Sure.
It seems we had a preemptive chat.
Catherine and Eve didn’t really show much dissatisfaction with Andrea’s move, more than I expected.
Eve is one thing, but I thought Catherine would continue her questioning with “You? A manager? Why?” and then wrap it up with something like “I’m against it.”
But she said, “Alright, if that’s the case, it can’t be helped. Let’s meet later at the concert venue.”
That was a statement from Catherine, who was lounging around more relaxed than usual.
Since our short conversation on the roof, maybe her mindset changed, as she didn’t seem to care much about Andrea’s… abduction (employment).
Gyeomjok has really changed a lot.
I felt a surge of emotion.
Anyway, there’s a saying that lions give their all when hunting rabbits.
Now that I took on the manager role.
I wanted to do my job properly so that I wouldn’t be a burden to Andrea.
It’s a habit I picked up from my mercenary work.
I followed Andrea and asked, “Is there anything I need to know?”
“Not really?”
Andrea shook her head and answered.
Then, she added, “Anyway, the coordinators and stylists are hired by the concert company. Plus, the costume room and shop are on site.”
Andrea finished her explanation with light steps.
“And there’s no other schedule for that day, so you just need to show up and keep an eye on the terrorists.”
I nodded at Andrea’s words.
“Looks like I really just need to do security.”
“I told you earlier. ‘Disguise.’”
Well, there’s no way that professional Andrea would just hand over manager duties to someone clueless like me.
…..
But why do I have to start working now, if I can just do security?
I wanted to ask Andrea that, but the elevator arrived at the underground level faster.
Upon arriving at the underground parking lot, I spotted a black van parked to one side.
It looked like Andrea’s work van that I had seen a few times before.
I remember a female manager always being at the wheel, but since I’m the manager today, I wondered if I had to drive.
I suddenly asked Andrea a curious question.
“By the way, what happened to the original manager?”
“Ah… that person?”
Andrea paused.
She turned her body toward me and skillfully manipulated her view interface.
The manager’s face appeared in the air.
[…Uh, hello? Is this Andrea?]
It seemed she called the existing manager through the hologram communication feature.
[What can I do for you?]
“I just wanted to check if you’re doing okay.”
I looked at the screen floating in front of Andrea.
Behind the manager’s flustered face, a ‘blue sky’ could be seen.
What? Where’s that call coming from?
The manager smiled as she took a light breath at Andrea’s question.
[I’m having a happy time. USA City is really amazing! Look at the sky!]
She seemed to be a quiet person by nature.
Maybe she was just trying to be quiet on purpose before.
[This is all possible because you gave me time off, Andrea! As I mentioned before, thank you! My parents love it too!]
“Um, um.”
It seemed Andrea had given her some time off.
But…
With every call, something suspicious kept nagging at me.
[When you suddenly asked for vacation during this time, I thought something was up. Again, I thank you for your deep consideration, Andrea–.]
“I’m hanging up now.”
[Huh?]
Did Andrea notice that as well?
She interrupted the manager’s speech and hurriedly ended the call.
“……”
I stared at Andrea incredulously.
“You sent her because she wanted to go.”
“……”
“I’m serious.”
“……”
With a mischievous grin, Andrea grabbed my shoulder, blocking my way out.
…Could it be?
Is all of this just Andrea’s ‘selfishness’ and I really don’t need to be the manager?
I fell into a brief silence, pondering.
—
27. Painful Social Life (2)
I let out a big yawn.
Living the life of a home security guard (a bum), sleeping when I was sleepy and waking up when my eyes opened, now I found myself awake so early in the morning.
My eyelids felt heavy.
– Beep beep, beep beep–.
Ugh, so noisy.
I harshly turned off the alarm ringing directly in my head.
I thought I’d go crazy just having to deal with that for one day.
How do so many working people in this era endure this sound?
Sure, I could change the alarm to a different sound through a paid service subscription, but I never really used the alarm feature of my neural computer chip anyway.
Of course, I didn’t have a paid subscription.
To be honest, I just forgot about it.
【Bringing you news from NCB24, using free ad data time.】
As the alarm sound disappeared, a news advertisement targeting free users began.
As I stretched lazily on the couch, replenishing my air supply, I sank back down.
Still groggy and out of it.
I was oblivious to my surroundings.
