Chapter 242
"Hello."
I greeted her lightly. It felt like ages since I last spoke to Jin Yeseo.
After collapsing while trying to stop Witch Regulus, who had possessed Yena's body, I woke up and went straight to find Yeon, only to collapse again.
After that, I spent a long time in the hospital ward before barely managing to return.
"..."
Jin Yeseo didn't respond to my greeting. She just glared at me chillingly with bloodshot eyes. Come to think of it, her face looked haggard, as if she hadn't slept properly. Well, it's true that there's been a lot going on lately.
"You're not even going to return my greeting? And first off, let go of this arm..."
-Boom!
Immediately, a heavy impact sounded from my right ear. Glancing over, I saw a lightly dented surface. Wasn't the arena floor supposed to be made of composite reinforced material to prevent damage?
"Explain."
Her eerie voice urged me again. At this point, I was getting slightly annoyed. It's not in my nature to spill everything just because someone yells at me. She could've just asked nicely, and I would have explained.
Well, it's not like I can't understand Jin Yeseo's feelings at all. Maybe she's disappointed in me. To her, I probably seem like a useless scoundrel right now.
Especially since I've gone and made her favorite senior an unwed mother.
But that doesn't mean I've suddenly started disliking Jin Yeseo. This is just a trivial incident. After all, she's my friend. And I'm sure she feels the same way.
Even though she's furious, I don't feel any hostility from her.
"...What if I refuse?"
"Hah."
As I spat out curtly, Jin Yeseo let out a dry laugh. Then, glaring at me fiercely, she coldly muttered.
"Then I guess we'll have to stay like this. Maybe take a few flying punches too."
"Who said I'd let you hit me? You can't even touch a single strand of my hair."
"We'll see. You never know until you try. At the very least, I can make sure you'll never function as a man again. As punishment for recklessly playing around."
Her provocations were met with my own. Every word she said was chilling. Instinctively, we both seemed to be looking for an excuse—me to loosen up my stiffened body after days, and Jin Yeseo to cool her overheated head.
The explanation would come afterward. There was no need to say it out loud; we both already knew. That's why Jin Yeseo was waiting here.
She knew I would come to find her.
No more words were needed. Jin Yeseo, with her empty eyes, suddenly struck down with her fist. Clearly, she wasn't aiming for the arena floor, but directly at my forehead.
-Boom!
I narrowly dodged her punch by twisting my upper body. The atmosphere trembled with the delayed impact sound. I spun my lower body, escaping Jin Yeseo's restraint. Then, turning swiftly, I twisted Jin Yeseo's shoulder and pressed her down.
In an instant, our positions reversed.
"You're still no match for me. So now..."
-Huff!
Without a word, Jin Yeseo deftly twisted her arm and freed herself from my hold. Then, she leapt up and wrapped both legs around my neck, using me as a support to lift her body into the air. The suffocating pressure on my neck was less daunting than the soft, dual sensations I felt against the back of my head.
"Hoo. Got you again?"
From behind, Jin Yeseo whispered as she moved her lips. Her voice carried a sense of satisfaction, as if she had perfectly subdued me.
"This is a lock you can't escape from once you're caught. It's the technique you taught me. How does it feel to be defeated by something you showed me?"
"...Impressive."
The compliment wasn't an empty one. I hadn't expected her close combat skills to have reached this level already. It took me months to get to this stage. I suffered countless times, trapped in my older sisters' holds.
They'd stroke my hair while I was restrained, blow air into my ears, and make me feel awkward sensations from the tight holds.
Thinking about those humiliations still makes my hands tremble. Jin Yeseo, however, broke through the level that took me so much pain to achieve in just a few weeks.
Undeniable talent.
"Hmm..."
Jin Yeseo let out a light hum at the compliment. Perhaps her mood had improved a little. Even so, the pressure on my neck only grew stronger. My breathing was becoming labored, and my vision blurred.
If I couldn't escape this hold, Jin Yeseo's victory was all but certain.
If I couldn't escape.
"Even if you say that, I'm not going to release the hold. Just quietly pass out like this."
Jin Yeseo tightened her grip further as she spoke.
"Don't worry. I'll watch over you. But everything that happens in the meantime is your fault. Got it? All because of your own—Ah!"
