My Girlfriend's Fortune: 3,141,592,653,589-Chapter 91: Personal Feelings

TL: Aniea

"You look like you're having fun."

"More than I initially expected."

At Kim Eun-ha's words, I shrugged my shoulders lightly. Acting in the theater with the kids was actually quite fun.

It was also rewarding to watch the children, who were initially lost and clueless, gradually take on their roles one by one through practice.

Even the kids who were wary and intimidated by me at first now approached without hesitation and even sat on my lap.

'...I really lose track of time.'

Age, gender, upbringing, and so on. It was hard to find common ground among them, and yet the theater brought them all together. I felt grateful for that. I was so happy spending time with the kids.

"Now, won't you spare some time for me too?"

Grin-

Kim Eun-ha looked at me and spoke in a playful tone. Of course, just because her tone was playful didn’t mean her words were, too.

"...Can I rest just ten more minutes?"

"No."

Grr-

As always, at Kim Eun-ha’s firm response, I forced myself to get up.

I happened to glance at the clock, and the hour hand was already pointing to eleven. For the record, that’s 11 p.m., not a.m.

‘Well, it can’t be helped.’

Previously, Kim Eun-ha said she dumped everything except really important or urgent matters on Secretary Yoon, but with her perfectionist personality, that was impossible.

What’s more, she was frighteningly competent. The mere fact that she got off work earlier than usual made the department store's operations start to creak.

On the surface, the changes were so minor that no one would notice, but Kim Eun-ha couldn’t accept even that. In just a week, she returned to her original routine.

The only difference from before was that she now practiced with me one-on-one after work.

"Today we’re supposed to practice page 29, right?"

"Yes, that’s right."

I couldn’t help but wonder where she got all that energy from, seeing Kim Eun-ha burn with enthusiasm. Watching her, I let out a bitter chuckle inside.

In the end, she couldn’t let go of either work or theater, so she sliced her already limited time even thinner.

Thanks to that, after finishing practice with the kids and coming home, I ended up doing a second round of practice with Kim Eun-ha, who had originally gone home from work.

‘...She really is incredible in many ways.’

She declared that, to make time for rehearsals, she would commute from here for a while, and afterward, she truly started living under the same roof like it was nothing.

Of course, calling it “the same roof” was a bit of a stretch, since the house was so massive that it made square footage meaningless.

In any case, I was still a man, and I couldn’t help but be aware of her presence.

"Woo-ju ssi, you were thinking about something else just now, weren't you?"

"Yes."

"Wow, when did you get so shameless?"

"Aren’t you going to ask what I was thinking?"

"Nope. It's obvious."

"What do you think I was thinking about?"

"Kim Eun-ha."

"Correct."

"Should I shout hurrah or something?"

"Well, that would be kind of cute."

"Sure it would."

Thump-

Kim Eun-ha lightly hit my chest with her fist, her actions matching her words(?).

Heh-

Relaxing at the silly exchange, I chuckled softly and began stretching. Page 29 involved a lot of physical movement.

'There's plenty of space.'

We were currently in the basement.

Surprisingly, right beneath Kim Eun-ha’s house, there was a massive space equipped with various exercise machines and large enough for dozens of people to spar.

'...Though calling it a basement is a stretch.'

One part of the ceiling was entirely covered with glass, offering a clear view of the night sky, a unique kind of space.

With the press of a button, the ceiling opened and closed like a convertible car, making it feel like some secret base.

It was probably designed with Kim Eun-ha’s claustrophobia in mind. But I couldn’t even imagine how much it cost to install and maintain such facilities.

"Here."

"Thank you."

While I was thinking about this and that, Kim Eun-ha handed me a lightsaber for sparring.

Whoosh-!

When the button was pressed, a loud sound effect blared as a green light lit up the blade, creating a fairly convincing appearance. The advancement of technology is always astonishing.

'At first I wondered what the heck we were doing....'

But the more I did it, the more familiar it became, and now it just felt natural.

Whoooaang-!

Kim Eun-ha, standing across from me, also switched on her lightsaber. In contrast to mine, a red light shimmered in her blade.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes, Eun-ha ssi. Start whenever you're ready."

"Then I’ll start in three seconds."

"Understood."

As if we had agreed beforehand, we both got into position at the same time. Since this was a scene we had practiced together several times, there was no hesitation.

