“…Did I go a bit overboard?”
Had she ever put this much effort into getting ready recently?
Yu Ga-eun, looking awkwardly at herself in the mirror, desperately suppressed the nervousness rising within her.
She forced a calm expression, trying to suppress the blush creeping up on her cheeks with her mana.
“Heh, you know, it’s always rewarding to work on someone who’s already naturally beautiful.”
The head of the makeup shop let out an impressed sigh as she admired her work.
Her straight black hair now had subtle waves, and the makeup was perfectly suited to her cool-toned, icy vibe.
The sharp features were softened slightly, while still keeping Yu Ga-eun’s characteristic elegance with bold eyeliner.
Finally, a soft pink lipstick was the finishing touch, sure to catch the eye of anyone who glanced her way.
Yu Ga-eun could barely recognize herself.
She had always thought makeup wasn’t necessary, but now, looking at the beautiful result in the mirror, she could hardly believe it.
The outfit wasn’t the usual leather jacket but a blue blouse and black pants, and the whole look made her feel like she was a completely different person—unrecognizably stunning.
“I’m just going to meet a casual acquaintance, you know?”
Yu Ga-eun scratched her cheek awkwardly, looking at her reflection.
Just a few years ago, she wouldn’t have cared much about makeup—she didn’t think it made much of a difference.
But now, after all this time, the change was undeniable.
Honestly, she looked amazing.
Incredibly amazing.
“You’re telling me, someone who’s just meeting a casual acquaintance, asked me to do your makeup?”
“It could happen.”
“Sure, other girls might, but you wouldn’t.”
There was no way to argue that.
She had never gone to a professional for makeup, except for her time as Yu Ga-eun.
“Especially since you’re the type to say you don’t like makeup and forget to apply even the skincare products you need.”
“…”
As Yu Ga-eun looked away in embarrassment, the makeup artist couldn’t help but chuckle.
The woman who had always seemed cold and unapproachable now seemed so human.
After watching her junior try love for the first time, she gave her a soft pat on the back, sending her off with a bright smile, wishing her the best on her journey.
“Good luck. I’m rooting for your love life.”
“It’s not like that, I swear!!!”
Yu Ga-eun muttered a quick denial as the makeup artist just nodded, smirking a little.
“Customer service is such a hassle,” she muttered, spraying her carefully saved perfume.
The faint scent of lemon quickly filled the makeup room.
“It’s a perfume with Relax Potion mixed in. You can’t start without being fully prepared, can you?”
Yu Ga-eun was too tired to answer anymore.
With a deep sigh, she stood up and exited the makeup room.
As she walked out, everyone’s eyes turned toward her.
“Wow…”
Her looks were enough to deceive even ordinary celebrities or Hunters.
The engraving that had transformed her body into a perfect form didn’t need any other allure.
Her beautiful appearance and sculpted figure drew people’s attention every time she moved.
Ignoring the gazes that followed her, Yu Ga-eun confidently exited the store.
She checked the time.
There were still about 30 minutes left before the meeting, but there was no time to waste.
“I knew it.”
There was still plenty of time before the scheduled meeting, so even if she walked slowly, there was no way she’d be late for the park, which was only 15 minutes away.
But she was sure that Si-woo wouldn’t arrive exactly on time.
She had taught him herself when she was a host to arrive 30 minutes early.
“…Looking back, I really taught him everything.”
Maybe there had been a little personal bias in her methods.
She thought back to her feelings for a moment as she approached Si-woo, who was sitting on a bench.
“Have you been waiting?”
When she looked up, his light brown eyes moved toward her.
His dark hair seemed to shine beautifully in the sunlight.
Realizing he was not a host or just a younger sibling, but a date made her calmness waver slightly.
She didn’t think her own looks were anything inferior compared to others, but as always, there were exceptions.
“No, thanks to you coming early, I didn’t have to wait long.”
His bright smile radiated with an alluring, almost seductive charm.
The sharp vibe from his host days was now replaced with a lazy expression and a gentle smile, exuding a different kind of attraction—one that reminded her of a fox.
“…Flattering words, huh?”
