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This light novel is inspired by the beautiful landscapes and cultures of Bolivia and South Korea. However, the characters, events, and situations portrayed are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real persons, places, or events is purely coincidental. This content does not intend to represent or reflect the historical, social, or cultural reality of either country. The author disclaims any legal liability arising from the interpretation of these elements.
Chapter 12 — Barbecue and first Impressions
After the tense exchange of backpacks,
Ryu and Zayra returned to the great hall as if nothing had happened.
They each went their separate ways,
wearing the expression of someone who had just won a small but significant battle.
Ryu fixed his gaze on Zayra as she laughed with her brother.
He watched her out of the corner of his eye, raising an eyebrow slightly as he wondered,
"How can she stay so calm after what happened?"
***
The table was set, and what was on it was a feast.
Ryu's mother whispered something to her husband, looking at the size of the meat.
Ryu only managed to catch one word: "colossal."
"This..." Ryu's father said, raising his glass with a warm smile.
"At first, I wasn't sure if my Korean stomach would survive.
But, friends, I have to confess that I can't imagine my life without a good barbecue anymore."
Everyone laughed, and the atmosphere lightened.
Zayra discreetly sat down next to Mariano.
Ryu took a seat directly across from her, next to his sister, Seo-Yeon.
It was obvious they didn't want to be near each other.
But every now and then, he would subtly look at her.
His jaw tightened slightly and his fingers drummed on the table.
"I've never seen anyone combine so much cunning with such a natural demeanor...
and yet, she completely throws me off," he thought.
She didn't look at him. She was too busy laughing at something Bruno had said.
Ryu's jaw briefly tensed as he noticed how calm she was.
His fingers started to drum lightly on the table.
It was then that Ryu's older sister, Seo-Yeon,
elegantly set down her glass and fixed her eyes on Zayra.
"So, Zayra, did you study anything?"
Zayra smiled gently, noticing the hidden edge behind the question's sweetness.
"Yes. Law. I'm an attorney."
Seo-Yeon raised an eyebrow.
"Interesting. Where did you study?"
"First in Bolivia. Then I did a specialization in the U.S. I graduated with honors."
"Oh..." Seo-Yeon toyed with the edge of her napkin.
"And you speak English, then?"
Zayra looked at her steadily. "Fluently."
"And Korean?"
"Moderately. I'm getting better every day."
"And Chinese?"
"流利 (liúlì)," Zayra replied,
with such perfect pronunciation that the table fell silent for a second.
Seo-Yeon blinked, surprised.
She then quickly switched languages and said in Mandarin.
"中国的法律和拉丁美洲的法律有什么不同?
(What are the differences between Chinese and Latin American laws?)"
Zayra didn't hesitate.
"中国有更集中化的体系,而拉丁美洲强调宪法权利和司法独立.
(In China, the system is more centralized.
While Latin America emphasizes constitutional rights and judicial independence.)"
Ryu blinked rapidly, leaning forward slightly as he processed every word,
his lips pressing together for a moment.
"I didn't expect anyone could silence Seo-Yeon so easily... and I'm just as surprised."
Bruno stopped chewing. Mariano looked at her as if to say,
"Now she's really shown her stuff."
"I didn't expect that," Seo-Yeon admitted.
Zayra looked at her directly, calmly.
"I know. But you are also admirable. You've earned my respect."
Ryu kept his eyes fixed on her, following her every gesture as he slowly blinked,
giving himself time to process her confidence and poise.
"No one had ever bested her, not with a clever retort, but with a genuine compliment...
and, surprisingly, I like it."
Seo-Yeon smiled, caught between disbelief and something she didn't quite recognize...
Something warm. Like an unexpected warmth in her chest.
She hadn't felt in a very long time.
Zayra looked at her with such a sincere smile that Seo-Yeon,
without knowing how, felt... recognized.
Seo-Yeon remained silent, surprised by that honesty.
She wasn't used to someone complimenting her, much less in a verbal duel.
And she liked it. More than she would have wanted to admit.
Zayra went back to looking at her plate as if nothing had happened.
But in her mind, a voice rang clear.
"I hope she didn't take it the wrong way. It's not my intention to offend her."
The dinner ended with laughter, Somó drink, and anecdotes from both families.
The grilled meat had been devoured, the cheese rice was praised, and the yucca...
the undisputed star of the night. One by one, they got up from the table.
Zayra left with Camila, exchanging a neutral glance with Ryu as she went.
No provocation or gesture. But that silence said more than a thousand words.
Ryu leaned his torso slightly in the direction she was going,
his hands clasped in his lap and his eyebrows furrowed just a bit.
"That silence... says more than she thinks. I need to learn to read her better."
Ryu stayed on the terrace for a few more minutes, looking at the cloudy Santa Cruz sky.
Until he felt his older sister's presence approaching with a glass of wine in her hand.
"Can we talk?" Seo-Yeon asked with her usual elegance.
"Always."
They sat on a wooden bench under the veranda.
The distant sound of frogs and crickets filled the silent spaces.
Seo-Yeon took a sip from her glass.
"I like your fiancée."
Ryu slowly turned his face, surprised.
"Really?"
"Mmm." She paused.
"She has character. Intelligence. Control. And, most impressively..."
Seo-Yeon looked at him with a barely visible smile.
"She managed to teach you a lesson and get away with it without losing her composure."
Ryu pressed his lips together.
"She made me wait ten extra minutes on purpose, just to 'teach me a lesson.'"
"Exactly. And she succeeded."
"That's not right."
"And yet you accepted it. You didn't insult her.
You didn't yell at her. You held back. That tells me more about you than about her."
Ryu looked toward the garden, annoyed but intrigued.
"No one talks to me like that."
"I know. That's why I like her," Seo-Yeon said calmly, crossing her legs.
"In Korea, everyone admires you. They obey you. They follow you.
But none of them would dare to put you in your place. Not even to joke with you."
"That's not necessary," Ryu replied in a low voice.
Seo-Yeon looked at him from the side, like someone who knows more than they let on.
"Are you sure? Because it seemed to me that you liked someone setting boundaries for you."
Ryu didn't answer.
Seo-Yeon calmly stood up, took a step, and then stopped to look at him out of the corner of her eye.
"Ryu... I don't know if you'll end up marrying her or not.
But what I do know is... if you don't respect her, she's going to crush you like a bug."
She smiled slightly, conspiratorially. "And I'll be in the front row with popcorn to watch."
She walked away with her glass in hand, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
Ryu closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath,
pressing his lips together as he looked toward the garden.
"No one has ever set boundaries for me like that... and in a way, I like it."
He let the fresh air clear his mind.
Something about this woman.
How she had handled everything without raising her voice or losing her composure.
kept him on his toes, intrigued, and, for the first time,
questioning the ease with which he was used to controlling others.
A silence enveloped the terrace.
Ryu knew that this night was not the end of anything.
Something about her... a calmness that seemed to control everything...
Would make him rethink every step he took.