I was Thrown into an Unfamiliar Manga

I couldn’t leave someone standing outside in the middle of the night, so I brought her into our home for now.
“Um… didn’t you say you were going to a hotel?”
Sitting in front of the living room table, Li Mei Ling stayed silent for a moment before opening her mouth.

“…I lost my wallet.”
“How did that happen?”
“I think I might’ve dropped it while getting out of the taxi.”

“You should’ve been more careful.”
Did she walk all the way here then?
“Thankfully, my passport and phone are safe, but I don’t have a single yen in cash…”

As she said that, Li Mei Ling shifted awkwardly, rubbing her shoulders, then looked at me.
“Would it be possible to let me stay just for a few days?”
“Goodbye.”

I immediately reached for the handle of her suitcase sitting nearby.
Startled, she reached out in panic.
“Wait! Just wait a second! If you let me stay for a few days, I promise I’ll repay you generously!”

At the word repay, I paused for a moment.
“How, exactly?”
“Uh… I already requested a reissue from the card company, so I should receive it in a few days. I recently got a prize money payout, so I do have plenty of funds. I’ll pay you generously for the lodging.”

“Tempting, sure… but even so, I think it’ll be difficult.”
Her situation ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) was unfortunate, but I couldn’t just let her stay blindly for the sake of money.
Our house didn’t exactly have spare rooms.
Even I had most of my room filled with exercise equipment, so I was sleeping on a futon in the living room—how could I let someone else stay?

But she seemed desperate in her own way and clung to me.
“Please, I’m begging you! I don’t know anyone in Japan, and if I leave now, I’ll end up sleeping on the street!”
“Wait—! My pants are slipping!”

I wrestled with her rough grip as my sweatpants started sliding dangerously downward.
And then—
Clack!

“Son~ Mom and Dad are home~”
“…Ah.”
My parents walked through the front door at the most godawful timing.

And what they saw… was a Chinese girl who had been at our restaurant earlier today, now clinging to their only son’s leg, pleading.
After a long silence, Im I-ja finally broke the ice as she seemed to piece together the situation.
“Um… son? I know things can get heated, but doing it here at home…”

“It’s not what it looks like!!”
I was genuinely, seriously offended.
***

“So basically, this Chinese young lady lost her wallet on her way to the hotel, right?”
“Yep.”
In the end, we all ended up sitting at the living room table—me, my parents, and Li Mei Ling—facing one another.

Technically speaking, since I wasn’t the homeowner, the people she really needed permission from were my parents.
After hearing the whole story, Im I-ja mulled it over, then made a decision.
“Well, it can’t be helped. They say even brushing sleeves forms a bond, so just stay for a few days.”

Li Mei Ling brightened instantly and bowed deeply to my parents.
“谢谢! 谢谢!” (Thank you! Thank you!)
It was a phrase I’d heard many times in old Chinese movies.

But the native pronunciation was definitely something else.
Then, lifting her head, Li Mei Ling said with a moved expression,
“Thank… you.”

Her pronunciation was distinctly foreign, but the meaning came through clearly enough that even my usually curt father replied with a gentle voice.
“The bath is ready. Go ahead and clean up first. Did you eat dinner?”
Li Mei Ling turned red and shook her head shyly.

“No…”
“Then I’ll whip something up for you.”
“Thank you so much! You’re a great person! I’ll never forget this kindness!”

She even got into a fist-and-palm salute while saying that.
If I hadn’t stopped her, she looked ready to slam her head against the floor, so I panicked and intervened.
Meanwhile, Im I-ja calmly said,

“Yu-seong, show her to the bathroom.”
“…Okay.”
I didn’t really have a say in this household, so I quietly obeyed.

***
I escorted her to the bathroom myself.
“Do you have anything to change into?”

Then, as if all her earlier confidence had vanished, Li Mei Ling hunched her shoulders and replied in a small voice.
“…Only underwear.”
“Sorry? What was that?”

When I asked again, her face flushed as she answered,
“Just… only underwear.”
Ah. I see. Right.

“I’ll get you something from my old clothes. It might be too big, but would that be okay?”
“If you’re lending it, I’ll wear it gladly.”
I told her okay, then opened the bathroom door.

