Chapter 162. Party Preparation is Tough (3)
"Yes. I'm planning to attend the party too."
Victoria Academy's student council president's office.
In the quiet room, Moon Surin's voice rang out.
She had just applied to attend the party she'd been putting off, and leaned back in her chair.
The exhaustion from work overwhelmed her entire body.
This should've been the time to rest before wrapping things up, but she had no time for that.
"Hoyeon...."
On her smartwatch, Baek A-Young's interview was playing.
Moon Surin trembled uneasily, biting her nails.
"I should've acted a little faster...!"
Thankfully, they weren't actually in a relationship, but public perception mattered.
Baek A-Young clearly wanted people to think they were dating.
But if they weren't, that meant the Saintess was a rival.
And to not fall behind a rival, she had to put in effort too.
Moon Surin picked up her smartwatch.
She tapped a file titled [Love You, Lee Hoyeon].
It was a collection of recordings she had secretly made and edited each time she met Lee Hoyeon.
- Surin noona... I love you. I really do.
The voice file, edited even down to pitch and tone, sounded completely natural.
"Mmm... Hoyeon."
Hearing Lee Hoyeon's voice, Moon Surin calmed her heart.
Her rival may have taken the lead, but it wasn't over.
She just had to catch up—no matter what.
*
After hanging out with the twins Lucy and Lumi, I returned to the dorm.
Dinner, as usual, was chicken.
"Scarlett."
"Yes, Lee Hoyeon-nim?"
Leaving Liliana to enthusiastically rip apart chicken, I spoke to Scarlett.
"If you were ordered to extract information from the Buyer Guild, what would you do?"
I suddenly got curious.
How people in her line of work handled such things.
It had already been three days since Dr. Kang Hyorin decided to rescue Nam Daeun's younger sister, Nam Dahee.
With little time left and no updates, I was considering checking in on her tomorrow.
"Hmm... From what I saw before, their defenses are pretty solid, so infiltration would be tough. In these cases, a long-term approach is best. Like infiltrating as an employee or disguising as existing staff."
"Oh... And if it were you, how long would that take?"
Scarlett always sounded so smart when talking about work.
"If it were me, probably about a month. That kind of approach requires time to avoid suspicion. I don't know how the Korean Branch Director plans to do it, but if she's better than me, she might go for a frontal assault. That would be quicker."
"Don't you guys share info with each other?"
Even though she was in the same guild, Scarlett seemed less informed than me.
"Actually, sometimes we don't even know about each other. I didn't even know someone named Dr. Kang Hyorin existed."
"Huh, that's surprising."
I didn't understand, but I figured every information guild had their rules.
In any case, this was what had me worried.
Scarlett was quite capable.
But even she said this kind of task would take a month. Could Kang Hyorin really pull it off in a week?
I hadn't worried at first, but by Thursday night, the lack of contact was eating at me.
"Would it be rude to check in midway through the job?"
"They won't love it... but it's not rude. It's a client's right."
Okay.
I should go visit tomorrow.
I didn't want to come off as a pushy customer, but the situation was urgent.
"Scout. I just thought of something you can do!"
Hearing our conversation, Liliana suddenly shouted with a drumstick in hand.
"Yes? What is it?"
"Let's check all the chicken places around our dorm and find the most hygienic one. Then we'll only order from there!"
"Oh... That's a good idea."
"...Can we drop this chicken theme already?"
How long was she planning to keep this up?
But Liliana seemed completely serious.
She and Scarlett started checking chicken shops on a map.
Fine. Do whatever you want.
If it makes you happy, I won't stop you, Liliana.
"I'll go check in on her tomorrow and push a little."
Nam Daeun was still holed up in her dorm, unreachable.
All I could do was urge things along.
I had to at least do that.
*
The Mage Hall, where the magic professors' labs were gathered.
On the second floor, entirely occupied by Im Sol's lab, Baek A-Young, Min Yeji, and Im Sol were chatting.
As expected, the topic was Baek A-Young.
"You like Lee Hoyeon cadet, don't you? Right?"
Min Yeji nudged Baek A-Young as she asked.
Her face was lit up with excitement.
"...."
Baek A-Young lowered her head deeply.
How did she end up doing something so impulsive?
She'd been ignoring all the calls and messages coming to her smartwatch.
After saying something so misleading, she couldn't just say 'Oh, it's nothing like that.' She wasn't thick-skinned enough.
And honestly, the misunderstanding wasn't bad, so she let it be.
"Sol, you say something too. Isn't this a huge deal?"
Min Yeji shook Im Sol's arm enthusiastically.
"Sigh. A-Young, why'd you do that? Why feed this beast more bait to chew on?"
"Sorry...."
Baek A-Young bowed her head even lower.
Im Sol clicked her tongue at the sight.
She'd been shocked too when she saw the interview at first, but thinking it over, it didn't add up.
Yesterday, when Lee Hoyeon said he was going to meet Baek A-Young, he didn't seem suspicious at all.
So yeah, maybe they really were just attending the party together.
But dating? No way.
Lee Hoyeon probably just agreed to go for the party, and Baek A-Young knew that.
Still, the interview clearly had intentional misdirection.
Which meant Baek A-Young did have real feelings for Lee Hoyeon.
Even Im Sol was getting curious now.
"So, you really like him?"
"...."
With even Im Sol joining in, Baek A-Young couldn't stay silent.
"Right? You're 28 and trying to date a 20-year-old, huh?"
