noveldrama
Chapter 126
Chapter 126
Winter's mental health treatment wrapped up quickly.
Unlike a few weeks ago, back when I struggled to even try hypnosis on her during the terror incident, this time, it went effortlessly.
Of course, this was only natural.
I’d been constantly training, honing my skills in actual gate battles, and receiving rare opportunities from Sia.
Since then, I’d grown rapidly.
And then…
---
*Chu-rup, chup.*
*Wow, just look at how red her face is. No wonder the hypnosis is working so well.*
Thanks to her initiating a deep kiss, the hypnosis was taking effect smoothly.
Actually, she seemed rather flustered herself. Her face was bright red, too.
Why would she go this far if she’s just going to get embarrassed?
I pulled back quickly.
---
*Chu-up.*
**"Wh-what are you doing…?"**
**"……."**
I gently pushed her shoulders away and asked, *What do you think you’re doing, Winter?*
And how did my eldest daughter, Winter, respond?
---
She gave a smug smirk.
**"How was that? Pretty amazing, right?"**
She licked her lips with a mischievous grin—a look that suited her well but also made me want to flick her forehead.
She then glanced behind her…
---
*Sneakily.*
**"…Sis, that was so cool!!"**
Haru was watching, her eyes practically sparkling with admiration.
A sigh escaped me.
---
**"Sigh."**
*Did she set this up with Haru just to mess with me because of what happened yesterday? Looks like I’ll need to teach her a lesson.*
It was tempting to let this go as a playful trick by my daughters…
But no, if I leave this alone, they’re going to think they can keep treating their “almighty” dad like he’s nothing more than garnish on a sushi plate.
For the sake of maintaining my authority, they’re getting disciplined.
---
*Later….*
**"Alright, then. I’ll be off, Dad."**
**"…Winter?"**
Just as I was preparing for some fatherly discipline, Winter stood up abruptly.
Both Haru and I turned our gazes toward her.
Her expression was entirely different from the mischievous look she had just a moment ago, now looking as if she were on the verge of tears.
---
**"We won’t see each other for a long time, so please don’t forget me and wait with Haru."**
**"Sis…?"**
**"Haru, listen to Dad. Don’t cry because you miss me, okay?"**
She solemnly said her goodbyes.
What was she even talking about?
Haru and I exchanged confused glances, blinking at each other.
A silent conversation passed between us.
*Haru, what is your sister talking about?*
*I don’t know. She’s acting strange. Did you understand, Dad?*
*Not a clue.*
We just shrugged.
---
*Guess I’ll have to ask her directly what she means.*
I looked at Winter and asked,
**"What are you talking about? You’re coming back in three days. Are you seriously getting teary-eyed over three days?"**
In response, Winter, who had been on the brink of tears, was taken aback.
---
**"…Huh? Three days? Didn’t you mean three years?"**
**"Who confuses years with days?"**
**"Wha-what? Seol Ha Yeon said I wouldn’t be able to come back for three years…!!"**
She blinked, shocked, mentioning the Chairman and insisting that she’d heard something different.
---
*Wait. Three years?*
I froze in realization.
I understood everything in an instant.
The girl in front of me…
---
**"What exactly did your grandmother tell you?"**
**"She said villains are locked up for three years in solitary confinement! She said they’re put under thorough investigation to ensure nothing’s missed, and family can’t even visit during that time…!"**
**"……."**
Ah, the villain complex.
I sighed.
I couldn’t believe she’d interpreted things in such a biased way.
---
**"That’s for actual villains. You’re an Awakened."**
**"Wha-what? But I’m a villain."**
**"No, you’re not."**
I quickly explained.
Yes, when they capture a villain, they’re often observed for three years.
This is to account for the possibility of mistakes, as the Chairman might wrongly label someone as a villain, or perhaps the family might contest, insisting their child would never do such things.
But Winter? We’d already proven beyond any doubt that she wasn’t a villain.
The Chairman’s endorsement, my guarantee as a mental ability user, not to mention comprehensive medical exams and brain scans—all pointed to her innocence.
So talk of villains was irrelevant to Winter.
---
**"Once again, you’re assigned to desk duty. It’s a standard office job where you’ll commute daily."**
**"S-so you’re not going to lock me up for three years to see if I’m a villain? And not let my family visit?"**
**"That’s what I’m saying… you’re not a villain. You’ll just receive three days of basic training and then return home."**
Here’s what lay ahead for Winter:
1. First, she’d enter a specialized facility for Awakened training—really just a building near the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
2. Then, she’d undergo three days of basic training, during which high-ranking officials would probably be begging her to join their units.
3. She’d select her immediate superior and return home.
4. Thus would begin her unpaid commute-based military service.
---
**"‘High-ranking officials’ are super important, right? Why would they want me, of all people?"**
**"If you were some C-rank or D-rank, they might not care. But you’re a top-tier A-rank Awakened, capable of blowing up tanks and immune to artillery."**
**"But you lost to him…."**
**"To non-Awakened, your strength is basically like a nuke. They’re bound to treat such a powerful asset well if they have her for fifteen years."**
**"That’s… true, I guess…"**
Winter’s mouth opened and closed, as if she wanted to deny it but couldn’t.
