This morning was busier than I could ever have imagined.
I put on a suit, stopped by the department store to buy a gift, and then finally had my hair done at the same salon I'd gone to before my matchmaking meeting.
Considering the appointment was at noon and the department store opened at ten, no one could deny it was a tight schedule.
It was so hectic that there was barely any time to breathe, but it was something I had to endure if I wanted to be rewarded.
I headed to the address I'd received in a text message beforehand, and a huge gate and signboard welcomed me.
[Seongbuk Choi Family]
The signboard had the Chinese characters "Seongbuk Choi Family" inscribed on it.
"…No joke."
Such a huge mansion in the middle of Seoul? I'd heard it was over ten thousand *pyeong*, but I wondered if that was even possible. Then I thought that if it was the Seongbuk Choi Family, it would be even more than that, not less.
Still, I couldn't help but feel nervous.
"Please stop for a moment."
Just as I was adjusting my tie and heading toward the gate, the guards stopped me.
"May I ask what business brings you here?"
"I'm Kang Hyunwoo, invited by Lady Choi Youngok."
Only after I said Grandma Choi Youngok's name did the menacing-looking guards politely bow and step back.
At the same time, the huge gate opened automatically, revealing the interior of the magnificent mansion.
The garden was so large that it couldn't be seen all at once.
Small streams flowed along both sides of the path, which was paved with a clean material, whether marble or stone, and expensive-looking fish were swimming in them.
I was amazed by the landscaping of the garden, but the huge mansion in the distance caught my attention once again.
"…Do people actually live in a place like that?"
The mansion was so big that it was hard to take it all in at once.
The exterior, which combined traditional Korean and Western mansion styles, was so impressive that it wouldn't have looked out of place in a movie.
However, no matter how much money I made, I didn't think I'd want to live in such a huge mansion.
Was it because I'd lived as a commoner my whole life?
Just as I was thinking that I'd rather live in a penthouse, a familiar voice came from somewhere.
"You'll dislocate your jaw."
Choi Hyena, who appeared with her elaborately decorated dress and wavy red hair fluttering in the wind, was quite different from her usual self.
"Do you dress like that at home?"
Isn't a T-shirt and shorts the national uniform for home?
"I didn't dress up, so don't talk nonsense and just follow me."
I followed Choi Hyena, who turned her head away and started walking.
'I didn't exactly say you dressed up.'
Of course, I kept my mouth shut as much as possible because I might get kicked with her pointy high heels if I said another word.
Still, seeing her out of her mage robes and in a dress, she definitely felt like a rich young lady.
If she could just fix her personality a little, she'd be perfect.
'By the way, the atmosphere feels strangely cold. Am I imagining things?'
I was a little unsure, but I pushed the stray thoughts aside for a moment as the mansion came closer.
"Isn't it inconvenient to live in a place like this?"
"…It's not inconvenient."
It was a question that popped out without me realizing it, but Choi Hyena's attitude was definitely cold.
I thought we'd become somewhat close after risking our lives together at the gate. Was I mistaken?
"How did someone who lives in a huge mansion survive in that tiny tent…?!"
Thwack!
"I, I told you to forget about that time!"
It's unfair.
I was just trying to ease the awkward atmosphere, but was it something I deserved to be punched in the gut for?
'Is this really that day?'
Her attitude had been strangely different from usual since earlier.
"Welcome."
Whether I did or not, Choi Hyena touched something, and the front door of the mansion opened automatically, and maids lined up on both sides to greet us.
They all seemed to be around my age, and every one of them was quite beautiful.
'Living in a huge mansion wouldn't be so bad?'
I heard that European nobles lived lavishly, filling their mansions with maids who matched their tastes.
Once I became a Grand Mage, there was no reason why I couldn't live like that too.
"Hey."
"Huh?"
"Are you enjoying this?"
"…?"
"I asked if you were enjoying this."
Choi Hyena, her expression even worse, suddenly started poking me in the chest.
I hadn't said anything this time, and I'd just been following her. What could have made this young lady feel so bad?
The answer could be found by thinking about it for a moment.
