The System, as if to congratulate Wonwoo, sent a message with an alarm that sounded like cheerful humming.
-Bbirong bbirong!
[A good start is half the battle! (*￣3￣)]
[You've GOTTEN☆ the contact information of 2 of the 4 S-rank Espers in Korea!]
[Now there are only 2 left!!]
[The beginning of a relationship is always exchanging contact info, you know (*︾▽︾)]
It wasn't wrong, but the emoticons and stars made it feel like it was teasing him. Wonwoo stared at his phone screen with a sour expression.
"Wonwoo-ssi, um... if you don't mind, could you give me a call? So I can save your number. Or you can just type your number into my phone."
"Ah, yes. Of course. I'll call you."
Wonwoo made the call, counted to five in his head, and hung up. Watching him, Jinho hesitated before speaking.
"By any chance, um. There's something I need to apologize for first. I accidentally saw your age earlier when I was looking at the incident report."
"Oh. Yes. It's okay, that report was mostly blank anyway, so I think that's the only thing you could have seen. Haha, please don't worry about it."
Did I... write down my age? I think I wrote down my resident registration number. Wonwoo thought for a moment before shaking his head. What would an S-rank Esper even do with his resident registration number anyway?
"Um. Ah, by any chance, I saw that you're older than me... If it's okay, could I, um, call you Wonwoo-ssi, hyung?"
"Yes. Of course."
Wonwoo nodded with a good-natured smile.
"Wow. Thank you. I'll save your number as 'hyung,' too. As 'Wonwoo-hyung'."
At Jinho's words, Wonwoo discreetly took out his phone, opened his contacts, and edited the name information. From 'Han Jinho-ssi_S-rank Esper' to 'Han Jinho'.
Right, adding 'Esper' like a job title was a bit much, wasn't it? As he was thinking that, his phone vibrated and he heard that familiar humming alarm.
-Bbirong bbirong!
[How about user 'Wonwoo' tries making a business card?]
[Starting a business begins with self-PR! (｡･∀･)ﾉﾞ Shall we aim for a Paper Guild together?]
Ah, Paper Guild... Wonwoo recalled the various economic crimes related to paper companies he had seen on the news and turned off his phone screen.
First, let's ignore it. Let's move on!
"Well then, shall we go eat? Let's go to the restaurant Jinho-ssi mentioned!"
***
"Team Leader!! Where have you been? Without any contact!"
"Hmph, what's with you. It's not like it's the first or second day I've been out of touch."
"That's true, but still...! Even if you don't make calls, you should at least answer them!"
"But the theme of this trip, no. This business trip was a digital detox."
"There was a huge fuss about an AA-rank Gate appearing, what kind of godforsaken digital detox are you talking about!! And you're an Esper!"
At the words of Jihyeok, the head manager of the Black Star Guild and a secretary from Black Star Electronics' strategic planning team, Hyeonil, who had been diligently examining various approval documents and statements, froze.
"...AA-rank? Really? When? But why is it so quiet? What, what happened? Did it go bust? Or what, was it a special type? Did someone die? Was it raided through a sacrifice?"
"You didn't check your phone?"
"I told you, it was a digital detox. And I came straight here as soon as the trip ended, where would I find the time to look? But I have time now, so I'll look."
"Never mind, it's already over. We got another call from the Bureau. They said the Gate has been raided."
"...You said it was AA-rank? This quickly?"
"Perhaps it was a Gate that could be raided with a sacrifice, just as you said, Team Leader. Anyway, they said it was raided in just a few hours."
"Hmm, that's strange. I have this nagging feeling that I shouldn't just let this go..."
"And a person like that just goes off the grid?"
"I don't know. Hmm... I guess I'll have to stop by the Bureau tomorrow."
Hyeonil smiled and joked, and Jihyeok, as if used to it, let it pass without any expression.
"Fine. You can go where you need to go, but get the approvals done before you leave. There's more than one or two things piled up right now."
"I was only gone for two days, and you couldn't stand it and welcomed me so enthusiastically."
"......"
"Alright, alright. Could you please not look at me with that 'I want to throw my resignation letter at you this instant' expression?"
"Please, I'm begging you to approve at least 50% of this today. Please."
