I Became a Childhood Friend of the Middle Boss

Chapter 13

The training ground outside the house had been cleaned by the servants a while ago, so it was ready for use at any time.

After hearing about it from my mother, I decided to go to the training ground.

And that’s when it happened.

“I want to train too!”

“You, Yeeun?”

Yeeun, who had been quietly observing the atmosphere and keeping her place all this time, suddenly raised her hand.

Seeing her excited demeanor, I felt that rejecting her outright might turn the household into a sea of tears.

“Um…”

It seemed like my mother was also pondering the same thing.

Soon, she sent me a look, seeking my opinion on what to do.

‘No choice.’

With Yeeun pleading like that, it would be exhausting if she turned into a sulky child.

I agreed to play with Yeeun and sought permission from Yeonha.

“Hey, Yeonha, is it okay if Yeeun joins us?”

“Yeah, I’m fine with it. I also want to play with Yeeun, you know?”

“Then that’s a relief… Yeeun, instead of interrupting Heaven’s training, should you quietly train beside?”

“Yeah! I can do it quietly!”

Thanks to Yeeun’s obedient acceptance, she also joined the group.

Once we finished preparing, we headed to the training ground.

“Let’s change into our training clothes and meet outside. Do you know where the training ground is?”

“Yeah, I saw it on the way here. But where should we change into our clothes?”

“Since Yeeun needs to change too, let her change in her room.”

“Sis! Come here! Let’s go to my room! Is Mongsooni in the room!?”

“Huh!? Wait a moment…!”

“She’s really…”

Yeeun was getting flustered.

Yeeun impulsively grabbed Heaven’s hand and rushed upstairs.

My mother and I lightly chuckled at the disappearing girls.

Afterward, I also went upstairs to change into my clothes.

– Sis! This is Mongsooni!

-Wow, she’s really gentle.

Yeeun’s room was right next to mine.

No matter how loud Yeeun spoke, her voice could be heard all the way to my room.

Occasionally, Heaven’s voice could be heard.

‘They seem to be having fun.’

I didn’t know what they were doing in the room.

While changing clothes, I could hear giggling from the next room.

– Hey, don’t touch there… Eek!

‘…What are they doing?’

Heaven let out a squeak.

It seemed like it would continue for a while.

Dressed in training gear, I decided to wait outside.

“Mongsil, I’m going to train.”

Did Heaven know I was there?

Or was she just happy to see me?

Excitedly, I said to Mongsil, who was jumping up to leave the training field before I did.

Unfortunately, due to raising the fences recently, Mongsil couldn’t escape the training field until I left the room.

‘What should I start teaching first? Maybe I should let her run around the training ground to warm up her body first?’

Eventually, coming out to the training ground.

As I lightly did warm-up exercises, I pondered on what to teach Heaven first.

‘I should focus on basic physical training and maybe teach swordsmanship in the spare time.’

I also briefly pondered on teaching mana control methods.

But influenced by my teachings, I might unintentionally instill bad habits.

I resolved to stop worrying.

‘I can advise on swordsmanship, but my expertise in mana is lacking. It’s better to leave teaching mana control to a professional instructor.’

So, I put the mana control on hold.

I made plans like that, eagerly waiting for the two people to come out soon.

And not long after that…

“Sorry we’re a bit late, aren’t we?”

“We’re here!”

Yeonnaneul and Yeeun appeared.

Yeonnaneul, in his gym clothes, immediately apologized upon arrival.

“What were you doing that made you come just now?”

“Well, it’s because of Yeeun….”

I felt like I already knew the reason without asking.

It must have been because of Yeeun’s antics that we ended up being late.

So, I just nodded vaguely and decided to start the training.

At that moment, Yeeun threw a topic.

“Oppa! Do you know about that?”

“About what?”

“You know, Haneul unnie is really amazing! I saw her changing clothes…!”

“Yeeun, you don’t have to say things like that.”

“….”

As Yeeun was about to speak, Yeonnaneul suddenly covered her mouth with her hand.

I lost my words looking at her pouting lips.

Soon, Yeonnaneul and I locked eyes.

She was smiling.

“Why are you like that? Not going to train?”

“…Alright, let’s train.”

“Yay!”

A nuance as if saying to pretend not to have heard.

Feeling an implicit threat from Yeonnaneul, I decided to shift my attention away from the topic.

And then, we started the training.

First, it was ten laps around.

“You run better than I thought.”

