Party Prep Is a Pain (2)
Thursday afternoon. Time flew by, and only two days remained until the networking party. I'd spent the day hanging out at a café with Lucy and Lumi, the twin sisters I'd run into at the academy. I'd gone on a tirade explaining that Baek Ayoung and I weren't dating—we were just going to the party together. But seeing them face-to-face and making my case surprisingly got through to them right away.
"Is that really tasty?" Lucy eyed the pale green drink I was sipping.
"Yeah, it's good. Trust me."
The drink I'd ordered was a Clair Rose Latte. Moon Sulin's favorite. Honestly, it tasted awful, but I kept at it to maintain the image. I'd get used to it eventually.
"What does it taste like?"
"Hmm... It's got this subtle rose flavor mixed with cool mint and a spicy kick."
"...Sounds nasty."
Lucy slurped noisily at her chocolate frappe.
"Ho-yeon-ssi, try some of this too."
"Thanks. You have a bite of mine."
I held out my Clair Rose Latte to Lumi as she sliced her cake and offered me a piece.
"Oh... I'm okay."
"It's my treat. Come on, have some."
Truth be told, it was a relief—I didn't want to finish it all myself.
"...Okay. Slurp. Sniff."
"No need to get all teary-eyed."
Lumi squeezed her eyes shut like she was downing poison and took a sip. It wasn't that bad.
"I told you not to bully my little sister."
Lucy, spotting the scene, waved her cake fork threateningly at me.
"No, it's fine, Lucy. It actually tastes pretty good in its own way."
"See? Lumi says it's okay, so why are you complaining?"
I waved my hands frantically in surprise, but Lumi backed me up.
"...What? You two teaming up and leaving me out again?"
Lucy's lips puffed out in a pout.
Whenever Lumi and I got chummy like this, Lucy's jealousy was plain as day. It was cute.
"Heh, sorry, Lucy."
Unlike with the other heroines, being around the twins was relaxing. Compared to them, this level of jealousy was something I could laugh off.
Lumi and I worked hard to soothe her sulking sister.
*
"Yes, I'd like to join the party too."
In the student council room at Victoria Academy, Moon Sulin's voice echoed through the quiet space. She'd finally submitted her long-delayed party RSVP and slumped back in her chair. Exhaustion from work crashed over her all at once.
This was supposed to be downtime before wrapping up, but she had no such luxury.
"Ho-yeon-ah..."
Her smartwatch played Baek Ayoung's interview on loop. Moon Sulin trembled anxiously, gnawing at her thumbnail.
"I should've moved faster..."
Thank goodness they weren't actually together, but perception mattered. Baek Ayoung clearly wanted everyone to think they were dating. If they weren't dating...
That made the Saintess her rival.
To not fall behind, Moon Sulin had to step up too. She lifted her smartwatch and tapped into the voice recordings folder, selecting the file labeled [Lee Ho-yeon Love].
It was a secret compilation of snippets from our meetings, meticulously edited.
—Sulin noona... I love you. For real.
The pitch-perfect edit sounded utterly natural.
"Mmm... Ho-yeon-ah."
Moon Sulin calmed her heart listening to "my" voice. Her rival might have a head start, but it was still salvageable. She'd turn it around somehow. Somehow.
*
After playing with the Lucy-Lumi duo, I headed back to the dorm. Dinner was, of course, chicken again.
"Scarlett."
"Yes, Ho-yeon-nim?"
I ignored Liliana gnawing away at her chicken and turned to Scarlett.
"If I ordered you to extract info from the Buyer Guild, how would you handle it?"
I'd gotten curious. How did pros in this line of work operate?
Professor Kang Hyo-lyn had promised to rescue Nam Da-hee, Nam Da-eun's little sister, three days ago. With time running short and no updates, I was debating paying a visit tomorrow.
"Hmm... Last time I scoped them out, their security was insane—tough nut to crack. You'd go long-game: undercover job, impersonate an employee, that sort of thing."
"Oh? How long would it take you?"
Scarlett always sharpened up when shop talk came around.
"About a month for me. Gotta play it safe to avoid suspicion. No idea how the Korean branch chief investigates, but she's way better than me—might just bulldoze through and cut the time."
"You guys don't share intel?"
Scarlett seemed less informed than me, despite being in the same guild.
"Different departments don't overlap much. I didn't even know Dr. Kang Hyo-lyn was here."
"Huh, interesting."
I didn't get it, but guilds had their rules. Anyway, this was my worry: Scarlett was skilled, but could she wrap a month-long job in a week? I'd started relaxed, but by Thursday night with no word, anxiety crept in.
