Game Market 1983

Chapter 65

Game Market 1983 - Chapter 65

Regular chapter of the week .

The ending of this chapter is . . . Heh heh, you guys will have to find out for yourselves!

“I promised you that I’d be here . But did you keep your promise with me?”

“Of course, I bought 50,000 Wons worth of beef . My mom grilled me about where I got it from, hehe . ”

Haha… My mother was the type of person to get suspicious if I brought 50,000 Wons worth of food home .

“Good job . Here is your reward kiddo . ”

“A gift set!! Wow!”

“And give this spam package to your mother…”

“Thank you… But who are you, mister? I asked my mom yesterday, and she said she’s never met you before . ”

“Mmm… you can say I’m a distant relative . ”

“Ah… Then should I tell my mom a relative gave these to me?”

“Yeah . I’ll get going then . Listen to your parents and work hard in your studies, kiddo . ”

“Eh? You’re leaving so soon? My mom is home right now…”

“It’s fine . Take care~”

I petted his head a few times and moved my footsteps to the Mintra Computer shop where Yuki was .

&

Ugh, I skipped lunch again while talking to the owner of Mintra about the business . I felt guilty about not buying Yuki a proper meal since we landed on Korean soil; I hurriedly opened the door to Mintra Computers .

“Sorry, Yuki . You must be starving?”

“Ah… You came, Junhyuk?”

Yuki who was sitting with the owner turned her head as she heard my voice . Her shining smile was plastered with bits of black bean sauce everywhere .

“The owner ordered takeout for me . These noodles are amazing!? What was it called… Ja Jien Myun? You should try some!”

“Oh ho, you came back earlier than I expected . Should I order one more plate?”

Street stall foods yesterday and Chinese takeout today… I was glad she liked it; I smiled and glanced at Yuki .

“You should order orange chicken and dumplings while you’re at it . ”

I was getting hungry as well, so I didn’t refuse his offer and took a seat . A while later, a Chinese delivery man knocked on the door holding a plate of black bean noodles and the side dishes .

“Wow, having food with one phone call is amazing… I wish I had something like this back in Japan . ”

Yuki stared in awe at the food delivery process . Subsequently, as the plate of orange chicken was placed onto the table, Yuki’s eyes glistened in anticipation .

“Yuki, what did you say to the owner for him to order take out for you?”

“I just… When I rubbed my stomach and made a somber face, he ordered it for me . . . Like this?”

As Yuki pouted her lips and looked at me with puppy eyes, I couldn’t stop myself from bursting out in laughter . The owner saw this exchange and chuckled as he opened his mouth .

“She kept looking at me with those eyes . How could I not get her something to eat, haha?”

Really, Yuki wouldn’t starve no matter where she was on this planet .

It was at this moment . Without any warning, the owner poured the sauce on to the orange chicken!!

Ack!! He poured a steaming cup of sauce on the fried chicken!! This was not a way to show respect to fried food!! But the owner looked at us with a proud expression and spoke .

“Orange chicken goes best with the sauce on top . ”

Before it was too late, I hurriedly moved the unaffected ones to a new plate .

“Hmm!?”

The owner gave me a long hard stare . We might have been thinking the same thing at this moment: ‘He won’t do…’

“Wow… what kind of meal is this?”

Yuki couldn’t contain her curiosity as she grabbed a chicken coated with the sauce and bit down on it .

“Mr . Junhyuk, there are too many delicious foods in Korea . ”

“She just said it was delicious, right? See~ Pouring sauce over the chicken is the best way to eat it~”

No, I can’t agree with that at all .

&

Moments later, darkness had already set in when we stepped foot outside the shop .

“Then I’ll contact you again once I return to Japan . Please use the Dragon Emblem cartridges as prizes for the raffles for the time being . ”

“Yes, I will take care of it no problem . ”

The owner waited with us until a taxi arrived, and waved us off until we were out of view .

“Ah~ I’m full . Oh yeah, where did you go earlier?”

“Mmm, it’s a secret . ”

“Hmph, You didn’t tell me you made Dragon Emblem, and now you’re hiding something else from me . ”

“No, it’s nothing like that . ”

At that moment, the taxi driver cleared his throat and carefully asked me a question .

“Excuse me, where would you like to go?”

