Chapter 44 — Oppa, All Women Are Wolves
Chapter 44 — Oppa, All Women Are Wolves
Translation: GodTL
The call from Sia came at a perfectly timed moment.
Admittedly, answering a phone call in the middle of a meal wasn't ideal, but...
If I didn't pick up now, I couldn't even begin to predict what might happen.
After excusing myself, I stepped away from the table to take Sia's call.
Right before answering, I swallowed nervously, wondering what she was about to say...
"Yeah, Sia."
[Oppa, what are you doing right now?]
"I was eating."
[What did you talk about with that unnie?]
"It wasn't just the two of us talking—since the setting is what it is, we ended up reminiscing a lot about the past."
I made sure to relay every single detail of our conversation to Sia.
Even the part that I wasn't sure I should mention—how, when we were kids, Yu-na noona and I used to eat jajangmyeon together after finishing our work.
I knew full well that sharing this wouldn't do me any favors.
Still, it was far better than letting Sia hear about it later from someone else.
The one saving grace was that Sia didn't seem as bothered as I'd feared.
Just as I was about to briefly summarize the rest of the conversation, Sia—perhaps feeling guilty for calling in the middle of my meal—spoke up.
[Sorry for calling while you're eating. Oppa, call me when you're done with your plans, okay?]
"Yeah, I will. Enjoy your lunch."
[But, Oppa.]
Just as I was about to sigh in relief and hang up, Sia suddenly asked me one last question.
[What was that unnie wearing today? How was her makeup?]
...Why was she suddenly asking that?
I couldn't begin to guess the intention behind the question, but I decided to answer honestly based on my own observations.
"Just... dressed normally, I guess? Maybe a little more put-together than when we saw her at the restaurant with you last time, but I wouldn't say she went all out or anything?"
I knew absolutely nothing about the world of women's makeup and fashion, but that was how it seemed to me.
As I answered, I tried to figure out why Sia had asked.
And the conclusion I came to was this:
She was trying to gauge whether Yu-na noona had dressed up specifically to impress me.
If I'd said something like, "She was wearing full makeup and clearly put a lot of effort into her outfit," Sia would've probably raised her guard even higher.
But as far as I could tell, there was no such intention behind Yu-na noona's outfit.
To ease Sia's suspicions, I added:
"From what I could tell, it really just seemed like she came out for a meal."
[No!]
At that, Sia's voice suddenly sharpened.
Whoa.
[Amateurs and girls fresh out of their teens go heavy on the color makeup to make it obvious they're wearing a full face, but women like that unnie... they go for subtle tones so you can't even tell they've done a full face. Ugh.]
What the—? Was there some hidden layer to women's beauty routines I didn't know about?
I still didn't fully understand, but judging by Sia's reaction, I'd probably said the wrong thing.
[So, Oppa, be careful. All women are wolves.]
Wait, isn't it supposed to be men who are wolves?
Before I could retort, Sia left me with one last line and hung up.
[I'm really going to eat now. You must be starving, Oppa.]
...Why did I feel so uneasy?
When I returned to the table, the conversation had continued in my absence.
As I sat down, my mother asked:
"Who was on the phone?"
"Sia."
At that, Yu-na noona smoothly interjected:
"Your girlfriend? I'd love to see her again."
Well, I highly doubted Sia felt the same way.
"Why?"
"'Why?' She's cute, pretty, and seems sweet—of course I'd want to get to know her."
"Our Sia is all of those things."
My mother nodded with a proud smile, as if already approving of her future daughter-in-law.
"Bring your girlfriend to our place sometime. Oh, and I think I mentioned this before, but even though I'm retired now, as a senior Hunter, I'll help you with anything you need. Want to spar sometime?"
"Spar?"
"Yeah, I was a pretty promising A-rank Hunter, after all. I'm sure it'd be helpful for both you and your girlfriend."
Sparring, huh.
If Sia heard this, how dumbfounded would she be?
From Yu-na noona's perspective, she was probably just offering genuine guidance to a junior Hunter, but knowing the truth, I couldn't help but laugh inwardly.
"Thanks, I appreciate it."
But whether it was me or Sia, I doubted we'd ever actually spar with her.
