Chapter 176

Of course, I knew Yeonwoo’s comment had neither malice nor real conviction behind it.

But that thoughtless habit of blurting things out had to be fixed from the start.

So today, Yeonwoo would be walking around Hongdae with their face out in the open.

Thanks to that, the plan to split into two teams was hastily changed.

“I’m with Hojin, and Taeeon and Seo Han Gyeol will move as a pair.”

“What about me then! You’re really sending me off alone? I don’t even have a badge!”

“That’s why you need to go alone even more.”

If Yeonwoo went around with us, people would swarm, and then we couldn’t conduct a proper investigation, could we.

“No, I’m sorry, okay? From now on I’ll keep my head on straight and absolutely won’t say useless stuff. Yeah?”

“No. Do whatever you want.”

From Roy’s point of view, Yeonwoo needed to be at least a little conscious of other people’s eyes.

Even within the team they were the second most famous after Han Gyeol—was it because they’d been holed up in the athletes’ village doing nothing but shoot arrows?

Their sense of reality was far too faint.

So this was a good chance: let them do whatever they wanted and feel firsthand how frightening the public gaze could be.

“Anyway, the badges have serial numbers on them, so just remember you’ll be disciplined if you lose yours.”

“Got it.”

“It’s already ten? Let’s get moving. Regroup here by three.”

“No, you’re really making me go alone? Really?”

“See you later, everyone.”

“Aagh! I’m gonna lose it...!”

And just like that, Shooting Star split into three teams.

✧

First up: Roy and Hojin.

The two headed for the “Mist Manor,” the spot Hojin had marked.

They said it was the most popular cafe in Hongdae these days, and the entire two-story house had been converted into a cafe.

True to the name, a faint haze that blurred the view lay from the entrance on.

“They nailed the concept.”

A large willow tree crowded the yard, and the shadow falling across the black roof made the manor look all the more mysterious.

Following Roy’s comment, Hojin lifted his head and quietly nodded.

“You remember our concept, right?”

“Yeah.”

Roy and Hojin’s concept was YouTubers.

They were doing a “hunt for unusual places,” and their bit was that they’d come because they’d heard the butler cafe was trending.

“If it gets awkward, you just hold the camera. I’ll handle the rest.”

Roy handed Hojin the handheld gimbal cam he’d bought for today and took the lead.

“Hey there~ Today we’re checking out a quirky cafe that’s supposed to be the hottest place in Hongdae right now. How does it feel if a guy shows up? We’re about to go find out. Let’s go.”

Roy winked at the camera and pointed to the front gate.

He’d been an idol for years—lines like this were nothing he couldn’t rattle off in his sleep.

Past the garden, at an old-fashioned iron door, a lion head ornament with peeling paint caught the eye.

He lifted the handle in the lion’s mouth and knocked twice; the door opened from inside, and a new world unfolded.

“The young master has arrived.”

At the calm announcement from the man who opened the door, butlers lined up on both sides answered in one voice with a formal bow.

“Welcome back, young master.”

For a moment there was a flicker of hesitation as the door opened, but the smooth transition showed this wasn’t the first time they’d had male guests.

Even so, it was the first time for these two, and inwardly they were quite rattled.

They’d braced themselves a bit, but they hadn’t expected it to be this full-on.

And at the unfamiliar address “young master,” even the guests seated in the cafe all turned their heads as one.

“......!”

Hojin’s face flushed red in an instant.

But Roy, tempered by years of idol activity, quickly recovered his cool.

“Please allow me to show the young masters to your seats.”

The butler who led them to a table then pulled out their chairs.

“Thanks.”

“Please speak comfortably.”

“Should I? Then I will.”

Ever since revealing his identity, Roy had grown used to receiving extravagant treatment and accepted the situation naturally.

“I’m the Head Butler ‘Wind,’ and I’ll be serving the young masters today.”

A man with a striking platinum ponytail introduced himself.

Wearing a three-piece suit and silver half-rim glasses, he had the kind of fine looks you rarely see in everyday life.

But that was only until Roy and Hojin showed up.

Once the two sat down, the patrons’ eyes naturally drifted from the butlers to Roy and Hojin’s table.

Unlike Hojin, who was so self-conscious he could hardly lift his head, Roy kept his chin up and scanned the surroundings. They weren’t here to enjoy the cafe—they were here to investigate.

He had to make sure nothing looked suspicious.

In the meantime, the head butler, who had stepped away to fetch the menus, returned.

“Pardon me, young masters. May I guide [N O V E L I G H T] you through the menu?”

“Of course.”

At Roy’s brazen reply, Hojin pressed his lips together like he was stifling a laugh.

The butler explained that the cafe required one drink per person and that special options were available for the young master’s delight.

