The Carrot and the Lie

The Lee Family Estate's dog. Really, you're only drifting further away from me. You said it yourself. That you're not close with Lee Arin anymore. But why? "Haa..." Why did you say that? Why, for what reason? To Lee Arin. Why did you ask if she was 'okay'? You two aren't even close anymore. You fought, didn't you? You said she's not even a 'friend' anymore. Aah. I see. It was a 'lie'.

It pisses me off. No, it makes me angry. My dog. Why are you telling 'lies' to me? "Haa..." Since you lied, I have to punish you. I have to... punish you... "Hngh..."

A cool breeze blows in, making the curtains flutter gently. Irritation, rage, disappointment, and fury hammer nails into my chest. The fact that you rejected me, my dog who's constantly pulling away. The witch, Lee Arin. Everything swirls in my head and torments me. It's a dilemma. My dog, I don't want to lose you. But if I punish you... you'll leave me, won't you? And if I do nothing... I'll lose you to someone else.

"Ugh..." I hate both. Losing my dog is something that can never happen, even if I die. "For now... it's the 'carrot'." Now isn't the time to use the whip. This is the moment I must treat my dog solely with the 'carrot'. There's no way I could give you 'punishment'... But you keep drifting further away. And I'm just sitting here like an idiot...

I grit my teeth hard. I can't avoid this any longer. Whether it's the witch or Lee Arin. If anyone else tries to approach, I just have to hold on tight and never let go. I just have to stop backing down. Even if my arm breaks. I pull out my phone and type a message. "Mmm..." It's too slow. I need to call in more people. I have to get the artifact by tomorrow at the latest. I'll add more money on top... Yeah, let's tack on about 80 billion. No, let's make it a clean 100 billion extra. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠That should be enough to move up the delivery date. I send the message. "Haa..." I will never let you go. My dog.

My whole body feels sluggish. It's like my bones and muscles are coming apart. My body is submerged in exhaustion. After dodging like crazy over and over, the practical training somehow ended without me noticing. Did I... do well? I don't know. Fragments of what Kang Jia said keep floating through my mind. What was it again? Something about acting with 'resolve'? To 'focus'? Right now I just... don't know. I just want to rest.

I lie down on the bed and lean against the wall. It's cold. Slowly, I replay the earlier combat practice in my head. "Mmm..." All I can think about is dodging... and dodging some more. The situation was completely insane, and even now I have no idea how I managed to avoid that fist. My head isn't working properly from the fatigue. I turn over and look at the bed beside me. Through the curtain, I can see the dark silhouette's chest rising and falling with each breath. Han Yerin.

To be honest, I was shocked. When I saw that 'binding magic'... it was so intricate I wondered if it was even made by a human. Cold sweat trickles down my forehead. She's not the second-ranked mage for nothing. Her personality might be rotten, but right now she's the top student. Her skills are proven. "Haa..." I lie still on the bed and stare at the ceiling. The familiar, winding patterns of the gypsum board come into view. From the beds on either side, I can hear the soft sound of steady breathing. A cool breeze drifts in through the open window, making the white curtains sway gently. The cicada that doesn't care whether my eyes are closing from exhaustion or if I'm yawning just keeps clinging to the tree as usual, belting out its mating song at the top of its lungs. The sky is clear and bright with not a single cloud. After the intense battle, in this brief moment of rest, I let out a short yawn and fall back into a heavy, sluggish sleep.

Tap tap— Someone touches my shoulder. "Ugh... mmm..." My body feels stiff from the lingering fatigue. "Are you awake...?" Gray hair brushes the tip of my nose. Who... Oh. "Seolah...?" Seolah is sitting on the bed, looking down at me. What... Why is Seolah here? "Why are you here...?" I meet Seolah's eyes. Weren't you doing combat practice...?

