Chapter 41

Oppa, Look Forward to Your Gift

The night before Minjun received the call from his mother, Yuna was taking a short break in the staff room of her restaurant, fidgeting absentmindedly with her phone.

“Did Minjun forget to call me?”

She had given him her business card before they parted and explicitly told him to contact her later. Yet, several days had passed without a single word from him. Considering how close they used to be, she had expected him to call at least once to say hello—if only because running into each other again had been such a pleasant surprise.

As far as Yuna could see, there were only two logical explanations for his silence: either he had lost her business card, or…

His girlfriend had forbidden him from calling.

Yuna was convinced it was the latter.

‘She really is so uptight.’

Having spent nearly half her life in the United States, Yuna had adopted a very open-minded, American mindset and simply could not understand the issue. In America, it was completely normal for a man in a relationship to hang out with female friends, and vice versa.

‘All I want is for us to stay friends. Is even that not allowed?’

Anyone raised with traditional, strict values would likely click their tongue in disapproval and accuse her of having ulterior motives.

To soothe her frustration, Yuna opened her phone gallery and began scrolling through old childhood photos with Minjun. She swiped through memories from their days as child models, all the way to a picture where she was kissing his cheek.

‘He really was cruel back then.’

She had made her feelings so obvious, yet he had never realized how she felt. Minjun had always been hopelessly dense when it came to romance.

Gazing at the old photos with a complex expression, Yuna fell deep into thought once again. If her family had never emigrated, perhaps it would be her standing by Minjun’s side right now instead of Sia.

‘Is there really nothing I can do?’

It had taken so long to cross paths with him again. She could not let this chance slip away so easily.

As she mulled over the problem, Yuna suddenly thought of her mother. Hadn’t her mother mentioned flying into Korea in a couple of days to visit her, cure a bit of homesickness, and stay for a month or two?

‘Mom used to adore Minjun, too.’

Even though more than twenty years had passed, Yuna remembered one detail with absolute clarity: her mother used to joke that she wanted Minjun as her future son-in-law. It had been a lighthearted joke, but it showed just how much her mother cherished him. Their families had even taken turns babysitting each other’s children back then, so her mother would undoubtedly be curious to see how Minjun had grown up.

‘…That’s actually a great plan.’

Yuna smiled, satisfied with the idea. After quickly ironing out the details in her head, she ran through the scenario mentally.

‘Just wait, Minjun.’

With her decision made, Yuna dialed her mother’s number.

✦ ✦ ✦

“As for when I’m free… I’m not really sure. Mom, something just came up, so I’ll call you right back.”

I hurriedly ended the call and immediately looked at Sia, checking her expression.

I set aside my pure amazement at the fact that dragons truly were built differently—since no ordinary human could have overheard my phone conversation when I didn’t even have my mother on speakerphone. What truly mattered right now was that Sia had heard every single word.

[Oppa.]

Her voice was as cold as ice. The chilly glint in her eyes sent a sharp shiver down my spine the moment our gazes met. It was a terrifying, unfamiliar atmosphere, completely unlike her usual gentle self.

When had I seen her react like this before?

Right. It was shortly after we reunited, back when she found out some crazy woman had tried to ask for my phone number. Sia had looked at me with the exact same freezing stare and spoken in that same icy tone.

Which meant I was currently facing a massive emergency.

[Your mother said she wants you, that woman, and herself to get together for a meal?]

Sia spoke slowly, pronouncing each word with distinct clarity. Goosebumps broke out across my body at her unusually stiff tone.

“…Yeah.”

There was no point in lying when she had already heard the entire conversation.

[Then are you going, Oppa?]

…That was an incredibly difficult question to answer.

The smartest approach seemed to be accepting the dinner invitation while reassuring Sia that I would cut off all contact with Yuna noona right after. But that was only a backup plan, not the ideal solution. There was no guarantee Sia would accept it anyway.

She might trust me, but she certainly did not trust Yuna noona.

‘Damn it. What am I supposed to do?’

Deciding that honesty was my best option, I confessed my true feelings to Sia.

“Honestly, something about this whole thing bothers me, so I don’t really want to go. But Mom seems really eager for us to meet up with her.”

