Chapter 88

EP.88 Request (5)

Moon Ga-eun barely managed to hold back her heart, which felt like it was about to burst.

The reason was not far to seek.

Right next to her.

The man walking along, holding her hand affectionately.

No, not a man, but a friend...

It was because of Do Jae-hyun.

'Come on, pull yourself together, Moon Ga-eun.'

He's not a real boyfriend.

He's just playing the role of a boyfriend to make up for her mistake.

There's no need to be surprised by his actions or to read too much into them.

To have her face turn red and her heart beat loudly...

There was no reason for that at all.

‘But to suddenly hold hands...’

It was just that Do Jae-hyun had unexpectedly initiated physical contact.

She had never thought that 'holding hands while walking' would happen...

Her body and mind were just taken aback.

Couples who have been dating for over 100 days hold hands.

This was not part of Moon Ga-eun's knowledge about dating.

Actually, she hardly had any proper knowledge to begin with.

She had never dated anyone in her life, and all her knowledge came from dramas.

It was natural for her to lack a sense of real-life dating.

When Kang Juyeon had said, 'You've never dated before, either,' she couldn't say anything because of this.

‘But what if all of that is real...?’

It was a shocking fact.

Falling in love at first sight, asking for a number, confessing, or progressing from friends to lovers, or falling in love as if it were fate...

Moon Ga-eun had always thought these were fantasies.

They were things that could only happen in dramas.

For that reason, she had ignored people who asked for her number.

She thought they were just imitating what they saw in dramas.

But what if these were real stories?

It was hard to believe, but Do Jae-hyun's natural action of holding her hand was proof.

And as she thought about this, Moon Ga-eun realized something even more shocking.

‘T-Then, k-kissing...’

Couples who have been dating for over 100 days.

A setting she had planned herself for thorough success.

According to this, she and Do Jae-hyun...

It meant they could even 'kiss.'

Something like hugging or kissing.

It was an imagination that had already skipped several stages of physical contact...

But Moon Ga-eun's mind, which had already unraveled to the sky's end, was now filled with nothing but fantasies.

"That's really not happening!"

Moon Ga-eun suddenly shouted as she was about to enter the entrance.

Startled by her voice, Do Jae-hyun asked, "What? Why are you saying that? What's wrong?"

For a moment, she seemed to forget what she had just done.

Moon Ga-eun was also flustered by her own outburst.

"Uh... Uh?"

"You said it's really not happening. What's not happening?"

It seemed that the things she was thinking inside had come out of her mouth.

"Ah, it's okay. Just..."

Moon Ga-eun tried to brush it off as nothing...

But suddenly, without realizing it,

her gaze fell on Do Jae-hyun's lips.

A man's lips she had never looked at closely before.

They were surprisingly dark and well-defined.

Rough lips, like his sharp features.

So, those lips and her own lips...

‘Crazy! What are you thinking, Moon Ga-eun! Pull yourself together, pull yourself together right now!!’

Moon Ga-eun hit her head again.

Useless thoughts kept creeping into her mind.

It was a plan to deceive her father...

But there were many hurdles to overcome even before they entered.

* * *

‘She’s doing it again.’

Is she really okay?

Sighing involuntarily as I watched Moon Ga-eun hitting her own head, I thought.

She was definitely more thorough and meticulous when we were preparing, but now that we were in the real situation, she seemed very nervous.

What could I do?

I could only hope she wouldn't be too nervous in front of Moon Jeong-hyuk.

"Welcome."

Leading the half-dazed Moon Ga-eun inside, a restaurant staff member greeted us.

I nodded in response and said, "Hello. We have a reservation under Moon Jeong-hyuk."

"Yes. He's waiting in the inner room. This way, please."

"Thank you."

We passed through the large hall and entered a room.

The room was quite spacious, large enough for two families.

The staff member introduced us to the room and then bowed lightly before leaving.

I took a moment to compose myself.

From now on, I had to be on edge.

The real conversation was about to begin.

‘Moon Ga-eun... still hasn’t come back to her senses.’

She was still in a daze, lost in thought.

Well, she'll probably change once we enter the room and see her father.

I lightly knocked on the door.

Knock knock-

"Ahead."

A deep, resonant voice echoed from inside.

Just like when I met Kang Woo-hyun, it seemed that all high-ranking holders had good voices.

A powerful voice that conveyed authority just by hearing it.

Charisma was formed so naturally.

As we entered the room, we saw Moon Jeong-hyuk calmly drinking water.

His neatly dressed suit and watch, and his youthful appearance for his age, stood out.

‘That’s...’

But as I entered, something else caught my eye first.

Behind where Moon Jeong-hyuk was sitting.

On the wall, a giant bow was placed like a decoration.

It was the epic equipment, [Storm Bow], famous as his trademark.

‘No kidding...’

Indeed, as a holder called the top in the archer category in the country, the equipment he possessed exuded grandeur and spirit.

While I was momentarily impressed,

Moon Ga-eun greeted Moon Jeong-hyuk first.

"Dad, we're here."

Her voice, which had regained its usual bright energy, indicated that she had recovered from her earlier panic.

