Chapter 520: A Relaxing Day in Korea
"Are you implying that I\'m his sugar mommy? And that I\'m so old I can barely walk?" Envy asked, pointing at Daniel, her eyes cold as she glared at Kim Yuna.
"Er..." Kim Yuna averted her gaze, unable to meet Envy\'s eyes.
Meanwhile, Koyuki struggled to contain her laughter, covering her mouth with both hands, but her eyes betrayed her amusement. Clearly it was about to burst out of her control.
"Give me one reason not to turn you into a toad, Miss Yuna," Envy threatened, raising her hand, ready to cast a spell. It was a simple prank spell, transforming the target into a toad for 24 hours.
"Er... Ms. Envy, I... I\'ve never seen your picture, so I thought..." Kim Yuna tried to defend herself.
"Didn\'t your grandfather tell you about me? I heard from your uncle that he respects me or something? Even though I only met him once during World War II," Envy questioned, growing suspicious.
"Uee... uhh... Yes, he respects you and mentioned you once, but he didn\'t say anything about your appearance or..." Kim Yuna trailed off, studying Envy\'s face, wondering if it was a disguise or illusion to deceive her younger lover, Daniel.
"Girl, I have a lifespan of at least 5,000 years. I\'m a witch, not a normal mage. Understand that," Envy clarified.
"Ah... ye... yes... Lady Envy, I\'ll remember that," Kim Yuna replied with a wry smile.
Daniel chuckled at the misunderstanding and received a playful slap on the shoulder from Envy, who pouted at him.
After the misunderstanding was cleared and Kim Yuna offered several apologies, the van finally set off towards Michaela\'s desired destinations, mainly locations where memorable scenes from Korean dramas were filmed.
The rest of the day unfolded in a whirlwind of laughter and excitement as the group embarked on a whirlwind tour of iconic filming locations from Michaela\'s favorite Korean dramas.
Their first stop was the N Seoul Tower, the setting for a heart-fluttering confession scene in Michaela\'s beloved drama, "The Moonlight Love." Michaela squealed with delight, recreating the scene with Daniel, much to the amusement of the others.
Envy discreetly cast a bounded field spell to ensure their privacy, otherwise Daniel might die of over embarrassment from onlookers.
From there, they ventured to the picturesque Nami Island, strolling hand-in-hand along the tree-lined paths that had witnessed countless romantic encounters on screen. Michaela couldn\'t contain her excitement, pointing out every spot where her favorite characters had shared tender moments.
In this idyllic setting, Michaela\'s hanbok drew much attention, her beauty and silver hair making her stand out. However, Kim Yuna\'s cold glares quickly deterred anyone attempting to take photos.
As the afternoon sun began to dip, they found themselves at Gyeongbokgung Palace, the grandest of Seoul\'s Five Grand Palaces. The setting sun cast long shadows across the courtyard, creating an enchanting atmosphere. Michaela, dressed in a traditional hanbok, twirled gracefully, imagining herself as the heroine of a historical drama.
By the time the clock struck six, the group was happily exhausted, their hearts full of cherished memories. Michaela\'s cheeks ached from smiling, her eyes sparkling with joy. Even Yuna, initially aloof, had been won over by Michaela\'s infectious enthusiasm.
Instead of immediately returning to the Kim family estate, Kim Yuna led the group to a hanok-style restaurant near Gyeongbokgung Palace, which was one of their properties.
At this point, Daniel excused himself from the group and slipped into a nearby alley. Finding himself alone except for a few restaurant staff taking a short cigarette breaks, he wait until there\'s no one around and took out his tablet and typed a message to Albert:
"Albert, have some of your people discreetly enter the Kim family estate and determine if there are any pictures of Envy there. Also, send someone competent to tail Kim Chang-wook and investigate him thoroughly. I want to know who he truly is."
"As you wish, my lord," was Albert\'s only response before Daniel slipped his tablet back into his universal pocket.
Daniel returned to the restaurant, hoping to rejoin his family. However, he found a man in his late twenties arguing with Kim Yuna in Korean outside the VIP room.
Unsure of what they were arguing about, but wanting to help Kim Yuna, Daniel calmly said, "Excuse me, friend, but you seem to have the wrong place. Why don\'t you leave for now, and..." He reached out to touch the man\'s shoulder, but the man immediately slapped his hand away and roared at him in Korean, a language Daniel didn\'t understand.
