Chapter 31
We slipped out of the gym to meet Doyun hyung, wondering what to wish for. From the parking lot earlier and even on the way to the gym, every door needed a card swipe to open, so outsiders couldn't just wander in on their own. There'd been talk of heightened security too.
"What happens if an outsider tries to just barge in here?"
"The parking entrance won't open without a registered vehicle, and the other doors have guards, so no dice. Even if they sneak in, they'd hit a wall without a master key."
"...As long as there are no traps, it's basically a dungeon. The guards, the keys needed to move around—it's all too similar."
In Astasia, any heterogeneous space created by a powerful being was called a dungeon. Not always evil ones—human mages' towers counted too. Of course, most we'd tackled were made by demons.
Countless battles in Astasia. Most happened inside dungeons after we entered. Once demons learned our party's strength, they started hiding deep inside to fight on their terms. Super annoying.
Our group lacked a pure tank, so early on, disarming traps was a real grind. But the payoff made up for it. Smash the dungeon core in the boss demon's heart, claim control. Post-clear, it became a safe base. Artifacts, magic stones, research notes—way faster growth than just fighting.
Through all those dungeons, our firepower queen Yoo Seol-ah grew the most. We babied her like a daughter. Efficient, too.
I glanced at Seol-ah walking beside me. Our eyes met.
"You've had that creepy look since earlier... What's with the condescending stare?"
"How could I not look down at a 150cm girl?"
"...I'm gonna kill you."
I was just admiring my well-raised kid... but she struck first, so I fired back lightly. Lee Seo-yeon glanced back with innocent curiosity.
"Come to think of it, how tall are you two anyway?"
"181 last I checked in high school senior year?"
"......156.9."
"I hit 167. But Seol-ah, your height suits you perfectly now. So cute."
She even emphasized the decimal with a weird accent. First person I've met who quotes to the tenth.
"That's a 25cm difference."
"Why 25? Obviously 24..."
"181 minus 156 is 25."
"It was 156.9! Why ignore the decimal?!"
"Hey, I'm probably a few cm over 181 too. I just don't obsess."
"Grrr..."
Seol-ah was like a volcano now, bubbling over. One more poke and boom.
"Ah, there he is."
Thankfully, Seo-yeon waving across the street distracted her. Doyun hyung stood with a few paper bags. We crossed at the light and grabbed one each.
"Thanks. Must've been a hike to the mart. I'll Venmo you later."
"Nah, it's right by my place. No biggie. And Sion, I just grabbed a loose black one, yeah?"
"Thanks. They mentioned an open-air bath here."
"Wait, an open-air bath? What is this, a hotel? Not just a regular bathhouse."
He didn't know about Seo-yeon's place yet. Neither did I until she mentioned it.
"...You'll see when we get there. We just came from the gym."
"Gym? Yeah, the neighborhood vibe shifted suddenly earlier. Her place must be next level."
We'd only played a bit, but Doyun was curious too, so back we went. Seol-ah floated our bags mid-air with magic en route.
Inside the gym, we got the reaction we wanted.
"...What is this, an all-in-one sports complex?"
"We did basketball, badminton earlier."
"What can four people even play? Badminton, ping pong... and bowling over there? They crammed everything in."
"Bowling! Bowling! I've tried it a bit."
"Never done it myself, but..."
Thus began the bowling bet. Me and Seol-ah vs. the other two, loser preps dinner. Results? Disaster.
"Dude, at least break 80 if you wanna win."
"I said I've never bowled! No muscle memory helps with zero experience..."
Seol-ah had the strength, but zero skill. Even I, who'd bowled a few times in school, barely scored.
"Oppa, you're pretty good."
"Club sometimes."
They chatted cheerfully while we glared. Dinner bet meant real stakes.
"...At least we can practice cooking."
"You've been on about cooking. You any good?"
"Unlike some, I don't just boil ramen."
"......"
I do actual steps like stir-frying or grilling.
With dinner anxiety planted, we moved on. Left: ping pong, billiards, pool. Seo-yeon nixed billiards, so ping pong it was.
"I'm total noob at ping pong. Racket's similar, but way different from badminton."
"I'll teach you."
"Seol-ah, you good at ping pong?"
"Yeah. Best sport for me."
Top at ping pong, Korea's niche sport? Interesting.
"Were you on the team or something?"
"Yeah, middle school. Trained hard."
"Me too! Small world."
Sudden camaraderie, like finding a fellow fan of an obscure gem. My routine: basketball at lunch, ping pong club after.
"For real? Competitions?"
"Won district three years straight, made city quals. Crashed out."
"Same level exactly...? Was it Seoul Hope Sports or something?"
"Sounds right? Pros can't enter."
The other two gaped too. Did we cross paths? No mixed doubles like badminton, but same venue?
We pondered. She wasn't silver-haired then, but probably stunning anyway. As I rummaged memories—
Seol-ah gasped, hand over mouth. Eyes on her, she dropped it awkwardly.
"Nah, probably not. Mixed it up."
"What? Now I'm curious, Seol-ah."
"Me too. Can't sleep otherwise."
She stonewalled. Suspicious as hell, but we dropped it.
"Oppa, you play ping pong?"
"Not well."
"Then learn from Baek Sion."
The inquisition turned ping pong lesson. Quick session, then student showdown.
"Bet a wish."
"On these two? Wish addiction much? It's already 2-0."
"Don't trust Seo-yeon?"
"Not that..."
Ping pong skill doesn't spike quick. Their match was pure luck test.
"Fine, whatever."
Seol-ah shrugged—her wish lead made it low-risk.
The noobs' match? Sighs and groans from us "pros." Brutal, but my side won.
Victory, but betting on unwinnable sports? Draining lesson.
"Sion, I tried hard."
"Thanks, hyung..."
"I earned you a wish earlier, so even...?"
"...Yeah, you did good."
Effort shone. Seol-ah, bittersweet, added a condition.
"...Just checking—no blocking wishes with wishes, right?"
"Obviously not."
What was she plotting? Two of 'em.
I never dreamed that curiosity would unravel late that night, atop someone else's bed.
"Yoo Seol-ah... still drunk?"
"Sober as hell. Not drunk."
"Then... can we talk downstairs? Even if it's quiet, this is someone else's house."
"I know. So just a kiss... please? You said you'd grant all wishes."
Her voice dripped desperation and sultry heat. No clue when or why she got so worked up, but tracing back... probably the open-air bath.