"I just came..." Seolah smiles faintly. You just came? "What about combat practice?" "Mmm... It ended a little early, so I came..." "It ended early?" Seolah nods. Looking closer, her clothes are a bit torn. No way... "You won?" Seolah briefly averts her gaze before nodding. You beat Yeonhwa? Just how much of a monster are you? Yeonhwa is a non-human at the pinnacle of magic, someone who can turn monsters into dust just by gathering pure mana and 'firing' it. It's hard enough to obtain purely 'refined' mana, but she's at the world's peak in applying that refined mana. Rumor has it she can use over five hundred spells instantly. She's more than worthy of being called a 'grand mage'. And you beat someone like that?

"How did you win?" Seolah fidgets for a moment before raising one finger and creating a small magic formula. "I won with this..." Telekinesis. Wait, just with that one thing? "You used other spells too, right?" "...No." "..." I start to say something else... but stop. Let's just not think about it too deeply. Yeah, sure, you could beat Yeonhwa. Looking at Seolah's expression, it doesn't seem like she's lying. The person who beat a grand mage with just telekinesis is my friend? Hearing such a shocking story makes the fatigue naturally fade away. I sit up in bed. "Ugh... haa..." I stretch lightly and get out of bed.

"Oh, right." "Hmm?" "Now that I think about it, how many minutes did we last?" That's right, I didn't even hear the most important part. I meet Seolah's eyes. "Mmm... We lasted 21 minutes..." What? "It definitely felt like only five minutes." 21 minutes? I lasted 21 minutes against Kang Jia? "That's a long time." Yeah, it's true that I held out for quite a while. Yet a sense of regret still lingers in my chest. This uneasy feeling. The thought that I'm still 'lacking' is lodged in my mind, and I can't shake it off. "Yeah, you lasted a really long time..." Seolah nods.

As I stand up, Seolah grabs my arm. Wait, what about the other teams? "Have the other teams finished their training too?" "Yeah..." "Do you know how long the other teams lasted?" "Mmm..." Seolah thinks for a moment before speaking. "Should I start with Team 2...?" I look down and meet Seolah's gaze. "Team 2 lasted 1 minute 30 seconds..." "Mmm..." "Team 3 lasted 45 seconds..." "..." "And... Team 4 lasted 11 minutes..." "Oh." 11 minutes? "Wait, Team 4... isn't that Senior Lee Socheon's team?" "Yeah, that's right..." Seolah continues. I slowly pull back the curtain and step outside. Seolah grabs my sleeve.

"All the other team members were knocked down... but she dodged everything just like you, Taeho, and held out all by herself..." "Ooh..." I slowly walk out of the infirmary. Wait, what about Lee Arin and Han Yerin... "They're still sleeping." The bed beside me twitches. The moment the words leave my mouth, I hear rustling. The curtain around the bed flies open with a whoosh, revealing Han Yerin sitting there, clenching her fists and rubbing her shoulders as she looks this way. "Ah, my dog— huh?" Han Yerin and Seolah's eyes meet. Han Yerin instinctively lowers her head.

"..." "..." "..." A sudden silence falls. When I glance to the side, Seolah is glaring at Han Yerin. "...What's going on?" Seolah's voice drops to a low, deep tone. Han Yerin's shoulders tremble. Normally she'd run away soon after something like this. "I just... had something to tell my dog, that's all." She didn't run. Han Yerin lifts her head and looks at me. Fuck? A sinister energy surges up from the base of my spine. "Can you... give us a moment alone?" They stare at each other, locked in a standoff. I know I should back down here... but fuck, why? Cold sweat runs down my forehead.

"Are you going to bully him again?" Seolah glares at Han Yerin. A magic formula begins to form above Seolah's hand. Han Yerin flinches. "No, that's not—" "Be quiet." Seolah cuts her off. The tension rises endlessly until it hits the ceiling. "Taeho hates even having you near him." Her previously dragging tone suddenly stabilizes, her voice dropping even lower. Completely cowed, Han Yerin trembles slightly. She swallows hard. "You want me to leave? How do I know what you'll do in the meantime?" "That..." "I can't trust you. No, I don't even want to." The magic formula spins violently above Seolah's hand. "If you have something to tell him, say it later. Right now—" "He's my... 'friend'. Don't even think about touching him. And I'm serious." "I could break your arm." Han Yerin is so terrified she can't even lift her head. Looking closely, her hands are shaking violently. Even I feel slightly overwhelmed by Seolah's aura. A brief silence. The air freezes.

