Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: The Heavenly Demon's First Blind Date (2)
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The Heavenly Demon sat at a corner table by the window in the family restaurant. Across from him sat a gracefully beautiful woman, seated demurely.
Was she just twenty years old?
Her bobbed hair fell to her shoulders, framing large eyes. Her straight nose was slightly low, but that only accentuated her cuteness.
‘Hmm.’
The Heavenly Demon stared intently at the woman. Had he fallen for her at first sight?
‘No, with a frame like that... I wonder if she could even lift a sword hilt... or a wallpaper steamer.’
But the Heavenly Demon wasn’t examining her looks—he was assessing her build and bones.
The woman’s name was Seo Yu-ri.
He’d assumed, since Kim Chanwon had introduced her, that she was at least an upper-rank yokai. But she turned out to be an utterly ordinary human.
“Excuse me.”
Just then, the server approached and began setting food on the table.
These were the dishes Kim Chanwon had ordered in abundance before introducing Seo Yu-ri and leaving.
‘He’s even more handsome in person than in the photos.’
Seo Yu-ri sneaked a glance at the Heavenly Demon while sitting as still as a statue.
His slightly reddish eyes were deep like a sunset over the receding sea, and the skin visible through his translucent, fine hair was pale to the point of pallor.
‘Wow...’
Overwhelmingly handsome. His face was so striking it filled her with awe, leaving her breathless.
“W-Won’t you eat?”
“Eat plenty yourself.”
It was an impolite response, one you’d never expect from a blind date.
But having heard about the Heavenly Demon from Kim Chanwon, she beamed.
“Yes!”
And without hesitation, she began devouring the food.
Seo Yu-ri alternated between steak and pasta relentlessly. After six or seven forkfuls, her stomach sufficiently filled, she dabbed her mouth with a napkin.
“I heard you’re quite a bit older.”
Seo Yu-ri said with a bright smile.
“If it’s not rude, could I ask your exact age?”
The genuine reactions from the women the Heavenly Demon had met so far generally fell into two categories.
They were afraid. Or utterly terrified.
But Seo Yu-ri met his gaze without flinching, speaking to him casually like a friend.
‘Unlike her delicate appearance, she’s a bold one.’
The Heavenly Demon took a sip from his water glass to moisten his throat and replied flatly.
“I don’t know.”
“Pardon?”
His curt answer made the smile she’d been holding finally falter.
“Oh... I see...”
For a moment, the Heavenly Demon could almost hear Jang Chaewon’s scolding in his ear.
-Be as polite as possible. Don’t be rude.
‘Hmm.’
-Think of Lamas.
With a resigned expression, the Heavenly Demon spoke again.
“This seat is an orphan. Abandoned at too young an age, I don’t know my exact age.”
Surprised by the unexpected reply, Seo Yu-ri bowed deeply.
“I’m sorry. That was a thoughtless question.”
“No need to mind it.”
Yet she kept bowing like a puppy scolded by its owner, so the Heavenly Demon changed the subject.
“And you? How old are you this year?”
From his perspective, it was an extraordinary courtesy. Of course, it stemmed from Lamas groaning for lack of parts.
“Pardon?”
“Your age.”
The Heavenly Demon’s voice was profoundly low and resonant. Combined with his archaic speech, it carried an imposing gravity.
Unable to hold back her bursting laughter, Seo Yu-ri teased playfully.
“I am twenty-seven, my lord.”
This time, the Heavenly Demon’s expression hardened.
Store owner Jang Chaewon also had the youthful looks of someone in her twenties, but her actual age was much older, so the emotional gap wasn’t wide.
But the woman before him was truly in her ‘actual twenties.’
“Kim must be losing his mind.”
Catching the implication in the Heavenly Demon’s tone, Seo Yu-ri shook her head with a laugh.
“It’s fine. You look about my age too, Heavenly Demon.”
Heavenly Demon. He nearly let out a hollow chuckle but maintained a solemn face.
“This seat’s age is about twice yours.”
“It’s fine. I just came out to get a free meal without any pressure.”
Seo Yu-ri gazed at the flustered Heavenly Demon with an amused expression.
“Worry about age when you’re serious about marriage.”
A bold, provocative joke. But the Heavenly Demon countered calmly.
“You mean I could marry someone of my parents’ generation?”
“Huh? You’ve really thought that far ahead?”
As Seo Yu-ri burst into laughter, the Heavenly Demon clamped his mouth shut.
It had always been this way in the past—being alone with a woman felt harder than facing a mortal enemy.
“Don’t worry. My parents aren’t around anymore. Even if you and I got married, no one would object.”
An orphan, then.
As his eyes narrowed, she waved her hand with a smile.
