# Chapter 65
“The sea urchin is delicious.”
“Ah, thank you…”
Though he responded reflexively, the voice was unfamiliar. When Iyeon turned his head, a round-eyed woman was looking at him.
“The tuna is a bit hit-or-miss, and the salmon is reliably good. Among the cakes, the one topped with strawberries is the tastiest.”
“You know a lot.”
“I tried everything as soon as I arrived.”
The simply smiling woman was about a handspan shorter than Iyeon. Her slightly curly bob hair swayed lightly. She looked young, perhaps barely in her early twenties.
Iyeon swallowed the roll topped with sea urchin as recommended, widened his eyes, and then broke into a happy smile. It was a reflexive response to eating something delicious.
“Wow, this really is delicious.”
“Right?”
The woman, who had cheerfully asked in return, continued to escort Iyeon around and meticulously informed him about which foods were tasty. Like a model student enthusiastically attending a lesson, Iyeon kept nodding and carefully memorized the recommended foods.
“My name is Jung Iyeon.”
“I’m Lee Seeun.”
Seeun, who had just turned twenty, didn’t seem to have any personal relationship with the host or business connection, but simply appeared to enjoy attending parties. She said she had begged her older brother to bring her today.
“Your brother is very considerate.”
“He’s usually a busy person, so it’s impressive, right?”
The young woman, who smiled as she said this, occasionally looked around the hall even while talking. Iyeon asked curiously:
“Are you looking for something?”
“Ah, sorry.”
Seeun laughed shyly.
“The hall and the people are so beautiful that I keep looking. It’s like a ball from a fairy tale.”
It was a pure, childlike appreciation. Finding her slightly incongruous presence in this scene full of glamour both curious and cute, Iyeon playfully responded:
“You must like fairy tales.”
“Yes.”
Her answer to his teasing question was sincere.
“They always end happily.”
At Seeun’s words, Iyeon’s eyes widened before his expression became serious.
“True. I like that aspect too.”
The two smiled like people sharing a small secret.
“This is my first time seeing Iyeon oppa. Do you usually not like these gatherings?”
“I came as a partner, so I don’t usually get invited.”
When Iyeon spoke casually, Seeun burst into laughter, whispering that they were comrades in being plus-ones.
Her statement about enjoying party-watching seemed true, as Seeun knew about not only the food but also the people. This person is so-and-so, that person is so-and-so… Though most of the people she pointed out with her small hand were strangers to Iyeon, he pretended to be engaged enthusiastically. He strongly felt that rather than actually wanting answers, she was just happy to have someone listening, and was pouring out information she knew without much structure.
“And that person over there is Han Sua. She doesn’t usually attend, but she came this time.”
“Oh.”
A familiar face. Iyeon nodded, pretending not to know.
“But I don’t know who that man is. He’s extremely handsome, but I’ve never seen him before.”
There’s no way I could forget a face like that… As she said this, Seeun couldn’t take her eyes off Sano’s face. Her subtly reddened cheeks looked warm. Finding her reaction cute, Iyeon smiled and played along.
“You’re right, he is handsome.”
“Isn’t he? He also looks good with Han Sua.”
Suddenly, the image of the two captured Iyeon’s attention. Sua in her flowing outfit, smiling gently as she conversed, with Sano standing behind her as if protecting her.
They looked like an ideal couple.
“They do…”
Seeun’s gaze wasn’t strange. Most people would think the same. Moreover, Sano had entered as Sua’s partner, and usually when people enter that way, aren’t they assumed to be a couple? It went without saying that they made a picturesque image as a handsome man and beautiful woman together.
It was strange why his mood was sinking a little.
“Who did Iyeon oppa come with?”
“Ah, I came as D… Deokseon-ssi’s partner.”
D.S’s real name still felt awkward to Iyeon, but he could hardly use her engineer name.
“Deokseon-ssi? You mean Jin Deokseon-ssi?”
Seeun’s eyes widened.
“Do you know her?”
“No, I haven’t met her directly… but she’s famous.”
Bringing her face close as if telling a secret, Seeun whispered. The story that flowed out was content Iyeon already knew well. The Jin family traditions, the conflict between the family elders and Deokseon, the results…
‘Hmm.’
Iyeon lowered his voice and said, “By the way…”
“If perhaps it became known that Deokseon-ssi had superpowers, even belatedly, could she be accepted by her family?”
“What?”
Seeun’s eyes widened.
“I don’t know the details, but I heard there might be some way if we came here.”
