Traitor!
After getting off work, back in the rundown studio apartment. He immediately grabs a beer from the single-door mini-fridge and chugs it down in one go.
"Phew—!"
The stuffy feeling in his chest eases a bit. Though the root of the problem hasn't budged an inch.
The reason for his worries was obvious: the orc fitness trainer who'd shown up today. Maramdesh Elroark.
Someone good at sex. The more he thought about it, the more ridiculous the issue seemed.
What the hell am I supposed to do about this.
He'd already listed a few candidates with similar mindsets. There had to be guys out there who were open-minded about bodies or bedroom skills. Normally, that'd be enough to move on. Matchmaking agencies couldn't seal deals in one or two meetings anyway.
But something kept nagging at him.
She just won't be satisfied with anyone I match her with.
His intuition was sharp, and it was screaming that no matter who he paired her with, Maramdesh wouldn't accept them.
Just leave her be? The agency's structure meant they made more money the longer clients stayed unmatched. He could even welcome types like her—
Sigh, no. That's not it.
That'd make him no better than Taphon. He'd started this job because he wanted to forge real human connections. Because he'd never been able to live without them.
As he stewed, faint noises filtered through the wall from next door.
"...You got your ear to the wall or what?"
"The great hero seems troubled. You've sighed three times already."
Damn, creepy as hell.
For reference, just like with Sister Maria last time, Baek Yeonhwa was crashing at Renea's place. She'd barged into his apartment first and got kicked out immediately, so now she was leeching off Renea next door. Renea had welcomed her easily, saying she got lonely living alone. People said you get lonely with age, but who could even fathom 1,902 years of it?
Same gender, maybe they know something.
But what could they possibly know? One was a 1,902-year-old virgin who'd never dated. The other had spent her life buried in books, a martial artist without freedom or heart.
Or maybe not.
There was that saying: the inexperienced had the wildest fantasies. That's why they could voice such raw, depraved desires. Until reality hit, and they got that bitter "Life's not like that..."
"Sigh. Come over."
A curt call, and moments later, they punched in the passcode and burst in.
"Pardon the intrusion!"
"Pardon the intrusion, great hero!"
Hold up.
"How the hell do you know the passcode?"
Flustered, he asked, and their sharp-eared elf shrugged with a grin.
"The button tones are all different, no? Beep bleep beep! 3-2-7-5! Elves have good ears!"
Renea cupped her hands behind her ears triumphantly, while Baek Yeonhwa clapped in awe beside her. If she was this good, why work part-time at Meracle? She could just rob banks.
"So what's got you so troubled?"
"I know, great hero! It's gotta be that orc client from earlier, right?"
"Ah! The one you and Kim Yang agonized over without telling us poor souls, chasing us out of the office?"
"Exactly! We were so hurt you made us leave!"
"We ended up playing rock-paper-scissors in the parking lot!"
"I won!"
"..."
Ah, maybe he should've just told them to scram. He'd done it because Renea's ears were too damn good, but he hadn't expected them to actually go to the parking lot.
"Not fair! Tell this lady too!"
"Right! We have a right to know, great hero!"
They started stomping their feet like kids. Their endless racket made him squeeze his eyes shut. Sudden exhaustion surged, urging him to shut them up fast. His body moved before his brain.
"She's looking for someone who can satisfy her in bed."
"..."
"..."
His irritated bluntness froze them solid. Mouths agape, staring blankly. Renea recovered first.
"H-How vulgar! As expected of an orc! You need at least five years of dating for that—!"
Even Confucian era matches didn't take that long.
"I-I've seen stuff like this in Adult Push-Pull. It has all sorts of advice on intercourse between men and women!"
That useless Adult Push-Pull book was zero help. But Renea perked up her ears, intrigued.
"Oho? A book like that exists?"
"Yes! It covers manners for the start, middle, and end."
Good thing it was just manners. Anything detailed would've been banned.
"What does it say? I'm curious!"
"Can we drop the chit-chat and go home?"
"Well, first—"
They ignored him completely, chattering away. Baek Yeonhwa puffed up like a teacher, reciting the book as if from experience.
"First rule: always compliment the man's thing. Big or small, ugly or cute."