Daniel sighed. He had built a new body for Reiko, so she couldn\'t help him translate Korean anymore. She was now serving Koyuki\'s mother as a maid and etiquette teacher.
(Author\'s Note: Reiko is the vengeful spirit girl who resided in Daniel\'s blade. He had promised to create a new homunculus body for her, and she had helped him translate Japanese while he was in Japan.)
Suddenly, Michaela rushed towards the man, her Cleansing Fire blade drawn and pointed at his throat. Her hanbok burst into flames, replaced by gleaming silver armor, and her six wings unfurled in their angelic glory. She spoke to the man in Korean, her tone icy, but Daniel couldn\'t understand her words.
"Tch, respect is earned. Don\'t think you can threaten me just because you\'re an angel," the man retorted in English.
"Do I need to crucify you before you recognize your sin, mortal?" Michaela replied coldly, her eyes emitting a chilling killing intent.
"Okay... so what\'s going on here?" Daniel asked, confused about the situation.
Kim Yuna let out a weary sigh.
"Mr. Emberweave, let me introduce him... This," she gestured towards the man, "is my uncle, Kim Tae-sung. He\'s the youngest of Grandfather\'s three sons. He doesn\'t like foreigners very much."
"It\'s not that I don\'t like them," Kim Tae-sung corrected his niece, "I HATE foreigners." He emphasized the word "hate."
Hearing this, Daniel didn\'t take offense. He was familiar with Korean history, knowing the country had often been invaded by foreigners, and their last dynasty, Joseon, had been overthrown by the Qing Dynasty.
The subsequent division of their country during the Cold War, caught between the East and West arms race, could understandably foster resentment towards outsiders, especially among long-lived mages like the Kim family.
"Okay... so... why are you here, Mr. Kim?" Daniel asked, trying to de-escalate the situation.
"Don\'t you dare call me by my family name or my name! It disgusts me to hear it from your mouth!" Kim Tae-sung retorted.
A twisted smile flickered across Daniel\'s face, quickly transforming into a mischievous grin.
"Alright, then why are you here, Mr. Hater?" Daniel asked calmly, with a hint of sarcasm.
"You!" Kim Tae-sung started to angrily retort, but Michaela\'s sword at his neck stopped him short.
"If you\'re still not satisfied, I\'ll start calling you \'Tteokbokki\' next," Daniel said, looking pointedly at Kim Tae-sung\'s crotch with a knowing smile.
"Pffft... uf... fufufu, \'Tteokbokki,\'" Koyuki let out a muffled laugh. Envy chided her, "Ugh... uh, huf... don\'t laugh," but even she couldn\'t completely suppress her own amusement as she gave Koyuki a light slap on the arm for her outburst.
At first, Kim Tae-sung was confused. What did "Tteokbokki" mean? Was it supposed to be an insult? He personally enjoyed tteokbokki, finding it delicious and spicy. But then he noticed Envy and Koyuki\'s reactions, Daniel\'s gaze, and Michaela\'s blushing attempts to suppress her laughter.
Then… It dawned on him.
"You!" Kim Tae-sung roared, drawing his sword. But Michaela swiftly slammed the pommel of her sword against the back of his neck, knocking him out.
After subduing Kim Tae-sung, Daniel turned to Kim Yuna, who stood nearby, clearly embarrassed by her uncle\'s behavior.
"What\'s wrong with this guy?" Daniel asked Kim Yuna, puzzled by Kim Tae-sung\'s outburst.
*Sigh* "It\'s like this, Mr. Emberweave," Kim Yuna began, letting out a weary sigh. She then explained to Daniel what had transpired over the meal, while leaving Kim Tae-sung to remain sprawled on the cold floor of their VIP room.
It turned out that Kim Tae-sung had overheard that Yuna was to act as their guide. He interpreted Kim Yong-chul\'s request, for her to guide Daniel\'s family on their multi-day tour of Michaela\'s desired destinations, as a matchmaking attempt.
Yuna was aware of her grandfather\'s intentions but didn\'t mind. She wasn\'t going to fall for a man she barely knew, and Daniel didn\'t seem interested in her either, focusing his attention on his wives. She simply intended to fulfill her duty as a guide.
However, Kim Tae-sung had mistakenly believed that Yuna was being betrothed to Daniel. This, combined with his intense dislike of foreigners, drove him to confront them and try to prevent the supposed union. He found the idea of his niece marrying a foreigner utterly repulsive.