032. Sparring (2)
032. Sparring (2)
Blink, blink—
A familiar ceiling came into view when she opened her eyes.
Turning her head toward the window, she saw the scenery outside was dark.
"Mmm... Is it dawn? I must have fallen asleep last night."
Shin Se-hee blinked a few times, then slowly sat up in bed.
Her whole body was clammy with cold sweat.
"...What a really disgusting dream."
She furrowed her brow and pressed a hand to her throbbing forehead.
"Drinking when I normally don't. Honestly, what a ridiculous dream..."
As she replayed the dream, a sense of utter emptiness washed over her.
A dream where she was begging and pleading to be let into Jin Yu-ha's party.
When the other side ought to be the one clinging and desperate, she'd made a truly disgraceful spectacle of herself.
Worse, dream-her had been completely submissive from start to finish, practically clinging to his ankles.
At this point, it was so extreme it felt less unpleasant than almost refreshing.
No matter how appealing his party had looked, there was no way she would ever act like that.
"Haah... Still, to think he wouldn't even offer me a spot..."
Clearly, this incident had left a meaningful wound on her proud self-esteem.
She'd originally pictured it going like this: Jin Yu-ha, having confirmed her competence through the Kang Do-hee matter, would offer her a party spot, and she would reluctantly accept it.
Even tacking on several conditions for gracing his party with her presence.
But to completely ignore her instead.
This was a first for her.
She was the one who chose others. She was not someone who waited to be chosen.
"No, this is a battle of nerves."
Shin Se-hee shook her head and let out a laugh.
That had to be it.
Was there really anyone else who could be as helpful and necessary to his future as she was?
Jin Yu-ha had been a wary man from the start. So this time too, he was simply being cautious about letting her into the party so easily.
"But your methods were terrible this time, Jin Yu-ha. As much as you've dared to start a battle of nerves with me, be prepared to pay the price dearly. Even getting on your knees and begging me to please join won't make it easy."
Then, abruptly, Shin Se-hee cleared her throat.
"Anyway, my throat's a little dry."
She pressed the red button beside her bed.
Beep—
After waiting a moment.
Knock, knock, knock—
A knock sounded from outside the door.
"Come in."
Creeeak—
Secretary Kim opened the door and entered with a worried face.
With tactful sense, he carried a tray holding a cup of honey water with ice floating in it.
"Shin Se-hee, are you alright?"
"Just a little headache. Otherwise I'm fine."
"Here is some honey water."
"Thank you."
Gulp—
She took the honey water and swallowed a mouthful.
As the cool, refreshing sweetness swept down her throat, her hazy head felt a little clearer.
"First, the culprit who stole the locket has been secured. It was him."
"I see. Deal with him thoroughly."
"Yes."
Using the information from Jin Yu-ha, they'd caught the thief who stole the locket.
Now the thief was fated to experience a living hell.
Because he'd dared to covet her possessions and try to smear filth on her name.
"Anyway, Secretary Kim. How long was I asleep?"
"You appear to have slept for roughly six hours."
Secretary Kim answered while glancing at his wristwatch.
"...Mmm. Then I should start getting ready to head out. I've already got penalty points; I can't be late for morning training."
"Morning training? What do you mean by that?"
"Huh? If I drank and slept for about six hours, isn't it dawn right now?"
"It is currently evening, actually...?"
"?"
Shin Se-hee was downing the rest of her honey water when she tilted her head in confusion.
"Ah, and I properly relayed your message to Jin Yu-ha."
"You mean about him catching the locket thief? I was planning to bring that up with him separately."
"No. I mean about the fact that he took care of you today?"
"...What?"
A strangely misaligned conversation.
Shin Se-hee was flustered, unable to quite understand Secretary Kim's words.
She was certain she'd fallen asleep while drinking yesterday, so what did he mean it wasn't dawn but night, and what did he mean that Jin Yu-ha had taken care of her?
"Wait. What do you mean by that?"
"Earlier, a message came to me from your phone. It said you were drunk and I should come pick you up."
"You're saying I met Jin Yu-ha today?"
"Yes, didn't you ask me to look up where he was earlier this afternoon?"
In an instant, Shin Se-hee's pupils shook as if struck by an earthquake.
'D-don't tell me...'
Regrettably, her mind was sharp.
Given a few clues, her brain began to assemble the puzzle on its own.
"S-Secretary Kim. Y-you don't mean I went to a gukbap place today, right...? P-please tell me I didn't. P-please."
Shin Se-hee asked desperately, grasping at any straw she could.
She couldn't help the tremor in her voice.
"Yes, you did. Jin Yu-ha had gone there to eat, so you said you would go find him there, and I even saw you off, didn't I?"
Thud.
Her heart plummeted.
'Then it's not dawn but evening... and all of that wasn't a dream, but something that happened during the day...?'
The memories from the 'dream' came flooding back, vivid and fresh.
