Paying Off the Debt First (3)
"Our little maknae, think you can handle it?"
The Madam asked me with a faint smile, for some reason.
Agh... She's so pretty, but the Madam is still scary...
Honestly, I'd been tense the whole time, but I answered as briskly as I could.
"Of course! I really think I can do great, Madam."
"That's right, I have to trust our maknae. Since you're going in as a newbie today, you need to look like a pure college girl, so change into this outfit. No special dress code requested, so I picked something as innocent as possible. Does the size fit?"
I changed into the clothes the Madam had chosen for me, steeling myself inwardly. Today was the day I had to do well. Skipping sleep to run around the Coupang warehouse for a week would help less than nailing one bit of aegyo today—it could change my whole future...
"Our maknae has the best figure among the sisters, huh?"
The Madam said it with a sleazy, middle-aged uncle vibe, lightly brushing down my chest.
Eek... My breasts are still super sensitive from the breast milk...
Thankfully, she was just teasing a little before letting go.
"The guest today is one of the gentlest VIPs out there. Our maknae's got some luck."
On the way here, I'd heard the guest was Jun Cheong-jin, a B-rank hunter. His public image was that of a kindly mid-40s guy with a baby face. I'd known it going in, but... a B-rank hunter had all the specs—looks, money, talent—and could have any beautiful woman he wanted. Coming to a place like this? It was still kinda mind-blowing.
Well, hunters are more famous than celebrities in this world, face-wise... Rumors say some idols hit up lounges like this all the time. Maybe it's like that?
"Our maknae went to Hunter Academy, so you know what B-rank hunters are like, right? But today's guest isn't as strict as most high-rankers, so don't be too nervous~"
This novel was famous for its unique take on high-rank hunters compared to cliché setups. The community even compared it to the power balance in Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
The reason? In most hunter novels, it was practically a rule that dozens of B-ranks couldn't touch an S-rank. But here, two properly coordinated B-ranks could take on one S-rank. Lower ranks? No amount could make up for it...
Explaining it with Romance of the Three Kingdoms: A top-tier general toys with hundreds of lesser generals or soldiers, but against solid second-tier ones, even in fiction, 2v1 is debatable. Of course, there were irregular S-ranks like Guan Yu or Lü Bu who could handle multiple B-ranks. Right now, Heo Jin-woo's dad was Korea's one-and-only irregular powerhouse. The protagonist and main heroines would join him within two years, tops.
This low-power, straight-fantasy setup worked because gates—outside of Catastrophe raids—limited parties to five entrants max. That's why Jeong Ga-eun had been totally sidelined in the main heroine slot fight, treated like a disposable concubine.
Anyway, S-ranks were essential for high-rank gates, so guilds showered them with perks. B-ranks handled S-rank criminals outside gates or prevented Catastrophes, making them national assets too. Naturally, any nation wanted B-ranks and up. Today truly had half my life riding on it.
5.
Before opening the door, the Madam spoke up one more time.
"Ga-eun, like I kept saying, they want to see your inexperience today. Be as pure as a college girl, but seductive too... You get what I mean now, right, Ga-eun?"
"Yes! I'm ready."
"Gonna open the door now?"
Creak—
"Ah... Hello, nice to meet you. I'm Ga-eun, the new girl starting today. It's such an honor that a hunter I've always admired is my first guest!"
Is this good...?
I glanced at the Madam; she shot me a sharp look and shook her head slightly. Probably too stiff. Flustered by her eyes, I turned to the VIP, Jun Cheong-jin. Thankfully, he looked pleased—probably enjoying even my awkwardness.
"Uh, yeah, yeah. Academy grad, right? They still teach about high-rank hunters there these days?"
"Of course! People like Hunter Jun Cheong-jin are basically national heroes protecting us~"
"Ha! Cute, but I don't need the bootlicking, miss. I know how annoying it is memorizing old fogey names."
Phew... First impression's safe.
"Heh heh, where'd the Madam dig up such a fresh little thing? Madam, make sure to bring out the top-shelf stuff today—I'm spending big!"
Jun Cheong-jin seemed pretty chummy with the Madam. Probably because they were both high-rank hunters without much age gap.
"Oh? I already brought your favorite bottle, oppa. What kinda relationship do you think we have for me to charge table fees? You do sponsor the girls' clothes shopping enough."
The bottle she pulled from her bag looked pricey even to me.
"Ga-eun? Get the table set. I'll head out now, so don't bully our cute baby too much, oppa?"
Jun Cheong-jin chuckled and played along.
"Bully? Nah~ I'm here to spoil her pretty."
Ew... Kinda creepy.
I managed my expression and started setting the table like I'd been taught.
Ice bucket in front of me, one for the guest... Two rocks glasses each upfront... One straight glass each... Good. Now slice the snacks, portion tissues...
"Watching a newbie set up is a sight in itself~ You're working hard, Ga-eun."
"Ahaha... Sorry. I've been too quiet, huh?"
What's with this guy?
His eyes had been off since earlier. Posture all relaxed, but that sleazy gaze wouldn't leave my chest—swollen even more from pregnancy.
"Oppa~ Let me pour your drink right away."
As I subtly brushed against him, his face stiffened like a tense guy's. Classic sign of a customer who's emotionally hooked, per Eomo's training.
But he said this type wasn't his usual...
I fought to hide my fluster, finished pouring, and sat thigh-to-thigh beside him naturally.
Eomo said for this type, if you're not aiming for sponsorship, play hard to get then drop the money talk outright—they snap out of it... But even if I'm not after a sponsor, I can't pull that on a VIP.
I racked my brain on handling this while forcing words out.
"Oh, right! The Madam told me to call you 'President' politely, but I slipped and said 'oppa'... Your looks make 'oppa' feel natural—mind if I?"
"What? Uhahaha! This girl's bold! I'm an uncle, not oppa— even you can't—"
He couldn't stop laughing, though.
Hah, whatever.
I'd just do my best. He wasn't an S-rank who could ignore First's rules, so no sudden sponsorship demands. I wasn't confident in push-pull games anyway... Better to trust the Madam and give it my all.
"Nee~? No way! Before coming, I figured you were same-age-as-me vibes till I checked!"
Total bullshit, obviously. But Jun Cheong-jin was the classic "old-looking young, now eternally youthful" type—the uncle who looked 40 at 20 and still does at 40. Everyone knows one.
"Really? You really thought that? Damn, so I'm not the only one?"
His eyes went wide in mock surprise.
Yeah, I get it—been a guy before. No man thinks he's ugly or old.
Men usually had some pride in their looks. And at his age, married 15 years tops, his plain wife wasn't hyping him up. Easiest way to win a guy's favor? Subtle looks praise—anywhere.