Chapter 86

EP.86 Request (3)

In the <Royal> clan, Moon Ga-eun's position is somewhat ambiguous.

Unlike Kang Juyeon, the daughter of the clan master and a B-rank Holder, Moon Ga-eun is neither a clan successor nor a C-rank Holder.

She wasn't particularly outstanding compared to other clan members.

Of course, her father, Moon Jeong-hyeok, is a founding member and a key officer of <Royal>, and also the brother-in-law of the clan master, Hwang Geon-wook, so his power within the clan is overwhelming...

But that was her father's power, not Moon Ga-eun's.

She was neither a senior clan member nor a regular clan member.

That was her position in <Royal>.

'But still, everyone treats me well.'

Being the daughter of a core officer, her title wasn't going to disappear.

Although Moon Ga-eun, as a regular clan member, didn't perform any special duties, she could enjoy decent treatment in <Royal> thanks to her father's prestige.

This was largely because <Royal> lacked a clear successor.

Since the clan master, Hwang Geon-wook, had no children, the Moon family shared some of that power.

The ability to attempt the 'Doh Jae-hyun recruitment' after Kang Juyeon was also a result of this treatment and recognition.

"Hello, Holder Moon Ga-eun."

"Yes, good morning. You must be the new Holder, Kim Dong-hyun, right?"

"Y-Yes, how did you..."

"Most people in the hunting team know each other."

So, during the break, Moon Ga-eun consistently attended the clan and did her best in her duties.

She didn't want to take her treatment for granted...

And she didn't want to tarnish her father's reputation.

Rights always come with responsibilities.

That was Moon Ga-eun's principle regarding authority.

"Another appointment is set for the weekend. This time, you must go. Because of our mischievous daughter, I have no face to meet the Master of <Sunset Flower>."

...But her father, Moon Jeong-hyeok,

didn't seem to care much about such principles.

In his personal office within the clan.

He had rushed over due to an urgent call, but this was the response he got.

Moon Ga-eun was thoroughly annoyed by the tiresome repeated proposal.

"Ah, really! How many times do I have to say I won't go to a blind date!"

She couldn't even remember how many times.

From the middle of the semester to the current break.

Her father had been relentless in setting up blind dates for her.

Worried that she might not like the person...

He kept changing the candidates.

Her father was truly passionate in many ways.

"One meeting with a friend your age isn't a blind date. It's about building new connections."

Moon Ga-eun immediately countered her father's words.

"Building new connections at a restaurant, alone? Besides, I've already met Holder Jeong Hyun-seok on business at the clan. Why build connections again?"

Jeong Hyun-seok, the successor of <Sunset Flower>.

A student Holder in the second year of the Academy, he had already been promoted to B-rank this year and was one of the most promising young talents in the Holder community.

He was popular due to his good looks and family background, but Moon Ga-eun had no interest.

He wasn't her type, and she had no intention of finding a partner that way.

But her father, seemingly fond of Jeong Hyun-seok, was already proposing a second meeting.

"That's why I'm saying this. Holder Jeong Hyun-seok really liked you the last time. He fell in love at first sight. It's his youth, you know."

"I don't want to meet him!"

Her voice rose.

Moon Ga-eun knew that when her voice got this loud, her father would also raise his voice.

They had fought like this many times.

Sure enough,

her father, who had been dealing with documents, put them aside and raised his voice.

"Our daughter, who hasn't had a single relationship by the age of twenty, is frustrating! Why can't you understand a father's heart who wants you to have a boyfriend? What's the harm in meeting someone?"

This was the same old story.

Why was her father so worried about her dating?

She was only twenty, after all.

Annoying, repetitive words.

Another argument with her father.

All these things mixed together, and Moon Ga-eun, in a fit of anger,

blurted out something she didn't mean.

"I have a boyfriend!!"

...

With those words,

the office, which had been filled with raised voices, fell into a profound silence.

It was an unexpectedly sudden silence.

Did someone cast an ice spell?

The silence was suffocatingly cold.

It enveloped the room like frost.

A ridiculous lie.

Moon Ga-eun, who had blurted it out without thinking,

realized the situation and felt dizzy.

'I'm done for.'

She had been swept away by the moment.

Normally, she could have said it was a mistake and smoothed it over, but her father, who had led this conversation, wouldn't accept that.

Before she could think,

her father's expression had already changed to a strange one.

"You have a... boyfriend?"

Why did those words sound so terrifying?

Moon Ga-eun, flustered, tried to continue.

"A, Dad. I mean, that is..."

