I'm Not Free (3)
"Philin. What do you want to drink?"
"Iced Americano."
"Same as me?"
"Then a mint chocolate frappuccino."
"You're a mint-choco person?"
"Got a problem with mint-choco people? Then don't be my friend."
"…No. I can do mint, too."
On practical days, there were no other classes scheduled. Once you entered a dungeon, there was no telling how many hours a clear might take.
Of course, when you finished as fast as we had, you ended up with an empty afternoon on your hands whether you wanted it or not.
Irritating as hell.
"Two mint chocolate frappuccinos for you."
Watching Junhyeok come back carrying a mint drink he was clearly never going to manage, trembling the whole way, I couldn't help the smile that stretched from ear to ear.
Serves you right, you bastard. Did you really think I'd be that easy?
"Thanks."
I took the mint drink, had a few sips, crossed my legs the other way, and opened my mouth.
"As promised, I'll be your friend. But there are conditions."
"What are they?"
Junhyeok's eyes lit up as he leaned in toward me.
Ordinarily I would have thought, Please don't look at me with those kind eyes — but after seeing this con artist's true face just a few hours ago, I intended to deal with him in kind.
"First. Absolutely no meeting at night."
"Why?"
"You really have to ask?"
This was practically a freebie. Now that I was a woman, I was going to wring every advantage out of it that I could.
"I could get manhandled again like last time. If I were you, I wouldn't meet at night even if someone asked."
That took the wind out of him. He took a performative sip of the mint drink, then coughed and screwed up his face — and I figured that was enough. I'd clawed back a decent amount of the initiative.
"Second. Absolutely no grabbing the horns."
"And why's that?"
"That's…"
Because it felt weird in a way I absolutely could not say out loud.
"They're sensitive. I don't like people touching them."
A serviceable enough excuse. And for the finishing touch, a little of that K-military hazing skill.
"You ask 'why' about everything. Is it that hard to just say you understand? Does a thorn grow in your mouth or something?"
"No, I was just curious…"
"See? There you go again."
I folded my arms, made a sharp tsu sound, and glared at him. Junhyeok dropped his head like a dog that had just made a mess and clamped his mouth shut.
Ha. This is the K-veteran's hazing skill!
"Third. When I call, you come running. Immediately."
"That one I can do!"
"Is that so?"
This is going to be the hardest one, you know.
The thought of freely hazing a kid who'd never tasted barracks injustice put me in a slightly better mood.
"It's good. Tastes even better because you bought it."
I kept sipping the mint drink, grinning ear to ear.
His own drink hadn't gone down at all. Putting on airs when he couldn't even handle mint.
Our dedicated martial artist was already assigned, and as long as this guy didn't die, he and I would keep doing practicals together. And since I was a healer who fundamentally needed a martial artist's help, there was no structural way to get free of him.
At least outside of practicals, I was going to take the approach of enjoying what I couldn't avoid.
If he couldn't take it and bailed, well — that would be fine in its own way.
You want to deal with my life on the line?
You're dead now.
The next day.
The "friend conditions" I'd laid out made my life remarkably comfortable.
During a break between lectures, if I muttered, "Ah, I'm thirsty," a glass of water appeared in under a minute.
After class, if I muttered, "Ah, this is heavy," as I left the room, Junhyeok came running and took my bag.
Coming lightly down the stairs, I spotted Serena grabbing my horn from behind.
"Hyaat! …Hey! I told you not to grab the horns."
After scolding Serena, I glanced at Junhyeok, who was watching with naked envy, and gave him a sly little smile that said, Jealous?
A perfect mental-attack combination.
Convenient. If I asked him to carry me home on his back, he probably would.
"I'm grocery shopping today, so come with me."
"Mm."
"I'm going to buy a lot of stuff, so you'd better brace yourself."
I threw out a needless threat and headed through the shopping district toward the supermarket. Now that I had a good pack mule, I was going to stock up on everything — then I checked the time and my face fell.
Damn.
It was almost five in the afternoon.
Not a lot of time left. I needed to hurry. If I hung around too late, the power dynamic could flip again.
"Keep up."
I deliberately weaved through the hardest routes I could find, loading the cart with groceries while Junhyeok trailed behind me, just to mess with him.