"If I check in mid-job, am I a nuisance?"
"Not welcome, but... not a nuisance. Client's right."
Okay. I'd drop by tomorrow. I hated playing the pushy customer, but the stakes were high.
"Scarlett! I thought of a job for you!"
Liliana, who'd been eavesdropping mid-drumstick, suddenly yelled.
"Pardon? What is it?"
"We'll hit up all the chicken joints around here and find the cleanest one. Then order only from there!"
"Oh... Smart."
"...Can't we drop the chicken gimmick already?"
How long was she planning to milk this? But Liliana seemed dead serious, pulling up a map with Scarlett to mark spots.
Fine. Amuse yourselves. If you're happy, I don't care, Liliana.
"Gotta go nag her tomorrow."
Nam Da-eun was still holed up in the dorms, unreachable. All I could do was follow up. Might as well do it right.
*
In the Magic Tower, where the professors' labs clustered, Baek Ayoung, Min Ye-ji, and Im Sol chatted in Im Sol's lab, which took up the entire second floor. The topic? Naturally, Baek Ayoung.
"You like Cadet Lee Ho-yeon, right? Huh? Admit it!"
Min Ye-ji poked Baek Ayoung teasingly, grinning like she'd struck gold.
"..."
Baek Ayoung hung her head. How had she messed up like that? She'd already ignored all the incoming messages on her smartwatch. No way could she play it off with "Nah, it's not like that"—her face wasn't that thick. And honestly, it was a misunderstanding she kinda liked, so she'd let it slide.
"Sol-ah, back me up! This is huge!"
Min Ye-ji nudged Im Sol's arm, shaking her head wildly.
"Sigh. Ayoung-ah, why'd you do that? Handing fresh meat to this beast?"
"Sorry..."
Baek Ayoung bowed so low she might hit the floor. Im Sol clicked her tongue.
Im Sol had been shocked at first by the interview, but on reflection, it didn't add up. No vibes yesterday when Lee Ho-yeon stopped by to see her. Partnering for the party was probably legit. Dating? Nah. He'd picked her casually for the event, and she knew it. Yet the interview screamed deliberate misunderstanding.
Meaning Baek Ayoung really had feelings for him. Im Sol was intrigued.
"So, you really like him?"
"..."
With Im Sol joining in, Baek Ayoung couldn't dodge anymore.
"Right? You're 28 chasing a 20-year-old!"
Min Ye-ji resumed her ribbing, and Baek Ayoung finally spoke.
"...An eight-year gap is totally bridgeable."
"Whoa, Sol-ah, hear her? You're his teacher, and he's your student!"
"Nurse teacher isn't faculty. She's staff."
"Oh man, she's smitten. Epic."
Baek Ayoung caved. First time confessing her real feelings out loud.
"Ugh... Fine, yes. I like Ho-yeon. Happy now?"
Putting it bluntly lifted the stuffiness. But Min Ye-ji's next line made her hackles rise.
"Sol-ah, what now? Looks like you've got competition."
"C-Competition?"
Baek Ayoung startled and glanced at Im Sol.
"No rival here. Ayoung-ah, don't bite every time—she lives for it."
"Sorry..."
Baek Ayoung glared at the teasing Min Ye-ji, who apologized with a grin. Im Sol pondered the scene.
Lee Ho-yeon...
To Im Sol, he was still her adorable disciple. They synced magically, one of the few who got her. Plus, a tasty sugar source.
"Ayoung-ah, want my foolproof way to snag Cadet Lee Ho-yeon?"
Min Ye-ji beamed mischievously at Baek Ayoung.
"...What?"
Baek Ayoung resisted leaning in, but curiosity won.
"Throw yourself at him. Twenty-year-old guy? Instant knockout."
"..."
"Swear, it's a bullseye."
Min Ye-ji was half-joking, half-serious, but Baek Ayoung wasn't buying it.
Already tried. Didn't stick.
She wanted to blurt, "We screw every time we meet," but couldn't. Heart confessed, body? No way.
"Sol-ah, she won't believe me."
"..."
Im Sol watched Baek Ayoung's earnest fretting and thought,
Can't let Ayoung-ah find out.
No way she'd let slip she sucked him off every lab visit. Sure, it was "purely for research sugar"—wholesome, really. But too ahead of its time; folks needed a century to catch up.
And seeing Baek Ayoung squirm? Kinda pathetic. Im Sol was already deep with him, ahead of the game.
Pathetic how good this feels. Not a kid anymore.
Im Sol shook her head and sipped her mixed coffee.