Date!
Namgoong Yeon stepped into Consultation Room 1. The atmosphere was a far cry from the old Meracle, and for a moment, he forgot his recent troubles, letting out a gasp of admiration.
"Is this really Meracle? So much has changed without me knowing."
"Well, yeah. Looks pretty good, right?"
I shrugged, ready to brag a bit more, but his awe stopped there. Sure, things had changed, but not enough to make a fuss. Of course, to someone like Namgoong Yeon—who'd lived in the old murim's Namgoong family and a mega-corp like Hellite—it probably wasn't that impressive. Still, compared to the old smuggler's office vibe, it was a huge upgrade. Couldn't he give me a chance to boast a little more?
As we sat down, Kim Yang poked her head in from behind.
"Tea? Coffee?"
"Coffee for me."
These days, I had to brew my own coffee unless it was times like this.
"Ah, coffee for me too, please."
After taking the order, Kim Yang left. I couldn't help but ask, puzzled.
"......You drink coffee now? You used to not touch the stuff."
"Haha, yeah. I still vividly remember going to cafes and only ordering tea."
Most old murim folks didn't care for coffee. The upper class aside, martial artists claimed caffeine-laden tea harmed their inner energy or something. Who knew if it was true—sounded like pseudoscience to me.
"But Jessica likes it, you see. Haha, tagging along to cafes with her got me drinking it too."
"......"
"That's why relationships matter. When the one you adore enjoys it, you end up joining in."
Watching Namgoong Yeon scratch his head sheepishly, I felt an odd irritation. Just moments ago, he'd been rambling about guilt toward Jessica. Now he was bragging about their relationship?
Kim Yang returned with a blank expression, setting down the coffee without a word before slipping out. Suddenly, Namgoong Yeon glanced at her warily.
"Phew, that lady's always so intimidating."
"Huh? Kim Yang?"
"Yes. Aren't you okay with her, boss? She's kinda scary to me."
"What's scary about Kim Yang?"
"Her vibe's so cold. Chilly, you know...? Just talking to her feels like she'd get annoyed."
"......?"
Was he mistaking her for someone else?
"Ugh, that's why I'm always nervous around her. She's the one who saw me at my most vulnerable, too."
Maybe I needed to retrain the staff. Customers fearing employees wasn't good.
"I'll talk to her about it."
"No, you don't have to go that far—"
Namgoong Yeon sipped his coffee awkwardly, then frowned at the instant brew—sweet as a sugar punch—and set it down.
"So. What do you mean it's hard to face Jessica?"
Time to cut to the chase. Maybe it was because of how he'd flirted with her, firing up everyone around, but every little action of his grated on me.
"Sigh, it's that movie. Jessica's a fan of the director, so we watched his new one together a few days ago."
The movie Residual Heat. The title suggested lingering warmth, but the leads' real-life affair had it burning hotter than ever.
"I experienced SEL firsthand. Man, what the hell is this? Even after it ended, I felt like I was the one cheating."
"......Nah, you're not."
I asked just in case, and Namgoong Yeon shot up, thrusting out his left hand.
"You know my feelings for her better than anyone! I'll never hold anyone but her with this hand!"
"Sure, whatever."
I knew how they got together, so it was just a half-hearted check. People's feelings could ignite and vanish in an instant.
"Then you don't need to feel guilty."
"Have you experienced SEL, boss?"
"Nope."
Ten grand a ticket? Might as well buy another share of Silla Corp stock.
As expected, Namgoong Yeon launched into an exaggerated explanation.
"It wasn't some simple play. The male lead's emotions, the female lead's—they immersed right into me. Even after, their trials, conflicts, guilt... it all lingered inside."
"So you can't face Jessica?"
"Yes, exactly. I feel like I'm sinning. My heart races worrying the secret might slip—!"
"But there is no secret?"
"Exactly! That's the problem! There's nothing to hide!"
I got his spittle-flying passion. But I couldn't just nod along blindly.
"If everyone felt that way, maybe. But I haven't heard others complaining."
"Well—"
"From what I see, you've lived in old murim too long, and Cyber City's stimuli made you oversensitive."
"......You think so?"
He seemed to have thought something similar, accepting it more easily than expected.
"Yeah, probably. Talk it out with Jessica first—"
Bang! The consultation room door flew open. There stood Jessica, panting as if she'd run all the way.
"Hero!"
"Milady!"
Jessica threw herself into Namgoong Yeon's arms. Like a movie scene, they embraced as if separated for months.
Renea and Kim Yang peeked in after.
