◇ CHAPTER NINE ◇

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-- One Day Before Ham Dan-i Returns to Her World -- March 1st -- 8:00 PM --

Today was one of those days when Han Mihyun found it difficult not to dwell on the one rule she had set for herself upon arriving in this world.

Do not interfere more than necessary in the negative events that your friends have to experience.

But doing that was never easy. That's why Mihyun always tried to keep her mind occupied.

This time, immersing herself in multiple virtual battles seemed like the best option. So, she agreed to join the video game night with Woo Jooin and Eun Ji-Ho.

And, in the process, she would already be... in the next scenario.

Hah... this is not working. She scolded herself as she finished packing a dental hygiene kit and her Batman slippers. At least I'm not going directly to Eunhyung's house. Does that count as progress, right?

Down the hallway, her dad, on his way to his own room, stopped when he saw her silently nodding nervously. "Are you going out?"

Startled, Mihyun jumped a bit but quickly composed herself, realizing she had forgotten to close her door.

"Oh. Yes. Video game night," she replied, not giving much importance to her brief explanation. It's not like she had to ask for permission to go out here or anything, something that had seemed very strange at first but was now quite normal.

"Video game night?"

"Hm. With some friends. I'll be back tomorrow at around this time."

"I see. Friends..."

With an uncomfortable expression, the black-haired man inspected his daughter's yellow room, loosened his tie, and then approached.

Mihyun looked at her father with curiosity since he rarely entered her room, while he seemed to search for the right words.

"How... How many girls, besides you, will there be?"

Surprised by her father's question, Minhyun raised an eyebrow. She hadn't talked much about her social life or friendships with him; the topic had never come up, and he only knew a couple of her friends due to coincidences. So, this question caught her off guard.

"Today... Well, they'll only come tomorrow, Dad," she responded cautiously, unsure of where the conversation was going. "You know, they're not big fans of video games."

Her father seemed to struggle to find the right words again. However, in the end he ended up letting out a sigh. He still didn't want to give her the talk, she was still very little, right? Yes. Better to wait, although deep down he knew that he couldn't postpone it more than a couple of years.

"I guess. Take... care."

"Hm."

Turning to leave, the man remained silent for a few moments before resuming his path. But already at the door he dared to say something else even if it sounded a little uncomfortable.

"Minhyun... I know you have your own world, your own life. I just... want to make sure you're okay."

Mihyun felt touched by the genuine concern in her father's eyes. Despite their distant relationship, her father still cared about her well-being.

"Thank you, Dad," she said with a sincere smile. "I'm fine, really. And you don't have to worry so much. I have good friends."

Her father nodded slowly, as if processing that information. "Well, if you need anything or want me to pick you up, tomorrow i will be here."

This brief interaction left Mihyun with an unexpected sense of connection to her father. Although they remained different and distant in various ways, right now, Mihyun felt that she had taken another little step toward mutual understanding.

"... Yes, I'll send you the location."

"Eight o'clock...?"

"Eight o'clock."

With those words in her mind and a smile, the blonde girl left her house for the exciting video game night that awaited her with Woo Jooin and Eun Ji-Ho.

-- Eun Ji-Ho's House -- March 1st -- 8:45 PM --

In front of an elegant, grand house, Han Minhyun stopped in her tracks and rang the doorbell. Within seconds, a doorman opened the main door and led her to the second entrance.

"Right this way, miss Minhyun. Young Master and Young Jooin are waiting for you."

Mihyun followed the doorman through the second entrance of the house, impressed by its elegance and luxury. It was always like this whenever she came. Even after visiting so many times, she always felt a bit out of place in this environment, where wealth and opulence were evident in every detail, despite attempts to appear modest.

Finally, they reached a very familiar computer room. It was spacious and— for the day, well-lit with natural light from the skylight above— Now lights and the screens of three computers were already powered on.

"Oh, darling, I've missed you," she greeted, almost drooling over the gaming chair she always used when she came. It was practically her own by now.

Peering out through a window that connected to a corridor, the young master made his presence known.

