II: Dinnertime With The Chois

"Should I wear this or this for dinner?" asked Dalia.

The 15 year old year girl looked over at the two outfits in front of her. Tonight was the night that she was going to have dinner at the Chois' residence. Dalia even took the time to buy the Choi Family a cake at a nearby bakery. She sighed and looked down at the outfits once more. Dalia didn't think that her third night in Seoul was going to end with a traditional Korean dinner. The honey blonde haired blader looked up proper vocabulary for the dinner table.

Ninel texted her information about her immediate family, including her step-father Mr. Choi. Dalia read that Mr. Choi is the current CEO of Hi Link Entertainment, a prominent music label in South Korea. She also learned that Ninel's mother, Tamara Morozova is Co-CEO of Morozov Enterprises, a high-end technology company that originated in Russia. The Argentine-Greek blader really couldn't screw this up. Dalia's mouth curled in a smile and picked the second set of clothes that was on the bed.

She didn't want to keep Ninel and her step-sister Claudia waiting any longer. In the next 30 minutes, Dalia changed into a black long sleeved buttoned down dress shirt on with a knee-length dark red bell-shaped skirt and a pair of black ankle boots. She didn't leave her honey blonde in a ponytail, but she does have on a black and gold striped headband. The Argentine-Greek blader approached her phone and saw a text message from Ninel. It read:

Claudia and I are here at the hotel's lobby. Remember to bring the gift with you.

-Ninel

Dalia placed her cellphone inside her mini backpack, which has her essentials and shut it closed. She approached the mini fridge and picked up the box that had the cake inside. The 15 year old was ready to head to dinner. She was hoping that they loved the cake that she brought for the family. It took her about 3 minutes to make it to the lobby. Dalia saw Ninel standing right next to a slightly older person.

Ninel watched as Dalia approached her and her older step-sister with a fancy box. The older girl looked about a year or two older than Ninel. She had light purple hair that tied in a fishtail braid. Her light brown colored eyes watched as the younger teen approached Ninel and herself.

"Can I help you with the gift?" asked the older purple haired girl.

Dalia responded, "Sure thing. You must be Claudia, right."

"That is me and let me help with you with the gift," replied Claudia.

The honey blonde haired teen stated, "I bought a dulce de leche cake for dessert if that is okay with the family."

Claudia nodded, and she approached Dalia. She picked up the box while the other girl looked at Dalia. They were just as dressed up as she was for tonight. It seemed that tonight was going to be a formal dinner event at the Chois' house. She hopes that she'll be able to impress the other members of the family. As the young woman was getting the car ready, Ninel approached the 15 year old blader. She wanted to get the chance to know more about the blonde haired teen.

Dalia glanced at Ninel and said, "Thank you for helping me this afternoon by the way."

"You're welcome, and I had a great time hanging out with you. It made me forget what happened earlier that day," replied Ninel.

Dalia just nodded back as a response. She glanced over at the car in front of her. Claudia secured the cake very well, and she was in the driver's seat. Ninel approached the passenger's door and unlocked it while Dalia walked towards the backseat door. She opened the door and shut the door behind her. The Argentine-Greek blader saw the seatbelts, and she put it on.

The 18 year old Korean-American saw that everyone had those seatbelts on. She began driving away from the hotel and into the streets of Seoul. Dalia stared at the window that was right next to her. It was the first time that she was going to have a homemade Korean meal. The closest thing to an authentic Korean meal she had was those bento boxes she bought at the convenience store to save money.

Her dark brown eyes looked over at the two sisters. Even though Ninel and Claudia weren't related by blood, she noticed that they get along well. A small fake smile formed the Argentine-Greek blader's face suddenly. She wished that she had the same relationship with her siblings.

"So what are your plans since you're not going to be swimming for a while?" asked Claudia to her younger sister.

Ninel replied, "I still have that beyblade tournament since I have been taking extra time to train for that."

"You're a blader too Ninel!" blurted out Dalia.

Ninel and Claudia saw Dalia after she blurted those words out of her mouth. The 15 year old blader smacked her forehead and moaned to herself.

