Inside a narrow alley several streets away from the café, Jison stood quietly with his back resting against the cold concrete wall of an aging building.
The city noises sounded distant from here.
Only the occasional sound of passing vehicles and faint conversations echoed through the alleyway intermittently.
Above him, the sky remained clear.
White clouds drifted lazily across the pale afternoon heavens while sunlight illuminated the towering buildings surrounding the district.
A cold gust of wind swept through the alley suddenly, causing Jison's dark hair to sway lightly.
For several moments, he simply stared upward silently.
Then—
He pulled out his phone.
His thumb pressed against a contact almost instinctively.
Seo-yeon.
The ringtone echoed briefly before the call connected.
"Hello..."
Seo-yeon's soft voice emerged from the other side immediately.
Jison adjusted his posture slightly against the wall before speaking.
"You called me earlier."
"Yeah."
Her voice sounded calm as always.
"I just wanted to ask why you didn't come to school today."
Hearing that question, Jison instinctively became silent for a second.
Then he replied awkwardly,
"Ah... I just wasn't feeling well."
He rubbed the back of his neck unconsciously.
"That's all."
There was a brief pause.
Then Seo-yeon asked gently,
"How are you feeling now?"
Jison answered naturally.
"I'm fine now."
Then he shifted the topic slightly.
"What about you? Are you at the café right now?"
On the other side, Seo-yeon replied,
"No."
Her voice carried faint exhaustion.
"I had to pick up my younger brother today because my father suddenly got busy with work."
The moment Jison heard that—
Relief exploded inside him.
Internally, he almost celebrated.
Thank fucking god.
A genuine smile appeared across his face immediately.
Truthfully, one of the reasons he had stayed away from the café earlier was because he worried Seo-yeon might be there.
If both Seo-yeon and Soo-bin met him together—
Especially while he was spending the entire day with Soo-bin—
He honestly had no idea what kind of disaster would happen.
After all—
According to the system—
Both girls were apparently future "queens."
And that thought alone sounded terrifying enough.
Jison immediately hurried to end the conversation before accidentally saying something suspicious.
"Ah—Seo-yeon, my sister's calling me for help."
He lied smoothly.
"I'll talk to you later."
Seo-yeon didn't question him.
"Okey."
Her soft voice carried through the phone once more.
"Bye."
"Yeah, bye."
The call ended.
Jison lowered the phone slowly before checking the time.
2:56 PM.
Seeing the time, he pushed himself away from the wall and stepped out from the alley.
Then he began walking back toward the café.
However—
After several steps—
He suddenly made another call.
This time—
Woo-jin.
The ringtone lasted longer than before.
Eventually, the call connected.
The moment it did, Jison spoke casually.
"Yo, Woo-jin."
He shoved one hand into his pocket while walking.
"What happened earlier? Why'd you call me?"
For a moment, silence came from the other side.
Then Woo-jin's voice emerged.
"...Ah, yo."
But something immediately felt wrong.
His voice sounded strained.
Painfully forced.
Like someone pretending to sound normal despite being exhausted or hurt.
"Nothing much," Woo-jin continued.
"I just wanted to ask if you're free this weekend."
Jison's eyes narrowed instantly.
"What happened to your voice?"
But Woo-jin immediately ignored the question.
"Hey, bastard, answer what I asked first."
Jison's expression darkened slightly.
At this point, he already understood.
Someone had definitely bullied him again.
Maybe beaten him too.
Still—
He suppressed his irritation and answered calmly.
"I'm free."
Woo-jin released a small breath.
"Okey."
Then his tone became slightly lighter.
"A new game got released recently."
He laughed weakly.
"I wanna buy it. Come with me."
Hearing that, Jison clenched his jaw faintly.
"Okey."
His voice remained calm externally.
But internally—
Rage surged quietly.
The call ended shortly afterward.
Jison lowered the phone slowly while continuing to walk down the sidewalk.
His eyes became colder.
I don't care who touched him today...
Once I receive the login quest reward—
I'll beat those bastards until they beg for mercy.
The thought remained inside his head silently while the afternoon wind brushed past him.
Several moments later—
Jison finally arrived in front of the café once more.
The familiar glass entrance reflected the sunlight beautifully while customers could be seen moving inside.
Without hesitation, he pushed open the glass door and entered.
The small bell above the entrance rang softly.
But the moment he stepped inside—
His expression froze.
The atmosphere inside felt strange immediately.
Near the counter stood five boys wearing the same school uniform as Jison.
All of them looked like troublemakers.
Loud.
Arrogant.
The type that relied heavily on group confidence.
And currently—
They were surrounding Soo-bin at the counter.
Soo-bin stood on the opposite side while maintaining her professional work smile.
However, Jison could immediately tell it was forced.
One of the boys leaned lazily against the counter before grinning shamelessly.
"Sister-in-law~"
His voice sounded mocking.
"Can't we at least get a discount?"
The others burst into laughter immediately.
Another boy added loudly,
"Yeah, we're good friends with Seo-jun after all."
"Hahaha!"
The group laughed obnoxiously together.
Their tone wasn't respectful.
It was provocative.
Intentional.
They were deliberately making Soo-bin uncomfortable while using Nam Seo-jun's name to pressure her.
Meanwhile, behind the counter—
Soo-bin merely smiled awkwardly.
She couldn't explode at them.
Couldn't insult them.
Couldn't tell them to get out.
Because this was her workplace.
And if customers complained about her behavior—
She could lose her job.
So despite the irritation visible faintly within her eyes—
She endured it silently.
Maintaining that strained smile while speaking politely.
And the moment Jison saw that expression on her face—
Something inside him immediately became irritated again.
