Chapter 2
“That one—! I’m killing that one!”
“Kim Yang! Hold her tight! Don’t let her get away!”
“B-boss! What did you do?”
Meracle was currently facing an unprecedented crisis.
Because a former elf queen, a 1,900-year-old grandma, was throwing a fit.
As society ages, the problem is that elderly folks can’t keep up with modern life, but...
At 1,900 years old, it seems she’s having trouble grasping reality.
“Prince Valentino is about the closest match to the requirements you want, customer?”
“Even so, making me the 127th wife is crossing the line! Do you think I’d get to see him even once a day?!”
Once a day, huh.
I’d heard from people who married Prince Valentino that seeing him once a year counted as a lot.
There were almost never any cases of them talking one-on-one, either.
“C-customer! Calm down first! Boss, what do we do?”
“Customer! I get it, so please calm down. We’ll match you with another—”
Creak.
Then, a man came in as the door opened.
Tall, handsome, and dressed with dandy flair.
It was Hunter Lee Kangho, one of the few S-rank clients at Meracle.
“...Boss? Uh, are you busy right now?”
“Oh! Hunter Lee Kangho! You’re here? No, no! Busy? Not at all.”
I was just about to shout at Kim Yang to restrain Renea—
“Ahem, you’re a customer? Hello, I’m Renea.”
“Oh, yes? Hello. I’m Lee Kangho.”
Before I knew it, Renea was sitting politely and tucking her hair behind her ear.
Even Kim Yang, standing behind her, was staring blankly.
“B-boss. I’m scared.”
“...That’s called experience.”
Renea shot me a glare right away, but with Hunter Lee Kangho there, she couldn’t say anything more.
“Have a seat, Hunter Lee Kangho. Are you still going out of Seoul to hunt monsters these days?”
“That’s just what hunters do. I’ve been thinking about trying floors four or five, too.”
Just because her hometown, the 4th floor, was mentioned, look how her ears perked right up.
“What brings you in today?”
With my capitalist smile, I asked, and Lee Kangho approached bashfully.
“I’m here because I have a date with Ms. Mia today. I was hoping to ask for your styling service. Is that possible?”
“Of course! Premium customers don’t need reservations. Kim Yang, get it ready!”
“I-I’ll do it!”
Styling service.
One of Meracle’s perks: before premium customers go on a date, we style them at a very low price.
One of Kim Yang’s reasons for existing.
The dignity of a social media influencer.
Makeup sets, hairdressing scissors, curling irons, and the like are brought out and set up.
“So you even have a service like this.”
“...What a funny way of talking.”
The old lady sat there so primly.
Her speech had started to sound like someone from the provinces trying to hide their dialect.
Then came Kim Yang’s showtime.
“W-what style do you want?”
“As always, please decide for me. You have such great taste.”
“Got it.”
Waxed into a 7:3 side part.
Trim the awkward bits sticking out a little.
Neatly clean up the eyebrows, nose hair, and beard, too.
For the skin, just a tone-up base and sunscreen, cleanly applied.
Finish the lips with clear lip balm.
“Oh, today’s style. Coat, knit, slacks. B-beige tones, dandy and cozy.”
Kim Yang finished it in just thirty minutes.
Even though it was only light base makeup and hairstyling, the customer’s charm really came alive.
“Ooh...”
Renea stared in wonder as if she were watching magic, and Lee Kangho himself smiled with satisfaction in front of the mirror.
“As expected of Meracle. Your skills are really something.”
“Oh, come on, that’s a bit much.”
“I-I did it. Not the boss.”
“...”
Kim Yang puffed out her cheeks, insisting it was her handiwork.
Ignoring her, I immediately took a photo of Lee Kangho as well.
“Looks good. This one seems to be to your liking. You’re dressed up so handsomely like this.”
“Ahem, yes. He seemed like a decent person. We clicked, too. Ms. Mia is a nurse at a makeshift ward outside Seoul, so as a hunter I felt we had a lot in common.”
A deep sense of satisfaction showed on the bashful Lee Kangho’s face.
‘This one’s pretty good, huh?’
Last time, I’d matched him with a female hunter, but it had fallen apart because they seemed too much like coworkers.
This time, I’d introduced him to a nurse named Yumia, and he seemed to like her a lot.
“Haha, enjoy your date. Good luck.”
“Thank you. Then I’ll be off.”
After paying by card, Lee Kangho headed out on his date looking full of confidence.
As soon as Hunter Lee Kangho left, I immediately called Kim Yang over.
“Kim Yang, uh, who was it again? Bring me Ms. Yumia’s file folder.”
“D-does Boss not have hands?”
“Didn’t you get a salary?”
“I-it’s here, Boss.”
So you do know how to use ‘-nim’ after all?
Anyway, a black sheep tainted by capitalism.
I took the folder and checked Yumia’s number.
Then I immediately made the call and went outside.
“W-why are you ignoring me?”
