Proposal (6)
The sun had just set by the time I finished training. Maybe because I'd spammed Jin Gang Ri Ling so much, sweat poured down my body, and every muscle ached. As I gasped for breath, Kim Jihye snapped her fingers and tossed a towel at my face.
"Wipe yourself off."
She looked gruff, but deep down, she was kind. I bowed my head in thanks, and she lumbered over, slipping the necklace back around my neck.
"Your yang energy is overflowing your body—so why are you the one gasping like this?"
"...Why is that?"
"You're pouring water into a broken jar right now."
"Ah."
Output control—she was probably pointing out that I wasn't regulating Jin Gang Ri Ling properly. Kim Jihye stared at me silently, then clicked her tongue.
"No wonder you're exhausted when you can't even control your output and try to convert it."
"...Huh?"
"Never mind, kid. I'll buy you dinner."
Kim Jihye turned coolly and headed for her black van. Kim Charyeok must have overheard, because he rushed up to her, asking eagerly.
"Protein? Maybe some meat?!"
"Yeah, order whatever you want. Money's no object."
"Hm! You're surprisingly generous!"
I wiped off the sweat and watched the sunset. After gazing for a moment at the clouds ripening against the horizon, I hurried after Kim Charyeok and Kim Jihye.
After getting dinner from Kim Jihye, I headed straight home and hopped in the shower. Once I was clean, the first thing I did was call Miho.
"Yeah, Hanjun!"
After two rings, Miho picked up like she'd been waiting.
"Hey, Miho. Just finished training and got home."
I shook out my still-damp hair as I replied, and Miho's sweet voice brimmed with concern.
"You okay? Nothing hurt, right?"
I could picture her perking up her ears, worrying about me.
"Nah, I'm good. Thanks for worrying."
"Hehehe... Glad to hear it."
Just her voice brought a warm smile to my face. We chatted about nothing important after that, but both of us kept chuckling anyway. Is this what happiness feels like? A cozy warmth bloomed in my chest as I lounged proudly on the sofa.
"Oh, hey Hanjun... Um, you remember... what we talked about yesterday?"
Then, out of nowhere, Miho asked a question that threw me.
"Huh...?"
I asked what she meant, and she panicked, stumbling over her words.
"N-no! I mean, yesterday during our video call... we talked about something..."
She must have meant the conversation from when my memory cut out. I sat up straight and asked her seriously.
"...Did I mess up or something?"
She caught the shift in my tone and hurried to reassure me, flustered.
"No way! No... You didn't do anything wrong, Hanjun. I just wondered if you remembered..."
"Sorry, no clue."
Good, no major screw-ups. I apologized just in case, and after a quiet pause, Miho spoke softly.
"Okay... But Hanjun, we made a promise then... You'll keep it, right?"
"Promise?"
I racked my brain for yesterday's blank spots, but no dice.
"What promise?"
"Uh... um...? A bunch of stuff? Little things... and more...?!"
Her voice pitched higher. I just nodded along.
"Yeah, sure, I'll keep it."
"...R-really?"
"Yep."
Miho was cute and sweet—what could she possibly ask for that was a big deal? And a promise was a promise, drunk or not.
"He... hehehe... For real, Hanjun. I recorded it~?"
Her gleeful cackle was a tad unsettling, but I reaffirmed my agreement. After that, we slipped back into idle chit-chat. Maybe because I'd agreed, Miho replied with extra aegyo in her voice. We talked for about thirty minutes before hanging up.
"...Whatever, it'll be fine."
I shrugged and flopped onto the sofa. Exhausted from overusing sorcery all day, a pleasant lethargy washed over me.
"Mm..."
As I closed my eyes, savoring the sleepy haze, it hit me—I was forgetting something important.
"...What is it?"
Something nagged at me, right on the tip of my tongue. I groaned, chasing the elusive thread, until it snapped into place.
"Ah...!"
For the past two days, bigger stuff had overshadowed it. Next Friday, I was enrolling at Sorcery Youkai Academy. No more morning shifts at the cafe after that.
"This is bad."
I should've at least mentioned it to the manager yesterday. Finding a replacement with less than a week left...
I grabbed my phone and pulled up Han Yuu's number. I started typing an apologetic text, but thinking back on our history, it felt wrong to do it that way.
