Chapter 45: A Test of Strength and Laughter

As I lay face-down, overwhelmed by a sense of defeat, Raxy crouched down in front of me.

“Harang, why are you lying there? We need to exercise,” she said.

“No, I don’t want to. I’m upset.”

“Why are you upset?”

I stayed silent. Admitting I lost motivation after being outmatched by a five-year-old’s strength wasn’t exactly something I wanted to say out loud.

I just let out a long sigh, when suddenly, Yoon Bora poked my side.

“Hehehe.”

The tickling sensation made me giggle.

“Harang laughed!” Yoon Bora chimed with a voice full of amusement.

“No, I didn’t!” Startled, I quickly covered my cheeks with my hands, trying to hide my expression.

But that was a mistake.

With my hands occupied, I couldn’t protect my sides, and the two sisters launched a playful tickling attack.

“Stop it! Hahaha,” I pleaded, squirming to escape their fingers.

“No way,” Yoon Bora grinned, poking me even more. “Tell us why you’re upset, and we’ll stop.”

Her sister joined in, poking as well.

“Okay, okay! I’ll tell you! Haha, I’ll tell you!” I gasped between laughter.

“Really?”

“Yes, yes, hehe…”

But first, I needed to catch my breath. I lowered my knees a bit, panting as I stuck out just a small part of my tongue—a perfect way to recover.

“Harang, was it that ticklish?” Raxy asked, chuckling.

“Yeah, it was absolute torture,” I admitted.

“Was it that bad?”

“Yeah, but it was kind of fun, too.”

I let out a big laugh, finally releasing all the giggles I’d been holding back. As I lay there, Raxy placed her hand on my stomach, gently patting me.

Her touch was so warm it made me feel strange, a cozy happiness washing over me, making the world feel lighter. My tail even began to wag on its own, moving side to side out of sheer joy.

‘What is this feeling?’

But I didn’t resist. Sure, it was a bit embarrassing, but it wasn’t a bad feeling.

Then Yoon Bora spoke up, breaking the moment.

“Harang, so why were you upset?”

Right. That’s why I had been lying down in the first place.

“Oh, well… I was feeling down because I felt too weak.”

“You felt weak?”

“Yeah. I could barely lift that dumbbell, but you said you lifted it with one hand when you were five.”

I pointed at the dumbbell I’d struggled so hard to lift. It was meant to be an arm exercise, but I had to use my whole body.

“So that’s why you’re upset? Because you think you’re weak?”

“Yeah…”

Feeling my confidence slip away, I nodded slowly.

Though I still felt a hint of sadness, Raxy’s comforting pats on my stomach lifted my spirits. Watching me closely, Yoon Bora tilted her head, a curious expression on her face.

“But Harang, you’re actually suppressing your strength, aren’t you?” she said.

“Suppressing? What do you mean?”

Confused, I looked at her, but her expression turned serious.

“Do you remember when I helped trim your claws?” she asked.

“Yes, I remember.” It was one of those things I didn’t want but was practically forced into. It wasn’t the best memory.

“Well, even as a pretty skilled hunter, I felt a sense of danger from your claws.”

“True,” I admitted. If my claws were intact, they’d be quite the weapon. Even Jinhyang had acknowledged their sharpness and danger.

“And Harang, your teeth are really sharp too. If you bit something, I bet you could break a rock.”

“Yeah, my fangs are super sharp.” I clicked my teeth together for emphasis, as if showing off the strength of my jaws. Even a slight bite had made tears spring to her eyes once.

“Harang, don’t you also have incredible jumping ability?” Yoon Bora continued.

“Yeah, I can jump pretty high.” If I wanted, just a couple of jumps could take me to the ceiling, or I could even launch myself onto a chandelier by kicking off the wall.

“So, really, it’s just your strength that’s a bit lacking. You’re strong in every other way, aren’t you?”

“Huh… I guess?” I was starting to feel a little better.

“Exactly! Wanting even more strength would be greedy.”

“True. I was being a bit greedy, wasn’t I?” I laughed. My focus on what I lacked had made me overlook everything I already had.

“So, no more being upset, right?” Raxy grinned.

“Right.”

Instead of sadness, a sense of pride bubbled up. I hadn’t realized I was already quite strong.

“Then, should we start training again?” Raxy asked.

“Sure.”

I extended my hands, and the sisters helped me to my feet. At the same time, Raxy dusted off my back. I used my tail and hands to brush off my legs and hips when she spoke again.

