Chapter 85. Dinner Plans

Chapter 85. Dinner Plans

Liliana went into her room, saying she needed to organize information about the ecology of hell.

Is she planning for what she’ll do in hell ten years from now?

Well, she can do whatever she wants.

I slowly started checking my backlog of messages.

From unknown guilds to large ones even I had heard of, the variety of contacts was overwhelming.

Among them, one message stood out.

[Yejiyomi: Cadet Hoyeon, you know I reached out before you became famous, right? I tried messaging the number you gave me, but I never got a reply, so I’m trying here again.]

“Huh?”

She had sent a message before?

I checked my smartwatch.

“Ah… I had notifications on silent. No wonder I didn’t see it.”

Too many spam messages and disaster alerts had been coming in, so I had muted notifications from unregistered numbers.

[Hello. Cadet Lee Hoyeon^^ This is Min Yeji from the Ironblood Guild. Please reply when you have time.]

That message had arrived the same day I shared my contact information last week. Since I hadn’t replied for two days, she sent another one.

[Cadet Hoyeon, are you busy? I see you online on Everday, but you’re not responding.]

That message came in on Friday. After I ignored it through the weekend and Monday, another one arrived yesterday.

[This is my last message. If I don’t hear back from you today, I’ll assume you’re not interested in working with us. Please reply to this number or contact Min Yeji at the Ironblood Guild.]

And just now, another message arrived.

[This is Min Yeji. Please ignore my last message. Can you at least give me a call? I was the first to recognize your talent, Cadet Hoyeon. Instead of just choosing a guild based on conditions, consider the Ironblood Guild, where we truly recognize and nurture your potential….]

The message was long, but to summarize: “Come to the guild that noticed you first.”

I had no intention of joining a guild right now… but I should at least respond out of courtesy.

[Hello, Miss Min Yeji. I had my messages on silent, so I only just saw this. I apologize, but I’m not planning to join any guild at the moment. I felt I should reply out of courtesy.]

As soon as I sent it, she responded.

[Then what about business?]

Business? What now?

I had never heard of Min Yeji before, but I knew of the Ironblood Guild.

It was one of the top five guilds in Korea.

If she was part of such a guild, she must be doing well for herself… but regardless of the guild, I couldn’t join right now.

My number one priority was still winning over the heroines at the academy. Who knew what kind of restrictions would come from signing with a guild?

Not only would it eat into my personal time, but it would also impose all sorts of obligations.

[What kind of business are you referring to?]

After that, I didn’t receive a response.

Well, that was anticlimactic.

I saved Min Yeji’s number and turned off my smartwatch.

Ding—

“Damn it, I just turned it off. Who now?”

The sender was Surin Noona.

The moment I saw her name, I quickly opened the message.

- Surin Noona: Hoyeon, do you have time for dinner tonight? There’s something I’d like to talk about.

- Me: Of course! Should I head out now??

- Surin Noona: No, haha. I need to get ready too. I’ll message you when I’m done.

- Me: Got it!

The reason for her invitation was obvious.

The chairman had said, “I’ll send Surin next time,” so this was probably a reward for bringing Baek A-Young to the academy.

I grabbed my cadet uniform and checked myself in the bathroom mirror.

‘Not bad.’

Well, my face always looked fine.

I casually ran my hands through my hair and finished getting ready.

Our dinner plans had been postponed multiple times, so it was good to finally have a chance to meet up.

As I relaxed on the sofa, another message arrived.

- Surin Noona: Are you ready?

- Me: Yes! Should I head out now?

- Surin Noona: Yes, but I’d prefer to avoid crowded places… I’ll send you an address. Meet me there.

- Me: Understood.

She sent a location outside the academy’s commercial district.

“I’m heading out.”

“Alright~.”

I said goodbye to Liliana and left the dormitory.

The night air was quite chilly.

It had been warm during the day, but the sudden spring cold snap made it difficult to dress appropriately.

“I should’ve worn something warmer.”

I regretted just wearing a sweatshirt, especially since the meeting spot was quite far from the academy, meaning I had to walk a lot.

“Why is this place so far…?”

Following the map on my smartwatch, I eventually found the restaurant.

It was at the very end of the commercial district.

There wasn’t even a sign outside, making me unsure if this was the right place, but once I stepped inside, I saw that it was indeed a functioning restaurant.

“Uh… Hello.”

I greeted the nearest employee as I approached.

“Welcome. May I have the name on the reservation?”

“Would it be under Moon Surin?”

“Ah, you’re with Miss Moon Surin. I’ll guide you to Room 205 on the second floor.”

“Thank you.”

A staff member in traditional Korean attire led the way upstairs.

Every seat on the second floor was in a private room.

From the outside, it was impossible to see who was inside. So this was why she picked this place.

“Enjoy your time.”

“Thank you.”

Knock knock.

“I’m here, Noona.”

Just in case, I didn’t call her name.

“Come in.”

I quickly opened the door, stepped inside, and closed it behind me.

The room radiated a luxurious atmosphere, and Moon Surin sat inside, waiting.

“You came early. Did you leave as soon as I texted?”

“Yes. I can’t be late for a meal with you, Noona. I was already ready and waiting… Oh?”

Dressed in casual clothes, Moon Surin looked as stunning as ever—her platinum blonde hair flowing neatly, her delicate features perfectly arranged, her porcelain-white skin flawless.

