City of Firanze, Italy
As far as the eye can see there are many old buildings with a classic style that will surely spoil the eyes of antique connoisseurs. Not too hot, blue sky with clouds decorate the roof of this historic city. When seen with narrowed eyes, a row of doves perched on the old building in the Firanze town hall, they seem to be watching the humans passing by slowly, as if enjoying life. Also , if there are bits of bread, the doves don't hesitate to come over.
Now is spring, you should be able to enjoy the young leaves that grow green, but in this city hall there are hardly any tall trees. Only limited to small plants that are deliberately cared for native inhabitants. It's okay, the tourists still enjoy this artistic and historical building .
In front of the Palazzo Vecchio museum, there is a replica of David's statue which is deliberately exhibited for foreign visitors to see. There, there was a woman who was explaining carefully without stammering, as if all the information had danced beautifully around her. She is Freen Ainsley, a fake tour guide. That's right, fake. Meanwhile the original tour guide, Jackson, was sitting a little way away enjoying the day, watching the tourists and eating snacks, just like the pigeons.
Freen Ainsley is very well known for her knowledge in any field , she has a very high memory ability. She's a genius. Now, for Jackson, Freen is showing off her knowledge to the tourists and having fun at the same time. Yes, she enjoyed her job as a tour guide, replacing Jackson.
".....This statue of David was made in 1501-1504 in marble by the famous artist named Michelangelo. This is the third replica statue, while the original statue is in the Galleria dell'Accademia." Freen explained very proficiently, her English was also very fluent, people were watching her closely, "This statue is very tall, about seventeen feet." Freen's eyes seemed to explain, she really liked the role she was in now. However, in the middle of her explanation Freen's phone vibrated in the right pocket of her cotton trousers. But Freen ignored it, she wanted to finish Jackson's task first. "David was made to present-" Freen interrupted, the vibrating phone would not stop. Then she smiled apologetically at the listeners, she took the phone and saw who was calling her this time.
Grandma. That's what she read on her phone screen. Freen nodded again at the tourists, as if to excuse herself for a moment. With a wave of her hand, she called out to the original tour guide. Jackson seemed to understand that Freen had asked him to fill her place in front of the statue of David. Jackson kept his food in his pocket, then ran and stood where Freen had been before, he introduced himself and explained the the history of the naked statue.
Some distance from the crowd, Freen is in the front corner of the museum building. She saw, hee grandmother did not give up with one call. Sighing slightly for a moment, Freen picked up the call.
"Yes grandma?" Her voice sounded polite.
"Where are you now?" Granny's voice sounded very serious. Also, she always hears this question many times, because Freen is never long in one city, she really likes to travel to cities that interest her in various countries. Freen is an explorer.
"Italy, Grandma. Its Town Hall Florence." Freen said where she was now. She didn't know what her grandma's goal was this time. She hoped it wasn't asking her to come home like last year.
Without hesitation her grandmother said, "Today you have to go home, grandmother has important news." Freen already knew it would be like this.
"Tell me now Grandma, what news?" Freen asked still in a polite tone.
"You can't. Grandma has to see you as soon as possible. Don't make excuses, go home!" Her grandmother did talk like that, a little snapping, but Freen knew her grandmother was very good to her.
"Grandma, please not anymore. I still have a lot of work." Freen feels that she is indeed a tour guide, even though she does not have any certificate in that field, but for her the knowledge in her brain is more important than the name written on the rectangular paper.
Hearing her grandmother gasp now, she said, "Freen, that's not work, you've only been playing all this time." Hee grandmother always monitored Freen's movements. Then suddenly with a threatening voice, Grandma said again, "If you don't come home, grandma will just die." The call ended.
Freen was surprised by her grandmother's behavior. Freen's phone was still to her ear, her eyes closed as if gathering patience. After a while, she softened her shoulders which had been tense earlier. Her grandmother had never said that in all these years, now she was a little worried.
Freen looked at her phone screen now, she thought about the news her grandma had told her before. She looked confused, because in her mind there were so many conjectures she had made to answer that word. One of them, about matchmaking.
Freen didn't understand her grandmother's train of thought, she just didn't want to get married right now. She wants to be free, and enjoy the day. She just wanted to live like this. She knows, remember, between Freen and grandma there is an agreement that Freen has agreed on, namely that she will become the successor to the Yoonha company, the largest real estate holding company in Korea after her grandmother was powerless. But, what about mate? There is not the slightest agreement about that.
....
Wait a moment.
It seems that the introduction should be repeated.
Introduce again.
Her full name is Freen Ainsley Yoonha.
No.
