From Banchan to Beer

The moment he heard the voice, he quickly checked his reflection in the mirror by the shoe rack and straightened his clothes. Opening the door revealed Yoon Ji-young in casual clothes, offering an awkward smile and a greeting.

"Hello."

"Hey. What brings you here, Ji-young?"

At his question, she sheepishly held out a container she was carrying.

"My parents sent over some side dishes—way too much—so I brought some over. You said last time you only eat ramen."

"Ah… You didn't have to do that."

"It's just extras, so eat it without worrying."

"Then I'll gratefully dig in. Oh, right—looks like you're out of the hospital. I was gonna visit, but I've been kinda busy lately…"

"Yeah. Well… I should get going then."

"Wait! Ji-young."

"Yeah?"

"Wanna come in for some tea? I've got coffee… instant, though."

At Taemin's offer, she made a slightly troubled face.

"I've got plans right now, maybe next time… Actually, how about tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow works."

"Dinner together tomorrow night?"

Taemin nodded eagerly at her suggestion.

"Sounds good to me."

"I'll text you tomorrow then."

After Yoon Ji-young left, Taemin hummed to himself as he opened the container. The five-tiered box was packed with his favorites: braised beef, soy-marinated crab, kimchi, perilla leaf salad, and candied sweet potatoes—all looking delicious.

"Whoa, how'd she know exactly what I like? Guess I need to grab some instant rice."

The next morning, after setting a time with Yoon Ji-young over the phone, Taemin headed to the hunting grounds to grind the last of his levels. A rough calculation of his remaining EXP suggested he'd hit it before dinner.

Entering the Crystal Plateau, he hustled around, hunting diligently until he finally reached level 50.

His level rose, unlocking a new skill right away.

"Blade of Offense? Kinda like that other one, huh."

After clearing the surrounding monsters, he opened his skill window with eager eyes.

"Hmm. Yeah, just like it. Defensive Blades for defense, Blade of Offense for attack."

Taemin activated the skill immediately to test it.

A message popped up, and two blue swords materialized around him.

"Attacks enemies within 20m. Ranged skill, then?"

Intrigued, he decided to test it right away. Activating Arrainba and dashing forward, a group of monsters soon entered his view. Pretty far off, he triggered Blade of Offense and slowly closed the distance.

Once he got within range, the blue swords ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠on either side shot forward like beams of light. They zipped to the frontmost monster, striking relentlessly. The damage was low, but the blades stuck to it doggedly, unleashing flashy attacks.

"So Defensive Blades are for defense, Blade of Offense for pure offense. If the damage gets up there, it'd dominate waves."

Without hesitation, Taemin dumped 4 skill points into it.

"Hmm. Things are starting to come together. Man, I've got a ton of skills now—over ten. None useless so far?"

Not a single skill he'd unlocked had been pointless. If he had to pick one, maybe Third Eye. He still hadn't figured out its full potential.

The ability to peek into others' inventories. On the surface, pretty useless. But back in the management office, when he'd used it, a mysterious message had appeared.

"It said 'unable to acquire yet,' so… there must be something to it. Probably a skill to steal items. Oh right, no time for this."

Checking the time, he quickly exited the dungeon. He had dinner plans with Yoon Ji-young.

Heading straight to the department store after leaving.

It's dinner, gotta dress sharp.

With the season changing and nothing suitable in his closet, he made for the clothing section.

This was his second visit to Cheil Department Store—one of Seoul's big three—since shopping with Song Min-ji a few months back. Striding confidently into the luxury hall, he threw together some outfits, grabbed what caught his eye, and hit the fitting room.

Stepping out to the full-body mirror, he felt like a different person. Clothes make the man—timeless truth.

Definitely worth the price. Wings, indeed.

Taemin headed straight to the register.

"Bag it up, please. How much for all this? Shoes and belt too."

"One moment, sir."

The clerk tapped at the calculator, then flashed an angelic smile with the total.

"8.2 million won altogether, sir."

