Chapter 23
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Favor (3)
The words from his past life came to mind: a woman can sense a man's gaze.
Back then, he had scoffed, "What, are you some martial artist? How do you sense gazes?" But now that he was the one experiencing it, he could feel them so clearly.
'The stares are overwhelming.'
Some glances went to Lee Seo-yeon, who was with him, but almost all of them were directed at him.
Of course. In terms of his past life, it was like a stunning beauty suddenly appearing out of nowhere.
'I didn't expect this level of impact.'
The Millennium Guild knew about him subtly.
And thanks to Choi Yu-ra's perceptiveness, they weren't staring outright.
But here, his position was merely Lee Seo-yeon's partner, so the intensity of the gazes was burdensome.
'Maybe it's the makeup.'
Among the webnovels he often read in his past life, there was a genre called gender reversal.
Like the world he lived in now, where men's and women's roles were flipped. A common cliché in those stories.
[Ugh, how could a man wear makeup! He's not some girl! A real man would never wear makeup!]
The protagonist would rage, denying that men ever wore makeup.
But that was a historical inaccuracy.
'Male celebrities wear makeup for shoots, don't they?'
He'd heard that some male streamers and BJs did their makeup before broadcasts.
Even among ordinary people, there were guys doing skincare they called "men's makeup routines."
It was the same in his past life. Was there really any need to make such a fuss and feel repulsed by makeup?
'Of course, I don't do it normally.'
Not because he was a man, but because it was a hassle.
At most, he'd apply some moisturizer, but given the occasion, he'd gone to a salon for the full treatment.
'Anyway, makeup isn't something to make a big deal about.'
And there was no lingering guilt about attending as Lee Seo-yeon's partner, even with Choi Yu-ra there.
He wasn't here as a lover, but as an acquaintance.
Sure, to the people here, they looked like a couple, but he wasn't about to correct that misunderstanding.
'Even if I did, they'd just think I'm a guy-friend who's already half-boyfriend material for coming to a private event like this.'
But wasn't this operation working too well?
The woman right in front of him seemed to be Shin Jeong-hwa, and she'd been staring at him with her mouth slightly agape.
'Good. Time to tease her a bit more.'
He hooked his arm around Lee Seo-yeon, who was frozen in a daze beside him.
"Huh!?" A small gasp escaped as her body trembled.
"Won't you enjoy the party?"
"Ah, no! I will!"
The stares directed at him were too much, burdensome.
But self-assessed, his one true strength was adaptability.
He had even adapted(?) to the position of being toyed with by a woman he once dreaded, thanks to Choi Yu-ra's semi-forced training.
What else could he possibly fail to adapt to now!
'Carpe diem.'
He whispered the famous quote from his past life in his mind.
'If you can't escape it, enjoy it.'
With his heart wide open, he joyfully embraced all the gazes.
＊＊＊
"Ooh, I heard you're the same age as our Jeong-hwa, but you're already a team leader at the Millennium Guild. Impressive."
"It was just luck."
"Haha! Luck is part of skill."
Lee Seo-yeon gnashed her molars lightly on her cheek while chatting with executives from the Aris Guild.
The faint pain proved this moment wasn't a dream, yet she still couldn't believe it was real.
'This... is power?'
The Millennium Guild had recognized her abilities, and people gave her favorable looks.
She had become a socially successful career woman affiliated with the top-ranked guild.
But compared to the admiration and envy she was receiving now, that was mere drops in the bucket.
'So... sweet...!'
Having lived always minding others' opinions, she knew exactly why people treated her so well and valued her abilities so highly.
"And what a perfect couple. Seo-yeon, did you save the Earth in your past life or something?"
"Tell me about it. I'm dying to know how you landed a guy like that."
"Mind sharing the secret with me, just a little?"
It was all because of Yoo Jun-hyuk, chatting with others right behind her.
Was capturing a handsome man a form of power too?
She now personally understood why the internet buzzed with terms like "trophy husband."
"I was a bit nervous coming as an outsider, but as expected of the Aris Guild. Thank you for the warm welcome."
"Of course we'd welcome you. Greeting guests is basic etiquette as hosts, right?"
"These days, many places don't even bother with that."
"Really? Tell me which ones, and..."
"Oh, no. I can't cause trouble for the Aris Guild. But thank you anyway."
Every time she saw Jun-hyuk conversing smoothly with other Aris Guild executives—honed from customer service at the cafe—Lee Seo-yeon's shoulders broadened, and her nose soared sky-high.
'If he were really my lover, it'd be even better.'
Regrettable, but his resistance was too strong for that right now.
But judging by his willingness to attend as her partner, maybe she could become his second soon?
Of course, Jun-hyuk was only thinking of revenge against the school bully suspect Shin Jeong-hwa, but delusions were free, and no one was there to call her out.
"......"
And Shin Jeong-hwa, the root of all this, watched the two from afar in a daze.
She didn't even have the anger to grind her teeth anymore; she just stared at Yoo Jun-hyuk.
'...How did a cockroach like her snag a man like that?'
Shin Jeong-hwa despised factory origins and desired natural birth.
Not single motherhood via sperm donation, but romance and marriage—that was her dream.
From a good family, a hunter with great skills and fame in a major guild, she thought she'd achieve it soon, but her standards were too high, and she'd never dated.
'How on earth...!'
To such a Shin Jeong-hwa, Yoo Jun-hyuk perfectly matched her ideal type.
A face cute like a boy's yet sharply adult-like at times.
The "womanly" glint in his eyes added a decadent allure laced with sex appeal.
The true appearance of Yoo Jun-hyuk's face, which he himself didn't know.