Though "groceries" mostly meant canned ham and ready-to-eat stuff you just tore open.
This should last a month easy. At the self-checkout, I opened the membership app with a satisfied smile.
"When did you set that up?"
Junhyeok asked, looking at my phone. I was in a good enough mood to explain cheerfully.
"Serena told me yesterday. If you're shopping anyway, might as well rack up the points."
"You never used any of that stuff before, right?"
"Figured I'd start."
The points were adding up nicely, and I was beaming — then I realized I was looking a little too pleased.
"Hurry up and load it."
I reset my face and gave the order coldly.
Watching Junhyeok stuff things into the boxes, I checked the clock and felt a jolt. How had the time gone so fast?
The later it got, the worse it was for me. I scrambled for an excuse to send him packing.
"It's almost dinner. Did you call your parents?"
Philin and this guy were both twenty, so I figured they were still at the age of parental care and asked lightly —
"I don't have parents."
I'd stepped on the landmine I'd half-feared.
My own fault for being so fixated on heroine routes that I'd played the whole game without the slightest interest in the protagonist's family situation.
"Ah…. Sorry."
"I told you this before."
Junhyeok murmured it with a lonely little smile, and all I could do was swallow dryly.
So what? You want me to feel sorry for you or something?
…Words I would never say for any amount of money. Even dealing with a con artist, you didn't go after someone's parents — especially parents who weren't even there.
I was casting around for something to say, eyes wandering aimlessly, when —
"I know why you're like this."
He made the offer first.
"I'll walk way behind you. Just carrying the bags."
"…What are you talking about?"
"And when you go inside, I'll set the bags down in front and leave."
I couldn't tell whether to be pleased or appalled, and just sat there with a blank face while he calmly finished what he had to say.
"Friend conditions. I'll keep them."
It wasn't like I had a better idea anyway.
"Fine."
I nodded and turned my back.
From the big supermarket to home was a twenty-minute walk.
A long stretch to march with two big boxes, but as someone whose job was trading blows with his body, Junhyeok had the strength for it — he followed behind me at an easy pace.
As the shopping district fell away, the streets emptied. As the sun dropped, the streetlights grew deeper and denser.
Around the time the thud, thud of footsteps drowned out the distant sound of cars, I glanced back. Seeing I'd stopped, he stopped too, waiting for me to move.
When I started walking again, Junhyeok did the same.
We didn't exchange a single word.
And that was how we actually made it home.
Junhyeok stood at a distance, waiting only for me to go inside. Looking at him, something finally rose from deep in my chest.
"Huum."
A heavy sigh slipped out.
This was uncomfortably maddening.
He should have gotten annoyed at least once by now. Why was he obediently doing every single thing I told him — not for an hour or two, but all day long?
So before I knew it, I just —
"Then what about your dinner?"
— said that.
The second the words left my mouth I started berating myself. You sucker! You almost got your head caved in by a goblin after getting your horn grabbed, and you're falling for it again? You're just a sucker. A total sucker!
But then —
"I'll eat at home. Don't worry."
Junhyeok politely turned down my offer instead.
I felt a little awkward and almost insisted again, then realized that opening my mouth a second time would be official sucker certification, so I shut it.
"Alright. Go on, then."
I went inside, closed the door, and stood there in front of it for a long while.
The fist-shaped hole he'd punched through it was still clear as day.
Through that empty hole, I could see him set the boxes down, turn his back for real, and walk away.
Vividly.
"…He actually left."
All he'd done was keep the promise from yesterday.
And yet it felt so strange.
Half-expecting him to be lurking outside the door like some damp stalker, I checked the intercom several times, then cracked the door open and brought the boxes inside.
"Ugh!"
Being stuck in a girl's body made even moving boxes hard. I worked up a full sweat just putting everything away.
How had he carried this for twenty minutes without a single complaint?
Honestly — would anyone go this far just to grab a horn once? I sure wouldn't.
"…No."
But with that guy, it was a different story.
Wasn't he the kind of obsessive who'd punch a hole in a door, come inside, and snatch a horn no matter what?
I couldn't rule out the possibility that everything today had been build-up.
For a few days, at least — I'd keep watching.
No letting my guard down.