The Social Mixer

"W-wait... Uncle Min-gyu did what...?"

"...Yeah. And that's not even the whole of it. From the moment you were hospitalized, Da-eun..."

I hadn't wanted to dump something that ugly on a kid her age. But unless I gave her the full weight of it — that Park Min-gyu had used her as a pretext to demand Nam Da-eun's body — there was no justifying why we'd snatched her in the first place. Soft-pedal the explanation and we'd just look like a pair of lunatics who'd dragged a hospitalized child out of her bed over nothing.

She didn't believe it at first. Then Scarlet produced a few pieces of evidence — the guild master threatening Nam Da-eun — and Nam Daehee had no choice but to accept it. When she'd heard everything, she clapped a hand over her mouth and began to sob.

"Unnie... *hic.* I trusted Uncle Min-gyu... *sniff.*"

"...Scarlet."

A crying little girl was not something I knew how to handle. Comforting children had never been my specialty, so I called over Scarlet — a bona fide expert in the field.

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

"It's all right, Miss Daehee."

Scarlet patted her back in a slow, steady rhythm.

"Wanna have some chicken?"

Liliana wandered over with a drumstick and pressed it into Nam Daehee's hands.

*Chomp.*

"...It's good."

Holding the drumstick, Nam Daehee's expression brightened a little.

"Right? This is the new-recipe chicken."

Thankfully, a pair of pretty older sisters seemed to be putting her at ease. While Nam Daehee settled down, Liliana looked over at me.

"So, what are you gonna do with her?"

"She'll stay here for a while."

The Buyer Guild would notice Nam Daehee was gone soon enough. Before that happened, I needed to pull Nam Da-eun out of there and simultaneously detonate the evidence Kang Hyo-rin was bringing in. As for what came after that... honestly, I hadn't thought that far. Have her stay with Nam Da-eun, maybe? Remaining in my dorm would be safer, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sure — but Liliana and Scarlet were not exactly ideal for a child's emotional development.

How had my dorm turned into a boarding house?

Maybe it was time to look into getting an actual house.

The house could wait. My biggest worry was off the table, so I turned my attention to preparing for tomorrow's party. I'd specially ordered a suit for the occasion. Since I was going with Baek A-young, I had no intention of being looked down on — so I'd splurged on something expensive. Mun Su-rin was coming too, which meant I needed to be even more careful.

The preparations were done. All that remained was to keep the appointment. I'd messaged Baek A-young, and now I just had to wait for tomorrow's party.

And yet something felt off. Uneasy. Whatever I could prepare in advance, I needed to prepare.

"Scarlet. Come here a second."

"Yes?"

I called Scarlet over from where she'd been playing with Nam Daehee. I'd already thought through how I was going to play this — but it never hurt to have insurance.

Saturday. I headed to the venue for the party, and found Baek A-young almost immediately.

I'd expected her to dress up for the occasion, but she was in her usual work clothes. Then again, she wore a suit to work every day — so this was her idea of looking presentable. She was beautiful enough on an ordinary afternoon that walking into a party like this wouldn't look the least bit strange.

"There are so many people."

"I know. These parties are always like this, but tonight's worse than usual."

We were standing a short distance from the entrance. The front of the venue was packed with civilians who'd come to gawk at celebrities, and with reporters jostling for position. Just how important were the people showing up tonight? Wanting to see a famous face I understood — but a crowd this size was something else.

"Let's go around the back."

Baek A-young pointed not at the main entrance, but at a rear door.

"Why? We can just go in through the front."

"The front is a circus because of the reporters. If we go that way we'll get swarmed with interview requests, and we'll be in a hundred photographs."

"So?"

A few days ago this was the same woman who'd started a dating rumor with me because she wanted the attention. Now she suddenly couldn't stand the spotlight? I took Baek A-young's hand and pulled her toward the main entrance.

"W-wait, no! I told you, we'll get photographed!"

"You ran your mouth in some bizarre interview and made my life difficult, and now you think you get to run away? Your turn to be a little uncomfortable, A-young."

"Th-that was just a mistake..."

Her voice shrank smaller and smaller as I led her toward the front doors.

