Arena

When I finished my hike my younger sister Hyunji was home. She must have come back from school.

“Brother, you lost a lot of weight.”

“It’s because of all the hard studying I did.”

“Yeah right, it’s probably due to eating all those noodles and rolled rice everyday at the convenience store you work at.

“Cheh, you know me too well.”

“But did brother do all the dishes and cleaning.”

“Yeah.”

“Why so suddenly?”

"You must be busy preparing to enter the work force. I have no work for the moment so I can do this for you. 

Hyunji"s eye"s became enlarged from my words. She looked at full of suspicion. 

"Who are you?"

"Your older brother."

"Lies, my older brother is not this kind!"

"Let me hit you once."

When I tried to give her a knuckle hit to her head Hyunji ran away laughing. Arguing back and forth Hyunji spoke. 

"What should we have for dinner? Mom and older sister said they"ll be late."

"Really? Do you want to order something?"

"Order? why order? Mom boiled some pork. You said you wanted to have this? I"ll prepare the table. 

It was my turn to look at Hyunji full of suspicion. 

"Who are you? My little sister is not someone who will so obediently prepare the dinner table like this!

 Hyunji laughed out loud. 

"I have some conscience too you know. You did all the dishes and cleaning I can at least prepare the dinner table."

"Really? It guess it doesn"t mean just because you are in your 4th year of university you will suddenly start studying hard..."

"I"m working hard to prepare to for employment you know?"

"I thought last time you got caught by mom going to the club right?"

From my criticism Hyunji stuck her lips out. 

"That was just for a change of mood. It"s not like I met some guy and played around. I just met some friends to dance."

"It big worry that you like playing too much."

"Shut up, Go wash up while I"m setting up the table. Your sweat stinks."

"Okay, okay."

While Hyunji was preparing the dinner table I showered and changed into fresh clothes. 

Boiled pork, kimchi, and brown rice and a.s.sorted side side dishes were deliciously laid out. I was shocked there was also seaweed soup ( Koreans have this on their birthdays as tradition). It"s no one"s birthday but mom must have put some thought into it. 

"Let"s eat already, it"s getting cold."

"Okay."

We sat at the table and had our dinner watching TV peacefully. 

"Time has really pa.s.sed hasn"t it."

"What is?"

"In the past you and I tried all sorts of ways to pa.s.s on the household work off to each other."

"That is true. In truth until yesterday I was thinking of off loading the household work to you. But seeing as you did all the dishes and cleaning my conscience got p.r.i.c.ked. 

"You must have been excited thinking of off loading all the household off to me haven"t you?"

"Since you said that from now you will do all the household work, I"ll do the cooking and laundry."

"Let"s do that. There isn"t just one or two female lingerie and I also feel uncomfortable with others doing my laundry. 

"Getting scared from some women"s lingerie. Are you still a virgin?"

This little b.i.t.c.h?

"Mom"s and older sisters are okay, but I"m too scared that your lingerie will be too frivolous?"

"What do you take me for!"

"Night club mania."

"Better than being unemployed."

"Hehehe, you graduate soon right?"

"S, so?"

"I"m looking forward to next year."

"Why don"t you rather curse me! I"m going to find a job?"

"Right, when I graduated I thought everything will work out too...."

"Stop looking at me full of empathy! I will never become unemployed like you."

"But who are you calling unemployed? I"m not unemployed?"

"Then what are you?"

"A rising star in the chicken world."

Hyunji couldn"t stop her laughter.

Life is full of surprises. A day when I would talk with my little sister 6 years younger than me about employment and future hopes would come.

"Recently sister started to talk to mom about getting married and is begging mom to introduce to her some guys."

"Really? Then again she"s already 33 years old and the time has come."

"But isn"t this really weird? What is our sister missing for her to not have a man?

She"s pretty, has a nice body and is a lawyer. If it was me I would have fished a 100 men and but them in a basket. 

"Is eldest sister you?"

"Anyway it"s weird. Seeing as she wants to get married she doesn"t want to be single forever and is not a lesbian."

"Sister is too good for her own good. She doesn"t talk much but has a strong personality. Most guys will get scared from her cold stares."

Hyunji laughed. 

"It"s true that her first impressions are pretty scary. Even if I can argue with you I can"t do anything with eldest sister. When I got caught at the night club I was more scared I"ll be punished by eldest sister."

"Do not argue back at me either."

"It"s my choice."

A sigh came out of me. 

"Am I even in the situation to talk about someone else? At least eldest sister earns good money and is going great for herself."

The only dating I have ever done is when I entered university. The girl I dated after meeting eyes at the new comer welcoming party was all the dating I have done. 

After that father pa.s.sed away and the household became a mess, while going to school I did two part time jobs.  Military service and civil employment exam .....

After waking up I realized that I never had experience any real love and come to regret my life. I am really pitiful.

Looking at me sighing, Hyunji with a serious expression stared at me.

"Do you want me to introduce a friend to you?"

How nice of her. 

Thinking if I will ever meet a girl before dying I felt the impulse of saying yes. But in the end I shook my head. 

"That"s okay."

What"s the point of thinking I"m going to die?

The most important thing is my will. The strong determination of clearing the final test and surviving. 

"My pitiful older brother. Waiting for the right time while following mom to be in the chicken business. When you are in your thirties there will be many women who are at an ambiguous age will be put up for a quick sale just like our eldest sister. 

"Quick sale?"

I laughed along with Hyunji.

Hyunji is so outgoing and talks a lot I didn"t know time was pa.s.sing. 

After finishing dinner I spoke. 

"I"ll clear the table, you go study."

"It"s weird that you are being so good to me now."

"You"re not getting used to your older brother kindness."

"Anyway thank-you. I"ll be sure to pick a pretty and kind friend to introduce you to."

 "Okay."

I also with that day will come. 

Hyunji went to study and I quickly finished up the dishes and started my exercise. 

This time it was muscle training. 

My arms were shaking after doing 50 push ups. Because of the hiking my legs were also shaking. My body felt like jelly. 

I felt ashamed of myself becoming like this after one hike. Would I be able to do this for 11 days?

"I need to endure and do it."

Push ups and hikes are just simple exercises. I also need to train to using the magic gun and spirit summoning skill to use it in fights. 

"For now let"s rest and go out at dawn when there is no one around."

I can"t let other people see me shooting guns and summoning spirits. I did not want to become a YouTube star just yet. I laid down on the couch and got some sleep.