"Ooo..."
Suddenly, Renea yelled at him like it was practice.
"Impressive!"
"You've never even seen it."
"Gotta start with praise."
What the hell? Like a grandma checking her grandkid's junk?
"Praise works whether you've seen it or not, right?"
"N-No, that's—suck... yeah, kinda true."
Seemed right enough. Feeling upstaged, Baek Yeonhwa raised her hands high too.
"As expected of the great hero! Impressive!"
"Impressive!"
"Impressive!"
"Yay! Hooray!"
"Hooray!"
"This is sexual harassment, you lunatics."
Watching the two idiots innocently cheer his dick with arms raised made his head throb.
"Hoorayyy!"
"Hoorayyy!"
...Weirdly, it felt kinda good.
The next day. Skipping lunch, they arrived at the gym where Maramdesh worked.
"Tall."
"Yeah, super tall."
He and Kim Yang craned their necks, awestruck by the towering building. The gym sat at the top of a five-story structure. He'd heard gyms avoided high floors due to noise complaints, but this place didn't care.
Simple reason for coming: to check out Maramdesh's workplace and vibe.
Interviews only revealed so much.
Why go this far for her? One reason.
Premium client after so long. Gotta nail it.
She'd shelled out the top-tier 5 million won plus every add-on! Same plan as their unmatched "Beast Whisperer Lee Cheol-soo."
Of course he'd run himself ragged.
But an unexpected snag.
"B-Boss."
"..."
"C-Can we... g-go in?"
On the first floor of Maramdesh's gym: a black-and-gold ornate sign boldly reading Royal Matching.
Royal Matching. One of Seoul's big three matchmaking agencies. Picked the pickiest clients with the highest standards. Ultra-elite only, priciest around. Their basic membership cost nearly five times Meracle's premium.
"W-What's... w-with that? Don't chicken out, Kim Yang. We're not inferior."
"I-I'm s-shaking, boss."
"Am not? Not at all?"
Just visiting a gym in the same building, but the intimidation hit hard. He pivoted toward Kim Yang.
"Hey, how's my outfit? Clean?"
"C-Chicken."
"Minimum 30 million to join here."
"I-I-I'm s-shaking, boss."
Kim Yang started trembling too. As they fixed each other's clothes,
A ponytail orc trainer emerged from the entrance. Maramdesh marveled without greeting.
"You actually came. Matchmakers do house calls?"
"You're a special client, Ms. Maramdesh."
"Hmph. Let's go in."
Inside: cool, refreshing AC, spotless, natural stone tiles gleaming.
Never thought our gomtang shop building would feel shabby.
His ego from the 2-3rd floor expansions deflated.
Gold-trimmed elevator up. Buttons listed each floor's tenants.
"F-Fancy."
Kim Yang gawked at the grandeur. But he frowned.
"No signs outside at all."
"...Huh!?"
Kim Yang startled late, as Maramdesh smirked.
"Right. All the shops in this building are tied to Royal Matching."
"They provide a full lifestyle around Royal Matching. Your ops folks call it a brand house? Platform structure? Something like that."
The list clicked: pool to gym, all for Royal clients?
"Natural encounters, right? This vibe exactly."
Taphon led in numbers, but Royal offered unmatched quality. Overwhelming capital.
One more question.
"So why join Meracle?"
"First, I don't qualify for Royal. And it's my workplace?"
As a PT trainer, she'd teach Royal clients. Separating work and personal. Fair enough—
"Second, one of my PT clients recommended Meracle."
"Recommended?"
"Looks familiar? PT time now, so say hi."
5th floor.
Doors opening.
Elevator doors parted, revealing the gym through glass walls. Brand-new gleaming machines. Spacious, but sparsely populated. In the stretching zone, warming up while waiting for her trainer: a former idol.
"No way, who’s this."
They strode in with a friendly greeting, but her face hardened.
They'd sealed a demon together. Then she bailed from Meracle without a proper match. The tragic S-rank reject.
Former idol Seo Ha-jin.
"Our client—no, traitor Seo Ha-jin?!"
Snarky since she wasn't a client anymore, and she shot back indignantly.
"Deokgu introduced you—how could I trust and keep going there?!"