“Shall we get going now?”

“Can you give us a ride?”

“Of course, you’ve been working hard. Heading home, right?”

Serena Olson boarded the diplomatic vehicle and departed, and the Jeong siblings also got into Jeong Ho-min’s car.

“Thank you so much for going out of your way like this.”

“Don’t mention it. We have something to gain from this too, so it’s more like a transaction.”

This was the U.S. where Jeong Gyeoul went to earn her instructor qualification and early graduation.

Since it wasn’t an act of pure goodwill, Jeong Ho-min’s attitude couldn’t help but feel burdensome.

Because of that, a clear line was drawn, and Jeong Ho-min finished his thanks, thinking how much Jeong Ha-yul resembled her.

Before they knew it, the car arrived at Infinite Cheongdam.

“I’ll be going now. Gyeoul can start work after the weekend.”

“Next week? Isn’t it still the middle of the semester?”

Jeong Ha-yul asked as if it didn’t make sense, and Jeong Gyeoul’s expression looked as if she were being dragged to hell.

“It’s not easy to teach other students, even those older than herself, at such a young age. I think there are things she needs to learn beforehand, but the details are something Gyeoul will have to find out for herself.”

Even as the head of the Korean Hero Association, he couldn’t oversee everything at the Hero Academy.

Jeong Ho-min’s role ended with getting Jeong Gyeoul early graduation, granting her Hero Certification, and securing her a job as an instructor.

The rest was between the Academy and Jeong Gyeoul.

“Anyway, I have work to do, so I’ll be going now. See you next time.”

“Yes. Take care on your way back.”

After Jeong Ho-min left, the Jeong sisters headed home.

“Starting next week, it’s straight to work.”

“…Life is tough.”

“It’s going to get tougher.”

“…Huh?”

Life is tough, and it’s going to get tougher?

This wasn’t the usual way Jeong Ha-yul treated Jeong Gyeoul.

-You… let’s talk more at home.

Jeong Ha-yul’s words to talk at home weren’t a light-hearted joke.

Jeong Ha-yul was seriously planning to call a family meeting to discuss Jeong Gyeoul’s speech and behavior.

‘Damn it, I had an escape plan all set up but couldn’t execute it… I forgot about it while being at sea for 15 days…’

Blaming her own stupidity, she thought about escaping even now.

But since Jeong Ha-yul already had her by the wrist, she had no choice but to be dragged home, to the living room.

Eun-chae and Kang-woo, who knew about Jeong Ha-yul and Jeong Gyeoul’s return, were already sitting in the living room.

“Did you have a good trip?”

“Yeah, nothing much happened.”

“We didn’t have much reason to go out while you were away. Just quick trips to the mart or convenience store, always with security, so it was fine.”

“That’s good. We didn’t have much either. Gyeoul has gotten a lot stronger than I thought.”

For a moment, Jeong Gyeoul shrugged her shoulders at Jeong Ha-yul’s praise.

But soon she slumped back into her sullen self.

“Kang-woo oppa, I think I need to go to the car for a bit. Can I have the keys?”

“Huh? Wait a sec.”

“Never mind, that was a lie.”

“…?”

Where are you trying to run off to?

Jeong Ha-yul’s eyes seemed to be saying that.

“Uh, Eun-chae unnie. Let’s go buy a dress. I feel like wearing a dress.”

“What? Really? Finally, a dress! Teacher Berry Wong said she really wanted to make a dress for you, Gyeoul! This is great!”

“Don’t believe her, that’s a lie too.”

“…?”

Where are you trying to run off to?

As Jeong Ha-yul shot her another look, cold sweat started running down Jeong Gyeoul’s back.

“What’s going on here?”

“Gyeoul is wilting. If we just put a dress on her, she’d look just like the heroine of a medieval romance.”

“Everyone, quiet. We need to have a family meeting. Gyeoul is going off track.”

“…Gyeoul is going off track?”

Jeong Gyeoul couldn’t agree with the statement that she was going off track, but arguing here would only drag things out.

The Demon King’s family meeting was a fair forum where everyone could present their opinions and rebuttals.

Sitting down, she resolved to make a perfect defense there.

“What happened to make you say that?”

“We haven’t really educated Gyeoul on her speech and behavior before.”

“She was always precocious and mature. We didn’t need to step in because Gyeoul handled things well on her own.”

“I think I know what you mean. Sometimes her tone lacks refinement.”

Kang-woo seemed to think it was unnecessary to meddle with someone who was doing well on their own.

Eun-chae’s tone suggested she felt similarly to Jeong Ha-yul.

“Oppa, you’re a guy, so you wouldn’t notice these things.”

“…Are we really dividing this by gender now?”

“It’s not about dividing, but there are certain dignities and cultivation that a woman should maintain.”

“I get that, but do we really need to nitpick a 14-year-old middle school girl like that? It’s not like Gyeoul is being vulgar or low-class.”

Eun-chae and Kang-woo took it seriously, as if Gyeoul were their own child, especially since it concerned her.

