《Empire of the Ring》Chapter 89: Life is Like… (1)
Advertisement
Youngho and Jongil tried to forget about the mission when meeting Sergey, they were suffering some kind of post-traumatic disorder after the attack. It was normal for soldiers who had been in battles where lives were taken. It was natural for a normal person to be shocked after killing people. Youngho wanted to get rid of the bad feelings before he returned to Baku since he thought he could not go back to his normal life at this state. He wanted to go travel but he had just been to a trip with the family not long ago.
Before leaving Tbilisi, Youngho bought quite a lot of classic music CDs in a music shop. He picked 200 of CDs including well-known musicians such as Mozart. As he listened to the classic music while driving back, Jongil finally opened his mouth.
"What are you doing? What is this improper music?"
"I'm in the middle of healing my soul. Since I've done something that a human shouldn't do, I'm trying to soothe my soul. You should listen to it with your heart too."
"…"
"Hey Jongil. I'm afraid that we'll be doing things like this habitually. I don't feel guilty anymore."
Jongil replied to him after a while of silence,
"You die when you don't kill in war. You're thinking too much. Don't be weak. Just face the fact and get over with it."
Jongil was right but Youngho could not agree with him.
"That's why I'm trying to listen to music, its relaxing. Since I can't go on a trip, I'll just be satisfied listening to the music for now."
It was Jongil's turn to drive, so they exchanged the seats. Listening to the heart-warming violin playing to Pablo de Sarasate piece, Youngho fell asleep.
***
After returning to Baku, Youngho spent his days quietly pruning grape vines with his farm employees, reading books about wine production, and listening to calm music. The siblings benefited the most by Youngho's change since they loved having him on the farm. Youngho spent his time with the siblings as much as possible and made fun events for them. Making new, peaceful memories with them, Youngho was forgetting his horrendous experience little by little. He barely left the farm, so even Sevan came to visit him on the farm, saying that Youngho never showed his face at the police department anymore.
The traumatizing experience changed Youngho's overall life.
It was around this time when Youngho started installing speakers around the farm, so that he could listen to music all the time anywhere he went. There was another reason for this; He had read from an agriculture-related book that music stimulates the growth of plants. The music was for the health of his soul and ss well as his grapes. The farm employees also welcomed the new change since they could hear music while they worked.
Advertisement
Youngho sometimes had struggles with the siblings to turn on the classic music which he liked since they were into K-Pop music lately. They insisted turning on K-Pop music. Those little arguments and struggles with the siblings made his life richer. The farm was as lively as usual.
"Shake it, shake it. Oppa, your butt! Shake it!"
Shaking her behind, Zeynep was singing along the tune of a K-Pop song.
"You're not going to do it? SZE. CHE. NYI~ Do it!!! Why not?!"
The farm family was startled by Zeynep's demand since she asked everyone to dance with her. Because of her cuteness while dancing with her small body, the family started dancing alongside her without thinking much. When Youngho stepped in the management building, he spotted Insoo and Jongil dancing and shaking their behinds, forced by Zeynep.
Youngho's peaceful days of focusing on his farm except when he had to go for a monthly CIA meeting in Frankfurt were turned upside down by a call from Katya in South Ossetia.
He received a coded email from her once a week. Since there was nothing special going on, Youngho had been pushing back his visit to South Ossetia. However, Katya asked him to visit her to discuss something important. Youngho was getting tired of being on the farm all the time, so he reported the trip to the European chapter and left for South Ossetia with Jongil.
***
"Youngho, doesn't your head hurt? Man, I'm getting a headache."
Having an altitude sickness, Jongil rubbed his temples.
"We'll be on a downhill soon. Hold on."
"Who would make a country in this area? Man, you've got to have wise ancestors."
Jongil kept complaining for his pain. Youngho knew that he would change his attitude as soon as he sees Katya.
"Do you think we're traveling around these places because we have great ancestors?"
"You're right. I'm jealous of Europeans, they live without worries. That's why you need to have power first. Look at them, they always use other countries' resources freely. They used Africans as their slaves and now their descendants are living in wealth."
Jongil had a point. If Korea turned their eyes to overseas a little bit faster, Korea must have more power in the international society now. They cussed at their ancestors for a while and it seemed to relieve the symptoms of their altitude sickness.