Click. Click.

The chatter of shutters spilled from the entrance, where a procession of famous faces was filing inside.

"Look, look! It's the Saint and Lee Ho-yeon!"

"Oh my god, they actually came together!"

People had already spotted us. Baek A-young must have realized it was too late to turn back, because she ducked her head.

"Come on, A-young."

"Th-this is... nngh..."

Watching her try to shrink out of sight in a crowd this size was almost cute. I let out a quiet laugh and drew her by the arm through the gauntlet of reporters. Some of them shouted into their cameras as they photographed us. Others shoved microphones straight at my face.

"Cadet Lee Ho-yeon! Just a word, please! What is your relationship with the Saint? Are the two of you actually dating?"

"This is your first appearance on the official stage — one interview, that's all we ask!"

What a zoo. I couldn't come out and say I was dating Baek A-young — not when I had the other heroines to consider. But we'd arrived together, so I couldn't deny it either. The only move was to glide through and give them nothing.

"Let's just pose for a photo together."

"...Okay."

"Don't tense up."

"How are you this calm? This is your first time dealing with something like this too."

Baek A-young was looking at me like I was some kind of alien. Thanks to Clear Mind, I could loosen every knot of tension in my body the moment I decided to, no matter how many people were staring.

"What can I say? I'm a pretty remarkable guy."

"Haa..."

I took her nervous hand and walked her toward the entrance. Just before we stepped inside, we turned back and struck a pose. If we were going to end up in the papers anyway, we might as well look good doing it. A proper photo op.

God, that's bright.

We weathered the barrage of flashes as best we could, then stepped into the venue.

"Baek A-young, plus one guest. Entry confirmed. Please enjoy your evening."

I handed Baek A-young's invitation to an Association staffer waiting just inside, and we were shown through. The party was already well underway. They called it a networking event, but it was really just a drinking party with a dress code — people standing around with glasses in their hands, talking too loudly. A little extra ceremony, nothing more.

The moment we walked in, every gaze in the room swung toward us.

I felt Baek A-young's body lock up beside me, so I jabbed her in the side.

"Eep?!"

"I told you not to tense up."

Since the Association was hosting, a few of Baek A-young's former colleagues were scattered through the crowd.

"A-young~."

A voice that had no business belonging at a formal party came drifting toward us. Min Yeji was making her way over.

"Yeji... you came too."

"Of course I did. Our A-young is here, and..."

Min Yeji's gaze slid over to me. Her catlike smile was pretty enough, but something about it put me on edge.

"...Cadet Lee Ho-yeon is here as well. A pleasure. This is the first time we've actually spoken, isn't it?"

"Hello. I should have introduced myself much sooner. My apologies."

Min Yeji had already put out a public statement in my defense and thrown herself in front of the cameras on my behalf. She had her own reasons for doing it, of course — but gratitude was still gratitude. Because she'd approached us first, people who'd been hanging back started drifting over one and two at a time.

"A-young. It's been a while. How's the Academy treating you?"

"Ah... the Academy's not bad. The Association was wonderful too, of course."

Baek A-young eased into conversation with the people she knew.

"Ho-yeon."

"?"

I turned toward the voice calling my name, and a spill of platinum-blonde hair caught the light. Mun Su-rin, in a clean, elegant dress.

"Su-rin noona! Seeing you here is strangely new."

"I know. I didn't expect to run into you at a place like this either."

A cluster of young men stood in the direction she'd come from. They'd clearly been talking with her until a moment ago.

"And those gentlemen are...?"

"Ah... you don't need to worry about them. I only just met them tonight. They're after my partner, you see."

"Wow. Still popular as ever, noona."

I let a victor's smile drift toward the men lingering behind her, each of them holding a glass and watching us.

"Hehe. Thank ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you."

I picked up a glass of my own and fell into conversation with Mun Su-rin, settling into the rhythm of the party. I wasn't drinking, but everyone else had something in their hand, and it felt like the kind of room where you were supposed to match them.

"Hello, Nurse. I'll call you Baek A-young here, if that's all right."

"Ah... hello, Miss Mun Su-rin."

