The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage - Chapter 121

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 121
121
5.
Kwon Restaurant, renowned for its Korean fine dining.
Ordinarily, securing a reservation even a month in advance would be difficult, let alone the day before.
Yet exceptions exist everywhere in this world.
Perhaps one knew the chef well.
Or perhaps one had invested when the restaurant first opened.
Under such circumstances, one could manage to secure a table, however difficult.
Yoo Kwang-jin satisfied both conditions.
“Wow.”
“Can you really book a place like this with just a day’s notice?”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
The two, unaware of this fact, glanced around with expressions of surprise.
Once guided to a private room and seated, they took in their surroundings.
Both were astonished by the interior design and the remarkably refined atmosphere.
They had expected a Korean restaurant to be something like a traditional hanok pavilion.
They never anticipated a modern establishment like this.
To actually visit a place famous on social media.
The kind that often appears on television.
As Yoo Sung-hyun and Yoo Mi-na looked around in wonder,
their parents gazed at them with natural, amused smiles.
“Hehe, you two seem quite fascinated~”
“Hmm, I suppose we should have come sooner.”
“That’s what I mean~”
From their reaction, it appeared they visited quite frequently.
Come to think of it.
‘They had asked us to come along…’
‘And we said we didn’t want to…’
It was typical for children to refuse when parents suggested going together.
As Yoo Sung-hyun and Yoo Mi-na found themselves regretting their past selves,
the door to the room quietly opened.
They wondered if it might be food or a menu,
“Ah! Representative Yoo, you’ve arrived! Welcome!”
A person of evident stature entered, dressed in an impeccable chef’s uniform and wearing a radiant smile.
Yoo Sung-hyun and Yoo Mi-na exchanged bewildered glances.
Seeing Father Yoo Kwang-jin and Mother Lee Na-kyung rise from their seats, both reflexively stood as well.
“Haha, thank you for the warm welcome, Chef Kwon.”
“Oh, whenever Representative Yoo visits, you’re always welcome.”
At the chef’s unexpectedly enthusiastic greeting, Yoo Sung-hyun and Yoo Mi-na felt somewhat awkward.
I knew Father was running a company.
But was he really on such friendly terms with this famous restaurant owner-chef?
Then again, being able to reserve a restaurant like this a day in advance would require some degree of connection.
I knew that much.
But my mind couldn’t quite process it.
Seeing Father in this different light was unexpected.
He always lived frugally, and hadn’t we stayed in the same home for twenty years without moving?
So neither of us really knew the full picture.
‘I thought he was doing okay….’
‘Dad seems to be doing better than I thought?’
Yoo Sung-hyun and Yoo Mi-na whispered to each other.
Just then.
Yoo Kwang-jin introduced the family members behind him.
“Ah, you’ve already met her before, but this is my wife, and these two are our daughter and son.”
“Ah! Your children are joining us today!”
“Hehe, well, my son has something to celebrate today.”
“Ah! Is this the son you mentioned before…? His name was Yoo Sung-hyun, wasn’t it?”
At Yoo Kwang-jin’s words, the middle-aged man called Chef Kwon looked at Yoo Sung-hyun with a gleam in his eye.
As he turned to look at Yoo Sung-hyun.
Yoo Sung-hyun answered awkwardly.
“Ah, yes.”
“Hahaha, congratulations. Since you’ve come to enjoy time as a family, I’ll take my leave. I should pay special attention to the cooking.”
“Hehe, Chef Kwon’s cooking is already remarkable without any special effort, so how much more delicious will it be?”
“Hahaha, oh no, it’s still lacking. Then I’ll be going.”
After the pleasantries, the family sat down again.
What was going on.
Both of them were bewildered.
But Father Yoo Kwang-jin just accepted it as it was.
Looking at him as if demanding an explanation.
Father Yoo Kwang-jin chuckled and spoke.
“We’ve known each other for a while.”
“I suppose so?”
“…Isn’t that explanation a bit lacking?”
“No, Dad, what kind of business do you run to have connections like…?”
“Hehe. I just run a small company.”
Watching Father brush past the question, both of them tilted their heads with puzzled expressions before shaking them.
