.｡.:✧ Chapter 11 ✧:.｡.

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Si-hwa seemed satisfied with taking my number and said the box was enough for her to carry alone, so I could go first.

“Ah, right. Choi In-wook.”

Si-hwa turned her head while holding the box and looked at me.

“Yeah.”

“Answer when I call.”

Come to think of it, we didn’t exchange phone numbers, only Si-hwa knew my phone number.

“Got it.”

“Take care.”

It was 4:30 PM. Since my appointment with Ha-rin was at 6 o’clock, I hurried my steps.

* * *

After returning home, I rummaged through my closet.

I didn’t have a proper income yet at this time, so there wouldn’t be any expensive clothes like in my previous life.

Looking at it again now, there really wasn’t a single decent piece of clothing in my closet.

Of course, it wasn’t like I was living in a dingy semi-basement studio, but it was full of clothes that looked like they were bought on special discount from popular brands.

Changing into clothes that I deemed relatively neat, I headed to the place where I promised to meet Ha-rin.

Ha-rin lived in a huge penthouse in Hannam-dong.

I remembered the first time I visited her house casually dressed, I returned completely discouraged.

Her front yard was about the size of a small neighborhood park.

The garden, filled with colorful blooming flowers, gave the impression that it had been touched by a professional.

The scale of the house itself was no different from a palace compared to our house.

The color combination of the exterior finished with fine-quality concrete and the classic-looking marble gave the impression that it had won the house of the year award from an architecture magazine.

…It was a story I heard later, but I was told that Ha-rin’s house had actually been featured on TV.

Although the income after properly working as a hunter might seem like sudden wealth to others, the money I earned was still nothing compared to the wealth of Ha-rin’s family.

I got on the bus while recalling memories of my ex-in-laws, Ha-rin’s family.

By the way, she asked to meet outside, but I didn’t know exactly what for.

I guess I’ll find out when I get there. We need to discuss the pair training anyway.

In fact, I knew her fighting style in detail, but if we matched too well without prior understanding, it would definitely raise suspicion.

In my previous life, I had to somehow get to know her, but in this life, I had to somehow pretend not to know her.

It was a ridiculous situation.

* * *

I arrived at the promised cafe at 5:50 PM.

I thought it would be tight, but thanks to the smooth traffic, I was able to arrive a little early.

It felt awkward to just sit there, so I went to the counter to order coffee.

I decided on the menu and tried to talk to the counter staff to pay, but for some reason, she hurriedly went into the staff room.

My hand, which had taken out the card, lost its place and returned to my pocket.

…It’s embarrassing.

But not long after, a different male employee came out and served me.

“Sorry for the wait! Are you ready to order?”

“One iced Americano, please.”

Come to think of it, in my previous life, I always had a cup of coffee and smoked a cigarette.

Since this life’s body was before becoming a slave to nicotine, it seemed I didn’t even think about it much.

I took a seat by the window, sipped the straw, and watched people passing by outside.

She wasn’t the type to be often late for appointments, so she would be here soon.

Soon, the bell rang from the entrance.

“Did you wait long, In-wook?”

A white one-piece dress that reached her knees. A pink cardigan that seemed to match the spring season.

It was the outfit she wore on the day I first asked Ha-rin out on a date in my previous life.

Of course, it wasn’t as moving as the first time I saw her outside the academy, but seeing this appearance again made my heart race.

“No. Not at all. I don’t think I waited even 10 minutes?”

“Then I’ll go order first and come back!”

“Oh. Okay.”

Ha-rin, standing in front of the counter, seemed to be contemplating while looking at the menu.

But I knew.

Yoon Ha-rin. You’ll order a mocha latte anyway.

Ha-rin’s love for mocha latte had to be known since the previous life.

[Ha-rin. I’ll just order a mocha latte for you, right?]

[Huh? No. Why are you jumping to conclusions?]

[…You’ll end up drinking mocha latte anyway.]

[No. Wait and see. I might really drink something else today.]

[Yeah~ Yeah~ If you say so!]

[Hmph. I’m serious though…]

Despite her desperate appeal to me, she inevitably drank mocha latte that day.

And of course, today as well.

“One mocha latte, please!”

She ordered a mocha latte in a clear voice.

That’s how it is. Even if there was a slightly different feeling from the previous life, I thought Ha-rin was still Ha-rin.

She received her drink and sat across from me.

“Did it take long to get here?”

“No. About 30 minutes?”

My house was in Changcheon-dong, so it didn’t take that long.

“That’s a relief.”

She sipped her drink through the straw and smiled as if she was happy.

“Ah~ This is the taste~”

This feeling of a scene from my life replaying was truly indescribable.

“So, Ha-rin. You asked to meet outside because of the pair training, right?”

