The Price of a Wish
"No. Ask for something else." Hanna voiced her refusal with a timid air. But my resolve remained unshaken.
"It’s a wish voucher, isn't it? It’s not like I’m asking for something impossible."
"...It *is* something impossible...!"
"Come on... I just want to see your internet search history, that's all."
"...No." It seemed Hanna was determined that this was one thing she would never concede, no matter what.
"No matter what you've looked at, I won't be disappointed. I'm actually pretty well-versed in that stuff myself."
As a man, I’d had my fair share of experiences with manga at least once or twice. Of course, it wasn't really my cup of tea, so I didn't frequent those sites, but... regardless, it meant I knew that manga often contained some pretty absurd elements. Even if Hanna-noona happened to be a furry enthusiast...
'No. That won't do.' I shook my head, trying to erase the images that were starting to surface.
"Are you... really not going to be disappointed?"
"Yeah. Have I ever lied to you?"
"...You told me you were a woman at the beginning."
"Ah."
"Ugh, forget it. I don't trust you."
"...Then, just tell me the tags."
"Tags? A guy knows about that kind of stuff?"
"...It just happened, okay?"
"...Solo female."
"Hey, you know that's not what I meant."
"Solo female."
"And?"
"...No. That’s all I’m showing you."
"What are you talking about? Based on what you've given me, that's just a standard romance story. Just one more."
"..."
"Just one. Seriously."
"Big... nis."
"What?"
"...Big penis. There, happy?"
Hanna-noona turned her head away, her face flushing crimson. But I wasn't satisfied. A romance manga with a well-endowed guy... isn't that just the equivalent of a romance with a busty girl in my original world?
"Just one last one... no, two more!"
"What?! That's not what you said before! Absolutely not!"
"I'll grant you a wish too. How about that?"
"Huh? Oh, well in that case..." She started calculating, her eyes darting back and forth.
"Fine... I get it. But you really can't be disappointed..."
"Yeah, yeah. Hurry up and say it."
"C-can I look at what tags are available? I don't remember them very well."
What kind of trick was she trying to pull? It was obvious she was trying to avoid the more extreme tags.
"No? Absolutely not. Just say whatever comes to mind."
"Huh? ...I'm serious. I really don't remember."
"I said I get it, just say what you remember. If you don't say it within 10 seconds, the wish voucher is off the table."
"N-no."
Kang Hanna’s hands and eyes were trembling. As the 10-second mark approached:
"Well... if it has to be this way..."
"Bondage..."
"Huh?"
"I said bondage."
"..."
You’re more hardcore than I thought, aren't you? Bondage. I’ll spare you the detailed explanation.
"A-and?" I still had one more tag request left.
"...Control."
"What was that?"
"Mind control..."
Wow. So you were watching well-endowed-romance-mind-control-kidnapping-imprisonment stuff? I bowed my head in shame at the catastrophe my curiosity had invited. And following my lead, Hanna-noona bowed her head as well. They say the more the rice stalk ripens, the lower it bows. I don't think this is what they meant by "ripening"... Just what kind of wish was she planning to make that she was willing to endure this level of humiliation?
"L-let's eat the malatang. It must be getting cold!"
"Right! Noona."
As I continued to spiral into my own thoughts, Kang Hanna looked at the bag containing the malatang and changed the subject.
"Hmm... it's a bit cold."
"Yeah. Should we heat it up a little?" I pointed to the gas stove, and Hanna-noona agreed.
"By the way, what's your wish?"
"My wish?" I asked while pouring the malatang into a pot to heat it up.
"Yeah. What could it possibly be..."
"Ahem... it's nothing special." As soon as Hanna realized I was bringing it up again, she cut me off.
"Do you... know about cosplay?"
"Yeah, of course I do. Why? Do you want me to do some cosplay for you?"
"Yeah... because other than you, everyone else is a woman, so they can only cosplay as male characters..."
"Aha."
Thinking about the average men in this world compared to the men in my imagination, it really was impossible for them to pull off a decent cosplay.
"But, noona, you seem to like this kind of stuff? Like anime and things?"
"Yeah! I watch manga, I watch anime..."
"And manga?"
"..."
"...Sorry."
"Now you know."
The atmosphere turned awkward for no reason. I was just trying to keep the rhythm...
After reheating the malatang, we sat down in front of the monitor. 'It really is a bit cramped in here.' Even when I tried not to be conscious of it, our shoulders kept brushing against each other, making me nervous.
"Noona, do you usually watch anything while you eat?"
"...Huh? What was that?"
It seemed Hanna was also bothered by the proximity.
"I asked what you usually watch while you eat."
"...UFC?"
"..."
That was a very fitting answer for a physical education student.
"Should I just put on some old variety shows?"
"Yeah, yeah. I don't mind."
I turned on Infinite Challenge, which I personally love.
"Let's eat. I'm hungry."
"Yeah. Should I just start eating?"
"I don't eat much, so I wouldn't know! Just eat. It's not like anyone's watching."
"Right."
Mixing rice into malatang really is delicious.
"Is it to your taste?"
"Hmm... to be honest, it's not something I'd go out of my way to buy with my own money...? Sorry."
"No, it's fine. I think the same way. I told you I don't eat it that often!"
I was actually eating malatang for the first time in a year, but it seemed Hanna didn't believe me.
"Anyway, what character am I supposed to cosplay as?"
