Episode 321. Lunch

“Looks delicious. Scarlet. Don’t you think?”

“….”

I swallowed, looking at the steaming hot gukbap before my eyes.

“I can’t believe there’s a Korean restaurant right in the middle of France. You should have told me sooner.”

“…It’s not a suitable place for escorting a lady, you see.”

“Why? What’s the difference between pasta and gukbap?”

“…….”

If pasta is a date course for Koreans, isn’t gukbap a date course for the French?

In front of Scarlet was the cheese sundubu jjigae, my recommended dish.

Actually, I ordered it because I wanted to try it myself.

With tons of cheese piled on top, it looked like cheesy steamed eggs at first glance, and the steam rising from it made it look incredibly delicious.

“Let me have a bite of the sundubu, too.”

“…This is my food, you know.”

“Hey! That’s the Korean spirit of sharing, you know. Mmm~ delicious.”

“Ah…”

I wondered if it was really cheese sundubu, but the taste of the firm tofu and cheese mixing in my mouth was quite good.

Scarlet watched me scoop up the sundubu, her mouth agape, and it was incredibly amusing to see her looking so different from usual.

Still, I should stop teasing her now.

We came here to eat together, I can’t make her sulk.

If this keeps up, Scarlet might end up hating Korea.

“You take other ladies to nice places, so why bring me somewhere like this?”

“Hey. Don’t look down on Korean restaurants. This place even has a Michelin star, you know.”

“…That wasn’t my intention. I just wish it were a place with a bit more ambiance.”

Scarlet sighed as she scooped up some sundubu.

“It tastes good, which is precisely why it’s more annoying.”

“I know, right? It’s really delicious.”

How is it that it tastes better here than in Korea?

The rich broth was dancing in my mouth.

Maybe it’s because I’ve been eating bread every day and now I’m eating rice.

This is the power of Korean rice!

After focusing on the meal for a moment, I spoke first.

“On our next date, I’ll take you somewhere more upscale. Scarlet-yang.”

“Why are you suddenly using that tone? Besides, I never said this was a date.”

Scarlet shook her head with a firm expression and scooped up some sundubu.

Was she acting like this because she was unhappy about coming here for gukbap?

If that were the case, I’d have something to say too.

“Why? We have mutual affection, and we’re just one step away from crossing the line.”

“Keuhk! cough cough!”

The moment Scarlet heard my words, she dropped her spoon on the table and started coughing violently.

I meant it as a tease, but she reacted so severely it was worrying.

…Did I go too far?

“Scarlet. Are you okay?”

“Cough. Yes, I’m fine. Where did you hear that information? No, there can only be one person. You went after the Guild Master’s summons yesterday.”

“The Guild Master didn’t tell me first. I pressed her for it.”

“…I never thought the great Iris Guild would have such easy information leaks. I should just quit soon.”

I tried to defend my future father-in-law, but it was no use.

Scarlet covered her mouth with a napkin, looking embarrassed, her face slightly flushed, seeming shy.

“As you probably already know, I only reported it that way to make the mission easier.”

“Really? That’s a shame.”

“…Don’t play hard to get with me.”

Scarlet clenched her fist, looking annoyed, while I smirked and checked Scarlet’s status window.

★ Heroine Status Window

[Scarlet]

• [ Affection: 80 ]

• [ Lust: 55 ]

• [ Appetite: 30 ]

• [ Fatigue: 50 ]

Current Status: What should I do about this crazy bastard… But the sundubu is delicious.

‘Her inner thoughts are always terrifying, no matter when I see them.’

Besides, lately, it feels like she’s starting to express those feelings verbally too.

We’re still in a superior-subordinate relationship, but it feels like she’s forgetting that.

“Anyway, let’s just eat quickly.”

“Right. Oh, can I have another bite? That’s tasty.”

“…Yes. Eat plenty.”

Scarlet seemed to have given up, not stopping my spoon as it headed for the sundubu.

---

The meal was satisfying.

Scarlet also seemed satisfied with the taste of the food itself.

“It was delicious.”

“Indeed, it was.”

Leaving the restaurant, we walked towards the Iris Guild.

“Where should we go next time?”

“…Suddenly?”

“Yeah. Don’t you want to?”

“It’s not that, but if you take only me, Liliana unnie might dislike it.”

“What are you talking about? I didn’t say we were going alone.”

“….”

“Sorry. I was kidding.”

I apologized immediately because Scarlet’s eyes, looking at me like trash, were scary.

There’s no need to look so murderous. What’s with that?

“Still, playing with me is fun, right? We can go out together.”

“Haaah… Men are supposed to take the lead in things like that. If you push hard enough, most women will agree unless they truly dislike it. You really don’t understand women’s hearts.”

“I’m a believer in gender equality. Sometimes women can take the lead too.”

“How many women do people like you have hanging around?”

“……”

I had quite a few rebuttals in mind, but I was suddenly speechless.

As expected, Scarlet is a formidable opponent.

“Well. Maybe it’s precisely because you have such clumsy sides despite seeming competent that women cling to you, Hoyeon-nim.”

“Yeah, that’s…”

Zzwaak-

I was about to boast that it was my charm, but I got goosebumps all over my body.

‘What the.’

That startled me.

I quickly spread my mana.

And in the alley ahead, I spotted Irene peeking out, using invisibility magic.

“…Scarlet.”