"Whoa.... This lady's seeing this for the first time."
"C-Customer's here."
"I know. Watching it right now."
Locked in a hug, they gazed into each other's eyes.
"Sorry, hero! I didn't think about you and suggested that movie!"
"M-Milady! How'd you know I was troubled over it?!"
"I looked it up—old murim folks get hit hard by SEL. The moment I heard, it clicked! Oh, hero, I'm so sorry!"
"No, milady! This Namgoong Yeon still lacks training—"
"Ugh, Kim Yang. Get some salt."
I couldn't watch anymore.
"N-No salt. S-Sugar okay?"
"Anything, just bring it."
Renea would clean up anyway. I planned to sprinkle and shoo them out, but—
"Hero!"
"Milady!"
"Heeero!"
"Milaady!"
Calling each other, then suddenly—
"Ah, fuck! How can you go that far right here?! Stick out your tongues, you mutts!"
"Kyaaah!? This lady's really seeing that for the first timeee!"
"J-Jackpot!"
After chasing out the cringey couple, Meracle still buzzed with lingering heat.
"What the hell brought you here anyway."
Couldn't stay in Cyber City, couldn't return to Namgoong family. I knew they'd end up here eventually. But seeing them resolve it so sweetly left me feeling oddly stung.
Renea, vacuuming the sprinkled sugar, marveled.
"Wow, got to see something good."
"What's good about it."
"Why? You think stuff like that's easy to see? Amazing."
"Jeez."
"When can this lady try it...... Should've pushed harder back then."
Her quiet mutter drew a sharp glare from me, sending her fleeing with a squeak. She must've regretted our hot spring kiss attempt fizzling out.
"Ah, day's barely started and I'm already exhausted."
The lobby was empty too.
I asked Raichen Spilcold, still there.
"No other reservations today?"
"One this afternoon."
"Sigh...... Troubling."
Our skyrocketing stock had stalled. Membership grew overall, but momentum slowed lately. Seemed like yesterday we were thrilled chasing Towerhun, Wedding Company, Royal Matching.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
"......"
"......"
Checking the schedule, messages blared from the computer interface below. Raichen's personal messenger, probably.
"Unlike the company, you're swamped?"
"I'll tell Da Jeong to hold work chats."
"Sigh, whatever."
I patted his shoulder with a sigh.
"No customers, so at least date. Going well lately?"
"Somewhat...... No, quite—yes."
He trailed off, embarrassed. He felt more human now than before.
"Call me when the customer arrives. Got it?"
"Yes. Oh, and boss."
"Yeah?"
As I headed to the third floor, Raichen called. Leaning on the stairs, he asked cautiously.
"Can I eat lunch separately?"
"Date? Do what you want."
"Thank you."
Up on the third floor, I slumped irritably into my office chair.
"Dating like pros, all of them."
Namgoong Yeon, Raichen—might as well advertise it.
"R-Right, pros. D-Dummy."
"......"
"W-We. M-Matchmaking pros."
"Yeah, total pros."
Running a marriage agency while side-eyeing others' romances was kinda funny.
Kim Yang, probably still reeling from earlier, scrolled reviews and critic takes on Residual Heat.
"Reviews are all over the place."
The ratings split wildly—fascinating.
"C-Curious."
"Wanna see it?"
"Y-Yeah."
As an influencer, Kim Yang was sensitive to trends. She stared up at me, so I grinned.
"Buy it with your salary."
"......"
What, did I have to cover movie tickets too? Perfect timing—Raichen messaged.
"Acquaintance?"
I'd just come up, but headed back down. Kim Yang's glare was fierce.
Standing in the lobby was—
"Heeero!"
Baek Yeonhwa bounced over and hugged me tight. The impact sent me stumbling back a few steps.
"Oof?!"
"Hero! Hero! Heeero! I'm finally back! Ahh, your scent!"
She buried her nose in my chest, sniffing away. I'd heard the Axis suppression lifted her special third-floor ban, but she came quicker than expected.
Embarrassed, I pried her off. She retreated a step, pouting, but her boldness didn't stop.
"Hero! I've studied third-floor dates inside out! Got time today?"
Studied? With Cheonjeongrok gone, she devoured romance books. Her book-worship habit hadn't changed.
Anyway. She pulled out tickets.
"Ta-da! They say movies are the gold standard of dates!"
Residual Heat tickets—ten grand each, hot item hard to snag lately.
"After work, let's watch together!"
Unaware of the plot, she'd picked it for fame and beamed her date invite.