Chapter 9
A wave of curious glances swept through the café following the small commotion.
Startled by the unexpected appearance of Chun Seo-hee, I quickly gathered my senses and pointed to the seat across from me.
“Uh, do you... want to sit down first?”
“…….”
Without a word, she quietly took the seat.
I followed suit and sat down across from her, letting out a small sigh to calm my racing heart.
It felt a little nerve-wracking.
‘Is this the first time I’m seeing her this close?’
Though it wasn’t intentional, we were sitting close enough that even the slightest reach of an arm could touch.
Because of that, I could fully take in Chun Seo-hee’s face, which I hadn’t been able to properly observe until now.
‘…She’s unbelievably gorgeous.’
Her soft, curly black hair gently framed her jawline.
A face as small as a fist, her striking beauty radiating even without a hint of makeup.
And, as if that weren’t enough, the faintly visible silhouette of her “violent” curves beneath a thin short-sleeve shirt was impossible to ignore.
I’d seen countless beautiful women, no matter the species, and I usually didn’t even blink an eye. Yet even I couldn’t help but feel awestruck by her beauty.
She was on par with, if not surpassing, the Kim Yoo-bin of her prime.
“……?”
“Ah.”
Lost in admiring her beauty, I was suddenly snapped back to reality by Chun Seo-hee’s questioning gaze.
I nearly made the mistake of calling her over and then just staring blankly at her face.
“Sorry, I was just... lost in thought for a second. Uh, do you want something to drink?”
I added, “This café requires at least one order per person,” as I awkwardly fumbled for my wallet.
That’s when she opened her mouth for the first time and answered carefully.
“…Anything is fine.”
Anything.
Under normal circumstances, I would’ve told her there’s no such menu and asked her to choose something properly.
But today…
‘Ah, our Seo-hee doesn’t even have a picky palate, huh.’
For some reason, even that seemed utterly adorable today.
It felt like I was already completely smitten.
Back in the other world, Kim Yoo-bin used to say something as if it were her mantra.
She always said that if she ever returned to her original world, she wanted to try something called a Java Chip Frappuccino from a famous café franchise.
It was an indulgent drink she couldn’t even dream of having ordinarily, but she said she once got a coupon during a school event and tasted it just that one time.
She could never forget the taste and vowed that if she ever made it back, she’d buy it for the two of us to share.
But in the end, she never got to taste it again.
Anyway.
One day, as I was busy trying to take care of Na-gyeong, I randomly ended up tasting the drink she had mentioned so often.
It turned out to be far too sweet for my liking.
Instead, Na-gyeong loved it.
The finely blended ice, the almost painfully sweet flavor, and the crunch of the chocolate chips—it was all irresistible to her.
Recalling that moment, I decided to order the same drink for Chun Seo-hee.
“Girls tend to like this. What do you think?”
Chun Seo-hee took a small sip of the drink, her gaze lowering slightly as she furrowed her brows ever so slightly. Then, she spoke softly.
“…It’s good.”
It seemed her taste in flavors didn’t align with Kim Yoo-bin preferences after all.
‘So, Kim Yoo-bin and Cheon Seo-hee really are completely different people….’
Swallowing my disappointment with a sip of coffee, I cautiously brought up the main topic of conversation.
It was time to persuade her.
“First of all… thank you for coming out here like this.”
“…….”
“To be honest, if you hadn’t come by this weekend, I was planning to give up entirely.”
Chun Seo-hee kept her lips tightly sealed, silently staring down at her drink as she listened.
I tried to lighten the heavy atmosphere with a joke, but the lack of any reaction made it painfully awkward.
It reminded me of the cold indifference Kim Yoo-bin had shown when she was first summoned.
‘Dragging this out won’t get me anywhere.’
Accepting her impenetrable demeanor, I decided to cut straight to the point.
“Is the reason you’re dropping out because of your injured arm?”
At that, she subtly moved her hand beneath the table.
Now that I thought about it, she had never openly shown her left arm.
It looked fine from the outside—was there perhaps a scar hidden underneath?
“…Not entirely, but it’s related,” she answered cautiously, her voice quiet.
Chun Seo-hee admitted that her decision to drop out wasn’t solely due to her arm.
I had a hunch about the other reason.
“Can you tell me, briefly, what the other reason is?”
“…It’s because I don’t have money.”
As I suspected, it was due to her financial situation.
Across all eras and regions, pursuing a career in the arts or physical disciplines always costs a lot of money.
This was especially true in fields that required expensive equipment.
Even at an academy that received state funding and provided significant support, it wasn’t enough to cover everything.
For Chun Seo-hee, who was now living alone, continuing her studies at the academy must have felt overwhelming.
“…It’s because of your family situation, isn’t it?”
“…….”
“I heard bits and pieces from Mr. Kim. I’m a teacher, after all. I needed to understand your background to some extent. Sorry for looking into it without asking.”
“…It’s fine.”
“So… are you living alone right now?”
Folding my arms, I gazed at her seriously.
She gave a slight nod in response.
“No close relatives nearby? A grandmother, maybe…?”
“…No, I don’t have anyone.”
“Then, how are you managing your living expenses…?”
“…I get some support from the government.”
Her words left me momentarily speechless.
The situation was even grimmer than I had imagined.
It was fortunate that she at least had some financial support from the state. If not for that, it wouldn’t have been surprising if something far worse had already happened to her.
