Chapter 40
Chapter 40 : Unique Marketing (3)
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A moment later . The place that Yuki brought me over to was a korean restaurant in Shibuya . The name of the store was ‘Mother’s Table’, a bit strange title .
“This is…?”
“You’re a korean, Mr . Junhyuk . I asked my Korean friends and they said this was the best place in Tokyo, I thought you’d like it…”
“Ah~”
My chest tightened with gratitude in response to Yuki’s thoughtfulness . I felt like a loser for arriving without any preparation and having work-related thoughts on this date…
“Do you not like Korean cuisine?”
“Not at all~ It’s a welcoming change of pace for me . There aren’t many korean restaurants in Kyoto so my meals are filled with Udons or Ramen . You’ve put a lot of thought into this, thank you,”
In response, Yuki smiled and muttered to herself .
“It’s a relief…”
As Yuki and I stepped into the restaurant, the nostalgic aroma of bean-paste soup and the sizzling Bulgogi in the grill started to pervade my dietary track .
I’ve only had a noodle bowl for lunch because of the meetings with the magazine companies, so I was in a famished state .
“Welcome~”
‘Mother’s Table’ had the unique tradition of greeting customers in Korean; With a sentimental mind, I also greeted in Korean to the lady behind the counter .
“Hello~”
“Ohh~!! You’re a Korean~”
“Yes, my date here brought me to this place recommending it as the best eatery in Tokyo . ”
“Aiigo~ Thank you very much~ It’s so welcoming to see a fellow Korean in a foreign land~ I’ll add an extra serving of Bulgogi to your table . Enjoy~”
“We will, thank you . ”
As we were conversing in Korean, Yuki was staring at us with a blank expression and twinkling eyes .
“The lady said she was happy to meet me . ”
“At~ Is that so . She seems to like you . ”
After we sat across the table and poured each other a glass of water, we ordered 2 servings of Bulgogi and bean paste soup . Seeing the seemingly basic meal, Yuki asked with a worried expression .
“Would that be enough? You told me you’ve only had a bowl of noodle today . ”
“This is your first time at a Korean restaurant, Ms . Yuki?”
“Yes . I’ve only heard of it from my friends; this is my first time . ”
“Just you wait~ A shocking event will happen soon . ”
A moment later . Seeing the table being filled with side dishes, Yuki asked the server in confusion .
“E . . Excuse me, We haven’t ordered these?”
“These are all Okazu (Side dishes) . These come along with the main course, don’t worry~”
“These…these are all Okazu?”
Mmm… Is the owner from the Chollado region? Food from that region tastes delicious and meals are fulsome~
On the table, acorn jello, Kimchi pancake, Kalbi and other side dishes were being brought in .
“Wow… Do Koreans really eat this much?”
“Ah… It’s not always like this, but we do have a higher side dish count than Japan . ”
“That’s amazing ~ The food delicious too~!!”
Thankfully, Yuki must have liked the food as a continuous stream of food was entering a mouth .
She had a coughing fit when eating the bean-paste soup which was a lot spicier compared to Japan’s miso soup, so I quickly handed her a glass of water .
“Sp…Spicy . ”
There is a clear difference from Japan’s bean-paste soup~ Yuki was trying her hardest to suppress her coughing fits .
With the addition of Bulgogi being placed onto the sizzling grill, the table was filled to the brim with no space to spare .
“They serve so much food, yet it’s only 380 yen per person…”
“Koreans naturally have a lot of generosity~”
I was overwhelmed by the nostalgic taste of Korea that I haven’t experienced in a long time, and hurriedly began shoving food into my mouth .
“Mistress~ One more rice bowl please~”
“Oh my? You’ve already finished it? I’ll bring it over in an instant . ”
The head server nodded her head and took my order .
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“Ah~ I’m full . ”
“Didn’t you eat too much? You’ve ate almost three servings of rice…?”
“I must’ve been too greedy after not having seen Korean food in a long time . ”
“I’m feeling great after seeing you eat so well too, haha . ”
“All thanks to you . You’ve brought me to this wonderful restaurant . Here, I’ll take care of the bill . ”
“What? Why would you?”
“Mmm…? I mean, well… because…”
“I have money too? Excuse me, please give us a split bill . ”
Not giving me any chance to speak, Yuki headed to the counter with the receipt . Mmm… I thought we were supposed to pay for the first date, I guess there is a slight difference in customs .
After we split the bill and stepped out, it was already dark . We’re both full, but what was the point of leaving after a just a meal…
“Should we go get some coffee to cool our stomachs down? I’ll buy the coffee . ”
“What? Why are you trying to buy everything…”
“I ate three servings~ We split the bill in half so you suffered tremendous losses Yuki; let me buy the coffee . ”
In response, Yuki stifled a laugh and nodded her head . Gah~ It’s so hard to buy her a cup of coffee…
Soon after, we moved our bodies to a nearby coffee shop .
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“Have a nice time~”
The waiter handed us the coffee and left holding the platter . Hmm… A luxurious coffee shop like this actually serves their coffee in a cup and a waiter serves it… This is something that couldn’t be imagined in the cafes in the 2000s .
