The First Big Event!
“Sip—! Hoo—!” Kim Yang's headbutt was her welcome-back greeting, but the air in Meracle felt utterly refreshing no matter what.
“This is my company. People always say nothing beats home.”
As I sat down and shrugged off my outer coat, Baek Yeonhwa stepped up to take it.
“Great hero, did you come straight down from the ancient martial world? You still carry that distinctive scent of death from old murim on you.”
“……It lingers that much?”
“Sniff sniff. Yes.”
I'd known from our first meeting that she was sensitive to smells, but this was way sharper than I'd thought. I'd figured she'd just keep a little distance if I came in reeking of cigarettes.
“Aren't you tired? You should rest first.”
“I figured I should, but now that I'm here, my condition's too good to just crash.”
Maybe it was because I'd fully absorbed Namgoong Se's Cheongryeongdan. Vitality surged through my body. I'd been tempted by the claims it was great for men, but that was just a bonus. If anything, it felt like the pill's blue energy now flowed alongside my blood.
“Boss! Look at this! This lady's been diligently calling around to scout event participants too! Sure, I got mistaken for spam a few times, but……”
Renea beamed as she proudly showed off her work. The list was packed tight—she must've spent the whole day glued to the phone. I'd thought she'd slack off while I was gone, but apparently not.
“Ooh, nice job.”
“So does that make this lady a full-time employee now?!”
“……”
I pretended not to hear as I took my seat, and Kim Yang slyly slid over a sticky note. I'd written it for her since she was returning to Meracle first. Every line on the list was crossed out. All done, in other words.
“……You finished all this?”
“Ahem.”
Kim Yang puffed up proudly with a shrug. As I stared in shock, the other two jumped in to praise her without missing a beat.
“Kim Yang worked late every night! She even bought us chicken during overtime!”
“Deputy drank tons of coffee! I ran errands for her every day! Now I can say all the coffee names! Espresso~! Cappuccino~! Frappuccino~!”
I let their excited chatter flow in one ear and out the other as I scrutinized the list.
“I said just knock out a few. I told you I'd handle it when I got back.”
“Ahem!”
“I specifically wrote 'no overtime,' but you did it anyway?”
“……”
“Jeez, really. You didn't have to push that hard—”
“Headbutt—!”
A headbutt slammed right into my shoulder. Then the other two piled on from every direction.
“Elf headbutt! Tree trunk special!”
“Headbutt! Great hero, how can you say that?! Headbutt!”
Thwack thwack thwack thwack!
“Ow!? Okay! Okay, I get it!”
I apologized frantically under the barrage from three sides. I hadn't meant it badly.
“I just felt bad seeing how much you'd busted your asses.”
“……”
“Good job. Thanks.”
Kim Yang's lips curved up slyly—she'd gotten the words she wanted to hear.
“P-party. B-beef. B-beef.”
“Yeah, got it. Guess I owe you……”
They'd earned it.
“This lady too! This lady wants beef! Beef!”
“Ahem—! Great hero? I love meat too!”
The two grabbed my chair and started bouncing with enthusiasm for the after-work dinner.
Fine, treating the staff to a blowout wasn't the end of the world.
“Alright, then—”
“W-work.”
I was steeling myself for a big feast when Kim Yang urgently grabbed my wrist and shook her head.
“I-I did it.”
“Waaah! Kim Yang, you cheater! Hogging it all!”
“Deputy! I helped super hard too, right?!”
A few days later, my shoulders swelled with pride at the sight of Meracle's massive banner draped over the Goryeo Gym and the X-shaped standees at the entrance.
<Meracle May Special Event: Love is Real Combat Too.>
If you want to meet someone great, first make yourself even cooler.
Posture, vibe, confidence. Special people, special sparks.
This May, Meracle brings a fresh kind of thrill.
“Heh, perfect.”
The banner spread across the gym's tiled roof signaled that Meracle had leveled up a notch. A major leap forward.
“Finally, we're big enough to pull off an event like this.”
A special event timed for May.
Love is Real Combat Too.
