[8] Oppa, what kind of bitch is she?

Slash.

Minjun’s sword pierced the Lizardman’s neck once again.

It was a clean strike that would have been impossible for the Minjun she had known a year ago.

Watching this Minjun, Sia felt something strange.

‘That… isn’t simply because of the sword.’

Physical ability, technique, senses.

Everything about him had changed noticeably compared to before.

Minjun himself might not realize it, but—

Sia, being a Dragon, could sense it.

She could tell that Minjun was displaying a level of performance that defied common sense.

‘What happened to him?’

In the distant past, she had once actually seen someone in the world she had lived in wielding a Dragon Bone Sword.

Their swordsmanship had all been different, but despite that, the method they used to draw out its power was exactly the same.

They stimulated the sword and released the unique power dwelling within the Dragon Bone.

But Minjun was drawing out the power latent within the sword in a completely different way from them.

At first, she had been uncertain, but after watching Minjun use the sword again, she could be certain.

‘I’ve… never seen anything like this before.’

Rather than a mere human ‘borrowing’ the power of the Dragon dwelling within the sword, he was using the Dragon’s power as though it were his own.

Although his skill was still clumsy, Sia could be certain of one thing.

If the Dragons learned about this, it would undoubtedly cause an enormous stir.

Just as she was struggling to make sense of it, Minjun finished the battle and turned his head toward her.

“Sia.”

“.......”

“Sia, what are you thinking about?”

“Huh, what? Oh, nothing.”

Sia’s reaction was suspicious to anyone who saw it, but Minjun did not ask any further.

“Let’s rest for a bit before we go.”

“Mm-hmm. Okay.”

Although she appeared perfectly normal on the outside, her thoughts were still racing.

‘I think I’ll have to do some research on this sooner or later.’

About the secret Minjun himself did not even know he was carrying within him.

***

The Gate raid ended smoothly.

Without Sia’s help, Minjun defeated every Lizardman inside the Gate entirely through his own strength.

And his performance was on a level that could not even be compared to before.

Even so, even after emerging from the Gate he had just cleared, Minjun still could not figure out what the power Sia had mentioned actually was.

“I’ll figure it out someday, right?”

“Of course. For today, let’s just be happy that you discovered a new talent.”

They say even a thousand-mile journey begins with a single step.

At least for today, Minjun decided to forget about that power and the Dragon Bone Sword.

There was no need to worry about such things yet. He could think about them starting tomorrow, after happily finishing their date today.

When they came out of the Gate, dusk was beginning to settle in.

“Shall we go get some dinner?”

“Sounds good. I was getting hungry, too. Is there anything you want to eat, Oppa?”

“I’m good with anything. What about you, Sia?”

“Hmm…”

After thinking for a moment, Sia answered in a bright, innocent voice.

“Can we have spicy rice cakes again?”

They had eaten spicy rice cakes for lunch as well, but apparently that had not been enough for her.

But—

It had only been yesterday that she had stood before her grave, crying because she regretted never having eaten spicy rice cakes with her even one more time while she was alive.

“There’s no reason we can’t. If we order a few side dishes, I think it’ll be fine.”

“Oh, I’d love that. Let’s do that.”

The two of them headed to a new spicy rice cakes restaurant different from the one they had visited for lunch and ordered their food.

“Heehee.”

Sia rested her chin in both hands like a flower pose and gazed at Minjun.

Like a sunflower gazing at the sun.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Thinking about Oppa.”

“Our Sia is so cute. It makes me want to bite you.”

“If it’s Oppa, I’ll let you eat me as much as you want.”

Even though their sugary conversation was enough to make anyone else’s hands and feet curl in embarrassment, neither of the two involved showed even the slightest change in expression.

However, while they were continuing to chat about trivial things—

Sia excused herself for a moment, saying she needed to use the restroom.

“Don’t cry while I’m gone for a moment, Oppa.”

“What should I do? I don’t think I can promise that.”

After Sia left, Minjun gazed fondly in the direction she had disappeared, happily reminiscing about everything that had happened that day.

Meanwhile—

At a table diagonally across from Minjun, two women glanced at him repeatedly as they whispered to each other.

“Yeonju. Just turn your head over there and take a look at that guy.”

“The one wearing the black hoodie?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh… he’s handsome.”

The two women, Jeong Minju and Hwang Yeonju, whispered so quietly that no one else could hear them.

His warm, handsome appearance was the very definition of standing out among a crowd.

He even had a nice voice.

