Ranker’s Return

Chapter 630

“No, what did I see? Reina got off the elevator this morning?”

After finishing his workout and returning home, Hyeonu explained what he saw in the morning to Yeongchan, who was watching TV while lying on the sofa with sleepy eyes.

“Stop and let’s eat. What Reina, Reina? Do you want to see her that much?” Yeongchan sighed deeply while laying down. This was too severe.

“I really did see her! She even greeted me!” Hyeonu shouted like he was wrongfully accused. It was real. He didn’t see an illusion. It was really Reina.

“Do you want to change your exercise time? You must’ve seen incorrectly because you were lacking sleep.” Yeongchan looked at Hyeonu like he was pathetic.

“Stop the nonsense and let’s eat.” Yeongchan raised himself up from the sofa and disappeared into the kitchen.

Hyeonu threw his sports bag on the floor and buried himself on the sofa. ‘Ah, it was real. That person was definitely Reina…’

Hyeonu recalled his memories. He remembered the face of the person he met in front of the elevator in the morning.

‘It is obviously Reina…’

It was the face he had seen in Arena just last night. Hyeonu was confused. It didn’t make any sense to not recognize her. Faces like Reina’s weren’t common.

‘Is it someone who resembles her? However, she knew me? The voice was also the same…’

Knock knock knock.

As Hyeonu was lost in thought, there was a knock on the front door.

Ding dong.

At the same time, the ringtone of the doorbell started to echo.

“Hey, go and see who it is!” Yeongchan shouted from the kitchen.

“I know!”

Hyeonu dragged his weary body up and walked toward the front door.

‘Is it a courier?’

Hyeonu thought about who would’ve pressed the doorbell at Yeongchan’s house where almost no one came to visit. It was either Yuri, a courier, or a food delivery man. There was really no one else apart from the occasional security guard or cleaning lady.

“Who is it?” Hyeonu asked for the person’s identity before opening the front door. He couldn’t just open the door. No matter how good the security of the building where Hyeonu was staying, it couldn’t stop the miscellaneous businessmen or those disguised as residents.

“I moved in yesterday…”

A slightly vague answer came back. However, that didn’t matter at all. This voice…

‘It is Reina’s voice.’

“Wait a moment. I’ll open the door.”

Hyeonu judged it wasn’t a strange person and opened the door. To be precise, he opened the door very slightly and stuck out his head. His eyes saw the face of the woman standing outside.

“Reina?”

It was really Reina. He rubbed his eyes, closed them, and opened them again. Sure enough, it was Reina.

“Reina, why are you here…?” Hyeonu barely opened his mouth and choked out some words.

“I’m on vacation. It is my hobby to live in a different city that isn’t New York for a while,” Reina replied with a calm expression. Her words were true. To be exact, it wasn’t living in the city, but going there for vacation. Reina would unconditionally leave New York for a short vacation at the end of the league, or a long vacation at the end of Arena Week. It was just that Reina’s destinations were usually resorts such as Phuket and Saipan, which were warm and didn’t have the city feel. It wasn’t a highly developed metropolis like Seoul.

Nevertheless, Hyeonu couldn’t know this. It was because her actions were things that only some people knew.

“Then why here…?”

Hyeonu had nothing to say to Reina’s words. He just wondered why she came here. He was curious.

“This is the place Kale found for me. I asked him to find me a home in Seoul. I only received the address,” Reina answered with a smile. This was a big lie. She asked Kale where Hyeonu lived, not to find her a place to stay in South Korea. However, this was also unknown to Hyeonu.

“Really? Kale?”

Hyeonu nodded in understanding. It was possible if it was Kale.

‘Rather than getting a place you don’t know, it is better to get a place near someone you know. This is more reassuring…’

Kale’s behavior was understandable. Hyeonu could understand it if he thought it was a consideration for Reina.

“By the way, what is in your hand?”

Hyeonu looked at the black plastic bag being supported by both of Reina’s hands.

‘It looks heavy.’

It was obvious that it wasn’t light based on the fact that she was holding it with both hands, not one hand.

“Ah, this? It is rice cake… you should give things like this when you move in South Korea…”

Reina had prepared steamed rice cake. She found out many things before coming to South Korea. Among them was Korean culture.

“No one does this these days… in any case, it is a gift, so I’ll receive it well. Thank you.”

Hyeonu accepted the rice cake from Reina. It seemed that it hadn’t been long since she bought it based on the fact that it still felt warm.

Just then, Yeongchan’s yelling was heard from behind Hyeonu. He had felt the cold wind coming in sharply and shouted at Hyeonu. “Hey! It is freezing cold. It is January, dude. Why are you opening the door like…”

Yeongchan couldn’t finish his words. It was because he saw Reina, who was standing in front of Hyeonu.

“Uh… It’s real?” Yeongchan muttered with a stupid expression. It was because it was really Reina that was standing outside the door.

‘Really?’

Hyeonu’s words weren’t false. The person he saw in the morning was Reina.

“What? Aren’t you inviting her inside? A guest has come, so we have to treat her well. Quickly ask if she has eaten.”