Mun Su-rin greeted Baek A-young properly. The two of them had crossed paths during the last dungeon practicum — Mun Su-rin had been the one who found us, after all.

"This is actually the first time we've had a real conversation since you joined the Academy as the school nurse."

"It is, isn't it? I'm always grateful to you, Miss Mun. I heard you put in a good word for me."

The mood between them was warm. They worked at the same place, so that was only natural.

"Yes. I just never imagined there was an ulterior motive like this."

Mun Su-rin smiled as she looked from me to Baek A-young and back again.

...Had I spoken too soon about the mood?

"Ah... th-that's not what this is."

"Haha... Still, spreading false information like that is rather inconvenient for us. Please be more careful."

"F-false information..."

Baek A-young couldn't finish the sentence. She looked at me instead.

Don't look at me right now, A-young.

"Oh my. Is what I heard different from the truth, Ho-yeon?"

"...Calling it false information is a bit much. I never came out and said we were dating. I just said some things that could be misunderstood."

Baek A-young's face fell. But I could hardly announce that we were together in the middle of this room. What did she want me to do, disappoint her on purpose?

I'm sorry, A-young.

Mun Su-rin didn't press the blade any further. From there the conversation settled back into something ordinary and peaceful — or at least, that was how it felt to me. Either way, I kept scanning the room while we talked, wondering if anyone here might be useful, and a few familiar faces drifted into view.

Do Jinhyeok, that extra from Class A. Kim Hyeondo, president of the Magic Research Department. A pair of old, unpleasant acquaintances, right there in my line of sight.

Right. Those bastards were still around.

I'd had so much on my plate I'd almost forgotten they existed. Every time our eyes met, they scowled and looked away. Not that they could do anything about me now. I'd grown too big for either of them to touch.

"Ghhk... khh."

Crack—!

Shin Dong-min was watching footage from the cameras his subordinates had hidden throughout the venue.

Squelch— crack—!

A change he could no longer stop was tearing through his body. Fiend-transformation, swallowed whole by a mana stone. After making contact with Pandemic, Shin Dong-min had stepped onto the path of a Fiend — and he could no longer control his own flesh.

Something under his skin writhed and rolled.

"I'm still... I'm still fine."

He didn't even realize his body was already ruined. He just kept staring at the screen. The sight of Mun Su-rin smiling, talking with Lee Ho-yeon, only poured more fuel on his rage.

That place should have been his. He should have been the star of this party. The seat beside Mun Su-rin should have been his.

"Lee Ho-yeon... and Baek A-young too."

Shin Dong-min's eyes flew wide. He snapped an order at the Pandemic Fiend waiting behind him.

"Start in two ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hours."

"Yes, sir. I'll inform Lady Rebecca."

Pandemic's capabilities were genuinely formidable. Put up the money and they would handle anything. This time, they'd even promised a barrier large enough to swallow the entire venue. He'd burned through nearly all the money his father had given him, but that was fine. Once this attack was over, Lee Ho-yeon would fall into the abyss.

Shin Dong-min's mouth curled into a smile.

It won't be long now. Let's see if you can still smile like that in two hours...

"God, I'm wiped."

Starting with Min Yeji, just about every guild representative in the building had come over to say hello. I would have loved to ignore them, but with Baek A-young and Mun Su-rin standing right next to me I had an image to maintain. That wasn't an option.

I must have shaken a hundred hands.

The one mercy was that I didn't have to waste energy memorizing names. Hearing them once was enough — I already knew who they all were. For the moment, I'd fled under the excuse of using the restroom.

Following the signs toward the bathrooms, I ended up somewhere I'd never seen. The venue was large enough that there were still plenty of faces I hadn't crossed, but this corner was almost entirely strangers.

"Hahaha... Quite right, Chairman."

"That's our President Park for you. Come to think of it, the young lady beside you — a new secretary?"

"Yes, yes, Chairman. Something like that."

I'd been glancing around when the conversation snagged my attention, and I turned toward it without thinking. And there, in that dim pocket of the hall, was the person I'd been looking for.

Found you.

In a shadowed corner of the venue, Nam Da-eun stood behind a middle-aged man.