Herself, clinging to him and pleading her case.
And Jin Yu-ha, as if she were beneath his notice, offering a party spot to some strange woman.
'That was all reality?'
And what was it she'd said to him again...?
— A-again! Again, you're only taking others, and what about me! Me!
Shin Se-hee's face instantly flushed bright red.
'Ah.'
"AAAAAAH!! Holy shit!!!!!"
Shin Se-hee clutched her head and let out a shriek.
Crash—
The cup fell and shattered on the floor, letting out a sharp sound.
* * *
The weekend of the second week.
The day of the group sparring dawned.
We gathered at the training ground for now.
What was going on with Shin Se-hee?
She was standing there with her face completely turned away, like her neck was broken.
"I'll explain about today's group sparring."
Baek Seol-hee opened her mouth, her face as blunt as usual.
"Group sparring will proceed in a tournament format. A total of 32 groups will conduct their matches at their respective assigned training grounds. Today, you'll have three matches: the round of 32, the round of 16, and the quarterfinals."
The group sparring was a tournament format.
That was a relief.
'If I just keep winning, I'll eventually get to face Gukbap's group.'
I nodded.
"The semifinals and beyond will be next week. They'll be held as public matches in the Grand Training Hall on the final day of basic training."
"Then today it's at our assigned training ground, which means..."
"That means either the opposing team will come here, or we have to go to them."
"So there are schedules where we have to move?"
"No, there aren't. Everyone will be coming here from the opposing teams."
Baek Seol-hee shook her head with a strangely satisfied expression.
After observing her for about two weeks, I could now read a little emotion even in her otherwise expressionless face.
The previous night.
Baek Seol-hee had a meeting with the other instructors assigned to basic training.
— S-Sunbae. Please, just this once, if you could spare my pride...
— Are you telling me to lead my cadets to your training ground?
— W-well, that's...
— Fine. Then we'll settle it with swords. If you fight me and win, I shall personally make the trip.
— Ee-ee, n-no! We'll go! We'll come to you!!! Pu-put the sword away!!!
Who went to whom in group sparring ultimately came down to seniority.
Instructors lower in the hierarchy had to travel for all three matches, while those higher up simply had to accept challengers from their spot.
Since Baek Seol-hee was ranked just below the Chairman, the opposing teams had no choice but to come to her.
Ultimately, the cadets had to bear the full brunt of this abuse of power—breeding ground for unfairness though it was. But if you had complaints, you just had to climb higher, that was all.
I looked at Baek Seol-hee, who was wearing a proud expression, and fell into thought.
'Mmm, so could I meet Gukbap's group right from the start?'
32 groups. So the probability of meeting one group out of the 31 groups besides us.
Meaning, 1 in 31.
'3.2%? That's generous as hell.'
The chance of pulling a 5-star pickup character in Velvetsra is 0.4%.
Compared to that, eight times higher!
For someone like me, who pulled Alice on the first one-coin clear gacha, that would be totally doable, right?
'I'll run into Lee Yu-ri's group today, show them my skills, wrap up the party recruitment offer—wouldn't that be clean!?'
I let my fantasy run wild like that, but
no such luck.
'Who are these guys?'
I frowned at my gacha failure and looked at the opponents.
Kids with oddly demoralized faces. Their instructor was no exception.
A little ways off, Baek Seol-hee and the opposing female instructor were talking to each other.
'Detection.'
"...Haah. Sunbae. Fighting Dog and Cheonhwa. This balance is way too unfair."
"That's 'sunbae-nim' to you. You dumb bitch."
"...Sunbae-nim."
"And haven't they put on Mana Restraint Bangles as well?"
"As if that'll help!"
"I'm sorry, but those Mana Restraint Bangles are no ordinary Magic Tools. The Chairwoman crafted them herself."
"...Th-the Magic Emperor!?"
Baek Seol-hee nodded.
"Go ahead and confirm it for yourself."
When she gave a slight tilt of her chin, the opposing instructor approached us with an expression still full of doubt.
She passed by me and went straight to Kang Do-hee.
"...Cadet Kang Do-hee. Sorry, but could I take a quick look at that restraint bangle?"
"Sure, whatever."
Nonchalant, Kang Do-hee took off the bracelet she'd been wearing on her wrist and handed it over.
The instructor put the bracelet on her own wrist and then spoke with a horrified face.
"...Whoa! A-are you crazy!? You're going this far!?"
"Yes. Because that's the only way we can have a fair competition."
"Waha... Huh? Then maybe this is actually doable...?"
She tilted her head.
Then her lips curled upward in a smirk.
"Sunbae. No hard feelings even if we win today, right?"
"That's 'sunbae-nim' to you. You dumbass."
The opposing instructor requested a short time-out, then gathered up her party members.
And a moment later.
"Then, let the sparring begin."
The group sparring began.