Yumina finished getting ready to go out and quietly opened the door. As she stepped into the living room, she saw her father sitting on the sofa, his eyes fixed on a tablet. Startled, her breathing became slightly labored.
She quickly moved toward the entrance when a calm voice interrupted her.
“Didn’t I explicitly forbid you from going out for the time being?”
Her father adjusted his glasses, the strap trembling slightly.
“Either you don’t understand what I’m saying, or you simply lack patience… I told you not to date, yet you persist. Is it possible you lack comprehension?”
Despite the serene tone, the voice was enough to halt her steps. A whirlwind of thoughts and emotions swept through her mind.
“Go back to your room.”
But no words escaped her mouth. She stood awkwardly, neither in the living room nor at the entrance.
Her father sighed lightly and returned his gaze to the tablet.
A moment passed, and a sound came from the kitchen.
“Judge, would you like some strawberries? They’re in season and they taste wonderful.”
The housekeeper emerged into the living room, carrying a plate of strawberries.
The father smiled and nodded his head.
“Thank you. I was just getting a little bored.”
“Cha Haneul…”
At the sound of her name, Yumina turned.
“I’m going to see Cha Haneul.”
She stepped into the entryway, put on her shoes, and left. No voice stopped her. After all, she was going to see Cha Haneul.
But truthfully, she had no appointment. It was just an excuse. She had no plans, she just didn’t want to stay at home.
Her father always spoke so confidently and forced his rules upon her. It was amusing really. He collected artworks that were impossible to afford on a judge’s salary, yet he set expectations for his child. What exactly did he hope to achieve?
And when it came to mentioning Cha Haneul, he was unable to say a word. It was probably money received from Cha Haneul’s grandfather or father. It was absurd—a judge should care about the mood of the great-grand president of some company. She didn’t wish to become a judge like that.
She strolled through the bustling streets, aimlessly, without any plans. Along the way, she occasionally met a few friends, but they just exchanged greetings and parted. She wanted to feel refreshed, but she lacked the energy to engage in lively chatter.
She briefly considered actually visiting Cha Haneul but decided against it. Visiting too often might tire her out. Although Cha Haneul wouldn’t outright refuse her.
Cha Haneul tended to keep people at bay and never approached others first. But strangely, she was friendly toward Yumina, who sometimes visited without prior arrangements, though the reason for this kindness was unclear. It made her feel uneasy to visit too frequently.
Cha Haneul might suddenly decide the relationship was tiresome and draw a line. She truly thought Cha Haneul could do just that. There was a noticeable difference in the way Cha Haneul treated her and Doyugeon. It seemed plausible.
At a café, she ordered a cake and some juice and took a seat. She cursed her father but realized that the cake and juice she had just ordered were bought with her allowance. It was always like this—she wanted to leave home but wasn’t old enough to work, and her allowance came from her father’s pocket. Without the courage or will to runaway, she questioned if her father might be right about her being foolish.
As she waited for her order, a white cat suddenly appeared and sat at the seat in front of her. She looked around to see if the cat had an owner but found no one.
The cat stared intently at her. The whiteness reminded her of Schrödinger, mentioned by Cha Haneul. She had never seen him directly, but if Cha Haneul’s description was correct, Schrödinger would have looked like this. It was a pity that his special abilities were gone. A talking cat like this would have been adorable.
Suddenly, she thought she saw a familiar figure through the window—it was Cha Haneul. Cha Haneul was with her mother, perhaps out on a casual stroll.
“Hello-”
She stood up and left the café. It must have been her imagination; cats don’t talk.
“Mom, I really don’t think it’s a good idea to have ice cream in this cold weather.”
“Cold weather is exactly why we eat ice cream. Just like we eat hot food in the summer.”
“Ice cream isn’t nourishing food …”
“Our daughter doesn’t understand one of the joys of life. It’s great that it doesn’t melt easily.”
As she approached,
“Hello Cha Haneul! Nice to see you, Mrs. Cha!”
Cha Haneul’s mother replied,
“Meeting you here! What a nice surprise. Do you want some ice cream?”
Yumina reluctantly accepted what seemed to be Cha Haneul’s ice cream. It was cold. Taking a bite under an expectant gaze, she immediately regretted it. Winter or summer, ice cream inside the house was delicious. But eating it outside in the cold felt strange.
Cha Haneul’s mother smiled and pulled out a ring from her pocket, passing it to Yumina. An overwhelming warmth spread throughout her body as the cold disappeared.
While examining the ring, Cha Haneul looked at her mother, confused.
“Are you teasing me by using your item all by yourself?”
“Because I’m warm, the ice cream is more delicious.”
The mother reclaimed her ring and the ice cream, and the cold returned.
“Such a great item!”
Indeed, it was very envious.
“Hmm. My favorite gift from your dad.”
“Your wedding ring?”
“That’s next, or third? Fourth?”
“Always falling further down the list.”
The mother giggled, then her phone alarm went off.
“It’s already this time. My daughter, play a bit longer. I need to go now. Yumina, come by for dinner sometime. I’ll cook you something nice.”
“Yes, I will. Goodbye.”
“I’m going home too.”
As Cha Haneul prepared to follow her mother, Yumina grabbed her arm, catching her off guard.
