Chapter 06
Bet (2)Bet (2)
"...What do you want?"
Min So-yeon asked, as if she had misheard me.
"Your phone number. We have to stick together for a year, so not having each other's contact information is a bit much, don't you think?"
"...So all this fuss was just to get my number?"
I smiled at her, who looked at me incredulously.
"If I had just asked for your number, would you have given it to me?"
"No."
See?
I handed her the cold water I had prepared and continued.
"Anyway, you did well today. I might lose tomorrow..."
She looked at me with wide eyes as she accepted the water.
"...Tomorrow? You plan to do this again tomorrow?"
"Don't like it? If you didn't want to, you should've won."
As I shrugged my shoulders and teased her slightly, she bit her lip and glared at me.
Her face showed clear displeasure, but having lost, she couldn't say much and seemed frustrated.
Seeing her like this reminded me of her younger self, and a contented smile spread across my face.
"...Is something funny?"
Seeing her expression grow harsher, I quickly pulled my smile back.
If I kept teasing her, she might get really upset, so I decided to give her a little praise to soften the mood.
"...Still, you almost won earlier. Are you sure you haven’t learned swordsmanship? Didn't your mother teach you?"
The mention of her mother made Min So-yeon's eyes quiver slightly.
...Huh?
I was puzzled by her reaction.
She lowered her head and answered in a barely audible voice.
"...I didn't learn anything like that."
Her reply had a lonely undertone.
*
After class, I got Min So-yeon’s contact information. She was clearly reluctant but didn't go back on our bet, so she gave me her number.
I called her to save the number and added it to my contacts.
"...Done."
[ Min So-yeon ]
Seeing her name on my phone’s screen brought a smile to my face.
Apart from my landlord and social worker, this was the first contact saved on my phone.
I wanted to save it as something affectionate like "Beloved Daughter♥" but ended up just saving it simply.
Min So-yeon also saved my contact, but I couldn't see what name she used for me.
After exchanging contacts, she gave me a warning.
"Don't bother me with useless messages."
I replied vaguely and left it at that.
On my way home, I started noting down my thoughts from the "tag" game with Min So-yeon on my phone.
When it comes to handling a sword, I don't have much to say.
Based on what I’ve seen from my wife, I evaluated Min So-yeon's swordsmanship today, and it was pretty solid.
But the next issue was her stamina.
She seemed to tire quickly after just five minutes of attacking. Her speed slowed and the force behind each strike diminished noticeably.
A sword is a demanding weapon that requires a lot of stamina. For someone like her who is supposed to fight at the front lines, lack of stamina is a significant drawback.
It's unreasonable to expect her to have a lot of stamina since she hasn't been exercising, but it’s impressive she can wield a sword as well as she does.
I wrote down "1. Stamina Training" on my phone.
The next issue was mana.
It’s great that she can gather mana while wielding a sword, which is extremely difficult.
Using a weapon and mana simultaneously is like drawing a square with one hand and a star with the other.
She’s a genius for mastering such a complex skill so quickly.
But she didn't know how to handle mana properly, swinging it around wildly and exhausting it quickly.
Given her lineage, she shouldn’t have a low mana pool. If she learns to use it efficiently, it will create a powerful synergy with her swordsmanship.
I added "2. Mana Training" to my phone.
But the problem isn’t just with her. It's also me.
Yoo Ji-hwan’s body has a naturally low mana pool.
If her mana pool is like a water tank, mine is like a bathtub.
For someone like me, who needs to use magic from the backline, this is a significant issue.
The good news is that mana can be increased with training.
Mana is like muscle; the more you use it, the more it grows.
Using equipment with mana stones would help, but I can’t afford it.
And today, I realized my stamina is also lacking.
I thought I was maintaining my stamina, but I was wrong.
If the fight had lasted a bit longer, I might have lost to Min So-yeon.
Not just her, but I also need to improve my stamina.
Fortunately, I know a good method to enhance both mana and stamina, thanks to my wife.
When my wife dragged me around for training, I hated it more than anything, but it turned out to be helpful.
Joo Yeon-hee, known as the "Sword Queen," had great natural talent, but she also put in tremendous effort.