He was trying to move past it like that.
It felt odd to press the matter deliberately.
Neither of them was the type to do that anyway.
It seemed fine to just accept that Father was more impressive than we thought and move on.
And so, several dishes arrived.
I had expected Korean cuisine to be like what I’d eaten before, but it was completely different.
“Wow!? Is this kimbap? It’s so delicious!?”
“It’s so different from what I imagined?”
Both my sister Yoo Mi-na and Yoo Sung-hyun had similar reactions.
It perfectly suited Yoo Sung-hyun’s taste, who loved Korean cuisine, and equally suited Yoo Mi-na’s taste, who preferred Western food.
It was a fusion fine dining experience blending Korean and Western cuisines.
It truly was.
Both of them ate happily, their palates perfectly satisfied.
Father Yoo Kwang-jin, who had brought us here, also looked pleased.
Of course, Mother Lee Na-kyung felt the same way.
“If you like it this much, you should have followed us around earlier.”
“Oh, I had no idea we were eating such wonderful things!”
“That’s right.”
“Hehe, you two. Whenever we mention going out to eat something delicious, the kids come along, don’t they?”
“Ahem.”
Perhaps mothers really do know their children best?
Father Yoo Kwang-jin cleared his throat and feigned indifference, and we spent a warm, peaceful time together.
As exquisite and elaborate dishes continued to arrive.
Yoo Sung-hyun had drunk so much that he felt the need and stood up from his seat.
“Where is the restroom?”
“Ah, exit the room and go left, then turn and you’ll find it.”
“I’ll be right back.”
Yoo Sung-hyun stood and left the room.
Finding the restroom wasn’t difficult.
After finishing and washing my hands thoroughly, I emerged.
A spacious hall came into view.
The atmosphere was quite different from the private room, so I took a moment to observe it.
The overall style seemed similar.
It might be nice to dine in the hall next time.
As I thought this and was about to return to the room.
Clap, clap, clap, clap!
Sudden applause echoed out.
What was that?
I turned my head to check the source of the sound.
A blonde foreigner was clapping after finishing a dish.
“Korean… dress?”
Moreover, this blonde foreigner was wearing a modernized hanbok.
She was a woman with captivating green eyes that gleamed.
Yet seeing her exotic appearance in a modernized hanbok created an intriguing contrast.
Yoo Sung-hyun tried to brush past dismissively.
“Truly remarkable!!! It is clearly fusion cuisine, yet it carries the profound essence and spirit of Joseon—an absolutely magnificent dish!!!”
She was spouting absolute nonsense.
Of course, I couldn’t deny it tasted good.
But to suddenly leap from her seat, clap her hands, and speak with such fervor… well, that was certainly one way to do it. Still, this was excessive.
It wasn’t easy to process.
She was definitely an odd person.
As I thought this, I tried to slip away discreetly.
Yet something stirred an inexplicable sense of déjà vu, and I found myself studying her more carefully.
A distinctly youthful appearance combined with the unmistakable features of a foreigner.
I felt certain I’d seen her face somewhere before.
And then there was—
“Ah, is this not the true spirit of Joseon!? I myself am filled with admiration and emotion!”
That ridiculous manner of speech.
A foreigner, yet remarkably fluent in Korean as well.
Somehow, inexplicably familiar.
In that instant, a memory surfaced—a woman with a sword at her hip, standing in that very place.
‘Kim Che-gun?’
No, why would Kim Che-gun appear here?
For a moment, I nearly gasped aloud in shock.
But my naturally composed temperament—
—allowed me to let it pass.
Still, if I recognized Kim Che-gun, wouldn’t she recognize me as well?
My appearance was strikingly similar to my in-game avatar.
The odds of recognition were high.
‘I need to escape, now.’
I didn’t particularly dislike or hate Kim Che-gun.
But entangling myself with her in reality was hardly advisable—she was far too complicated.
Retreat was the wisest course.
As I turned my head to slip into the private room—
Something teal and pale-colored appeared beside Kim Che-gun.
A form I’d grown intimately familiar with over countless years.
‘Ghost?’