She said to Ninel, "I'm sorry for being nosy. I was surprised to hear that honestly."

"Don't worry about it, Dalia. I already knew that you were also a blader before you mentioned it in our first conversation," responded Ninel.

That made sense since Dalia had her blader's gear on her belt that same afternoon. Ninel must have noticed it while they were talking right by the Jamsil Swimming Pool. The Argentine-Greek blader knew that she would have to see Ninel during the tournament. It was likely that there's a chance that the two may have to battle against each other. But for now, Dalia needed to focus on her first impression for tonight's dinner.

The drive from the hotel to the Chois' residence was a 15-minute drive. They lived in Pyeongchang-dong, a wealthy neighborhood in Jongno-gu. It wasn't anything like the neighborhoods in Gangnam-gu, but it was quiet and hilly location. Dalia watched as Claudia stopped the car by the house on the right side. She assumed that the Chois lived in that house that was there. The garage door opened and Claudia resumed driving into the garage door.

"We're here Dalia. By the way, we talked to our parents in regards to how you should introduce to them, and they said that they are okay with not you bowing," stated Claudia.

Dalia asked, "How come?"

"They understand that some foreigners can make mistakes when they bow. Our father and mother are okay with a handshake and a simple hello," replied Ninel.

The Argentine-Greek blader was surprised since she had been working hard in trying to impress Mr. Choi and Mrs. Morozova. To know that they don't mind shaking hands and saying hello was somewhat of a relief. But she also knew that Mr. Choi was born and raised in the United States until he moved to South Korea after his wife's death. As for Mrs. Morozova, she was born in Russia, and she went to South Korea after her husband's death. So Dalia could understand why would they be okay with shaking hands.

The 15 year old blader unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the car door. She waited for Ninel and Claudia to come. The older sibling gave the European-Latin American blader the dulce de leche cake to hold. They all left the garage together, and the oldest Choi sibling closed the garage door with the garage keys. Dalia took a deep breath and looked at the door in front of her. Ninel rang the doorbell to see who will open the door.

In less than a minute, a middle-aged woman with dark reddish-brown hair and light brown eyes opened the door. She had on a blue-violet sleeveless dress on and a pair of nude pumps on. Her hair was tied in a fishtail braid. Her light brown colored eyes shifted towards Dalia's direction.

"You must be Dali. My daughter Ninel has told me a little about you," said the middle-aged woman.

Dalia replied, "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Morozova. I bought a dulce de leche cake as a gift."

The 15 year old girl and Mrs. Morozova shook hands for a moment until the auburn-haired woman took the box of cake. The three girls followed Ninel's mother into the house. Dalia was in awe when she saw how small the house was. It wasn't as big as she thought it would be, but the European-Latin American girl thought it was a nice place.

"Why don't you go to the living room for a bit? It's going be another 30 minutes until your father comes," suggested Ninel's mother.

Claudia and Ninel nodded, and they showed their guest to the living room. They also wanted to know more about Dalia. The three of them on the couch while Mrs. Morozova was in the kitchen finishing up with the dinner preparations.

Claudia spoke up and asked, "When did you become a blader?"

"I would have to say about five years ago. One of my older cousins taught about beyblade during a birthday party in Buenos Aires," replied Dalia.

Ninel responded, "Same here, but it was Claudia who introduced me to beyblading in the first place."

"You have a beyblade too Claudia?" wondered the Argentine-Greek teenager.

Ninel's step-sister said as she dug into her pants pocket, "I do, and my beyblade is Gloom Gienah. Unlike Ninel, I won't be participating in this tournament."

The 18 year old took out an onyx black and yellow colored beyblade. She showed the beyblade to the young teenager so she could have a better view of it. Dalia noticed the crow's head on the Korean-American's beyblade. It was a beautiful and mysterious beyblade that Claudia had in her possession. The older teen placed the beyblade in its holster instead of her pants pocket.

