Chapter 276: Interlude Date (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 276: Interlude Date (2)
In Seoul, there are far more services catering to the few rather than the many than one might think.
Private cafes that operate on a reservation-only or members-only basis, business lounges, luxurious bars, and so on.
These are establishments that target a specific minority, not the general public.
That specific minority refers to celebrities or the wealthy.
People who draw the public’s attention just by walking outside.
For them, what matters isn't the price, but the quality of the service.
“Aaaah...! This looks so delicious!”
The place Ju-yeon brought me to was one of those establishments.
A brunch cafe that operated strictly on a membership system.
It was famous for its fragrant coffee and diverse brunch menu, but it was a place not just anyone could enter.
We were having breakfast there.
“I’ve really wanted to come here!”
Ju-yeon’s eyes sparkled, and I tilted my head, asking, “This is a place you could come to anytime you wanted, though.”
That was true for Ju-yeon, if not for others.
Even before she became an S-rank, wasn't she a proven A-rank healer and buffer, renowned for her skills?
If she had wanted to, she could have come to a brunch cafe like this whenever she pleased.
At that, Ju-yeon gave an awkward laugh and said, “W-well, it’s a bit weird to come alone…”
So she said.
But that, too, was strange.
“…You could have come with Hunter Han Ju-hee or Seo-yeon Sunbae, right? Or a friend.”
At my follow-up question, Ju-yeon pouted, seemingly displeased with something.
“I wanted to come with you, with you!”
“Ah.”
So that’s what she meant.
The atmosphere turned a little awkward.
I slid a plate from the table toward her and spoke.
“Eat up. It’s going to get cold.”
“Hmph.”
She huffed indignantly.
Still, not wanting the food to get cold, she picked up her fork and began to eat.
“Mmm~! It’s so good!”
Ju-yeon took a bite of the seemingly ordinary French toast and beamed with a blissful expression, as if she had the whole world.
I’d heard they only used carefully selected fresh ingredients, enhancing the flavor with special ingredients found only in dungeons.
“Do-jin, you should try some too! It’s amazing. You might even ask to come back again.”
“Come on, how good can toast be?”
I picked up a piece of toast from my plate, put it in my mouth, and chewed.
“Gasp.”
“Heehee! It’s delicious, right?”
…Freaking delicious.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
After finishing the meal in a daze, captivated by a taste I’d never experienced before, we relaxed, sipping coffee and talking.
The topic of conversation was Zodiac.
I had already told her about them when she accepted the request.
That they were a group masquerading as a small, elite guild, but with a high probability of being villains.
“You’re well-prepared, right?”
“Of course! Can’t you tell just by looking at me?”
She subtly turned her head 45 degrees and put on her prettiest expression.
I don’t know about her condition, but I can definitely tell her face is in top shape. Yep.
I chuckled and nodded, and she turned the question back on me.
“What about you, Do-jin? You’re prepared, right?”
Prepared, huh.
“What’s there for me to prepare? As long as I have you, Noona, I’m confident I can get out of anywhere.”
With an S-rank buffer and healer backing me up, I wasn't lying when I said I could even handle an S-rank opponent.
Ah, of course, that didn't mean I could win the fight, just that I could escape.
To actually win… in my current state, I’d probably need about half the power of the Sacrifice of Purity buff I received last time.
So, I clearly meant that I trusted her abilities, but…
“Oh my… was that a confession just now…?!”
Why are you spouting such nonsense, Ju-yeon?
Seeing my eyes turn cold, she quickly waved her hands dismissively and continued.
“It’s a joke, a jo~ke.”
“Ha. Ha.”
She said it was a joke, but why didn’t it feel like one?
The girl, who had been grinning, rested her chin on her hands on the table, closing the distance between us.
“It means you trust your noona that much, right?”
“Yes, well… to be precise, it means I trust your abilities.”
“That’s enough for now. We have plenty of time from now on…”
“……”
Hmm.
She’s starting to scare me a little.
Maybe it’s because I keep seeing these unfamiliar sides of her.
I prided myself on knowing a lot about Ju-yeon, but I had no idea what her dating style was.
Every time she came on so strong like this, I could only be surprised, thinking, ‘So this is how aggressive she is when she’s dating.’
Feeling burdened by her affectionate gaze, I subtly turned my head and sipped my coffee. Then, she asked.
“You finished your coffee, right?”
How did she know I had just finished and was holding an empty cup?
I stopped pretending and put the empty cup down.
“Yes. Shall we get going now?”
