Chapter 106 – Can’t We Call It a Draw? (1)

“Slave~”
“Yes… my lady.”
“Today’s meal seems even more delicious for some reason~”

Baekdo, seated at the table, giggled and playfully bit the end of her chopsticks. It was as if teasing me was the greatest accomplishment of her life. Her elated expression was so radiant that one could imagine all the peaches in the world adopting that same look if they were to transform into hard peaches.

‘Damn it.’

I glanced at Baekdo and inwardly swallowed my curse.

Wasn’t she supposed to be my sad pupil? Yet all she seemed to know was how to indulge her own desires. The fact that I couldn’t say anything because she knew my circumstances only made the situation more heartbreaking.

Baekdo stretched out her chopsticks, picked up a pancake, and popped it into her mouth.

“Mmm~”

A smug, nasally sound escaped her. That snorting noise, seemingly meant to provoke me, irritated me even more for some reason.

From army base stew to egg rolls, kimchi pancakes, and braised abalone, the table was filled with tantalizing dishes.

White Peach smirked as she gazed upon the lavish spread before her. There wasn’t a single dish that hadn’t passed through my hands.

“But does this pancake have a hint of kimchi to it? It seems a bit underripe, doesn’t it?”
“That’s the kimchi Madam brought from Mount Jiri.”
“Ah, you should have been more discerning in your choice!”

Ah, what a load of nonsense; my insides were burning with rage, on the verge of bursting.
I silently swallowed my anger.

Why had I found myself in such a humiliating position?
The reason I now found myself kneeling, reduced to a lowly servant as if in a drama, was due to a wager I had made with White Peach some days prior.

– “Shall we make a wager? Whether or not I can correctly predict the first-place winner.”
– “You’re still flaunting your foolish bet and shameless behavior… Did you think I would accept this wager?”

It was a habitual bet we had shared not long ago.

White Peach, whom I had thought to be a simpleton, unexpectedly exhibited a memory that could rival Einstein’s in this particular situation.

In the end, I decided to become a slave to this wicked woman without any specified duration.

“By the way, ma’am, when will this childish game end?”
“I intend to end it today.”
“Oh… is that so?”
“If you hadn’t said that, you’d be a slave for three days.”

Ugh.

I was a fool to think she would understand my struggles even a little.
Well, a bet is a bet, even if I don’t like it.

As I stood there, sulking, White Peach stopped eating and glanced at me.
Then she put down her chopsticks and said softly.

“I can’t digest this. From the very beginning, aren’t you a fool?”
“What?”
“Actually, it was a disadvantageous bet for me. You knew that, but you still accepted it and didn’t boast about it, right? Yet you lost… Oops, sorry. It’s you who lost. It’s the defeat you chose. Accept it with grit and determination.”

Today, of all days, she seems to pick her words just to infuriate me.
Then again, she was right.

I grew even angrier because I couldn’t refute her.

“Anyway, hurry up and bring the drink. I feel like having a drink and going to sleep.”

Baekdo changed the subject, as if my victory or defeat didn’t matter at all. She casually reached out her hand and clapped a couple of times.

– Clap, clap.

The elegant lines of her body made her look quite impressive.

‘Sigh, fine… I have to keep up with her pace.’

“…What kind of drink? With oak?”
“Bring the Wooden Tok Tok.”

I took a can of beer that had been in the freezer for 15 minutes and brought it to Baekdo. It contained so little alcohol that anyone who’s had a drink before wouldn’t even consider it alcoholic. Baekdo satisfactorily accepted the can and attempted to open the lid.

But then, she hesitated.

Baekdo, whose hand had stopped midway to the lid, stared intently at the opening of the can. As I wondered what the issue was, she handed the can back to me.

“Open it for me.”
“Can’t a noble like you even open a can?”

“What if my beautiful hands get injured?”
“Beautiful hands, my ass… They look more likely to be stained with blood than water.”

Baekdo’s eyes widened at my sarcasm.

“Come here.”

As I approached, Baekdo clenched her hand into a fist as if to provoke me, and then drove it right into my solar plexus.

“Ugh!”

Tears welled up in my eyes, and my vision swam.

As I dropped to my knees, Baekdo, grinning wickedly, stretched her foot towards my shoulder. Her bare, pale foot pressed firmly against the tip of my shoulder.

“Why are you doing this while we’re eating?”
“…Please don’t hit me. I’m still not fully recovered.”
“Your pain is your own problem, not mine. Besides, we’ll take a break from training for a while anyway. Just behave yourself.”

Baekdo giggled as she poked my cheek with her finger.

This person, honestly.
My patience had finally run out.