More correctly..
She is Freen Ainsley Genius Yoonha.
The only grandchild of Mrs Yoonha will be the sole heir to the company that her grandmother had built decades ago. But so far, no one knows what Freen's face looks like, people don't even know if Freen is a girl or a boy. Not that it was a secret from her grandmother, but it was Freen who asked for it all. The people in the company only know Freen as young Yoonha.
Her grandmother recognized Freen's genius when she was little, she finished school earlier than normal kids, she even finished college in her twenties. Freen is a lucky kid in terms of mind, she has great abilities in the fields of analysis, calculation, memorizing, whatever it is. Even useless knowledge , she understood. With all these abilities, Freen asked her grandmother not to force herself to be involved in the company directly, she promised to follow in her grandmother's footsteps if her grandmother was no longer able to run the company, as long as she was allowed to travel the world .
Actually, Freen knew how her grandmother was feeling this time. She is still in good health, even when she came home two years ago, her grandmother shouted at her all the time. Last month, they had a face-to-face call, her grandmother even looked younger than usual. Freen was aware of that, she even memorized the number of wrinkles on her grandmother's face before. So, now she felt confused as to why her grandmother wanted to make her come back.
Jackson approached Freen now, the tour guide's face looked full of questions, this man of Chinese descent has always been curious about Freen's entire life, in fact he is Freen's number one fan.
"Grandma." Freen answered the look on her friend's face.
Jackson asked again, "What's wrong? You were asked to come home again?" Jackson already knows where this conversation is going, Grandma Freen is always looking for ways to get Freen home.
Freen sighed, she touched her stomach "Are you done? I'm hungry." Freen didn't answer the question, she knew Jackson already knew the answer.
Jackson nodded, he was done with his work. "Pasta or pizza?" asked Jackson.
Freen walked past Jackson, whereupon she replied, "Pasta." The phone returned to its pocket. Freen headed for their regular dining area.
Jackson catches up with Freen, he's kinda running now.
......
Buon Ristorante
Buon Restaurant
Freen had ordered food, they were waiting for it to come. Freen didn't play her cell phone, she was busy looking around her, new faces appeared in the restaurant. Freen has only been here for about two weeks, after their trip to the city of Chania.
This old city is in great demand by tourists, it's not uncommon for cameras to hang around their necks to take moments in every corner of the city. As for Freen? She kept it in her head, but don't forget Jackson, Freen Ainsley's number one fan. He always took pictures of Freen wherever they were. Jackson even takes care of Freen's social media.
Jackson and Freen's friendship was very close, they met while studying sclupture , at that time Freen suddenly wanted to sculpt and make sculptures, she sat beside Jackson. They chatted and discussed many things while making the statue. In the near future, the two extroverts clicked, and are still friends.
Now, Jackson is playing his eyes on a woman sitting a bit far away in the restaurant, luckily the woman doesn't feel uncomfortable. Freen saw Jackson this time, she said, "Jackson, remember the wife is at home." Freen was just kidding.
Jackson, who heard it, immediately backed his body slightly back into the chair, his eyes also looked surprised, he said, "Freen, am I married?" It seems that Jackson followed the joke. "How many wives do I have?" he continued.
Freen just smiled and shook her head, she ignored the joke's reply, "We didn't choose the wrong place, this city is very lively." Freen really likes this situation, she is a person who enjoys the hustle and bustle of the city, and also as Jackson said, she is a show-off of knowledge.
"Mm. By far, this town is the liveliest." Jackson said, his eyes still on the woman who glanced at him from afar. Now he couldn't hold back his smile, as if he was proud of his handsome face. Jackson saw Freen, he asked while facing the right side of his face at Freen "Freen, my face is quite handsome, isn't it?" He just wanted Freen to say, yes handsome , that way he would be more confident looking at that woman.
However, Freen ignored him again. He had no intention of praising Jackson this time. Freen said again "Didn't we order too much? I thought it was just pasta." Freen recalled their previous order, they ordered two servings of lasagna and pizza each.
"Too much? Freen, we ghost food." Jackson reminded him again.
Freen chuckled, she knew that.
After a while, food was served on their table. Each gets the same menu and a coke, Also lemon tea . The freshly baked pasta still full of dancing smoke and the mouthwatering pizza made Freen forget what she had just said, too much. With an impatient look on her face, Freen started to eat the food, and so did Jacskon, they didn't wait long to finish what had been served in front of them.
Not too long, the food was almost gone. Suddenly Jackson's eyes glanced out of the corner of his eye, the woman who had been looking at their table earlier walked up to him smiling nervously. This man was aghast, wanting to get ready to come face to face with the woman. Jackson swallowed his food faster, he drank a soda beside him. The woman was almost at their table.