Yet this Ghost was different from the others.
I’d witnessed hundreds, thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of Ghosts, but never one like this.
A foreign Ghost?
No, I’d seen those often enough wandering the streets.
It wasn’t simply that it was a Western Ghost.
‘Why is it wearing medieval armor and carrying a sword?’
The sight of it clad in medieval plate armor and wielding a blade—just as in the game—was extraordinarily peculiar.
Regardless, that’s not what matters right now.
Ghost and Kim Che-gun haven’t noticed Yoo Sung-hyun yet.
This is my chance.
With that thought, Yoo Sung-hyun quickly slipped back into the room.
Fortunately, I hadn’t been spotted.
“Phew.”
“Huh? Sung-hyun, what’s wrong?”
At my sister’s affectionate tone,
Yoo Sung-hyun shook his head as if to say it was nothing.
“It’s nothing.”
“Hmm? Really?”
Yoo Mi-na responded and let it go at that.
Meanwhile, Yoo Sung-hyun had brushed it off on the surface,
but my curiosity was anything but small.
‘What’s that ghost attached to Kim Che-gun?’
Kim Che-gun being a Joseon enthusiast could certainly visit a Korean fine dining restaurant.
Though coming in a modified hanbok was a bit odd.
Well, even that’s possible.
But what about that ghost attached to him?
Spirits often attached themselves to people.
What one might call guardian spirits, so to speak.
In prestigious family homes and lineages, distinguished ancestors sometimes remained attached.
There were also cases where guardian spirits attached themselves because they took a liking to that person’s qualities.
I wasn’t sure which case this was,
but one thing was certain.
‘It looks like a medieval knight.’
It seemed to be the spirit of a knight who had actually existed in history.
Could it be because we’re in the Knights’ Hall?
I found myself curious about this spirit dressed as a knight.
But I couldn’t exactly approach Kim Che-gun and pretend to know him,
and if it were such a spirit, wouldn’t it help me gain some clarity on the dilemma I’m wrestling with right now?
Thinking about the game even while eating.
It does seem like a serious case.
But I was genuinely curious.
As time passed and the meal ended,
Chef Kwon came out personally to express his gratitude.
Yoo Sung-hyun set aside his thoughts and returned the thanks, about to part ways when
a voice echoed from far away.
“Yoo Mi-na, the player???”
“Huh?”
At the sound of someone recognizing his sister.
Yoo Sung-hyun turned, as did his sister Yoo Mi-na and their parents—all of them pivoting toward the voice.
There stood a refined woman in an elegant modernized hanbok, her golden hair and emerald eyes marking her as a striking beauty.
Yoo Sung-hyun glanced at his sister with a puzzled expression.
She had recognized his sister first, not him?
‘Does Kim Che-gun know her?’
What was going on here?
His sister Yoo Mi-na was already regarding Kim Che-gun with an air of exasperation.
As though she already knew this would be troublesome.
Well, it certainly was troublesome.
Though he didn’t fully understand the situation.
One thing was certain.
‘At least she didn’t recognize me.’
Yoo Sung-hyun exhaled silently in relief.
Kim Che-gun, who had been looking at Yoo Mi-na, suddenly noticed Yoo Sung-hyun beside her and startled visibly.
Surely she hadn’t recognized him?
“Eek!? Y-you’re not Yoo Sung-hyun, are you!? I-in this place, or rather, w-what is your relationship with Yoo Mi-na!?”
As they say, misfortune comes to those who tempt fate.
She had recognized him after all.
As Yoo Sung-hyun gazed at her regretfully, Yoo Mi-na instead asked with confusion.
“Huh? Yoo Sung-hyun, do you know Clara?”
“Ahem! In Joseon, I am called Kim Che-gun, if you please.”
“Oh my? Yoo Sung-hyun, who is this person? Do you know her?”
“Well, that’s what I’m wondering too.”
“But you recognized my sister, didn’t you?”
With his parents suddenly joining in.
Everything descended into chaos.
—Hello!? Can you see me!? Then please, I beg you, stop my descendants from causing such trouble!!!
Even Ghost had interjected.
“Sigh.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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