episode_0035

Cheok Jiyeon focused on her training to a frightening degree, according to those around her.

Originally, she had been working hard to avenge her family’s enemies.

But now, Cheok Jiyeon had a new goal.

‘I absolutely will not lose to Go Jooyoung…’

She wanted to prove her worth and value.

And the only thing she had to prove that was her sword.

That fact made Cheok Jiyeon cling even more to her sword.

Perhaps it was because a clear, visible goal had been added to her vague desire for revenge.

Cheok Jiyeon’s sword gained even more power.

“Hoo!”

Only after swinging her sword for a long time did she wipe away her sweat and take a break.

Despite having just finished a grueling training session, Cheok Jiyeon’s eyes shone sharply.

‘Go Jooyoung…’

She would never be pushed back by her.

She would reclaim her place.

That determination made Cheok Jiyeon an even sharper sword.

-Beep beep beep

At that moment, Cheok Jiyeon’s phone rang.

Having poor relationships, she rarely received calls.

Checking who it was, she saw it was Nam Dohyeong.

“Ugh…!”

Her heart pounded fiercely in a different way than from exercise.

She had been like this ever since she became aware of her feelings.

‘Hoo. Calm down. I can’t make another stupid mistake.’

Cheok Jiyeon cleared her throat and needlessly smoothed her hair, even though he couldn’t see her.

“H-hello.”

[Hey, Jiyeon. Is it okay to talk for a bit?]

“Yeah. Of course. I just finished training.”

Secretly, she had been thinking of doing another set.

But for a call with Nam Dohyeong, she could postpone it a bit.

[If you’re free, I was wondering if you wanted to grab a bite.]

“Huh? Outside?”

[I earned some money, so I’ll treat you. Let’s eat meat together.]

The three of them had gone to a cafe a few times.

Since there were debts to repay.

But eating out like this.

And just the two of them, for the first time!

‘I-is this what they call a date?’

What’s more, Nam Dohyeong had suggested it first.

Cheok Jiyeon’s heart began to race even more wildly than before.

‘Ah, but my current state…’

She had just finished exercising and was drenched in sweat.

She was worried she might smell sweaty if she went like this.

She couldn’t show such an unseemly figure in front of Nam Dohyeong, of all people!

[Are you still busy?]

“Ah, no! Of course, I’m free!”

She had just thrown away a precious opportunity with a slip of the tongue not long ago.

Cheok Jiyeon quickly replied, afraid that Nam Dohyeong might leave again.

“Ahem! Ahem! But I just exercised…. Um… It might take a little while, can you wait?”

[Of course. There’s still time until dinner, so take your time.]

“Yeah. Okay. Thanks.”

Click!

As soon as the call ended, Cheok Jiyeon started moving quickly.

‘I, I have to hurry to shower and get ready…!’

Her running speed was similar to when she fought monsters.

Even while moving like that, her heart was even more frantic.

‘First, I need to wash well so I don’t smell, and since it’s a date, I need to dress up, right? Ah, but I don’t have any feminine clothes. Should I put on makeup? But I don’t even have any makeup. Ugh! I should have bought some in advance!’

This was Cheok Jiyeon’s first date with a man… no, her first date with anyone she liked.

Unlike her urgent heart, her body was just flustered.

****

Eunhye and I waited in front of the promised meat restaurant.

As the appointed time approached, Cheok Jiyeon was seen running from afar.

“You came faster than I thought? You didn’t have to run.”

“Hoo! No. I can’t be late for an appointment.”

Perhaps she had hurried so she wouldn’t be late.

Cheok Jiyeon, who was panting, glanced at Eunhye.

“…It wasn’t supposed to be just the two of you.”

“Huh? What?”

“Ah, nothing! It’s nothing!”

When I asked back, wondering what she meant, Cheok Jiyeon shook her head.

“…But why suddenly this kind of restaurant?”

“Actually, we said we completed the mission we received from Cheonjihae.”

“Uhm… you did.”

Jiyeon nodded, sounding strangely gloomy.

“We’re having a celebration dinner, and I thought it would be nice if you could join us, Jiyeon.”

“Is it okay for me to join something like that?”

“Well, what does it matter? The more the merrier.”

That’s what I said, but honestly, there was no one else to call besides Jiyeon.

‘This damn social circle doesn’t seem to want to widen.’

But it couldn’t be helped, since I was marked by my colleagues.

“…Then Go Jooyoung will be coming too.”

“Ah, Jooyoung can’t make it. Something came up.”

“I see.”

Jiyeon seemed to be in a better mood.

Well, maybe it was just my imagination.

“Hehe! Then shall we go in for now?”

“Let’s! I’m hungry from smelling the meat.”

We went straight into the restaurant and took our seats.

It was a reasonably famous beef restaurant in the neighborhood.

Sizzle!

The sound and smell of the meat grilling on the grill were amazing.

‘I got a lot of bonus money, so let’s eat a lot today.’

What’s the point of working hard to earn money?

It’s for buying beef like this.

As we were grilling and eating meat happily, Jiyeon asked as if she had just remembered.

“It was the first mission Cheonjihae gave us. Was there anything special?”

“There wasn’t anything particularly great. A dangerous monster did appear, but it was resolved well.”

Eunhye, who was munching on a lettuce wrap, shook her head.