“It’s disappointing if you leave right away.”
Cha Haneul seemed to hesitate between going home or staying. Seeing this, Yumina looked around for a proper excuse. A nearby art exhibition caught her eye.
“Let’s go there! I’ve wanted to visit.”
Cha Haneul, showing no interest at all, said,
“Sure, okay.”
They entered the exhibition when a sudden realization halted her steps.
She’d forgotten about her café order.
—
Inside the café, sitting at a table, Yumina sipped on her cappuccino, warming up.
She originally planned to lounge around at home while enjoying her winter break. Then, her mom asked her to tag along for a brief outing, and she ended up being detained by Yumina. Hmm.
It was cold but the weather was fairly decent, which was lucky. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have left the house today.
She took a bite of the cheesecake. It was surprisingly good here. While big chain cafés were consistent and easy to visit, these small local cafés had their charm. You could even stumble upon pleasant surprises, like today.
Taking another bite, she reflected that this was undoubtedly a place Yumina knew well. She wasn’t sure what Yumina did day-to-day, but she seemed to be someone who enjoyed going out often. Maybe it suited her constitution? Definitely the opposite of her own.
“While I was sitting there, suddenly a white cat sat in the seat in front of me. It was so clean and tidy—it definitely looked like a house cat.”
“Was there a cat sitting in my spot?”
“Yup. When I looked back, it was gone.”
Hmm? She remembered reading something about a no-pet policy in the café when she first walked in. Turning her head, she noticed a sign on the café wall: “No pets allowed.”
“Was it a stray?”
“No, no. It was very clean, well-groomed, definitely a house cat.”
“Maybe someone brought it and was asked to leave.”
“Maybe?”
“Probably.”
Even if it was brought outside for a walk, why someone would bring a cat here was unclear, but perhaps they had a reason to bring it and were forced to leave. Though, maybe not.
To associate a white cat with Schrödingger, though, was quite cruel to the cat. It wasn’t its fault it was born white. Of course, Schrödingger’s whiteness could be considered a fault. Actually, he created his own body, so it was about him being a bit heartless.
“Do you have any pictures of Schrödingger? I’d like to see one.”
“Not at all. I didn’t even think about it.”
“Why not? It must be adorable. He talks, right?”
“Yeah… well, talking actually makes him less cute.”
“Ugh, such a pity. We should’ve taken a photo of that cat from earlier. It was so cute. If we’d posted it on social media, it would’ve gotten a lot of reactions.”
She guessed so.
She took another bite of cheesecake, nearly finishing it. Perhaps it was time to head to the exhibition.
Yumina clapped her hands and said cheerfully,
“Let’s have another.”
“Another?”
“Sure.”
“If we eat more, when are we going to see the exhibition?”
“Well, it depends, but I don’t want to go outside now. It’s cold.”
That was true. It would be cold either way, but leaving immediately wasn’t desirable. They ordered one more dessert each and added an extra coffee to the order. It was necessary to have coffee when it’s cold. Same went for when it was hot, or when you’re tired, or when you’re sleepy.
The desserts and coffee arrived. After enjoying them, they finally stood up. It was truly time to go.
Walking towards the exhibition,
“What kind of exhibition is it?”
“An exhibition?”
“Yeah.”
“Hmm… don’t know.”
Since you suggested it. Yumina smiled when she glanced over.
“I just felt like going.”
“Which artists are featured?”
“I don’t know!”
Why even go then? She wanted to tease Yumina but decided against it.
As they continued walking, someone ahead of them tripped and fell, possibly due to the icy ground.
They avoided the icy spot where the person had fallen, but one of Cha Haneul’s feet slipped slightly, tilting her body. Startled, Cha Haneul used magic to hover briefly before realizing and canceling the magic. She plopped down on the ground.
“Are you okay?”
Not at all. Her bottom hurt, the ground was cruelly cold, and her back was oddly taut from the shock.
While sitting there, something appeared.
[System Update Complete]
A Duel system has been added. Challenge other explorers to a duel and compete.
What are you? She dismissed the message.
While brushing off her clothes, several KakaoTalk messages came in. It was probably Doyugeon. She briefly ignored them, finishing brushing herself off. The messages continued. What did he expect by randomly sending messages when she was likely taking a nap?
Besides, he should be at the academy now.
“Do you have KakaoTalk messages?”
“Yeah.”
Checking her KakaoTalk, it was indeed Doyugeon.
—System Update
—PVP
—P
—V
—P
And so on.
“Was PVP already in the system?”
“Just updated. It’s probably PVP.”
“Hmm.”
She scrolled through the accumulating messages.
—It’s time we compare skills
—Obviously, I’ll win
Hmm? Funny.
She drafted a reply.
—You? Me?
“Isn’t that excessive provocation?”
“Is it?”
She rephrased her message.
—You?
She turned her phone to silent and put it back in her pocket.
“Let’s go.”
“Send this and that’s it?”
“He’s at the academy anyway.”
Yumina laughed.
The exhibition was decent. To be honest, she didn’t understand much about aesthetics.
![[TS] The Protagonist is Conquered](https://i3.wp.com/novelhitam.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1743806812-5548-TS-The-Protagonist-is-Conquered.png?resize=151,215 "[TS] The Protagonist is Conquered")