Ninel thought it was a shame that Claudia wasn't going to be in this tournament. The 16 year old Eurasian teen knew how good her older sister was as a blader. Some people would say that's she's one of the best-known bladers in South Korea. At least she still had the opportunity to participate since her older step-sister will soon start her internship at the WBBA.

While the three girls talked with one another, a 5 year old boy walked into the living room. He watched as his two older sisters, and their guest has a conversation he couldn't understand.

"Mom needs the three of you to come to the kitchen. You need to set up the table," said the 5 year old.

Dalia looks over at the 5 year old that was calling them. Ninel mentioned that she has a younger half-brother named Gregory. The Argentine-Greek blader stood, and she followed Ninel and Claudia to the kitchen. Dalia could smell some of the Korean spices in the kitchen. Mrs. Morozova made a variety of Korean dishes for tonight's dinner. She was surprised to see the amount of different food that Mrs. Morozova made.

It looked all so delicious, and there were some dishes that she didn't recognize. Mrs. Morozova looked over at Dalia and saw the surprised look on her face. She had a smile on her face.

"It seems like a lot of food, but I made a wide range of side dishes you can try that you may enjoy," stated Mrs. Morozova.

Within the next few minutes, Dalia helped Ninel and Claudia set up the table. The two older teens guided the younger teen on the dish placements. They were able to work together and set the table correctly before Mr. Choi's arrival. Right before the 15-minute mark, Ninel and Claudia's father walked into the house. Dalia looked at Mr. Choi. She presented her hand to the older man so they could shake hands.

"It's a pleasure to meet you once again Mr. Choi," said Dalia.

He responded, "It's nice to meet you as well Dalia."

With Mr. Choi's arrival, it was time to eat. Dalia knew about the age order when it comes to sitting down the dining table. Mr. Choi was the first to enter. Afterward, it was Mrs. Morozova, Claudia, Ninel, Dalia, and Gregory in that order. The Argentine-Greek teen watched and dined with the Chois. She was able to adapt quickly to her surroundings. The blader already knew how to each with a spoon and chopsticks. Some of the dining etiquette rules in Korea was different from China and Japan. At least Dalia wasn't making a fool of herself.

Right after dinner, it was time for dessert. It was rare and unusual to have dessert right after dinner. But Dalia did bring a cake for the family to enjoy. Everyone took a slice of the dulce de leche cake to enjoy.

"I am surprised that you were able to find a bakery that would make you a dulce de leche cake," said Mr. Choi.

Dalia replied, "It was until someone recommended me a bakery that had an Argentine-Korean baker who bakes these delicious dulce de leche cakes."

"I might go there the next time if I want to get a slice of that dulce de leche cake," responded Ninel.

Dalia smiled, and she took another bite of her cake. It was the best thing that she had ever tried in South Korea. The food that Ninel's mother made was just as good. She was able to try new dishes that she enjoyed. The Argentine-Greek teenager admits that tonight's dinner with the Chois was a success. She definitely would like to go back there and enjoy more of Mrs. Morozova's cooking.

That ends the second story for Seoul Stories. Unlike the first story, I kind of went above the word limit for this second story. This story focuses more on Dalia and her thoughts about having dinner with Ninel's family. We also got appearances from Claudia [Ninel's older step-sister] and Gregory [Ninel's younger half-brother] even though Claudia will be making more brief appearances in this short story series. So the next story is going to focus more on Ninel even though Dalia is going to be in the next story. As usual, I hope you read and review this story.

Beyblade Fact

Claudia's beyblade, Gloom Gienah is an Attack-Type beyblade. As its name suggests, Gloom Gienah's element is darkness despite not being an "evil" beyblade. Its bey beast is based on a crow, and name Gienah comes from Gineah, the brightest star from the constellation Corvus (aka the Crow constellation).

Korean to English Translation

-dong: -dong is the Korean word for neighborhood. In South Korea, the neighborhoods in a city end in -dong and these neighborhoods are the city's smallest sub-division.

-gu: -gu is the Korean word for District. In South Korea, the name of distract ends in -gu. These districts are like cities with the main city and these districts have their own municipality and mayor.