And above all, just from watching him for a moment, it seemed obvious how much he loved his girlfriend.

“I want a boyfriend like that, too.”

Minju genuinely lamented that if he had not had a girlfriend, she would have gotten his number long ago.

But then—

“Should I go get his number?”

Hwang Yeonju suddenly blurted out something completely unexpected.

“What the hell are you saying, you crazy bitch?”

Jeong Minju naturally assumed Hwang Yeonju was joking.

But Yeonju had a surprisingly serious expression.

“Hey, you’re not… serious, are you?”

“Of course I’m serious.”

“Are you insane? Didn’t you see him talking to his girlfriend just now?”

“That’s what makes it more fun, you idiot. And she’s away from the table right now, isn’t she? If I’m going to get his number, I have to go now. Wanna make a bet? If I get his number, you buy me drinks later.”

Hwang Yeonju was normally obsessed with men, but even she usually kept at least some boundaries.

This time, however, she casually crossed that line as though it were nothing more than a jump rope.

“Hey, this really isn’t right.”

Going up to a guy who had been flirting with his girlfriend just moments ago and asking for his number? She had to be out of her mind.

But Yeonju began saying something even more outrageous to Minju.

“Scared?”

“What?”

“Are you scared you’ll lose? Anyway, watch carefully. I’ll be right back with his number. Don’t forget you owe me drinks.”

“Hey, hey! Hwang Yeonju!”

Minju tried to stop her until the very end, but Yeonju eventually stood up and began walking toward the man.

“I wonder if she’s actually going to get herself into serious trouble.”

She had always had a bit of a screw-loose side to her, but who would have thought she was this crazy?

Jeong Minju let out a quiet sigh, soft enough that no one else could hear.

But regardless, Hwang Yeonju confidently approached Minjun.

And then—

“Excuse me, but—”

After approaching Minjun with a rather self-assured stride, she spoke to him.

“Could you give me your number? I’m not normally like this, but you’re just so completely my type.”

“……?”

The moment the words asking for his number came out of the woman’s mouth, Minjun could not hide his momentary surprise.

‘Isn’t she the person who’s been sitting over there this whole time?’

She had not been sitting very far away, so naturally, she must have seen him flirting with Sia.

And yet she still wanted to get his number?

“I’m sorry. I have a girlfriend.”

“I know, I know. But how about we just stay friends? You know, as guy friends and girl friends. That’s okay, isn’t it?”

“……What?”

He had expected her to leave obediently, but the woman once again held out her phone toward Minjun.

Subtly emphasizing her bust in the process.

‘……Is the world going crazy?’

She wanted to become a female friend of a man who already had a girlfriend, even if she could not be his girlfriend?

She needed to start making some sense.

“I’m sorry. I don’t think that would be possible.”

“Aww, come on. If you’re uncomfortable giving me your number, I can enter my number into your phone. Is that not okay either?”

Normally, even if someone tried to get your number, wouldn’t they give up and walk away after being rejected once or twice at most?

But the woman refused to give up, clinging to Minjun like a leech as she tried to get his number.

Minjun was now certain she was crazy.

“I have no intention of giving you my number. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t make things troublesome for either of us.”

His tone was noticeably sharper than before.

Hwang Yeonju shrugged as though she had lost interest and returned to her seat.

Watching her retreating back, Minjun frowned.

He was uncomfortable that something like this had happened while Sia was away.

But then—

Right on cue, Sia returned after briefly leaving the table.

In one hand, she was carrying a shopping bag of unknown contents.

“Oppa, did you wait long? Sorry.”

But the moment she entered the restaurant—

‘……Why is the atmosphere in here like this?’

She sensed the subtle atmosphere in the restaurant and quietly opened her senses.

The moment she did, she immediately began hearing people whispering.

‘Wow, that’s insane. How can she even think about getting the number of a guy who has a girlfriend?’

‘Exactly. No matter how much I liked a guy, I could never do that.’

‘I heard her earlier. She said she’d be fine with being his female friend if she couldn’t be his girlfriend. Wow…’

‘What’s going to happen if that guy’s girlfriend finds out?’

‘What do you think? We just eat our popcorn and watch.’

No matter how quietly they whispered, there was nothing they could say that a Dragon like her could not hear.

“Oppa.”

In an instant, all the air around them seemed to freeze.

“Oppa, is there anything you’re hiding from me?”

“Hiding something? Sia—”

“What kind of bitch was it?”

Her lifeless eyes stared blankly at Minjun.

“What kind of bitch tried to get Oppa’s number?”