With her beautifully shaped chest, curvaceous hips, and toned thighs, she exuded an elegance that captivated anyone who looked at her… and she wasn’t wearing her glasses.

Without her usual dorky horn-rimmed glasses hiding her beauty, I was momentarily speechless.

Her clear eyes met mine, and her dainty lips curled into a soft smile.

“Does it look strange? I wanted to change my image a bit, so I switched to contacts.”

★ Heroine Status Window

[Moon Surin]

- [ Affection: 63 ]

- [ Lust: 25 ]

- [ Appetite: 50 ]

- [ Fatigue: 73 ]

Current Status: Maybe I went too far… I should’ve brought my glasses.

“No, no. You look amazing, Surin Noona. This is a major event.”

“Hah, stop exaggerating. Sit down already.”

“Y-Yes.”

My heart pounded.

I had seen many beautiful people, but Moon Surin had a unique charm.

I suddenly understood why the vice chairman was so taken with her. Who wouldn’t confess after seeing that face?

“I ordered my favorite dishes… You don’t have any food restrictions, right?”

“Of course not. I eat everything.”

If I were eating with Surin Noona, I could happily survive on just scorched rice.

“If I’m eating with you, even scorched rice would taste delicious.”

Oops, I said that out loud.

“Really? Thanks. Anyway, I’ll pass on my grandfather’s thanks. We gained a lot from having the Saintess at the academy. So, for you as well…”

“Surin Noona.”

I interrupted before she could bring up business matters before the food even arrived.

“Huh?”

“We agreed to have a meal together, right? Let’s talk business after we eat.”

“…Shall we?”

I couldn’t stand seeing her beautiful face weighed down with fatigue anymore.

Surin seemed slightly moved by my words.

“Of course. By the way, I went to the infirmary after a spar today. Professor Kim Jinhyuk was…”

“Heh. That professor is still the same, huh?”

“Exactly. Also, the modern hunter studies professor changed to Dr. Kang Hyorin….”

I steered the conversation toward daily topics unrelated to work.

Throughout the meal, a smile never left Surin’s face.

“Wow… This place is really good.”

I had guessed from the hanbok-wearing staff that it was a Korean restaurant.

“I’m glad you liked it. It was a bit hard to get a reservation.”

“Really? Well, it was worth it. The food was amazing.”

This was the best Korean meal I had ever had.

It made me question everything I had eaten before.

“Shall we move on to business now?”

“Yes!”

I straightened my posture and focused.

“As I mentioned, you played a big role in bringing the Saintess to the academy… so we decided to reward you.”

“I did it all for you, Noona, but I’d be grateful for any compensation.”

“Haha, thanks for saying that. Since we weren’t sure what you wanted, we prepared a list. Take a look.”

Surin handed me a paper.

-----------

[Millennium Snow Ginseng] One pound.

[Gongcheongseok Oil]

[White Serpent Powder] 100g

.

.

.

-----------

“Wow…”

The list was filled with legendary elixirs I had only heard of.

“I’ll take my time deciding.”

“Of course. If you need anything else, just let me know.”

“I appreciate it.”

We sat in silence for a moment.

“So, is that all for business talk, Noona?”

“Yes. Shall we get going?”

“I don’t mind staying and chatting a bit longer if you’re okay with it.”

Surin took off her glasses.

While it was nice to see her beautiful face fully revealed, this wasn’t necessarily a good sign.

Moon Surin only removed her glasses when her affection for me was extremely high or when her overprotectiveness reached a certain point…

★ Heroine Status Window

[Moon Surin]

- [ Affection: 63 ]

- [ Lust: 25 ]

- [ Appetite: 50 ]

- [ Fatigue: 73 ]

Current Status: H-Hoyeon is really kind.

My affection score with her was still in the low 60s. She liked me, but not in a romantic way yet.

That meant this event was happening because of the latter reason.

“Do you remember when I told you that becoming too famous would be difficult?”

“Of course I do.”

She had said that when she was worried about me getting close to Professor Im Sol.

“Now that you’re famous too… maybe you understand me a little more?”

“Noona…”

“Sorry, does that sound arrogant? Heh.”

Surin’s expression showed a mix of emotions.

Regret, disappointment, frustration—her face held all sorts of negativity.

“I always tell you, Noona.”

I stood up and faced her.

I placed my hands firmly on her delicate shoulders.

“H-Hoyeon? What’s wrong?”

“Noona, I’ve always told you. I’m on your side. The world-shaking magician Lee Hoyeon is on Moon Surin’s side. Don’t ever worry. Hold your head high. If anyone bothers you, I’ll take care of them.”

“W-What… Suddenly saying something like that… It’s… embarrassing…”

Surin’s face turned red as she looked away, flustered by my sudden intensity.

★ Heroine Status Window

[Moon Surin]

- [ Affection: 75 ]

- [ Lust: 35 ]

- [ Appetite: 50 ]

- [ Fatigue: 73 ]

Current Status: D-Does Hoyeon like me? If it’s him… it might not be so bad…

Affection at 75. That was high enough that she would likely accept a confession.

She wasn’t at the point of confessing to me yet, but this was good progress.

“Noona, if you ever feel overwhelmed, talk to me first. Promise me.”

I sealed the deal with a firm statement.

“O-Okay… I promise.”

Surin nodded, as if entranced by my words.

I needed to make sure that, in her hardest moments, she thought of me first—even before her own family.

Slowly, I would make her rely on me entirely.

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