I strolled into the Fallen Moon Café, the place where Moon Soorin hung out.
"Welcome!"
Inside, the café had a cozy vibe with several tables and stairs leading up to the second floor. It was definitely a place that would appeal to the ladies.
The menu was filled with a variety of drinks I had never laid eyes on before. Green Shiraz Tea, Low-Fat Hell Strawberry Milk, Ralph Lauren Latte…
While scanning through the menu, one drink in particular caught my attention.
[Claire Rose Latte]
Hmm, where have I heard of this drink before?
Then it hit me. It's Moon Soorin's favorite beverage, known as Mint Chocolate in the original world.
"One Claire Rose Latte, please."
"Sure thing!"
After placing my order, I snagged a seat a little distance away from Moon Soorin's spot.
I didn't want to get too close and raise any suspicions, so I played it cool with a decent gap between us. Lucky for me, she seemed glued to her laptop, showing no signs of leaving anytime soon. I just had to wait for the perfect moment to strike up a casual conversation.
[Would you like to activate the Heroine Status Window?]
"Huh!"
I nearly choked on the latte in my mouth when the sudden system notification popped up.
What's this? The Heroine Status Window? I've never come across that before.
Since it appeared to be related to Moon Soorin, the leading lady herself, I decided to give it a go. I mentally activated the Heroine Status Window, and just like that, it materialized before me.
★ Heroine Status Window
[Moon Soorin]
[Affection: 20]
[Lust: 15]
[Appetite: 30]
[Fatigue: 70]
Current Status: Ugh, I don't feel like working.
Seemed like this was the Heroine Capture System. The original game didn't have anything like it.
After discreetly observing my surroundings for about 30 minutes, I grabbed the half-full cup and made my way to the counter. To get there, I had to pass by Moon Soorin's table, of course.
I casually approached Moon Soorin's table, trying to act as natural as possible. As part of my master plan, I purposely stumbled, causing the drink to spill all over her!
Of course, I couldn't forget to let out a loud scream as I tripped, just to make sure she noticed me.
"Aah!"
But Moon Soorin, being the quick thinker she was, heard my scream and swiftly conjured a magical barrier to protect herself from the incoming Claire Rose Latte shower.
She truly took after her grandfather, the chairman.
I half-expected her to be flustered and end up wearing the coffee, but her talent didn't disappoint.
"Sorry! I'm really sorry! Are you okay?"
"Ugh, yeah, I'm fine…"
Letting out a frustrated sigh, as if her concentration had been broken, Moon Soorin finally looked at me and was momentarily speechless.
Naturally, I'm the protagonist, and she's the heroine. Even from a guy's perspective, I have to admit I'm quite good-looking.
Her blushing cheeks gave away the fact that she was momentarily lost for words upon seeing my face. I was worried that things might deviate from the game, but luckily, it seemed to align with her character.
"What should I do? Are your clothes okay? I'll make it up to you."
"Oh, no. It's fine. I managed to block it."
"Just a moment. I'll fetch a mop to clean the floor."
"Just stay put."
Moon Soorin unleashed a surge of magic from her fingertips, causing the spilled drink on the floor to levitate, compress, and evaporate completely.
"Wow, thank you."
"No problem. Anyway… Are you a freshman at the academy?"
"Huh? Yeah, you guessed it. How did you know?"
"I remember all the faces of the students at the academy. If I don't recognize someone, they must be a freshman."
Remembering every face—as expected, the student council president.
"Oh, so you're a senior. Well, if we happen to run into each other at the academy, don't hesitate to say hello."
"Sure. We'll meet again anyway. I'm Moon Soorin."
She had no intention of mentioning that she's the chairman's granddaughter, huh? People in positions of power usually enjoyed these small privileges.
I was curious to see her reaction when she found out that I knew her identity. She'd be expecting a surprised expression from me, so I had to start practicing my surprised face.
"I'm Lee Hoyeon. Well then, I better get going! See you next time!"
And with that, I swiftly made my exit. I completed the sub quest successfully, accomplishing my goal of making my presence known. After all, Moon Soorin was the "easiest" heroine to win over in the original game.
***
(Translator's Note: This is Moon Soorin's perspective.)
I felt incredibly frustrated and annoyed.
My grandfather left me in charge and went out to enjoy himself, while my father was too occupied with running the guild to even spare a glance at the academy. In the end, I had to handle almost everything by myself.
Every time, I resent the fact that I have the capability to handle these tasks.
Ever since I was young, I learned to work and assist my grandfather and father. Initially, the adults were grateful and apologetic as I helped them, but gradually they realized that I could handle things on my own, and the burden on me increased.