She didn’t seem that way when we were at the Academy, but once she entered the hunter world, she became very ambitious about her growth.
She said she needed to become stronger to protect her husband...
She dragged me around with her, and as a result, I became an A-rank hunter.
We ended up spending a lot more time together, which was nice.
Well, I’m dead now, though.
"···."
Lost in these thoughts, I realized I had reached home.
I quickly went upstairs, took off my uniform neatly, and started cleaning the house.
It’s a small house, so there wasn’t much to clean.
After washing the dishes from last night’s dinner, I used the vacuum cleaner given by the landlord to tidy up.
I wanted to mop, but I was a bit tired from today, so I gave up.
It was almost dinner time, but I was too lazy to cook.
...I’ll skip dinner.
I had a hearty lunch, so skipping one meal should be fine.
While lounging around on the floor doing nothing,
"···."
My phone on the desk caught my eye.
I picked it up without thinking and opened the messenger app.
Of course, the message window was empty.
The last message exchange was a month ago with my social worker.
I quietly checked my contacts.
[ New Friend! Min So-yeon ]
Her messenger profile showed up.
I checked it and saw nothing but the default profile picture and an empty status message.
Seriously, can a girl her age leave her profile so plain?
I started to worry a bit.
Many Academy students, boys and girls alike, modify their uniforms to highlight their figures or make themselves more attractive.
It's natural at that age to care about appearance.
But Min So-yeon didn’t do any of that.
She didn't modify her uniform or wear any makeup.
She probably doesn't need to, given her natural looks, but I wish she would enjoy her school life more.
...But not as recklessly as her mother and I did.
One of us experiencing holding a baby while attending class is enough.
Thinking about the past, I suddenly remembered the first time I met my father-in-law.
I showed up in my school uniform with a baby, bowing my head deeply.
"···."
If Min So-yeon suddenly showed up with a baby, how would I react?
...There might be a stabbing involved.
I closed my eyes and prayed silently.
I’m sorry, Father-in-law.
Thinking about various things while lying on the floor, I started feeling hungry.
People need to eat to live.
"Ugh..."
I slowly got up and thought about what to cook.
Bean sprout pork stir-fry? Boiled pork? Bean sprout salad?
Feeling lazy, I decided to throw something together quickly.
I moved sluggishly and started preparing dinner.
After putting a pot of rice on the stove, I sat at the desk, absent-mindedly browsing the web.
[Break through a frozen relationship... with 'KakaoTalk']
An article caught my eye.
"Huh?"
I read through the article, and it said:
For difficult relationships, be it parents and children, in-laws, teachers and students, bosses and subordinates, frequent communication is key, and using a messenger app is a good method.
When talking face-to-face, you have to be careful with your tone and words, but there’s less risk of making mistakes with a messenger.
Oh...
It seemed plausible.
As I read through the article again, the timer on my phone went off.
The rice was ready.
I set the computer aside and prepared the table for dinner.
Tonight's dinner was plain rice with bean sprout salad and some side dishes from the landlord.
Meat is good for recovery, but I postponed it because I didn't want to do the dishes.
"Thank you for the meal."
I started eating slowly, watching a random video on my phone.
[ Everyone, it’s the last night of surviving a week in the gate! We faced three attacks... ]
While watching the video, the article I read earlier suddenly came to mind.
'Difficult relationships require frequent communication, preferably using a messenger.'
This advice seemed perfect for my situation with Min So-yeon.
Since I had her contact information, it was worth a try.
"···."
I put down my spoon and turned off the video on my phone.
I opened the messenger app and hovered over her profile, thinking about what to say.
Then I noticed the dinner spread in front of me.
[ Did you have dinner? ]
It seemed like a caring message.
I sent it.
But after sending the message, her words from earlier popped into my head.
...It can't be helped.
What’s done is done.
Eating is important.
You need to eat to have strength, and you need strength to train.
As her partner, this kind of message is apropriate.
She’ll reply if she wants to, or ignore it if she doesn't.
I put my phone down and continued eating.
I turned up the volume and kept the phone in sight, just in case.
Several hours passed.
A reply from Min So-yeon finally arrived.