"There's no need to be ashamed. It's perfectly normal for a man to have that kind of taste…"
"Okay, why don't you just shut up and eat?"
Park Geon-ho, who sat across from me and smiled, was an ass*. I looked for the remote control and pressed the button to distract my attention.
Beep.
[Yes! This is in front of the Guild Management Headquarters. Guild Masters are arriving one after another to attend the afternoon meeting. Ah, as I speak, the Roheon Guild arrived!]
[Kyaaaa~!]
[Master Lee Joo-ha!]
On the screen, I could see Roheon Guild Master and Ha Tae-heon just getting out of the car. The two in black suits looked very good together in my opinion. The Roheon Guild Master smiled and waved a hand to the cheering people around her.
[You're pretty, Joo-ha unnie~!]
[Kyaaa! Ha Tae-heon!]
[Please look this way! Oppa!]
[So cool, Ha Tae-heon!]
Ha Tae-heon's name could be heard quite loudly while he was standing silently. The girls who cried out his name even held up placards.
"He looks like an idol…"
I knew he was popular, but I didn't expect it would be to this extent… As I mumbled, Min Ah-rin murmured while eating egg rolls, "Ha Tae-heon is more than an idol. He's SS-rank. The number of fan cafe members** is no joke."
"A fan cafe?"
O-our main character, Tae-heon, has a fan cafe? With trembling eyes, I asked Min Ah-rin again, "There's a fan cafe? Really? How many members are there?"
"That, I don't know. To be exact, well—there's probably a separate site for it. If you look it up, you can find it?"
"Fan cafe…"
Ha Tae-heon's fan cafe… No, he had many fans even before that.
Come to think about it, it was well deserved. He was handsome, cool, sincere… It would be weird not to have one, right.
'How do I find a fan cafe? Can I search for it? Can I sign up with Han Yi-gyeol's information?'
Somehow, I lost my appetite. I put down my chopsticks and seriously thought about the fan cafe. To be honest… I'm a little curious.
After all, as a reader of 'Abyss', I knew more than most people. Wasn't it okay to go to a fan cafe? Or, when I meet Ha Tae-heon later, I'll talk about the fan café…
"Yi-gyeol-ssi, do you like Ha Tae-heon?"
"Pardon?"
"…what is it? Why are you so surprised? Suspicious."
As I was thinking about something else, I was caught off guard. Kim Woo-jin looked suspiciously at my strange reaction. Min Ah-rin and Park Geon-ho looked excited.
"Ehem. Don't be suspicious. It's not like that."
In embarrassment, I coughed in vain and looked elsewhere. The voice of a lively reporter filled the space where a strange silence fell upon the room.
[What a popular guild! There are a few guilds that have not arrived yet. Thirty minutes left until the meeting begins…]
I picked up a glass of water to avoid the three pairs of eyes that were stuck on me. I filled my mouth with water and tried to swallow it.
[Requiem Guild! Requiem Guild has arrived!]
[Kyaaaaa! Cheon Sa-yeon~!]
[Get out of the way! Master Cheon Sa-yeon! Please look this way once!]
[You're so cool, Oppa! Cheon Sa-yeon!]
[Milky white Cheon Sa-yeon! My love, Cheon Sa-yeon!] (Milky white [우윳빛깔] is meant to praise someone's fair and clear skin)
"Pfft—! Cough, cough! Gurgh!"
At the sudden news of Cheon Sa-yeon, I coughed out half of the water I was holding on to as if vomiting blood.
"Cough, cough! Ugh…"
"Are you okay, Yi-gyeol-ssi?"
"The hell, what's wrong?"
"Haha, hahahaha!"
I coughed violently until tears came out. Min Ah-rin and Kim Woo-jin patted me on the back restlessly, while Park Geon-ho grabbed his stomach and laughed like he was out of breath.
[Wow, Master Cheon Sa-yeon's popularity is beyond imagination. It's amazing every time I see it!]
[Kyaaaaa! Cheon Sa-yeon! Look over here!]
[Hngh, he's so handsome…]
[Cheon Sa-yeon! Cheon Sa-yeon!]
[Master Cheon Sa-yeon's greeting the fans! It's really sweet. I can see why there are so many fans.]
"Bullshit."
What "sweet"?
It was hard to see Cheon Sa-yeon's brightly smiling face as he bowed his head. He was only there for a meeting, did this make sense? It was really ridiculous.
Iith mixed feelings, I asked, "…by any chance, is Master Cheon Sa-yeon more popular than Ha Tae-heon?"
"What? Of course he is."
Why was that so natural? I couldn't argue with Min Ah-rin, so I grumbled inwardly.
"Even if Roheon Guild's member and the Master are both SS-rank, the difference in influence is huge. It's not easy to get the position of No. 1 Guild Master in Korea."
Park Geon-ho, who laughed cheerfully, said as he opened a bottle of water, "Master is welcome both at home and abroad. His network is wide enough to get acquainted with SS-rankers all over the world."
"You know very well."
"Because I've known him for a long time."
Min Ah-rin, who was listening to her words, said, "There was a rumor that you were an early member of the Requiem Guild… So it's true."
Park Geon-ho nodded his head. "Now, the guild is stable in many ways, but in the beginning, things were uncertain. At that time, the Master was also young."
"A younger Master. I can't imagine it."
I quietly agreed with Min Ah-rin's words. A young and immature Cheon Sa-yeon. It didn't suit him.
"It's understandable when you see it now. He used to be the sensitive type, but he struggled a bit to raise the guild by himself so his personality got worse over time."
I blinked slowly and leaned back on the chair.
'He raised the guild by himself?'
