The central main dining hall with an interior that depicted ocean waves with blue velvet and Other-world metal.
Under the blue jade statue of the sea nymph, Cymopoleia, stood the captain and crew in white uniforms in a single line.
I was wondering how to greet them, but Suhyuk stepped in first.
He must know the captain, as he was smiling and having a short conversation with them.
After we exchanged our hellos after Suhyuk, the butler that was assigned to us guided us to our table.
“There are menus that I’ve never heard of before. What do we pick?”
“The flower of the cruise ship dinner is seafood, so order things with seafood in it. The reviews say their lobsters and shrimp are especially delicious.”
“What, there’s a course where both seafoods comes out.”
“Yeah, you can do both. The next dish is prepared at the speed of our eating, anyway.”
“So that means I can order everything?”
“I’m going to eat everything that’s on the menu for dessert, too.”
Hyo-don Maeng and Nam-wook Jang, who were enjoying this cruise the most, excitedly chose their menu.
On the other hand, Si-hoo Do seemed sick just by looking at the menu and ordered only a soup.
Next to him, Suhyuk quietly called the server to prepare a paper bag in case of any mishaps.
‘I wonder how they placed the guests.’
The dining hall was 3 floors.
The first floor, where we were ushered in, seemed to be for formal guests, with many wearing tuxedos, dresses, or hanboks(Korean traditional clothing).
The third floor was dedicated to sailors, as most were in uniform.
‘The people on the second floor are relatively casually dressed……’
When I took my eyes off the hologram menu panel and looked at the second floor, Suhyuk followed my gaze, looked at the second floor, and muttered to me.
“It must be the reporters who came to the second floor.”
“Reporters? It looks like a lot of people for just covering a party on board.”
Suhyuk’s face stiffened a little as he spoke.
“They are going to unveil a joint project between Juo and TC. I would’ve gotten in so much trouble if I didn’t throw away my tux.”
“Joint project?”
It seemed like Suhyuk knew about the project after coming here, and Si-hoo didn’t know at all.
‘Suhyuk being so concerned about his clothes means that his outfit was made to match Hye-ji Oh. If two people wore that in front of these reporters, it wouldn’t be a rumor, it would be an official article.’
That was why Suhyuk, being the love-sick bird he is, looked depressed.
“But don’t they usually reveal those things in a formal presentation? That’s how you guys announced the data center start plan and the 1GG(1Gifted Generation) commercialization and the service plan.”
At Nam-wook’s words, Suhyuk hid his expression and answered.
“Today, this is a place to celebrate the Jamsil stadium incident that ended without any injuries and to thank the players who fought it, right?”
“That’s right. The Juo Dragons and TC knights, and the Baseball Committee officials are here too.”
“The new project is related to the Jamsil stadium incident…… The planning team and the public relations team decided that it would be the most dramatic to announce it here.”
Suhyuk didn’t explain more.
He probably couldn’t say any more because it was embargoed.
‘Joint project of Juo Group and TC Group? This wasn’t in the game.’
In the game, in the wake of the Jamsil Ballpark incident, the heir of the TC group stepped down from the front line, and the relationship between the two groups became increasingly bad.
It was not a situation where a joint project would come out.
‘It’s going to be announced in a while, so let’s enjoy the course meal.’
Soon, as ordered, the course dishes arrived in turn.
Balsamic olive oil salad.
Shellfish butter roast.
Grilled whole shrimp.
Lobster with mozzarella cheese.
In addition to the above menu, Nam-wook and Hyo-don also ate risotto and sirloin steak.
They ate so well that I became full just by looking at them, but Si-hoo became greener as he watched the two Mukbangs, and didn’t even make dad-jokes or puns.
It was about time dessert came out.
Ding -!
A clear bell rang lightly throughout the dining hall.
The sound had slight psychic waves to it.
Even if other normal people could not feel the wave, it was a sound that was clearer than the usual ding.
The source of the sound was on the stage in the innermost part of the hall.
A man in a business suit was seen holding a bell.
‘Suhyuk Joo’s exclusive secretary, Chul Kim. He’s here.’
In the game, Chul Kim was an NPC.
He was one of the people who Suhyuk had saved, before the game started.