"I got it. I will, I will. If I don't, from tomorrow, I'm not Kim Hyeonil, I'm Gae-Hyeonil. I'll change my surname, I will."
"Yes, Team Leader Gae-Hyeonil. You said that last time, too. Please, I'm begging you, do it before you become Gae-Gae-Hyeonil."
After Jihyeok left with that earnest request, Hyeonil leaned back and sprawled out on the plush chair.
As Team Leader, the final approval was just a formality to show others, 'I'm still working, I'm not just playing around and doing nothing.' As such, there was nothing he could directly get involved in, which was bound to be boring.
'I could just run the guild, but the old man insisted I take a position. What a waste of time this is. The number of Gates I could raid, the number of monsters I could handle in the time I spend sitting in this chair. That old man just can't see the big picture.'
Hyeonil let out a big yawn and looked over the approval documents Jihyeok had organized on his desk again. In the middle of it, he found something that should have been somewhere else.
'...Why is an invitation from a credit card company here?'
His personal mail, which Jihyeok would normally sort and leave at his house, was here at the office.
"I didn't want to do the approvals anyway, so this is perfect."
This wasn't playing around or procrastinating; it was about tackling a high-priority task first. With that thought, Hyeonil hummed a tune as he tore open the envelope.
And the black envelope, decorated with luxurious gold foil, was torn to shreds and scattered in a very short time.
[PRIVATE Invitation for Kim Hyeonil-nim]
[Our The Premium Black card goes beyond the value of money, taking the lead in contemplating and realizing the world's value. Therefore, we are honored to be with Team Leader Kim Hyeonil, who strives for the world more than anyone else.]
[We wish to joyfully deliver a way to solve the Gate problem to S-rank Esper and VVIP member, Team Leader Kim Hyeonil.]
[We ask that you visit at your convenience anytime with this PRIVATE invitation.]
"Hmm... I really should drop by the Bureau tomorrow."
The fact that an AA-rank Gate had appeared was surprising enough, but for it to be raided in less than a day. On top of that, the first thing he saw after hearing that news was this suspicious invitation. There was a lot to think about.
Hyeonil sensed a strange atmosphere emanating from the invitation. It was the energy of a Gate, which he felt every time he was deployed for a raid.
Hyeonil lightly skimmed the 'Gate Report' Jihyeok had left behind and stroked his chin. Then, he called Jihyeok.
"Hey, I need you to clear my schedule for tomorrow morning."
At the request to clear his schedule, Jihyeok replied with a resigned voice, 'Understood, Team Leader Gae-Gae-Hyeonil.'
After ending the call, Hyeonil once again picked up the invitation elegantly embroidered with gold foil. A scent, like pine or perhaps smoked wood, stimulated Hyeonil's nose.
"This doesn't belong in this world. Something feels off."
Hyeonil took a ruby the size of a grain of rice from his inner jacket pocket and crushed it. With the small sound of the gem shattering, the invitation he held in his other hand burst into flames.
***
The place Jinho and Wonwoo arrived at was a restaurant located in a spot that made one marvel, 'There's a place this quiet in the middle of Seoul.' With a garden filled with white and red flowers, even the sign was not brightly lit, giving off a subtle atmosphere.
'This is a place I really love. I hope you like it too, hyung...!'
Jinho said this, looking at Wonwoo with shining eyes, his cheeks flushed red. As if on cue, a gentle breeze blew, tickling Jinho's bangs.
His hair swayed gently with the wind, and as if waiting for it, his smile deepened. It felt like a flower bud, knowing that spring was coming, stretching and blooming wide to scatter the scent of spring.
In other words, it was like a scene from a shoujo manga.
Wonwoo, who had been staring blankly at this for a brief moment, quickly came to his senses and escaped the shoujo manga as soon as he entered the restaurant and was guided by an employee. And then, he realized the situation he was in.
'This place, something... it doesn't seem like a place where just men come to eat?! I mean, this is totally... like a blind date or a date spot!'
Subtle lighting that made you feel like you should be tilting a wine glass and whispering words of love brightened the surroundings, and beyond the window was a beautiful garden that looked like a place you should walk through with a loved one, drawing up blueprints and whispering promises of the future.
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