“Want some tea, customer?”
“...Cola.”
“That’s bad for you, Grandma.”
Thud.
I put a cigarette between my lips and made the call.
While I was on my way to the smoking area, the call connected.
- Hello?
“Hello, Ms. Yumia. This is Meracle.”
- Ah, yes. Hello.
“The thing is, you have one trial use of Meracle’s styling service, but you haven’t used it yet. The deadline is today, so—”
- Until today? Oh, then I’ll come! Can I come right now?
“Yes, you can. It usually takes about 30 minutes.”
- I’ll be there right away!
The call ended.
After smoking one cigarette, I returned to the office.
Kim Yang and Renea were talking while looking at photos of men.
“Hey, how about this one?”
“He’s handsome, but he looks a bit rude.”
“What about this one?”
“He’s just big and bulky, and he even has tattoos? Ugh, not my type.”
“...Grandma’s picky.”
Whoa.
I was worried she’d shown her the customer roster.
Thankfully, that wasn’t it. They were Kim Yang’s SNS followers.
“Kim Yang, Ms. Yumia will be here soon, okay? Set things up so it matches Kangho’s styling.”
“Y-yes, Boss.”
Kim Yang began preparing.
As I sat down, Renea furrowed her brows.
“I’m a customer too, you know?”
“You haven’t paid yet.”
“...”
“Would you like to pay now? Want me to introduce our membership plan?”
Good.
If she pays right away, that’s fair enough.
“Ahem!”
“...”
“How am I supposed to trust a company trying to make me the 127th wife of some backwater prince?”
“No, customer. You need to have a realistic view of yourself. I’ve got a keen eye for people after doing this job, you know?”
An elf?
She was beautiful, yes.
Personality?
If you talk to her, she’s not really that prickly.
Occupation?
If she was an elf queen, she’d be able to do anything, right?
But her age.
1,901 years old.
This is really not okay.
“There’s a reason elves score so poorly in the marriage market, you know? Some people even say they’d rather have an orc than an elf.”
“Ah, you’re lying! How dare you compare this lady to some simple-minded orc!”
“Hah, unbelievable.”
She must not have seen modern orcs lately.
“Wait a second.”
I immediately looked up our orc customer’s SNS on my phone.
“Hah, seriously. This lady’s truly at a loss. You’re talking nonsense.”
“I said wait, didn’t I?”
“Orcs, I said orcs! How dare you compare a noble elf to an orc? Since ancient times, the standard of beauty has been elves! The standard of ugliness has been orcs! And you don’t even know what you’re talking about—”
“Please don’t bring up something from 1,900 years ago.”
Just then, he’d uploaded a post saying he’d finished his workout for the day.
“This is our customer, you see? He’s 26. He got an A grade for both looks and physique.”
The moment I held out my phone to show her, Renea jolted in shock as if her eyes were about to pop out.
“L-lies... This is an orc?”
“You saw it, right? That’s what the marriage market is like these days. Do you think you can compete with a 26-year-old orc like this and still win?”
“...”
Her lips pressed into a tight line.
Seeing her tremble like that, I felt oddly sorry.
“So snap out of it—”
“Waaahhh!”
“H-hold on?!”
Renea ran outside in tears.
“N-no. I didn’t mean to hurt her that much.”
“Boss, you’re trash.”
“What choice did I have? That’s reality. If you’re going to compete in the marriage market, the most important thing is self-awareness!”
Even so, I did feel a little bad.
Then Ms. Yumia peeked out from behind the door Renea had left open.
“Oh, Boss? Is something wrong?”
“No, no, it’s nothing. Come in and have a seat.”
I did feel sorry for the elf queen, but our paying customer came first.
…I do feel bad, so if she comes back later, I should treat her better then.
* * *
A few days later.
Hunter Lee Kangho came back.
‘What’s with that look on his face?’
A bad feeling began to creep up.
“Ahem, Mr. Kangho. Did something happen? How are things with Ms. Mia? Going well? You two really seemed to suit each other.”
When I lightly probed, Hunter Lee Kangho covered his face and let out a troubled sigh.
“I think I got dumped.”
What, after all that styling, she still broke it off?
“I can’t get in touch with Ms. Mia.”
“You can’t get in touch with her?”
“Yes! No, our chemistry was good and we’d even planned to meet again afterward! But suddenly I can’t reach her!”
Lee Kangho sprang to his feet and grabbed my hand.
“Boss! P-please! Could you contact Ms. Mia for me? I need to know what part of me she didn’t like?!”
“Of course. I’ll try contacting her first.”
I stepped outside for a moment and called Yumia.
After a long ring, it switched to voicemail.
“...She’s not answering?”
I texted her.
She didn’t read it.
‘This is weird.’
Yumia clearly had feelings for Lee Kangho.
Just a few days ago, her voice had been full of excitement.
Suddenly gone silent?
‘The mood is turning icy.’
Looks like this wasn’t just a simple rejection.