Taking advantage of her moment of triumph, I twisted her joint and slipped out. My entire body screamed in pain as my joints cracked loudly. I was a bit curious about what she meant by "everything that happens in the meantime." Was she planning to draw graffiti on my face while I was out?
"Huff."
My dislocated shoulder dangled as I forcefully escaped her grip. Without blinking an eye, I set it back into place. Jin Yeseo ground her teeth in frustration as she glared at me.
She swiftly closed the distance, spinning her body to throw a kick. It looked like she was aiming to strike my jaw. Her crane-like long leg instead lightly grazed my nose bridge as it passed.
As soon as I dodged her attack, I narrowed the gap and moved into her guard. My tightly clenched fist was clearly aiming below her navel. Seeing this, Jin Yeseo sneered and shouted.
"I knew it! Of course you'd go for something perverted...!"
As if she anticipated my move, Jin Yeseo twisted her body. But that was exactly what I had aimed for. She knew my favorite attack methods all too well. We've exchanged blows far too many times for her not to.
I immediately adjusted the angle of my fist. Instead of hitting her stomach, I wrapped my arm around her neck.
Then, using my body weight and momentum, I slammed her straight into the arena floor.
-Boom!
"Ugh..."
Jin Yeseo let out a dry cough. She barely got herself up, but she was already in a defenseless state.
I clenched my fist again and aimed for the area below her navel. Even if she saw it coming, there was nothing she could do to stop it.
-Puhk!
"Kugh...!"
I punched her two or three more times in succession. The shocks that rattled her body made it hard for her to collect herself. Still, I had held back my strength. This wasn't a life-or-death battle with an enemy; it was just sparring with a friend.
I climbed on top of Jin Yeseo, who had collapsed. From there, I pinned her legs down with my knees. Both of her wrists were firmly held in my hands.
Ensuring she couldn't resist any further.
"Huff, huff..."
"Hah..."
The sound of rough, sweat-drenched breathing filled the arena. Both of us were soaked, as if we had braved heavy rain. I could feel the texture of hair stuck to my cheek.
Because of her thin clothes, Jin Yeseo's skin was visible. Embarrassed, I deliberately focused solely on her face. We were so close I could feel the warmth of her breath.
"I win, right?"
"...Tch."
Instead of conceding, Jin Yeseo sharply turned her head to the side. Her eyes finally regained their focus.
Perhaps because she had to accept defeat in such an embarrassing position, her face flushed red as if she were drunk.
***
"Have you calmed down a bit?"
I pulled a water bottle from the fridge in the corner and handed it to her. Jin Yeseo, crouched and draped in a towel, silently accepted it.
"...Hmph."
The way she deliberately pouted her lips made it obvious her anger had already subsided. After taking a sip, she handed the water bottle back to me and timidly asked.
"So...what's the deal?"
"What deal?"
"Hah, you're still playing dumb at a time like this?"
I emptied the rest of the water bottle she handed me and asked back. Jin Yeseo glared at me with dagger-like eyes.
"Do you know how worried I was? The one who promised to return ends up hospitalized, and because of Senior Minha, I couldn't even enter the ward..."
"..."
"When I secretly went to see you, I found out you'd already left for somewhere else? And that it was the Rebel Army's stronghold??"
Jin Yeseo fired off her words in a barrage.
"Then you got hurt again, hospitalized again... After returning to the cradle, you didn't even check in with me...!"
"Wait..."
"And what?? A daughter?? Dad???"
Jin Yeseo seemed to have a lot bottled up. Hearing it like this, I could understand her disappointment a bit.
"You're going to have to explain this properly. Don't tell me you seriously... are really in that kind of relationship with Sister Seoyeon..."
Jin Yeseo's eyes were losing their focus again. No matter how you look at it, sparring once a day is more than enough.
But this...what should I even say?
"...She is my daughter."
"..."
With that single sentence, Jin Yeseo froze in place. She stared blankly at me, her eyes welling up with tears.
It looked like I needed to explain further to clear up any misconceptions. I hurriedly opened my mouth to add another sentence.
"But it's not what you're thinking..."
"Huh?"
Jin Yeseo looked at me with vindictive eyes, as if asking what nonsense I was spewing. Now she was staring at me like I was absolute garbage.
I needed...to explain further.
Quite a lot, too.