They stopped by the restaurant that Youngho visited every time he came to South Ossetia. The chubby owner lady greeted Youngho with a big hug, Jongil looked at them as if he was surprised. Youngho shrugged and took out a variety of spices that he had bought for her. The lady was touched by him again. She tried to hug him again, so Youngho stopped her by saying that it was just a favor.
Advertisement
Jongil who also received a forceful hug of the stinky lady stared at Youngho. He could see that blades are coming out of Jongil's eyes.
"Dude, why did you let her hug me? I'm a married man and a father-to-be."
"Oh yeah? That's great. So, you wouldn't care about the agent that we'll be meeting today. She's also a mother."
"Man, why would I care about a married woman? I can't even handle Karajan these days."
Youngho smiled in his mind. It was funny to think how Jongil would react to Katya.
"She has an eight-year-old daughter but she's still beautiful. Don't you ignore a married woman although she's widowed now. She's an important information agent for us."
"Don't you worry. I won't blink even if a miss universe shows up."
Youngho narrowly held his laughter. There would be an affair that he could make fun out of Jongil for the rest of his life.
Youngho had brought Jongil to this trip to draw the line with Katya, he did not want her to misunderstand his favors. If they had conflicts, it would also affect their work. He wanted to prevent things before they got out of his hands. Of course, being a young and healthy man, Youngho liked beautiful girls but he needed to be professional for now since he was not ready to settle down.
***
After checking in at a hotel near the bus terminal of Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, Jongil seemed to be surprised by the environments lagging behind. The hotel's facility was worse than inns in small European towns. The only thing that seemed proper for a hotel was the people in the cafe dressed up in business attires.
Jongil finally asked a question to Youngho,
"You had been sleeping here every time you visited here?"
"Yeah. Where else can I go? There are ruins all around the city. They say that Tskhinvali was not attacked because of the foreign journalists in here during a war against Georgia. This is the safest place in the country."
"Huh, is that so? I think it'd be better to rebuild the town after getting attacked."
"People here only make 300 dollars a year. Well, the statistics could be wrong but look. I heard that they found oil field in the low lands. Who knows, they might be a powerful country in a few years?"
"Man, say no more. This country is giving me headaches."
Jongil seemed to want return to Baku as soon as possible, which was thoroughly understandable. The country was full of winding roads that gave them nausea and the altitude of 2000 meters above sea level was only the beginning.
The two stopped talking at the appearance of Katya who just stepped inside the café. Her gorgeous beauty could make any man stop doing whatever he was doing. Spotting Youngho, she came near him and gave him a big hug and a kiss. Jongil looked at the two as if he was confused.
"Katya, let me introduce Jongil. He's our colleague and a good friend, Park Jongil."
Katya greeted Jongil the same way as she did to Youngho. Still in confusion, Jongil seemed to be frozen.
"Boss, I prepared dinner at my house. Let's go eat first and we can talk about work later."
"Alright. How's Rena by the way?"
"She's so excited to see you. You didn't forget to bring her a gift, did you?"
"Of course I didn't forget, I have a whole lot prepared for her. Hey Jongil. Let's go, Katya has dinner ready for us."
Holding his laughter, Youngho slapped Jongil's back and he got up regaining his consciousness. The unimaginable beauty of Katya was enough to stun Jongil.
"Papa."
Rena waited at the front door of the house and ran into Youngho's arms as soon as she saw him and kissed him. She courteously greeted Jongil too and went back to Youngho's arms. Katya's mom also greeted Youngho brightly.
Inside the house now looked tidied up. It looked like a regular house of a middle class family. Since Youngho had been giving Katya information commission and added some of his payments to her commission, she was financially supported well now. Youngho had been saving the earnings from the retailer shop in the city because he planned to buy the hotel that he was staying someday and develop it to expand the business.
Watching Youngho playing with Katya at the dinner table, Jongil called him out with an excuse of smoking.
"Man, you are a man with a lot secret. Do you have anything to say in this situation?"
Youngho only smiled because Jongil just started giving full scope to his imagination.
"'Papa'? Are you her dad now? How far did you go with Katya? Man, I'm so frustrated. Tell me what happened now!"
"Keep going with your fiction."
"What if Fatima finds out about this? Oh, sweet Fatima. She'll be torn into pieces. She's been living for you. What are you going to do?"
