“That—! I'll kill that thing!”
“Gim Yang! Hold on tight! Don't let go!”
“B-boss! What did you do?”
Meracle was currently facing an unprecedented crisis.
All because a 1,900-year-old former elf queen grandmother was throwing a tantrum.
They say that as society ages, it's becoming a problem that the elderly can't keep up with modern society.
And when you're 1,900 years old, grasping reality must be difficult.
“Prince Valentino meets the client's desired conditions as closely as possible, doesn't he?”
“Even so, asking me to be his one-hundred-twenty-seventh wife is crossing the line! Do you think I'd get to see him even once a day?!”
Once a day?
From what I'd heard from someone who married Prince Valentino, meeting once a year was considered a lot.
And they almost never talked one-on-one.
“C-customer! Please calm down! Boss, what do we do?”
“Customer! I get it, so please try to calm down. I'll match you with a different cli—”
Squeak.
Just then, the door opened and a man walked in.
With his tall stature, outstanding looks, and dandy fashion.
It was Hunter I Gangho, one of the few S-rank clients at our Meracle.
“……Boss? Uh, are you busy right now?”
“Oh my! Hunter I Gangho! You're here? No, no! Not busy at all.”
I was about to shout at Gim Yang to quickly subdue Renea, but—
“Ahem, you are a customer? Hello, I am Renea.”
“Uh, yes? Hello, I'm I Gangho.”
Before I knew it, Renea was sitting demurely, tucking her hair behind her ear.
Gim Yang, standing behind her, was staring blankly too.
“B-boss. I'm scared.”
“……That's what experience is.”
Renea immediately glared at me, but she couldn't say anything more with Hunter I Gangho present.
“Sit down, Hunter I Gangho. Do you still go outside Seoul to hunt demonic beasts these days?”
“Isn't that what hunters do? I'm even thinking of crossing over to the 4th or 5th floor.”
Look at his ears perk up the moment the 4th floor is mentioned—he calls it his hometown, after all.
“What brings you here today?”
When I asked with a capitalist smile, I Gangho approached shyly.
“I'm going on a date with Mia today. I was wondering if I could request the styling service, is that possible?”
“Of course! Premium clients don't need a reservation. Gim Yang, get it ready!”
“G-going!”
Styling service.
As one of the perks our Meracle offers, we provide styling for premium clients at a very low price before they go on dates.
It was one of the reasons for Gim Yang's existence.
The dignity of an SNS influencer.
He took out a makeup set, hairdressing scissors, a hair iron, and so on, setting them up.
“There was a service like this too.”
“……Your way of speaking, honestly.”
The grandmother sitting demurely.
Her tone had become like that of a provincial person trying to hide their dialect.
Behind them was Gim Yang's showtime.
“Wh-what style do you want?”
“As always, just do as you please. You have such great sense.”
“Got it.”
A 7:3 part perm with wax.
The hair sticking out awkwardly was trimmed a little.
Eyebrows, nose hair, and beard tidied up cleanly.
For the skin, just a clean layer of tone-up base and sunscreen.
Finishing with transparent lip balm on the lips.
“O-oh, today's style. Coat, knit, slacks. B-beige tones, so dandy and cozy.”
Gim Yang finished in just thirty minutes.
Even though he'd only done some light base makeup and hair styling, the person's charm came alive instantly.
“Ooh…….”
Renea marveled as if watching magic. I Gangho himself smiled satisfactorily in front of the mirror.
“As expected of Meracle. You really are skilled.”
“Oh my, it's nothing that special.”
“I-I did it. Not the boss.”
“…….”
Gim Yang pouted, insisting that he was the one who did it.
Ignoring him, I immediately snapped a photo of I Gangho too.
“It came out well. You must really like this one, dressing up so handsomely.”
“Ahem, yes. She's a good person. We conversed well too. Since Mia is a nurse at a field hospital outside Seoul, we had a lot in common as a hunter.”
Deep satisfaction was evident in the shy figure of I Gangho.
‘This one's pretty good, isn't it?’
Last time, I'd matched him with a female hunter, but the colleague image was too strong and things fizzled out.
This time, I'd introduced him to a nurse named Yumia, and he seemed to really like her.
“Haha, enjoy your date. You got this.”
“Thank you, I'll be off then.”
Having finished paying by card, I Gangho left for his date with an expression full of confidence.
As soon as Hunter I Gangho left, I immediately called for Gim Yang.
“Gim Yang, uh, that person. Bring me Yumia's file.”
“B-boss, don't you have hands?”
“Didn't you get paid?”
“H-here it is, boss.”
So you do know how to use the honorific, huh?
A black sheep tainted by capitalism, as always.
I took the file and checked Yumia's number.
I went outside, immediately making a call.