"Are you jealous right now?"
"…Die."
With those few words, Choi Hyena didn't say another word to me, didn't even glance at me, and walked on silently.
***
Choi Hyena woke up early in the morning.
Before the sun had even risen, she summoned the maids and soaked in bathwater infused with a limited-edition luxury fragrance oil created by an alchemist from Italy, allowing the subtle scent to enhance her beauty.
She called in a mobile service from the most famous hair salon in Cheongdam to have her hair and makeup done, and wore the only dress in the world that a famous designer had custom-made for her a few days prior, taking into account her measurements and style.
Finally, she even added accessories that she usually didn't wear because they were too flashy.
In some ways, it was similar to Kang Hyunwoo's morning routine, but the time and money invested were on a completely different scale.
The maids all praised her, saying she was so pretty, but her own expression as she looked in the mirror was far from pleased.
Had she ever dolled herself up this much before?
Never, not even once.
At the parties and events she'd attended so far, she'd only put on a simple, perfunctory display. This was the first time she'd moved around since dawn to get ready like today.
If all this action was simply for a change of pace, she wouldn't have felt so awkward.
'…Kang Hyunwoo.'
But even while bathing, while putting on makeup, while getting dressed, she kept thinking of him and looking in the mirror, which made her feel as if she was a lovestruck teenage girl, and it hurt her pride for no reason.
How did things turn out like this?
Was it really necessary to doll herself up?
What kind of relationship did Kang Hyunwoo and I have?
The questions that no one could give her a clear answer to kept swirling around like a broken record.
"Frustrating, so frustrating."
"…I told you to shut up."
Wendygo, who was usually quiet, always popped out and bothered her whenever she thought of Kang Hyunwoo.
"Tsk, tsk, at this rate, how will you ever pay the price of the contract?"
"I'll take care of it myself."
"You? How?"
Wendygo flew around in the air, letting out an annoying laugh.
"Your face turns red just thinking about a man who isn't even in front of you, and you're twisting your legs. How are you going to receive 'affection'?"
"…"
"Sigh, you silly human child."
Wendygo came down from the sky and met Choi Hyena's eyes, who had her head bowed.
"Be honest with your feelings. Remember that hiding and ignoring your emotions is useless. Otherwise, things won't work out."
This advice wasn't given out of affection for her contractor, Choi Hyena.
Wendygo had made a contract with her to receive Kang Hyunwoo's affection as a condition for their spirit contract.
'Ah… Hyunwoo…'
Although she couldn't contract with Kang Hyunwoo because she was possessing Choi Hyena's body, and she couldn't help him escape the gate because she was in a deep sleep for some reason, Wendygo still hadn't forgotten that day's memories.
The advice she gave to Choi Hyena was just a means to reconnect with Kang Hyunwoo as soon as possible.
Choi Hyena, who had no idea of that fact, had no intention of taking Wendygo's advice to heart.
Why?
'Crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy!!'
She was already hiding her feelings even from herself, so how could she convey them directly to him without filtering them?
No way.
From the start, Choi Hyena was in the denial stage of falling in love, still denying her feelings.
It was already ridiculous that she'd given her heart to a man, but telling her to convey those feelings was as impossible as her reaching 7th Circle tomorrow.
Nevertheless, the maids smiled warmly at Choi Hyena's back as she kept glancing in the mirror to fix her hair and adjust her clothes.
Ah, our young lady has finally fallen in love!
The maids' voices reached the head maid, and then the mistress of the mansion, Choi Youngok.
Her granddaughter had fallen in love with the man who had saved her life! The fact that the other party was Kang Hyunwoo, whom she'd had her eye on for a long time, made her even more pleased.
It was only natural that a smile spread across Choi Youngok's face.
And as time passed, Kang Hyunwoo, who arrived at the banquet hall with Choi Hyena, was a handsome young man dressed up like never before, incomparable to when they'd met at the magic tower and in the hospital room.
He bowed politely.
"It's been a while."
"Welcome."
Choi Youngok, who was looking at him with a happy expression, gestured for him to sit down.