"Really? You come to my house, and the first thing you do is greet a gaming chair and a computer?"

She chuckled softly and turned to him with a mischievous smile. "You should build them an altar. They're the only reasons to visit you," she joked.

"Sure, I'll get right on that tomorrow."

"Good choice," she congratulated with two thumbs up, watching him enter through a door next to the large window. "And Jooin?"

"In the kitchen. It seems your snacks were more important to him than your presence," he teased while plugging the blonde girl's phone into a wireless charger. He knew she always forgot to charge it after 5 PM.

Brushing off Ji-Ho's failed attempt at a hurtful comment, Han Minhyun went over to her bag and pulled out her slippers and a pajama set that looked almost new. She usually wore shorts and a lightweight tank top to sleep, but she couldn't wear that in someone else's house. She had to be more modest, so she made sure to buy a few plush long-sleeved ones for these occasions.

Although I'm sure I'll end up wearing my tank top if they turn up the heating. Resigned, Mihyun left the room carrying her sleepwear and headed to the bathroom on the second floor. They were in for a long night of gaming, sustained by cups of coffee and energy drinks.

*

Two against one, and they were already losing. It was the most critical moment of the night for Han Mihyun and Eun Ji-Ho; they needed maximum concentration. One wrong move, and—

Ring ring Ring ring.

"Jeez! Who the fuck is calling at this moment?!!!" Ji-Ho cursed after almost dropping the controller during an intense battle.

Exasperated, Han Mihyun continued pressing the buttons on her controller while her companion had a mental dilemma, not taking his eyes off the screen, about whether to answer the call.

"Turn that shit off, Eun Ji-Ho!"

Amused by his friends' anxiety, a playful and devilish cloud began to envelop Woo Jooin even more.

Annoyed by his best friend's almost victorious smile, Ji-Ho reluctantly answered his phone, but right at that second of distraction, Jooin threw a bomb directly into the cave where he had hidden his avatar to keep it safe.

"Oh, oh! I was almost there, but that son of a...! What the hell did he do? There's not enough time to cool down?! That ULT! Damn it!"

Incredulous about what had just happened, Ji-Ho ran his free hand through his hair while still holding his phone in the other.

He had died.

Ji-Ho fell to his knees devastated, cursing and answering Eunhyung's questions as if he were a traumatized soldier.

Unaware of his death, Mihyun continued trying not to die in battle.

"Hey, asshole. Get your shit together! Can't you see that son of a bitch is kicking our asses like we're the sluts of a fucking brothel?!!"

*

Darkness. Darkness engulfed two 17-year-olds. It was a total disaster; they were sure Ham Dan-i's parents had heard their abusive language. Han Mihyun was sinking into her misery.

"Holy crap... why is this happening to us..."

Ji-Ho wasn't any different, but he was more affected by being eliminated before a two-year rookie. "Hm. Wasn't getting wrecked by that guy enough?"

"They definitely heard everything... I'm ruined. My precious image," the blonde girl continued to lament.

Taking pity on the two, Jooin sat between them and patted their hunched backs.

"Come on, come on. Cheer up, it could have been worse."

Incredulous, Minhyun glanced at him out of the corner of her eye with a weary, depressed look. "Could it have been worse?"

Seeing that his words were only bringing his friends down further, Woo Jooin chose to remain silent. Until he had an idea.

"Hey, what if we have a barbecue here instead? Come on, the food will lift your spirits!"

❀
゜
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゜

-- Eun Ji-Ho's House -- March 2nd -- 4:00 PM --

Immediately after the others arrived, the grills were lit, and the air began to smell delicious.

Now with a hungry Han Mihyun looking almost hypnotized as the meat finished roasting, Kwon Eunhyung had to approach where she was and gently pull her away from the grill.

Not that the girl was being annoying or anything. Even the chef seemed to be amused by her unexpected role as a kitchen helper.

"Let's go to the table?"