“Do you think I’d say something so flattering when I know your personality?”
This wasn’t going to work.
When it came to words, Si-woo couldn’t be beaten.
Maybe in the past, but the current Si-woo had become skilled at handling women.
On top of that, while Yu Ga-eun had many things she didn’t know about him, Si-woo knew practically everything about her.
In fact, he knew more about her than she knew about herself.
“We have some time, but should we head straight to the restaurant we reserved?”
“I think walking slowly would be perfect.”
“That’s true. If we walk, we’ll get hungry along the way.”
Nodding in agreement with her, Si-woo stood up from the bench.
He infused mana into the demonic symbol of his engraving—the Mark of Demon Hatred—and glanced around lightly.
The gazes that had been staring at him just moments before were now gone.
It was far more impressive than he had expected.
At this point, he didn’t need to hide his face with a hat. He stood beside Yu Ga-eun.
His hand naturally reached for hers.
The movement was slow enough that she could easily pull away if she wanted, but Yu Ga-eun, having steeled herself, had no intention of retreating.
If he was going to step on the accelerator,
“Let’s go quickly.”
She too pressed the accelerator without hesitation, no brakes.
Si-woo was slightly taken aback by Yu Ga-eun’s unexpected assertiveness.
However, that emotion didn’t show on his face.
“Yeah.”
Without hesitation, they naturally held hands.
The warmth of her hand met the coldness of his, and yet, there was no awkwardness.
It wasn’t the first time doing something romantic with someone, after all.
“When we’re like this, it reminds me of when you were teaching me.”
“Ah, back then, it was really tough.”
“Yeah, I really was awkward.”
“Not just awkward, you were hopelessly awkward. Be honest with me. When you said you’d been in a relationship before, was that a lie?”
“Of course, it was a lie. Until I turned 20, the only times I ever spoke to women were for school assignments or group projects. That’s about it.”
“Hah, I decided to bring someone like this into the host business…”
Even as they continued their conversation, it seemed their hands would never separate.
Si-woo enjoyed the coldness of Yu Ga-eun’s hand, and Yu Ga-eun was comforted by the warmth of his.
Though there was a slight tremor at first, as time passed, her rapidly beating heart began to calm down.
“But, you turned out well.”
“That’s true. You’ve grown much better than I expected.”
“Well, there’s the occasional mix of tastes, and it feels like your nature got a little twisted here and there.”
“What’s that supposed to mean!?”
What do you mean by mixing tastes?
Yu Ga-eun shouted in surprise at the unexpected comment.
Everything she taught him as a host had been to shape him into the ideal man for entertaining guests.
She had never let her personal feelings get involved in that process.
At least, that’s what she believed.
“Noona, you’re surprisingly weak to younger guys.”
“What?”
“Well, you’ve always had a thing for being called ‘Noona.’ You even told customers to call me ‘Noona,’ and when they did, you got all flustered. Don’t you remember?”
“That’s because a lot of women like being called ‘Noona’ by younger guys!”
“So, you don’t like it?”
“Well…”
She didn’t hate it.
Actually, to be honest, she liked it.
“So, you have a younger guy fetish?”
“No way!”
“Well, if you deny it so strongly, I guess we’ll call it that.”
“Hah…”
They say a strong denial is actually a strong affirmation.
Si-woo enjoyed the sight of Yu Ga-eun denying it so forcefully, far more than usual.
As they walked casually, Yu Ga-eun noticed some familiar blue hair swaying in her line of sight.
“Heh, this is it. Watching other people’s love lives is the most fun, isn’t it?”
“Oh, Mom! The invisibility spell is wearing off! Please, stay still…!!”
“Ugh, that’s not the important part right now! If you use invisibility magic, the recording won’t work properly!!”
“It is important!!”
“What are those two doing?”
“I’m not sure. Should we ignore it?”
Despite witnessing the bizarre behavior of the mother and daughter, the two of them chose not to show any attention.
It seemed like the polite thing to do, ignoring them.
“Hey! Can you stop running away with that pitiful look on your face after you’ve been caught?!”
Hmm, looks like that didn’t work.