‘...Though the storyline still doesn’t sit right with me no matter how many times I see it.’

Page 29, the one I was practicing today with Kim Eun-ha, was the scene where the female and male leads meet for the first time.

It’s a scene where the male protagonist, born and raised in the forest of the labyrinth, and the now-adult female protagonist, misunderstand each other as enemies and fight.

"Three."

The female protagonist was trained by seven dwarfs, each with unique talents. One of them, naturally, was swordsmanship.

By the way, the sword the princess holds is a sacred sword bestowed by the king to his knight. The moment she held it in her hand, it revealed its true form.

"Two."

On the other hand, the male protagonist was born and raised inside the labyrinth. His mother was the eldest daughter of a noble family.

One day, she fell in love with a man at a ball, ended up sleeping with him, and became pregnant.

Her father, who saw this as a disgrace to the family, planned to kill the child in her womb.

Sensing her father’s scheme, the mother fled in the middle of the night and gave birth to the child alone in the forest of the labyrinth.

Though she succeeded in saving the child, the mother, having exhausted all her strength, died on the spot.

The male protagonist was then raised by a mysterious and intelligent creature, a talking wolf named ‘Khan’.

"One!"

Vwooom-!

As if to cut through my thoughts, Kim Eun-ha forcefully swung her sword. It was an incredibly fast and threatening strike, just like the sound. But I reflexively raised my lightsaber and blocked the attack.

It was possible because this was a ‘choreographed duel’ we had practiced multiple times before.

"Hyup-!"

Clang! Zzzing-! Zeeeeing!

Each time our blades clashed, the lightsabers sparkled and emitted their distinctive impact sound.

Even someone with no prior knowledge would be impressed by the spectacle.

‘Next, a horizontal slash aiming for the head…’

Vwooom-!

Kim Eun-ha’s strike came in a straight, precise arc without a hint of error. I arched my back acrobatically and dodged the attack.

Every time I practiced this scene, I felt how truly difficult the movements were. You could practically feel the malicious intent of the writer.

-Alpha… no, young master, your character was raised by a wild beast, remember? Of course your movements should be more instinctive than refined.

At that moment, I recalled the deadpan face of Team Leader Kang Dae-ho. At Kim Eun-ha’s request, he had taken on the role of martial arts director for this play.

Also, he used this opportunity to fulfill a promise he made earlier, and while training under him, this happened.

-Team Leader, I think this is a bit too much, honestly.

-Young master, aren’t you an actor? Surely you’re not trying to cherry-pick only the roles you like, as if this were some buffet? Like the scene where you kiss the princess, for instance.

-Are you doing this because of that scene? It’s not even a script I wrote, and this is just acting. There are no personal feelings involved!

-…No personal feelings?

Twitch-

At that moment, Kang Dae-ho’s brow furrowed slightly. Since he rarely changed his expression, that alone clearly showed how displeased he was.

He thought of Kim Eun-ha like his own daughter. At the time, I quickly tried to add an explanation. More precisely, I intended to.

-No, what I meant was not that…

-So you do have personal feelings!?

-……

Now his brows went from twitching to completely contorting. Caught in this rhetorical trap, I couldn’t say or do anything and simply clamped my mouth shut.

And this here was the result.

I literally twisted my whole body to dodge Kim Eun-ha’s fierce onslaught. Bending my waist was the norm, and I even had to jump here and there.

Even if it was just a practice match, the difficulty level was such utter bullshit that it was nearly impossible to execute, but I had to admit, it looked damn flashy, so I shut up about it.

‘...The kids actually loved it.’

A few days ago, when Kim Eun-ha got off work a little early and came to the orphanage, we gave a demonstration in front of everyone under the pretense of practice.

Back then, not only the kids at the orphanage but even the nuns assisting from the side stood up and applauded, mesmerized.

Later, when we watched the footage directed by Oh Dong-gyu, even Kim Eun-ha and I were shocked by how visually stunning the result was.

‘...There's no choice but to pull it off somehow.’

At this point, even if someone tried to stop me, I couldn’t. Because I wouldn’t be satisfied with myself otherwise.

What made things a bit easier was that Kim Eun-ha had excellent athletic ability, so her attacks always followed the pre-set choreography with perfect accuracy.

“...Hup!”

Whoosh-whoosh!

It was to the point that, with a bit of exaggeration, I could dodge her strikes with my eyes closed. Her attack trajectory was so flawless that my burden was greatly reduced.

