Chapter 3. Moon Surin (2)
I entered the café where Moon Surin sat.
Café Nakwol.
"Welcome!"
The café had multiple tables and stairs leading to the second floor.
The cute interior seemed like a place women would love.
The menu had unfamiliar drinks.
Green Shiraz Tea, Low-Fat Hell Strawberry Milk, Ralph Lauren Latte...
One item caught my eye.
[Clair Rose Latte]
'Wait, I've heard of that before.'
I remembered.
Moon Surin's favorite drink. More divisive than mint chocolate.
"One Clair Rose Latte, please."
"Coming right up!"
I ordered and sat a reasonable distance from Moon Surin.
Close enough to observe, but not too close to raise suspicion.
She was glaring at her laptop as if she wanted to kill it. Good. No plans to leave.
[Activate Heroine Status Window?]
"Whoa!"
The system notification almost made me spit out my latte.
A heroine status window? New feature.
I mentally accepted.
★ Heroine Status Window ★
[Moon Surin]
[ Affection: 20 ]
[ Lust: 15 ]
[ Appetite: 30 ]
[ Fatigue: 70 ]
Current Status: Ugh, I hate work.
Must be part of the heroine conquest system. The original game had nothing like this.
I spent 30 minutes pretending to check my phone, then stood with my half-empty cup.
To reach the counter, I had to pass Moon Surin's table.
I tripped and spilled my drink toward her.
"Ahhh!"
My yell made sure she noticed.
She instinctively conjured a mana shield to block the drink.
Good. If she'd failed, I'd have knelt to apologize.
"I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"
"Sigh... yes, I'm fine."
Her concentration broke, and she finally looked at me.
Her words stuck in her throat.
Of course. I'm the protagonist. You're the heroine.
Even I admit I'm stupidly handsome.
Her flushed ears confirmed her embarrassment.
Just like the game. I'm her type.
"Is your outfit okay? I can pay for cleaning."
"No, it's fine. I blocked it."
"Let me get a mop."
"Stay put."
Mana flared from her fingertip.
The spilled drink floated into a ball, compressed, and evaporated.
"Wow, thanks."
"You're a new student, aren't you?"
"Huh? Yeah. How'd you know?"
"I know every upperclassman. Unfamiliar faces are freshmen."
She's sharp.
"Oh, you're my senior. I hope we get along."
"Yes. Let's say hello if we meet again. I'm Moon Surin."
She didn't mention her status as the chairman's granddaughter.
Probably wanted to see my reaction later.
I'd better practice looking surprised.
"I'm Lee Hoyeon. See you around!"
I left quickly.
Mission accomplished. Sub-quest cleared.
Moon Surin was the easiest heroine to conquer in the game.
*
The frustration was overwhelming.
Grandpa dumped his work on her and left to play.
Her father ignored the academy to manage his guild.
She handled everything alone.
Even as a child, she'd learned work to help them.
At first, they felt guilty.
But once they realized she was competent, they piled on more.
Now she couldn't tell if she was a person or a machine.
Perfectionism made it impossible to slack.
The stress had reached its limit.
Running away was tempting but impossible.
She stood from her desk and left the office.
Her feet led her to her favorite café.
The café she visited whenever she needed stress relief.
The open window gave her a sense of freedom, and there was a drink here she could only get at this café.
"One Clair Rose Latte, please."
Outside the café window, she watched people her age laughing and having fun. Why was she stuck here while they enjoyed themselves?
"Sigh..."
A familiar headache struck. Lately, sitting in front of her laptop triggered it.
Maybe her brain resisted work by causing pain.
She squinted at the endless workload when she heard a sudden shout.
"Ahhh!"
A cup of coffee flew toward her.
Thankfully, the scream gave her enough time to summon a mana barrier, preventing the drink from hitting her.
If she'd gotten coffee on her, she wouldn't have let the culprit off easy.
"I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"
"Sigh... yes, I'm fine..."
She'd intended to scold the clumsy idiot, but when she looked up, her breath caught.
His voice was smooth like honey, but his face...
She'd never been this stunned by someone's appearance.
She'd met countless attractive people, but this guy was on a different level.
It was as if God had spent a tenth of the world's creation time crafting his face.
'Oh no!'
She'd been openly staring.
"Is your outfit okay? I can pay for the cleaning."
He seemed flustered too.
"No, it's fine. The shield worked."
"Hold on, I'll grab a mop."
"No need."
Mana flowed from her fingertips.
The spilled drink lifted into the air, compressed into a ball, and evaporated.
"Wow, thank you."
"You're a new student, right?"
"Huh? Yeah. How did you know?"
"I know every upperclassman. New faces must be freshmen."
Normally, she wouldn't extend the conversation.
But she wanted to keep talking to him.
"Oh, you're my senior. I hope we get along."
"Yes. Let's greet each other if we meet again. I'm Moon Surin."
"I'm Lee Hoyeon. See you later!"
He dashed away.
'A new student who doesn't know me?'
"How's that possible?"
An unfamiliar sense of disappointment settled over her.
She was famous, even outside the academy. Maybe she should increase her social media activity.
'Wait, what am I thinking?'
Her workload was immense; she had no time for trivial pursuits.
The spilled drink had been a Clair Rose Latte.
'Does he like the same drink?'
Her focus shattered.
Why did her cheeks feel warm whenever she thought of him?
Her heart raced.
Was she going crazy from work stress?
"Huh?"
The usual headache was gone.
Doctors had told her that stress-induced headaches only disappeared if she eliminated the stress.
'Lee Hoyeon...'
She pulled out her phone and dialed a number.
"Secretary Kim? I need you to investigate a freshman named Lee Hoyeon."
Click.
'Why did I do that?'
"I'm just curious about the headache disappearing. That's all."
Blushing, Moon Surin returned to her laptop.