Finally , a beautiful and tall woman with long, shiny black hair approached them, she seemed Asian. Jackson had prepared his sweetest smile, while Freen was still busy with her food.
"Em," The woman looked a little nervous, she saw Jackson who smiled at her, she politely smiled and nodded slightly, then without lingering, the woman asked, now she looked at Freen, "Can I have your cellphone number?" Freen, not Jackson.
Freen who felt herself being looked at by Jackson with an irritated look, asked with both eyebrows, meaning why are you like that? Freen didn't hear the voice of the woman beside her, she was too engrossed in the grilled pasta stuffed with meat and vegetables.
Jackson only glanced at Freen, then cast her glances at the woman beside Freen. The woman was clearly standing up nervously.
Freen understood her friend's gaze, as she glanced at Jackson's glance, she was surprised to see the woman standing beside her holding the cell phone with both hands. Freen politely smiled, she asked, "May I help you, Miss?" Freen didn't realize that her smile carried that woman away even further.
"Um," Nervous again, " Can I have your number please?" asked the woman again.
Oh.. Freen realized the meaning of Jackson's annoyance now, Freen looked at Jackson for a moment and smiled again at the woman. She just nodded, and took the woman's cellphone, she swiftly entered the numbers there. When finished, she returned the phone to its owner with a smile, again.
The woman looked carefree, she was also grateful. Then, return to her desk.
Jackson continued his meal, now with a sour face.
Freen saw that the annoyance was still there, she said, "I gave her your number." She hoped Jackson would be pleased, and thanked her.
However, Jackson just pouted in annoyance, then he said, "That doesn't cheer me up." He sighed again, then suddenly his hands clenched into fists holding the fork and spoon on the table, with an angry look Jackson asked with Freen, "Why are you more popular than me?" He just wanted to know, so far Jackson has never been glanced at by foreign women, they have always been fascinated by Freen's beauty or maybe her good looks .
Freen laughed, she was glad to hear that. "You finally knew my popularity, Jackson." Laugh again.
Jackson regretted having said that, he could see the proud look on his friend's face, then he said again, now in a curious tone, "But there wasn't anything you wanted. Do you remember the email your grandmother sent you last year?" Jackson only remembers a handful of the contents of the email.
Freen nodded "I didn't expect grandma to give me a list of potential partners via e-mail." Freen had now forgotten about the food a bit, left a little more. "Also, there were pictures of forty women and thirty men," Freen recalled briefly, then she chuckled, "Even I know all of their faces, the direction of their hair and the birthmarks or little black spots on their faces. Grandma was really trying to get me married back then." Freen definitely remembered those details, even the clothes, suit, background, smile or not, she did.
"Well, so now, what kind of partner do you want? Tell me." Jackson was really curious about this question, he had asked it for a long time, never got an answer, "We have even traveled to many cities. Many also want you, like today. And always, you give them my cellphone number." Jackson was even contacted by tall men while they were in India, all of which was Freen's doing.
Freen laughed again, she remembered many funny events when Jackson was shocked and finally afraid to receive calls again, all she did was just to see Jackson's expression. "I don't know Jackson either, but it seems I like British." Freen smiled, she was just talking nonsense, at least Jackson was satisfied that his question was answered this time.
"British?"
"Mm." Freen said yes .
"Lie." Jackson knew that Freen was only answering casually, because there had been so many british faces that Freen had ignored. Even when they visited England, Freen didn't glance at any of the women there.
Freen was laughing now, she had been lying. Then she thought a little more, now more seriously, her eyes were a little dreamy. Freen said with those dreamy eyes, "I want to experience falling in love at first sight." She smiled again and shook her head slightly, "But I haven't found that feeling until now."
Alternately, Jackson who was laughing now, even burst out laughing, in that laugh he said, "Freen, that's impossible." Laughing again, then Jackson tried to calm down, he wanted to say rather long, "We've met lots of handsome men and beautiful women during these seven years, and none of them you like. So, what more beautiful women do you want?" Jackson was telling the truth, even the actresses and actors they had met on that trip, Freen was just saying oh, she was beautiful. That's it, then don't think about it anymore.
Freen ignored Jackson's laughter, she was sure she could find someone who could win her heart at first sight. "I don't know, I'm also curious about that question." Freen closed the topic, she didn't want to go into detail about her type. If she answered like I want someone with beautiful light brown eyes and shoulder length hair , Jackson would stand up and look for these criteria, then bring that person to Freen immediately. She didn't want to make a fuss.