Min Yeji started teasing again, and Baek A-Young finally opened her mouth.
"... An 8-year gap is totally manageable."
"Whoa, Sol, did you hear that? You're a teacher and he's a student."
"Health teachers aren't professors. I'm just staff."
"Wow, she's really head over heels. Unreal."
Finally, Baek A-Young admitted it.
Her first honest confession in front of others.
"Sigh... Yeah, I like Hoyeon. Happy now?"
Saying it openly like that made her feel less suffocated.
But Min Yeji's next words sent a chill down her spine.
"Sol, what now? Looks like you've got a rival."
"R-Rival?"
Baek A-Young flinched and looked at Im Sol.
"Not a rival. A-Young, he keeps reacting because you respond to every little thing."
"Sorry...."
Baek A-Young glared at the teasing Min Yeji, who apologized playfully.
Watching the scene, Im Sol was lost in thought.
'Lee Hoyeon...'
To Im Sol, Lee Hoyeon was still a cute student.
They were magically compatible, and he was one of the few who understood her words.
He was also a great source of tasty sugar.
"A-Young, want me to teach you a surefire way to seduce cadet Lee Hoyeon?"
Min Yeji grinned mischievously.
"... What is it?"
Baek A-Young didn't want to get her hopes up but asked anyway.
"Throw your body at him. He's 20. He'll fall instantly."
"...."
"I'm serious. It'll work like magic."
Half-joking, half-serious, Min Yeji offered advice, but Baek A-Young didn't look convinced.
'Didn't work before.'
If that had worked, she wouldn't be in this mess.
She felt frustrated not being able to say, 'We have sex every time we meet.'
She'd confessed her feelings, but she didn't want to talk about their physical relationship.
"Sol, A-Young doesn't believe me."
"...."
Watching Baek A-Young get serious about Lee Hoyeon, Im Sol thought to herself:
'Can't let her find out.'
She couldn't let Baek A-Young find out she sucks his dick whenever he visits the lab.
Sure, it was purely for research—to replenish sugar—but still... The world wasn't ready. Maybe in a hundred years.
Besides, seeing Baek A-Young all flustered was kind of funny.
She felt like she was ahead, already having a deep relationship with him.
'I'm not a kid, but this feels good somehow.'
Im Sol shook her head and took a sip of her instant coffee.
Finally, Friday arrived.
The party was tomorrow, but there was still no word from Dr. Kang Hyorin.
"Due to a personal matter, Dr. Kang Hyorin will not be teaching today. I'll cover Dungeon Research in her place."
She even missed class. So she really must be busy... but did she run away?
'Did I give her too tight a deadline?'
But it couldn't be helped.
I used my commission rights as soon as grades were out—there was no faster way.
If we fail to rescue Nam Daeun, the fault lies more with them than me.
If they'd just said no, I would've come up with another plan.
As soon as class ended, I went straight to Dr. Kang Hyorin's lab.
Knock knock—
- Come in.
Thankfully, someone was inside.
When I opened the door, Dr. Kang Hyorin was sitting at her desk.
"Hello. I came to ask about the progress."
"Mmm... Alright. Take a seat."
Dr. Kang Hyorin looked a little displeased.
That made my anxiety worse.
"The party's tomorrow... Are we okay?"
"...Honestly, their defenses are way tighter than expected. Even tighter inside. It's going to take some time. But I'll break through, even if it means staking my position as Korean Branch Director. So don't worry."
"...."
She sounded so confident, I couldn't argue.
"It's partly my fault for setting such a short timeline... Please do your best."
"No. No excuses. I underestimated them. Thought I could break through fast, even with their backing... Wait a moment."
Kang Hyorin frowned and tapped on her smartwatch.
After about a minute of silence, she spoke again.
"Nam Daeun just left her dorm."
"Just now?"
If she'd been holed up for days and just came out, it was probably because of the party.
"Yeah. She's probably heading to the Buyer Guild."
"...."
If she went there, she'd definitely run into the Guild Master.
I started thinking about potential emergencies.
Like Park Mingyu trying to assault Nam Daeun.
"This is an opportunity. If she's there, I'll have a better chance to strike. I'll get on it right away. I'll make up for my mistake, I promise."
"Then can I add another request now?"
I'd been helpless before, but if I could stop it now, I had to try.
"Another request?"
"If Nam Daeun loses control and starts killing people at the Buyer Guild... please, stop her."
It's not like I was worried about her getting raped or assaulted.
If it came to that, she'd kill them all without hesitation.
The problem is what comes after.
The Buyer Guild itself is weak.
Nam Daeun alone could wipe them out.
But the major guilds that work with the Buyer Guild—those can't be handled.
The power difference is massive, and they have numbers.
To prevent retaliation, we need to extract Nam Daeun.
"...Technically this would need extra compensation, but fine. Once I rescue Nam Dahee, should I hide her?"
"Uh..."
It'd be safe if she hid her, but I wouldn't be able to handle things directly.
Plus, the Buyer Guild doesn't know about me.
They won't suspect me if Nam Dahee vanishes.
"No. Please bring her to my dorm."
It's better to keep her nearby. With Scarlett and Liliana there, she'll be relatively safe even while I'm at the party.
"Got it. Don't forget to close the door when you leave."
Sshk—
As soon as she finished speaking, Dr. Kang Hyorin sank into the floor.
"Wow."
That must be her ability.
Seeing her use it in front of me... she must be in a real hurry.
I should get going too.
I locked the lab door and headed back to the dorm.