I just wanted to get rid of this noise first.
But.
There was no way such a minimal action could block the news (ad) ringing in my head.
The advertisement continued to be delivered to my ears as I hung my head.
I moved my hands to search for the credit payment process.
【There’s been a threat from terrorists at the most famous concert in Neon City, the ‘Iron Heart Festival.’ The terrorist group is known as extreme Luddite fanatics…】
The credits began to leave my account.
Soon, the advertisement and news sounds faded away.
Only then could I raise my body.
Slowly, I began to piece together my situation.
…Hmm.
Now that I think about it, I had come over to Andrea’s place to take on the manager role and ended up sleeping here.
She mentioned there was only one bed.
So I said I’d just sleep on the couch.
Even though Andrea insisted that she was fine and wanted to sleep in the same bed…
Gyeomjok had been tempered so many times that my stubbornness won out over Andrea’s.
I stretched for all I was worth.
The couch was so soft that it didn’t seem like I had a restless night.
I had set the alarm for the time Andrea told me beforehand. She mentioned I needed to start getting ready then.
The concert actually starts in the evening, but I don’t understand why I have to start getting ready at dawn.
Well, I took on the manager role, so I dug my own grave there.
That’s why I’m struggling with fatigue and drowsiness right now.
…I wonder if Andrea is awake.
Thinking that, I got up from the couch. The blanket I had been under slipped off me with a swish.
…
What’s that at my feet?
Scratching my head, I looked down.
And I froze.
“……”
Someone was softly breathing on the floor.
The headliner of the concert mentioned in the news, and an influencer whom I could easily find related news about on the net space.
A fellow mercenary and a famous singer.
I let out a short sigh.
“…Why is she sleeping here?”
Since she brought the blanket, it seems she must have spent the night here.
I have no idea when she came.
I clearly remember trying to sleep on the bed.
Anyway, I quietly returned to the couch, trying not to wake Andrea.
Sunlight, only found in the upper-class area, brightly illuminated the living room through the wall and huge glass doors.
…How is she still sleeping in this brightness?
I rested my chin on my hand and looked down at Andrea.
If she had normally slept on the floor, her hair should be a tangled mess by now.
But Andrea’s hairstyle flowed down smoothly, as if someone had styled it for her.
Is it true that celebrities don’t have messy hair?
I swept my own messy hair back and thought so.
A sweet fragrance wafted gracefully through the air, carried by the air purifier.
Having assessed the situation, I sprang up from my seat.
I need to wash my face first.
I need to get myself together.
I could wake Andrea after that.
“Mmnn…”
I stepped carefully around the dormitory-sized Andrea to the bathroom.
I had roughly memorized the layout of the house when I arrived yesterday, so I didn’t get lost on my way to the wash basin.
I lifted the faucet handle.
With a clean and refreshing sound, cold water gushed down with strong pressure.
I lightly washed my face.
I was finally starting to feel alert.
I raised my head and faced my reflection in the mirror.
I don’t know if it was because I woke up to the alarm, but the first thing I noticed was the darker-than-usual dark circles under my eyes.
Maybe I should shower?
No, I should definitely wake Andrea first.
While checking my reflection, I noticed something odd.
Just earlier, there seems to be a sweet scent lingering near where Andrea was.
Is it that rich families have different scents?
I don’t remember it being like that yesterday.
Since there’s no one around.
I sniffed searching for the scent’s source.
…
Weird.
I haven’t applied any perfume, but why does it seem like the scent is coming from my chest area?
Looking closely in the mirror, it seemed like I had a bit of cosmetic powder on me…
Hmm.
Based on that situation, I began to think.
If my assumption is correct, then when I fell asleep, Andrea must have stealthily approached the couch and rubbed her face on my chest…
I hurriedly shook my head, denying it.
No, that can’t be right.
But then, what could be the identity of the scent on my clothes?
I felt like I could get the answer from Eve, but I lacked the courage to face the truth by opening Pandora’s box.
I came to a brief conclusion.
Maybe it’s just the scent of the sofa.
Considering it’s an expensive one, it should have some function like that.
“……”
Yeah.
I must be right about that.
I wiped away the internal demon of doubt.
It was about time to wake Andrea up.
I moved my feet back toward the living room, trying to maintain my composure.
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