Arena

Chapter 79 – Bella (Part 1)

“Let’s go, cutie.”

“Yes, Mr. Genius.”

We parked the Porsche cayenne in the parking lot and went into the entrance of the Incheon Airport.

We arrived at the entrance of the arrival doors where the people were pouring out.

People were reuniting and hugging each other. It was quite a sight.

“Oppa, but shouldn’t we be holding a picket (sign) or anything?”

“I wonder.”

“How will you identify her?”

“He said his daughter is the prettiest blonde girl.”

“… is that trustworthy information?”

“Anyway, it’s time so let’s take a look.”

It was true that Odin was a handsome and gorgeous blonde man. If she is like him, she could be very beautiful.

It was about 9 am.

People started pouring out of the gate again.

And one group immediately popped out.

A small blond girl and a foreign woman in black formal wear.

“Oh my goodness! She’s really pretty!”

Min-jeong was in awe.

I was also in awe.

She was really cute!

With blonde hair, delicate and pale skin, round blue eyes.

Like Odin said, she is pretty and was immediately noticeable. Enough to be afraid of.

Audacious Min-jeong waved her hand like mad.

The middle-aged woman must have noticed us as well because she started heading in our direction.

“Kim?”

“Yes.”

I was afraid she’d speak to me in a foreign tongue and say blah blah blah but thank goodness.

She handed a large trunk bag over to me.

I looked at the small girl.

“Bella?”

Bella smiled giddily and nodded her head.

“Oh my my.”

At her fatal laughter, Min-jeong was once again hit directly in the heart.

I looked at Bella and introduced myself.

“Hyun-ho Kim.”

“Hi-no.”

“Hyun-ho.”

“Hi-no.”

“Hyun, Ho!”

“Hi, no!”

“Stop it already!”

Min-jeong slapped me on the back. The middle-aged foreign lady looked at this and smiled.

“Hi? I am Min-jeong Yoo. Min-jeong.”

“Min-jeong.”

“Why is that one so accurate!”

I said in anger and Min-jeong slapped my back again.

Bella lifted her skirt a little and greeted us.

“Oh my, oh my!”

I think Min-jeong’s eyes have turned into hearts.

Suddenly, in no time at all, Bella was embraced in Min-jeong’s arms. I was just left to drag the trunk bag full of Bella’s things.

The middle-aged lady gave Bella a kiss and said goodbye and left somewhere, and we left with Bella to the parking lot.

Min-jeong sat with Bella in the backseat and I drove in front all alone.

In one moment, a newlywed and now that there was a child I had become a non-priority husband.

From what I heard, Bella was nine years old that year.

Incredibly bright and not a shy child, she had no problem becoming to Min-jeong.

Well, Min-jeong has pretty tough skin too. They already seemed like a mother and daughter.

We arrived at the officetel (condo) in Bucheon and went up in the elevator when Bella suddenly wavered and nearly fell when Min-jeong caught her.

“Oh gosh, are you okay?”

She didn’t understand but got the gist of it and Bella nodded her head.

My face became grim.

It wasn’t like it happened while she was walking, it was weird that she nearly fell so suddenly while just standing. This could be what Odin was saying, Bella’s disease.

We guided Bella to the room that we had made the guest room.

“Let’s unpack your things together.”

Min-jeong unpacked Bella’s things from her trunk and began to organize them in the closet.

Hanging the clothes on hangers and putting the undergarments and socks in the drawers.

She puts the couple picture books in Danish on the vanity.

And then an unexpected item appeared from the trunk bag.

“Violin?”

Min-jeong was surprised and asked and Bella just smiled and nodded her head.

It was definitely a small one, child sized.

“Play a bit, will you? Hmm?”

Min-jeong tried to hand her the violin and beg but Bella smiled uneasily and shook her head back and forth.

I stopped Min-jeong.

“She almost fell earlier too and I think she’s tired today.”

“Oh right. Unni is sorry.”

Min-jeong pecked Bella on the cheek with a kiss.

It was when the two amicably have unpacked and were hanging out when I got a call from Odin.

I went out to the terrace to take the call.

“Hello.”

-Has Bella arrived?

“Yes, as you said, she is very beautiful.”

-I do not lie.

“… …”

-Anyway, how is Bella’s condition?

“She nearly fell and we caught her.”

-… is that so?

“What disease is Bella suffering from?”

-It is Lou Gehrig’s.

“Huh?”

At the sound of a scary disease, I’m completely surprised.

I don’t know it well, but the muscles progressively don’t listen and in the end, you are unable to breathe and thus die, a scary disease, is what I know of it.

The most famous person with this disease now is Stephen Hawking.

“Is the disease genetic?”

-Among this disease, patients have a 5 – 10 % of inheriting amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and of those, 20% of them are associated with a mutation on the 21st chromosome.

“… …”

The medical knowledge flowing from his lips.

How severe Odin’s heartache must be, that this is his way of expressing it.

-Before this, the symptoms had not really appeared, but not long ago, Bella cried. I asked her why. She said her fingers weren’t moving well and so she couldn’t play the violin… …

His voice sounded so miserable that I quickly changed the subject.

“I will try and fix her. Do not worry.”

-Thank you.

I ended the call and returned to the room Min-jeong and Bella were in.

“Min-jeong, isn’t it about time to eat?”

“It’s only 10 now.”

“Really? Then why do I feel so empty.”

“Is our Bella hungry too?”

