuna, who had been struggling with Korean spelling for a while, eventually expressed her complaints mixed with lamentation. Since I had nothing else to say, I just made the usual excuses.
“I’m sorry. I’m saying I do it too, but strangely it doesn’t enter my head. Actually, isn’t this part too difficult for me to learn?”
“This is for middle school students.”
“That’s high, right?”
“For now, let’s continue. I want to finish this unit before Ari comes.”
I think there are still more than twenty pages left. No matter how pretty the teacher was, it was inevitable that it would be boring. So, I took out my phone and checked the time.
“It seems impossible to finish it. Shouldn’t we start preparing soon?”
“You’ve got all your clothes on. You’ve done all your makeup. You’ve done everything to prepare. All you have to do is wait for Ari to come.”
“Then I have to text Ari. Come quickly.”
“When did you get Ari’s contact information?”
“I asked because I thought it was necessary. Then, is it okay?”
“It’s not like it’s impossible…But you’re not even talking to me?”
“Hmm…”
Yoona’s eyes narrowed slightly as she looked. Thinking that she had made a mistake, I avoided her gaze for no reason. I thought that tonight might be rough and rough.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
But before that, a bigger problem was coming. We raised our heads at the same time at the sound of the knock, looked at each other, and sighed.
“Arine.”
“You’re already here, no need to text me.”
“That’s right. I guess it’s time to go now.”
Yuna took a deep breath and stood up. She then threw a trembling voice toward the other side of the door.
“Come in, Ari. We’re ready.”
“Well, I don’t think I’m ready.”
Soon, the door opened and Ari appeared in the doorway. Ari, who was dressed so cutely that her words “Little lady” Befitted her, looked at us in silence.
“…”
“Hmm…”
I felt burdened by those gazes, so I adjusted my collar for no reason. The unfamiliar texture of the suit pricked my skin. The makeup I applied after waking up early in the morning. Even waxed hair. Everything just felt awkward.
Suddenly, the memory of that day when I was heading to the duke’s mansion came to mind. Nothing has changed. In fact, it was no exaggeration to say that almost everything was the same as then.
From Noble mtl dot com
Because today is the day I go to say hello to Yoona’s mother.
Of course, it was just a greeting because it sounded nice, but if you look at the reality, it was no different from a one-sided attack. But we couldn’t think of a better way, so we decided to set aside a day to meet her mother together.
And that was today. It’s been two months since I returned to this world. The time had passed so quickly that I could only lament.
“So what did she tell mom? She said she was coming?”
“She said her sister wanted to talk to her over dinner. She just said that. So she said she got it. She said she wanted to see the girl’s face.”
“You haven’t talked about Ellen yet, right?”
“I didn’t. I still think it’s better to talk about it in advance.”
“I don’t want to get nervous already. And if you tell me in advance, they might wait with a knife.”
“Then Ellen will take care of it. Anyway, let’s go now. It’s late.”
“Huh…”
Ari’s words already made me feel tense. The scars all over her body were throbbing for no reason and it felt like she was suffocating. If Yuna hadn’t held her hand, she might have fallen at least once while going down the stairs.
As she followed Yoona into her car, her heart began to beat throughout her body along with the roaring exhaust sound.
“Ugh…”
In the end, what came out from her clogged heart was a deep sigh. As carsickness combined with her nervousness, her head started pounding more than when she was studying.
“Ariya. How long does it take to get to the restaurant?”
She felt like she would suffocate if she stayed still, so she asked a useless question. Ari answered lightly, moving her steering wheel skillfully.
“20 Minutes.”
“That’s all it takes?”
“Then do you want to walk?”
“That’s not true…”
It’s only 20 minutes. It was a tight time to calm her trembling heart. He looked at me quietly, smiled and asked.
“Why are you nervous?”
“How can you not be nervous? To be honest, I feel like I’m going to throw up.”
“It’s my first time seeing you like this. You acted so calmly when you went to meet the Duchess.”
“At that time… It strangely didn’t feel real. But now, I really feel like this is real.”
“Don’t worry, Ellen. My mother is less than a duchess.”
Is this a joke? I couldn’t tell if it was really meant to reassure me or not. I was so nervous that I ended up saying things I didn’t need to say.