Is it because she’s an Aein?

Although Yeonnaneul fell behind me, she maintained a good pace.

She seemed to have a good sense of exercise.

* * *

I had confidence in my own way when it came to exercise, but I didn’t realize how tough it could be to use muscles that weren’t usually used.

“Ugh….”

After hours of continuous training, Yeonnaneul, massaging the back of her thigh, made sounds of pain.

Experientially, it felt like there would be bruises on the buttocks and legs used for squats when I woke up tomorrow morning.

“You’re doing well for your first time. Let’s increase the weight to 40 next time and try.”

“…Really?”

“If it doesn’t work out then, you can always lower it. To become a hunter, you have to do that much.”

“….”

Squatting with 40kg weight.

That weight wasn’t significantly different from her own body weight.

Yeonhae stared sharply at Doyeongwoo, who seemed to be joking.

She hoped it was just a joke.

Anyway, she decided to wash off the sweat from training.

That was the plan before she was stopped.

“Since dinner is ready, go wash up, have dinner, and then go. You must be hungry after training, right?”

Doyeongwoo’s mother, who came out of the kitchen, suggested she eat dinner before leaving.

Taken aback by the unexpected offer, Yeonhae waved her hands in refusal.

“No, it’s okay! I can eat at home.”

She couldn’t impose any further.

So, despite her repeated refusals, Yeonhae couldn’t resist Doyeongwoo’s mother.

“You don’t have to be so polite. If I send you home without having dinner at this late hour, what will your family think of me? So, at least for my sake, have dinner at home before you go.”

“…Thank you.”

“Great! Let’s have dinner together, Unni!”

Doyeongwoo’s mother was truly affectionate.

Nodding her head, Yeonhae soon followed Doyeeun into the bathroom.

‘It’s a really luxurious house…’

There was only a shower room at the orphanage.

But in Doyeongwoo’s house, there was a large bathtub like the ones seen in dramas.

Yeonhae immersed herself in the tub, feeling like she had stepped into a world from a drama.

In reality, it wasn’t as big as she imagined, but for someone like her, who rarely soaked in a bathtub, it was enough to create that illusion.

“Hey! Hey!”

“Eek! Yeunie, you…”

At that moment, Doyeeun splashed water.

Feeling comfortable in the warm water, Yeonhae quickly joined in the playful act.

Taking care of children her age at the orphanage was part of her routine, so becoming friends with her wasn’t difficult.

However, Doyeeun was more energetic than the kids at the orphanage, requiring quite a bit of energy to keep up with her.

Meanwhile…

“Despite her young age, how can she train like that just because she’s from a prestigious family?”

Doyeeun not only had energy but also exceptional stamina.

It was hard to believe she was only seven years old, performing training of a similar intensity to hers.

Yet, as she playfully splashed water at her, she displayed a typical behavior of someone her age.

“Hey! Hey!”

“Hey! Hey!”

Bump, bump, just like that.

After playing with Doe-yeon, who still had energy even after training, Yeon-haneul washed up.

By the time she came out of the bathroom, Dogyeonwoo had finished his bath and was sitting at the table.

Yeon-haneul sat next to him.

“Mom, where’s Dad?”

“He said work might run late, so he’ll eat out before coming home.”

Listening to the conversations at the table, Yeon-haneul ate shabu-shabu.

She had only seen shabu-shabu in dramas; it was her first time trying it.

Really, without exaggeration.

Due to the nature of shabu-shabu that should be eaten right away, it wasn’t a favorite at the orphanage.

“Eating meat and vegetables together like this is so delicious.”

So, her first taste of shabu-shabu stirred her emotions.

She might not have known, but those sitting around her could see her ears twitching like a rabbit as she savored the food.

“There’s more, so eat a lot. We’ll add knife-cut noodles later and make fried rice, so you can have that too.”

“Wow, really?”

“We all eat well in our house.”

“Gyeonwoo, could you pass me more meat?”

“Mom! Please give me more meat!”

Goodness… knife-cut noodles and fried rice.

Shabu-shabu is truly a perfect dish.

Yeon-haneul’s heart was naturally uplifted.

And then, it happened.

“Hey, Unni!”

“Hmm? Oh, thank you.”

As her plate was empty, she was about to refill it when Doyeeun, who was serving food, used tongs to transfer food to her plate.

Kind.

Yeon-haneul accepted the food she was given and expressed her thanks.

“It’s delicious.”

