Chapter 44 - Oppa, All Women Are Wolves

Sia called at the worst possible moment. I was in the middle of a meal, so it wasn't a great time to answer, but even I couldn't say what might happen if I didn't pick up. I excused myself and stepped away to take her call. Just before answering, I swallowed nervously, wondering what she would say...

"Hey, Sia."

["Oppa, what are you doing?"]

"I was eating."

["What did you talk about with that woman?"]

"I wasn't talking to Yuna alone. Given the occasion, we've mostly been reminiscing."

I told Sia everything we'd discussed, leaving nothing out. I wasn't sure whether I should mention this part, but I even told her how Yuna and I used to eat jajangmyeon together after work when we were little. I knew telling her wouldn't do any good. Still, it was far better than keeping quiet now and having her hear about it later. Thankfully, she didn't seem nearly as uncomfortable as I'd expected.

I was about to give her a quick account of the things I hadn't covered yet when she spoke, perhaps feeling bad about calling during lunch.

["I shouldn't have called while you were eating. Oppa, call me when you're done there."]

"I will. Enjoy your lunch."

["But, Oppa."]

I was just breathing a sigh of relief and about to hang up when she asked one more question.

["What was that woman wearing today? And how was her makeup?"]

... Why ask that all of a sudden? I had no idea what answer she was looking for, so I decided to tell her what I'd noticed.

"She looked dressed up about the same as usual. Maybe she'd put in a little more effort than when we saw her at the restaurant together, but she didn't look like she'd gone all out."

I knew nothing about women's makeup or fashion, but that was how it looked to me. As I answered, I considered why Sia might be asking. My best guess was that she wanted to know whether Yuna had dressed up with the express intention of seducing me. If I'd said Yuna was wearing a full face of makeup and had put a ton of effort into her outfit, Sia probably would've become even warier of her. But whatever else might be true, her clothes hadn't suggested anything like that. Hoping to put Sia at ease, I added, "As far as I can tell, she really just came to have a meal today."

["No!"]

Sia's voice shot up at my words. She startled me.

["Girls who've just turned twenty or beginners use bold colors so you can tell they've done a full face. It's women like her, who use subtle colors to make a full face look like nothing, who... Haa."]

What? Was there a whole world of women's makeup I knew nothing about? I still didn't understand, but judging by her reaction, I shouldn't have said anything.

["Anyway, Oppa, all women are wolves, so be careful."]

Wasn't it men who were supposed to be wolves? Before I could ask, Sia left me with one last remark and hung up.

["Go back and eat now. You must be hungry."]

... Why did I feel so uneasy?

The conversation was still going when I returned to the table. As I sat down, Mom asked, "Who was that?"

"Sia."

Yuna slipped into the conversation. "Your girlfriend? I'd like to see her again."

Somehow, I didn't think Sia felt the same way.

"Why?"

"Why? She seems cute and pretty and nice. I'd like to get to know her."

"That's our Sia, all right."

Mom nodded with a fond smile at the praise for her future daughter-in-law.

"Come by my restaurant with your girlfriend sometime. Oh, and I think I mentioned this before: I may be retired, but as a more experienced hunter, I'm happy to help you however I can. Want to spar sometime?"

"Spar?"

"Yeah. I was a promising A-rank hunter, you know. I could probably help both you and your girlfriend a lot."

Sparring, huh. Sia would be dumbfounded if she heard that. From Yuna's point of view, she was probably just offering to help a junior hunter, nothing more. But knowing the truth, I couldn't help laughing to myself.

"Thanks for looking out for me."

Still, I doubted either Sia or I would ever spar with her. If it did happen, I'd be more worried about Yuna having to face Sia.

"Yuna really does act like a big sister, looking after Minjun like that," Mom said, watching us with delight. I could see why it looked that way from the outside. I wondered if she'd still think so if she knew the whole truth.

Anyway. After plenty more conversation, we finished our meal and left the restaurant. As soon as we stepped outside, Yuna asked Mom, "Have you heard of four-cut photo booths?"

"Oh, the ones young people are always taking pictures in these days?"

"Yes. It's been so long since we've seen each other. Want to take a strip to remember today?" She pointed to a photo booth across the street.

I hardly ever used them except with Sia, but I knew some people took pictures at every opportunity. I understood that this was a perfectly natural suggestion. At the same time, I knew that if Sia happened to see us, she'd grab Yuna by the hair and yank, raging, 'Who does that little vixen think she is?' But did I have an excuse to say I didn't want a photo? No, I didn't.

"Sounds great! I was thinking the four of us should take a picture anyway," Mom said.

"I've wanted to try one too. Let's go," Yuna's mother added.

Both mothers loved the idea, and once again, I found myself completely caught up in Yuna's plans.

After taking photos, we even went to a café to talk some more. Only then did the outing finally look like it was coming to an end.

"It's been so long. It's a shame to say goodbye already," Mom said.

"I know, sis. I'll be in Korea another month or two before I go back, so call me sometime!"

The mothers said their goodbyes with obvious reluctance. Meanwhile, Yuna came over to me.

"Bring your girlfriend by the restaurant sometime. She seemed to like our food when she came in before."

"... Uh, sure."

If Yuna hadn't owned the place, Sia probably would've asked to go back herself.

"Oh, Minjun. That business card I gave you before—did you lose it?"

"Huh?"

"Well, I gave you my card so you'd call, but you never did. I wondered if you'd lost it."

I couldn't tell her the truth—that I'd given it to Sia—so I decided to lie. "Oh, right. Now that I think about it, it must've fallen out of my pocket."