However, it seemed that with the slightest distraction, the blonde would reach out and put her hand over the fire just to snatch a small piece of meat. So as a precaution, Eunhyung bring her with him to the table, and seat her next to him.

"Please just a little piece. I'm starving..."

It didn't take long for the same red-haired man, noticing the sadness on Mihyun's face, to approach the chef and ask him somewhat sheepishly for a small piece of meat in advance.

"Could you... please give me a small piece that is already ready?" He asked nervous about being cheeky.

Taking a look at Kwon Eunhyung's back, the chef understood that it wasn't for him, but for the missing kitchen helper.

With a kind smile, the chef agreed without any problem. "Of course. Here you go. I'm glad you're not letting the young lady go hungry." He added with a pleasant voice and a paternal smile.

Afterward, Eunhyung went back to his station and began to cut and season the meat into small portions, wrapping them in lettuce leaves along with a few extras such as carrots or green peppers.

"Here. You can try them now," the resigned-looking guy indicated. He was always too soft with her. Like now, when besides having prepared the spring rolls for her, the girl was asking him with her mouth wide open to feed her.

Letting himself be bossed around by those blue eyes, Eunhyung placed one of the bites into that small, pink mouth, which closed as soon as it got the food. Forming a cute little smile with full cheeks.

In his eyes, Mihyun was just too adorable for her own good.

*

Contemplating the two remaining chairs at the adults' table, Eun Ji-Ho approached the table where his friends were and asked directly, "Hey, why didn't your parents come, Han Mihyun? Did you forget to tell them or something?"

Though no parents other than Ham Dan-i and Ban Yeo-Ryeong's, along with her brother, had come, the only absence that interested the gray-haired boy was Han Mihyun's parents.

So, Mihyun choked and had to quickly drink the water that Eunhyung had handed her to recover.

Uncomfortable with the closeness of those two, Ji-Ho repeated the question, sounding a bit childish. In response to his persistence, Mihyun's lively blue eyes looked weary.

Shifting her gaze away, Minhyun looked in another direction. Ban Yeo-Ryeong, also showing interest in the answer, caught her gaze with a questioning look. It seemed she was curious too.

Unable to ignore her friends' growing curiosity, Minhyun sighed and put down a delicious piece of steak he was about to eat. Except for Woo Jooin and Chun Young, none of her friends had the opportunity to meet her dad.

"Oh, that." She began slowly, not really wanting to talk about her parents right now.

I mean, was not Eun Ji-Ho asking too much of her? To bring her dad today? Maybe he didn't know, but she had only started going out with her dad a few months ago.

The Fridays of fast food and movies had been a successful first long-duration approach. Then it escalated. Like spending time in old record stores or going play pool from time to time.

Oh, true. There was also an occasion, when they didn't have an entertaining movie to watch, they discussed music realizing that their tastes were more alike than they thought. Eventually, somehow, they ended up dancing together Blue Moon, this time sung by Dean Martin. The most physical contact they had ever had.

So yes, after two and a half years of hard work, they were getting closer and closer to having a normal father-daughter relationship. However, a meal with her friends' parents... that was still a bit far off.

Not wanting to explain such complex thoughts, Minhyun cleverly evaded Eun Ji-Ho's question.

"They're busy today (It's not entirely a lie, who knows what my mother is doing)." She said, stretching. It wasn't very polite, but she felt tense from giving a half-truth answer.

Sensing the tension between his best friend and the blonde girl, Woo Jooin intervened and turned Dan-i's attention to him.

"Oh. Hey, mom! By the way..."

Paying attention, Ham Dan-i turned to look at him and inquired, "Hm?"

"Did you know I was the one who trashed Ji-Ho and Minhyun in that game? It was so funny because, even when they came together to defeat me, they failed. They both failed~"

"PFFFT!"

Dan-i's laughter when she was exposed turned Han Mihyun neon red.

"That must have been a bit humiliating for you, right, noona?" Jooin continued teasing his friend, who now seemed like she wanted to get up from her seat and run towards him with her fork raised.

"You, son of-"

"No, no. No bad words. We're not playing video games right now, noona." He scolded her fearlessly.