I turned my head and bit her finger.

“What are you doing now!”

Thwack! Baekdo’s palm strikes my cheek, pushing me away.

With both hands, I grab her arms, toppling her over. As she falls, her shirt lifts, revealing her abdomen.

It won’t hurt anyway.

I bite her finger with all my strength.

Baekdo’s left hand grasps my hair.

“Let go of this.”

“You let go first!”

“Yikes! If you don’t let go in three seconds, I’ll tear your limbs apart!”

Crash!

The chair topples and falls. Chopsticks drop from the table, striking me on the back of my head.

We continue to struggle for a few minutes. I choke on my saliva and cough, while Baekdo rubs her teeth-marked index finger on her clothes and taps my knee with her foot.

“Cough, cough.”

“What the hell is this? You’re the one who lost the bet!”

“Well, you should do it in moderation. What is this?”

I grasped Baekdo’s wrist and brought her hand up to her eyes.
A few strands of her severed hair were clenched in her grasp.
How tightly must she have held it for this to happen?

As I looked at Baekdo, she stared back at me with a fierce gaze, seemingly offended.

“…You’re the one who lost the bet.”

Even her tone of voice changed. It seemed she couldn’t hide her displeasure.

Her pouty, protruding lips reflected Baekdo’s mood. Such an easily readable expression.

“Alright. What do you want me to do?”
“…”
“How about some ice cream? Green tea flavored.”

As I tried to appease her belatedly, Baekdo’s ears twitched upon hearing the word ‘ice cream.’

“…Forget it, just pour some alcohol.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll buy you ice cream tomorrow.”

Peace was barely restored.

Originally, even sitting on a chair was forbidden, but it seemed alright now. I sat down and retrieved two bottles of soju and one bottle of beer from the refrigerator.

“Are you going to drink this?”
“I don’t want to drink yours.”
“Suit yourself.”

– Glug, glug. Thud.

I set down the tilted soju bottle.

“But why are you drinking too?”
“Today just feels like a day for alcohol.”
“Is that something a slave does?”
“Actually, slaves drink better. It’s like office workers.”
“I can’t make heads or tails of what you’re saying.”

I filled White Peach’s glass to the brim.
White Peach stared at her glass, pouted her lips, and brought the glass to her mouth.

– Gulp, gulp.

Her throat moved a few times before her lips parted from the glass.

“Phew, the slave isn’t finished yet.”
“Go ahead.”
“Give my hand a rub.”

White Peach extended her hand.

Refusing again this time seemed like it would lead to an unfavorable outcome.
I held her hand and began the massage.

The texture of her velvety white skin felt through the ridges of her fingerprints. The unique fragrance wafting through the air as fine hairs brushed against each other.

The cold and pliable sensation seemed slightly more rigid than Zodiac’s.
Could it be true that this hand becomes as solid as a stone when strength is applied?

As I pressed firmly, my eyes were drawn to a particular spot.
A lengthy scar stretched across the edge of the hand that I had thought was delicate.
It was a scar that couldn’t be found on either Zodiac or Heaven.

‘No wonder there’s an overreaction.’

My stomach ached as if stabbed with a needle from the earlier straight hit.

“What caused this?”
“The slave is too talkative.”
“Please tell me, my lady.”

White Peach raised her eyebrows.

“It’s nothing significant. It happened during training when I was young.”
“Is that so? Come to think of it, I haven’t heard much about our masters.”
“You don’t need to know.”
“Really? You won’t tell me, even though it’s me?”

White Peach firmly closed her mouth and repeatedly sipped her drink.

“Ask Heaven about it later.”
“Ugh, you’re so stubborn.”

Pressing. Holding it down.

Just after the conversation ended.

I continued the massage.
White Peach, holding her glass, fanned her flushed face resembling a ripe peach, as she received the massage, seemingly affected by the alcohol.

“Stop it. It’s not even refreshing. I shouldn’t have asked you to do it.”

White Peach withdrew her hand. There was a slight sheen of sweat on her skin.

Glancing at the glass in her other hand, it was empty.

“Did you get drunk after drinking that?”

“Who’s drunk? That’s always the problem with you. You’re quick to criticize and never stop. And I’m not drunk. There’s no way I could be.”

Characteristic of a drunk person, insisting numerous times that they’re not drunk.
Considering how much she’s talking, she’s likely intoxicated.

“But aren’t we both equally guilty of insulting each other?”

“… You and I are clearly not compatible.”

I couldn’t agree more.
I nodded.

“It’s like I just want to torment you whenever I see you. Your misfortune is my happiness.”

