Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Scout
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The suspicious customer who visited the cocktail bar yesterday.
"The company’s a bit iffy, so come to my personal office. The address is on the business card. I’ll be waiting."
I arrived at the address on the business card she’d handed me, and I couldn’t help letting out an exclamation at the sight before me.
"…This is insane."
A building right in the heart of the bustling district.
Its exterior was covered in gleaming glass that reflected the sunlight, towering so high it seemed to pierce the sky, massive in scale.
Was I really allowed to be here? It was so overwhelming that the question popped into my head unbidden.
Should I just turn back?
No. That wouldn’t do. Once a man draws his sword, he has to swing it—even if it’s just at straw. Turning tail after coming this far would be utterly pathetic.
"Just take three deep breaths and go in."
…But unfortunately, I didn’t even get the time for that.
"What’s up, handsome? You got here sooner than I thought."
A familiar voice came from behind me.
"Hey. First time seeing me without the sunglasses, right? What do you think?"
As expected, the owner of the voice was that suspicious customer from yesterday—the one who’d shoved her business card into my hand before leaving. Hwa-young.
"…."
Unlike yesterday, she wasn’t wearing a hat or sunglasses. Her bare face was fully on display.
Long red hair that shimmered in the sunlight.
Deep, vivid black eyes and flawless, translucent skin. Even the slight upward tilt of her eyes.
…It made perfect sense why she’d hidden her face so thoroughly yesterday.
Heroes weren’t chosen for their looks, after all. What a curious world.
"No reaction? Lame. …Whatever. Come on, follow me."
Of course, she had no idea what I was thinking. She looked a little deflated as she led me toward the building entrance.
I don’t wanna go…
Truth be told, I’d done a little digging on this Hwa-young before coming here.
Hero—Hwa-young.
One of the top heroes in her generation alongside Yoon Seol in terms of fame.
They were with the same management company, debuted around the same time, but unlike Yoon Seol—who avoided media exposure—Hwa-young frequently appeared in movies, dramas, and the like. That’s what I’d gathered.
Searching for info had me going, "Ah, her?" more than once. She was that famous.
Why would someone like her…
…ask me to come to her personal office?
"Why’re you just standing there? I said follow me."
At her urging, I had no choice but to follow her into the building.
*
Wow.
The entrance was decked out in marble, evoking the lobby of a luxury hotel.
…Not that I’d ever been in one. Just making a comparison.
Naturally, I was the only one gawking. Hwa-young strode ahead naturally, leading me to the elevator.
Soon, we reached the third floor.
She casually opened the door to an office with a nameplate reading [Hero Hwa-young’s Office].
Creeeak.
"Welcome to my office."
Unlike the flashy exterior of the building, the office interior was surprisingly ordinary.
…Except for the display cases lining both walls, stuffed full of plaques and awards.
"…."
While I took in the room, she naturally settled into the desk chair in the center.
"Have a seat on the sofa over there for now? I’ve got some stuff to sort through."
She rummaged through the documents on her desk. What was she looking for?
In the meantime, I sank into the sofa she’d pointed to.
Whoa, what’s with this sofa’s feel?
…The plush embrace enveloping me drew an involuntary sigh of admiration.
It felt like floating on gentle waves. Scratch what I said about the office being ordinary.
"I’d normally offer you something to drink, but unfortunately, my manager ran off… er, quit. So bear with me."
…I swear I heard some ominous wording there. Must be my imagination. Yeah.
And a moment later.
She started reading something off a sheet of paper in her hand.
"Name: Kim Do-han. Age: 28. Hm? What’s this? Ex-cop? Quit two years ago."
…Huh?
My personal info. Hold on a sec.
Chills crept over my skin at her words.
Did she do a background check?
On me? Why?
"W-Wait a minute."
Undeterred by my fluster, Hwa-young continued.
"…After quitting, nothing much stands out. Then you opened a cocktail bar. An ex-cop suddenly becoming a bartender. Some big life change? Chasing a dream would be pretty romantic."
