The World’s Strongest Daughter.

Why do unpleasant things always happen all at once?

Someone must be trying to mess with me.

Eating the food I made with Yoo Ji-hwan and falling asleep while playing games was nice.

I don’t remember clearly, but I think even my dreams weren’t bad.

After such a good day…

I faced the worst morning.

It started when I dropped the toothpaste I had just squeezed out.

On my way to school after a long break, I stopped by “the alley” to smoke as usual.

But of course, my lighter had to run out of fuel.

I thought it was a bit unlucky, but you don’t die from not being able to smoke, so I was about to leave while clicking my tongue.
At that moment, an idea flashed through my mind.

If there’s no tooth, use the gums.

‘I’ll ask Yoo Ji-hwan to light it for me…!’

Even if I say so myself, it was quite a brilliant idea.

Yoo Ji-hwan would surely pass by, so he should come if I wait a little.

I imagined what conversation we might have while waiting for Yoo Ji-hwan.

20 minutes passed.

“…Why isn’t he coming?”

No matter how long I waited, Yoo Ji-hwan didn’t show up.

Maybe we missed each other, or perhaps he walked to school with that pink-haired girl again.

That could happen.

“…”

…No, that can’t happen. This is annoying.

Feeling suffocated, I put a cigarette in my mouth, then remembered I had no light and threw it away as I left the alley.

With that unsettling feeling, I finished walking to school and entered the classroom, finding Yoo Ji-hwan.

As expected, he was sitting in his usual corner seat.

…And with that pink-haired girl.

They probably came to school together.

…My prediction was right.

But it didn’t make me feel any better.

At that moment, Yoo Ji-hwan noticed my gaze, and our eyes met.

He waved at me with a welcoming smile.

…That bastard.

I ignored Yoo Ji-hwan’s greeting and walked toward the usually empty seat.

But….

“…”

Coincidentally, today, the seat wasn’t empty.

Compared to everything else that had happened today, this seemed rather trivial.

…How annoying.

Suppressing my rising irritation, I found another empty seat.

But ironically, it was a spot with a perfect view of Yoo Ji-hwan.

I wanted to move somewhere else out of anger, but all the seats were already taken, and class was about to start.

I had no other options.

Because my lighter had no fuel, because I waited for Yoo Ji-hwan, because my seat was taken…

I had no choice but to quietly watch Yoo Ji-hwan and the pink-haired girl flirting.

I felt somewhat angry seeing Yoo Ji-hwan whispering with a smile on his face, whatever was so amusing.

Why are they chatting during class?

Don’t they know they’re disturbing other students?

It’s absolutely disgusting to watch.

“Now, this brown butterfly is…”

As I watched quietly, the pink-haired girl’s actions became increasingly irritating.

She kept tucking her hair behind her ear, giving unnecessary eye-smiles…

Hey, if your hair bothers you so much, just tie it up! Is that hair tie just for decoration?

Why is she distracting Yoo Ji-hwan when he’s trying to study?

And Yoo Ji-hwan is also at fault, stupidly smiling along without knowing anything.

Would he stop smiling if I sewed those loose lips shut?

…Really pathetic.

While I was glaring at Yoo Ji-hwan and cursing inside, the pink-haired girl started acting up again.

She wrote something in her notebook and casually passed it to Yoo Ji-hwan.

Th-that…!

I saw it clearly just now.

The fox-like smile on that pink girl’s face when Yoo Ji-hwan received the note.

She’s as unpleasant as a fox… no, she’s like a nine-tailed gumiho herself.

Seeing how naturally she pulls these fox-like tricks I’ve seen on the internet, she must be experienced in seducing men.

But Yoo Ji-hwan is stupidly playing along, not even realizing he’s being played.

This frustrating idiot, really…!

What should I do? Should I tell him?

I can’t just watch him go down a bad path.

Because I’m… his partner.

“…”

But I couldn’t think of a good way to tell him.

It would be weird to just say “she’s a fox” outright…

No matter what I say, he’ll think I’m strange.

…What should I do…

Ultimately, I couldn’t find a good solution throughout the morning classes.

Yoo Ji-hwan and Pink were too busy playing around instead of paying attention to class, and I had to watch their unpleasant behavior all morning.

Yoo Ji-hwan tried to talk to me during breaks, but I kept my mouth shut because I felt I would only say harsh things.

After lunch, it was finally time for combat practice.

“So-yeon, are you not feeling well? Should we rest?”

The clueless Yoo Ji-hwan approached me.

Even though I had been waiting for this time, seeing his stupid face just irritated me.

…How annoying.

I just glared at him and avoided answering.

***

… What’s going on?

Min So-yeon didn’t seem to be in a good mood at all.

She kept ignoring me when I tried to talk to her, and now she’s even glaring at me…

Wasn’t the atmosphere good until yesterday?

We played some games, I taught her knife skills, we made instant tteokbokki together, and we even shared ice cream.

I thought we had an ideal weekend, but I have no idea why she’s suddenly acting like this.

“…”

Just then, Min So-yeon, glaring at me fiercely, quietly headed to a corner.

She laid a mat as if she didn’t want to do anything.

If she continues like this, we won’t be able to train or do anything else.

I carefully watched her mood as I quietly approached.

“…So-yeon, did something bad happen?”

Then, I casually took a seat next to her.

The moment my bottom touched the floor, she shot me a glare.

I was startled by her eyes, which seemed to be cursing me.

