Chapter 233.2

Chapter 233.2

A booming voice snapped her awake at once, pulling her out of her thoughts. Right in front of a highly sensitive Lee Wooshin, Asha stood at attention without a shred of fear.

Seoryeong’s eyes widened as she looked back and forth between the two of them. Something about Lee Wooshin’s reaction felt oddly off.

“….”

He flicked a glance at Asha and lifted his brows. Surprise and awkwardness flashed across his face, followed by a brief, dry laugh. He quickly looked away, but his gaze had been unmistakably that of someone recognizing an acquaintance.

Meanwhile, Asha swallowed hard, tension written all over her. What was going on here?

“Instructor, you mean…?”

Who? My husband? Yours? Seoryeong’s delicate voice cut between them. She unconsciously dug her nails into the hand she was holding, and Lee Wooshin let out a small grunt. He answered like a button being firmly pressed down.

“She’s someone I taught at a training camp I was briefly attached to.”

“You taught Asha?”

“I don’t remember her name exactly. Back then, I was living with my head completely elsewhere.”

As Lee Wooshin frowned, searching his memory, the person in question hurriedly jumped in from the side.

“Asha, sir!”

Lee Wooshin really taught Asha? And if the instructor who taught Asha was Lee Wooshin, then…

Seoryeong stuck her tongue out and scrunched her face as if she had just tasted something awful.

“You taught her terribly!”

“What?”

“I’ve fought her before. I couldn’t believe it. Whoever taught her loaded her up with movements that were way too heavy and weak in impact. It was ridiculous. She bragged nonstop about graduating as a Gurkha, but all she learned were techniques that were useless in real combat. And now you’re telling me that useless instructor was you?”

“….”

Lee Wooshin stared at her, completely dumbfounded.

“Why would you teach her like that if it was so pointless?”

“Seoryeong….”

“You taught me techniques that actually work against strong opponents. You even said you mixed in Indonesian self defense on your own. You passed it down properly to me, so wouldn’t it be easier to teach the next ones even better?”

“Are you really asking because you don’t know?”

“Huh?”

He did not answer, only smiled with his lips.

Seoryeong could only stare as an indescribable affection spread through his once cold eyes.

Ah….

A realization struck her chest, and Seoryeong abruptly turned her head away. Countless deep confessions seemed to be packed into that look alone. Embarrassment washed over her, and her earlobes grew hot with no way to stop it.

‘So I was the only one who got special treatment.’

Still….

The fact that another Winter Castle child, somewhere she did not know, had met Lee Wooshin and received his guidance felt strangely like fate.

She knew she was attaching excessive meaning to what was probably nothing more than coincidence, but her heart truly raced. Seoryeong loved her husband more than anything.

“Hey. No, who do you think you are, snapping at the Instructor about complaints I don’t even have?”

At that moment, Asha burst in irritably and glanced at Lee Wooshin, gauging his mood. The instant she did, something that had felt proud just seconds ago turned cold inside her chest.

‘Who is he paying attention to right now?’

“Asha, step aside.”

Seoryeong cut her off sharply.

‘Don’t act familiar. He isn’t your instructor, he’s my instructor. I’m barely holding back and pretending to be nice, so what kind of nonsense is this?’

Thankfully, she did not actually say something that childish out loud. If she had lost control, her image as the older sister would have taken a serious hit.

Even so, Asha’s eyes, sparkling only when they were fixed on Lee Wooshin, irritated her more than enough.

It’s useless. No matter how greedily you look at him, this man is mine anyway…. Han Seoryeong, stop being petty and show the composure of someone who already has him.

Seoryeong cleared her throat and subtly positioned herself in front of Lee Wooshin. The way the sea breeze outlined his figure annoyed her greatly.

‘I’m never going to lose.’

As she held Asha’s defiant glare, a commotion rose nearby.

Finally….

“Ah….”

She was not sure who let out that breath first.

In the distance, the silhouette of a white haired figure appeared. Supported by grown children, a woman rose from a wheelchair and began walking toward them, one unsteady step at a time.

Through the hand she was holding, she felt him go rigid. Lee Wooshin opened his eyes sharply, as if angered, and barely restrained his rough breathing. Then, slowly, another expression surfaced across his frozen face.

Seoryeong pushed firmly against his back with all her strength.

“Go. I’ll wait here.”

His stiff back twitched for a moment, but the stubborn Lee Wooshin did not budge. So this time, she shoved him harder with both hands.

At last, Lee Wooshin stumbled forward, taking one step, then another. He crossed the beach, and before long, he was running.

His receding back looked like that of a very young, small eight year old boy.