There is definitely a difference in atmosphere from picking one’s order after they called your name… And seeing the coffee that was served in a ceramic instead of a paper cup truly differentiated the mood of the 1980s…
“How busy are you lately? After your first call, you haven’t contacted me for a while…”
“Ah… I’m currently in the process of developing a game . ”
“A game? Wow~ What type of game is it?”
“Ah, that’s… Um…”
No!!! I can’t say it~!! How am I supposed to explain the theme of sexy female characters traversing the skies while getting half their clothes ripped off when they’re hit~!!
In the end, I took out the picture of ‘Ryuwha Young’ (Who had the most conservative attire out of the characters) and showed it to her .
Yuki was the first person to see this image, as I haven’t released it to anyone else yet .
Ryuwha Young was a covert character that wore a black outfit with a mask that covered half her face .
Below the mask was a perky lip and a gorgeous bodyline enhanced by the skin-tight outfit, making her my favorite character in Psychic Battle .
The main characters of Psychic Battle: fireworks mage ‘Azesha Ren’, martial artist ‘Helena’ and tempest caller ‘Aoi Chaibasa’ were already finalized, but after a player beat the game, they were able to play as the enemies that appeared in story and battle mode .
The 2nd boss, telekinetic user ‘Catherine’, 5th stage boss, explosion boss ‘Jennifer’, and especially the last stage 8 boss, ‘Ryuwha Young’ was personally designed by Morita and I .
I felt a greater attachment to Ryuwha than even Azesha Ren and planned to give her a set of cheat-like abilities deserving of the last boss .
“The character is really pretty, is she a female main character?”
“Actually, every single character in this game are female . The game is a type of shooting game that focuses on the battle between psychic users . ”
“Ah, is that so . If it’s a shooting game, there’s flying around everywhere and shooting missiles, right?”
“Mmm, you got the gist . ”
“I love aircraft games so much~ I frequently visit arcades to play ‘1942’ too; I must! play your game after release . ”
I looked at Yuki who was talking with a determined expression on her face and muttered in a tiny voice .
“Haha… You don’t have to do that…”
“What did you say?”
“It’s nothing… I was talking to myself . By the way, do you still have the Dragon Emblem cartridge that I gave you?”
“Ah~ right . ”
Yuki took out a copy of Dragon Emblem and its cartridge and placed it on the table .
“I’ve had a great time playing it thanks to you . As you already know, I’ve also had the opportunity to enjoy the additional scenarios . I want to give it back to as repayment . ”
“You want me to take it back?”
“Yes, I’ve enjoyed the game so much~ You might not have had the chance to play because you’re so busy . ”
It’s not something like a ring or a necklace . Asking me to safeguard a game cartridge with care, I feel a bit strange . I awkwardly smiled and asked her a question .
“What kind of job do you have, Miss Yuki? Last time I saw, you were great at gaming? You were one of the last to survive amongst the various players in the Dragon Emblem . ”
“I enjoyed playing chess since I was young; I used to play with my father quite often . As soon as I saw a game called Dragon Emblem, my curiosity led me to buy it straightaway . Ah~ and I work at a broadcasting station . ”
“A broadcasting station?”
“Yes, but I’m only the provisional scriptwriter for now . ”
“Excuse me, but do you mind me asking your age…?”
“19 . My birthday was last week . ”
“Ah, it’s late but happy birthday . ”
Nineteen… It should be about 21 in Korean age? It’s definitely an adult, but the tender age of 19 greatly perplexed me . I nodded my head in acknowledgement as I moved the coffee cup to my mouth .
“How about you?”
“I’m… 25 . ”
I briefly recalculated my age in my head before replying . Now that I think about it, four years have passed since I had set my age to 21 and time-travelled to the year 83… Time is flying by quickly .
“Woah . . You’re younger than I’d expected?”
“Pfft… You think I look old?”
“Something about you seems a bit different from the 20 years olds that I know…”
“How am I different?”
“A normal person in their 20s would be clueless in society after just graduating from college, but you have a mature air about you? In all honesty, I thought you would be in your late 20s at the youngest estimate . ”
Were my mannerisms from 2015 interpreted like this? On the outside, I was 25 years old, but 38 on the inside . Yuki isn’t wrong at all, I smirked and nodded my head .
“There’s only one month left until the end of this year, the 88 olympics are being held in Korea next year, do you plan on returning?”
“I don’t know . My job is in Japan, so I wouldn’t be moving back . I plan to get a brief vacation to visit . ”
“Are your parents in Korea?”
My hands which were raising the coffee cup stopped at Yuki’s question . Parents . How were they doing…? When I get my vacation, what would it be like to visit my hometown? I was 7 years old in the year 88… I was probably living south of Seoul at this time…
“Mr . Junhyuk…?”
“Yes, my parents are in Korea . I’ll be stopping by to visit them while I go to the Seoul olympics…”
As I replied with a grin, Yuki stopped asking about family matters . Instead, she took out a diary from her bag and started writing something .