She really looked like her mother…

“…Ahem…”

I cleared my throat unnecessarily, then tried speaking to her again.

“…If something’s wrong, you can tell me… I’ll help you think it through.”

It must have been the wrong thing to say, as she laughed cynically and turned her head away.

I felt lost about how to handle this frustrating situation.

“…So-yeon, what do you want to eat for dinner…?”

Still no response.

“Sh-should we have pork belly today? How about meat?”

Again, no answer came.

Min So-yeon just kept glancing at me with glares, not giving any response.

“…”

Looking at Min So-yeon like this, I suddenly remembered how my wife used to be when she was young.

The way she kept her mouth shut tight and just glared… it’s exactly like Ju Yeon-hee when she was upset.

When my wife was upset, I would act cute and playful to improve her mood.

When I suggested making So-yeon’s younger sibling, So-yul, I thought I was going to wither away after the look she shot me…

But that’s all memories now.

The person before me now isn’t Ju Yeon-hee but Min So-yeon.

I can’t act cute with her, so I need to find another way.

…Should I try talking about the exams first?

She hasn’t covered her ears, so I should try saying something…

Just then, an idea flashed through my mind.

Huh? This…

It wasn’t an incredibly brilliant idea, but at least it could catch her interest.

…This will work!

“…So-yeon. We have midterms coming up soon.”

As expected, there was no reaction from her.

“Are you just going to let it pass?”

She gave me a look as if I was talking nonsense again.

“Let’s make a bet.”

“…What?”

Finally, I could hear Min So-yeon’s voice.

“What kind of bet would you like… is there anything you want to do?”

“…I never said I’d do it…”

I cut off Min So-yeon’s words with a slight smile.

“I have something I want to do.”

She stopped glaring at me and looked away as she asked.

“…Wh-what is it?”

“Let’s go on a trip together.”

“…Huh?”

It was my way of asking for a date.

Thinking again, since So-yeon was young, we have always done everything as three.

My wife, me, and So-yeon.

Of course, there was nothing wrong with being a happy family.

We have lots of pictures and memories of the three of us together…

But maybe the father-daughter bond was a bit lacking?

Once, a colleague bragged to me.

He said he goes fishing and camping with just his son.

To be honest, I was a bit envious.

Although I couldn’t go often, I did travel here and there with my family.

But since my wife was always there, it always turned into a family trip.

Taking care of my wife and daughter, making sure they could rest comfortably, playing with them, and before I knew it, it would be night.

And just because it was night didn’t mean we could rest leisurely.

After So-yeon fell asleep, we would start trying to make So-yul.

As a result, family trips were good memories for me but also tiring ones.

Now, I can’t even go on family trips anymore, but a father-daughter trip is possible.

And with a reliable supporter like Jeong Nan-do, we can enjoy ourselves without worrying about expenses.

We could go fishing by the sea and have honest conversations… I could even teach her about drinking…!

There couldn’t be a better opportunity than this.

“…Just the two of us?”

Min So-yeon looked at me with furrowed brows as if asking if I was serious.

“Yeah!”

I got a bit excited thinking about fulfilling my dream.

“…Wh-where do you want to go?”

Well, where would be good…

“The beach, a valley would be nice, or even a nearby amusement park.”

Actually, anywhere would be fine.

Just then, Min So-yeon avoided my gaze and asked quietly.

“…Do we have to make it a bet?”

Her voice wavered slightly.

I casually asked back, not thinking much of it.

“…You don’t want to?”

Min So-yeon let out a heavy sigh, glanced at me, and said.

“… I’ll at least hear what kind of bet it is.”

Got you!

She’s halfway there.

I explained the exam details to Min So-yeon, adding that I got help from Kong Hye-sun.

But…

“…Who?”

Min So-yeon didn’t seem to know who Kong Hye-sun was.

When I explained that she was the girl with pink hair, she gave me a wary look.

“…You got help from her?”

“Yeah. She seems like a really nice kid. She said she’d show you her notes too.”

“…I see…”

Given her lack of reaction, she doesn’t seem to have any particular thoughts about Kong Hye-sun.

It would be nice if she could become friends with someone like Hye-sun later…

I hope Min So-yeon makes good friends.

Especially with kids who don’t smoke.

“Anyway, the person with higher test scores wins, and the loser grants a wish. Sound good?”

“…Then, I’ll start studying today.”

“Shall we?”

I was really glad she showed some enthusiasm.

“… Let’s go grocery shopping on the way home.”

Huh? Did I hear wrong? Grocery shopping on the way…?

“… Don’t want to?”

“No, I’d like that.”

Thankfully, she seems to be in a better mood now.

***

“We have ssamjang at home, so we just need to buy vegetables for ssam.”

“… I’m fine without vegetables…”

Min So-yeon and Yoo Ji-hwan sat in the corner, chatting quietly.

Their natural conversation about household matters showed how close they were.

Just then, maybe because I was staring too obviously, my friends next to me started speaking.

“Hey, it’s definitely… Sigh, I’m jealous, so jealous… I wish I was the Sword Empress’s daughter too…”

“Let’s give up on Ji-hwan, Hye-sun…”

“Hye-sun, they’re dating, right? What did he say earlier?”

To my friends, Yoo Ji-hwan and Min So-yeon seemed to be dating.

“… I’m not sure…”

Well, to my eyes, it looked far from love.

Translator’s Corner

Gumiho- Legendary nine-tailed fox. They are known to be tricksters.

-Ruminas