Yeongchan made a fuss. It was a natural move in front of Reina. For Yeongchan, it was Hyeonu, who acted casually, that was even stranger. Hyeonu shook his head at Yeongchan’s fussing and asked Reina, “Reina, have you eaten lunch? If you haven’t eaten, would you like to eat with us? We were just about to eat.” 

“Um… That is good. I prefer eating together rather than eating alone,” Reina replied with a nod.

Yeongchan guessed Reina’s meaning when he saw her nodding and spoke to Hyeonu, “By the way… We can’t give Reina chicken breast, right? She is still a guest…”

“I guess? First of all, it isn’t very delicious. However, you don’t have any ingredients in your house, right? It is empty as far as I know…”

Hyeonu scratched his head. Chicken breast salad wasn’t suitable for guests. No, it was rude.

‘That is what we eat ourselves…’

In particular, Hyeonu knew that Riena liked meat and bread more than she looked.

“Reina… why don’t we get some Chinese food? Do you like it?” Hyeonu suggested to Reina with a serious expression. Hyeonu’s choice was jajangmyeon. It was hard to call it a treat, but there was a reason he chose it.

“Chinese food? I like it.”

Reina’s eyes widened. It was suddenly Chinese food.

“In Korea, it is part of the culture to eat Chinese food on the day you move, just like giving out rice cakes,” Hyeonu poured out words with eloquence.

Reina smiled at Hyeonu’s appearance. “Okay, if it is the culture.”

***

Reina tasted all types of Chinese dishes before going back. Then Hyeonu went into his room and made a call. There were a few ringing sounds before a heavy, low voice was heard.

-It is Jamie Moore. Who is this?

The person Hyeonu was calling was Jamie Moore, the boss of Nike Management.

“Is tonight really okay, Jamie?”

Hyeonu’s call was about the streaming in the evening. To be precise, it was about Alley Leader Academy. It was the day when Jamie Moore would appear as the first student of the second season of Alley Leader Academy.

-Of course. Didn’t I clear all my schedules for today?

Jamie Moore replied with a laugh. He had been really looking forward to Alley Leader Academy. There were several reasons. It was good to be on the live streaming of his favorite, Hyeonu, and there were hopes that his cursed skills would change. Even so, the biggest reason was something else.

In order to go to Alley Leader Academy, he had to vacate the late morning hours of US time. Naturally, it was impossible to handle the work of Nike Management. No, it was possible, but Jamie Moore wasn’t such a person. He used this as an excuse to leave the words ‘working away from the office’ to Kale. For Jamie Moore, working away from the office was a break.

“Kale must be going crazy?” Hyeonu spoke like he already knew of such matters. It was impossible for him not to know since Kale complained about it so much. Jamie Moore was excellent, but he wasn’t enthusiastic about work.

-I can’t log into Arena while having a meeting, right? I can’t ignore the request of Alley Leader, the greatest treasure of Nike Management.

Jamie Moore replied happily.

Hyeonu received such a feeling from Jamie Moore’s words. ‘Kale must be having a hard time.’

Jamie Moore’s lessons at Alley Leader Academy would last quite some time. He was a student who wouldn’t be able to finish as quickly as the past students. Jamie Moore’s level was much lower than the other students and the overall level of players was higher than it was back then.

“I’m sorry for Kale, but it can’t be helped. It is Kale’s fault for having a boss like this.”

Hyeonu wished Kale good luck. His situation was poor, but Alley Leader Academy was Alley Leader Academy.

‘No matter how much he suffers, the rewards are definite since it is the United States…’

Perhaps after Jame Moore’s disappearance, Kale would take charge of Nike Management.

***

“Hello, everyone. It has been a while. Welcome to Alley Leader’s stream.”

Hyeonu turned on the streaming for the first time in ages and bowed toward the numerous viewers.

-Wow, how long has it been?

-Can we see each other more frequently now?

-Ah, still, it is a bit unfortunate that he quit being a pro.

-But to see that, his streaming will decrease dramatically.

-That won’t work.

The viewers’ chats quickly poured in. The chat window went up so fast that it was hard to follow with the eyes. However, Hyeonu skillfully read the comments. It would be a lie to say he didn’t miss a single one, but most of them could be read.

“I am also happy to see you more often.”

Hyeonu’s words were sincere. Live streaming was now the biggest reason why Hyeonu was playing Arena.

“As everyone expected, today is the day when the second Alley Leader Academy begins. The first student has already been selected. The student who will appear today is someone you all know well.”

Hyeonu immediately got to the main point without dragging it out. It was a long-running stream, so there was no need to play push and pull with the viewers.

-Who is it?

-It was chosen so quickly. It seems it is a person who was originally prepared.

-I guess so. There are more than one or two people who sent in an application. The deadline is still quite far away.

-I want someone fun…

The viewers speculated on the identity of the student. They knew that the student coming out today wasn’t from among them.

“Everyone, let’s welcome them with applause. It is the first student of the second season of Alley Leader Academy. Jamie Moore!”

After Hyeonu’s introduction, Jamie Moore was seen waving.