Chapter 346
After acquiring the 'Estonian Idol' skill, I became familiar with the background of the new family the system had created.
If you look closely, you can see that the system was trying to create an environment that was as similar as possible for me, who had lived as a crown prince in
It found a family that was much wealthier than a normal family and had a family status that matched my name.
Also, since I had lived as a member of the royal family for a long time in
However, it was enough to shock the other members.
"Are you really a butler? No, really?"
"How well does Karis's family live?"
"I'm suddenly starting to get scared."
Song Hyung-bin seemed to be more scared than surprised.
"If we keep doing this and get disliked by Karis, won't we be eliminated without a sound?"
"Don't say such nonsense, hyung!"
"Hahaha, joking, joking."
I was already sweating profusely because of the ranch remark.
On top of that, the presence of the butler came in one after another, so I was really out of my mind.
Still, in order to sort out the situation, I tried to simultaneously interpret for the butler Wilhelm in Estonian and for the members in Korean.
"I sincerely welcome you to Estonia. Wilhelm, are my parents inside?"
"Yes, Young Master. They are waiting inside. Let's go."
We followed Wilhelm through the slick main gate made of oak and entered the mansion.
As we headed toward the central staircase, the members didn't miss the opportunity to admire my interpreting skills.
"Did you see Karis interpreting just now?"
"As expected, if I had Karis, I could survive even if I got lost overseas."
"Hyung, you looked like someone from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier!"
"I should learn Estonian properly later."
"Have you already forgotten what I briefly explained to you during the Star Us Live, Siyoon?"
"Hehe, sorry!"
After going up the stairs and turning to the right, a dining room lined with dazzling chandeliers appeared.
At the end of a long table set up to entertain a large number of guests, I saw two people dressed in neat suits.
Before the members could even greet my parents, Freya von Walden ran over and hugged me.
"Karis! I really missed you!"
It was a welcome I had never expected.
I suddenly hugged her with both hands and felt all sorts of complicated and subtle emotions.
It had been a long time since I felt the warmth of my mother's embrace.
In
When I lived as 'Han Ji-hyeok' in my previous life........
There were no parents who cheered me on, truly loved me, or cherished my dreams.
I put both hands on Freya's back and stared into space for a moment.
When I returned from being away from home to pursue my dream of becoming an idol.
There was something I had always wanted to say.
When I survived the harsh battlefield, barely regained peace in the empire, and returned to the imperial palace.
It was something I really wanted to say to someone I wanted to rely on.
"...I'm home."
The moment I said those words, I felt like something that had been stuck in my chest like a lump was melting.
Freya, who had been hugging me tightly, nodded and patted my back.
"I'm glad you're doing well, son."
"Isn't mother sick?"
"Yes! I'm so healthy."
My mother showed off her health by flexing her arms, and then touched my face.
"You seem to have lost a lot of weight, but you're eating well, right?"
"Yes, I've always eaten well. You don't have to worry."
I smiled at my mother and turned my head to the side.
Frederick von Walden, who had been waiting for our conversation to end, nodded once.
In my memories, my father always blamed me for my failures, punished me, and poked at my wounds.
Maybe because those memories remained in my head, I unconsciously looked down at Frederick von Walden.
However, memories and reality were different.
In a good way.
"Welcome back, son."
"I'm home, father."
Frederick smiled kindly and lightly patted my shoulder.
He then turned his head to the members who were holding their breath and watching my reunion and bowed.
"Welcome to the von Waldens, everyone. Did you have any major problems getting here?"
When I translated my father's words as they were, the members bowed deeply and expressed their gratitude with their whole bodies.
My parents laughed loudly when they saw that and told them to sit down and eat lunch.
"...It feels like I'm at a luxury hotel buffet."
Ji Yoon-chul, who was sitting next to me, said while blankly staring at the shiny cutlery.
Soon, the food was prepared one by one and came out, and there was a really wide variety.
Starting with the elk carpaccio that can only be tasted in Estonia, fresh caviar, herring tartare, roasted duck breast, and other luxurious dishes were placed on the table.
"Is this elk?"
"Was the elk reindeer?"
"Hmm. It's not reindeer, it's the largest deer on Earth."
"Reindeer and elk are different things."
Yoo Min-ha slowly observed the elk meat that he had never seen before, then put a large piece in his mouth.
After chewing it a few times, his expression brightened.
"It's really delicious!"
