Party Prep Is Exhausting (4)

"Sooo good. It's delicious. We really ordered from the right place."

"Right? Liliana really is the goddess of fried chicken. Amazing."

Honestly, it was perfectly ordinary fried chicken, but Liliana was carrying on as if she'd discovered a culinary miracle. On any other day Scarlet would have been right there clapping along, playing into the bit — but the moment she heard that the Korean branch manager of the Iris Guild was coming, she announced she was heading out and vanished. Which left me to fill Scarlet's role.

While Liliana moaned in bliss over every bite, I finished my own meal in a hurry and dropped onto the sofa. Kang Hyo-rin could arrive at any moment. Someone had to be here to meet her.

"Hmm..."

I opened Everyday on my smartwatch. There was nothing better for taking the temperature of public opinion, so I checked it often. I tapped into one of the most upvoted posts that had my name in it.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"This is exhausting."

Things had well and truly exploded, in more ways than one. But after working through Baek A-young's interview, the posts about the controversy surrounding me, and everything in between, the picture of public opinion that emerged was better than I'd expected.

Interviews with the professors who'd been there yesterday had started dropping, and both Professor Lim Sol and Min Yeji had stepped forward in person to defend me with impressive enthusiasm. The academy still hadn't issued an official statement, which was strange — but they'd probably put one out next week.

"I haven't even lifted a finger yet, but Cadet Ho-yeon's connections are already moving remarkably fast."

"Yeah. Professor Lim Sol has been working hard to... wait."

The voice had come so naturally from the seat beside me that I'd assumed it was Scarlet. It was not Scarlet's voice. I turned toward the sound and found Dr. Kang Hyo-rin sitting there, smiling at me.

Jesus Christ.

"Uh... wow. You startled me."

"That's not how a startled person reacts. Out of everyone I've snuck up on, that was the most boring reaction yet."

It didn't show on my face, but I had nearly jumped out of my skin. If it weren't for Clear Mind, I would have screamed like an idiot.

Kang Hyo-rin was holding a young girl in a princess carry.

"Nam Daehee..."

"Yep. I got her out. I'm not late, am I?"

She barely appeared in the original work, but I knew that face. A cute kid who took after her sister.

"W-what the—! Who are you?!"

Liliana's eyes went wide. She glared at the woman who had materialized out of nowhere, a half-eaten piece of chicken still in her hand.

"And who is that? This is a men's dormitory, isn't it?"

Kang Hyo-rin tilted her head, studying Liliana in turn.

"There are circumstances. You won't report this to the academy, I assume?"

"I'm well known for protecting my clients' privacy. I'll leave Daehee here for now. She should wake up in about thirty minutes."

"Won't she panic if she opens her eyes and finds herself surrounded by strangers?"

Nam Daehee had no idea she'd been imprisoned. Waking up not in a hospital room but in some unknown person's dorm would terrify her.

"That's true, but... you'll have to handle that part yourself."

"..."

Fair enough. Dr. Kang Hyo-rin was not a babysitter. That much was on me.

"Miss ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Nam Da-eun was somewhere inside the Buyer Guild, but the place was sealed tight — not a single gap to work with. Nothing unusual to report, though. She just spoke with the guild master and went back to her room."

"That's a relief. Thank you."

Maybe I should learn infiltration myself. It looked incredibly useful.

"I still have the rest of the commission, so I'll head out and keep investigating. That said, I collected a considerable amount of evidence in the process of extracting Daehee. I expect results by next week."

"Understood. I appreciate the hard work."

"Hey. Hey! So who is that person?! And who's this girl?"

"I'll explain. Just wait."

Dr. Kang Hyo-rin melted into the sofa like water into sand and was gone. A truly ghostlike ability. She'd gotten close enough that even my Mana Sensitivity hadn't picked her up. I still had a long way to go.

"Who is she?! Who! And who's this girl? Don't tell me she's a girlfriend candidate?"

"Shut up, you crazy succubus."

I calmed Liliana down and started explaining.

Footsteps echoed down the corridor as a man walked toward the drawing room of the mansion. Two others were already seated in the lavishly appointed parlor.

"Looks like everyone's here."

"...What did you call us for?"

"I'll tell you. Sit tight."

The man who had summoned them took the seat at the head of the table without hurry. It was Shin Dong-min, Vice President of the Student Council.

"You've heard, I assume. Lee Ho-yeon is attending tomorrow's mixer."

"Of course I have."

"...Yes. I have."

Shin Dong-min studied the faces of the two men sitting across from him.

Kim Hyeondo, heir to a massive mage guild, currently serving as president of the Magic Research Department at Victoria Academy. He and Shin Dong-min had a long-standing arrangement of mutual back-scratching. And Do Jinhyeok of Class A — not in Shin Dong-min's league, but still the son of a fairly sizable guild. The three of them had two things in common: they were children of good families, and they all harbored a grudge against Lee Ho-yeon.

"As you well know... I despise Lee Ho-yeon. I am going to have my revenge, and I am going to drag him into the dirt. I need your help to do it. All of you will be at tomorrow's mixer, after all."

"What does tomorrow's party have to do with Lee Ho-yeon? Don't tell me you want to play politics at a mixer."

Kim Hyeondo frowned as he said it. Ho-yeon had the advantage in raw power and in public standing. Combined, the three of them had more connections than he did — but would those connections really abandon Ho-yeon to take their side? Given the way the man was rising, Kim Hyeondo was not at all confident that every ally they had would be willing to turn on him.

"No. The target isn't Ho-yeon. It's his partner."

"His partner... you mean Baek A-young?"

Do Jinhyeok, who had been listening in silence, cut in.

"That's right. Ho-yeon can protect himself, no question. But Baek A-young has zero combat ability, just like everyone says. If Ho-yeon isn't nearby, we can take her out in an instant."

