Chapter 6

The plaza was bustling with people preparing for the evening.

I was jostled around as I walked for about ten minutes.

Once I entered the shopping district, I no longer needed the map.

Even though it was getting late, several large wagons were still coming and going, and employees hurried in and out of the biggest building on the street.

The sign above it bore the name I had been looking for.

“Hello.”

“Philia Trading Company, your companion in everyday life. How may we help you?”

As soon as I stepped inside, the employee at the counter greeted me with a bright smile.

“Hello. I’d like to make a small request to Renaso.”

“Ah… Renaso.”

The employee looked at the clock with a slightly troubled expression.

“I wonder if he’s still there…”

Muttering to himself, he pointed down one of the hallways.

“Renaso is almost finished for the day, so I’m not sure if they’ll still be accepting requests.”

“If you go straight down that hallway, you’ll find the request office.”

“Would you like to check?”

“If they’re already closed, I’ll do what I can to help you myself.”

“Oh, all right. Thank you.”

Following his directions, I walked into the narrow hallway.

Unlike the rest of the building, which was crowded with customers looking at merchandise, this corridor was quiet.

It wasn’t difficult to find the room with “Renaso” written elegantly across the door.

Instead of wood, the entrance was covered by a thick curtain.

I carefully pushed it aside.

“Excuse me.”

“Are you still open?”

The first thing I saw when I stepped inside was…

Two desks, one seemingly for receiving guests and the other for work.

Three chairs.

A coat rack with a robe hanging from it.

Several magical artifacts decorating the walls.

And…

The back of a man removing the half mask worn by Renaso employees.

The black-haired man was incredibly tall.

Even at a glance, he looked at least a head and a half taller than most people.

When he sensed my presence and turned around, the annoyance on his face was obvious.

Apparently, I really had arrived too late.

“We’re closed for to—”

Then our eyes met.

Suddenly…

Something strange happened to him.

It was as if time had stopped.

He couldn’t finish his sentence.

The mask slipped from his hand and landed on the floor with a dull thud, yet he didn’t even glance at it.

His blue eyes simply stared at me.

I was still wondering why he’d suddenly frozen when I was just about to become uncomfortable under his gaze.

Then…

He smiled.

A smile so beautiful it looked like something from a painting.

“…Just in time before we closed.”

“Welcome.”

“What can I help you with?”

Watching his suddenly cheerful smile, I felt a brief sense of suspicion before letting it go.

I had no idea why he’d changed his attitude so completely.

Still…

If he was willing to accept my request, that was good enough for me.

“I’m looking for an inn where I can stay for about a week, but it’s been almost impossible to find one.”

“Do you accept requests like that?”

“Of course.”

Before he’d even finished speaking, the man picked up the robe hanging on the rack.

The plain hood covered his black hair.

“It’s not a difficult request.”

“I’ll take it.”

“Let’s go.”

“Right now?”

“I happen to know a suitable place.”

I looked up at the man, who had already crossed the room and stopped in front of me with surprisingly relaxed steps.

Maybe it was because the backlight cast shadows across his features…

But simply making eye contact with him felt like sinking into the depths of the ocean.

Up close, he was a refined beauty whose gentle appearance completely offset the intimidating impression created by his enormous build.

To be completely honest…

I found myself staring for a moment.

“The only problem is that it’s a little far from the center of the plaza.”

“Will that be all right?”

“Oh, that’s perfectly fine.”

“Excellent.”

Smiling so brightly that his blue eyes nearly disappeared, he gestured toward the entrance.

“Then let’s go.”

“Um… but…”

There was one small problem.

Without thinking, I raised one hand halfway.

“Yes?”

As the man tilted his head in confusion, I pointed toward the floor beside his desk.

His white half mask was still lying there.

“Aren’t you going to pick up your mask?”

“…Ah.”

For the first time, genuine embarrassment appeared on his face.

Until now, he’d worn nothing but relaxed smiles and a faintly mysterious expression.

He really had forgotten about the mask.

Watching him casually pick it up as though nothing had happened was strangely funny.

I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.

After returning to me, the employee lifted the mask toward his face…

Then suddenly stopped.

Looking at me for a moment through the eyeholes, he quietly tucked it into the inner pocket of his hood.

Then he smiled again as though nothing had happened.

“Now…”

“Let’s really get going.”

03. The One in My Dreams

After weaving through several narrow alleyways and making a few turns, we arrived at a small but well-maintained inn.