Min-jeong rubbed her belly and then pretended to eat something.

Bella made her especially cute smile and nodded her head.

“Okay, hold on just a wee bit.”

Min-jeong whistled as she disappeared into the kitchen.

Now was the perfect time.

I made a flame of life.

Bella’s eyes became big and wide when she saw the flame that appeared on my hand. How could even her surprised face be so cute.

I push the flame into Bella’s body.

At first, Bella was completely surprised, but as the flame seeped into her, finally, her surprised face strangely changed.

“It feels good, right?”

I gave her a smile. Bella found it all interesting and followed up with a smile.

I handed the violin again to Bella.

To Bella’s hesitant hands, I suggested it again.

Briefly, across her face, she showed a nervous expression.

And then the performance began.

Monotonous but wonderful. It wa a melody I think I have heard somewhere before.

Our eyes met and Bella smiled again.

I smiled back.

His daughter is his treasure to Odin, Isabella was truly an adorable and lovable child.

Min-jeong had quickly rushed over to listen to Bella’s playing together.

“You are so good, dear Bella.”

Having finished her performance, Bella hugged Min-jeong and rubbed her cheeks against her. Bella giggled happily.

Bella, with the flame of life administered, unlike earlier, has become much more spirited. The fatigue from riding longs hours on a plane, all of it has disappeared.

Min-jeong was hard at work on something in the kitchen for quite a long time.

“Should I come help?”

“It’s all done.”

What she has made is a Korean sweet called Maejakgwa (Korean fried cake).

Flour and cinnamon, ginger, sugar, honey, put together and whisked and shaped into a pretty shape and fried into a cookie.

“You, you know how to make this kind of stuff too?”

“I learned it a while ago. It takes a lot of work. Just know you’re being spoiled today.”

“Wow, its thanks to my cutesy wife that I’m living in luxury.”

“Hehehe.”

I gently came up behind her and gave her a hug and she liked it quite a bit.

At the same time, we heard the sound of Bella’s violin again. Her hands have returned to their original state and she must have been excited so she started diligently playing.

What excellent background music this is. Thanks to a beautiful melody, a strange atmosphere flowed.

I could hear Min-jeong’s heartbeat in my ears.

The atmosphere such that I can’t not say something romantic. What is this? How did it suddenly get like this?

All of a sudden, plunged into too much pressure, I groaned inside and considered what to do.

I couldn’t help it and said.

“I guess I’ll have to repay you tonight.”

Puk!

“Kuk!”

With all her might, Min-jeong stepped on my foot.

“What is that! And did I or did I not say earlier that my hips were hurting?”

“You, you did. I thought you were just saying that… …”

“Lately, the nighttime is scary! You’d strangely become really good and your stamina is monstrous!”

The romantic feeling has passed.

… is what I thought but that apparently wasn’t the case.

Min-jeong pushed out her hips to me and said something.

“Start over from the beginning. The music hasn’t stopped yet.”

“Uh, okay.”

She really isn’t your average girl. Who would ever say she wasn’t friends with Hyun-ji.

I hugged her again from behind and whispered in her ear.

“I love you.”

“… again.”

“I love you.”

“With my name to it.”

“Min-jeong, I love you.”

“Again.”

“I love you, Min-jeong Yoo.”

“Again… … “

I glanced at her face. I could see the tears welling up in her eyes.

I gently grabbed face and kissed her.

“I love you.”

Bella really enjoyed eating the maejakgwa. Crunch, crunch, chewy and sweet, the aftertaste that lingers is the best.

The whole while we’re eating we frequently looked at each other.

On account of how frequently our eyes met multiple times, we just laughed every time it happened.

We could call it the Bella Effect.

After that day, our relationship changed from how it was before. To say what was different would be difficult to explain in words.

After that day, bold and brazen and bubbly Min-jeong somehow was like a teenager and became very shy.

She was conscious of me and bashful, and even was shy changing her clothes in front of me.

Even while laying down using my arm as a pillow, a moment later, in case my arm hurt, sneakily separating and covering me to my neck with the blanket.

I used to like looking at each other but now, I like when she looks at me and I’m not looking.

Something has changed in a big way.

Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing, there is no way to know.

***

Every day, I gave 2 flames of life to Bella.

They were the flames of life that treated the great Tree of Life that reached to the sky.

Bella became very lively.

Considering that the beginning signs of Lou Gehrig’s had happened to this child, she was unbelievably mischievous.

‘That’s her real personality.’

A bright personality that smiled easily and wasn’t shy, she became friends with others very easily.

I am sure that Bella was originally a brighter child than any other.

One day, Bella gave me the violin.

“You want me to try?”

We couldn’t communicate, but at my question, Bella nodded her head and pretended to play the violin.

“Alright, should I try and learn?”

I put the violin on my shoulder and put the bow to the strings and make a sound. Is this how to do it?

Keek.

Bella laughed ecstatically.

Alright, this time I won’t fail.

I tried to make a sound again.

Keek!

Bella covers both her ears with her hands.

After trying a couple times, I’m able to make a sound.

Jiiiing-

Bella looks surprised.

I’m surprised too.

‘You see, my reflex skill was intermediate level 1.’

I was even able to easily follow the mu ren zhuang training.

But making the right sound from the violin wasn’t easy. It is an atrociously difficult instrument to handle.

But it not being easy… …

‘Means it counts as training?’

I stared blankly at Bella’s child-sized violin.

I have found a new way to increase my reflex skill!