“If we don’t correct it at a young age, it’ll stay the same when she grows up. It’s not that Gyeoul is vulgar or low-class now, but we need to educate her properly from a young age so that such speech and behavior come naturally as she grows.”

“Honestly, neither of you are exactly paragons of dignity and cultivation, like nobles. Do we really need to impose that frame on Gyeoul?”

From Kang-woo’s perspective, Yoo Eun-chae and Jeong Ha-yul weren’t the type to fuss over such things.

He couldn’t understand why they were so insistent on this with Gyeoul.

“…We know we’re lacking as women too. We just want Gyeoul to grow up a bit more properly and impressively. That’s why we’re doing this.”

“What are you talking about? You’re not lacking in anything. If anything, you’re overflowing.”

“Says the guy who just criticized us for not being feminine enough?”

“When did I say that? That was your own words.”

The meeting, which started about Gyeoul, was on the verge of turning into a family fight.

“Both of you, stop it. You’re not kids, do you have to fight every meeting?”

“Listen, Ha-yul. Oppa said we’re not dignified, cultivated, or noble-like, so why are we being so insistent with Gyeoul?”

“When did I say that? You’re just being defensive.”

“Wow! Listen to him!”

The argument between Eun-chae and Kang-woo was a regular occurrence during meetings.

Jeong Ha-yul and Jeong Gyeoul, unfazed, prepared their coffee.

“Hey! Jeong Ha-yul! Are you listening?”

“Yeah, I’m listening so hard my ears are bleeding, so stop now. This meeting is about Gyeoul, not for you two to fight.”

“Unnie and oppa seem to treat meetings like some kind of wrestling match.”

Jeong Ha-yul’s expression soured again.

“See, wrestling? She’s getting more violent since she started using weird words like that.”

“How is wrestling a weird word! Don’t belittle the sacred life-or-death duel of the orc tradition!”

“Look at this, look at this. She’s talking back to unnie.”

“Talking back! The word ‘talking back’ is more frivolous than wrestling!”

As the soul duel, wrestling, was dismissed, Jeong Gyeoul’s expression also soured.

“This is a word registered in the standard language! It’s different from weird words like wrestling.”

“Wrestling is registered on Tree Wiki!”

“Tree Wiki… We decided to trust the National Institute of the Korean Language, a credible institution.”

“‘Talking back’ started as a Gyeongsang dialect! Wrestling will be recognized as standard language someday!”

Neither Jeong Ha-yul nor Jeong Gyeoul wanted to back down, starting to argue like Eun-chae and Kang-woo.

“Are you two really going to fight so childishly during a meeting?”

“…Maybe we should seriously consider abolishing our meeting system.”

“You think so too? Me too.”

The two who were just fighting a moment ago exchanged glances and high-fived.

“So, unnie, what exactly do you want to say?”

“It’s about correcting Gyeoul’s speech and behavior properly.”

Jeong Gyeoul sighed as if she hadn’t even prayed and asked again.

“I roughly get what you’re trying to say, but… do you have a concrete plan for that?”

“Well, you just need to try harder… and first, we should talk to Teacher Yuk Eun-young…”

“See, without a concrete solution, just saying ‘I don’t like your current behavior, so change it’ is too irresponsible as an adult, isn’t it?”

“Ugh…”

As Jeong Gyeoul, who usually had a cheerful and pleasant high-toned voice, lowered her tone and spoke with a serious vibe, Jeong Ha-yul couldn’t help but be flustered.

‘She’s even logical…’

“Why do you only act so mature at times like this…”

“If unnie is worried about my future self, don’t worry. I can always become this Jeong Gyeoul, but I’m just trying to live according to my age. It’s a waste to live like an old soul at 14.”

“…”

Everyone froze at Jeong Gyeoul’s sudden mature demeanor.

“Anyway, I get what you mean. I’ll try not to worry you. But I can’t tolerate you dismissing wrestling!”

“Pfft. It’d be faster if you two just wrestled.”

To break the tension and silence in the room, Jeong Gyeoul’s joke was picked up by Baek Kang-woo.

“Oppa, did you know what wrestling is?”

“I may look like this, but I used to play games back in the day.”

“Oh right, you were a game addict.”

Eun-chae joined in to lighten the mood.

“…Addict? Call me a pro-gamer wannabe.”

“Enough with the meeting, let’s eat. Gyeoul only had a sandwich when she got off at Incheon Port. She must be hungry.”

“I figured, so I ordered ahead. It should be here soon.”

At Kang-woo and Eun-chae’s words that they had ordered food, Gyeoul’s eyes lit up.

“This is why I can’t help but love our family!”

“…Your love is always dictated by food, isn’t it?”

“N-no way!”

“Then let’s go buy a dress. I’m sure you said you wanted to wear a dress earlier.”

“…Why does it always come to this?”

“Wow, was that just a throwaway comment?”

The offhand comment Gyeoul made to deflect the situation came back to bite her.

“Uh, Ha-yul unnie clearly said that was a lie.”

“Weren’t you going to become a well-spoken, well-behaved, impressive kid? Starting with a lie?”

“…”

It was a dead end.