Heavenly Yuah’s mood was undoubtedly somber.
Doing something like this while a drama is going well is clearly strange, no matter how you look at it.
So, I sneaky asked, and she only replied with a weak smile, saying nothing serious was going on.
There’s obviously something up, yet she claims otherwise.
I’m growing more and more suspicious.
“Looks like we’ll have to get Yuah Senior to speak first.”
Heavenly Yuah is definitely not the Heavenly Demon, but she’s someone who fits my Heavenly Demon theory quite well.
Sort of a downed Heavenly Demon.
First of all, it’s not something to worry about too much because, based on my experience, a Heavenly Demon going through a major issue wouldn’t react this way.
If a really tremendous event happened, the reaction would have been much more intense than this.
This indicates there’s a small issue somewhere, and in that case, it’s surprisingly simple to get her to open up.
Her mouth will open more easily than expected if her tongue and stomach are pleased.
“Time to bring out the secret weapon.”
Heavenly Yuah is an extreme duck fanatic.
When I realized she shares a similar palate with the Heavenly Demon, I prepared a secret weapon for just the right moment.
It’s a sulfur duck hot pot.
Even though she loves duck, Western-style dining is what Heavenly Yuah is familiar with, so sulfur duck hot pot might not be a familiar dish to her.
Of course, it’s a dish that’s not common, but there are places that serve it, so she might have tried it just out of curiosity.
But definitely, the sulfur duck hot pot I’ve prepared this time hits directly to Heavenly Yuah’s taste.
Not all herbal duck dishes are the same, you know?
I firmly believe that this invitation will melt Heavenly Yuah’s frozen heart.
“…Dining out?”
“Yes. I found a great spot. Are you interested?”
“…What’s on the menu?”
“Sulfur duck hot pot.”
“Ah… sulfur duck…?”
Today, I approached Heavenly Yuah, who looked a bit sluggish, and suggested dinner. She first inquired what the menu would be.
I confidently replied that it is sulfur duck hot pot, but her response wasn’t very enthusiastic.
“I’ve tried that before, and it wasn’t really to my taste.”
“Is that so?”
Apparently, she was somewhat disappointed with the sulfur duck she tried before.
“This place is a real hidden gem.”
“…A hidden gem?”
“Yes, a truly hidden gem. Without reservation, it’s impossible to get a seat there.”
“…Hmm.”
Even with my claim that it’s a hidden gem, Heavenly Yuah hesitates.
So, I stuck closely to her side like a sinister devil, whispering temptations.
“It’s absolutely fantastic. The owner is an absolute duck expert. The greasiness specific to duck and the aroma of the herbs are perfectly balanced. Oh, the tender flesh inside the duck is just…”
“… gulp.”
“Especially the breast meat. The texture of the breast meat, tenderly boiled, is…”
“…Alright, I’ll go.”
“You’re going?”
“Yes, but I do have a condition.”
Ah, success.
As befitting a duck enthusiast, Heavenly Yuah couldn’t resist the temptation of the duck breast.
However, she did have a condition.
“Without the other people. Just Siwoo and me. Just the two of us. It feels a bit suffocating. I want to feel relaxed today.”
“Ah, just the two of us… What about the bodyguards?”
“That’s the problem.”
It was clearly that she wanted to go out just with me, alone.
She’s feeling a bit suffocated lately.
I somewhat understand her feelings.
Bodyguards always sticking around wherever you go.
Even though you might not notice it normally, on days like today when you’re feeling down, you would probably want to avoid it, right?
In a country like Korea where gun use is impossible, having that many security guards seems indeed excessive.
But the problem was how to get rid of the bodyguards.
No matter how much Heavenly Yuah refuses, the bodyguards will find a way to follow because that’s their job.
You can’t really compromise when it comes to security.
“There is a way….”
“Really?”
“Yes, the simplest and most certain method.”
“And what’s that?”
“Persuasion.”
“…Persuasion?”
Heavenly Yuah tilts her head at the mention of persuasion.
Then she frowns and counters.
“I hope you’re not thinking of having another showdown with the bodyguards?”
“One showdown?”
“Your method of persuasion means forcefully nodding the opponent’s head, doesn’t it? It will be very violent with a high probability.”
“…What exactly do you think of me?”
Certainly, a forceful breakout is possible.
Our bodyguards are divided into 3 groups of 8 to guard the building, and it means that breaking through 8 people would allow an escape.
Even if the bodyguards are equipped with illegal anesthesia gas and stun guns, it’s not something they can use on me.
Actually, if Heavenly Yuah has my back, it’s easier than eating a cold meal.
However, doing things this way would only ruin my relationships.
If they can’t say anything to Heavenly Yuah, I’d inevitably become the target of their resentment.
It’ll be hard going forward seeing each other when it comes to that, so persuasion is genuinely needed on this part.
“It’s not like young women can’t go out to eat in our country without security issues.”
“That’s true.”