"Ah. That's... don't worry, I'll prepare everything!"
For some reason, noona wouldn't tell me what character it was.
"But I need to know the character to prepare for it."
"No. You can just stay as you are. It'll be complete once I prepare the clothes."
"Well... if that's the case, I don't mind..."
Noona kept the character a secret until the very end, and as we chatted and ate, time flew by.
"Thanks for today."
"Huh?"
"I overslept this morning, but you made fried rice and ate dinner with me."
"Oh... it was nothing."
"Well, see you tomorrow."
"Yeah. Sleep well."
"You sleep well too, noona!"
We exchanged greetings, and I returned to my place. Though calling it "returning" is a stretch, considering it was only five steps away...
"I'm exhausted..."
As soon as I woke up today, I was caught being a man by Hanna-yang, and I even took a time machine to the land of illiteracy.
"Time to rest..."
I washed up and lay down on my bed.
"Ring-a-ling, ring-a-ling."
My phone started ringing.
"Ugh, who is it..."
The screen showed "Lawyer" as the caller ID.
"What's going on?"
Since I had almost been kidnapped by a woman, I had communicated with this lawyer strictly through text messages. With a sense of unease, I pressed the call button.
"Hello?"
"Yes. Is this Baek Miru?"
The woman spoke in a very professional, business-like tone.
"Yes, that's me. What's the matter?"
"..."
The lawyer paused for a moment.
"It's just that I think we need to meet in person."
"What? I was told everything would be handled remotely before?"
"There are certain parts that legally require you to verify them in person."
"That's... you said you'd take care of everything before."
"Actually, while I said that, it's not exactly a legal procedure, so if you want to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings, it would be better for you to come out and verify it yourself."
Something was different from before.
"...When?"
"The sooner the better. What does your schedule look like tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow? I don't have any plans..."
'Ugh, why did I say that?'
"If you don't have any plans tomorrow, I'd appreciate it if you could come to our law office at 9 AM. Would you like me to come pick you up if it's inconvenient?"
"No, no. It's fine."
"Then, I'll see you tomorrow. Thank you for taking my call at this late hour."
"Oh. Right?"
"Click."
The call ended before I could even collect my thoughts.
"What do I do?"
An in-person meeting had been set without me even realizing it. If I called back now to cancel, and it turned out to be a necessary procedure, I'd have to go anyway.
"...It'll probably be fine."
I feel like I had an accident last time I thought that...
In the end, I didn't get a wink of sleep.
"Knock, knock, knock."
"Hanna-noona?"
A knocking sound at 7:30 AM.
"Miru. Are you still sleeping?"
"No? Why?"
"If you're up, let's have some breakfast together."
"Breakfast? I don't usually eat it, but..."
"No. You need to eat three meals a day to be healthy."
"But is there anything to eat?"
"Yeah. I went grocery shopping this morning."
"Really? Come on in."
I opened the front door.
"Miru... oh?"
"Why?"
"You didn't sleep, did you?"
"Huh? How did you know?"
"You look incredibly tired, anyone can see it. What happened? Did I make a mistake yesterday?"
"No. Actually..."
I told her about the phone call with the lawyer last night.
"...Let's go together."
"Huh?"
"I'll go with you."
"No, it's fine. She's a lawyer, what could possibly happen?"
"Hey, Baek Miru!"
"Y-yes?!"
Kang Hanna suddenly shouted at me.
"Do you have any idea how scary this world is?"
"I... I know."
How could I not? I almost got kidnapped, for heaven's sake.
"And you trust a female lawyer knowing that?"
"But... a lawyer has a lot to lose, right?"
"Ha..."
Hanna-noona let out a deep sigh.
"Hey. Baek Miru, why do you think women save money?"
"Uh... to buy a house or something?"
"And why do they buy a house?"
"Um... because they want to live comfortably?"
"No."
"Oh? Then why?"
"Men."
"Huh?"
"Women live only for men. To be with a man, they'd give up their lawyer status and everything else!!!"
"..."
I was speechless at Kang Hanna’s lecture.
"So don't trust women too much."
"...Even you?"
"...Yeah. Don't trust me either."
Kang Hanna, telling me not to even trust herself.
"Hmm... no. I want to trust you, noona."
"Huh?"
"So, we're going together today, right?"
"Y-yeah."
"Let's just eat."
I took out the ingredients Kang Hanna had bought at the mart.
"Oh. I guess you wanted pasta?"
"...Hey."
"Why, noona?"
"Thump!"
A strange sight: a man trapped between a wall and a woman.
"...Why are you doing this?"
"Miru. What are you really going to do?"
"Y-yes?"
"What if I just make up my mind and go for it!!"
Noona pretended to grab me by the collar. In reality, she was holding it so lightly it didn't hurt at all.
"...I'm disappointed in you, noona."
"Huh?"
"*Sniffle*... I thought you were different, noona..."
I started acting like I was crying.
"No... that's not it."
"So you were after my body too, noona?"
"Huh? No, I wasn't!"
"*Sob*... Do whatever you want! You can take my body, but you'll never have my heart!"
"That's not what I meant!"
Kang Hanna quickly backed away, putting some distance between us.
"Hehe."
"Miru?"
"Just kidding! I knew I could trust you, noona."
"..."
Although Kang Hanna looked like she had a lot more to say, I decided to be satisfied with having tricked her.