It was August 21st and, as usual, JiHan escorted Sae-ah to school.
That morning, they left at 6 am, much earlier than usual. The next day was Sae-ah's 18th birthday, after all.
"You're going to stay at the Gift Hall until midnight, right?"
"Yes! Of course. I want to receive the best possible Gift."
"Okay, then I'll pick you up at that hour."
"Okay, Uncle."
After declining Hee-soo's offer, Sae-ah decided to stop getting rides home from her.
Hee-soo said it was okay, but it felt like an unnecessary debt for Sae-ah.
"I'll be a bit late today. Is that okay?"
"Even if it's just for curiosity, I have to go."
"Heh~ You told me not to get my hopes up. It seems like, despite saying that, you're curious."
"Of course I am. I just said that because too much hope tends to bring disappointment."
"Yes… I think I know what you mean." Sae-ah went silent for a moment. Her complex thoughts were evident from the expression on her face.
Seeing that, JiHan began to think. 'She seems to have lost a lot of her anticipation compared to before…'
Sae-ah seemed to have believed she would receive a great Gift until not long before. Her dad had gotten an SSS-rank Gift and her Mom an SS-rank Gift, after all.
If they added the sum of her parents' Gifts, Sae-ah would be at the top of the world.
Even if Gifts were random, it was strange not to have any expectations, but those expectations seem to have dampened a bit thanks to JiHan's continuous brainwashing.
"But still… I want a good Gift…"
Instead, Sae-ah developed a craving.
Expectations and cravings were similar, but they were also fundamentally different.
If Sae-ah's expectation was, 'I'll obviously get a good Gift!' her craving carried an undertone of, 'I must get a good Gift!'
'Things have changed a lot from my previous life…'
The situation was much better than before due to JiHan's efforts. Rather than being treated as the daughter of a traitor, she was perceived as the biggest victim.
Even if the situation was better than before, it still wasn't great for Sae-ah. The simple fact was that her father had abandoned her.
JiHan might have been able to lower her expectations, but her surging desperation was something he couldn't do anything about.
"Sae-ah?"
"Yes?"
"You've seen that even an F-rank Gift is useful, right? Anything's okay," JiHan said to lighten the mood.
Sae-ah's expression brightened. "Really? You haven't even shown me the rest of your status window."
"Curious? Should I show you? It's the day before your birthday, after all."
"Not now… I just want to empty my thoughts and focus on the Gift Hall."
"Okay, I'll show you once it's over."
"Okay."
Click-
As soon as they arrived at the underground parking lot, Sae-ah got out of the car with a smiling face.
"Thanks, Uncle. I'll be going." Her expression was as bright as ever.
JiHan, on the other hand, couldn't help but let out a silent sigh. That smiling face would be nowhere to be seen when midnight came.
'I should be here earlier.'
JiHan began driving away while thinking that he should be there sooner to clear up any unnecessary disturbances.
* * *
The Gift Hall was full of red gemstones called Gift gems.
Sae-ah was guided to a private room only permitted to students on the day before their 18th birthday.
Twinkle- Twinkle-
As Sae-ah entered the room, the Gift gems embedded around her blinked in unison, a sign that they were active. Sae-ah sat and recalled something that happened the day before.
- You were still pretending to be close to her?
A voice echoed through the restroom, a familiar voice to Sae-ah…
The voice of a friend whom she'd known since her first year there.
- I'm just pretending so I can score an interview.
- Are you a journalist? Haha. Sae-ah is still acting high and mighty.
- Yes. She should just accept the interview.
Her longtime and close friend, Kim Hee-soo, was gossiping about her.
- Anyways, she still thinks she's on top. How annoying. That damn, poor bitch.
- Hey, what will you do if she gets an SSS-rank Gift?
- I'll just latch on to her again. That's why I've been holding back on burning my bridges.
- You really hate her.
- I never liked her from the beginning. She's from a lowly family, after all. If it weren't for Battle Net, she wouldn't even be breathing the same air as us.
Sae-ah, unable to leave the restroom, listened to the harsh words of someone she thought of as her best friend.
'I had a hunch, but…'
After returning to school, she'd felt that her friends' attitudes had become colder and more distant.
At first, she thought they were being considerate, but…
'I became sure of it after the Korea-Japan match.'
Their behavior became even more pronounced after the match where the Sword King trampled over Korea.
When it became clear that the Sword King wouldn't return to Korea, other students there especially started looking down on her.
Hee-soo was a prime example of that. No matter how many times she refused the interview, she kept persisting. It was something she wouldn't even dream of doing back when the Sword King was still in Korea.
'I said I wouldn't do it, but…'
Hee-soo had pretended not to hear it. She knew she'd see reporters from the media outlet that belonged to Hee-soo's family by the time she left the Gift Hall after midnight
Sae-ah was nothing in her eyes, so she wouldn't change things just because she asked.
"Gifts are random…" Sae-ah whispered the words that JiHan had been saying.
She knew why he insisted on that. The higher your expectations, the greater your disappointment if things went wrong.