I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I hope it works out. I met Deokseon-ssi’s child before, and she’s such a cute girl who loves her mother. As he laid out his concerns like a sigh, Seeun made a sympathetic face, saying, “Oh, dear.”
“If you wish for it so earnestly, don’t you think it’ll work out? I’ll pray with you!”
“Thank you.”
Iyeon smiled softly. Whether from a sense of camaraderie from hearing intimate stories, or a sense of responsibility, Seeun’s conversation became more specific.
“Speaking of which, do you know Jin Heesu? He’s the Director of the Mutant Response Department.”
“Ah, yes. Why do you ask about the Director?”
“I heard he volunteered to be the guardian of Jin Deokseon-ssi’s daughter. They say he and Jin Deokseon-ssi were quite close. Normally, Jin Deokseon-ssi’s mother would have taken care of her granddaughter, but she’s quite strict, so it would have been difficult for the child to live comfortably.”
Even so, it’s not easy to volunteer to raise someone else’s child, isn’t it amazing? As Seeun whispered, Iyeon nodded. It seemed like Heesu had made considerable effort to take the best measures in his own way.
But strangely, there was a coldness in D.S’s attitude toward Heesu. Could there be other circumstances?
“Hey.”
“Oh, D, Deokseon-ssi? Would you like some of this?”
What interrupted his conversation with Seeun was D.S’s chilly voice. When did she get here? As Iyeon blankly offered her a canapé from his plate, D.S immediately raised her eyebrows.
“Deokseon-ssi?”
“…Deokseon noona?”
D.S sighed and pulled him away.
“That’s not the issue. Come here.”
“Yes, yes? Thanks for the chat. It was fun.”
Being dragged away in confusion, Iyeon quickly turned his head to look at Seeun. When Seeun raised her hand slightly with a reassuring expression, Iyeon waved back. It strangely bothered him that the small friend he’d made in such a short time would be alone again.
“What’s going on? Did something happen?”
Asking in puzzlement, Iyeon inadvertently glanced toward Sua and Sano, and flinched. Sano was glaring at him with a terrifying intensity. Why, why is he like that? Iyeon startled and unconsciously tried to use D.S as a shield, surreptitiously moving to hide from Sano’s gaze, but the glaring eyes became even more fierce. They looked like they might emit a death ray.
“Forget it, I’m leaving now.”
“What? Suddenly, ack!”
Before he could finish his sentence, D.S grabbed Iyeon’s body and turned halfway around. As Iyeon, whose vision had suddenly flipped, staggered with a small groan, long fingers firmly gripped his shoulder. His body, which had been swaying like a sheet of paper, was forcibly stabilized.
“What is it, what’s going on?”
“That bastard, where is he looking?”
“That bastard?”
“I mean Jin Heesu.”
“Huh?”
Iyeon reflexively shifted his gaze over D.S’s shoulder. In the distance, a familiar face in an immaculate suit was approaching the center of the hall.
“Why is the Director here?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t think he would actually come.”
D.S muttered quickly and quietly. She might have cursed faintly too. It was the exact opposite of her usual indifferent and nonchalant attitude.
“Is it bad if he sees you?”
“From his perspective, I’m a failure who crawled my way into a place like this to pick up scraps. He won’t see it in a good light.”
“Come on, I don’t think it’s that bad…”
From what Seeun had said, it seemed more like Heesu thought well of D.S. Though he tried to console her with that thought, D.S firmly shook her head.
“I don’t want to run into that guy and create unnecessary gossip. I’ve done my part by coming in, so handle the rest yourselves.”
“Then the plan for D.S-ssi to be the bait…”
“That was when that guy wasn’t supposed to be here. At the very least, letting you know before I leave is my final courtesy.”
“But still…”
“Hey.”
D.S laughed as if she was getting angry.
“You’re just one of the guests. I have no intention of being nice by accommodating you guys this much.”
Her words were right. D.S had done enough, and there was no justification to keep her here forcibly. Even cooperating this far had been a big decision for her.
Still, feeling regretful about the clue they had just found, Iyeon quietly opened his mouth.
“By the way, D.S-ssi, that girl I was just talking to…”
“Yeah?”
“I just noticed, but she…”
Iyeon’s whispered words faded at some point. D.S looked at him quizzically. Iyeon was staring straight ahead without even blinking, like someone who had received a great shock. When D.S turned her head to follow his gaze, she saw what Iyeon was looking at.
Seeun, the young woman who had been talking to Iyeon until just moments ago, was being escorted by Heesu.
“She had a bracelet…”
