WHEN NAVI returned to the Golden Training Room, she didn't expect to see her mother waiting for her there.
Now she was annoyed.
"President Ahn, why didn't you tell me about the support team that will join Won Yiwon and Cha Hyein for this year's Expedition?" Navi asked, and she couldn't help but sound bitter. "I know you hate the fact that I still enjoy the privileges the Elites enjoy— you hate it because you think I don't deserve it now that I'm useless to the association. But that doesn't give you the right to forcefully pull me away from Won Yiwon's side."
"Your obsession with Won Yiwon is starting to get ridiculous."
"Maybe if you had given me enough motherly love, I wouldn't have ended up obsessing over the person who took good care of me after you discarded me."
"I didn't throw you away— you're just being too dramatic about it."
"Tell that to my therapist."
"Ahn Navi—"
"Eomma, enough," Navi said sternly. "Please don't make me snap."
"Fine— suit yourself," Ahn Sunja said, looking at her pitifully while shaking her head. "You don't even know why Won Yiwon created that support team."
Hmm?
What does it mean?
***
POP.
POOOP.
POP. POP. POP.
The popping sounds echoed in the Golden Training Room.
Navi remained looking up, watching the giant wasps get crushed by the Glass Jars that she used to trap the monsters inside.
The Hunters Association had a collection of monsters for research.
And we get rid of the monsters they don't need anymore by using them to train.
Just like what she did.
"Killing monsters by trapping them inside my Glass Jars is fine, but it's boring," Navi lamented, half-complaining and half-evaluating her training session. "A Hunter should hunt monsters and not catch them like P*kemons."
"You sound like a bloodthirsty lunatic when you say things like that, Ahn Navi."
Aigoo.
Navi turned around and faced her most favorite person in the world. "I've really grown weak. You couldn't sneak up on me in the past."
Won Yiwon, who was leaning against the nearby wall with his arms crossed over his chest, scoffed. "You talk as if there was an enormous gap between our strengths before."
"Yah, I used to be the #1 Hunter for a reason."
"Only because you awakened first."
"I was the one who saved the world and not you."
Won Yiwon scowled— not because he lost the argument, but because he didn't like talking about the time Navi saved the world without him.
It wasn't because Won Yiwon had an inferiority complex either.
There was a reason why he didn't like remembering that incident.
"It's not your fault," Navi said carefully. "It was my choice to sacrifice myself instead of waiting for you and the other kids to arrive."
"…"
"Yah, if you still feel guilty about it, then go and find the Legendary Wish Stone that could apparently grant wishes— even bringing someone back to life," Navi said half-jokingly. "Give it to me and I'll make my wish come true."
"What wish?" Won Yiwon asked, knitting his eyebrows. "What kind of wish do you have that you need the Legendary Wish Stone to grant it when I'm here?"
"I want to grow taller and increase my breast size."
"Huh?"
"I want big 'watermelons.'"
Won Yiwon suddenly had a fit of cough, his cheeks and the tips of his ears turning red as if he was embarrassed.
"That Calamity bitch's curse halted my growth. I'm almost twenty years old, and yet I still look like a child," Navi lamented, ignoring Won Yiwon's funny reaction. "My parents are both tall, so I'm sure I would have easily hit the 170cm mark had I not been cursed. And as for my 'watermelons,' I want them big—"
"Why do you want to grow taller?"
"Are you seriously asking why?" Navi asked, scoffing while holding her nape. "I feel like I'm going to break my neck whenever I talk to you."
After all, Won Yiwon was 183cm tall.
And it looks like he's not yet done growing.
"I don't want to look like a child next to you, so I want to grow taller and have bigger 'watermelons' to look sexy—"
"You're not a child, and I never saw you as one," Won Yiwon said, interrupting Navi's great talk about her dream 'watermelons' again. "We're going to have our first taste of alcohol soon, won't we?"
Navi immediately beamed. "You remember our promise."
"Were you upset about the Expedition because you thought I forgot about our promise?"
At that moment, she was glad that Won Yiwon couldn't see her face.
Because I don't want him to see me pouting.
"We'll be leaving for the Expedition on New Year's Eve. That's also our birthday eve— our last night as teenagers before we turn twenty," Navi said, acting like it wasn't a big deal even though it was. "We promised each other that we'll have a drink for the first time the moment we turn adults. That's why I got upset when I found out you chose Cha Hyein as your new partner."
"You're not upset with the decision I made?"
"Well, I feel sad. But I won't resent you for choosing Cha Hyein over me. All I need to do is work harder and prove that I deserve that spot more than she does."
"There's a reason why I chose Cha Hyein this time, but let's talk about that later."
"Does it have anything to do with you creating a support team?"
Won Yiwon raised an eyebrow. "How much did President Ahn tell you about that?"
"Eomma didn't say much," Navi said, shrugging. "That's why I'm asking you."
"Let's have dinner first."
Navi was about to complain because she was impatient as hell, but she forgot about whining when Won Yiwon pulled something out of his Inventory.
She let out a soft gasp.
It was a box of her favorite instant potato soup!
"Where did you get that?" Navi asked, clapping her hands excitedly. After her failed grocery shopping after getting swallowed up by a Sinkhole, she tried to buy her favorite instant potato soup again. But to no avail. "It was already sold out everywhere I looked!"
"It's a trade secret," Won Yiwon said casually. "Let's go, Ahn Navi."
Tsk.
Still calling me by my full name, huh?
At the time, Navi didn't really sulk because she didn't want to ruin that beautiful moment with Won Yiwon.
Who knew it would be the last?
***
Please ADD