101. A Shocking First Meeting
101. A Shocking First Meeting
***
"...Something about this bothers me."
In front of a full-length mirror, a beautiful woman with a cold impression quietly murmured as she neatly tied back her jet-black hair that fell to her waist.
She kept checking herself for anything out of place, her black-jewel eyes shifting anxiously as she inspected her appearance again and again.
She kept smoothing her hair or pointlessly touching her clothes.
Her reflection in the mirror was impeccably neat, without a single thing out of place.
A beautiful face. A luxurious black blouse, and a flared skirt that fell to her knees carried the bright colors of spring.
And beneath it, her snow-white legs.
"Why am I... nervous?"
It had been a long time since she had worn going-out clothes instead of her uniform, so she even felt a slightly different kind of tension.
This wasn't dressing up for a public occasion like a meeting with an advertising sponsor or an awards ceremony. It was nothing more than preparation to go meet a single person.
Jeanne d'Arc, Yoo Eunha.
Right now, unlike usual, she was making an effort to look her best.
She had lightly applied makeup, which she normally wasn't good at doing herself, and she was spending a lot of time adorning herself, from her outfit to small accessories.
Despite her looks, Yoo Eunha had never been especially interested in fashion.
She simply preferred to keep herself neat and tidy.
Appropriate color coordination, clothes of clean material, a tidy appearance.
Rather than dressing herself up excessively to stand out, she preferred to shine quietly just by being herself.
And whenever she met someone, Eunha wanted even more to look perfectly put together.
But right now, unlike usual, she was trying to dress herself up a little more.
As if she wanted to make a good impression on someone.
As if she wanted to win their favor, she was dressing up and trying to look prettier, trying to look flawlessly neat and tidy.
—A beautiful, tidy appearance alone is one of the easiest ways to make a great impression, regardless of gender! Remember, first impressions can have a huge effect on how a relationship develops!
It was one of the lines from a NewTube video about how to get closer to someone you wanted to befriend.
Eunha suddenly looked at the watch of a particular brand on her wrist and checked the time.
—9:24 AM.
There was still time left until the appointment.
Even though she'd already checked the date and time dozens of times, Eunha took out her phone and checked her schedule once more for no reason.
—Tuesday, August 10th, 11:00 AM.
That was the date and time of the appointment she had made to meet Rin in person.
And Eunha had already secured the meeting place.
Because she didn't want to worry about other people watching them when she met Rin, she'd rented out an entire café in advance.
And today was the day of the appointment.
Even though Eunha had spoken to Sua about it before, she hadn't really expected she'd actually get to meet Rin.
Even though she had expressed her wish to meet Rin to the user named Plea, she hadn't thought Rin would agree to meet so easily.
There was something restrained about both the way Rin came across on stream and the impression her character gave.
An atmosphere that seemed unlikely to allow anyone close easily.
But the reply that had come from Plea just yesterday was far too unexpected.
[Rin seems interested too. She said she'd gladly meet you.]
...
...
Having finished all her preparations, Eunha left her officetel and stepped into the elevator.
Ding!
With the small sound of the elevator arriving and opening, she slowly began walking through the underground parking garage.
Click.
Click.
Her gait in high heels was perfectly natural, yet somehow striking.
A cold face that highlighted refined feminine beauty.
But her eyes glowed softly with a hint of excitement, giving her an elegant air and drawing the gazes of the few people in the underground parking garage.
Eunha passed by a hypercar with a faint blue tint, and as if reacting to her mere presence, the hypercar emitted a soft sound and glowed on its own.
Eunha opened the car door far too naturally and climbed into her car.
—!
The hypercar let out a heavy yet smooth engine sound and began to leave the underground parking garage.
***
Gangnam
Serin took a taxi close to the meeting place. After getting out, she walked only a few minutes before arriving, then tilted her head at what she saw.
"...Is this place actually open?"
Unlike an ordinary café, the place looked luxurious even at a glance. Its lights were blazing, yet there wasn't a single customer visible inside.