“Sorry during the meal. Please listen while sitting comfortably in your seats.”
Chul Kim spoke briefly and went down the stage.
Chul Kim discussed something with the security team of both groups under the stage.
He bowed at the only person wearing a tuxedo among that group of people, then left.
‘I think the person in the tux is Suhyuk’s cousin.’
Instead of enjoying the gala dinner, the cousin was among the staff there.
He had been described as a workaholic in the game, and he still seemed so.
Click-!
The lights in the main hall were turned off.
Immediately, the spotlight was lit on the stairs on both sides of the stage.
The heirs of Juo and TC came to the stage.
The two met at the middle of the stage and exchanged friendly handshakes.
The sound of shutters taking photos of them could be heard from the second-floor balcony.
‘They are going to announce the project now.’
Soon, the next head of the TC group was handed the microphone, and after a brief greeting, the next head of the TC group handed the microphone to the next head of the Juo Group.
Suhyuk Joo’s eldest uncle, the Heir of the group, somewhat resembled Suhyuk.
Zoom-!
As the microphone was handed over, a huge holographic screen popped up behind the two heirs.
It had a picture of the Other-world gap and the Jamsil stadium in danger on Children’s Day.
The presentation of tributes to the citizens who coped with the situation in a calm, orderly manner and dedications to the players who put themselves in front of danger to save them continued.
Then the screen disappeared, and the voice of the next head of the Juo group was empowered.
“In front of the crisis, we thought about what we could do.”
When he finished, these phrases came up one by one.
[1GG free technical support to ensure a more stable, faster alarm system]
[Expansion of player resources through the prospective player scholarship system]
[Build SR++ class barriers across the 9 ballparks of 10 baseball clubs in Korea]
[Built a large capacity facility for more than 20,000 people in major areas of the country]
Other phrases kept coming.
Everyone was surprised, except for a few people who knew it in advance.
It seemed like they needed a budget of tens of trillions of won to realize all the content that was written there.
“Juo and TC, TC and Juo will stand behind you. I believe that if everyone stands together, we will defeat the new threat of the Other-world.”
At the end of the presentation, a standing ovation followed.
Reporters standing on the second floor were seen leaning themselves from the balcony, asking questions, or scurrying to the first floor.
There was a fuss until the reporters were guided by the PR team and disappeared into the press room.
‘No wonder the villains want to get rid of the heirs.’
In particular, the SR++class barrier was noticeable.
If that really happened, then it would act as a shelter that accommodates tens of thousands of people across the country.
‘If it’s SR++, then it would last quite a long time when SR+++ Enemies come. It’s not comparable to the traditional R+++class barrier.’
The shelters run by governments and associations were small in size and level, so many were unsatisfied with it.
Click-!
The lights in the dining hall were lit again, and desserts began to appear on each table.
Maybe it’s because it was just after I heard the good news.
The coffee-topped Éclere au café was truly sweet.
* * *
There was still time before the Evening cocktail party, so we decided to return to the room first.
“My Twin Sword master came with a friend. I’m going to say hello for a minute!”
Suhyuk, who received a device message, left his seat.
I headed to the room with Hyo-don, Nam-wook, and Si-hoo.
However, there were those who blocked the four of us.
‘I can smell alcohol even from here. How many glasses of wine did they have?’
I was quite a few steps away from them, yet they reeked of alcohol.
I didn’t want to get involved, so I stepped aside to get out of the way, but the two people looked this way with creepy eyes.
Suddenly, the man and woman giggled.
“Look who’s here. You’re the son of the ship King.”
“TC has it bad. They even have players like the ‘Wedge of Steel,’ how did they end up with this guy?”
“A defect that can’t even ride a ship.”
What kind of bullshit is this?
They didn’t speak directly to us, but it was infuriating.
‘Si-hoo Do is their target.’
We are young, and there’s no Suhyuk or Won-woo now so they’ve come here to get him.
Furthermore, we just stepped aside to make space for them.
‘I don’t know who they are, but to speak of Si-hoo like this? Is Si-hoo’s position really worse than I thought?’
Si-hoo remained expressionless, but Hyo-don and Nam-wook, who realized who they were talking about, seemed furious.
The two of them stepped forward, trying to say something.
“Hi, Si-hoo.”