“Are you sure it’s okay? Do you think your mother will approve of me?”
“If we both work together, wouldn’t something work out? It was like that when we were duchesses.”
“Guero and Illya were also there at that time.”
“Anyway, it’s true that the two of us went in together. And this time, it wasn’t just the two of us…”
“…”
“The three of us are going in, right?”
Yuna smiled and placed her hand on her stomach. Thinking about the life that was being born inside her, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“…Yoona II.”
“I said absolutely no way.”
“You must make it like that.”
I made a joke that wasn’t a joke. Yuna pinched my thigh slightly and she placed her hand on it. Your body temperature and the you inside of you that I wanted to have. The warmth of the two came through at the same time.
Just like that, the world began to pass by me.
The scenery outside the window was still unfamiliar and cool. When the cold wind blows and passes by my ears, memories of the past seem to come to mind.
But there was no time to get caught up in such meaningless things anymore. Unlike those days when I was only swallowing dust in a lonely room. Unlike those days when I was yawning in an idle classroom. There were so many problems surrounding me right now that I felt out of breath just bearing the reality.
Now I couldn’t remain as an extra in the story. Because my heroine, who I finally got back, is pouring out all kinds of stories.
And Yoona II.
…
You really have to build it like that.
“We’ve arrived, Ellen.”
While I was ruminating on those thoughts, Yoona pulled my collar. It seems that this is the end of the loud prologue.
Thinking like that, I eagerly opened the first chapter of the story.
“Are you relaxed?”
“No.”
I couldn’t lie from the beginning, so I answered the truth. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake off the burden in my heart. Yuna looked at my expression and said, poking her side.
“Then shall we run away?”
“I should have told you sooner. I don’t even have money to take the bus.”
“You’re really nervous, Ellen.”
“I’m still shaking.”
“Cheer up. If you finish today well, I’ll give you a hug when I get home.”
“You do it every day.”
“I’ll do it with my feet too.”
“I finally feel braver.”
In an instant, the tension disappeared and my whole body became filled with will. Yuna looked at me pitifully and then took her hand.
And she started walking forward again.
“Whoa…”
A sigh was mixed with her slow steps. The building in front of her was nothing short of shabby compared to the huge duke’s mansion. But unlike back then, Yoona and I were not in anyone’s body. The second reality that struck me was as heavy as the weight of the mansion. Perhaps Yoona also feels that fact. This time I opened her mouth to relieve her tension.
“Are you nervous too?”
“That’s right, it’s been almost half a year since I met her mother in person. If you include the time spent in that world, it might be over a year.”
“I miss my mom too. It’s been over 15 years since she last saw me.”
“Could you please stop telling funny jokes? And put some clothes inside. Your shirt is sticking out.”
“It’s because the clothes are a bit big. Yoona, stop biting your lip. I’ll get all the lipstick on my teeth.”
“Uh… I see. I’m in big trouble. Did you ask anything? Do I look strange?”
We stood in front of the restaurant door and looked at each other for the last time. Fortunately, there wasn’t much that was distracting. Yuna also examined my body carefully and then turned her body towards her door again.
“Okay. Let’s finish it quickly and go home. I’m dying to wear earrings because they’re so cumbersome.”
“You didn’t have to do it. Guero and other women are obsessed with earrings.”
“It’s been a while. That name. I hope you’re doing well.”
“By the way, when Guero finds you, she said she would come over to visit. I wonder if she can go again.”
“It may be difficult, but there might be a way. Let’s find out.”
“Okay…”
“…”
“…”
“…Are you ready? Are we really going in now?”
“Yes. When I meet my mother, I will have to greet her loudly.”
“You’re not going to kiss me like you did back then, are you?”
“I’m going to kiss you. Very deeply.”
Yoona looked at me with an expression of confusion as to whether this was a joke or serious. I looked away from her with a light smile and grabbed her door handle. I finally felt like I was getting my pace back.
Always a little joke right before an important event.
This is my way.
I took one last deep breath. Now it was really time to go in.
So, I turned the handle vigorously. And, I posted the last sentence to myself, the only reader of my story.
Okay.
Now then, let’s start again.