‘Looks like it’s wrapping up now.’

The first duel between the princess and the prince lasted about thirty seconds. During the sword fight, they realize neither is a villain and gradually enter a stalemate, that’s the premise.

‘Next is the final strike.’

With a sharp glint in her eyes, Kim Eun-ha swung her sword again. A vertical slash cutting straight down from overhead.

I had to dodge it with a backflip to create distance, and then the practice session would end.

‘...Hm?’

As I executed the backflip according to the previously coordinated sequence.

In the upside-down world, I saw it. The twisted smile curling at the corner of Kim Eun-ha’s lips.

“......!!”

A chill ran down my spine. I instantly adjusted my stance and instinctively raised my sword.

Ziiing-!

Thanks to that, I barely blocked Kim Eun-ha’s sword as it came flying for my shoulder at the last second.

“Want to try doing it for real?”

“After wearing me out like this?”

“A real fight’s all about launching it when it’s most advantageous to you. Rushing in headfirst without a plan is something only idiots do.”

“...What if I say no?”

I stared silently at her through our crossed swords, and her smile deepened.

Vwooom-!

Kim Eun-ha’s sword slashed diagonally toward my thigh. Upon confirming her answer, I quickly stepped back to dodge the strike.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

Determined not to lose the momentum, she launched another wave of fierce attacks. Each and every strike came at me with weight, aiming right at my throat.

‘Nothing’s going to happen even if I lose here, but still...’

I couldn’t let myself lose.

Just imagining Kim Eun-ha grinning from ear to ear after defeating me made my blood boil.

With renewed resolve, I faced her seriously, and our duel dragged on endlessly with no conclusion in sight.

“Why don’t you give up already?”

“Looks like you’re getting tired?”

“Ha! Says the one to talk.”

Zing! Clang! Clang!

Every time our swords clashed midair, beads of sweat, whose they were, nobody could tell, splashed everywhere.

Our breaths grew heavier to the point we could no longer hide it, and our sword-bearing hands began to feel heavier. But neither of us backed down.

Adrenaline surged like crazy, our blood was boiling, and before we knew it, manic smiles had crept up on both our faces.

“Hraah-!”

“Eeek-!”

...The duel that felt like it would go on forever ended surprisingly anticlimactically.

Kim Eun-ha, trying to go in for a massive strike with all her weight, slipped on the sweat scattered across the floor.

“...Ah!”

As her body tipped backward, I instinctively threw my sword to the ground and reached out to her.

Whoosh! Thud-!

Pulling Kim Eun-ha into my arms, I twisted my body desperately, and in the end, I lay flat on my back, holding her protectively in my arms.

“.......”

“.......”

An awkward silence followed. Maybe the impact from hitting the floor was harder than expected, because my mind went blank, leaving no room for other thoughts.

Kim Eun-ha also seemed pretty startled; leaning against me, she stared blankly up at the ceiling.

Haa... haa...

Hoo...

Soon, our heavy breathing filled the basement. We had held it in for so long that it was beyond our willpower to calm down right away.

...How much time had passed like that? After catching her breath to some degree, Kim Eun-ha moved her lips.

"Woo-ju ssi."

"What is it."

"Since your back hit the floor first... doesn’t that mean I won this match?"

"Where exactly did you sell your conscience?"

"Do you really think I have any of that left?"

"...I'm an idiot for expecting it."

Pfft-! Puhahaha!

Kim Eun-ha couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter. She laughed so hard that tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

Every time her body shook with laughter, the tremor spread through the skin where we touched.

Maybe I caught her laughter like it was contagious, but before I realized it, the corners of my mouth were lifting and I began to chuckle as well.

"So, you admit it?"

"Let’s just have a clean rematch."

"It was supposed to be a one-round match, though?"

"Then I’ll just call it a win by decision."

Thump-!

As if to say “don’t be ridiculous,” Kim Eun-ha lightly tilted her head back and knocked against my chest.

After that, as if she was really completely drained, she lay down in a big spread and completely leaned her body against me.

I, too, relaxed my body and stared blankly up at the ceiling. Beyond the glass above, the pitch-black night sky filled my vision.

Above it, countless twinkling lights.

Though I couldn’t tell whether they were stars or satellites, just for this moment, I decided to believe they were all starlight.

*****

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