The closer Serin got to the café entrance and the more she saw of the interior, the more a chill seemed to settle over her.
As if the place wasn't even open for business—there really wasn't a single customer, to the point that she even got that feeling.
She checked the time, and there were about 10 minutes left until her meeting with Jeanne d'Arc.
10:50.
Wondering if she had come to the wrong place, she quickly checked the meeting location.
-Terre Fleurie. August 10th, 11:00 AM.
'Could it be... the cafe isn't open yet?'
For a moment, Serin even wondered if staying home all the time had left her lacking in basic common sense, but she quickly realized that couldn't be it.
Because it wasn't me who had set the appointment time in the first place, but Jeanne d'Arc herself. So even if I'm a little lacking in common sense right now... she wouldn't be unaware of it.
Serin had reached the entrance of the luxurious cafe but couldn't bring herself to go in, and she was searching on her phone, wondering if this wasn't the place but somewhere else. She had been pacing for about one or two minutes.
Click.
Suddenly, the cafe door opened.
Serin turned her head, slightly startled.
"Excuse me... are you the person with an appointment?"
A man in his early thirties who appeared to be a cafe employee looked at Serin and asked cautiously. Serin gave a small nod.
"...Uh, yes. Probably."
She answered, her lips moving for a moment, but the words didn't come out easily.
Still, given that it was an appointment, she figured she was probably the right person.
'I'm probably right...?'
I did feel a small flicker of anxiety—if it wasn't me, this would be really embarrassing—but surely that couldn't be it. When the employee smiled and spoke, that anxiety disappeared.
"Ah, then I'll guide you in. She's already arrived."
"Okay."
Answering briefly, Serin slowly followed behind the employee.
Once inside, the cafe's design drew her attention even more.
The soft, clean lighting seemed to calm the mind, and all the modern decorations, furnishings, and furniture placed throughout the space fit together perfectly.
Following behind the employee, Serin looked around the duplex café with mild curiosity.
Even the color of the stairs going up held a brilliant blue tint, so the feel of the space was different again.
Step.
As befitting a cafe with a luxurious atmosphere, even the guiding employee's gait, manner of speech, and conduct were each far from ordinary.
But even that employee couldn't help glancing at Serin at each moment he turned while walking.
Her rare, snow-white silver hair fell long down her back, so striking that it was hard not to look.
And below it, mixed-race features.
Judging by her speaking Korean, she was certainly Korean, but her appearance was so extraordinary that one might wonder if she was some famous foreign model.
Her appearance, looking around the cafe carefully with a strange light in her eyes, even gave off a mysterious atmosphere.
Wearing a black cardigan and slim-fit pants of the same color, she showed off near-perfect legs.
Then, when the employee arrived at the place where a woman was seated, he gave a small bow and left as if his guidance was complete.
"...Ah."
And the neat-looking woman who had been sitting and watching Serin enter let out a small, involuntary exclamation of admiration.
She immediately rose to her feet, and Serin, seeing that, smiled slightly and moved her lips.
"Yoo Eunha?"
It seemed a little strange to say, 'You're Jeanne d'Arc, right?' so she called her by her widely known real name.
"...Yes."
At the sight of the far-too-beautiful woman giving a small nod, Serin was also a little flustered.
The appearance she carefully took in for a moment was far beyond her expectations.
Another World's Jeanne d'Arc, Yoo Eunha.
'Meeting her in person, the feeling is completely different.'
Her appearance was quite different from the looks she had seen in internet articles and videos, and from the appearance she had encountered in Another World last time.
No, her looks were similar, but decisively, it was her atmosphere, so to speak. The first impression she felt was that she seemed utterly feminine.
She wasn't the impassive figure Serin had seen in Another World, sword in hand and face cold and indifferent. Now, as she looked at Serin with that peculiar light in her eyes, her emotions seemed vivid and varied.
Perhaps because of that, the cold impression had faded, and her appearance, as if she had dressed herself up to the fullest, truly felt womanly.
And beyond what Serin felt.
Yoo Eunha stared at Serin in utter shock.