When I'd first come to Seoul and things were tough, she'd shown me pure kindness, no strings attached. When rent was short, she'd fronted my next paycheck without hesitation. During breaks when I worked full days, she'd always bought me meals. And back when I pushed everyone away, she'd smiled warmly and pulled me close.
"......"
I glanced at the clock. 10 p.m. Not too late. I took a deep breath and called her.
Ring... ring...
The tone dragged on. I waited patiently, but she seemed busy. As I moved to hang up, her voice came through.
"H-hello...?"
Her usual gentle lilt.
"Yes, Manager? It's Hanjun."
I swallowed hard, steeling myself to apologize, but she beat me to it.
"Oh... oh my! Hanjun... Ah, sorry! What to do..."
"Pardon...?"
I asked what she meant, and she sounded flustered.
"W-what do I do... Hanjun, um... Starting next Monday, I have to quit the cafe... Something urgent came up suddenly... What now..."
The ever-composed manager, panicking.
"If you can't do mornings, it'll be tight for you. Oh... I'll just give you a few months' pay upfront... So... so..."
"Manager, calm down."
I didn't know the details, but I soothed her quickly.
"Take it slow... Deep breath in..."
"Okay..."
She breathed in and out steadily. Once she settled, I explained.
"Truth is, Manager, I've got something urgent next week too. That's why I was calling—to say I have to quit."
"Wha... what...?"
She sounded baffled, so I slowly laid out my situation—fudging it as going abroad, not the Otherworld.
"Ah... I see... Your parents are overseas, and they finally got in touch... That's a relief, really."
Han Yuu sighed in relief, her voice back to its soft normalcy. Only then did I ask.
"Manager, why are you closing the cafe starting next Monday?"
"Well... Remember I said I lived abroad?"
"Oh, yes."
During break, I'd asked her origin. Her natural ash-gray hair and crimson eyes screamed foreigner at first glance. And those massive breasts confirmed it. But she'd just smiled and said "overseas," dodging specifics.
As the memory surfaced, she elaborated.
"I had an important position there... Someone was supposed to take over, so I moved here. But they hit a snag, so I'm heading back."
"Ah... Got it."
I recalled a book she'd been reading—heavy with diagrams and geometric patterns, tough stuff she breezed through casually. Probably related.
"So, Manager, you're leaving right on Monday?"
"Yes..."
"Kinda sad I won't get to say goodbye properly."
Cafe Yuu only opened weekdays. With her leaving Monday, no time for farewells.
She listened quietly, then replied.
"Then, Hanjun... Could you stop by Monday morning at your usual shift time? Just long enough for me to say goodbye."
"Oh, perfect. I'll swing by."
"Yes... I'm really sorry. I've owed you so much..."
"No way, I owe you."
"No, I really do... What you've done for me..."
She trailed off suddenly.
"Manager...?"
I called out, and she responded slowly.
"Alright, Hanjun. See you then—I'm swamped now... We'll catch up on everything later."
She hung up with a click. Faintly, I heard a voice in the background.
"Hey...! Quit smoking so much...!"
She must have thought she'd ended the call. I pressed end and exhaled in relief.
"...All set now."
Ties to this world were sorted. Not much—just Kim Charyeok and the manager. Lost in thoughts of the Otherworld, I drifted off on the sofa.
The next day, Sunday. Dragged out by Kim Jihye again, I unleashed Jin Gang Ri Ling as usual. By sunset, panting and spent, I collapsed to the ground.
"Here."
Kim Jihye snapped her fingers, summoning a towel from thin air.
"Th-thanks."
As I wiped my sweat, she approached with the broken necklace.
"Kang Hanjun."
"Y-yes...?"
She draped it around my neck, whispering.
"I told you—take the virginity of those female youkai to suppress your yang energy."
I nodded quietly.
"That's how it is. Just accept it."
She fastened it and walked off.
"...?"
Her cryptic words left me staring blankly at her back. She beckoned me casually.
"Dinner's on me. Come on."
"Hm...! Protein!"
Kim Charyeok bounded after her. His bald head gleamed in the sunset, his grin pure sunshine. I burst out laughing unwittingly, missing the weight of Kim Jihye's words entirely.
Unaware that one edge of the necklace around my neck was slightly torn, I followed them to the black van.