"Eat slowly because no one is taking it away."
"Eeeeeeeee!"
While the members happily filled their hungry stomachs, Butler Wilhelm diligently walked around the dining room, pouring water and champagne.
At first, the members who had difficulty adjusting to the presence of a butler naturally greeted Wilhelm.
Frederick von Walden, who was sitting at the head of the table, spoke softly with a pleased smile.
"I'm glad the food suits your taste."
"Oh, I have a question!"
Heo Yubin raised his hand while eating elk carpaccio.
"How on earth is Karis hyung-nim's house so big?"
When I relayed Heo Yubin's question as it was, my father laughed heartily as if he had been waiting for a similar question to come up.
"The Sagadi region has long been famous as a place where nobles from Germany and other regions lived. Our von Walden family's ancestors naturally settled in the Sagadi region when they came from Sweden to Estonia in the 1600s. Since then, our ancestors have preserved this mansion well for many years, and thanks to that, we are able to live here now."
"Then, then that means your family is also an old noble family?"
I, who had been diligently interpreting in the middle, calmly nodded to Yoo Min-ha's question.
Before the members could express their surprise, Frederick continued to tell the story of our family.
"The Von Walden family has been famous in the academic world since long ago. My grandfather majored in genetic engineering, and my father majored in chemical engineering. I graduated from the Department of Biotechnology and am currently a professor at the University of Tartu. And our family also runs several hospitals."
As Frederick continued to explain, the members' shock increased in intensity.
Once at the fact that the Von Walden family was an old noble family.
And again at the fact that their ancestors were famous in the academic world.
And finally, at the fact that my father even runs a hospital, everyone was on the verge of fainting.
Maybe because I said all this with my own mouth, it was a little difficult to maintain a consistent, indifferent expression.
This was a part where you could see how excited the system was when it created the 'Estonian Idol' skill itself.
Kang Si-yoon, who barely recovered from the shock, looked at me with a faint smile.
"Oh, somehow. I wondered if he could speak Korean this well, but it's all in the family. The family has been smart for generations......."
"I'm starting to understand something."
Heo Yu-bin also nodded and said as if he realized something.
"Just like that, Karis hyung-nim is from another world."
"I can't help but be amazed...."
"That's why...…."
I tried to change the subject by coughing a few times for no reason.
"Ahem! Everyone, hurry up and eat. The food is getting cold."
However, the members could not easily recover from the shock.
In particular, Chae Eun-gyu, who was sitting next to me, stared at my face intently and muttered softly.
"When I heard that Karis had taught himself Korean, I thought it was ridiculous....... It turns out he could have taught himself."
"Hyung-nim, let's eat first-."
"I want to swap my brain with Karis."
"Hyung-nim!"
Fortunately, thanks to my parents changing the subject to an interesting story about Estonia, the members' bickering was somewhat resolved.
However, the second crisis came when we went into my father's study after dinner.
"Oh, it's here. This is our family album."
"Finally, the family album!"
"Want to see it, hurry!"
"...I have that camera ready."
The members looked at the albums father had taken out of the bookshelf with sparkling eyes.
They had all said they wanted to see my childhood photos since long ago.
Now, that wish was granted.
It was my first time seeing Karis von Walden's childhood photos, so it felt strange.
As soon as I turned the first page, exclamations erupted here and there.
"Wow, you really look exactly like you do now!"
"No, is this possible? How old were you then, hyung?"
"I think I was seven."
"Wow, no. Can a face be complete from the age of seven?"
Finally, Song Hyung-bin opened the album right next to my face and compared them on the spot.
"I'm not joking. Your body looks bigger here. Seriously."
"Have you seen all this fraudulent DNA...."
"I told you, it can't be helped. Look here too."
Kang Si-yoon pointed to a photo of me and my parents together.
I felt like I'd seen Frederick and Freya in their younger days somewhere.......
Yeah. They looked like members of the royal family in the portraits in
In a word, they were extremely handsome and pretty.
"Your parents are really as good as movie stars."
"Hyung, hyung! How do you say 'You're really handsome!' in Estonian?"
"Sa oled väga nägus. Try repeating it."
"Sa, saoled väga nagus?"
It was a very slurred pronunciation, but Frederick managed to understand Yoo Min-ha's words and said thank you.
We looked at my childhood photos for a long time, and Ji Yoon-chul must have been so impressed that he said this.
"......I feel like taking just one photo."
—