"How do you even know that…?"
"Oh, this? Did a quick background check before you got here. I’ve got connections."
She waved the paper teasingly in front of me. A smug smile played on her lips.
No doubt about it. This woman enjoyed yesterday’s encounter—and she was loving this situation too.
I swallowed a twinge of injustice and asked Hwa-young point-blank.
"Why are you doing this to me? Why the background check?"
I’d just been minding my own business bartending at the cocktail bar. This was way outside normal bounds.
And her response?
It carried some unexpected content.
"Just curious what kind of guy caught that haughty princess’s eye."
"…Pardon?"
Her words left me so stunned that a dumb noise slipped out reflexively.
"What’s your deal with Yoon Seol?"
At the same time, yesterday’s words from Hwa-young flashed through my mind.
Haughty princess… Does she mean Yoon Seol?
Come to think of it, this woman was from the same company as Yoon Seol.
"Handsome, what’s your relationship with our princess?"
Hwa-young called Yoon Seol "princess," but not in praise—it carried a hint of rivalry.
What the heck is her deal with Yoon Seol…?
I couldn’t make sense of it, but… my answer was already set.
"Yoon Seol and I aren’t anything special. Just met a few times as shop owner and customer. That’s it."
"Huh?"
She muttered in disbelief, like that couldn’t possibly be true.
Her follow-up left me speechless.
"…Would someone you’re ‘nothing to’ carry the princess home in their arms like that?"
She eyed me curiously.
Uh-oh.
That drunken night with Yoon Seol replayed in my head like a panorama.
"How do you know about that? Were you tailing me?"
"Pfft, as if."
She shook her head slightly and mimed answering a phone.
"Got a call from her in the dead of night. Our princess calling me? No way. Figured it was a wrong number."
"Ah."
Did Yoon Seol drunk-dial her by accident?
Or maybe her phone got pressed in my pocket…
Ugh. She’s not some college freshman pounding her first drinks.
Either way, I felt a flicker of resentment toward Yoon Seol.
"Picked up, and instead of her usual princess voice, it’s all slurred and giddy. So I rushed over."
Reliving the memory? Hwa-young beamed with uncontainable delight.
It was a smile so beautiful even I lost myself for a moment.
If not for the circumstances.
"Ahh, good times. My heart was racing."
"…Can you drop it?"
I wanted to die of embarrassment. If I could punch past-me right then, I would’ve thrown a full-force straight.
I’d probably act the same if it happened again… Argh, this is maddening.
"After that, princess was out of it at the company. Last time, she was punching the air in the break room? Pfft. Oh man. And yesterday she even took half the day off."
…No wonder she’d shown up early that day.
Anyway, did that mean she’d called me here out of mere curiosity?
If so…
"You done? Can I go now?"
I asked with a hint of desperation.
…But she slowly shook her head.
"Actually, yeah. Remember what I said earlier?"
"What?"
"My manager suddenly quit. No idea what rubbed her the wrong way. Anyway, it’s a hassle. Company says they’ll hook me up soon, but…"
She glanced my way. No way…
"Oh my. Looks like there’s a perfect candidate right here?"
Exaggerated gestures. A cheeky grin. It filled me with dread.
"Who might that be? No idea on my end…"
"…Handsome, you’re cooler than I thought."
She met my gaze.
As expected, the "perfect candidate" was me.
I gave up playing dumb and said to her,
"What if I refuse?"
"Huh? Refuse? Why? You’d be my manager."
She looked genuinely baffled, like rejection was unthinkable.
…How highly do you think of yourself?
Fair enough. Few would turn down a beauty and top hero like her.
But not me. Honestly, this situation was starting to piss me off.
"Anyway, find someone else. I’m busy with the cocktail bar."
I kept my expression neutral and stated firmly.
"Wh-What?"
She looked thrown by my unexpected response.
"Take care."
"Huh?"
Creeeak.
I left her behind as she seemed about to say something.
"Hey, wait…"
And just like that, I walked out of the office.