“I know the perfect exercise for you, Harang.”

“The perfect exercise?”

“Yes.” Yoon Bora gave a mischievous smile.

“Harang, have you ever heard of the leaf-catching drill?”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a training exercise hunters do in the mountains. The method’s simple: you just catch all the falling leaves.”

Hunters’ training. Just hearing that word piqued my interest.

“But Yoon Bora, there aren’t any leaves here,” I pointed out.

“True, but we have something that can substitute for them.” Yoon Bora walked over to a storage cabinet in the corner of the training room and opened it, pulling out a small container.

“Bubbles?” I asked, eyeing the bottle.

“Yep! These are harder to catch than you’d think. They’re unpredictable in their movement.”

It did seem a bit like falling leaves—when blown, they scattered and floated around.

‘But it’s just a kids’ game,’ I thought. How hard could it be?

Just as I began to doubt it, Raxy dipped the bubble wand and blew lightly toward me.

With just one gentle blow, dozens of bubbles filled the air around me, each one floating freely in different sizes.

‘They’re beautiful.’ I reached out and popped one with my fingertip, leaving a small trace of soapy water.

“So, what do you think?” Raxy asked.

“It does seem like a challenge.” I could see how this would be a workout since I’d have to move my whole body. It wasn’t impossible, though.

With my keen eyesight and agility, catching the bubbles seemed entirely possible.

“Do you want to keep going with this for exercise?” Yoon Bora asked.

“Yes! Let’s stick with the bubbles—it looks fun!”

She chuckled and dipped the stick back into the soapy water, ready to blow more bubbles. The thought of real training made me feel genuinely excited.

Yoon Bora blew a stream of bubbles into the air.

First round.

I clapped my hands together to pop the bubbles, managing to hit some but missing about half.

Second round.

I switched tactics, using my fingertips to pop them. This time, I missed only about a third.

Third round.

I almost got all of them, just missing a few here and there, and everyone groaned in disappointment.

Fourth round.

Yoon Bora dipped the stick, looking at me with a focused expression. “Ready, Harang?”

I nodded, and she blew the bubbles high into the air. The first bubble landed lightly on my forehead, popping on contact. I reached out and popped the second one.

‘He really is quick,’ Yoom Bora thought, watching in awe. I twisted my body with ease, rotating just by bouncing my hips, and my eyes moved rapidly, tracking each bubble by the second. I was moving with the grace and reflexes of a big cat, yet in a human form.

‘At this rate, there’s no need to worry,’ she thought.

When I came here to train, Yoon Bora quickly settled on exercises that would enhance my agility and reflexes—important for being able to escape swiftly if needed.

“Hup!”

Pop, pop, pop—

Yoon Bora watched me pop the bubbles, swallowing nervously.

‘Maybe this time…’

My popping speed had improved. It looked like I’d succeed.

Pop, pop, pop—almost all the bubbles were gone, leaving only one behind.

“Ah…”

Both Yoon Bora and  Raxy sighed in unison. The last bubble had landed near my heel. Since it was in my blind spot, they assumed I’d miss it, even with my speed.

But—

Ding!

With a flick of my tail, I popped the last bubble, not missing a single one.

“Yoon Bora?”

“Yes, you got them all!”

“I did it!”

Unable to contain my excitement, my tail swished back and forth in a happy rhythm. As the faint jingling sound of my tail echoed, Yoon Bora, curious, asked me, “Harang, how did you know there was a bubble behind you?”

It was in a spot I couldn’t see, and since bubbles don’t make noise as they fall, it would’ve been tough to sense.

“Oh, that?” I replied. “The bubble had a hint of Yoon Bora’s scent.”

“Scent… scent?”

“Since the smell can’t disperse, it’s trapped in the bubble and gets really strong,” I said matter-of-factly.

“R-really?” Yoon Bora covered her mouth and exhaled experimentally. ‘But all I smell is mint…’

Yoon Bora was meticulous about cleanliness and couldn’t help but feel sensitive about odors.

“Harang, does my breath smell… strange?”

“Hmm?” I moved closer, sniffing until I was nearly touching her lips.

Flustered, Yoon Bora wanted to push me back but held herself in check. After all, she had asked first, and pushing me away might hurt my feelings.

“Yoon Bora, you smell nice! Really fresh,” I reassured her.

“Oh… really? That’s a relief.” Yoon Bora’s face relaxed with a smile, thinking she’d pay extra attention to her breath from now on.