Chapter 36
“What do you mean, you’re opening the shop again?”
“Don’t worry. I finished rehab just fine while my son was missing somewhere.”
After spending a long time in the hospital, Mom finally returned home after six months.
I thought she would finally relax and rest for a while at home, but then she started saying something ridiculous about reopening the bakery.
“My son makes good money now, so there’s no need to run a bakery anymore.”
Until now, the only way our family could make a living was through the bakery.
But now things were different.
Just selling the magic stones that weren’t put into the training chamber was already enough to not only keep his bank balance stable but overflowing with surplus.
There was no reason for her to strain her body just after finishing rehab.
“If I stay home all day, it gets boring.”
“If you’re bored, go gossip with the neighborhood ladies, don’t torture your body again.”
“Making bread is what I enjoy the most.”
She refused to listen and stubbornly insisted.
I always wondered who she got that stubbornness from, but seeing her now, I think I finally understood the answer.
“Since we’re talking about it, I should bake a few to warm up my hands.”
“No… sigh.”
She headed down the stairs only a few hours after unpacking.
I desperately wanted to follow her down and convince her, but seeing how happy she looked going to bake again, I couldn’t bring myself to stop her.
She turned on the lights one by one in the shop below.
I sat at one of the arranged tables, waiting while she baked bread.
Just then, beyond the tightly locked shop door, I saw a familiar silhouette approaching.
“….”
Her eyes met mine.
It was none other than Yena.
Seeing her, Juhyuk immediately went and opened the locked door.
“What brings you here?”
“Your mother was discharged, so I came with a discharge gift~”
“A discharge gift…?”
She wasn’t holding anything other than her bag.
I wondered what kind of gift she was talking about, confused, and she answered:
“It’ll be delivered later. I couldn’t carry it here myself.”
“…Did you buy something like a refrigerator?”
“Hehe, you’ll understand when you see it.”
She hid it as if it were some mysterious surprise.
While I was looking at her strangely, Mom’s cheerful voice came from inside.
“Oh my, Yena, you’re here?”
“Yes~ Mother! Something smells good in there—are you already baking?”
“Yes, it’ll be ready quickly, have a seat and wait a little~”
Mom disappeared again.
I suddenly noticed something odd in their conversation, so I asked Yena:
“Hold on, are you speaking casually with my mom now?”
“We have been speaking casually for a while now.”
Mom wasn’t the type to easily speak informally with someone.
Especially with younger people—she always worried it might sound rude.
Yet she spoke casually with Yena like she was her own daughter. It was shocking.
‘Well, considering how often she visited the hospital, I guess it would’ve been harder not to get close.’
She had visited more frequently than even her son.
Anyone would feel close after that.
“That’s impressive. My mom rarely talks casually with anyone.”
“I was touched too when she first spoke casually to me.”
She sat down across from me with a grin.
Once seated together, she quietly glanced over and asked:
“So… is it our turn to speak informally now too?”
“What, do you want me to call you ‘noona’?”
“Hmm… somehow that feels weird. I think calling me ‘Yena-ssi’ is better.”
We waited for the bread, casually chatting.
The nostalgic smell of warm bread lifted my mood.
I used to bring friends here to eat bread all the time.
Fond memories resurfaced.
‘After awakening, I never brought anyone here again.’
Since entering the academy, I had lived obsessed with sword training.
I barely came home, staying mostly in training facilities.
I did have friendly acquaintances who approached me first, but…
None close enough to bring here.
As a result, there wasn’t a single close friend left that I kept in regular contact with.
‘I’m not in any position to lecture Hansoo or anyone else about friends—’
“Oh.”
“What’s wrong?”
I had completely forgotten.
I promised Suyi we’d train together after contacting her following my return from the training chamber.
But because Mom said she’d bake bread, I forgot everything.
‘I’m already late.’
I checked my phone—there were double-digit missed calls.
“Ah…”
I was doomed.
She must have been waiting with no reply.
Juhyuk quickly called Suyi.
The call connected almost instantly, barely ringing.
“Hello?”
[You finally saw it, huh.]
“Sorry, something came up, and I forgot.”
[It’s fine. I’m already on my way.]
“…What?”
[See you later.]
She ended the call immediately.
I didn’t understand what she meant by “see you later,” staring blankly when—
“Juhyuk, isn’t that Suyi Hunter outside?”
Yena pointed to the window.
I followed her gaze—Suyi was walking toward the shop and quietly opened the door.
“Hi.”
“….”
It felt too early for her to use the phrase “see you later.”
I had many questions, but one stood out most:
“How did you find my house?”
Why did everyone seem to know my address when I never told anyone?
Without even greeting, I asked, and she casually answered:
“You told me before. That your family runs a bakery.”
“So…?”
Did she memorize bus routes and visit every bakery along the way?
That level of determination was terrifying for a second—
“I asked an academy teacher.”
“What does that have to do with telling you we have a bakery?”
So it was the academy again.
Someone there was leaking my information constantly.
Even Yena originally got my info from them. I needed to investigate someday.
“So why didn’t you come?”