Mihyun only smiled at him, forced and twisted, while counting mentally to calm herself. She couldn't commit homicide with her friends' parents present.

Equally annoyed as the blue-eyed girl, Eun Ji-Ho changed the subject to avoid hearing more about his own defeat.

"Hey guys, do you like the food? Just for you guys, I prepared A++ Hanwoo beef."

However, disgusted by his fake sweet voice, Ban Yeo-Ryeong intervened to stop him.

"Eun Ji-Ho, are you drunk? Why are you adding this disgustingness to your already prissy way of talking? Usually you are- HMFPH!"

"Hm? What did you say, Yeo-Ryeong? Oh, the meat is delicious? I'm glad you like it." Ji-Ho said, swiftly stuffing pieces of meat into girl's mouth to prevent her from speaking more.

"HMMMMPF!"

Behind the scenes, Woo Jooin seized this opportunity to play two pranks and lift Ham Dan-i's spirits, which had appeared low from the beginning. Although maybe the last prank was just for his own amusement.

One by one, Jooin placed a pile of jalapenos into a lettuce wrap. The first one he made was obvious to the point that Ji-Ho witnessed everything. However, he quickly filled the second one without anyone noticing, with less spiciness. It would be a sibling joke so, he shouldn't be too mean.

"Here you go, Yeoryeong."

Having successfully passed the first spicy packet to a more than pleased Ban Yeo-Ryeong, Woo Jooin prepared for his second crime firsthand, waiting for the right moment of distraction.

Just as the time came and he was a few centimeters away from pulling off his trick, Plop! The spicy packet slipped from his hand and fell directly to the floor.

Jooin stifled a gasp of shock at such a tragedy. When he was about to blame the unsung hero who had thwarted his evil plan, he froze as soon as he looked up and met the darkly kind smile of Kwon Eunhyung.

Swallowing hard, the cute-faced boy bit his tongue and didn't voice his illogical complaints. The red-haired man didn't look like he would forgive him if he opened his mouth to complain.

Fortunately, the voice of his failed victim ended this time with her forced tension.

"Yes, Ji-Ho~ You wouldn't dare reject the care of our lovely Ban-Ban, would you?" Minhyun instigated innocently.

It was then that the boys caught on, realizing what was happening. Apparently, Ham Dan-i's dad was congratulating his friends for their friendly interaction, unaware of the true reality.

Defeated and cursing his diabolical friends, Ji-Ho allowed Yeo-Ryeong to feed him that poison created by his best friend.

"PFFT"

"Wow, those two are actually being affectionate today." Chun Young spoke, still clueless. To which Eunhyung asked a bit incredulously, "Do you really think that's the case, Chunyoung?"

Mocking the boy as well, Minhyun quipped, "Hey, Chun Young, have you seriously considered becoming a detective?"

"Why?"

"Haven't I told you before? You're incredibly perceptive, buddy!"

Understanding that she had previously stated the opposite, Chun Young finally grasped that it was all pure sarcasm. Annoyed, he conjured a snowstorm around himself while killing the girl with his eyes.

"PFFT...OH MY GOD.... OH CRAP...AHAHA. WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU GUYS DOING? KEKEKE"

As Ham Dan-i began laughing until she collapsed onto the floor, Han Mihyun smiled with contentment. She had also recognized her dear friend's mood but attempted to avoid making it a big deal, not wanting to overwhelm her.

Despite wanting to hug her and tell her everything would be okay, she couldn't rush things. She had to continue pretending she had also forgotten her. Wasn't that why she spent the whole night playing video games at Eun Ji-Ho's house?

Her tactic to distract herself from the world and ignore all that nausea that had prevented her from eating until now because it felt cruel...

That effort would be in vain if she fell apart now. She had to endure a bit longer. Just a little more.

Lost in her thoughts, Minhyun felt disconnected as her friends laughed—as though a wall of ice had arisen between her and the rest. Their voices seemed distant.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

✿ New Chapter ✔️