“I feel the same, but your personality is truly repulsive.”

“That’s not for you to say. Damn third-degree disciple.”

The title was downgraded again.
Baekdo has a habit of reverting to old titles when displeased.

“A woman who marries a third-degree disciple will surely suffer.”
“Is that so? I treat my woman so well. Have you seen, Baekdo-nim?”
“A third-degree disciple is a typical playboy.”

I took a sip of my drink and immediately retorted.

“I don’t cheat.”
“Put your hand on your heart and think. That’s what playboys always say.”
“Have you ever met a playboy?”

Baekdo narrowed her eyes and exhaled a bitter sigh.
For some reason, it seemed like the sigh of someone who knew everything.

“I’m only saying this because Cheondo is asleep. Didn’t you also interact with Hwangdo while you were with that teacher?”

Lee Se-Young and Hwang Do.

I thought they wouldn’t know. In fact, it felt as if the sisters were aware of each other’s sex lives but chose not to discuss it.

…I had a shot of this.

Baekdo tapped on the glass.

“Beer.”

He immediately lifted the beer and filled the glass, and Baekdo began to drink it.

-Gulp, gulp.

“Did you think I wouldn’t know? You know everything when you see it.”

Then he began to talk to himself.

Listening carefully, it seemed that he was talking to Zodiac during the ceremony.

“No, Zodiac. If you make it so obvious, you can’t not know. Wouldn’t it be impossible to know if it’s Heaven who doesn’t know any men?”

Baekdo was leaning on his chin in a tone that seemed to be tired, and he was cursing with his eyes while looking at me.

Baekdo smiled after the conversation. It was a winner’s smile.

“Is there anything else you want to say?”
“There’s no problem because I’m not dating anyone yet.”
“Ha, you crazy guy… That’s more of a problem.”

These days, there was nothing to do with Zodiac.
Of course, I don’t know when I’ll be taken because the exam is over.

Living with three women possessed by lustful demons and resisting their temptations is no easy feat.

“So how did that happen?”
“Well, she attacked me while I was sleeping.”
“What? You’re making things up again. There’s no way Zodiac would do such a thing. Do you think you even have that kind of allure to begin with?”

I agree with that sentiment. Nodding in concurrence, I conveyed the truth.

“I think so too. But it really happened.”
“Hah, that’s amusing. Bam, a guy who’s mediocre at best, has quite the confidence.”
“What?”

I didn’t expect the conversation to take this turn.

In daily life, there are two topics a man should never broach with another man: sexual prowess and gaming skills. Even when going to the bathhouse or restroom, men can’t help but slyly compare themselves to each other.

“Can you last 3 seconds?”

So, when White Peach taunted me with her usual tone, I couldn’t help but laugh, if only as a defense mechanism.

“You’re quite confident for someone with no experience.”
“A woman’s value increases when she lacks experience.”
“That may be true when you’re young. Let’s see if you can still say that when you’re 30.”
“…….”

A voice slightly raised under the influence of alcohol.

“Do you know the average duration of a sexual encounter?”
“…Ha! A real man should easily last two hours.”
“You really don’t know anything. You wouldn’t be able to endure for two hours, would you?”

Baekdo’s eyes turned icy cold like a winter chill.

“What a laughable claim. Do you know who I am? I’m a woman who can part heaven and earth.”
“I’ve experienced it. A person’s sexual prowess and combat abilities aren’t related.”
“Not for me.”
“No, you’re right.”

Power resonates in the voices that go back and forth.

“No, don’t be childish.”

The general.

“Who’s the childish one here?”

The absent-minded man.

“You wouldn’t be able to stand it.”
“Do you want to try?”
“What?”

The pumping station.

“Go on, try it!”

Stationmaster, seriously, you’re accepting this?

The provocative words were exchanged until, at last, they stopped. At some point, I realized that the situation had taken a turn for the worse.

Cold dishes were laid out on the table, and we faced each other.

Baekdo’s expression seemed to mirror my own thoughts, but neither of us considered backing down.

It was to be expected.

If one of us were to say, “Let’s stop this,” the other would undoubtedly reply, “Oh, getting cold feet, are we? Fine, let’s stop.” Our stubbornness was an integral part of our characters, whether it was for me or Baekdo.

Thus, there was no room for retreat here.

“If you’re going to give up, say it now.”

Perhaps it was because of the heated conversation, but I felt slightly intoxicated.

“Give up? What’s that?”

Baekdo stood up from her seat, her face flushed.

Her dolphin shorts and the black T-shirt she wore accentuated her ample breasts as they jiggled with her movement.

Her face strained to smile.