"Hahaha. Of course. Our daughter couldn't have gone without a relationship until this age. Especially at the age of twenty, the prime of youth. Haha. So, who is he? Is he someone I know?"

There was no chance to continue.

Her father's questions came one after another.

Without giving her a moment to think, he pressed on.

His face was clearly delighted.

'Why?'

Seeing that, she suddenly felt angry again.

Her father's efforts to set up blind dates for her.

It seemed to be out of a genuine desire for her to have a relationship, not for any political reason.

No, could she really not have a relationship?

If so, would it be that obvious?

Just as these thoughts crossed her mind,

her father's misunderstanding grew more bizarre.

"Ah! Is it that friend we've been trying to recruit? The... Doh Jae-hyun, right?"

A misunderstanding.

This was a serious misunderstanding.

If left unchecked, the situation could spiral out of control.

Moon Ga-eun quickly shook her head to deny it.

"A, Dad. No, he's just..."

"Hahaha. Look at this sly daughter. When we tried to recruit that student Holder, I thought it was something else, but you were trying to bring your boyfriend into the clan? Haha. That's youth, that's youth."

It was over.

Her father, who had confirmed her relationship, was unstoppable.

It seemed he wasn't listening to her at all.

"Bring him to meet me sometime. I want to treat him to a meal. Don't worry, we'll just have a meal."

"..."

Trying to solve the problem,

she had only made it worse.

* * *

"...That's how it happened."

After explaining the situation, Moon Ga-eun bowed her head deeply.

My face, in response, was filled with disbelief.

No, what a bizarre situation...

I asked Moon Ga-eun, not understanding.

"Did you really explain it properly?"

"He didn't believe me. I think he thought I was finally being honest after holding back."

"...It does look that way."

Especially if her father genuinely wanted her to have a relationship.

He had been setting up blind dates out of pure intentions, and now that wasn't necessary.

'But there are fathers like that...'

I thought it was interesting as I listened to her story.

Moon Jeong-hyeok was the opposite of Kang U-hyun.

Kang U-hyun was so protective of his daughter that he was wary of me being Kang Juyeon's boyfriend and would have kicked me out of the clan if it were true...

But Moon Jeong-hyeok encouraged his daughter's relationships.

Instead of worrying about someone taking his daughter away, he was actively setting up meetings to get her a partner.

I had never seen a father like that.

I couldn't say which was right...

But either way, it had put me and Moon Ga-eun in a difficult situation.

"But what do you mean by trying to recruit me?"

I suddenly asked, puzzled.

I had only received a recruitment offer from Kang Juyeon's <Judgment of Fire>.

I had never heard of a recruitment offer from <Royal>.

Moon Ga-eun looked up.

"Ah, that... <Royal> was originally trying to recruit you too."

"Since when?"

"From the very beginning! But Juyeon got you first, like a thief. Ugh... we could have brought you in first."

Moon Ga-eun looked aggrieved.

She clenched her fists, clearly upset.

She seemed to have forgotten her request and was only thinking about losing the recruitment battle.

"Phew-"

I couldn't help but laugh at her.

Now, this was the Moon Ga-eun I knew.

She always acted on her emotions, regardless of the context.

That's probably why she often fought with her father...

And why she ended up lying about having a boyfriend.

"Don't laugh, I'm serious."

Moon Ga-eun pouted.

She was still holding her vanilla latte tightly.

Was the vanilla latte that good?

It seemed she could still enjoy coffee even in difficult situations.

"I'm serious too. If I'm going to be Moon Ga-eun's boyfriend, I can't do it lightly."

With a smile, I said...

Moon Ga-eun's eyes widened as she looked at me.

"Y-You'll help?"

"Would I not? Your father already thinks I'm him."

"Thank you! Really, really thank you, Doh Jae-hyun...!!"

Seeing her express such gratitude, I couldn't help but laugh again.

I'm seeing a lot of new sides to Moon Ga-eun today.

Is this really the friend who always just wants to play pranks?

Kang Juyeon should have seen this too.

"Going to dinner with your father. Is that all?"

"Yep! If not for that, I wouldn't have asked for your help."

"Is the date not set yet?"

"Yep. We can set it for a day that's convenient for you."

"Okay. Let's prepare properly and go without any mistakes."

Honestly, I can help with a dinner once.

Pretending to be a boyfriend out of nowhere won't be easy...

But it's not like I have to help indefinitely.

Besides, unless her father is as chaotic as Kang U-hyun, setting traps with his words, Moon Jeong-hyeok seems like someone who can be reasoned with if we get the point across.

If we can align our stories, things should go smoothly.