“Ah… I’m sorry . The North Mountain please . ”

“Yes, sir . ”

As we were traveling through the busy streets, I looked out the window and saw an old man lighting a cigar on the back of a public transportation bus . Wow… No matter how unrestricted smoking was in this period, I couldn’t believe that someone was lighting a cigar in a bus full of people . The 80s and 90s were the definition of heaven for smokers . Observing the insides of the taxi, I saw a black mark from cigarette burns in the back of the seat .

How much was a single cigarette here… 200 Wons? 300 Wons?

I used to run errands to the store to buy my father’s cigarettes and alcohol…

“What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing much, just some old memories . ”

“Hmm…”

Yuki stayed silent .

&

Initially, I tried to get to the peak of North Mountain with the taxi, but the vehicles of in the 80s period couldn’t climb steep slopes . Yuki wanted to walk to the top to enjoy the scenery, so we got off the bottom of the mountain and slowly began our hike .

“Eughhh~ I love everything about Korea except for the cold weather . I’m freezing to death right now . ”

“Yeah, Japan should be warmer right now . ”

“That’s true, but…”

“But?”

“I’m really having fun . I knew I made the right decision when I boarded that plane . When I return home, I’ll have so many things to tell my mom: that I enjoyed Korea so much, and that I want her to come with me next time . ”

To be honest, I’ve never given Yuki a proper tour, yet she still followed me around without any complaints . Last night, while Yuki was fast asleep from walking around all day, I discovered a travel guidebook while I was organizing her carrier . The guidebook showcased various landmarks and attractions of Seoul, with star ratings hand-drawn by Yuki next to the locations .

Amongst them, she had given a 7-star to a night hiking trail .

‘She gave this 7-stars . I’m guessing she wants to visit this place the most?’

I closed the guidebook and stepped out to the terrace to get a view of Namsan tower before turning my head towards the sleeping Yuki .

&

The Namsan trail of 1988 was completely different from the trail I knew in 2015 . A walking path only existed up until halfway up the mountain; light posts were the only guide to the peak of the mountain .

‘Ugh, If I knew it was going to be like this, I would’ve taken her to the 63rd building instead . We could have taken the elevator to the top of the building and see a magnificent view . ’

At that moment, a large object passed by my head . This was the Namsan cable car .

‘Oh lordy!! I missed something like that!! Why didn’t I think of that earlier?’

As I was crying my heart out, Yuki who was walking beside me squeezed my hand .

“It’s a bit tiring… But it’s nice walking together with you . ”

“Ah… Really?”

Since she said that, I had no choice but to grit my teeth and make it to the top… I couldn’t start whining in front of Yuki, could I? I held her hand and resolutely marched to the top . An hour or so had passed . The peak of Namsan mountain finally came into view .

“We’re here…”

I let out a big sigh and looked around my surrounding and saw a plethora of people enjoying the view here . Yuki was staring at the starlit city with unblinking eyes .

“Mr . Junhyuk . ”

“Yeah?”

“We’re… dating right?”

Shocked by her sudden question, I stared at her speechless . In truth, we couldn’t be considered an official couple . But I wasn’t completely blind, I knew she felt some affection for me by watching her actions .

Yet if I were to marry Yuki in this time period… What choice would I have to make when I returned to 2015?

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

As I stammered looking for the right words to say, Yuki asked again with a worried expression . My memories with Yuki beginning from when I met her to now flashed through my head . The more I stayed silent, the more her face grew sullen .

“Mr . Junhyuk…?”

“I’m sorry…”

A flash of disbelief appeared in her eyes as I uttered these words . I stared at her for a short moment before continuing .

“I was going to bring this up earlier, but I missed the timing . ”

In response, Yuki let out an inaudible sigh of relief and placed her head on my chest as she muttered .

“I thought my heart was tearing apart . You idiot…”

Yuki bursted into tears as her tiny shoulders heaved against my chest . Ah… I did not plan this at all . I wrapped my arms around her and gazed up into the sky .

“Oh… it’s snowing . ”

Flurries of white were descending from the sky . But Yuki who was buried in my chest seemed to be embarrassed of her tears and buried her face further and responded .

“You’re lying…”

“No… I’m telling you, it’s snowing!”

“I’m not falling for that . ”

Despite her insistence, the people in our surroundings bursted into chatter at the sight of snow .

“It’s a snowfall~”

“Wow~ The snow should be piling up quickly at this rate . ”

Yuki responded to the exclamations of the people beside us and peeked out from my chest . As soon as we made eye contact, she buried her head again . I couldn’t help bursting into laughter and gently separated myself from her .

After eyeing her closed eyes for some time, I matched my mouth to her opened lips .