It had started as a hunter training program, but as it grew, it evolved into a matchmaking opportunity.
Namgoong Se and Habuk Paeng—their instructor lineup had been a huge promo win. Tons of sign-ups let us scale it up.
Pair up with the opposite sex for stretches, self-defense drills, light sparring. There's a unique spark when bodies brush during workouts.
I pulled out my phone to snap a commemorative shot when Renea came dashing out from the entrance, clutching balloons.
“Boss! Boss! This lady's too short to hang the balloons!”
“That's why I said I'd bring Yeonhwa.”
“Too mean! So mean!”
Renea grumbled and started swatting me with the balloons. Raichen was manning the lobby, Kim Yang handling consults, Baek Yeonhwa on styling duty. With the main base covered, the only one who'd come with me was part-timer Renea.
“Over there, that side!”
Led by the hand into the Goryeo Gym. It had more of an old wooden dojo vibe than modern flair, but it wasn't lacking gym equipment.
The owner had started as a kendo academy, but business tanked, so he pivoted to a fitness center……and that wasn't booming either.
'Great facilities, but they just don't get the market.'
Tough break for the owner, but we were thrilled at the cheap full rental.
As Renea and I hung balloons, a woman in workout clothes entered. Today's guest instructor, Namgoong Haryeong.
“Ahem, ahem.”
Her hesitant entrance had me mistaking her for someone else at first. Took a couple more glances to clock it was Namgoong Haryeong. She wasn't in her usual dobok—instead, modern training gear.
“Haryeong…… miss?”
“Ahem. Boss. This the place? Not bad.”
She glanced around awkwardly, a far cry from Namgoong Se's haughty eldest daughter.
“Where'd you get that outfit?”
“On my way back from styling service.”
“Oh, smart.”
Makes sense. I'd pitched this as her chance to meet guys, after all.
“Good call. Folks from ancient murim struggle with modern styles, and shopping's a hassle.”
“Mm…… yeah. And over the past week, I've learned a ton about this world's ecosystem.”
“Learned?”
I tilted my head, and Renea poked her head in with a grin.
“This lady and Yeonhwa recommended Love Invasion—it's all the rage lately!”
Love Invasion? That dating show? The steamy bits were intense even in short clips.
Namgoong Haryeong clenched her fists, trembling.
“That wench Paeng Sorin and I watched it in a hotel every day. It showed just how lightly we took marriage.”
“Comparing that to here—”
“Those people were ferocious. No hiding their desires. A den of beasts.”
“No—”
“Yes…… no, 'den of beasts' is too cute. Battlefield. Aaah, a true battlefield. I've come ready to charge into the fray today.”
This vibe was already bad. Her fists clenched tight, eyes locked on me, shaking.
“In embracing learning, what did you realize is most important?”
“……Gauging your own depths first.”
First thing Namgoong Paecheon taught. I'd grasped it quick and moved on.
“Right. I gauged my value on marriage's battlefield.”
“……”
Curious now. I crossed my arms and listened.
“Looks: top-tier. Body: excellent. Lineage: stellar.”
“Yeah, sure.”
Not wrong. Her tastes were just…… eccentric. Without that, she'd be married by now.
“And I possess a compassionate heart ready to yield to any man.”
Bullshit. 'Non-tournament marriage' was the polite term. She really wanted someone strong enough to dominate her.
“So what's my weakness? Age…… yes, thirty feels off.”
Renea flinched and backed away, then bolted. Hit too close to home.
“But Love Invasion showed me it's actually a strength!”
Whoosh—! Namgoong Haryeong shed her jacket. Revealing pale skin and a cropped sports bra.
“……?!”
The shocking look—no ancient murim lady would dare—jolted me. She struck a pose, forcing a smile.
“Mature allure—! I'll stake my victory on the charm only a woman of this age can wield!”
“This Namgoong Haryeong—eldest daughter of the Namgoong who commands the martial world—swears on her name: today, on this battlefield, I will find my fated husband!”
Ah, shit. Off to a rough start.