I also briefly explained how Yuna noona’s mother used to take care of me when I was a kid.

“If it were entirely up to me, I wouldn’t go. I’m going to try my best to convince Mom to drop it… but even if I have no choice, I promise nothing you’re worried about will happen.”

I spoke as gently and cautiously as possible, watching her face the entire time. Her expression didn’t darken any further, but it clearly wasn’t the answer she wanted. She simply stared at me with her lips pressed tightly together in a thin line, which only made her look even scarier.

Maybe I really should just make up an excuse about hunter work being too busy and avoid going altogether.

Just as that thought crossed my mind, Sia finally broke the heavy, suffocating silence.

[I guess… it isn’t really a gathering I can join.]

“Mm… right. Though I’d love to take you with me if I could.”

Silence stretched between us once again. Finally, as if making a monumental decision, Sia spoke up.

[…It can’t be helped. Go.]

“Really?”

Her response caught me completely off guard. But looking closer, I noticed her lips were trembling faintly.

“…On second thought, I think it’s still better if I don’t go.”

[No. Just go. I can’t cause trouble between you and my future mother-in-law because of my own feelings. You said it’s been twenty years since your families last met.]

This time, it wasn’t just her lips—her voice trembled noticeably as well.

[So it’s fine, Oppa. I’m going to get back to what I was doing. Get plenty of rest.]

Before I could say another word, Sia disconnected the call. She claimed she was fine, but her face had looked worse than ever.

Part of me wondered if I should call her back immediately, but I figured it might be better to give her some space to process her thoughts.

“Haa…”

I let out a long, frustrated sigh. I had a really bad feeling about this. That noona was definitely plotting something behind my back.

Still, I couldn’t stop worrying about it while I finished the porridge Sia had prepared for me. Just as I was clearing away the empty bowl, Rokan walked into the room.

“How are you feeling?” Rokan asked, sitting on the edge of my bed to inspect my condition.

“I’m a bit tired and my body feels heavy, but nothing seems to be seriously wrong.”

“Even so, do not even think about overexerting yourself.”

I couldn’t do much even if I wanted to, considering I didn’t even have a weapon right now. Come to think of it, what had happened to the Dragon Bone Sword I gave him earlier?

“Ah, Rokan. I don’t mean to rush you, but… how is the sword coming along?”

“The sword? I will do my best, but it likely will not be the same as before.”

Rokan reached into thin air, pulled out the broken Dragon Bone Sword I had handed him yesterday, and placed it down in front of me. It looked just as damaged as when I first gave it to him.

“I have seen many Dragon Bone Swords throughout my life, but this is the first time I have seen one damaged to this extent.”

“The first time…?”

“Yes.”

According to Rokan, Dragon Bone Swords were far sturdier than I had imagined. Even if a dragon intentionally tried to destroy one, breaking it this badly was nearly impossible. Furthermore, he noted that the visible cracks weren’t even the worst part of the damage—its internal structure was severely ruined.

“Could it be because I struck the emperor’s sword with it…?”

“I cannot say that had no effect, but it was not the main cause. In my opinion, the direct cause was an extreme energy overload that the blade simply could not handle.”

“An overload?”

“Dragon Tongue.”

Seeing my confused expression, Rokan explained further. In short, while trapped inside that spatial realm, I had unconsciously squeezed out every last drop of latent power remaining inside the sword to activate Dragon Tongue. That action had temporarily forced the dragon power embedded in the blade to its absolute limit, resulting in catastrophic damage to the weapon.

“It is quite similar to how your own body was left broken after wielding power beyond your capacity.”

Rokan added that while he couldn’t be a hundred percent certain, his theory was almost certainly correct. It also explained why I had been unconscious for three full days and still hadn’t fully recovered my strength—both were side effects of forcing Dragon Tongue before my body was ready.

“So… I was only able to use Dragon Tongue because every single condition lined up perfectly by pure luck?”

“Yes. And I suspect the unique environment of that place played a major role as well.”

Hearing that made me feel strangely deflated. In other words, I was still a long way from being able to use Dragon Tongue on my own without relying on external variables.