"I was worried you didn't call because you couldn't stand the sight of me," Yuna joked, then held out her hand. "Give me your phone. I'll put my number in."

I went along with it and handed over my phone. She entered her number and even pressed Call before giving it back. "I'll call you later. Let's get a meal together sometime."

It had all happened so smoothly that I could only feel I'd been had. The whole thing had been arranged to seem perfectly natural.

Anyway. The outing ended with everyone but me sincerely looking forward to meeting again. I called Sia and reported everything that had happened that day. I hadn't done anything wrong, so why did I feel like I had to watch my every word?

The instant I finished, she said, ["Oppa. Let's have dinner together over a video call tonight."]

Her tone was so flat I couldn't read how she felt. Given our circumstances, we rarely had a chance to meet and eat in person, so since reuniting we'd sometimes shared meals like this to make it feel as though we were together.

"Sounds good."

But the expression on her face as she asked was distinctly different from usual. Something was definitely going on. I'd spent a long time with Sia, yet understanding a woman's feelings was still hard.

That evening, as it happened, the dish Sia prepared for dinner was jajangmyeon. She claimed it was a coincidence, but I knew it couldn't possibly be one.

* * *

The next day, after joining a gate raid early in the morning, I stopped by Rokan's lair toward evening. Since I'd used dragon speech and received a new sword, Rokan had suggested we spar. Once I arrived, we exchanged brief greetings and began without even taking a moment to rest.

"The rules are much like last time. I'll only defend, and you'll attack me with your sword. There is one small change, though."

Rokan drew a sword from his pocket dimension. "This sword is what's changed."

He'd used a wooden sword for our previous spar, but it looked like he intended to use a real one this time. He again declared that he would only defend, not attack. Still, I couldn't help finding a real blade a little frightening.

Anyway. As he had during our first spar, Rokan used dragon speech to transport me to a field I didn't recognize. Then the spar began.

I still remembered the basic ideas of will and domination, but what came next was the problem. Some time had passed since I'd first begun handling dragon power, and I'd even succeeded in using dragon speech. A compulsion to show him that something about me had changed rose within me. Perhaps Rokan had picked up on that, and that was why he'd brought a real sword.

"Then let's begin."

Sword in hand, he signaled for me to come at him. I steadied my breathing and tried to recall how it had felt when I used dragon speech.

A desperate need to survive. Maybe desperate wasn't a word that suited dragons. Weren't they revered from birth as the most powerful beings on earth? Until now, I'd assumed the dragon's will used to invoke dragon speech meant something lofty, like domination. But when I thought back to the times I'd truly manifested dragon power, that didn't seem entirely right. Every time I'd briefly amplified the power lying dormant inside me, it had been driven by an absolute will to survive. Did dragons ever use dragon speech in such a desperate fight for survival? Even if they did, it must be exceedingly rare. Perhaps understanding that difference was one of the hurdles I needed to overcome.

"You seem to have a lot on your mind," Rokan remarked. The spar had begun, but I was still gathering my thoughts instead of swinging my sword.

"That always happens when I'm thinking about a power I don't understand."

Maybe crossing swords with him a few times would help me find at least some answers. As I spoke, I kicked hard off the ground and rushed him.

Since what happened in the Garden of the Dragon Sword, a faint light had begun to gather around my blade, though you'd have to look closely to notice it. It was incomparably dimmer than the aurora-colored sword energy I'd seen before, and closer to pale gray. Still, it was proof I'd grown.

Rokan brushed aside my first strike with ease and smiled in satisfaction. "You have certainly improved."

"I'd be ashamed to face you if I hadn't."

I changed the angle of my sword and thrust quickly, hoping to catch him off guard, but once again he neatly knocked my blade away without moving from his spot. After several more exchanges, he nodded with a pleased expression. Of course, nothing as miraculous as my sword reaching one of his vital points happened.

"You used to grumble that you had no idea what dragon power even was. Now I can feel that you've begun to understand it, if only vaguely."

"You can... feel even that?"

I hadn't told Rokan yet, but during today's gate raid, I'd finally sensed, at least a little, what the dragon power flowing through me was. It was a strange sensation to describe. It was almost as though I'd become faintly aware of the blood constantly flowing through my body. Feeling something I wasn't supposed to be able to feel was surprisingly new. Before, I'd had no idea where to begin. Maybe it was because of the two major incidents I'd been through, but I was starting to think I could grasp what this "dragon power" was, however vaguely. What I understood and felt was only the tip of the iceberg, of course. Even so, I'd clearly felt myself grow stronger during today's raid.

"Because I'm a dragon," Rokan said. That brief answer was one I couldn't argue with.

I seized the opening to make another surprise attack, sweeping my sword in a wide arc, but Rokan's blade blocked it, as expected. The difference was that this time, rather than blocking me where he stood, he had taken one step. To someone else, that might look like nothing. I knew getting him to take even that single step was a remarkable feat. Rokan knew it too, and smiled at me with approval.

"One more hour."

"Pardon?"

"Let's spar for one more hour. After that, I'll tell you some good news."

"Good news...?"

Couldn't he just tell me now? More importantly, we were going to keep sparring like this for an entire hour? I was moving nonstop, swinging my sword along different paths. Even a hunter would be exhausted and collapse after doing that for an hour. It would be like playing a forty-minute basketball game but running flat out for sixty minutes without a break. I understood the spar needed to be intense, but I was about to ask, as politely as I could, whether this wasn't pushing me too hard. Before I could, Rokan said something startling.

"I intend to make that dungeon, the Garden of the Dragon Sword, your training ground."

"... Pardon?"