And those special options were...

“A lucky draw, a photo with a butler, and a live show are available.”

Just hearing the names made your head spin.

The head butler set down a small ribboned bell on the table, saying to ring it once they’d decided, and withdrew.

“What do you want to drink?”

“If they have lemonade, I’ll take that...”

“Okay. Let’s see~”

Roy combed through the menu.

Short notes were printed below each drink, and he checked them one by one for anything suspicious.

“Nothing’s really grabbing me.”

Which meant, contrary to expectations, nothing looked shady.

Then it happened.

A fanfare blared, and an announcement started playing to summon the butlers.

“Huh?”

While Roy and Hojin looked around in confusion, the head butler approached to ask their pardon and stepped away for a moment.

He and the other butlers gathered fancy bottles and glasses and headed straight up to the second floor.

“Right. This place has a second floor.”

Only the minimum number of butlers remained downstairs, guarding the entrance and the stairs to the second floor.

What on earth was going on?

Roy looked around, puzzled, then pricked up his ears at the whispers from the neighboring table.

“Sounds like a Champagne Call popped.”

“I want to rack up results fast so I can move upstairs too.”

Rack up results?

A whiff of something fishy tickled the tip of his nose.

“I didn’t expect the first and second floors to run on different systems.”

He’d sat down at the guided table too carelessly.

Admitting his mistake quickly, Roy turned his head without hesitation. Then he leaned a little toward the next table and propped his chin on his hand.

“Champagne Call? What’s that?”

Ambushed by a handsome face at close range, both of the whispering girls flushed crimson at once.

“......!”

“Eek!”

But maybe the attack was too powerful—one of them squealed, and that drew a butler’s attention.

“Young master, may I assist you with something?”

A butler who’d noticed the commotion came over.

He was the one guarding the stairs up to the second floor.

“We heard a Champagne Call went off. I was curious what that is.”

When Roy asked with an easy smile, the butler supplied the explanation.

“The second floor is reserved for VIP guests, and there we offer a wider array of special options.”

A Champagne Call was one of those: an event provided when you order the most expensive drink in the cafe.

When the bell rings, all the butlers gather to give a brief performance and serve the drink.

Right then, singing drifted down from upstairs.

“Wow. Then can I go up and order a special option too?”

Roy deliberately asked with a bright, knowing-nothing smile.

But the butler refused gently, like he’d handled this many times before.

“I’m sorry, young master. Only VIP guests may go upstairs.”

“I’m a young master, though.”

“Your current title is Baron; VIP classification begins at Marquis and above. My apologies.”

Well, well. They even had ranks?

He’d thought it was simply a cafe that took its concept a little more seriously than most, but it was far more systematized than expected.

Honestly, there was a lot he wanted to pry into, but pushing further here could draw needless suspicion.

So Roy decided to fall back for now. There were plenty of people to ask, anyway.

“So you’re telling me to come home more often?”

At Roy’s playful question, the butler nodded with a smile.

“Indeed, young master. Quite a few new staff have come on while you were away.”

The man kept smiling throughout, but they both knew it wasn’t heartfelt.

You might drop by out of curiosity once, but unless it was a punishment, who would come back and spend money just to see men dressed as butlers.

“Got it. Then could we have a lemonade and an iced chocolate?”

“Certainly. I’ll have them right out.”

The man took the menu Roy handed over and walked away.

✧

Meanwhile, Park Yeonwoo.

As the price for running his mouth, he’d been assigned to investigate alone—and he was struggling mightily.

He had found a cafe similar to the one Roy had headed for, but the situation was markedly different.

“Th-th-this is insane...!”

The walls were pink enough to smell like strawberry milk, and along the stairs hung vintage frames.

Not only that—the faces inside the frames belonged to staff in maid outfits.

The compositions evoked aristocratic portraits, paired with over-the-top makeup and costuming.

Yeonwoo stopped at the foot of the stairs, jaw hanging open and body frozen.

“I... I have to go up there?”

Already disheartened before even entering, Yeonwoo tapped his forehead against the wall, thunk, thunk, as if to reject reality.

But the more he did it, the more his head hurt—nothing else changed.

“No, no! Eyes shut and just go!”

Man up, Park Yeonwoo!

It was the first official assignment he’d received since becoming an agent.

Mortifying, yes—but even more than that, he wanted to pull it off better than anyone. So with great resolve he forced himself to climb.

As a result, it took him a full twenty minutes to get up maybe twenty steps.

But the real start was now...

“Ha!”

He took a deep breath, pushed the door open, and stepped inside,

“The master has arrived~”

“Welcome, master!”

“......!”

Yeonwoo couldn’t breathe.