The person who appeared was Hye-ji Oh, the leader of the 3rd-grade student guidance department of Eun-kwang High, one of my playable characters.
She stood between them and us, as if to block their path.
Hye-ji Oh, dressed in a sandpink T-length dress, looked badass.
‘Si-hoo and Hye-ji Oh must know each other.’
Hye-ji was smiling sociably enough to be taken a photo, but her eyes were sharp.
“You’re Si-hoo’s friend, Nam-wook, aren’t you? Oh, and my school juniors Ui-shin and Hyo-don as well. Hi.”
“Hello.”
Hye-ji greeted us, person to person, but ignored the people who were mean to Si-hoo on purpose.
Hye-ji was appealing to them, ’These kids are more important than you.’
After saying hello to us, she turned around to them.
“Oh! I saw you at the 29th-anniversary event of Juo Construction, right? You’re the son of the company’s president and his girlfriend.”
Oh Hye-ji gave the exact name of the president and the two people.
I could see they were becoming nervous.
“Looking at the way you were talking to our Si-hoo, you don’t seem to be invited by the TC. And the Juo didn’t send you invites either, so who did you come with?”
“Um, well……”
So they came without being invited directly.
When it came to a party of this size, there were many people who would come with someone they knew.
However, Hye-ji Oh’s words meant:
‘Why are you messing with my best buddy, ‘our’ Si-hoo when you are fucking nobodies that weren’t even invited?’
The men and women who grasped the situation bowed their heads.
“We didn’t mean to do that, but we, we had a drink. We’re drunk, haha, we made a mistake…… We’re sorry.”
“S, sorry, Hye-ji! We had too much wine!”
What a loser to make an excuse of drinking to Hye-ji Oh and not even apologizing to Si-hoo.
“You don’t have to apologize. I’ll get an apology from someone else. I think there was a mistake in the invitation process. And please use polite speech and honorifics, because it’s almost like we’ve never met before, hm?”
Hye-ji was smiling when she said that, but her words were scary.
‘It’s no use if you apologize. I will deal with the human who called you here. And don’t pretend to be friends with me.’ was what it meant.
The two people who understood the words looked like they snapped out of their “drunken” state that they used as an excuse.
“I think Si-hoo doesn’t know you, but there seems to be a lot of people around you who talk about Si-hoo. Does your company talk about him?”
When Hye-ji revealed her thoughts to deal with their company as well, the two seemed to lose their minds again.
They bowed their heads repeatedly, not able to say anything properly.
“…… Thank you.”
“Haha! The world is vast with numerous idiots, so be on your toes at all times. Anyway, I have to take care of my people, my juniors, don’t I? Si-hoo is seasick, right? Go ahead and rest.”
While we were overwhelmed by Hye-ji Oh’s badass force, she smiled as coolly as she did when I met her at the chess tournament.
“Oh, and I can’t be seen with Suhyuk today, so hang with him, Okay?”
Those were the last words she said before she left.
Hye-ji Oh also didn’t want to be involved in an engagement, it seemed.
* * *
Our assigned cabin, Ocean View Suite.
Suhyuk, who had been told the story about what had happened, became a little angry.
“Si-hoo, why were you doing nothing about it? Are you a fool or something?”
“Fool is… Fortunes Of Ocean Luxury!”
Si-hoo tried again to make a nonsense pun while dying of seasickness.
Another failed one.
“This bastard ain’t sick enough to shut up.”
“Si-hoo……”
“Hahaha, I can’t help it. Since I entered the military academy, I’ve prepared myself to hear those stuff. I can’t help my seasickness either.”
Si-hoo muttered helplessly.
“There are a lot of people around me who keep wanting me to fight with you or Won-woo hyung and want to compare them to me. But I don’t want to.”
After he said that, all of us sort of hung out by ourselves, not chatting together or anything.
Nam-wook and Suhyuk were close by Si-hoo, who couldn’t move due to seasickness, though.
‘This is good for me, anyway.’
From the beginning, I was thinking of moving separately with an excuse before the evening party.
As I looked up at the sky with the sea breeze in my hair, I saw the moon glowing brightly.
Then……
Rumble rumble-!
Suddenly, the ship shook vigorously.
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