episode_0056

“Maru-nim’s room is right here. I’ve put your luggage inside. Would you like help with organizing?”

“It’s okay.”

“If you need anything, you can ask the attendant waiting nearby.”

The man politely bowed his head and disappeared from my sight. I opened the door and went in.

As soon as I opened the door, a wide window greeted me across the room. Outside the window, I could see a calm lake surrounded by bamboo.

It felt like watching a scene from a martial arts novel.

I took clothes out of my luggage, neatly folded them, and placed them in the drawers. After finishing organizing, I stretched.

“Maru, can I come in?”

While stretching, I heard a knock on my door. It was Kim Noeul’s voice.

“Oh, come in.”

“Excuse me.”

She opened the door and looked around my room. Her eyes widened as she surveyed the space.

“The view here is nice too. My room is nice, but…”

“To be honest, it feels burdensome. Staying in such accommodations must cost quite a bit.”

“I’ve decided to just enjoy it now. Let’s think of it as a vacation.”

Kim Noeul said so and quietly sat on my bed.

“We have some time before dinner. Any ideas on what to do?”

“…Hmm. I haven’t really thought about it.”

Reflecting on the leisurely life depicted in the original work, I quickly recalled a certain place.

“There’s a gym here.”

“A gym?”

Suddenly, Kim Noeul showed interest. Come to think of it, she generally enjoyed most forms of exercise.

“I saw a small dome-shaped building on the way to the annex. When I peeked inside, I saw various exercise equipment.”

“I didn’t know that. Shall we go check it out?”

As she got up from my bed, readying herself for exercise, I followed suit willingly. Nayuna seemed to be coming out of her room after finishing packing.

“Senpai, are you going to the gym too?”

“A gym? There’s one here?”

“Maru mentioned it when he arrived. So, are you in?”

“Well… I’m not good at exercising.”

“Is that so… How about playing badminton or table tennis?”

“Oh, sure. That sounds fine.”

Nayuna probably had been thinking of something like weightlifting. Even though she might not have experience with table tennis or badminton, it seemed plausible.

The three of us cheerfully left the annex and headed towards the gym. The attendant inside the gym welcomed us.

“Hello. Feel free to use any area as there are no restricted areas.”

“Do you happen to have a ping-pong table?”

“If you go down that corridor, you’ll find racket storage, and next to it, there’s a room.”

After listening to the attendant’s explanation, we walked down the corridor he pointed to. Across from the ping-pong table area, we saw a room entirely made of glass.

“Wow, looks like a swimming pool…”

Nayuna gazed at the indoor pool.

“Swimming sounds good too. Shall we go later when Doha senpai joins us?”

“Let’s consider that when Doha arrives…”

It seemed Nayuna wasn’t particularly fond of swimming pools. In both the original work and here, she disliked showing her modest body, even avoiding going to the beach.

However, in my opinion, whether in the original work or here, her body was far from modest.

“Alright, let’s get started.”

Kim Noeul took the lead and began playing ping-pong.

With rackets in hand, Nayuna and I watched as Kim Noeul served the ball. Since Nayuna and I had little ping-pong experience, we struggled to keep up with Kim Noeul’s pace.

“Since there are three of us, we should take turns. Who wants to start?”

“Noeul, are you good at this?”

When Kim Noeul asked, Nayuna replied, “I’ve only played a few times with friends. I haven’t learned professionally.”

“In that case, why don’t you play with Yuna first, and I’ll referee.”

Volunteering to be the referee, I watched as the two women stood in front of the ping-pong table without a word. Nayuna served first.

“Hoo….”

With a visibly tense demeanor, Nayuna tossed the ball up and clumsily swung her racket after it.

Instead of barely grazing over the net, the ball soared sky-high.

Kim Noeul, wearing a somewhat disappointed expression, stared at the ball intently before gripping her racket as if holding a club and smacked the ball down.

Thwack!

The ball ricocheted off Nayuna’s side of the table and plunged deeply into her expansive chest.

“Ouch!”

Nayuna let out a strange sound, closing her eyes tightly and bowing her head. Kim Noeul scratched her neck with a sheepish expression.

“Oh, my bad. I put too much strength into that.”

“I-It’s okay….”

Blushing, Nayuna retrieved the ping pong ball from her chest. There was a faint smile on her face, almost imperceptible due to her embarrassment.

From then on, Kim Noeul graciously played against Nayuna, leading to Nayuna’s defeat by 11 to 3.

It’s worth noting that all three points Nayuna scored were edge shots. It was quite miraculous for edges to occur three times in a single game.

“You said you’ve only played a few times with friends!”

“Yes. Is that all?”

After Nayuna sulked post-game, Kim Noeul calmly recited the facts. Considering that her sportsmanship exceeded the average level, merely playing a few times with friends indicated Nayuna’s considerable skill.

“Maru, play with Noeul. I think I need to focus on observing.”

“…Sure.”

Although focusing on observation wouldn’t dramatically improve her ping pong skills, there was no need to retort.

As I stood in front of the table, Kim Noeul narrowed her eyes. Her gaze fixated on my racket.

“Forehand…?”

“Why, is it your first time seeing one?”

“Mostly shakehands grip, so.”

Muttering to herself, Kim Noeul bounced the ball on the table as she spoke.

“Just playing normally isn’t fun, shall we make a bet?”

“What do you propose?”

“Hmm….”

After a brief pause, Kim Noeul clapped her hands.

“How about a simple wish bet?”

“Fine by me.”

Hearing the suggestion of a bet reminded me of when I had won a bet against Kim Noeul during midterms at the beginning of the semester.

“I wonder if she remembers that.”

“Shall we start with a serve game?”

“Bring it on.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Kim Noeul tossed the ball up and struck it with her racket as if slicing through it with a knife. It was a serve she hadn’t shown during our previous match.