Was it because someone else had filled it for her? The food seemed even more delicious.

She savored the carrots, lettuce, mushrooms, and carrots in her mouth.

“Eunnie, what if you only take meat and give Haneul only vegetables and carrots?”

“Hmm? Did I do that?”

“This kid really… can’t do it. From now on, eat as Mom gives you.”

“Mom is a devil…”

“So, are you the devil’s daughter?”

The two argued.

Yeon-haneul, the one in question, didn’t pay much attention.

“Eunnie doesn’t eat vegetables well. Vegetables are tasty when you eat them….”

She just thought so.

Yeon Haneul finished the food on the plate.

At that moment, Do Yeongwoo’s hand reached out.

“Here. Have some meat.”

“Huh? Oh… Thank you.”

Do Yeongwoo picked up a piece of meat with tongs and handed it to her.

Yeon Haneul accepted the food and unconsciously smiled at him.

Indeed, food given by others always seems tastier.

That day, she had dinner like that, then rode back to the orphanage with Do Yeongwoo’s mother.

“Haneul, did you have fun? Did you enjoy yourself?”

“Yes, I had a great time! And today, I had shabu-shabu at a friend’s house! It was incredibly delicious!”

Shabu-shabu, I want to have it again.

◈

Even after that, Yeon Haneul’s training continued steadily.

After school, she would either learn basic swordsmanship at the swordsmanship center I attended or focus on physical training.

On days when I didn’t go to the swordsmanship center, we would train together at home.

“It seems like she’s coming to eat dinner, not to train.”

It felt like the audience had changed, but having motivation was good.

However, there was a problem.

“I need to find that person quickly…”

I couldn’t just let her focus solely on physical training without teaching her magic.

I needed to find a teacher who could teach her magic.

“Where on earth could they be?”

In the game, instructors mainly taught elemental magic to academy students.

The Seven-Colored Witch, Hong Yena.

At this time, before becoming an academy instructor, she was known as the Rainbow Witch and traveled the country.

I was searching for that person.

So, I asked my father, but there was no news yet.

“I guess I’ll just have to wait.”

But we would meet soon, I was sure of it.

At this time, she wasn’t in a position of such high esteem to refuse a request from the noble family.

Whether she liked it or not.

So, I decided to wait quietly for the right time to come.

Soon, my thoughts drifted elsewhere.

“I want to learn before going to the Academy City, if possible…”

Despite having learned instinct control some time ago, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t enough.

At times, I wanted to learn one more skill that could help control instincts and manage the instinct to evade.

It was the skill of courage.

“That’s something I must learn no matter what.”

A skill to resist the decrease in abilities caused by the pressure emitted by existence.

Courage also had the effect of enhancing concentration and evasion rate when one felt a threat to life.

For me, who engaged in battles through a combination of evasion instinct and instinct control, it could be considered a skill that complemented well.

“What should I do?”

The issue was that acquiring the courage skill was quite challenging.

At the training ground after dinner.

Today, having not fulfilled the training quota due to taking classes at the swordsmanship hall, I pondered while loosening up my body.

“Indeed, the problem lies in the conditions.”

In the game, acquiring courage required several conditions.

First, the character aiming to acquire courage must not include any other characters in the party besides the strong star unconditionally.

In that state,

The character seeking courage had to engage in a battle alone with an opponent emitting pressure.

Until courage was acquired, the strong star should not intervene in battles.

“In that sense, the presence of the strong star may not be a necessary condition. I ended up in the party because I had to play as the strong star in the game.”

A skill is the crystallization of effort that a character can acquire by meeting specific conditions or experience points in certain situations.

Therefore, in this world with high freedom unlike the game, it would be possible to acquire courage even without the strong star.

However, the conditions for acquiring courage did not end there.

At that moment, the character aiming to acquire courage could probabilistically obtain it by evading the opponent’s attacks.

The probability increased proportionally with the opponent’s high attack power.

“Do all these conditions really exist?”

Acquiring courage in the game was indeed very difficult.

Perhaps it was easier for Dogyeonu, who had learned instinct control.

Hence, I pondered.

“It might be easier to acquire it while I’m still weak…”

It was similar to instinct control.

It would be better to learn courage when I was at a low point.

The issue was that it was not easy to face opponents emitting pressure.

Let alone facing them alone.

Rushing in recklessly could easily lead to death.

“I might as well ask Dad for help.”

I suddenly thought about it.

