377. Time goes by (22)

I decided to go to the Great Gate with Shi-hyun. I was going to ask Mom to look after the kids again since I didn't know how many days it would take, but the kids said they didn't want to. Saet-byeol in particular was vehemently against it, and I was curious about what Mom had done. Even if I asked the kids, they wouldn't give me a proper answer. "Why don't the kids want to be with Mom?" "I think I know why?" Hmm... I have a guess, but is that really the reason? "The kids aren't the same as before either." "I guess so...." Even if Jae-won doesn't mind, Saet-byeol wouldn't like being restricted... Even if I try to take care of her, she refuses, so would it be any different with her grandmother? "Then what should I do?" "Call Shi-a or something." That was also a way. I can trust her since she's lived on her own for a long time... As soon as I contacted her, I got an answer that she understood. She said she needed at least two days, so the reaction wasn't good.... Shi-a came home the day before the Gate opened. "I'm home." "Welcome." The moment I saw Shi-a's face, I felt like laughing. She seemed to have completely adapted to her life as a woman, wearing a skirt and stockings, carrying a small handbag, and even wearing makeup. It was a sight I couldn't have imagined when she was a student. "Did you have dinner?" "I ate before coming." "What about your friend?" "My friend went to see her parents too." "I see." She looks young, but I could feel that her inner self had matured a bit more. Is it because I don't see her often? The change felt bigger. Shi-a, who came inside, put her bag in the empty room and changed her clothes. Shi-a, now in comfortable clothes, naturally went to the bathroom to remove her makeup. "It's kind of new." "Yeah." Shi-hyun was also looking at Shi-a with curious eyes. "We should think of it positively." I was going to cut some fruit for Shi-a, who had come all this way, but she refused. She said she was tired or something? The next day, I entrusted my younger siblings to Shi-a. "Use the card when you go grocery shopping or order delivery." "Okay." "Please take care of them." There wasn't much to do at the Great Gate. It was nice to see familiar faces. I felt comfortable because everyone seemed to be doing well. I only went up to stage 3 and received a reward, and I got a really special reward. I received something like a candy, and at first, I thought it was a magic stone. Shi-hyun said it was too small to be a magic stone, so I used appraisal on it and found out it was a special item. "An item that allows you to gain Stats and additional abilities upon consumption...." It was an artifact, if you could call it that. It was just a consumable... The effect was also amazing. Regardless of rank, it unconditionally raises magic power by 1 rank and gives the additional ability to increase magic power recovery speed. "It's an elixir, an elixir." According to the appraiser, it's worth at least 3 billion, and if it goes to auction, it's an item that could fetch over 10 billion. I picked up the artifact and blankly looked at Shi-hyun. "What should I do?" I don't need to sell it because I'm not short on money. "I don't know?" "Do you want to eat it?" I'm not active every day, and Shi-hyun eating it would be more effective than weak me eating it. "Isn't it better for you to eat it?" Shi-hyun looked at me worriedly. We left the appraisal shop for now. When we got in the car, I carefully put the artifact in a box. And we discussed what to do with it. "It would be better for you to eat it." Shi-hyun told me to eat it. "No, my skills and activity level are ambiguous, right? It's more beneficial for you to eat it." Even when we go together, Shi-hyun takes care of most of it, and there are times when I don't go out because I work from home. "I'm strong enough without it." Shi-hyun's words made sense. "But you'll get stronger if you eat it." If magic power increases and recovery speed becomes faster, Shi-hyun's combat power will increase dramatically. And then I remembered something from the past. Shi-hyun getting hurt during the Daegwallyeong Break... According to the explanation I heard later, it was difficult because of the high magic power consumption? Shi-hyun was silent. "You had a hard time before because you didn't have enough magic power." "That's...." "I know, it was a special situation." Even Shi-hyun wouldn't fight monsters above A-Rank alone. If it's a Gate of that level, there are naturally party members. "What if that kind of situation happens again someday?" "...That's." "Plus, you have to be active for several more years, right?" I'm C-Rank, so I don't get many benefits, so I don't have an obligation to be active. Plus, if my body doesn't cooperate and I'm tired, I can rest at home. But Shi-hyun wasn't like that. As much as she receives great benefits as an A-Rank, she also has obligations. She used to come home injured sometimes. These days, she rarely does because her skill in using her power and her combat experience have increased... But I'm always worried. "Then let's sell it." "Sell it?" "You can do a lot with this money." That's true... It's just that we have enough money to do a lot even if we don't sell it. "You don't need to sell it to make a living." If I hadn't inherited my father's wealth, I might have agreed to sell it. But I also received a building and inherited a lot of money, so I was more than comfortable. "That's true...." "Just eat it." "That's a bit...." I was frustrated because Shi-hyun kept refusing. I couldn't stand it anymore, so I decided to force her to eat it. I secretly took it out of the box and tried to put it in Shi-hyun's mouth the moment she opened it. "Just eat it!" I