And if we did, I'd be more worried for Yu-na noona than for Sia.
"You really do have that big sister side to you, Yu-na. Always looking out for your juniors."
Mother watched the scene with evident satisfaction.
To an outside observer, it might seem that way. But I wondered if she'd still feel the same once she learned the hidden truth.
Anyway.
After chatting for a while longer, we finished our meal and stepped out.
The moment we left the restaurant, Yu-na noona asked Mother:
"Mother, have you heard of four-cut photo booths?"
"Ah, those things young people take pictures in these days?"
"Yes. Since we're all together after so long, would you like to take one as a keepsake?"
As she said this, she pointed to a photo booth across the street.
Aside from taking them with Sia, I don't usually do photo booths, but I knew people who liked them would jump at any chance.
So I understood this was a natural flow of conversation.
At the same time, I also knew—
If Sia ever saw this scene, she'd absolutely lose it, screaming, "That fox-daring bitch, how dare she?!" before grabbing Yu-na noona by the hair and yanking hard.
But even so, did I have any excuse to refuse taking the photo?
Not really.
"Sounds good! I was actually thinking we should take one together."
"I've been wanting to try one too. Let's go."
Mother and Yu-na noona's aunt were both very much on board with the idea.
And once again, I found myself completely swept up in that noona's plans.
After taking the photos and stopping by a café for more conversation, the day's schedule finally neared its end.
"It's been so long since we last met—it's a shame to part like this."
"I know. Unnie, I'll be staying in Korea for another month or two, so let's keep in touch!"
Mother and Yu-na noona's aunt exchanged reluctant goodbyes, and in the meantime, Yu-na noona approached me.
"Come by the restaurant with your girlfriend sometime. From what I saw last time, I think she liked our food."
"...Yeah, sure."
If she weren't the owner, Sia probably would've suggested going herself by now.
"Ah, Min-jun. About that business card I gave you last time—did you lose it?"
"Huh?"
"I mean, I gave it to you so you could contact me, but I never heard from you. Thought maybe you misplaced it."
I couldn't exactly say I'd given it to Sia, so I opted for a white lie.
"Oh, right. Now that I think about it, I think it fell out of my pocket."
At that, Yu-na noona joked, "I was worried you just didn't want to see me," before holding out her hand.
"Then give me your phone. I'll put my number in."
Carried along by the momentum, I handed it over. She input her number, even pressed the call button, and only then returned it.
"I'll reach out later. Let's grab a meal together sometime."
The whole thing flowed so smoothly that all I could think was—I've been played.
Every step had been perfectly orchestrated.
Anyway.
With everyone but me earnestly looking forward to the next meeting, the day's events finally concluded.
I called Sia and gave her a full report of everything that had happened.
Honestly, I didn't even do anything wrong, so why did I feel so guilty?
The moment I finished—
[Oppa. Let's have dinner together over video call later.]
Sia made the suggestion in a completely unreadable, dry tone.
Given our circumstances, we rarely got to eat together in person, so we often did meals like this to make up for it.
"Sure."
But the expression on Sia's face as she suggested it was noticeably different from usual.
No matter how I looked at it, something was up.
Even after all this time together, understanding a woman's mind was still an impossible task.
And that evening, the dish Sia had prepared for our meal was—coincidentally—black bean noodles.
She brushed it off as a random choice, but I knew better.
There was no way that was a coincidence.
The next day.
After participating in an early-morning Gate raid, I stopped by Rokan's Lair in the evening.
I had Dragon Words to practice, and Rokan had suggested sparring now that I had a new sword.
Upon arriving at the Lair, we exchanged brief greetings before diving straight into the match without a moment's rest.
"The rules are the same as last time. I will only defend—you attack me with your sword. Though, there is one minor change."
Rokan drew a sword from Subspace.
"This sword is different now."
Last time, he had used a wooden sword. This time, it seemed he intended to use a real one.
Just like before, Rokan declared he wouldn't attack—only block.
But given that it wasn't a wooden sword anymore, I couldn't help feeling a little intimidated.
Anyway.
Just like during our first sparring session, Rokan used Dragon Words to transport me to an unknown field, and thus our match began.
I still remembered the basic keywords—"will" and "dominance"—but now, the problem lay in what came next.