I started to question whether I was human or just a working machine.
Due to my personality, I couldn't afford to do things haphazardly because I would become anxious if I didn't handle everything perfectly. But the stress had become unbearable.
In my heart, I wanted to throw everything away and run away, but I knew I couldn't do that. But if I continued working like this, I might end up going crazy.
I stood up from my desk in the home office and walked outside, heading towards the cafe I always went to. It was my go-to place whenever I needed to relieve stress.
I hoped that the wide-open window would somehow alleviate my stress, but they also serve a special drink here.
"Can I have a cup of Clara Rose Latte, please?"
Looking out of the cafe window, I saw people enjoying themselves. They were all around my age.
Why do I have to be stuck here like this? Sigh…
I felt the familiar headache starting to creep in. Lately, just sitting in front of my laptop triggered a headache. My mind knew that I had to work when I sat in front of the screen, so could it be a subconscious resistance?
Suppressing the headache, I looked at the never-ending tasks and suddenly heard a strange scream right in front of my table.
"Aah!"
A coffee cup was flying towards me. Fortunately, I reacted quickly enough to create a magical barrier when I heard the scream, so I managed to avoid getting wet. If I had ended up soaked, I wouldn't have let the person who caused it off easily. So, it was fortunate.
"Sorry! I'm really sorry! Are you okay?"
"Ugh, yeah, I'm fine…"
When I looked up to say a word to the person who disrupted my concentration, I was momentarily breathless.
Not only did his voice sound as smooth as honey, but he was also… incredibly handsome. I had never been so taken aback by someone's appearance before.
I had met many good-looking people in my life, but the man in front of me was on a whole different level. It was as if a fraction of the time it took to create the world—if there's such a thing as God—was dedicated to sculpting this man. He was a flawless work of art.
Oops!
I made a rude mistake of staring at someone's face so blatantly.
What have I done?
"What should I do? Are your clothes okay? I'll make it up to you."
Fortunately, it seemed like the other person was too flustered to pay attention.
"Oh, no. It's fine. I managed to block it."
"Just a moment. I'll fetch a mop to clean the floor."
"Just stay put."
I compressed the spilled drink on the floor and evaporated it with heat.
"Wow, thank you."
"No problem. Anyway… Are you a freshman at the academy?"
"Huh? Yeah, you guessed it. How did you know?"
"I remember all the faces of the students at the academy. If I don't recognize someone, they must be a freshman."
If it were anyone else, I wouldn't have bothered to continue the conversation, but I desperately wanted to keep talking to the man in front of me.
If he was a new student at the academy, he couldn't possibly be oblivious to my existence, so I was honestly dying to know his reaction.
"Oh, so you're a senior. Well, if we happen to run into each other at the academy, don't hesitate to say hello."
"Sure. We'll meet again anyway. I'm Moon Soorin."
"I'm Lee Hoyeon. Well then, I better get going! See you next time!"
He hurriedly left, leaving only those words behind.
He doesn't recognize me, even though I'm the student council president? Does that even make sense…?
I felt a strange sense of disappointment and regret. I thought I was quite famous even outside the academy and had done a lot of magazine modeling and interviews.
Should I increase my influencer activities in the future?
"No, what am I even thinking right now?!"
I have a pile of unfinished tasks, and here I am contemplating expanding my influencer endeavors? I must have momentarily lost focus due to my overwhelming workload. Let's get back to work.
The spilled beverage on the floor. It was obviously a Claire Rose Latte.
"Does he also like Claire Rose Latte…?"
No, I can't get distracted! I need to concentrate on my work. Why is Lee Hoyeon's face, who just vanished before my eyes, lingering in my thoughts?
We clearly met for the first time today, and there has been no interaction between us. So why does my face flush whenever I think about that guy?
Thump-thump-thump.
I could feel my heartbeat quickening.
Could it be that I've stressed myself out too much with work? I can't even comprehend why I'm feeling like this.
"Huh?"
The headache I usually felt whenever I sit in front of my laptop disappeared. Even a renowned doctor could only suggest that the treatment for stress-induced headaches is to "eliminate or find ways to alleviate stress." Yet, the headache suddenly vanished.
"I'm pretty sure his name is Lee Hoyeon."
I took out my cellphone from my pocket and made a call.
"Yes, Secretary Kim. I was wondering if you could do a background check on one of the freshmen for me. Yes, the name is Lee Hoyeon…"
Click.
Why did I ask for a background check on someone I just met for the first time?!
"No, I'm just curious about the reason behind my headache disappearing. Hmm…"
I glanced back at my laptop, my cheeks burning with a rosy hue.