"...Attacking a man's lover, fine. That would hurt him, I'll grant you. It would damage his image. But how, exactly? How do you plan to attack Baek A-young in the middle of tomorrow's party?"

Kim Hyeondo was already tired of this. Shin Dong-min kept talking in circles, and Kim Hyeondo was starting to wonder why he'd been called here at all.

"I obtained top-secret intelligence."

"Top-secret intelligence?"

"There is going to be a Pandemic terrorist attack at tomorrow's party."

Both men flinched at the name.

"...!"

"Pandemic? How the hell would you know that?"

"I have my sources. That's not your concern."

"...I'm out. This is too far. If Pandemic is behind a terrorist attack, it won't just be Baek A-young — other people will get hurt. We should report the attack and wait for another opportunity..."

Kim Hyeondo knew exactly how dangerous Pandemic was, and he wanted no part of the operation. But the eyes that turned on him then — bloodshot, burning — belonged to a madman.

Shin Dong-min held Kim Hyeondo's gaze and kept going.

"Every special privilege you've collected while running the Magic Research Department. Every illegal bit of pressure you've put on the other clubs. I have evidence of all of it."

"...Is this blackmail? I have a full accounting of every dirty thing you've done in the student council, too."

"Do you really want to go down together? I've already fallen as far as a person can fall. You still have a good image. Are you prepared to throw that away?"

"..."

Kim Hyeondo had a grudge against Ho-yeon, but it was a personal one — the matter of Professor Lim Sol being taken from him. He had never been humiliated in front of a crowd the way Shin Dong-min had.

"All you have to do is keep quiet. I'm not asking you to kill anyone. When the attack happens, you just need to pin down Baek A-young's location. All right?"

Kim Hyeondo said nothing. He turned his face away. But silence, as they say, is consent.

Shin Dong-min's gaze shifted to his remaining target, and his eyes met Do Jinhyeok's.

"What about you, underclassman? Are you going to refuse like Kim Hyeondo?"

"No. I'm in."

Do Jinhyeok still dreamed of Lee Ho-yeon every night. The moment Ho-yeon had humiliated him. The moments other people had praised Ho-yeon while cutting Do Jinhyeok down. They replayed behind his eyelids, night after night, and feelings like that left a man with no choice but to hate.

"...Good. Then I'll walk you through the details."

With those bloodshot eyes fixed on the table, Shin Dong-min began to lay out tomorrow's movements.

"When's she waking up?"

"Beats me..."

"She should come around shortly. Her movements have been growing more active."

Liliana, Scarlet — who had reappeared at some point — and I stood watch over Nam Daehee as she lay on the living-room bed. I'd already finished explaining that she was Nam Da-eun's younger sister, the one who'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠been locked away. Once I'd laid out Da-eun's pitiful situation and the Buyer Guild's crimes on top of that, even Liliana had gotten emotionally invested.

"What a wretched thing for a child... imprisoned at that age."

Scarlet had slipped back in the instant Kang Hyo-rin vanished and had listened through the whole explanation with us.

"The problem is she doesn't know she was being held ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠prisoner. So when she wakes up, she's going to think she's been kidnapped, and she's going to panic."

That was the real issue. Nam Daehee had no idea we'd rescued her. For all she knew, we were the villains.

"Don't worry. When she wakes up, I'll soothe her myself."

Liliana thrust her chest out and grinned.

"You think you can handle that?"

"Yep. I played a crying-child-soothing simulator once, and the viewers said I was amazing at it."

A single sentence, and every scrap of expectation I'd been holding crashed through the floor. A truly formidable talent.

"I also have considerable experience looking after children, Ho-yeon."

Fortunately, we had Scarlet, who could do just about anything.

"Oh... Scarlet. I'm counting on you."

"I said I'm confident too!"

"Mmhnn..."

We'd gotten too loud. Nam Daehee started to stir.

"Hey. Shh."

Too late. Nam Daehee stretched, long and slow, and opened her eyes.

"Mmh... huh?"

And then the unfamiliar room hit her, and the confusion set in. She locked eyes with the three of us, then looked around.

"Miss Daehee. I know this is startling, but please stay calm and listen. We brought you here at Miss Nam Da-eun's request."

Scarlet offered a faint smile, meeting the girl's eyes and gently drawing her into conversation.

"Jingle jingle. Look over here~."

And Liliana — God knows where she'd found it — started shaking a baby rattle to catch Nam Daehee's attention.

Wait. Had she played a newborn-raising simulator? The kid looked like a middle schooler at a glance. What was she doing with a baby rattle?

I put my faith in Scarlet and watched from the back. Then Nam Daehee's gaze found me.

"Handsome oppa... you're Unnie's friend, right?"

"Huh?"

How did she know who I was?

"Unnie told me about you a lot. The story about going to a cafe together, and eating together, and watching a movie, and sparring..."

Even granting that Nam Da-eun had talked to her sister about me... except for the sparring, I was hearing all of this for the first time. What exactly had she been telling her?

"...There's something I failed to account for. With a face like yours, Ho-yeon, little girls are convinced in a single glance."

"No, it's not because of my face."

"Jingle jingle.... Why won't she look at me?"

"Liliana. Hold on."

Liliana tossed the rattle aside and pushed her lower lip out in a sulk. Daehee came first right now.

"Uh... Daehee. That's right. Da-eun asked us to save you, so we got you out."

"Why would you save me? I just saw Unnie not that long ago."

"I'll explain everything. Slowly."

Nam Da-eun was still inside the Buyer Guild building. We'd gotten Daehee out, but we had no way to contact her sister. I'd have to find her at tomorrow's party and talk then.

I started walking Nam Daehee through the situation, one piece at a time.

The mixer was only a few hours away.