Dinner Plan
Liliana mentioned she needed to sort out the ecology of Hell and retreated to her room.
Is she thinking about what to do in Hell after ten years? Well, shell figure it out on her own. Whatever.
I proceeded to sift through my backlog of messages on EveryDay. They hailed from various guilds, spanning from unfamiliar ones to prominent, large guilds. Amidst the mix, one message stood out.
[Yejimi: Lee Hoyeon. You know Ive been trying to get in touch with you since before you became famous, right? I sent a message to the contact number you provided, but I didnt receive a response, so Im trying here again.]
Huh? I received a message?
I glanced at my smartwatch. Oh I had it on silent, so I didnt notice.
Id turned off notifications for numbers that werent in my contacts because I was tired of getting all sorts of disaster alerts, spam, and messages from unknown numbers. Thats why I didnt see this message.
[Hello, Student Lee Hoyeon, isnt it?^^ Im Min Yeji from the Iron Blood Guild. Please reply when its convenient for you.]
This message had arrived on the same day they shared the contact information, and when I didnt respond for two days, they followed up with another message.
[Lee Hoyeon, are you busy? Youre online on EveryDay, but youre not replying.]
This message arrived on a Friday. When I didnt check it over the weekend and until Monday, yet another message landed in my inbox yesterday.
[This is the final attempt to contact you. If you dont respond today, well assume youre not interested in working with us. Please reply to this number or contact Min Yeji from Iron Blood Guild.]
And just moments ago, another message arrived.
[Its Min Yeji. Please disregard the message I sent yesterday. Could you at least make a phone call? I was the first to recognize your talent. Instead of hastily joining another guild based on offers, Iron Blood Guild can acknowledge your true abilities and assist in your growth]
Summing up that lengthy message, its basically saying, Come to our guild, the one that supposedly spotted your potential first. As much as I have no real desire to join a guild I guess I should reply, just to be polite.
[Hi, Min Yeji. Ive just set my messages to make a sound, so Ive only seen this now. Im sorry, but I dont have any plans to join a guild at the moment. Im reaching out as a courtesy.]
Right after sending the message, I got a response.
[So, how about a business proposition?]
Business? Whats that even supposed to mean? Ive never heard of Min Yeji, but Ive certainly heard of the Iron Blood Guild. Theyre one of the top guilds in Korea. Being part of a place like that probably means youre riding high, but whether its Iron Blood Guild or whatever, I cant just jump in headfirst.
Anyway, my main goal is to woo with the heroines at the academy Im wary of getting tangled up in guild contracts and any potential complications. Its not a personal thing; its just that public matters are a waste of my time, and there are too many strings attached.
[What exactly do you mean by business proposition?]
After that, no further responses came. I saved Min Yejis phone number and powered off my smartwatch.
Ring!
Damn it, who could it be now?
The sender was Soorin Noona. As soon as I saw the name, I quickly opened the message.
[Soorin Noona: Hoyeon, do you have any plans for dinner tonight? Ive got something to talk about.]
[Me: Of course! Should I head out right away?]
[Soorin Noona: Nah, hehe. I need to get ready too, so once Im all set, Ill give you a shout.]
[Me: Sounds good!]
The reason Soorin Noona messaged me at this hour was pretty obvious. The Chairman clearly said, Ill send her next time, so hes probably trying to compensate me for bringing Baek Ahyeong to the academy.
I grabbed my neatly folded school uniform and gave my face a quick once-over in the mirror.
Not too shabby.
Well, my face is never really in bad shape. I just ran my fingers through my hair, got ready, and lounged on the couch. Then, a message popped up.
[Soorin Noona: Are you all set?]
[Me: Yep! Ready to go?]
[Soorin Noona: Yeah, but Im not a fan of crowded places Ill send you the address, so meet me there.]
[Me: Sure thing.]
Moon Soorin soon sent an address from a spot outside the academys shopping area.
Im heading out.
Okay~
I bid farewell to Liliana and headed outside.
***
The evening air was surprisingly chilly. Despite the daytime warmth, a sudden chill had settled in for the night, making it a bit challenging to decide on the right attire.
I shouldve dressed a bit warmer.
I found myself regretting my choice of just a thin sweatshirt. The restaurant was quite a distance from the academy, so I had a bit of a walk ahead.
Where on earth is this place?
Consulting the map on my smartwatch, I navigated my way to the restaurant. It was located at the end of a street in the shopping area. There was no sign, leaving me uncertain if this was the correct spot. However, once I stepped inside, I discovered a restaurant in full operation.
Uh Hello. I greeted one of the nearby staff members as I approached.
Welcome. May I have the name under which you made a reservation?
As I mentioned earlier, its thanks to you that the Saint came to the academy so Ive decided to show my gratitude.
Well, I did it all for you, Noona, so some compensation would be nice.
Hehe, I value your sentiment. Since Im not sure what youd like, Ive prepared a list. Would you like to see it?
Moon Soorin handed me a piece of paper.
[Millennium Ginseng] One root.
[Public Hearing Oil]
[White Sand Powder] 100g
.
.
.
Wow
The list was filled with names of elixirs I had only heard of.
This Ill need some time to mull it over.
Sure thing. If you ever need anything else, feel free to let me know.
Okay.
We sat in a brief moment of silence.
So, Noona, I guess that wraps up our work talk?
Yeah, right? Should we head back now?
If youre up for it, Noona, we can keep chatting a bit.
She took off her glasses. While it was nice to see her beautiful face, it was actually a bit worrisome. Moon Soorin removing her glasses was an event that happened when her affection for Lee Hoyeon was very high or when her stalker tendencies got a bit too intense
Heroine Status Window
[Moon Soorin]
[Affection: 63]
[Lust: 25]
[Appetite: 50]
[Fatigue: 73]
Current Status: Well, Hoyeon is definitely a nice man.
Her affection level was still in the early 60s. She had some affection for me, but it wasnt love. So, the reason for this was the latter.
Remember when I said it gets tough when someone becomes too famous?
Of course, I remember.
She had expressed concern about me getting close to Professor Im Sol in the past.
Now that youre famous too do you kind of get what I meant?
Noona
Sorry if Im being too much like a celebrity? Hehe
Moon Soorin had a complex expression. Regret, misery, disappointment, and sadness. It seemed like all the negative emotions were surfacing.
Ive always told you. I stood up, looking her in the eyes. I firmly grabbed her delicate shoulders.
Ho-Hoyeon? Why are you doing this all of a sudden?
Noona, Ive been saying it all along. Im always on your side. The mage Lee Hoyeon, who can turn the world upside down, is on your side. Dont worry, stand tall. If anyone dares to bother you, Ill take care of them.
This is all so sudden; I feel embarrassed Moon Soorin blushed and glanced around at my unexpected actions.
Heroine Status Window
[Moon Soorin]
[Affection: 75]
[Lust: 35]
[Appetite: 50]
[Fatigue: 73]
Current Status: Ho-Hoyeon, does he like me? Well, maybe its not too bad
Affection level 75. At this point, its a score where confessing might work. It hadnt reached the level of affection where she would confess to me, but I should be satisfied for now.
Noona, if things ever get tough, just talk to me. Alright? I concluded with a final declaration.
Um okay. Moon Soorin nodded, her expression reflecting the impact of my determination.
In difficult times, I need her to turn to me rather than her family. From this point onward, I have to build that trust.