Inside, the tub was already filled.
Unlike in Korea where people usually just shower, in Japan, people often fill the bathtub to soak in at home.
My parents had lived in Japan for a long time and enjoyed bathing like locals, so our family usually shared the same bathwater, one after the other.

And since I was at the bottom of the household hierarchy, I always bathed last.
But since she was a guest, my father had given up his spot for her.
I crouched down and explained everything to her step by step.

“This is shampoo, this is conditioner, and this is body wash. I already added bath salts, so you can just get in. I’ll leave some clothes for you outside the door.”
“Thank you for explaining.”
“It’s nothing, really. Just wash up and take your time.”

I gave a casual shrug, then stepped out and closed the bathroom door.
***
After Kim Yu-seong, who had fought her earlier, closed the bathroom door and left, Li Mei Ling let out a belated sigh of relief.

“Haa…”
If he and his parents hadn’t been kind enough to help, she didn’t even want to imagine what would’ve happened.
‘Of all times to lose my wallet…’

Unlike China, where digital payment culture is highly developed, Japan still mostly relies on cash.
They didn’t refuse cards entirely, but even then, only major hotels and big chains accepted them. Most places were cash only.
So when she realized she had lost her wallet in a country like this—it wasn’t an exaggeration to say she completely blacked out.

There was no way to immediately get any money.
She untied the string that held her long hair and placed her clothes into the laundry basket.
In a flash, she was stripped down to nothing but her underwear.

She stood in front of the mirror and looked at her own body—hardened muscle, big and small scars scattered across it.
To her, they were proof of enduring brutal training from a young age—honorable marks of pride.
But still, a part of her had once longed for the kind of body a normal girl might have.

Of course, that longing was useless now.
She took off her plain sports bra and panties and placed them in the basket, stepping into the bathroom completely naked.
Steam rose from the bath.

She wanted to soak her tired body in the hot water immediately, but remembering how dusty she probably got walking around all day, she squatted down and decided to wash herself first.
Shhhhhhhhhh!
A stream of cool water poured over her head.

As if the exhaustion was washing away, she lathered her body with body wash.
She didn’t know what the scent was, but the foam had a pleasant aroma. After scrubbing thoroughly, she carefully lowered herself into the tub.
“Hoo—”

A satisfied sigh slipped out without her realizing.
She closed her eyes like in meditation and, just like she used to as a child, began counting in her head.
***

It was about thirty minutes later when Li Mei Ling finally emerged from the bath.
“I’ve washed up.”
Wearing the black T-shirt and shorts I had left for her, with a towel draped around her neck, she saw me sitting in the living room and spoke.

“That was fast.”
“…I can’t stay in hot water for too long. It’s just how my body is.”
Well, if that’s the case, fair enough.

I called out to my dad, who was busy prepping food in the kitchen.
“Dad! The bath’s free now!”
He answered and headed to the bedroom—probably to grab a change of clothes.

Li Mei Ling looked at the futon laid out in the living room and asked,
“Am I sleeping here?”
“No, that’s mine. You’ll be sleeping in that room over there.”

I pointed to my room, which I had hurriedly cleared out.
It’d still be a tight squeeze for someone with a large frame, but for someone her size, it should be fine.
She nodded and sat down in front of me.

In that moment, the oversized T-shirt shifted, nearly revealing her pale skin underneath—just barely—before it vanished from view again.
Since the clothes weren’t hers, she seemed slightly off-guard. Looking at me with a serious expression, she said,
“Kim Yu-seong, you and your parents have done me a great favor. So… is there anything you’d like to ask of me?”

“Sorry? Ask?”
“There’s an old saying in China—repay a favor threefold. I know I already promised to pay for the lodging, but even so, it doesn’t feel like enough. So I’ll grant you one request.”
From my perspective, it was a bit of a random offer.

I couldn’t think of anything in particular to ask.
But just as I was trying to think of a polite way to decline, something came to mind.
“That move you showed in our spar earlier—Fierce Tiger Piercing Spear. Could you teach me that?”

Li Mei Ling was briefly surprised by the request, but then gave a small smirk and nodded.
“Of course.”