“But if that young woman is Senior Yuah, it’s only natural that there could be problems. We at least need a guard, or at least a manager, for reassurance.”
“Exactly.”
“Then this is simple. What if Senior Yuah isn’t Yuah?”
“…What do you mean?”
“I’ll help make Senior Yuah not Yuah.”
“…”
“Let’s disguise ourselves.”
If we turn Senior Yuah into an ordinary woman in her 20s, we wouldn’t need the bodyguards, right?
The bodyguards can ignore the refusal because of ‘principle.’
Of course, there are troubling parts.
Teaching Heavenly Yuah the sweetness of covert outings might not be a good idea.
She might suddenly develop wanderlust, and keep asking for these covert outings, which would be quite tiring.
But I’ve decided to take the risk.
Given her habit of working like an ox, problems like that won’t happen like in Martial Forest.
Since I’ve already revealed her disguise abilities when introducing Moon Suyeon to the company, it doesn’t seem like much of an issue here.
“Alright, let’s start.”
“…Please transform me with a pretty face.”
“This kind of disguise should be modest for the best efficiency.”
“No, a pretty face.”
“Having a pretty disguise will attract people’s eyes…”
“A pretty face. Maximum.”
“…Alright, close your eyes first.”
Come on, is a pretty face really necessary for this disguise?
Women’s hearts are just unfathomable.
Thinking this but still thinking it’s somewhat understandable, I laid the mask on her face.
This woman, her eyelashes are so impressively long.
While thinking she is so pretty, I tried my best on her mask, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t make it satisfactory.
Probably because the original is too superior that I couldn’t find a ‘perfect’ version.
This, I should give up.
No matter how pretty I make it, surpassing the original face is impossible.
For someone as beautiful as Moon Suyeon and Heavenly Yuah, their naturally exquisite features make it realistically impossible to make their faces look better than the original.
But still, since she insisted on making it as pretty as possible, I put in some effort.
“…”
“Is this… me? Was this what you wanted?”
“…No.”
“How about this one?”
“No.”
“So, how about it?”
“Still not as good as the original.”
“That’s obviously the case, right?”
“Heh… So that’s how it is.”
“You’re Senior Yuah, after all.”
It seems like she likes the new mask, since her mood greatly improved.
Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve put a mask on her face.
The Celestial Demon used martial arts to change their appearance, so only low-tier people like me rely on masks—Celestial Demons don’t need masks.
It’s kind of a refreshing experience.
“…Are you going out like this?”
“Yes, without bodyguards.”
“…Just you and Actor White Siu?”
“Yes, without bodyguards.”
“Bu—”
“Without bodyguards.”
“…Understood.”
Screaming ‘without bodyguards’ like a chant, Heavenly Yuah.
Manager Rick looks exasperated, and Representative Joo is staring at a distant mountain.
It seems there’s no justification to stop her.
At a glance, the bodyguards will secretly follow, but there’s no stopping that.
We can’t just tell the bodyguards to completely let go.
Anyway, if they’re out of sight, it’s the same as not being there, right?
That much understanding is needed.
“Uh… Alright, have a safe trip.”
“Okay, I’ll be back shortly.”
“Yes, clear your mind as well while you’re out.”
Thus, Heavenly Yuah was permitted to go out without bodyguards.
Judging from the tail-end condition, it seems Representative Joo also knows there’s something amiss with Heavenly Yuah.
Well, as for that person, they’re kind of like Heavenly Yuah’s personal secretary, so it would be more strange not knowing.
“…Is this it?”
“How’s it look? It’s a Blackhippo.”
“Uh…”
We got out of the elevator to go underground after getting approval for the outing from the manager.
It wasn’t so far away that we could walk, but we definitely needed a vehicle.
A van that obviously held a celebrity wouldn’t do, and I, who don’t have my own car, had no choice but to rely on Heavenly Yuah.
To my surprise, Heavenly Yuah showed me her own custom ride, the Blackhippo.
A black Humvee boasting a massive build.
Of course, it’s not military-use, but it’s a commercially produced version.
Still, it had an imposing presence.
This woman drives only things like herself, huh.
The name Hippo certainly suits her, it’s impressively large and beautiful.
Wow, I’m actually going to drive this…
“I’ll let you drive, Senior.”
“Does Siwoo not have a license?”
“No, I do.”
“Then why?”
“It’s been a while since you’ve gone out, isn’t driving yourself more fun?”
“That’s… true. Alright. Get in.”
What a missed opportunity. Losing the chance to drive such a beast.
But there’s not much I can do about it; I’ve not driven since my Martial Forest trip.
At this point, my driver’s license is beyond being a “shelf license” — it’s decaying.
Of course, if asked now, I could probably still drive, but I shouldn’t take risks with Heavenly Yuah as a passenger.
So, I obediently boarded alongside Heavenly Yuah, and our Blackhippo slowly exited the Flame underground parking lot.