“Yes. But why are you suddenly lowering your voice?”

“You too. Irene is watching us from a distance right now.”

“Miss Irene? …Are you teasing me again?”

Despite her suspicion, Scarlet lowered her voice just like me.

She also checked her surroundings with mana, but it seemed she couldn’t find anything.

“Yeah. It feels like she’s monitoring me. She’s been watching me constantly since the last sortie.”

“Hmm, I haven’t often seen Miss Irene act like that. She has such a cool image.”

“It’s clear. She’s wary of me. It’s probably because of Alice.”

“Miss Alice?”

“…It’s a long story. There’s just something like that.”

Scarlet frowned upon hearing my words and continued.

“Hmm… Now that I think about it, I remember hearing something like that. Before I joined the Iris Guild, a certain guild member apparently said, ‘Little Miss Alice is so cute,’ got dragged away by Miss Irene, and then submitted his resignation the next day.”

“Is that a creepy pasta or fact?”

“I’m not sure about its authenticity.”

It’s probably fact.

Irene doesn’t have a bad image, so there’s no way such a creepy story would exist without reason.

“…Anyway, you should go. If we keep staying here, you might get caught in the crossfire.”

“Understood. Thank you for the meal today.”

Scarlet bowed to me and disappeared behind me.

I walked straight ahead, and Irene followed me from behind.

‘What should I do about her?’

I don’t know why she’s so focused on me, but it’s definitely because of Alice.

The problem is, how did she become so sure about Alice and my relationship to be stalking me like this?

I recalled what Scarlet had said.

‘Jealousy….’

Making her jealous, huh.

What could I gain by provoking jealousy through my relationship with Alice?

Irene’s score was definitely 83 points.

If I could capture her, I could gain a significant number of points.

But can I capture her through jealousy?

‘Should I just go for it?’

Since she doesn’t seem to like me anyway, there’s no harm in trying.

If she seems to hate it, I’ll just have to cut my losses.

The guild member from earlier might have been dragged away and forced to resign, but they can’t do that to me.

Because I’m a valuable asset to both Alice and the Iris Guild.

After pondering, I turned around and walked towards the signboard where Irene was hiding.

And seeing Irene plastered right behind the signboard, I spoke to her.

“What are you doing?”

Irene flinched in surprise when I spoke to her, then soon met my eyes.

“…What are you doing?”

“I didn’t have anyone to eat with, so I went with Scarlet. Since you were following me, Irene-nim, I was curious about your intentions.”

“….”

Irene must be in quite an awkward situation.

She doesn’t like me hanging out with other women besides Alice, but she also doesn’t want to acknowledge my relationship with Alice.

I expected her to get angry and confront me immediately, but she was surprisingly patient.

In that case, scrap the plan.

No need to stir up trouble unnecessarily.

“If you have nothing to say, I’ll be going then.”

“Wait, just a moment.”

Just then, Irene grabbed my shoulder as I was about to leave.

---

“…Haa.”

Waking up on Sunday morning, Alice let out a hollow laugh while watching the news.

• [Real Situation] “Korea has no talent.” Japan and China, who had been looking down on Korea. An incident that taught them a lesson with a single remark from the French government representative?!

• [Foreign Press Special Report] Lee Hoyeon’s live interview. The reason foreign reporters and media went wild simultaneously over a single smile from him.

• [Official] “Lee Hoyeon is the future after all.” The Centaur that the French government finally gave up on! Overseas reactions as the whole of Europe is now ecstatic about Korea’s genius mage.

• [Actual News] The reason the entire world praised Korea in surprise after a single ‘remark’ made by a BCH anchor during a briefing on Korea’s genius mage.

• Foreigners React to Korean Genius Mage Lee Hoyeon’s Mad Movie! [Overseas Reaction][reaction][Foreigner Real Reaction]

“What is this. Haa.”

Checking the community’s reactions, Alice gulped down her coffee, feeling a headache coming on.

As soon as Alice woke up and saw the news about Lee Hoyeon receiving a request from the French government, she asked Sebastian about its authenticity.

‘It seems an agreement was reached between the Guild Master and Cadet Lee Hoyeon. I was informed today as well.’

And Alice was not part of that agreement.

She didn’t have the ability to handle the Centaur, so it was only natural, really.

“…I have to go take my exam.”

Alice was scheduled to return home tomorrow.

She had naturally assumed she would go back with Lee Hoyeon, but the schedule turned out differently than she expected.

“….”

Alice, having finished her hot coffee without realizing it, finally picked up her smartwatch.

It wasn’t like a major disaster would happen if we didn’t go together, but somehow, I had a bad feeling.

A woman’s intuition, perhaps.

It felt like a major incident was about to occur in France.

Whether it was her experience or her relationship with Lee Hoyeon, something significant felt like it was about to change.

“Hoo… I can’t help it. Just a moment. Just a moment.”

Alice picked up her smartwatch and made a call.

• Huh?! My daughter. What’s up so early in the morning?

The familiar voice of her father.

This person always reacts like this whenever I call.

Khmm-

Alice cleared her throat subtly so it wouldn’t be heard on the phone, twisting her tongue as much as possible.

“…Daddy. Whatcha doin’?”

“No, it’s not that…”

“Alice wants to stay in France toooo…”

Ttuk-

“…Kkwaaak.”

A moment later.

Alice threw herself onto the bed, rolling around and burying her burning face in the pillow.