“They passed when I was in middle school. Both were Awakeners in the Association.”
“Awakeners?”
“Yes. They were on a raiding team stabilizing Variable Dungeons. So...”
Her face grew briefly somber, but she quickly brightened again.
“I heard you do interior work with Uncle Chanwon?”
“Uncle? Kim is your uncle?”
“Oh, no. It’s just what I call him.”
Blushing slightly, Seo Yu-ri continued.
“He helped me a lot. Thanks to him, I graduated school safely and even joined the Association.”
“Kim did?”
“Yes, he was close friends with my father...”
Seo Yu-ri seemed unaware that Kim Chanwon was a yokai.
But that was odd. How could an upper-rank yokai like Kim Chanwon befriend the human father of Seo Yu-ri?
‘Kim has quite the backstory.’
He’d thought Kim Chanwon was simply a yokai fond of revelry.
Just as the Heavenly Demon never spoke of his own past, Kim never mentioned his.
‘Come to think of it, the store owner is the same.’
Recalling Jang Chaewon’s face, the Heavenly Demon shook his head. Whatever past those two had, it had nothing to do with him.
“Um... I heard you do interior work together. How is it? Not too tough?”
At Seo Yu-ri’s question, the Heavenly Demon shook his head lightly.
“It’s nothing. Child’s play for this seat.”
“Really? What kind of work do you mainly do?”
Seo Yu-ri continued the conversation with eager interest.
No matter what the Heavenly Demon said or what expression he made, she kept a bright smile and chattered endlessly.
Watching Seo Yu-ri laugh boldly and confidently, the Heavenly Demon suddenly thought of someone.
‘The only daughter of the Red Heaven Merchant Group. Lim Seon-a, was it?’
In the past, Lim Seon-a, the sole daughter of the second-richest merchant house in the Central Plains, had visited his residence.
Her reason for coming was absurdly simple: curiosity.
Spending a fortune, she’d arranged a private audience solely to see the legendary figure who’d reached the pinnacle of martial arts, the Heavenly Demon.
The audacious Lim Seon-a, the only woman unafraid of him. Her face began overlapping with Seo Yu-ri’s before him.
‘No. Slightly different.’
If they’d been identical, this meeting would have been dreadfully boring.
But in Seo Yu-ri’s eyes burned not just intense curiosity, but something indefinable. The Heavenly Demon, oblivious that it was budding affection, remained unaware.
A few days later.
“You’re meeting her again today?”
Inside the Bokbok Interiors shop. Jang Chaewon, sitting with her laptop open, gaped.
“So... Yu-ri suggested an after, and you accepted?”
Before her stood the Heavenly Demon, his hair tied in a single ponytail like a samurai, nodding while holding a mop.
“That’s right.”
An after: a signal after a blind date that you want to meet again if it went well.
It was surprising enough that Seo Yu-ri had initiated it first, but more shocking that the Heavenly Demon had accepted.
‘Things are moving too fast?’
Jang Chaewon hadn’t expected the blind date to go well at all. No, she’d considered it a win if he didn’t get cursed out.
It was just meant to show him a bit about modern dating customs, different from the martial world, and shift his view of people slightly.
“Did you like her?”
Clearing her throat awkwardly, Jang Chaewon probed casually. The Heavenly Demon replied indifferently.
“What do you mean?”
“That Yu-ri woman. You were the one who didn’t want to go on the blind date...”
“Like or dislike—what’s that got to do with it?”
“What?”
The Heavenly Demon said nonchalantly.
“She owns a considerable number of vehicles. Apparently, she even has a separate place to store them.”
“What are you talking about?”
“When we discussed my Lamas vehicle, she offered one of hers. Said I’d surely like it.”
“What?”
Jang Chaewon couldn’t hide her disbelief.
In other words, he’d been completely swayed by Seo Yu-ri’s wealth.
‘Acting all transcendent over money when he looked fierce, but now with a handsome face, he turns into a gold-digger?’ Swallowing those words, she forced a smile.
“So, she offers a car, and you jump at the chance? What happened to all that talk about souls?”
“She said her vehicles surely have souls too.”
“Polygamy? As long as it has a soul, it’s all good?”
“What are you saying? It’s always wise to have spares for weapons.”
“Why? Why spares?”
The Heavenly Demon stated matter-of-factly.
“Sudden damage, loss, or theft could happen. Having an extra fine weapon isn’t bad.”
“What?”
“Prepared for all threats. That’s the way of the martial artist.”
Is this the martial world? Suppressing a throbbing vein on her forehead, Jang Chaewon plastered on a smile.
“Ah, yes, yes. Good for you. Make sure you get a great car.”