“Ah. Well. That’s one of the reasons.”

Her tone seemed to treat the pair training as an afterthought.

I wondered if she had another purpose.

“But In-wook. Before we talk about combat-related things, I want to know more about what kind of person you are. Is it okay if I ask some personal questions?”

Personal questions…? Well, the current Ha-rin wouldn’t have any information.

“Oh. Well. I’ll answer to the extent that I can.”

Thus began Ha-rin’s sudden background check.

“Favorite color?”

“Least favorite food?”

“Home location?”

“Siblings?”

“High school you graduated from?”

I was dizzy from the barrage of questions.

But why was she curious about the best side dish my mother made for pair training?

“Ha… Ha-rin. That… I think you know enough about me with that much? …Hahaha”

As I scratched my head, looking troubled, Ha-rin finally seemed to realize that she had asked too many questions.

“Ah. Sorry. In-wook. Did I ask too many unnecessary questions?”

“No, no. It’s not like that. Just… a bit… too many… Haha…”

It had already been 40 minutes, but we hadn’t talked about each other’s abilities, which was the important part.

“Then In-wook! Do you have anything you want to ask me or any questions?”

Ha-rin asked, resting her chin and leaning her head toward me.

“Uh… Hmm…”

I already knew most things, so I didn’t have anything I was particularly curious about.

Ah. Then let’s ask questions mainly about things that feel different from the previous life.

“Ha-rin.”

“Yeah?”

“Why did you reject the guy next to you when he said let’s pair up during the pair selection?”

She was smiling brightly, but suddenly her eyes widened as if surprised.

“Ah… Um… That’s because… In-wook…”

“Yeah.”

Her pupils wandered here and there as if they had lost their way.

What is it? Is there a reason that’s difficult to answer?

But I couldn’t think of anything expected.

“That guy. He wasn’t my type in terms of appearance.”

“…And I was your type?”

According to my memory from my previous life, it wasn’t that Ha-rin liked me because of my looks.

Whenever she had to list my good points, she always mentioned my personality or conduct.

Even after we got married, I rarely heard her say I was good-looking.

“Yeah! Let’s go with that!”

Wow. It sounded like a really sincere answer.

I knew her words weren’t true, but I had no intention of persistently digging deeper.

“Another question!”

“Um… Do you… often go to places like cafes… with guys… like this?”

Actually, I felt a slight discomfort with her overly active attitude.

Because in my previous life, when we had our first date, I was the one who bombarded her with questions.

The one who was embarrassed and answering was Ha-rin.

“No? This is my first time going to a cafe alone with a guy in my life!”

She answered with a bright smile.

This didn’t seem like a lie.

“I see…”

“Anything else?”

“No. I think this much is good for me.”

“Really?”

For a moment, silence flowed between us.

Ha-rin stared at me intently with the straw in her mouth.

“In-wook.”

“Yeah.”

“Can I ask one last thing? It’s okay if you don’t want to answer if it’s uncomfortable.”

I wondered what she was laying the groundwork for to that extent.

“Yeah, yeah. Feel free to ask.”

“…You know, on the first day of admission.”

Ha-rin paused for a moment and chewed her lips.

“That test. Why did you take it?”

She seemed to be referring to my fertility test.

Wow. An honest answer was impossible.

I was infertile before I committed suicide.

I couldn’t bring myself to answer like that.

“Just. I was curious if I was healthy. Hahaha. Silly, right? Me. Hahaha”

“No. Not at all.”

I was surprised by her firm tone of answer, which Si-hwa might use.

“…Health is. Important. It’s important.”

“Oh… Right. Yeah. Health. It’s important.”

Ha-rin, who had reacted too seriously, soon returned to her usual calm face.

“Ah~ It’s just that some adults around me have recently become ill. I’m realizing the importance of taking care of my body these days.”

“I… I see…”

Not knowing what reaction to show, I said I would go to the restroom and left my seat for a moment.

* * *

“Hmm…”

The fact that In-wook took a fertility test before entering the academy was very suspicious.

In his previous life, he was a man who only realized he was infertile after marrying me.

Could it be that he also went back in time like me?

If that’s the case, the story might be solved more easily.

He was my first love and my one and only husband.

I remembered his previous life, trying hard to win my affection.

There was no way he could withstand my affectionate offensive.

I remembered In-wook’s face melting at a single aegyo from me.

As I was contemplating my future plans, my phone vibrated on the table.

It was In-wook’s cell phone.

The number wasn’t saved, so I didn’t know who it was.

Just in case, I picked up the phone and intended to answer it and let In-wook know he had a call.

[Hello?]

For some reason, there was no immediate response.

[Hello?]

I called out once more, thinking maybe they couldn’t hear me.

[You. Who are you?]

…I knew the owner of the voice coming from the phone.

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