Some time had passed since I first began wielding the Dragon's power, and on top of that, I had even succeeded in using Dragon Words. Because of that, a compulsive thought rose in the corner of my mind—that I had to show something different from before.
Maybe Rokan had drawn a real sword because he had sensed this very feeling in me.
"Then, let us begin."
Rokan, gripping his sword, signaled for me to come at him. I steadied my breathing and began recalling the sensation I had felt when using Dragon Words.
That desperate, life-or-death intensity.
Perhaps the word "desperate" didn't suit a Dragon.
Weren't Dragons revered as the strongest beings in existence from the moment they were born?
Because of that, until now, I had assumed that the "will of the Dragon" required for Dragon Words must signify something lofty, like "dominance."
But when I thought back to the moments when I had properly manifested the Dragon's power, it didn't seem entirely accurate.
Every time I amplified the latent Dragon power within me, it was always premised on an absolute "will" to survive.
Would Dragons ever use Dragon Words in such a desperate struggle for survival?
Even if they had, those instances must have been exceedingly rare.
Perhaps understanding this difference was one of the walls I had to overcome.
"You seem deep in thought."
Despite the sparring having begun, I was still organizing my thoughts instead of swinging my sword. Rokan remarked on it.
"Whenever I think about this unknown power, I can't help it."
Maybe if I exchanged a few more blows with Rokan, I'd find at least some answers to these questions.
As I replied, I kicked off the ground with all my strength and lunged at him.
Unless you looked closely, you wouldn't notice, but ever since that incident in the Garden of the Dragon Sword, a faint light had begun to coat my blade.
Of course, compared to the aurora-like sword aura I had seen before, this light was so faint it was incomparable, and its hue was closer to a pale gray.
Still, this was proof that I had grown.
Rokan easily deflected my first strike and smiled in satisfaction.
"You've definitely improved since last time."
"If I hadn't, I wouldn't have the face to meet you."
Thinking to catch him off guard, I swiftly twisted my blade and thrust—but, unsurprisingly, Rokan cleanly parried it without even moving from his spot.
After a few more exchanges, Rokan nodded with an approving expression.
Of course, no miraculous event occurred, like my sword reaching Rokan's vitals.
"Before, you kept grumbling about how you couldn't understand what the Dragon's power even was—but now, I can sense you've begun to grasp it, however faintly."
"You can... sense that?"
Truthfully, I hadn't told Rokan yet, but during this Gate raid, I had finally been able to vaguely perceive what that "Dragon's power" flowing through me really was.
It was an indescribable sensation.
It was almost like—for the first time—I could faintly perceive the feeling of blood ceaselessly flowing through my body.
It felt incredibly novel, sensing something I shouldn't have been able to sense.
Before, I couldn't make heads or tails of it, but perhaps because of those two major incidents, I was slowly starting to understand what this "Dragon's power" was.
Of course, what I had grasped and felt was likely just the tip of the iceberg.
Even so, during today's Gate raid, I could tangibly feel that I had leveled up.
"Because you're a Dragon."
That one short sentence left me no choice but to nod in agreement.
Seizing the moment, I swung my sword in a sudden, wide slash—but, predictably, Rokan blocked it.
However, the difference this time was that he hadn't stopped my blade while standing still. He had taken a step back to do so.
To some, it might seem like nothing, but I knew that forcing him to take that single step was a tremendous feat in itself.
Rokan, who also understood this, looked at me and smiled as if proud.
"One more hour."
"Huh?"
"Let's spar for one more hour. After that, I'll share some good news with you."
"Good news...?"
Couldn't he just tell me now?
Wait, more importantly—he expected me to keep sparring like this for another hour?
I was already moving nonstop, swinging my sword along different trajectories—if I kept this up for an hour, even as a Hunter, I'd collapse from exhaustion.
To put it in perspective, it would be like playing a full 40-minute basketball game straight through without rest—except for an entire hour.
I understood that sparring had to be intense, but wasn't this borderline abuse? Just as I was about to cautiously voice that thought—
Rokan dropped a bombshell.
"I intend to turn that 'Garden of the Dragon Sword' dungeon into your training ground."
"...Huh?"