The backspin-laden ball, upon clearing the net, rapidly lost momentum and failed to move forward. I managed to awkwardly return the ball, but left an opening.

“Opening!”

With a fierce determination, Kim Noeul fiercely drove the ball towards my unprotected side. Before I could even attempt to return the drive, the game ended.

Kim Noeul emerged victorious in the serve game.

“Wow, what… ugh….”

Nayuna, astonished by Kim Noeul’s play, seemed mischievously impressed by Kim Noeul’s restrained power when facing her.

“What wish should I make to Maru~.”

Provoking me with a pitiful expression, Kim Noeul suddenly burst into laughter.

“Why are you laughing?”

“…I’ve seen enough. Your serving skills are subpar.”

Gripping my racket firmly, I shrugged my shoulders.

“I feel like ending it all because of this mediocrity.”

“…How conceited.”

With a stern expression, Kim Noeul threw the ball and, just like before, struck it as if slicing through it with a knife.

The ball inevitably lost speed, but having already learned from earlier, I extended my racket forward and scraped the ball sideways.

As the ball curved, heading towards Kim Noeul’s side of the table, she swiftly positioned herself and launched a drive.

With reduced spin and a straighter trajectory, the ball approached me. This slight lift gave me an opportunity.

I drew back my arm, gathering strength, perfect for a forehand racket hit. The power amassed was nearly impossible with a shakehand grip.

Quietly, I murmured, “Smash.”

“!”

As the ping pong ball collided with my racket, it swiftly passed by Kim Noeul’s side. Such was the speed of the ball.

By the time the ball grazed past her, Kim Noeul swung her racket. However, it was too late; she sliced through thin air.

“Maru… Victory!”

With a triumphant expression, Nayuna flipped the scoreboard. Kim Noeul stared at me without even considering picking up the ball.

“You were hiding your strength…? Maru, hiding your strength?”

I didn’t respond to her question.

“I heard you have little experience.”

It’s true that I have little experience.

In this world.

In my past life, I played a lot of table tennis.

“If you’re scared, you can forfeit. But remember this.”

I held out two fingers to her.

“The bet from the previous midterm exam and this table tennis match… I can grant you two wishes.”

“Hah…! That’s only if you win against me!”

As sparks flew between Kim Noeul and me, Nayuna cheered enthusiastically.

“Hide your strength! Hide your strength!”

“…Unni, please be quiet.”

An irritated Kim Noeul picked up the ball and bounced it on the table tennis table.

“I never thought I would use this…”

Kim Noeul’s demeanor changed. As I swallowed hard, Kim Noeul raised the corner of her mouth.

“It’s your fault. You made me like this.”

Kim Noeul threw the ball and swung the racket normally. However, just before the racket hit the ball, its trajectory curved.

My eyes widened as I saw the racket caress the ball as if touching it gently.

“Fake! What kind of spin is that?”

Thanks to her brilliant move, I couldn’t predict how the ball was spinning.

While I was contemplating, the ball had already passed over the net, so I tried to reduce the spin with a simple drive.

However, as soon as the ball hit my racket, it veered towards my side of the table and passed by. It was a serve designed to make the ball head downward.

Kim Noeul, catching the ball effortlessly with one hand, straightened her chest.

“This makes it even.”

“Hide your strength…?”

Nayuna, showing a reaction as if she had lost, muttered in frustration and flipped the scoreboard.

“Yes, this is how it should be fun.”

As I burned with competitiveness, Kim Noeul also seemed to respond with enthusiasm.

Thus, Kim Noeul and I moved vigorously for a while, our breathing becoming rough, exchanging glances filled with determination. The table tennis court was filled with our energy…

At the end of the game, we stared at each other, exhausted. Nayuna looked at the scoreboard and clicked her tongue.

“A deuce going on for this long…”

Currently, Kim Noeul and my scores were 20-19.

If Kim Noeul won one more time, the game would be over.

I assigned meaning to every movement Kim Noeul made, ready to react to any serve.

After taking a deep breath, Kim Noeul tossed the ball into the air and suddenly turned her head.

“Doa Senpai?”

‘What?’

Seeing her behavior as if she saw Han Doa, I looked around for Han Doa, but there was no one at the entrance of the table tennis court.

“What!?”

“Haha!”

Kim Noeul laughed wickedly and served aggressively. I managed to react late and hit the ball, but it went too high.

Kim Noeul watched the ball leisurely.

“It’s over.”

Saying that, Kim Noeul smashed the ball. The ball hit the table and flew over my reach.

“Ktck!”

I didn’t give up and ran back to hit the ball upwards. However, the ball didn’t make it to the table and fell on the gym floor.

“Ha-aah!”

As I sat down heavily on the floor, Kim Noeul roared triumphantly.

Seeing her flushed face and sweating profusely, performing a victory ceremony, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘Anyone would think she defeated Alice.’

“Noel won…”

Nayuna declared Kim Noeul’s victory with a sullen expression.

“Everyone.”

A servant who had entered the table tennis court called us. Beside him, Han Doa, looking exhausted like us, was dressed in a dobok.

“Dinner will be ready soon. You should freshen up before that.”

Agreeing to Han Doa’s suggestion, we followed her. Nayuna approached the tired-looking Han Doa.

“Doa, did you work out?”

“I sparred with my mother at the dojo.”

“I see.”

I observed Han Doa’s expression. It was similar to the one when I told Lee Ji-hye that she lost at the hospital.

“Doa, senior.”

“Hmm?”

When I spoke, Han Doa stared at me with a blank expression.

“After dinner today, do you have some time?”

“I don’t have any particular plans…”

“Then let’s eat and meet separately.”

“….”

Han Doa looked at me with a puzzled expression.