If someone like my father had the skills, perhaps he could emit pressure.

But pressure was a force that could intimidate or weaken the opponent.

“…”

Could my father really emit pressure with intimidation?

I was skeptical.

It seemed unlikely for my father to do so.

No matter how well I persuaded my father, it was clear he found it odd.

If it continued like this, I would have to tell him the fact that I had lived a past life and that this world was a reflection of the game I used to play in my past life.

He might not believe me, and I didn’t really want to tell him in the first place.

“How, is there no way?”

So I had to find another way.

I pondered while swinging my sword.

And then, it happened.

“This one, he’s lost in thought right now. The sword’s movements are not consistent.”

“Dad?”

Just as the saying goes, a tiger reveals itself when it speaks.

My father, who said he would be late today due to a busy schedule, appeared at the training ground.

Judging by his clan uniform, it seemed like he had just finished work and come home.

“Welcome back. Have you had dinner?”

“No, I didn’t eat because I wanted to have the dinner your mom prepared at home. But then I saw Gyungu on my way here and decided to drop by.”

I could tell from my father’s face and voice that he was quite tired.

Yet, he approached me cheerfully.

“So, what were you thinking? Is someone bothering you again?”

“There’s no such thing now. I was just… thinking about how to train.”

“Well, that’s good to hear. If anyone bothers you or acts unfairly, make sure to tell me. Don’t suffer in silence.”

“Yes. If that happens, I’ll give them a good beating.”

“Uh… um… Can’t you just tell me and let me handle it with my authority?”

“As someone from the Swordsmanship School, wouldn’t it be better to resolve it with a sword?”

“…Be gentle, be gentle.”

“Depends on the situation.”

I joked around.

Upon which, my father chuckled lightly. Yet, there was a sense of urgency in his final words.

“By the way… Gyungu, the person you asked me to find a while ago, contacted me today.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. They said they were in a remote mountain area in Gangwon Province where communication wasn’t good. Once they finish their current work there, they’ll come find you.”

Finally, I found Hong Ye-na.

According to my father, she would visit within a month, even if delayed.

“However, if she’s not impressed with your skills, she won’t accept the proposal.”

“That’s okay. If I lack talent, there’s nothing I can do about it, right?”

Of course, that wouldn’t happen.

I didn’t know, but I was certain that Hong Ye-na would show interest in Yeonhae.

As someone specialized in magic, she wouldn’t be able to ignore Yeonhae’s talent.

“Well, if that’s the case, it’s fine… You must have your own thoughts. And that’s that.”

“Yes. What is it?”

Meanwhile, it seemed like my father had one more piece of news to pass on to me.

His face darkened slightly.

Next week, there seems to be Parents’ Day, so I might have to go back to the family home… Are you okay with that?

…

You don’t have to go if it’s uncomfortable. I’ll make sure to handle it when I go.

Come to think of it, May is not far away.

Parents’ Day is coming soon.

People from the Shingeom Do clan would gather at the family home to strengthen their bonds.

‘Bonds my foot.’

Strengthening bonds was merely a superficial pretext.

In reality, it was just a chance for the grandchildren to show off their skills and be evaluated by the grandfather.

It was a show for the grandfather.

“You don’t have to worry about what others think.”

…

And I…

I would often show an embarrassing sight at the annual show-off gathering.

Each time, I faced the ridicule and mockery of the family members.

That’s why my father said,

“Do as you please.”

If it’s uncomfortable, there’s no need to go.

Perhaps, through the incident I caused at the swordsmanship hall not long ago, my father didn’t hesitate to tell me that.

“Father…”

“That’s right.”

I was grateful for my father’s consideration.

If it had been me before realizing my past life, I might have followed my father’s words out of fear.

But now, recalling my past life…

‘Should I run away?’

Absolutely not. That thought never crossed my mind.

The moment I didn’t attend the family gathering, I would face even more ridicule.

Furthermore, my influence in the Shingeom Do clan would diminish if I didn’t participate.

‘I can’t let that happen.’

Despite knowing that, I couldn’t avoid attending.

Moreover, this was also an opportunity.

‘Perhaps I can create a situation to gain courage there?’

Above all, there was a crucial reason why I had to attend that gathering.

I asked my father,

“Will Doseungwoo also be there at the gathering?”

“He probably will.”

“Is that so?”

“…What are you thinking?”

My cousin will be there too.

That alone was reason enough.

I lifted the corners of my mouth.