“What are you talking about? How dangerous was it.”

“Was it?”

“Of course! It was safe thanks to Dohyeong resolving it safely. Normal trainees would have been in big trouble.”

Hmm, the monster that appeared at the end was definitely dangerous.

The reason Cheonjihae gave us a lot of money might have been because of this.

“Was it like that even with Go Jooyoung? I don’t know about anything else, but her archery skills are definitely solid.”

“Jooyoung hurt her ankle. She couldn’t fight properly after the last part.”

“She was injured? The Go family’s name will be in tears.”

Jiyeon’s evaluation was quite scathing.

Perhaps it was because she was from the same martial arts-based high-ranking family that she saw it more coldly.

“It wasn’t a serious injury. It was just a sprained ankle.”

“If her leg was injured, it would have been a big hindrance to combat.”

“There wasn’t any special combat after that. Other than me carrying her on my back, there weren’t any problems.”

Crack!

At that moment, the chopsticks Jiyeon was holding snapped.

“…You carried Go Jooyoung on your back?”

“Uh… yeah. She was having trouble walking because her leg was injured.”

“Hmph, hmm… I, I see.”

Jiyeon’s hands trembled.

Eunhye cautiously watched and took out new wooden chopsticks.

“W-well! It was just a business matter! Right?”

“It was efficient.”

“Yeah! Yeah! That’s right! With absolutely no personal feelings! Just for efficiency!”

For some reason, Eunhye was enthusiastically explaining the situation at that time.

“……Well, what happened during monster extermination can’t be helped.”

Jiyeon, who had been breathing heavily for a moment, also nodded.

“…But if something like this happens in the future, I have to go with you no matter what. You never know if it might be dangerous.”

“Oh, I’d be grateful if you did.”

“Uh… is that so?”

“Of course. There’s no one else as skilled as you.”

Of course, Go Jooyoung wasn’t pushed back by Jiyeon either.

There was only the extreme weapon difference between a bow and a sword.

They were both masters of swordsmanship and archery, respectively.

‘Jiyeon and Go Jooyoung are a matter of preference.’

But personally, I feel more comfortable with Jiyeon, who I’ve become close to.

‘Besides, unlike Cheok Jiyeon, Go Jooyoung is one of the main heroines.’

I’ve seen how much of a butterfly effect small differences can cause.

It’s better to keep my distance from Go Jooyoung unless it’s absolutely necessary.

Well, this time it was just because we were involved in a mission, so we won’t be meeting again.

“Let’s definitely go together next time something like this happens.”

“Ugh… uhm! Yeah, of course.”

We ate beef while having various conversations like that.

Maybe it was because it was meat we were eating after working, but it was more delicious.

Like that, another everyday life without any incidents or worries passed by.

****

The next day.

I met Yoo Yeonhwa straight away at Cheonjihae.

“Here, I’ve paid off all the money I borrowed with this.”

“Hmm~ You’re paying it back faster than I thought?”

Originally, when you get money, the first thing you should do is pay off your debts.

I immediately paid back the money I borrowed from Yoo Yeonhwa to make equipment last time.

“If you could pay it back this quickly, you didn’t need to borrow it, did you?”

“I had an unexpected income.”

Originally, I would have paid off the debt much later.

I got money thanks to a suddenly received request.

“Hmph~ Too bad. I was planning to get entangled with you little by little under the pretext of debt and capture you.”

“Are you a demon?”

“I’m a chaebol.”

Yoo Yeonhwa smiled and answered casually.

I also think that paying off the money as quickly as possible was the right answer.

“Why are you being so wary~ We’re both classmates anyway? You can borrow money.”

“Reflect on what you just said.”

“Hehe! Of course, I’m joking. Did you think I was serious?”

She’s talking while smiling, but I’m sure she’s not joking.

As the second generation of a chaebol, she’s really skilled at handling money and people.

“From the start, you haven’t even used the wish ticket you received from me.”

“I’ll use that later when I need it.”

“What kind of great wish are you going to make? The more you stall, the more uneasy I become.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t ask for anything too unreasonable.”

It’s just that there’s no place to use it.

‘It’s a waste to just throw it away on any wish.’

I can ask Yoo Yeonhwa for any favor.

I’m hoarding it to use it in the most valuable place.

“Tch! You keep being so wary, I’m disappointed. I even brought good information.”

“Information?”

“Are you curious? Well, I could tell you if you asked~”

“Then the business is over, so I’m leaving.”

“Ah ah~ Wait a minute! Let me show off a little more!”

Yoo Yeonhwa grabbed my wrist and held on.

She’s a barrier user, so why is she so strong?

Or am I weak?

“So what’s the information?”

“I heard some high-level information about our intern evaluation. It’s quite valuable.”

If Yoo Yeonhwa is saying this, is it really important information?

I should listen carefully.

“Cheonjihae is starting the first intern test soon.”

“Already? It’s faster than I thought.”

“There are a lot of talented people in this class. We’re one of them too.”

Yoo Yeonhwa was smiling brightly, as if it was fun.

“But they’re only selecting a few people for this test and proceeding with group projects.”

Yoo Yeonhwa showed off with a confident expression.

“How about it? Even you’re surprised, aren’t you?”

……I know.

I’ve already seen that in the game.