I also bowed to Moon Jeong-hyuk, following Moon Ga-eun.

"Hello, Mr. Moon Jeong-hyuk. It's an honor to meet you. I'm Do Jae-hyun, a C-rank holder currently studying at Seoul Holder Academy."

"I've heard a lot about you. The meal is almost ready, so please sit down. Ga-eun, you sit too."

Moon Jeong-hyuk's voice, which I was meeting for the first time, was quite friendly.

Especially after his gaze fell on our intertwined hands.

His eyes turned to a look of utmost satisfaction.

...Did we score points?

He was said to actively encourage his daughter's dating, and the atmosphere was indeed soft.

"The meal is being prepared by the head chef here. It's an Italian course. If there's anything you can't eat or any inconvenience, please let me know."

"No, I enjoy Italian food."

"Dad, coming here is inconvenient. It's not like we're having a formal meeting, why do you want to see my boyfriend?"

Moon Ga-eun, who was sitting down, complained.

By the way, this was also part of the plan.

Using her father's familiarity, she would talk a lot and try to shift the conversation to herself as much as possible.

To minimize the chance of my mistakes, we had a special strategy to reduce the conversation with me.

Moon Ga-eun, who seemed to have relaxed, took the lead in the conversation with a much more relaxed demeanor than before.

"Hmm. Just because you're a holder and a student at the academy, I'm curious. Maybe I can help you."

"Lie. You just don't believe me. When I suggested recruiting Jae-hyun to Royal before, you didn't even pretend to listen."

"Hmm. The appetizer is here. Let's eat first."

Moon Jeong-hyuk cleared his throat and changed the subject.

A successful start for the first conversation.

I glanced at Moon Ga-eun with a 'Nice!' look, but when our eyes met, she seemed slightly surprised and looked away.

...Why is she acting like this, really?

"The chef will briefly explain the dishes. The first course is Antipasto. Antipasto is a common appetizer that you may be familiar with..."

The staff member who had greeted us earlier brought out the appetizer and began the explanation.

The appetizer for this course was a simple crostini.

Slightly toasted bread topped with cheese, vegetables, and small pieces of chicken.

The crostini, with its harmonious arrangement of ingredients, boasted a fresh visual appeal similar to a good salad.

Usually, restaurants serve pre-meal bread first, but this place seemed to skip that step and serve crostini as the appetizer.

'I should try making this.'

Lately, whenever I go to a restaurant, this is the first thing that comes to mind.

Is this a kind of occupational disease?

Perhaps it's because Kim Chae-eun has been increasingly demanding a variety of dishes since I got a taste for [Cooking].

While I was distracted by the visual appeal of the crostini, the staff member finished the explanation and left.

Moon Jeong-hyuk spoke again.

"So, you're Do Jae-hyun, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"I've been personally curious since Ga-eun told me she was dating you. After all, you're her first boyfriend, hahaha."

"Dad...!!"

Moon Ga-eun shouted at the unexpected confession of being a lifelong singleton.

Her face was one of exasperation, as if to say, 'Why add unnecessary comments?'

I was slightly flustered but nodded.

‘...So that's why she was like that earlier.’

Only then did I understand Moon Ga-eun's '100-day physical contact theory.'

Without dating experience or knowledge, it was understandable that she would think that way.

That said, it was surprising to learn that Moon Ga-eun had never dated before.

With her face and figure, and her amiable personality that made her get along well with people, it was quite a revelation that this was her first relationship.

‘...No, she's just pretending to date me now.’

I must have been too immersed in the role.

I shook my head slightly to clear my thoughts.

Moon Jeong-hyuk, ignoring Moon Ga-eun's reaction, continued.

"I have a bit of a hasty personality, so I want to ask something I'm curious about... Is that okay?"

What could he be trying to ask, drawing this out?

I was a bit anxious but nodded.

"Please ask. It's an honor to have a conversation with Mr. Moon Jeong-hyuk, who is not only Ga-eun's father but also one of the founding members of Royal."

"Hahaha. This guy, you're really flattering me."

It might sound like flattery, but it wasn't entirely false.

Moon Jeong-hyuk is one of the high-ranking holders known for his exceptional skills, even among A-rank holders.

If a new rank had to be assigned, he would be A+.

The number of dungeons and monsters he has conquered is countless, and he has many achievements that have left a mark in the long history of holders.

Especially, among the five S-rank holders in the country, there is not a single archer.

In other words, the best archer in Korea is unofficially Moon Jeong-hyuk.

The fact that he secured a position as a founding member of Royal, not just because he was the brother-in-law of Hwang Geon-wook, speaks volumes.

Moon Jeong-hyuk smiled and continued.

"Hmm. Actually..."

He paused, holding the knife he was using to cut the crostini.

He looked at me with a strange expression.

"Tell me, if you were to get married, at what age would you want to do it?"

"Wha, what-"

"Dad...!!"

I choked on the water I was drinking.

Moon Ga-eun shouted again.

...Did I hear that wrong?

I had to revise my evaluation.

I thought he would be easier to talk to than Kang Woo-hyun, but Moon Jeong-hyuk was a formidable opponent in many ways, not falling behind at all.