“Yep! But besides the dungeon, there’s one more place we need to stop by.”
“Where?”
Another place to go?
Where could it be? While I was wondering, Ju-yeon shot up from her seat, grabbed my empty hand, and pulled me up.
“You’ll know when we get there. Let’s go!”
I let myself be led away by her hand without resistance.
How could I resist when she had such a look of pure happiness on her face?
We got into the car parked in the lot and drove for about twenty minutes.
“We’re here!”
She got out of the car first and proudly introduced the place. It was none other than…
“…A tailor shop?”
It was a tailor shop located in Gangnam’s Hunter district.
As you could tell from its location, it wasn't a place you went to for an ordinary custom suit.
This place was, so to speak… a kind of armor shop.
A place that made tough, durable clothing from special fabrics for those whose professions prevented them from wearing heavy equipment.
After leading me inside, she explained why we were here.
“Last time I saw you, Do-jin, you were relying too much on your abilities, and your gear was seriously lacking, wasn't it?”
“Ah, that’s…”
It was true that my gear was lacking.
However, it wasn't that I neglected my equipment simply because I trusted my talent.
Well… I did have the confidence that with this body’s talent and my experience, I wouldn’t get hit in most situations, but the bigger reason was that I had no way of getting any gear I actually liked.
Decent gear costs at least tens of millions to over a hundred million won, and I just didn't have that kind of money yet.
“Welcome. This is the Seoul branch of ‘Kings & Queens,’ where we boast the finest style and performance.”
A middle-aged gentleman in a stylish suit with a mustache approached and greeted us in a voice full of pride.
Kings & Queens.
It was a tailor shop brand run by the world’s most famous artisan.
It was the best of the best among luxury brands, desired by every profession that wore clothing-type armor for its outstanding defensive performance as well as its fashion.
“Are you Ms. Han Ju-yeon and Mr. Kim Do-jin, who made a reservation for this morning?”
“Yes, that’s us.”
“Welcome. Please, this way.”
The man led the way with a neat stride.
I grabbed the wrist of Ju-yeon, who was naturally following him, and stopped her.
“Noona, this place is incredibly expensive.”
“Mmm… I guess it is, right?” she replied with an awkward laugh.
Kings & Queens operated on its own unique tier system.
From C Tier to S Tier.
The grade was determined by the material and the corresponding artisan chosen.
People often think C-Tier wouldn't cost much, but as I said, this was a world-class brand that sold only the best of the best.
Depending on the material, it was a place where even a C-Tier suit could easily cost you tens of millions of won.
Bringing me here meant she intended to buy me a suit.
But still, something this expensive was a bit…
Reading the growing burden on my face, she quickly added, “I’m buying it to thank you, so don’t feel burdened!”
“…Thank me for what?”
“You saved my life, Do-jin.”
“I did?”
She seemed to be talking about what happened inside the Kraken, but if that was the case, wasn't I the one who owed her my life…?
If it hadn't been for that unprecedentedly overpowered buff, ‘Sacrifice of Purity,’ we both would have died.
“Hey~ You can’t think of it like that!” Ju-yeon retorted, directly refuting my point.
“No matter how OP a buff is, what’s the use if there’s no one to receive it? Right?”
“…Well, you’re not wrong? But?”
Her logic was sound, but why did I feel like I was being talked into this?
She quietly leaned in and whispered to me.
“And… if it had been anyone else beside me instead of you, Do-jin, I never would have used it.”
Her next whisper sent a shiver down my spine.
“Even if it meant dying, never.”
Ah.
This isn't good.
Her straightforward pitch, coming at me like a 180 km/h fastball, felt like it was about to shatter my walls.
The way she was so full of affection that it made me forget everything else was captivating.
“Now, shall we go in?”
Ngh... Noona.
Overwhelmed by her assertiveness, I found myself holding her hand and following her inside before I knew it.
The man who had gone in ahead and was waiting for us asked, “For whom shall we be tailoring the suit?”
“For him!”
Ju-yeon gently pushed my back forward and pointed at me.
The man’s eyes, which were scanning me from head to toe, lit up with interest.
“You are truly… an incredible person.”
“Huh…? What is?”
The man answered Ju-yeon, who had asked out of curiosity.
“This is the first time I have seen someone with such a sculpted body. No… to be precise, the second.”
“Hee… a, a sculpted body, you say.”
Her lips curled up into a perverted grin.
It was a phrase sometimes used for those who boasted an outstanding physique.
A body that looks like God himself took a chisel and hammer and carved it with painstaking care, stroke by stroke.