“Wh-why do you ignore me?”
“Want something to drink, customer?”
“……Coke.”
“I-it's not good for you. Grandma.”
Slam.
I put a cigarette in my mouth and made the call.
On my way to the smoking area, the call connected.
—Hello?
“Hello, client Yumia. This is Meracle.”
—Ah, yes. Hello.
“The thing is, you have one trial session for Meracle's styling service that you haven't used. And the deadline is today—”
—Today? Uh, then I'll come by! Is it possible right now?
“Yes, it is. It usually takes about thirty minutes.”
—I'll come right away!
The call ended.
After smoking one cigarette, I returned to the office.
Gim Yang and Renea were talking while looking at pictures of men.
“What about this one?”
“He is handsome, but he looks a bit rude.”
“This one?”
“He's just big and even has tattoos? Ugh, I do not like him.”
“……Grandma's picky.”
That startled me.
I was worried they might be looking at the client list.
Thankfully, that wasn't the case; it was Gim Yang's SNS followers.
“Gim Yang, Yumia is coming soon, so set her up to match Gangho's styling.”
“Y-yes. Boss.”
Gim Yang began preparing.
As I sat down, Renea furrowed her brow.
“I am a client too, am I not?”
“You haven't paid yet.”
“…….”
“Shall we do it now? Shall I introduce you to the membership system?”
Perfect.
If she pays right away, that counts.
“Ahem!”
“…….”
“I'd have to be able to trust a company that tried to make me the one-hundred-twenty-seventh wife of some backwater prince.”
“No, customer. You need to see yourself objectively. I have an accurate eye for people from doing this work.”
Elf?
Pretty, yes.
Personality?
From what I've seen, it's not particularly twisted.
Job?
She was an elf queen, so she can probably do anything.
But her age.
1,901 years old.
That really won't do.
“There's a reason elves have such a poor reputation in the market. There are even people who say they'd rather have an orc than an elf.”
“Ah, stop telling lies! How dare you compare this lady to some simple, ignorant orc!”
“Ha, this is absurd.”
She hasn't seen any orcs these days, has she?
“Wait a moment.”
I immediately searched for our orc client's SNS on my phone.
“Ha, really. This lady is the one who should be speechless. You are saying ridiculous things.”
“I told you to wait.”
“Orc, I said orc! How dare you bring an orc before a noble elf? Since ancient times, elves have been the standard of beauty! Orcs were the standard of ugliness! You don't even know what you're—”
“Stop talking about 1,900 years ago.”
He had just uploaded a post saying he finished his workout today.
“This is our client. He's twenty-six years old. He received an A-rank for his looks and physique.”
The moment I showed her my phone, Renea flinched in surprise, her eyes nearly popping out.
“L-lies…… this is an orc?”
“You see? This is what the marriage market is like these days. Do you think you can win against a twenty-six-year-old orc like this?”
“…….”
Lips pressed tightly.
Seeing her tremble, I felt sorry for no reason.
“So come to your senses—”
“Uwaaaaaah!”
“W-wait a moment?!”
Renea ran outside crying.
“Ah, no. I didn't mean to hurt her like this.”
“Boss, you're trash.”
“What choice did I have? It's reality. If you want to compete in the marriage market, self-awareness is the most important thing!”
Even though I say that, I do feel a bit sorry.
Just then, Ms. Yumia peeked through the door Renea had left open.
“Uh, boss? Is something wrong?”
“No, no, it's nothing. Come and sit down.”
Even though I feel sorry for the elf queen, our paying customer comes first.
……Since I feel sorry, if she comes back later, I'll have to treat her a bit better then.
* * *
A few days later.
Hunter I Gangho came by again.
‘Why does he look like that?’
An ominous feeling crept up.
“Ahem, Gangho. What's wrong? How are things with Mia? Is it going well? You two really seemed perfect together.”
When I probed lightly, Hunter I Gangho covered his face with his hands and let out a troubled sigh.
“I think I got rejected.”
Wait, I styled him up like that and it still fell through?
“I can't reach Mia.”
“You can't reach her?”
“Yes! I mean, the mood was good and we were going to plan another date! But suddenly I can't reach her!”
I Gangho sprang up and grabbed my hand.
“Boss! P-please! Can you contact Mia for me? I need to know what she didn't like about me?!”
“Of course. I'll try contacting her first.”
I stepped outside for a moment and called Yumia.
After a long ringing tone, it went to voicemail.
“……She's not answering?”
I sent a text.
It wasn't read.
‘This is strange.’
Yumia definitely had feelings for I Gangho.
Just a few days ago, her voice had been full of excitement.
Suddenly cutting off all contact?
‘This is getting ominous.’
It didn't seem like he was simply dumped.