The Bet (1)
While I was lost in a particularly entertaining dream, the sound of birdsong suddenly drifted in, slowly pulling my mind back to clarity.
“...”
I cracked my eyes open, immediately aware of the subtle warmth drifting through the room. ...When did I fall asleep? I'd felt a little tired, but it seemed I'd dozed off while fiddling with my phone.
“Ugh...”
I stretched long and hard before sitting up, only to find the dishes from last night's meal still scattered exactly where I'd left them. ...Right. I really should clean those.
Blinking sleep from my eyes, I sat there in a daze for a moment before grabbing the phone that had rolled onto the floor and checking the time.
“...”
It was 7:24 AM—almost time to head out. Looked like the dishes would have to wait for afternoon me.
Since I was already up early, I took my time getting ready for school and managed to finish sooner than expected. I had plenty of time to tidy the house, but I wasn't in the mood. Better to head out a little early, I decided, and stepped out onto the path to the academy.
As I walked the familiar route in a daze, I soon found myself at that alley.
“...”
Maybe Min Soyeon would be there. I quietly approached and peered inside.
...
What met my nose wasn't the stale stench of cigarettes, but the cold, dusty scent of neglect. Min Soyeon was nowhere to be seen.
I didn't know whether to feel relieved or disappointed.
With that, I turned around and continued toward the academy, arriving a little earlier than usual. The normally bustling campus was nearly empty, with only a handful of students scattered about. Taking advantage of the quiet, I strolled leisurely through the grounds before heading to the classroom.
When I slid the door open, several students were already inside.
...Diligent bunch.
Slightly impressed, I was making my way to my usual corner seat when my eyes met those of a girl sitting in the middle row.
“...Ah, good morning, Jihwan?”
It was the girl I'd baked muffins for before.
“Morning.”
I returned the greeting with a small smile, and a faint blush colored her cheeks. Since we didn't have much to talk about, I was about to move on when she spoke again.
“...You're here early today, huh?”
“...Woke up a bit early. You always come around this time?”
“Y-yeah! My house is pretty far, so...”
She lived about an hour and a half away from the academy. After chatting with her for a while, I settled into my corner seat as more students began filing in.
But there was still no sign of Min Soyeon.
...Why isn't she here...
Feeling oddly restless, I found myself mindlessly fiddling with my phone. After what felt like forever, the bell signaling the start of class rang, and the classroom door burst open.
Finally, she appeared.
It was Min Soyeon—the one I'd been anxiously waiting for.
...Thank god.
Only then could I truly relax, knowing she'd made it to school without any trouble. At the same time, I felt a pang of frustration at how worked up I'd gotten over something as simple as whether she'd show up for class.
If I had her contact information, this wouldn't even be an issue. Even yesterday—if something had happened to her, I would've had no way of knowing. At this rate, we might as well be complete strangers.
“...”
I needed to find a way to change that.
As I racked my brain for ways to get closer to her, my gaze fell on the phone in my hand.
......Oh.
A rather good idea had just occurred to me.
*
Combat training came around as usual. While the other students warmed up, I approached Min Soyeon, who was sitting alone in the corner, and spoke to her.
“Not going to warm up?”
She was inspecting her nails and shot me an irritated glance before muttering,
“...I'm skipping training today.”
Her tone made it perfectly clear how little she wanted to participate. I'd expected as much, but it still made me flinch. I casually sat down beside her and said lightly,
“...Really? Then I guess it can't be helped.”
When I simply accepted it without protest, she turned to look at me with a strange expression.
“...I was going to make you an interesting offer. Maybe next time.”
I glanced at her to gauge her reaction, but she was staring at the other students as if she couldn't care less.
...Tsk. This isn't good.
I tried again.
“...Aren't you even a little curious what it is?”
“Not interested.”
“...For real? You'll regret it...”
No matter how many times I spoke, she ignored me completely, refusing to even respond. It seemed I'd thoroughly earned her dislike. Still, I couldn't back down now.
Min Soyeon had inherited her mother's competitive streak. Even as a child, losing at rock-paper-scissors would send her crying into her mother's arms. The memory was still vivid. She never cared much about things that didn't interest her, but in areas that did, she hated losing more than anything.
She might have changed as she grew older, but there was only one way to find out. To gently prod her, I tossed out the bait.
“...If you win, I'll do whatever you tell me to do.”
“...What?”
My words seemed to hit their mark—she looked back at me in disbelief. The fish was biting.
“If you don't want to train, you don't have to. If you tell me to fetch water, I'll fetch it. If you tell me not to talk to you, I won't.”
She gave me the familiar look that said what nonsense is this now? But I could tell she was at least a little intrigued. I smoothly continued,
“It's nothing weird, I promise. Just a simple bet... Want to hear the details?”