And my body was apparently made similarly.
It wasn't made by God with a chisel and hammer, but I had sculpted it into its ideal form myself, hadn't I?
Thinking about it made me curious.
“Who was the first?”
Who on earth possessed a body as outstanding as mine, or even more so?
The man replied with a faint smile.
“The Nation’s Hunter, Mr. Son Si-woo.”
“Ah, um.”
I shouldn’t have asked.
Ju-yeon, standing next to me, grinned and poked my side with her elbow.
“You must be happy, huh?”
“What, what are you talking about.”
“He said your body is the most outstanding after the Nation’s Hunter. You’re happy, aren’t you? Huh? Huh?”
“Yes, yes. I’m very happy.”
In the end, it was just comparing me to myself. Should I be happy about this or not?
“Do you have a tier in mind? The tiers currently available for production are from C-Tier to A-Tier.”
At the man’s question, Ju-yeon exclaimed as if she had been waiting for it.
“We’ll take the A-Tier, please.”
“Understood.”
“……”
I had a feeling, but A-Tier, really…?
“Noona, I really don’t think A-Tier is a good idea.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine! I’m an S-rank, you know? For the life of an S-rank Hunter, this is a bargain.”
This is strange.
She seems to be speaking nothing but sound logic, but why do I feel like I’m being helplessly drawn in?
“If I had my way, I’d get you an S-Tier… but that’s not easy even for me, so I’m sorry.”
“…That’s not something to be sorry about.”
Only one person could handle S-Tier.
Sullivan Kings, the founder of Kings & Queens.
Only his granddaughter, Ashley Kings, who inherited the company after his death, could create an S-Tier suit, and it wasn't something that could be commissioned just by having a lot of money.
First, you had to be at least an S-rank Hunter.
Second, you had to procure an outstanding material worthy of her touch yourself.
To commission an S-Tier suit from Ashley Kings, one had to meet these two conditions.
The second condition was even more difficult than the first.
I heard her artisan spirit was so strong that she wouldn't even glance at a material unless it was exceptionally unique.
For that reason, fewer than ten people in the current generation wore an S-Tier suit.
“First, we will take your measurements. Would you please come this way?”
He opened an inner door with ornate decorations, revealing a room with one wall made entirely of mirrors.
Then, the man handed Ju-yeon a piece of paper with many empty boxes and a measuring tape.
“After taking the measurements, please fill in the corresponding boxes.”
“Okay!”
“……?”
Wait a minute.
What is this all about?
“Why are you taking the measurements, Noona…?”
At that, she grinned.
“I told them I’d do it myself!”
“So why would you…”
…say you’d do it yourself, you weirdo.
“Mmm, because… I want to give Do-jin a suit that fits him perfectly, of course.”
“If that’s the case, you should have the master do it… Ugh, whatever.”
Just do whatever you want.
It didn't seem like she would listen to me if I argued here, and what could possibly happen from just taking some body measurements?
I entered the room and obediently followed her instructions.
“Alright, can you spread your arms out?”
She measured the length of my arms stretched out to the sides, then my chest circumference…
Huh.
This is way more detailed than I thought.
“Now I’m going to measure your waist… so stay still…?”
Ju-yeon reached her arms around my back as if to hug me, bringing the measuring tape from my lower back to my front.
Because she was pressing her upper body so close to mine, something that shouldn't be touching me kept touching me.
The soft sensation, palpable even through our clothes.
“Mmm… just one more time.”
As I stood there, frozen stiff, not knowing what to do in the face of her blatant sex appeal…
“Haaah…!”
Suddenly, she let out a moan, her face flushing red.
“…Noona?”
I looked down at her with a bewildered gaze, and she looked up at me with heated eyes, the corners of her lips curling up.
“Do-jin… w-were you that turned on by my body?”
What are you talking about, Ju-yeon…
“What do you mean all of a sudden…?”
When I gave her a puzzled look, she replied in an even more triumphant voice.
“Don’t pretend you’re not… Your… uh, down there is twitching right now…?”
“……?”
No way.
That can’t be.
No matter how pleasant Ju-yeon’s soft body felt, there was no way I would get an erection from just this.
I hadn't even felt myself getting hard in the first place.
When I looked down, all I could see was her cleavage pressed against my waist, not my lower body.
“…C-could you step aside for a moment.”
“O-okay.”
Han Ju-yeon carefully stepped back, her face still flushed.
And my lower body was…
Twitch!
“……”
What the.
Why is it actually twitching?