‘Money… it always comes back to money.’
Thinking for a moment, I decided to ask how she intended to resolve her situation.
If she was determined enough to drop out, she must have had a plan in mind.
“What were you planning to do after dropping out?”
“…Earn money.”
“How?”
“Maybe as an adventurer…”
“…With that arm?”
At my light rebuttal, she bit her lip in frustration, her expression brimming with resentment.
As I’d suspected, she didn’t seem to have a clear plan in place.
A sudden thought crossed my mind—that perhaps her decision to drop out wasn’t solely driven by her injured arm or financial troubles.
‘…Maybe it’s her pride.’
Looking back, that would make sense.
Chun Seo-hee was never the type to mix with others or blend into a group.
By now, most students had formed their own cliques after a semester together, but Chun Seo-hee had always remained alone.
Even her insistence on wielding a sword with her injured left arm reflected this.
It wasn’t that she lacked talent in swordsmanship—she could have easily chosen a different approach if she wanted to.
She could have switched weapons or adapted her technique.
But she didn’t.
She stubbornly insisted on using her injured left arm to swing the sword, clinging to the method she was already familiar with.
Not because she couldn’t change, but because she didn’t want to.
‘Why?’
The question lingered in my mind, though I didn’t bother asking her outright.
People with strong pride often acted this way.
From the outside, it might seem strange—an almost irrational stubbornness.
Fortunately, I knew exactly how to deal with people like her.
‘…Her personality hasn’t changed at all.’
It was the same as the Kim Yoo-bin I had known in my past life.
“Seo-hee, you know why I came to find you, don’t you?”
“…….”
“I came to stop you from leaving. I’ve seen your skills. You’re seriously talented—no joke.”
“…….”
Even in the face of such blatant praise, Chun Seo-hee didn’t so much as blink.
“But you know… if you drop out like this, that’s the end for you. No exceptions.”
“……!”
She reacted sharply to the negative remark instead.
I was starting to get a clearer picture of just how high her pride and self-esteem were.
“Let me ask—have you ever had any formal training in swordsmanship before?”
“…No.”
“Yeah, I figured. If you’d gone to any sort of academy, you wouldn’t be handling your sword the way you do now.”
“…Excuse me?”
At my seemingly mocking tone, Chun Seo-hee bristled and snapped back.
It was the strongest reaction I’d seen from her so far.
“Seo-hee.”
Finally, I locked eyes with her and spoke earnestly.
“If I’m being honest, I think dropping out would be the stupidest decision you could make.”
“…!”
The academy is a place of opportunity.
There’s a reason why the nation pours so much support into it and why tens of thousands of applicants fight to get in every year.
No matter how poorly you perform, graduating from the academy is enough to have you recognized as a talent.
She had to know this.
In fact, she probably understood it better than anyone else.
She must have dreamed of becoming what people call a “dragon born from a stream”—someone who rises from humble beginnings to greatness.
“You need to learn. You have no idea how to properly use your talent. If you drop out now, it’s over for good.”
“…I can just go to a private academy,” she retorted, glaring at me.
“You can’t.”
It seemed she still didn’t realize the extent of her own talent.
“Private academies don’t have me, do they?”
“…What?”
She stared at me like I was crazy, so I boldly declared:
“Geniuses need to learn from other geniuses.”
Chun Seo-hee let out a short laugh of disbelief.
“You think I’m nuts, don’t you? But look at this.”
I dug into my wallet and pulled out my explorer’s license with confidence.
“Here. I’ve been an explorer for two months now.”
“……?”
“I had no intention of becoming one, but I rushed to get my license because I wanted to become a teacher.”
The license clearly displayed the date of issuance and my promotion history.
Though she tried to appear indifferent, Chun Seo-hee couldn’t help but glance at it.
Her face betrayed a hint of surprise.
“There’s no one in this country better with a sword than me.”
Swordsmanship attracts more talent than any other field since it’s the most popular weapon of choice.
Even at the academy, the swordsmanship department has the most students.
“You said you needed money, right?”
“…….”
“I found out that starting from rank 10 in your department, you qualify for a scholarship.”
Ironically, despite being an educational institution, the academy is notorious for its biased policies.
They foster fierce competition among students and heavily support the top performers.
The most notable example is the merit-based scholarship.
Unlike typical scholarships that only waive tuition fees, the academy takes it a step further.
Each semester, the top 10 students in each department receive cash scholarships, ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions of won, depending on their rank.
“Let’s aim for first place.”
I was confident I could help Chun Seo-hee become number one.
“…Me?”
She frowned skeptically, her expression filled with doubt.
The idea of becoming number one, especially with a critical handicap like her injured arm, probably seemed absurd.
She likely thought I was just a conman sweet-talking her.
So, I decided to prove myself.
“Just ten days.”
“……?”
“Starting tomorrow. Train with me until the end of the reconsideration period.”
If, after that, she still wasn’t convinced, I wouldn’t stop her from dropping out.
“In ten days, I’ll have you wielding a sword again.”
After all, if the reconsideration period ended and she declared her dropout, it would all be over.
“What do you say?”
From Chun Seo-hee’s perspective, this was a gamble with nothing to lose.
“…….”
She looked at me with doubtful eyes but didn’t immediately reject the offer.
She was probably wavering inside.
‘There’s no way she can turn this down.’
I already knew which way her heart was leaning.