Unlike ordinary handsome men of this era, his face held a mystical charm.
'What does that bitch have going for her!'
I wanted romance and marriage like my parents too.
No decent guy came to me.
But he went to that lowborn factory girl!
"......"
That surging rage stopped her from even executing her plan to mess with Lee Seo-yeon.
If she opened her mouth now, her facade might crack, revealing her true feelings.
In the end, until the party ended, she could only stare at Yoo Jun-hyuk.
Crunch-!
Harboring an inferiority complex toward Lee Seo-yeon, whom she'd despised and treated as a toy.
＊＊＊
"Today?"
A week had passed since attending the Aris Guild party with Lee Seo-yeon.
Contrary to expectations, that Shin Jeong-hwa or whatever hadn't picked a fight, not even a word.
But her stiff expression glimpsed at the party suggested the plan had worked.
'No time to worry about a girl like that.'
What mattered now was the result of the barista certification exam he'd taken recently.
He'd studied hard and made no mistakes, so he was confident he'd pass, but no slacking until the lid was off.
"Heh, using Hypnosis for studying guarantees a pass."
For studying, he'd cast hypnosis like [Focus solely on studying for the next 3 hours] to boost concentration.
Same for practical training—his skills couldn't help but improve!
"If I could've even cast level 2+ Hypnosis on myself, it'd have been cheat-level."
He could've been the king of self-improvement.
Able to alter his body too, maybe the first male S-Rank Hunter.
"Regrettable, but this was plenty helpful. Don't ask for more."
Yeah, what if the final boss lived inside him?
Maybe those thoughts could've become reality.
Instead, he'd end up body-snatched, turning into a horny dog dooming the world—missing the forest for the trees.
"So, satisfied with this!"
Announcement day arrived.
He checked the homepage immediately...
"Pass!"
He'd been confident, but seeing the result made joy overflow.
"Yes! This is it!"
One step closer to his dream of becoming a cafe owner.
Of course, certification alone wasn't enough; he needed his own shop, so part-time work continued.
"Can't hog this joy alone!"
Who to tell? Obviously Yu-ra sis.
[Sis, I passed the barista certification!]
Phone rang instantly.
-Jun-hyuk! Congrats! I'd love to rush to your place, but my schedule's packed today.
"It's fine. I know you're busy."
-Instead, free tomorrow? Let's meet!
Ooh, a long-overdue date with sis?
Time to show Man's Pride!
Adaptation or not, variety prevents boredom and keeps the romance fun, right?
"...Sis, where's this?"
He'd planned night fun, but meeting Yu-ra was at a quiet two-story cafe in a secluded spot.
"You said becoming a cafe owner was your dream. So I prepared this as a gift for when you got certified."
"...You bought a whole building?"
"No, bought the land and outsourced construction. Wanted to design it to your taste myself."
At least 100 pyeong.
Not just a cozy two-story cafe, but with a garden—practically a pension.
'Wait, isn't land here expensive?'
He'd researched prices near home for his own cafe—close and scenic.
Past life or now, Seoul land was pricey; he'd given up.
Yet in prime Seoul land, sis had handled land acquisition to construction.
"S-Sis? This is the gift? When did you start?"
"From when you survived the EX-Rank Gate?"
Not that long ago—how'd she build this?
With hordes of Awakeners, starting from scratch, it wasn't impossible.
"Title's transferred to you! It's yours, Jun-hyuk!"
Even without him being there in person, doable?
Transfer taxes or issues came to mind, but sis handled it.
'What do I even say?'
Receiving such a massive gift.
Felt like a drama heroine dating a chaebol heir.
Yu-ra wasn't chaebol-born but a self-made hero—way cooler.
'Those drama heroines sniped at male leads trying to buy affection with money.'
[Buying love with cash? Disgusting!]
[Your mindset that money fixes everything grosses me out!]
[This is pocket change for you? Makes me feel more pathetic. I could never earn this in a lifetime. Don't make me feel worse!]
Or rejecting big gifts as burdensome.
What nonsense.
"Sis."
Even earning it himself, he couldn't buy this in 10 years.
This saved him time and fulfilled his dream—the best gift.
"Thank you."
Plus, even as sis, prepping this wasn't easy.
Reject it?
That'd hurt sis and leave bitterness—losers all around.
Not a stranger; pure acceptance of goodwill.
That's the receiver's duty!
"I love you."
He tiptoed and pecked Yu-ra's cheek.
Sis's face twitched, desperately holding back a grin.
"Check inside too?"
Yu-ra hugged him from behind.
Sis clung until he'd seen every inch.
That warmth felt so good.
＊＊＊
"......"
After meeting Yoo Jun-hyuk, Shin Jeong-hwa volunteered for Gate missions, burying herself in work.
All to forget him and erase her inferiority complex by distracting herself elsewhere, but time didn't help.
'She must've pulled some trick. That bitch Lee Seo-yeon...'
Hacked to grab leverage?
No way a guy like that would meet her otherwise.
Unable to erase him from her mind, she deluded herself favorably.
'Or... he hasn't met a proper woman. I heard young guys fresh in society fall hard for the first girl they blindly date.'
She twisted her delusions to her advantage.
'Am I worse than that bitch Lee Seo-yeon in any way? No, right?'
After the Gate mission, Shin Jeong-hwa submitted a vacation request outside.
'Getting hooked by a girl like that. Pathetic.'
Her eyes blazed.
'A little chat in person, and he'll fall for me quick?'
Before love even.
'It'll happen. Men are creatures who fall easy for capable women.'
Hatred toward Lee Seo-yeon.
"A treasure way too good for a cockroach."
Jealousy born from unacceptable inferiority.
"I'll take him from you."