“Here.”

“Your room key.”

“Thank you.”

And just like that…

I’d finally found a place to stay.

And at an incredibly reasonable price!

Remembering how I’d wandered around hungry without even having dinner made my eyes sting a little.

“Is everything settled?”

At the voice behind me, I quickly turned around.

The man who had guided me here was still standing there.

We’d introduced ourselves on the way, so now I knew the name of this angel-like man.

With sincere gratitude, I called out to him.

“Jun!”

“Yes, Tetis.”

“You saved me.”

“Thank you so much.”

“Don’t mention it.”

As I smiled brightly at him, Jun returned the smile just as warmly.

“So…”

“How should I pay the request fee?”

Since no one could guarantee how a request would turn out, Renaso always charged customers afterward.

But my request had been simple.

Either they found me an inn or they didn’t.

There were hardly any variables.

So while we were walking here, I’d asked him roughly how much it would cost.

Each time, however, Jun had avoided answering, saying he’d tell me after we arrived.

When I’d jokingly asked whether he was planning to overcharge me…

He’d suddenly burst into laughter in the middle of the street.

To this day, I still had no idea what had been so funny.

Perhaps remembering that moment, the corners of his lips twitched before he asked,

“Are you busy tomorrow?”

Tomorrow?

I’d been planning to rest after the long journey and explore the nearby area to get familiar with the city.

Wondering what kind of payment he was about to ask for, I answered cautiously.

“I don’t really have any plans tomor—”

“Cough…!”

“Hack!”

“Cough… cough…!”

Suddenly, someone behind us started coughing so violently it almost sounded as though they were coughing up blood.

Startled, I turned around.

The innkeeper was bent over beneath the counter, coughing uncontrollably.

I looked around, intending to bring him some water.

Then…

I noticed it.

For just a brief instant…

Jun’s expression as he looked at the innkeeper turned frighteningly cold.

The sight left me speechless.

Before I could react, the innkeeper straightened back up.

For a split second, the light brown eyes he directed toward Jun held nothing but horror.

Only then did I understand what had just happened between them.

It was…

The secondhand embarrassment that came from watching someone close to you shamelessly flirt.

Thanks to that, everything suddenly made sense.

Hmm.

No wonder he found me an inn without even having to think.

He must be close friends with the owner.

I could even understand the innkeeper’s exaggerated reaction.

I’d once seen one of my own friends trying to flirt.

The memory alone still made my stomach churn.

“Are you all right?”

“Hack… ahem… y-yes!”

“I’m fine.”

“I just swallowed the wrong way.”

When I politely asked, the innkeeper answered in such a refined voice that it was hard to believe he’d been coughing his lungs out only moments ago.

After calming himself with a drink of water, he told us to continue our conversation and quietly slipped out through the back door.

“Tetis.”

“Don’t worry about him.”

I watched the innkeeper leave before turning back toward Jun.

His face had already returned to its usual harmless expression, as though I’d imagined that frightening look.

Seeing him like that made me think.

Even for someone working in customer service…

Most people wouldn’t go this far for a customer.

If I’d been Jun, I would’ve taken my payment and left long ago.

Since I wasn’t someone who believed in love at first sight, I genuinely couldn’t understand his behavior.

“Have we… met somewhere before?”

That was the only question I could think to ask.

Honestly…

I never imagined I’d actually be the one saying a line like that.

Jun simply smiled his mysterious smile again.

He didn’t give me a clear answer.

Instead, he naturally picked up my luggage from the floor.

Before I knew it, I was walking beside him up the stairs and along the hallway where my room was.

“Hmm…”

The whole time, he kept making thoughtful little humming sounds.

But they sounded so deliberate that I couldn’t help suspecting he was intentionally dragging things out.

Sure enough…

When we arrived at my room, he handed me my luggage and finally spoke.

“If you’re curious…”

“How about paying my fee with lunch tomorrow?”

I’m actually not that curious…

Perhaps my thoughts showed on my face.

Jun chuckled softly.

“Eleven o’clock.”

“At the clock tower in the plaza.”

“Does that work for you?”

Without waiting for my answer, he had already made plans.

Even though I stared at him in complete disbelief…

The smile on his face never wavered.

“If you’re staying here for a week, you’ll need to find at least one good restaurant nearby.”

“If it really bothers you…”

“You can think of it as an extra service.”

“Is your customer service always this generous?”

“That’s a secret.”

I was completely speechless.