"Are you done?"
"Done with what?"
Jongil yelled at him with frustration since Youngho was not telling him anything.
"If what I'm imagining is true, you'd be dead by me today. You're a cheater!"
Youngho could not stop holding his laughter anymore. Now he just became a cheater in Jongil's imagination.
"Hahaha…"
"…"
Later at a café, Katya scolded Jongil who was drooping as if he was a sinner. She poured a drink in his cup and said.
"How can you imagine something like that? Aren't you his friend? You still don't know about boss?"
Advertisement
- In Serial181 Chapters
Heavenward on Golden Wings
Back after a long haitus! The world of Verre is a strange and wonderful place filled with strange, bewitching landscapes, hidden planes and daunting dangers. In the midst of this wonder and beauty is a harmonic anarchy. Earth and heaven lie opposed and mankind wars with itself as well as the fearsome beasts they live alongside. It is the right setting for myths and legends. Empires and kingdoms, heroes and villains, all rise and fall. Men, women and daemons compete on this stage seeking godhood, making names for themselves and establishing legacies of their own. Born into one of these legacies is Valerian Steelborn of the House of Cragsveil. Blessed with keen acumen and remarkable abilities he steps into a world he expects a lot out of and it, him. How far would he go and what legacy would he leave behind? Additional Tags: Qihuan / Xuanhuan, Magic, Politics, Cultivation, Team Battles, Multiple Realms Schedule: The current update schedule is once a week on Saturdays at around 4pm GMT. Read on my site, LupineKing.com or on my Patreon.
8 116 - In Serial52 Chapters
Magica Storia
Benjamin "Benny" Estrella is an average kid living under the shadow of his high-flying family. He resigns to his fate that he will always live an average life, overshadowed by everyone around him. That is until he receives a mysterious old family heirloom. Benny doesn't know its significance until after a series of events where he is transported to Mundo Magica, a parallel world of Adventurers and Magic. There he meets Tenryu Fyreroar, an Adventurer with a penchant of setting things on fire with his Fire Magic and Swordsmage Skills, whom he seems to share a strange connection. As Benny acquaints himself to his new surroundings, he is thrust into a world filled with new possibilities and adventure. In this world, he might possibly find the true potential he has deep within. That is...if he can survive.
8 241 - In Serial56 Chapters
Fantasy World
Spencer Underwood has little realistic hope of escaping his paraplegic, bullied, and friendless high school existence. At least until he and three classmates are unrealistically transported to Nibiru, a legendary fantasy world ruled by mythological gods and inhabited by strange races and nightmarish monsters. Spence can walk again, which is good considering he will have to use his online fantasy role-playing game experience to lead the dysfunctional party on the gods’ quest and summon the courage to finally stand up to Trey, his worst bully from school. Success means survival and earning respect and acceptance, especially from Morgan, his attractive but snarky Goth classmate. But Spence discovers Nibiru is more a world of science fiction than fantasy, and they are just unwitting pawns in a deadly scheme of the gods. If completing the quest doesn’t result in their return to Earth, the party may have to do the unthinkable and challenge the gods themselves. (The novel is complete at 56 chapters, so feel free to jump in without fear of it fizzling out in a premature demise.)
8 121 - In Serial29 Chapters
Attack On Titan: The Peace I Desire
Vincent, an Assassin from Earth reincarnated to a world filled with mystery. From Walls that covered the entire kingdom to Vincent surprised, since the people of this world are not that advanced for this kind of thing. To Giant-Devil eating monsters. A Titan as the people in this world called them. Vincent, a person tired from killing and just want PEACE, didn't bother about them since they were protected by the Walls, but a tragedy happened as the Wall had been breached and his loved ones died. Anger, Sadness, and 'Emptiness?'. Vincent will continue his dream and achieve, The Peace He Desires. ***** "Let's get ready to rumble?" --------------------------------------------------- Patreon link: https://www.patreon.com/CanYouMakeItClear -------------------------
8 234 - In Serial26 Chapters
Kaiju Paradise Roleplay (Ended Sept 19)
This roleplay is finally finished.Thank you for roleplaying with me, I really appreciate it ❤
8 113 - In Serial10 Chapters
Idyllic | jjk.kth
→in which tae slowly realizes that their relationship is getting toxic day by day.©jjksvnte 2022
8 169