He was probably worried about his niece.
"But… I really need a good Gift."
It wasn't because she wanted to see her backstabbing friends pretend to be close again, and it wasn't due to fear of the ridicule and criticism she'd get if she didn't receive a good Gift.
All of that was insignificant compared to the pain of being abandoned by her dad, whom she admired so much.
Sae-ah thought she'd lived diligently. She'd worked as the Student Council President, maintained top scores, and also had a good relationship with her peers, but after her dad left the country, all those efforts became useless.
Her entire life was dependent on the Sword King, regardless of whether she was the top student or whatever.
'I want to stand on my own…'
She could already live comfortably on her own if she wanted. After all, she'd received a lot of money from the Sword King. It was an amount of money most people wouldn't even be able to gather in an entire lifetime.
However, for her, standing on her own and gaining true independence started with shedding the label of 'Sword King's daughter and victim'.
'To do that…'
She needed to be able to show incredible prowess in the League, just like her uncle.
She didn't want to live as 'The abandoned daughter of the Sword King', but as a 'Promising star of Battle Net'.
'I need a good Gift if I want to do that…!'
Sae-ah desperately wished for a great Gift. She wanted to be like her uncle!
Then, it happened…
Flash-!
The Gift gems started to shine brighter. It was completely different from when people usually received blessings.
'This is…!'
She'd heard a few things from her peers. Namely, the stronger the light from the Gift gems, the higher the chance of getting a good Gift.
'Not even my senior, who received an S-rank Gift, said it shone so much.'
According to that senior, about half of the Gift gems in the room started emitting a bright light.
As for Sae-ah's situation…
Almost every Gift gem was shining.
'Could I hope…?' She felt her hopes rising again.
* * *
In a coffee shop in Gangnam, Hee-soo checked the time while talking with her cousin, whom she hadn't seen in a while.
Nine in the afternoon…
It was time to get ready.
"I'm going to make a call~"
"Okay."
Hee-soo took out her phone. "Mr. Kim? It's me."
[Yes, Miss?]
"Is everything ready for the Sae-ah interview?"
[Ms. Yoon's interview? It's ready, but… did she really agree? We don't even know what her Gift will be.]
"I'm close to her. She gave me permission," Hee-soo said, despite the numerous refusals from Sae-ah.
[But… aren't outsiders forbidden right now?]
"You'll have to go with me, of course."
[Ah, then… where should I meet you?]
As Hee-soo mentioned the name of the coffee shop, Mr. Kim said he understood and added one more thing.
[I'm worried about Sung JiHan interfering.]
"JiHan? Why?"
[When we sent reporters to the Sword Palace on Independence Day, he overwhelmed them. Nobody's sure what happened, but he stopped them from moving.]
"Hmm…"
[For now, I'll go there, Miss.]
"Yes, Mr. Kim."
As the conversation ended, Hee-soo's cousin, Kim In-sik, spoke with an intrigued expression. "An interview at this hour?"
"Do you know who Yoon Sae-ah is?"
"Yoon Sae-ah? Ah, the Sword King's daughter? I asked you to set us up on a date, but you said she was out of my league."
"Yes, her."
"Really…?"
Hee-soo's attitude was indifferent compared to before, so In-sik became curious. "Does she have a boyfriend?"
"I bet she's never dated before."
"Really? With such a face?"
"She's too perfect, you see? Maybe she hasn't found a guy who meets her standards."
"Really? What about me?"
Hee-soo giggled at In-sik.
It seemed like he'd become interested in her after she posted a photo on her social media with her friends.
"When Sae-ah was the Sword King's daughter, you weren't on the same level… but now, it would be a waste for you. You've been doing well recently, after all."
In-sik had received an A-rank Gift and had grown a lot. He was a level 50 semi-pro and was preparing for his Silver promotion match.
"When it comes to dating, looks are everything."
"Ugh, don't end up falling for her and proposing. Don't forget she's almost an orphan."
"Huh? Doesn't she have an uncle?"
"That's why I said she's 'almost' an orphan."
"Don't be like that to my girlfriend."
"Do you like her that much?"
"She's pretty."
Did guys only care about the face?
Hee-soo shook her head in disbelief and said, "So, do you want to come to the interview?"
"Woah, really?"
"Yes. There's a chance JiHan might interfere with the interview, so help me out if something happens."
In-sik narrowed his eyes. "So that's why you called me out of the blue, isn't it?"
"No way. I just found out about JiHan from that call."
"Hmm. Suspicious…"
"Don't tell me you're scared of a Bronze."
"Ha… are you crazy? A Bronze? Pff. Ah, show me a photo of Sae-ah again."
Hee-soo showed him a photo, and In-sik scratched his head and said, "Woah… she's really pretty. I'll go with one condition: give me her number."
"Her number? Fine. I'll give it to you after the interview."
"Great. Then I'll go get my hair done."
After saying that, In-sik left.
Hee-soo smirked. 'Yes.'
No matter how strong JiHan was, there was no way he'd be able to defeat a level 50 Warrior.