"Han Yerin, now you underst—" Swish— The bed curtain opens. Slightly tousled blue bob. Lee Arin, who just woke up, stares at the three of us with wide, bleary eyes. Her expression says 'what the hell is going on'. The taut string of tension that had been stretched to its limit suddenly goes slack. "It was a bit cold... so I woke up. Mmm..." The air turns awkward in an instant. "Is something wrong?" "T-Taeho, let's go now..." Seolah grabs me and starts dragging me away. After shooting Han Yerin one last glare, she flings the door open and pulls me outside. Seolah... you're seriously the only one I can count on. Now she's protecting me right by my side. The monster who finished off a grand mage with a single telekinetic strike is protecting me! She's a friend far too good for someone like me.

My body, still heavy with unresolved fatigue, gets pulled along. When we step outside, students are scattered throughout the hallway. Is it... lunchtime already? "Wait, what time is it..." "It's lunchtime..." That's right. I nod vaguely. As we walk down the hallway together, I see groups of students clustered together, chatting noisily. The topic is mostly... how much they can't stand the Special Force that just arrived. Well, that makes sense. The moment they showed up, they knocked people out with their aura and replaced the class with theory lessons without any warning. I can't say I don't understand. Of course, not every conversation is like that.

In the distance, I spot a student making a racket among the crowd. It's the one I sometimes run into ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠on the street—Doo Il, the eldest son of Eastern Steel. He's right in the middle of the students, passionately ranting. What the... I move closer. "—No, I'm telling you he lasted over 20 minutes by himself! It's true! Didn't you hear that Kang Jia came and even praised him? Huh?" "How can anyone believe that..." "It's real! Even if he's underrated, he's still the second-ranked student. That makes him a knight, doesn't it? Why won't you believe—" "Fuck, okay... let's say he lasted 20 minutes. But it wasn't just that Kim Taeho who lasted that long, right? Huh? Right?" "Yeah, he wasn't the only one. Still, the one who was dodging everything like crazy right in front of everyone was definitely Kim Taeho. Honestly, even without those two, I think the result would've been the same." "Don't talk shit. There's no way he did that alone. Never mind how strong Kim Taeho is, those two aren't weak either. Do you think Han Yerin and Lee Arin are pushovers? Huh."

They were talking about me? Doo Il scratches his head in frustration. He lets out a short sigh and then looks this way. "Huh? Hey!" Ah, fuck. I quickly grab Seolah by the back of her neck and bolt from the spot. I hear someone calling from behind but I ignore it, dashing straight for a bench. What the fuck... is going on...

An awkward atmosphere. Only the two of us left in the infirmary. We just sit there fidgeting, doing nothing. "Hey, did you two fight or something?" I ask Han Yerin. The mood was really bad... Well, if they fought, that's good in its own way. The further apart they are, the more I can approach. A faint smile tugs at my lips. The artifact. Once I get the artifact, I'll run straight over and tear her apart. It's such a waste for a man like Taeho to be tied down to a woman like Han Yerin. If he's going to be tied down, it should be to me. "..."

Han Yerin shakes her head vigorously, avoids my eyes, and immediately flops back down on the bed. "Mmm..." I consider asking more but give up. When I get closer, she just keeps repeating things like 'I didn't do anything...' Han Yerin... are you actually kind of weak? I stand up, put on my shoes, and head outside. First, I need to find Taeho. Once I find him, I'll ask him to come to our 'Lee Family Estate'—and train together! As I run down the hallway, I spot Taeho in the distance dragging Seolah along. They're sitting on a nearby bench, and I see Seolah opening a bag of bread. "Hey, you two!"