The moment Jison saw the strained smile on Soo-bin's face, irritation surged through him almost instantly.
Without hesitation—
He began walking directly toward the counter.
His footsteps were calm.
Unhurried.
Yet for some reason, the atmosphere around him subtly changed.
Meanwhile, the five boys remained completely occupied with their own obnoxious laughter.
None of them noticed him approaching at first.
Jison eventually stopped directly behind them.
Silently.
Simply staring.
His expression remained unreadable, but the coldness within his eyes was enough to make the surrounding atmosphere feel uncomfortable.
Behind the counter, Soo-bin immediately noticed him.
The moment their eyes met—
Her forced smile faltered slightly.
What is he doing here?
Worry appeared within her gaze almost instantly.
Because unlike earlier—
These boys weren't random drunkards.
They were students.
And worse—
They were connected to Nam Seo-jun.
One of the boys finally sensed someone standing behind them and turned around casually.
However—
The moment he saw Jison—
He visibly hesitated.
Jison was taller than him.
Not just slightly.
Noticeably.
Combined with his naturally sharp expression and calm stare, the pressure felt unexpectedly intimidating.
Still, pride prevented the boy from backing down.
"What the fuck are you staring at?" he asked aggressively.
Hearing him speak, the other boys also turned around one by one.
Their expressions immediately hardened after seeing Jison standing there silently.
"Hey."
One of them frowned.
"What are you glaring at us for?"
Another boy shoved both hands inside his pockets before stepping closer toward Jison arrogantly.
"What was with that scary look on your face earlier?"
However—
Jison completely ignored him.
As if the five of them didn't even exist.
Instead, he turned his head toward Soo-bin calmly.
"Senior."
His voice remained steady.
"Two hot coffees."
The sudden shift in topic confused everyone briefly.
Even the customers sitting nearby looked over curiously.
Some office workers drinking coffee glanced at Jison with faint admiration.
Ignoring five troublemakers that boldly required confidence.
Behind the counter, Soo-bin immediately panicked internally.
She understood instantly what Jison was trying to do.
He was trying to avoid conflict inside the café.
Quickly, she turned around and began preparing the order.
But before leaving fully, she glanced toward him anxiously and spoke quietly,
"Don't fight."
Her voice carried genuine concern.
Meanwhile, the boys standing near Jison grew visibly angrier after being ignored again.
Especially the one closest to him.
The boy's expression twisted in humiliation before he suddenly raised his hand aggressively.
He was clearly about to slap Jison.
However—
Before the hand could move further—
Jison spoke first.
"There are cameras inside the café."
His calm tone immediately halted the movement.
Then Jison slowly looked toward him.
"Meet me outside after two hours."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"We'll settle it there."
The boy paused.
Then instinctively glanced around.
Sure enough—
A security camera hung clearly in the upper corner of the café wall.
"...Tsk."
His expression darkened with irritation.
"Fine."
Clearly, none of them wanted trouble involving school disciplinary reports or police complaints.
Especially over something inside a public café.
One of the boys pointed threateningly toward Jison before stepping backward.
"Don't fucking run later."
Then, together, all five of them turned and walked out of the café noisily.
The glass door slammed shut behind them.
Silence briefly settled inside the café afterward.
Several nearby customers quietly whispered among themselves.
Meanwhile—
Jison calmly sat down at a table near the counter as if nothing had happened.
Internally, however—
Cold sweat nearly formed down his back.
Uff...
That was dangerous as fuck.
Then he remembered the statistics he had secretly viewed earlier using [Peeking].
All five of them possessed Strength stats at C-Rank.
The rest of their attributes were around D-Rank or E-Rank.
But even then—
C-Rank physical strength was no joke.
If I fight them right now...
I'll get beaten like a fucking dog.
The thought made him smile awkwardly internally.
Still—
A dangerous idea slowly surfaced inside his mind again.
But...
This might actually become the perfect chance to complete the mission.
The thought alone already sounded insane.
Suddenly, a crimson-black holographic screen appeared before his eyes.
Text slowly began to appear across it.
---
[Ding! Host Has Triggered A Hidden Quest]
---
As Jison read the message, his eyes widened in shock.
Before he could process it, the screen flickered again and new text appeared.
---
[Hidden Quest Started]
[Quest Name: Dare To Bully My Queen]
[Objective: Defeat The Five Bullies]
[Reward: Charm Enhancement Potion]
---
What the fuck...?
Several minutes later—
Soo-bin finally emerged from behind the counter carrying a tray carefully in both hands.
Two cups of hot coffee rested upon it while steam rose gently upward.
The moment she spotted Jison sitting quietly near the counter—
Her eyes softened slightly.
A gentle curve appeared within them naturally.
Then a small smile formed across her lips as she walked toward him.
Reaching the table, she carefully placed the tray down.
"Here's your coffee."
However—
Confusion quickly appeared on her face.
Because Jison had ordered two coffees.
Yet he was sitting alone.
Before she could ask—
Jison suddenly picked up one of the cups.
Then he extended it toward her naturally.
"Senior."
His expression remained calm.
"This one's for you."
Soo-bin blinked in surprise.
Then Jison added casually,
"Didn't I say I'd treat you the whole day?"
For a brief second—
Soo-bin genuinely became stunned.
No one had ever done something so simple for her with such casual sincerity before.
Not while expecting something immediately in return.
The warmth from the coffee cup gradually spread into her fingertips as she accepted it slowly.
"...Thanks."
Her voice softened faintly.
Then, hiding the subtle blush threatening to appear again, she turned around quickly and walked back toward the counter holding the cup carefully in both hands.