Min Soyeon narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
“...What kind of bet?”
I couldn't hide my smile as I answered.
“Tag.”
“...Tag?”
The rules were simple. We'd decide who was 'it' with rock-paper-scissors. The one who was 'it' had to touch the other to win. Five-minute time limit. Weapons and abilities were allowed.
There was probably no better condition for her.
“...What do you think? Sounds fair, right?”
She seemed to consider it for a moment before glancing at me.
“This... being 'it' is advantageous, isn't it?”
She already looked fully committed. And she was right—touching the opponent ended the game no matter what, so the one running was at a disadvantage. That was exactly what I'd been counting on.
“True, but rock-paper-scissors takes skill too. And so does avoiding.”
I'd prepared a backup suggestion in case she complained, but it seemed she accepted my reasoning. Whether you were 'it' or not, winning was winning. To seal the deal, I asked,
“...So, you in?”
“...Fine. I'll fall for it just this once.”
And just like that, the bet between Min Soyeon and me was set.
*
I moved quickly before her interest could fade. Since we didn't need much space—unlike my match with Jang Suwon—we claimed the farthest corner of the training ground.
The other students' eyes immediately turned our way the moment Min Soyeon, who'd been motionless until now, suddenly stood up. I hadn't anticipated the audience, but it might actually work in my favor.
I suggested we decide who would be 'it' with rock-paper-scissors...
“...”
I won with scissors against her rock.
...It actually worked?
Truth be told, ever since she was little, Min Soyeon had a habit of always leading with scissors in rock-paper-scissors. I'd been only half-sure the habit remained, but she really had played scissors.
Having lost the draw, Min Soyeon now found herself as 'it'—the advantageous position—and seemed unsure whether to be happy about it or not. We set a timer on our phones and put some distance between us.
Roughly ten meters apart. She'd already drawn her weapon and was glaring at me fiercely.
...No doubt whose daughter she is. She's terrifying.
It reminded me of my wife in her younger, more hot-tempered days. As I shivered at the bloody memories, the timer rang out.
Ring ring~
At the same time, Min Soyeon dropped into a low stance and shot forward like a bullet.
She was clearly aiming to knock me down rather than simply touch me—her sword sliced through the air right in front of my face. I leaned back just enough to dodge, then flashed her a bright smile.
The moment she realized her attack had missed, she instantly switched to a thrust. Changing the direction of a sword with that much power behind it was no easy feat. I inwardly admired her talent as I quickly raised my mana and deflected the strike.
She seemed shocked that I'd blocked it and shot me a look that screamed isn't that against the rules?
“...Didn't touch.”
“...Tsk.”
With her temper now fully ignited, she gathered her mana more carefully and began attacking with increasing speed.
Clang!!! Clang!!!
The solid condensation of mana paid off—the sound of metal clashing echoed across the training ground.
...This is tougher than I expected.
Since I didn't have much mana to spare, I had to use it efficiently. I formed fist-sized clumps of mana to block where her sword would land. Experience made it easy to manifest, but the efficiency was still lacking.
Clang!! Clang!!!
Around the two-minute mark, Min Soyeon's mana began to visibly deplete. I got a rough sense of her capacity.
Three minutes. Clang! Clang!
Her stamina seemed to be running out—her speed gradually slowed.
Four minutes. My own mana was depleting rapidly, but her attacks had slowed noticeably as well.
“Haaaat!”
Desperate to win, she poured everything she had into one final swing. Part of me wanted to let her land a clean hit and praise her for her effort, but the situation didn't allow for it. I focused mana into my palm and struck her blade downward with force.
Kang!!
A dull sound of spent power. Her posture broke.
At that exact moment, the timer rang out, signaling the end of the match.
Ring ring ring~ Ring ring ring~
Min Soyeon, still off-balance, stared at me with a devastated expression. Her sweat-soaked bangs, the fire gone from her eyes, and the way she bit her lip in frustration all showed just how hard she'd tried.
“...You worked hard.”
Unfortunately for her, this was my victory.
Min Soyeon dropped her sword and sank to the floor, glaring up at me.
“...Ha.”
She was breathing heavily, lips bitten tight, clearly furious at her defeat. After catching my own breath, I approached and offered her my hand.
“...As you probably noticed, that was really close.”
Apparently finding my consolation unpleasant, she ignored my hand entirely and shot to her feet.
“...You bad bastard.”
...Huh?
It seemed she thought she'd been tricked. After taking a moment to steady her breathing, she let out a deep sigh and spoke.
“...So. What exactly was so important that you had to trick me into this?”
Looked like I'd earned myself a solid spot on her bad side. Still, a bet was a bet. Having won, I now had the right to make her do anything I wanted.
“...What I want to ask you to do is...”
Exactly...