Jackson didn't ask anymore. The man who claims to be handsome has finished his food, and so has Freen. But they haven't moved from the table, the lemon tea is still waiting to be drunk.
"What did Grandma say?" Suddenly Jackson remembered Freen's call earlier this afternoon. Jackson also called her grandmother. He doesn't want to call her Mrs Yoonha. It's too difficult and long.
"I was asked to go home." Freen's voice is a bit gloomy, she doesn't want to go back to Korea, she still wants to travel.
"Oh," Jackson heard that request so often, in fact almost every year, especially when it was Grandma's birthday. "How old is your grandmother now?" Jackson always asks, he always forgets.
"75 years, one day." Freen remembered her grandmother's birthday yesterday.
Jackson nodded, now that he remembered, then he said in a light voice, "What's the threat this time? Last year wasn't about your statue collection?"
Freen looked sad remembering what happened last year, her grandmother threatened her with all the face sculptures that she made with all her heart, all of the statues were given free to those who wanted them. Grandma even put it on the front desk of her house, and there was a sign, if you want, take it, my granddaughter doesn't care about me anymore. " I even made all those works for quite a while ..."
Jackson sighed, "Every year it's always like that, this time, what's your grandma's threat?" Jackson also remembers that the cat Freen lost her tail when Freen refused to come home three years ago.
Freen joined in with a sigh, "Go home, or she 'll just die ." Freen answered in the same tone she had heard earlier. Also, a deep sense of worry.
"She wouldn't seriously do it." Jackson denied quickly.
"But someone else told me the same thing." Freen remembers someone threatening her to come home. When she remembered this, she realized that close people around her were always asking her to come home, with threats.
"Tell you what?" The man raised his eyebrows.
"If you don't come home, She will jump into the Han river." Freen said.
This Chinese man was a bit speechless, he was a little surprised by what Freen had, the people closest to her were terrible. "She did? Who?"
Freen nodded slowly, she replied, "Rose, my best friend. She asked me to come home because she said she had a broken heart, I had to cheer her up." Freen remembered the call that morning, Rose was crying loudly.
Jackson fell silent again. Then he looked at Freen with a sad look, he felt sorrow for his friend's passing. Then in a low voice he said, "I'm sorry Freen, you must be really depressed." Jackson thought Freen would feel guilty about that incident, Freen should go home.
"....."
"....."
"But she survived. She is still healthy until now." Freen paused long enough to say this, she liked the look on her friend's worried face that changed instantly, now Jackson's eyes were stunned by Freen's words.
" Huh ?" Jackson was very confused.
"She is an athlete in swimming, always wins first place, especially in diving."
"......"
"She threatened me twice." Connect Freen.
"Then jump a second time?"
"Mm."
"...."
"...."
"She's amazing." Jackson couldn't say anything else.
"I know."
Jackson paused for a moment, he was still processing all the stories. He still couldn't believe that Freen's best friend did that, for him it was beyond reason. Then he said again, "Then, you think grandma would do that?" If you don't come home, grandma just dies.
Freen sighed "I don't know. But," Freen was a bit pensive, she then said, "My grandma is my only family, Jackson. She never said anything like this before, I'm really worried now." Freen did look worried, her face couldn't hide the feeling.
Jackson understood Freen's feelings, then he asked again, "When are you coming home?"
Freen thought for a moment, she didn't want to go home today. Freen still wants to explore this city of art, she hasn't explained many things to tourists, she still wants to enjoy her role as a tour guide, Freen finally answered, "Another week?"
Jackson nodded in agreement, he did not want to leave town this in no time.
Freen looked at her watch, she said, "I'll be back after this. Do you have any plans?" Freen and Jackson booked a hotel with separate rooms.
Jackson replied, "I'm going out for a bit, making acquaintances." It seemed that his confidence had gradually risen after collapsing a while ago. Now that he's going to be charmed without Freen, he thinks it's a brilliant idea. There's no rival .
"Okay, I'll go first." Freen left cash to pay for the meal, she placed it on the table.
****
However, when she reached the hotel veranda, Freen had to let out a deep breath. Her grandmother did as she pleased, again .
What did she see? Their suitcases were already there, a sign that Freen had to leave now.
Who fixed it all? Her grandmother is full of ways.
Freen ended up contacting Jackson right away.
"Hello, Freen, what's up?"
"Looks like we're going home now."
"Your grandmother kicked us again?"
"Mm."
"Oh My God !!" Jackson's voice represents Freen's frustration with her grandmother.
....
With a heavy heart Freen said to herself, "Okay, let's go home."