It was very interesting because the past of Cheon Sa-yeon was never mentioned in the novel. I didn't expect to get such valuable information from Park Geon-ho. It was an unexpected harvest.
'His appearance is like a young master from a chaebol family…' (Chaebol = conglomerate)
I tapped the handle of the chair with my finger and glanced at Park Geon-ho.
"Well, whatever past he had, I am satisfied now that he is a good-paying boss."
"That is the most important thing."
Seeing how he changed his words, it seemed that he had no intention of talking about Cheon Sa-yeon's past anymore. I turned my gaze away from Park Geon-ho, who was talking with Min Ah-rin, and looked at the TV. On the screen, it seemed that the broadcast had ended and s for drinks were appearing.
* * *
"Thank you, it was fun." Min Ah-rin looked at me and smiled brightly.
"Haha… Me, too," I answered, fakely happy.
"Let's hang out again next time! Together with Woo-jin-ssi and Team Leader."
No, that's a bit…
"I agree."
"I look forward to it."
"..."
If I let it go any further than this, they'll set a day for next time, so I hurriedly pushed Min Ah-rin's back.
"Yes, yes. Go ahead, Min Ah-rin-ssi. You need to catch the bus."
"Ehh, I don't want to go. Shall I just cancel the appointment?"
"I heard they are friends you haven't seen in a long time. You can't do that. Have fun."
Min Ah-rin, befitting her sociable nature, had countless appointments during her vacation. She said she cancelled some of them and spent the day with me and Kim Woo-jin, but I want to tell her that next time she didn't have to do that.
"See you after vacation!"
Min Ah-rin left the room, waving her hand softly. I sighed at the closed door and shifted my gaze to Park Geon-ho, who was standing behind me.
"Aren't you going?"
"I'm free."
I remembered Min Ah-rin's explanation that the Special Operations Division's schedule was not tight. Damn it…
"I want to take a rest… I'll see you later, so let's call it a day."
"Hmm?" Park Geon-ho raised his eyebrows as if he was surprised by my words.
"It was an honour to meet you."
"What? You're seeing him later? Why… why?"
Kim Woo-jin, who was lying on the sofa and fiddling with his cell phone, came running in surprise.
"Yes. I'm curious too. Why did you suddenly change your mind?"
"That's…"
The reason was, of course, to find out about Cheon Sa-yeon's past, but my conscience hurt to answer honestly. It could hurt Park Geon-ho's feelings and I could miss the chance.
After thinking about it, I came up with the easiest answer.
"I became interested."
It wasn't exactly a lie. It was true that I was interested.
"Interested?"
"What? Interested?" Kim Woo-jin pulled my arm strongly. What was with you?
Kim Woo-jin, who was constantly fussy, was annoying, but right now meeting with Park Geon-ho was more important.
Before Park Geon-ho said nonsense, I added, "I'll decide the day we meet."
"Well, I'm fine with that."
Park Gun-ho nodded his head. For a person who came into the room with packed lunch, this was a simple reaction.
"Then see you next time."
Park Geon-ho, who accomplished his purpose, left the room without hesitation. Kim Woo-jin, who was staring at Park Geon-ho more intensely than ever before, started whining as soon as the door closed.
"Why are you meeting him? What are you going to do with him? I'm coming, too!"
"Why are you coming?"
"To keep an eye on you!"
"Don't be ridiculous. You don't have orders to."
Kim Woo-jin flinched at my words and closed his lips. I said it out of uncertainty, but I guessed it was true. Right. Cheon Sa-yeon was not an idiot—there was no way I was going to let Kim Woo-jin watch over me.
'That will make it more complicated…'
There was a possibility that he sent someone other than Kim Woo-jin. It was not easy to understand his intentions as he was someone who could not be vigilant.
"Haa, Kim Woo-jin."
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't find the right answer. I called for Kim Woo-jin, who looked around and glanced at me.
"Okay, go get some coffee."
"Coffee?"
If he was going to stick around anyway, I would just have him run an errand. You've been provided with a place to stay and meals, so pay for it.
"Yeah. There's a cafe across the street."
"…what are you going to drink?"
"Vanilla latte. With ice."
While answering the question, I suddenly found something on my t-shirt. It was dark navy, so it didn't show much, but it was uncomfortable to keep wearing it.
"Sweet things that don't fit your personality… Uwaack!"
"Hm?"
Without hesitation, I crossed my arms and took off my t-shirt, and Kim Woo-jin, who was grumbling and carrying his wallet, screamed. It was so loud that my brow wrinkled.
"Wh-what! W-why're you—t-taking off your clothes…!"
"What are you talking about now? Are you crazy? Go get some coffee."
"Hah, fuck. Damn it… my heart, ah…"
"I said to go."
Kim Woo-jin grabbed his chest and spat out swear words. I had been wanting to say something for a while, but well. I clicked my tongue as I watched Kim Woo-jin leave the room with a staggering pace.
"It's a little quiet now."
Wearing a white shirt, I opened the package and looked around the room with satisfaction. Because I was comfortable being alone.
"Hmm, hm."
I hummed and lifted the bed mattress with my ability. Fortunately, the items that I hid before entering the gate were still there. I turned it on right away and pressed the call button.
'I wonder if he can't pick up right now.'
The start time of the meeting held at the Guild Management Headquarters was 3 hours before now. If the meeting had been prolonged, it was highly likely that it was not over yet. When I was trying to figure out when I could try again, I heard a click in my ear.
"Ha Tae-heon-ssi?"
[…say what you want.]
His voice was cold and blunt, enough that I could feel his dissatisfaction even over the phone.
With a smile on my face, I said, "Please make time for a date."