Now that I think about it, we've only been doing rough outdoor sex lately and haven't properly hung out. It's been a while since the three of us talked like this. Without realizing it, a smile forms on my lips. "Hmm?" "Yeah?" I naturally sit down next to Taeho. "What were you two doing?" "We were about to eat..." "Fooood..." Seolah fidgets with her hands. She seems a bit awkward and avoids my gaze. I smile and look at Kim Taeho. "Taeho." "Yeah?" Taeho stares at me blankly. "Want to come to my house today?" I get straight to the point. "Huh? Wait, what?" A bright smile spreads across my face. If he just says 'sure', I'll drag him straight to our family estate. I'll help you train! So don't worry, Taeho, I won't make you do outdoor sex. Probably. "So suddenly? Wait, more importantly, why?" Taeho looks at me. Why? For your goal. That's the only reason. I smile sweetly. "Taeho. Your goal was to catch Fenrir, right?" "Uh, yeah. That's right." "So how was it fighting the Special Force today?" "...It was tough." "Right? It was tough, wasn't it?" I take Taeho's hand. I feel his body flinch. "You keep feeling like you're lacking." "..." "So..." "Want to come to my house and try some 'training'?" "...What?" Taeho's eyes widen. "I mean exactly what I said, Taeho." I meet his gaze. "I'll give you the 'solution'." Sounds good, right?

In front of me, I see rows upon rows of countless hanok buildings. This is the Lee Family Estate. It's the 'place of learning' that every esper knows. I ended up coming after all. I thought about it many times—maybe I shouldn't go because I might get fucked again—but in the end, whether I go or not, I'll get fucked either way. So I decided to follow Lee Arin. I'm not an idiot. If I'm going to get fucked no matter what I do, it's best to get something out of it. Fuck.

"You can come to our house sometimes... no, you can come often! I told Father about it and he said it's fine, that I should bring you!" I walk slowly toward the front yard. It's so wide and open that I can't tell if it's a courtyard or a soccer field. As I continue walking along the stone path, I soon reach the main wooden floor. "Wait here for just a bit! I'll go get Father!" Lee Arin taps my shoulder a couple times and leaves. By now it's evening. The sun has set, and the moon sits atop the clouds, casting a blue glow beneath my feet. I pick ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up the teacup sitting beside me and slowly take a sip. It's green tea. As I sit quietly waiting for the family head, a message arrives.

Fuck. I'm going crazy. I scratch my head roughly. With all these incidents happening nonstop, I really feel like I'm losing my mind. I let out heavy sighs. As I sit there idly watching the clouds drift by...

"Are you my daughter's friend?" The head of the Lee Family, Lee Cheonhwa, sits down beside me. I jump up in surprise, about to bow, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but he says it's fine and grabs my shoulder, telling me to sit down quickly. A fierce heat touches my cheek. "Yes, yes, it's fine. Just sit down." Even though he's right next to me, the overwhelming aura makes my body shrink back slightly. Even though he's hiding it, a mountain-like energy flows upward from Lee Cheonhwa. "Mmm, yes. My daughter told me you want to kill Fenrir?" Lee Cheonhwa chuckles. Feeling a bit embarrassed for some reason, I rub the back of my neck. "That's quite an ambition. It's absurd." I avert my gaze. Yeah, even I think it's a ridiculous goal. "But how did you come to have such a goal?" I meet Lee Cheonhwa's eyes. "...It's because my father was taken by one." "Mmm?" Lee Cheonhwa's eyes fill with confusion. He looks away, strokes his chin, clears his throat with a short cough, and says, "Ah, I'm sorry..." He bows his head. When I wave my hands in panic saying it's okay, he insists that he spoke carelessly without knowing. After a while, he finally calms down and looks at me. "I'll buy you something later." Like father, like daughter—his behavior is exactly the same. I wave my hands again saying it's fine. "Ahem, well. Since time is limited, it would be best to start learning quickly." Lee Cheonhwa stands up. "By any chance, do you know about 'awakening'?"