Today, she was meeting him not as Choi Hyena's grandmother, but as the mistress of the Seongbuk Choi Family, so she didn't forget to use honorifics.
Choi Hyena, who had sat down first, seemed to hesitate for a moment, but eventually sat next to Kang Hyunwoo.
At that sight, Choi Youngok had to suppress her desire to hug her cute granddaughter with superhuman patience.
"I was worried that I'd made the appointment too hastily, but I'm glad you came with a bright expression."
"No, it's okay. I'm unemployed and haven't even entered the magic tower yet, so I have plenty of time."
As they exchanged greetings and chatted, the table was soon filled with the banquet.
"You must have been hungry since you came all the way from this morning. Eat a lot. Let me know if you need anything."
"Thank you."
Choi Youngok pretended to eat and glanced at Kang Hyunwoo and Choi Hyena.
Like her, Choi Hyena was busy stealing glances at Kang Hyunwoo, barely eating her food.
How could she be so cute?
Choi Hyena was sensitive to other people's gazes, but she didn't even notice that her grandmother was looking at her.
'…Cute.'
Choi Hyena didn't even glance at the food made with expensive ingredients.
All her eyes and attention were fixed on Kang Hyunwoo.
Kang Hyunwoo was using a dessert spoon to eat his soup, as if he was awkward in this kind of setting. Moreover, even the way he cut his steak with a knife was strangely clumsy, so she couldn't take her eyes off him.
If her past self saw this scene, she would have said she was crazy and torn at her hair, but that wouldn't stop the current Choi Hyena.
Of course, she was a little disappointed that he hadn't complimented her on how hard she'd dolled herself up, but Choi Hyena was so focused on Kang Hyunwoo that she didn't have the energy to show it.
And so, the meal continued for just one person.
***
As time passed and the banquet came to an end, Grandma Choi Youngok dismissed them, suggesting that I take some time to rest.
Thanks to that, I suddenly had free time and was aimlessly wandering the mansion hallway, not knowing where to go.
I definitely wasn't lost.
"…Damn, this place is huge."
If I'd known it would be like this, I should have said yes when the maid offered to guide me.
I'd refused because Choi Hyena's expression was too fierce, but who knew that would be the result.
I had no choice but to keep walking wherever my feet took me.
If I could meet a servant, I could ask them to guide me.
But as if fate was playing a prank on me, I couldn't see a single person wherever I went.
Just when I was thinking of calling Choi Hyena and asking her to come and rescue me,
"Ha, I knew it."
A welcome voice came from behind me.
"I knew a guest who went to look around the house would get lost."
"I wasn't exactly lost."
"Shut up."
Choi Hyena's voice seemed to be scolding me, but it was also strangely excited.
"Just follow me."
I followed Choi Hyena, who was walking ahead once again.
Before long, we arrived in front of a door with a slightly different atmosphere than before.
"…Come in."
"Where is this?"
"My room."
Before I could be surprised by the fact that it was Choi Hyena's room, the door opened.
'Oh…'
The interior of the room, from one thing to the next, was furnished and decorated with furniture and interiors that were more luxurious than extravagant.
Moreover, it was so large that it was more like a house than a room.
'My studio apartment could fit in here more than twenty times over?'
I could realize how small a place I was living in.
"Stop looking around and take this."
While I was looking around the room, Choi Hyena handed me a fancy-looking box.
Inside the box were the wand and ring that I'd lent her in the gate.
"Thanks for letting me use them. If you hadn't lent me the equipment, there would have been many more situations where I would have been attacked by monsters before I could even use magic. Then I wouldn't be alive and well like I am now."
"If you knew that, you should have done better."
"…Are you really crazy?"
Just as I raised my guard to protect myself from Choi Hyena, who was approaching me as if she was going to punch me in the gut again,
Thud-
"…Huh?"
Choi Hyena suddenly grabbed my collar.
Then, with a flushed face, she leaned in and opened her mouth with a trembling voice.
"…What happened in the gate."
I could feel how much the hand holding my collar was trembling, and I felt like I was trembling along with it.
"Have you really forgotten everything?"