“Ah, well…”
Feeling embarrassed, Juhyuk told the truth carefully.
“Sorry, I was talking with my mom and forgot.”
“…Really?”
Silence.
She looked between Yena and me before saying:
“I thought maybe you forgot because you were busy having fun with some other friend.”
“….”
So she misunderstood.
Considering how things looked, I couldn’t deny it.
I was about to explain, but Yena cut in:
“It’s not a friend—I’m his noona.”
She stood and said:
“You saw me last time, right? Nice to see you again.”
“Yes, I saw you.”
Suyi didn’t reply with “nice to see you.”
Perhaps because she couldn’t lie easily—she didn’t even bother with a polite fake line.
She didn’t need to.
Her eyes already held a sharp, tense aura.
“Juhyuk, let’s go.”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
Keeping the two together any longer felt dangerous—training was the better option.
‘I wanted to eat fresh bread for the first time in ages…’
It was disappointing, but a promise was a promise.
I stood up, planning to tell Mom before leaving.
“Isn’t it fine to rest for just one day?”
Yena stopped me.
“You just got back from special training, so you must be tired. You should rest at least for a day.”
She looked to Suyi for agreement.
Suyi answered without a single change in expression:
“Juhyuk trains without taking a single day off.”
“That’s why he should rest today.”
A subtle power struggle began.
It looked exhausting.
So Juhyuk shouted toward the bakery room:
“Mom! My friend’s here!”
“What?”
Surprised, Mom rushed out.
Seeing Suyi, she widened her eyes and hurried over.
Immediately, Suyi changed from intimidating to polite.
“Hello.”
“Hello~ I can’t remember the last time one of Juhyuk’s friends came over.”
With Mom here, the icy battlefield melted instantly.
Juhyuk whispered to Mom:
“We planned to train together today, so I told her we’d eat first.”
“That’s perfect~ I made more than I thought, so I didn’t know what to do!”
Mom looked delightfully at Suyi.
Suyi awkwardly fidgeted, unsure how to react.
“Don’t feel uncomfortable. Just sit and relax~ I’ll bring the bread out right away!”
“Okay… thank you.”
She sat quietly.
Once Mom disappeared again, silence returned.
Maybe my sudden reaction startled her.
She stared at me, somewhat confused.
“She just finished rehab, but insisted on baking, so I tried to stop her— that’s why I was late. As you see, I didn’t succeed.”
“…I see.”
“It’s lunchtime soon, so eat with us before we go. Is that okay?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. I like bread.”
She nodded.
A sigh of relief escaped me, then Yena said:
“I noticed this in the Gate too—you’re really good at improvising.”
“All thanks to someone.”
Normally, I would have said it more mildly.
Why did she try to worsen the situation?
‘Was it because she didn’t want Mom to feel hurt?’
If her son doesn’t eat her bread after so long, she would be sad.
Maybe she was being overly considerate.
“Speaking of the Gate…”
“Yes?”
“I’m thinking about requesting an A-rank entry this time. Can you find one?”
“….”
The air froze.
Yena’s playful expression instantly crumbled.
“Juhyuk, I told you last time—A-rank is still too much.”
“It was too much last time.”
Before the dream herb, it truly was impossible.
“It won’t be anymore.”
He had become stronger after consuming the dream herb and completing training.
He felt certain growth.
He now knew he could clear an A-rank.
But Yena had no way of knowing that.
“Juhyuk, your mom was terrified when you went into B-rank. And now you’re saying A-rank?”
Of course she was worried.
Anyone would react like that if someone suddenly claimed they could clear A-rank after a single special training.
“No matter how strong you are, A-rank isn’t something—”
She stopped mid-sentence.
Her gaze shifted behind me.
“…What did you say?”
Mom’s voice came from behind.
Turning around, I saw her holding a plate piled high with bread.
“A-rank?”
Frozen.
She stood still with the plate in hand.
Juhyuk spoke to her:
“…I’m planning to go into an A-rank Gate.”
“Juhyuk!”
Yena shouted, shocked he said it so bluntly.
The atmosphere was stiff enough to freeze the air itself.
After several seconds of silence, Mom sighed deeply, set the plate on the table, and said:
“Go.”
She spoke flatly, without looking at him.
“You must have thought it through.”
“Mother…”
“Yena said it too — you’re strong enough.”
Then she finally looked at her son.
“You’re someone who knows how your mother felt when your father died, so you won’t act recklessly.”
“….”
She had spent twenty years living for nothing but her son after losing her husband.
She didn’t believe he was the type to betray that devotion.
“Right?”
Of course, she was right.
Juhyuk wasn’t saying it without thought or out of pride.
He had certainty.
He could definitely clear an A-rank.
“….”
His mother didn’t seem to share that certainty, but she was holding back, choosing to respect him.
How could he erase that worry?
There was no need to think.
He picked up a piece of bread with a fork and said:
“After we finish eating, come with me and watch me train.”
“…You want me to go with you?”
“Yes. Come watch.”
He’d been waiting for this moment—
A moment where he could show her something proudly.
And it seemed like today was the day.
“I’ll make sure you never worry about me again.”