I couldn’t help but feel a bit bitter.
The experiments she had endured, the Awakened Proliferation Project… I held back a sigh, suppressing the dark reason behind it all.
---
**"Then why did you all come running to me?"**
**"Hm?"**
**"You all rushed over as if you wouldn’t see me for ages…"**
But Winter, our clueless eldest daughter, began to complain, not knowing the weight of my thoughts.
She muttered complaints about how my actions had confused her.
---
**"I was worried you’d be scared. Being dragged away by people in military uniforms is frightening."**
**"……."**
She fell silent at my words.
Realizing the situation, Winter plopped down, her face turning bright red.
---
*Mumble mumble.*
**"Little rice cake, little rice cake…!! I only did that because I thought I wouldn’t see him for ages. Three days? Don’t joke around. How am I supposed to look at Dad after this!!"**
She glanced at me, embarrassed.
…See? She wouldn’t have pulled a stunt like that if she hadn’t thought it was for three years.
I understood that she’d been anxious about being forgotten, but still.
---
**"Haru, go comfort your sister. She’s about to leave."**
**"Okay."**
*Pat pat.*
**"I don’t know what Dad said, but Sis, your chu-rup chu-rup was amazing!"**
**"……."**
**"I even filmed it, so I can study it for the future…."**
**"D-delete that, you idiot…."**
With that, Haru and Winter embraced each other tightly.
It was a touching moment, just three minutes before Winter’s enlistment.
---
Afterward, Winter was taken away by female soldiers.
Just as I expected, they treated her with utmost respect.
---
**"Alright, Miss Winter. We’ll be escorting you now."**
**"Bye, sis. See you in three days."**
**"If anything happens, give us a call."**
**"……."**
Winter couldn’t even look me in the eyes as she left.
She kept her head down, clearly embarrassed.
---
*Smirk.*
*Maybe I’ll tease her about this later. "Does Dad need to give you a kiss?"*
I mentally added a new recipe to my "tease Winter" list. And with that, the long aftermath of the terror incident came to a close.
The Chairman let out a deep sigh of relief.
---
**"Sigh. Now that the verdict’s out, I can finally relax."**
**"It must have been hard, dealing with Winter."**
**"You have no idea. I’ve been so busy I couldn’t even brew any liquor."**
She shook her head, looking truly exhausted.
Apparently, she hadn’t even had time for her last remaining hobby, making infused liquors.
---
*Mumble mumble.*
**"This kid will be S-rank soon. Maybe I’ll just let him graduate and make him the Association President…."**
**"What was that?"**
**"Oh, nothing."**
But only briefly.
Suddenly, the Chairman gave me a rather chilling look.
A smirk played on her lips, and she nudged my side with her elbow.
---
*Tap tap.*
**"By the way, Yujin. It
’s almost certain that you’ll be promoted to S-rank soon. You handled that S-rank gate almost entirely on your own."**
**"That’s true."**
**"And with midterms approaching, if you score well, it’ll show you’re fully qualified as an Awakened."**
Her voice took on a playful tone as she slightly bent forward to look up at me.
Was she trying to act cute at her age?
It wasn’t as irritating as Kkong’s antics, but it was still annoying.
I responded curtly.
---
**"Are you threatening me to get good grades?"**
**"Just a reminder. You haven’t had as much time to study as the other cadets."**
**"I didn’t realize you cared about things like this, Chairman."**
**"Of course I do. If the next S-rank fails, wouldn’t it be embarrassing for me?"**
**"I’ll do fine, no need to worry."**
The midterms would be in just a few days, in the eighth week.
Did I have any doubts? Not at all. I might be a seasoned 15-year veteran and an S-rank Awakened.
Midterms were a piece of cake for me.
---
**"Oh? So confident?"**
**"I’m aiming for a perfect score."**
**"Hmm…."**
*Mumble mumble.*
**"What a troublemaker. Practically begging me to put him to work."**
**"Pardon?"**
**"Oh, nothing. Heh."**
She chuckled, clearly pleased.
It seemed my confidence delighted her.
---
**"Alright, Chairman, let’s head back. I need to help Sia and Alice with their studies."**
**"Alright, alright. Haru, stop fiddling with that phone and come along. Enough with the strange videos."**
**"It’s not strange. It’s an educational video my sister left for me."**
**"I don’t know what that means, but just turn it off. I feel tired just thinking about it."**
**"Okay."**
*Pitter-patter.*
With that, we returned to the academy—the place that would warmly welcome Winter back in three days.
And time passed…
---
**[Seo Yujin confirmed as S-rank, ranked 7th!!]**
**[Theory presented during midterms plays a crucial role.]**
**[Awakened clans worldwide are in shock…]**
The midterm exam week arrived.
---
**"Uh, A-Alice…?"**
**"My inherent ability is S-rank, and you’re EX-rank, so combined…"**
**"Would you like to be… friends with benefits?"**
**"……!!!!?"**
And thus began a slightly chaotic chapter of my life.