“I will.”
Whether he got a car or a plane, it wasn’t her concern. Turning from the Heavenly Demon, she took a sip of coffee and started on estimates.
The coffee was sweet, yet somehow left a bitter aftertaste.
Around closing time.
With a low rumble, a red sports car pulled up in front of the shop.
Ding-a-ling.
The cheerful bell rang as the Bokbok Interiors door opened.
In walked a woman in a black miniskirt and white off-shoulder blouse, waving.
It was Seo Yu-ri.
“I’m here to pick you up, Heavenly Demon.”
Jang Chaewon, at the computer desk, dropped her jaw.
‘Ugh, such bold clothes...’
Seo Yu-ri’s outfit, exposing her slender legs and shoulders, clearly aimed to captivate the Heavenly Demon.
“Hello. You must be Chaewon unnie? You’re even more beautiful than I heard.”
Meeting Jang Chaewon’s eyes, Seo Yu-ri smiled radiantly and offered a business card.
“Nice to meet you. Seo Yu-ri, 4th Grade Awakener from the Data Mining Team, Big Data Analysis Division, Korean Awakener Association.”
‘She’s an Association Awakener?’
Jang Chaewon couldn’t mask her surprise.
Places like the Big Data Analysis Division, which analyzed dungeons and managed rankings, were elite spots for genius Awakeners only.
Who’d have thought the innocently cheerful Seo Yu-ri walked the top career path for her age group.
“H-Hello.”
Regaining her composure, Jang Chaewon pulled out her own card.
“I’m Jang Chaewon. I’ve heard so much about you.”
She looked nothing like the photo Kim Chanwon had shown.
In person, her face radiated the vibrant allure of true youth.
Jang Chaewon had a twenties appearance too, but Seo Yu-ri had that provocative, lively spark only real young people possessed.
“Then I’ll head out first.”
As the Heavenly Demon stepped forward, Jang Chaewon nodded.
“Yeah. Good work. Go on.”
“Then take care.”
Seo Yu-ri bowed politely, and Jang Chaewon smiled and nodded back slightly.
“That guy.”
Watching the Heavenly Demon and Seo Yu-ri walk side by side, Jang Chaewon looked baffled.
“Never any middle ground.”
* * *
She wanted to say Seo Yu-ri enjoyed a fun date with the Heavenly Demon... but all they’d done was discuss operating her sports car, ‘Esper.’
‘He’s a real car enthusiast.’
Seeing the Heavenly Demon listen to her explanations with fervent eyes, Seo Yu-ri stifled a laugh.
‘If I hadn’t offered a car... he probably wouldn’t have met again.’
During the blind date, his eyes had lit up at the casual car talk.
She’d seized that and dangled a tempting offer to secure the after. But that was Seo Yu-ri’s misconception.
‘Intriguing. This woman.’
Surprisingly, the Heavenly Demon was showing genuine interest in Seo Yu-ri.
‘She’s truly different.’
Seo Yu-ri stood apart from any woman he’d met before.
She wasn’t startled by his unique personality, speech, demeanor, or unconventional values.
Instead, she treated him naturally, without reservation, like an old acquaintance.
‘Treating this seat like an ordinary human, is she?’
This world had more eccentrics than the martial world, unlike what the Heavenly Demon knew. Unaware, he found her casual gaze intriguing.
“Let’s take a short break now.”
Seo Yu-ri parked at a quiet suburban café.
The interior was all wood, warmed by orange bulbs.
They sat side by side at a bar table by the window, sipping drinks.
“How is it? Does this car have a soul?”
The Heavenly Demon gazed at the bright red Esper outside.
It boasted mesmerizing performance and allure, but sadly lacked the soul he sought.
“No.”
“A shame. Next time, I’ll bring a different one.”
A subtle after invitation. With no response from the Heavenly Demon, Seo Yu-ri cleared her throat and changed topics.
“So, what are your plans going forward?”
Seo Yu-ri, sitting in the corner gazing out the window, suddenly asked.
“I heard you’ll work at Bokbok Interiors for three years. After that?”
“Well.”
The Heavenly Demon bit the inside of his thinning lips lightly.
Would he fully restore his decade’s worth of inner energy in three years?
Maybe, maybe not.
One certainty: he wouldn’t let the conspirator who sent him here go unpunished.
“Worries for three years from now are best left then.”
His tone carried a hint of self-mockery.
Seo Yu-ri smiled brightly, gazing at his profile.
“Either way, you’ll be here for three years, right?”
“Indeed.”
“I see. Then...”
Taking a deep breath, Seo Yu-ri looked straight at the Heavenly Demon.
“Until then, why don’t we date?”