overlooked Shi-hyun's dynamic visual acuity. No matter how fast I moved, Shi-hyun could see everything, so she easily blocked my hand. "No, I'm okay, I told you?" "Just eat it, I said?" I gave strength to force her to eat it, and Shi-hyun blocked it as much as possible so that I wouldn't get hurt. "It'll be solved if you just eat it." I know this is unreasonable. But I hope Shi-hyun gets stronger and doesn't get hurt. "Are you really going to do this?" "Yeah, I'm going to keep doing it until you eat it." No matter how much I twisted my body, there was no way to beat Shi-hyun. "You're making my arm hurt." No matter how much Shi-hyun tried not to hurt me, there was a limit. "So stop." "I won't stop until you eat it." Shi-hyun saw the red handprint on my arm and gradually lost strength. It was cheap, but that's what I was aiming for. "Okay, okay, I got it." The moment her strength was released, I strengthened my body with magic power and pushed it in, putting the artifact into her mouth. And I blocked her mouth so she couldn't spit it out. "Swallow it right now." Shi-hyun finally gave up on my stubbornness, and I heard the sound of her swallowing. "Done!" I looked at Shi-hyun with expectant eyes. "I lost, I lost." "How is it?" "It went up properly." I clenched my fist. "Thank you." "What are you thanking me for? Just don't get hurt anymore." "Okay." When I told her to go home now, Shi-hyun drove the car to a different place instead of home. "Where are you going?" "Just to rest?" Ah... Shi-hyun is angry...? Was I too stubborn? The destination was a motel... and I was punished by the angry Shi-hyun. There was a difference in that I fully accepted Shi-hyun with my increased stamina and durability like my prime... Before, I couldn't endure it with a strong body and low stamina, but now that my stamina supports me, the durability effect is even better. Should I say there was synergy? Shi-hyun was so happy and relieved all the pent-up feelings she had... Still, it was nice to be able to enjoy it together, unlike before. * When winter passed and spring came, Saet-byeol and Jae-won became 3rd graders. Saet-byeol, who became a senior in high school, became very sensitive. She was already sensitive when she studied, but now she showed a sensitive side even when she wasn't studying. When I asked about it in the parenting cafe, there were many answers that it was natural. It's something that most families raising high school seniors experience, and it's better to live as quietly as a mouse for a year or so? There was also a post saying that if you bother them for no reason, the child might resent you. Shi-hyun didn't spend much time at home anyway, and I was the problem. After about two months, I got used to that life. Saet-byeol also didn't spend much time at home, so I didn't need to worry as much as I thought. "The college entrance exam...." "Why?" I was lying in bed and suddenly thought of it and muttered, and Shi-hyun reacted. "Just... will Saet-byeol change a bit if she goes to college?" Will she live a normal life instead of just living obsessed with studying like now? "It'll be hard?" "Re, really? Why?" "She's going to S University, right? The competition will be fierce there?" "Ah...." "Well, she'll have some free time, but she'll still have to study hard, right?" That's right.... I've never studied or gone to college, so I didn't know much. "She chose her own path, so she'll take care of it herself." I guess so...? No matter how much I worry, it's something she wants to do. I can't stop her, and I can only watch. As the college entrance exam approached, Saet-byeol became more sensitive and fought with Jae-won more often. She said she didn't like Jae-won's footsteps and didn't like him taking care of her meals when I wasn't there. The only way to help Saet-byeol was for me to stick by her side and manage Jae-won, or for Saet-byeol to leave the house and hole up in the study room. "It's really hard...." When Saet-byeol was studying at home, I couldn't watch TV or chat. Jae-won played with his phone alone in his room, but she got annoyed because of the noise. She even got angry at Shi-hyun once. Shi-hyun, who had been on an expedition for 3 days, came home in the afternoon and spoke in a slightly loud voice, and she made a fuss saying it was noisy. I wanted to take Shi-hyun's side, but she would get even more annoyed if I did, so I couldn't help it. After soothing Saet-byeol and sending her into her room, I went to the master bedroom and saw Shi-hyun with an angry expression. "Isn't that too much?" "It is too much...." But I couldn't help it. Even if high school seniors are sensitive, Saet-byeol was too much. "I wonder if she'll break up with her boyfriend like that?" "Don't say such terrible things." She's already sensitive, and if something like that happens, she might give up. And she wouldn't be like that in front of her boyfriend, right? Shi-hyun laughed, chuckling at my words. "Oh, it'll be a disaster if they break up?" "Her boyfriend is also pitiful, he's completely smitten." "Don't say that." Still, she's our daughter.... "Just kidding, just kidding." She seems to be angry at Saet-byeol because of what happened earlier. "Let it go." I gently hugged Shi-hyun. "My beautiful wife is telling me to, so I have to let it go." Shi-hyun laughed as if it was funny. Was I tricked...? When I tried to back away, Shi-hyun hugged me tightly and I couldn't escape. Then she lay down on the bed with me in her arms. Then she started smelling me. "Hey...." I was embarrassed because she was inhaling so obviously. "It's been three days." I have to endure it, I have to endure it.... With the sensitive Saet-byeol and the childish Shi-hyun, it's really hard, really hard!