“Even so, you achieved something incredible. Regardless of the circumstances, the fact that you managed to manifest Dragon Tongue even once is a monumental step forward.”

Beyond that, Rokan voiced his heartfelt gratitude simply because I had made it back alive.

“I am only telling you this now, but when Shasha learned you were trapped inside the gate, she fainted on the spot.”

“…Ah.”

My heart ached at the vivid image of her collapsing from shock. If I had failed to return for a long time—or worse, never came back at all—Sia probably would have…

I didn’t even want to imagine it.

A profound sense of guilt washed over me for causing both Sia and Rokan so much agony. As I silently reflected on everything Sia must have gone through, Rokan suddenly pulled me into a warm, heavy embrace.

“If you had given up instead of fighting with everything you had, Shasha would have felt as though she lost her entire world. So, thank you for coming back. I am truly proud of you.”

He patted my back gently before placing the broken sword back into his subspace storage.

“I intend to visit the location you mentioned in the near future.”

“That dungeon probably belongs to a guild, so…”

I almost warned him that he wouldn’t be allowed inside without official permission, but I quickly shut my mouth as I realized how absurd that sounded. What could possibly block an absolute dragon like Rokan?

“…Never mind. Forget I said anything.”

“In any case, I may be able to find additional clues there regarding how to awaken your powers.”

With those final words, Rokan placed another potion on my nightstand—just like he had done yesterday—and took his leave.

Left alone in the room, I drank the potion in one gulp and stared at the large, dark screen mounted on the wall. It was the same screen I had been using for a long video call with Sia right before Rokan arrived.

‘…Is Sia really okay?’

I hoped I was overthinking things, but she seemed to be in an extremely dark mood earlier. I felt terrible for upsetting her over something so unnecessary, and that guilt quickly morphed into irritation toward Yuna noona.

‘Seriously, what is her problem…?’

If I don’t contact you, just take the hint that I’m not interested. Why go through all this trouble to force a meeting?

✦ ✦ ✦

Immediately after hanging up the call with Minjun, Sia stared blankly at her darkened screen with dazed, unfocused eyes.

‘That woman deliberately set this up.’

When Minjun didn’t call her after getting her number, that woman must have engineered a situation where Minjun would have no choice but to meet her, using his mother to break down his guard.

Sia’s deduction was spot on.

‘She really trapped me.’

If Sia threw a fit and forbade Minjun from going, she would only come across as unreasonable and childish, which infuriated her to no end. She could clearly feel how careful Minjun was being to avoid making her anxious, but she could also feel how persistently that woman was trying to dig her claws into him.

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Minjun. She simply didn’t trust what that woman might try next.

How could she make sure that woman never dared to hover around Minjun ever again?

As dark anxiety crept into her mind, Sia’s usual composure began to crack. Taking a deep breath to steady her shaking heart, she picked up the fragment of her own dragon bone that she had prepared to forge the new Dragon Bone Sword, focusing all her attention on carving it with extreme precision.

For now, she would trust Minjun. Once his meeting was over, she would figure out every detail of how that woman tried to flirt with him and draft an airtight countermeasure.

Worrying endlessly right now wouldn’t solve anything, so she forced herself to focus entirely on crafting the sword.

Sia’s hands moved deftly as she worked on the bone, her mind shifting toward the weapon’s design. Since this would be a one-of-a-kind masterpiece in the entire world, shouldn’t its design be equally extraordinary?

‘What would make it look truly special?’

Perhaps she could engrave Minjun’s initials onto the blade.

No—rather than just his initials, it would be even better to engrave her own name alongside his as the creator. It was customary for famous weapons to bear the artisan’s name, after all.

Or maybe she could intricately carve miniature figures of herself and Minjun together into the hilt. Anyone else might laugh it off as a joke, but Sia was dead serious.

Even if it seemed over the top, she wanted to make it blatantly obvious to anyone who looked at the sword that she and Minjun were deeply in love.

‘I’m sure Oppa will love it… right?’

Sia hummed a sweet melody as her hands continued to shape the bone.

In more ways than one, this gift was shaping up to be truly unforgettable for both of them.