A single outfit, shoes, and belt for 8.2 million won. Back in the day, he'd have gasped at the absurdity. But now, selling one material netted 10 million. A few million was pocket ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠change.

He paid up cleanly and moved to the watch section.

Taemin had never worn a watch in his 29 years. To him, it was just a timepiece—why spend when your phone worked fine?

But he'd heard and seen enough to know a watch was a big deal for men. Like a woman's designer bag. Excluding cars, it was the ultimate item to boost your image.

He wasn't into this stuff, so his brand knowledge was limited: Rolex, Cartier, Omega. Plenty pricier and cheaper options existed, but those three popped into his head.

He settled on Rolex. Entering the store, he asked the clerk for recommendations.

"Looking for a watch that goes with suits."

The clerk eagerly pointed to the displays, rattling off a spiel: history, movement type, part count—nothing spared in the memorized pitch.

After a solid ten-minute briefing, Taemin picked the Rolex Submariner, a popular model nicknamed "Subma" or "Shovel."

Plenty more expensive ones, but this looked clean and versatile.

"This one."

Watch in hand, he swung by the floor below for some cologne, then left the store.

Back at the dorm, he showered, spritzed on the cologne, suited up, and checked the time.

Meeting at the parking lot at 5:30, so leave in 10.

Time up, he threw on the jacket, laced the shoes, gave himself a final once-over in the mirror, and headed out.

Even leaving early, Yoon Ji-young was already there waiting. She'd clearly put effort into her look too: a flowy dress, hair loosely down, sparkling beauty as a bonus.

"You beat me here?"

Taemin spoke first, and she looked at him with a slight start.

"Yeah, got stuffy inside, came out early. Taemin, you look amazing tonight. Thought you were a celeb."

"Me? Haha, no way. You're the stunner here."

"Really?"

"C'mon, my car's this way."

Taemin led her to the parking lot. He opened the passenger door for her himself, then pulled out of headquarters, asking,

"You like steak, Ji-young?"

"I eat anything. But let me treat."

"Doesn't matter who pays. There's a spot nearby I know—great vibe. We'll go there."

A place he'd googled last night in a rush.

Forty minutes out, they arrived at a restaurant overlooking a small lake. Crunching over the gravel path, they took an outdoor table and scanned the menu.

"Courses are good here. What do you think, Ji-young?"

"Same as you."

"B course, please. Medium on the main. And a bottle of red wine."

She watched him order smoothly, curiosity piqued.

"You come here a lot?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah—solo when I crave wine. They have one-person tables for that."

First time, actually, but Google was godsend. His thorough research paid off.

Soon, appetizers led a parade of dishes filling the table. They savored the quality wine and food as sunset lamps lit up, enhancing the scenic charm.

"Perfect for couples," Yoon Ji-young said, gazing at the serene lake.

"Totally. Solid date spot. Speaking of… no boyfriend, Ji-young?"

"Me?"

"Yeah. Figure a catch like you gets tons of attention."

She smiled shyly.

"Nah, none yet. Haven't really thought about it. Since becoming a hunter…"

"Why not? Someone to lean on sounds good."

"Eh, just… Oh, right—you're 29, yeah? Same as me. Wanna be friends?"

"Friends?"

"Yeah. Friends you can trust and rely on."

"Hell yeah, I'm in. So… casual speech? Friends and all?"

"Yep. Drop the formalities."

"Alright, Ji-young. Haha… feels weird."

"That awkward, Taemin?"

"Huh?"

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

Yoon Ji-young burst out laughing at his reaction. He mumbled sheepishly,

"Not great at switching on the spot. It'll get natural. To celebrate our friendship, wanna grab a celebratory drink somewhere?"

"Booze? What about driving?"

"Call a driver. Or…"

"Or?"

"My room for a quick beer?"

She stared at him blankly.

"Your room?"

"Why not?"

"Well, not like it's a no…"

"C'mon, just one beer."

At his repeated nudge, she nodded.

"Okay, just one then."