The ‘Special Luncheon’ hosted by a particular dilettante royal lineage has been held for decades.

This social gathering started from a mass abduction.

Eight children attended o a birthday party of a child from a wealthy household and were kidnapped, the criminal demanded a hefty ransom and the life of the child’s millionaire relative in return.

The millionaire tried to take responsibility by paying the ransom and taking his own life.

But then…

– I will save those children. However, there is one condition.

Someone of royal lineage suddenly appeared before the man and laid an offer.

The millionaire didn’t believe it at first, but when the person of royal lineage revealed his identity, he was convinced that they really had the power of the heavens and so he accepted the offer right away.

– What is that condition?

The man of royal lineage spoke with a hint of shyness.

–…I am not blessed with a child. Everyone in my family is not. Let me hear of your children from time to time until they are adults.

The dilettante royal lineage saved all the children, and the millionaire upheld his end of the deal.

The parents of the children who were abducted learned about the deal with the dilettante and decided to send their children to where the man was as repayment for him saving their children.

That’s how the Special Luncheon, where children of influential figures gather in one place, began.

Everyone tried to send their own children to that event, but the number of participants decreased instead.

– It’s difficult to talk to them all with so many people here.

– I’ll only call the children who are close to me and the child of the millionaire. I will be the one to invite the children.

As time passed by, the millionaire and his sons played eventually played the role of sending out invitations.

The conditions for being invited weren’t really clear, but an approximate could be guessed.

First, they should be the child of an influential person.

Second, they must be a player.

Third, they must be either middle school or high school students.

As a result, fewer than thirty children every year receive an invitation for that Special Luncheon.

This year, Joo Soohyuk and Do Wonwoo attended the Special Luncheon.

“Hello, Wonwoo hyung… What about Sihoo?”

“He went to watch the baseball game. I heard you gave him tickets.”

“Sihoo’s friend is a fan of the Joo-Oh Dragons. I thought he’d give the extra ticket to someone else…”

An invite to the Special Luncheon was always sent to Do Sihoo ever since he became a high school student, but he’s always made excuses not to come.

“I bet there’s a reason. Leave him be.”

“…Yes.”

Even though he said those words, worry was evident on Do Wonwoo’s face.

The two were silent for a while when a vibration alarm went off from Do Wonwoo’s device.

Do Wonwoo sighed as he checked his device.

“Junyeol texted me. They caught Geum Chansol and Wang Chansol pretending to be staff, saying they want to reveal the identity of the host. Hyeji is there too.”

“Hahaha, I see the sunbaes are still at it.”

“If I weren’t here, you would’ve had to catch those jerks.”

The dilettante royal lineage never revealed their identity, and the children who got a chance to meet them never tried to reveal it either.

Except for Geum Chansol and Wang Chansol.

‘…Wonwoo hyung won’t be here starting next year. I’d have to take care of the Class Zero seniors.’

Joo Soohyuk got an odd feeling as he looked at Do Wonwoo’s back.

Come to think of it, Do Sihoo asked him about how Do Wonwoo was, but…

There wasn’t really anything different with Do Wonwoo.

Joo Soohyuk spaced out for a moment when someone tapped his back.

“Yap, hello!”

It was Namgung Gyuyeon.

“Oh? I see you’re here, Gyuyeon.”

“I didn’t really plan on coming. Gyubin oppa came to me yesterday and told me to come.”

“Gyubin hyung did?”

“Yap, he said he had a hunch that I should go. Maybe I’d see something rare here.”

Joo Soohyuk spoke with a slightly shocked face.

“Is it… related to ‘that skill’?”

Namgung Gyubin, no, Hong Gyubin is famous for his intuition skill.

Namgung Gyuyeon didn’t answer and instead gave a meaningful smile.

That’s when…

“The host is entering.”

The front door opened and someone in a mask appeared.

“I think it’s the first time he’s personally coming.”

“Doesn’t he usually watch from afar?”

Whispers grew here and there.

The masked host walked straight somewhere.

At the end of his gaze was a first-time guest.

‘Oh, That’s Class Zero’s…’

The host spoke to Yellow Tiger, specifically his high school alter ego.

“Long time no see.”

* * *

Joo-Oh Dragons batters were explosive from the start as they hit well during the first innings, and now they’re able to slightly relax.

Jang Namwook nervously drank his cooled kimchi soup as he tried to make predictions.

Tired of Jang Namwook’s talkative mouth, Hani turned away and inhaled her cookie shake.

On the other hand, Do Sihoo patiently listened to Jang Namwook’s chatter and responded occasionally.

‘I bet I’d talk just as much if someone was willing to listen to me talk about my playable characters.’

My favorite is the relationship between Olmu and title hero Ahn Dain, but unfortunately, it’s difficult to talk about that in this world.

In the end, the victory in the Game 3 of the Korean Series was taken by the Joo-Oh Dragons.

They now have two wins and one loss.

In other words, if the Joo-Oh Dragons can win their next two games, they’d be the champion for the first time in 15 years.

Jang Namwook’s excitement visibly skyrocketed as he made hopeful remarks.

‘I’d be happy too if the title hero’s team wins.’

It’s still uncertain though, and baseball has always been that way.

Still, we’re cheering for the Joo-Oh Dragons.

“It’s my first time watching a baseball game. That was so much fun! It’s so fun shouting chants and hitting the cheering sticks together.”

“Soohyuk is from the Joo-Oh family, right? Maybe I should be a Joo-Oh Dragons fan.”

Jang Namwook welcomed those remarks.

“Good choice guys. There are many players from Joo-Oh Dragons selected to be national representatives for the WBC and the Asian Games. If you become a fan of our team, you’ll enjoy international games more!”

“They’re national athletes?”

“Yeah, most of the players on today’s entry have experienced playing for the national team. Some are likely to be chosen next time too. …Oh.”

Jang Namwook’s promotion was almost successful, but his uncontrollable honesty stood in the way.

“…The lack of team training during the regular league causes occasional lapses in their defense and offense, so there are some mishaps like that. Sometimes the team can’t finish properly during the late game, so sometimes the bullpen goes crazy and we often lose from comebacks. I guess that’s why our team is always second place.”

Jang Namwook’s sales talk ended with a warning.

I don’t think he’s fit to be a salesperson.

The potential Joo-Oh Dragons fans’ faces turned sour after listening to Jang Namwook’s words.

“That Playlist contestant Dokgo Miro, I heard she’s in your class. Wooram and Lena were the ones in the busking video right? Wooram was on the piano and Lena played the violin.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Do Sihoo tried to salvage the atmosphere.

He immediately recognized the two people who happened to be here today as well.

“She’s really good at singing. Her vocal color is nice too. Even when they sang the National Anthem together, Miro’s voice stood out.”

The extremely shy Min Geurin finally spoke at the mention of Dokgo Miro.

“…Right? It’s so nice listening to Miro sing live.”

“She sang well even with no accompaniment.”

“Her pitch and timing were on point. I don’t think it’s easy to sing at a stadium with just a microphone, but she did really well.”

The National Anthem is always sung before every sports game.

In the regular league, a recorded version is always played unless there’s something special, but in the Korean Series, singers and choirs are always invited to sing the National Anthem in acapella.

Just as Mok Wooram said, it takes considerable skill to do that.

Singing the National Anthem half-heartedly would give irreparable injury to a singer’s career.

The talented Playlist cast was far from that though.

Dokgo Miro was in charge of the high-pitched parts of the chorus, and she projected the notes very cleanly.

“I think Miro fights well as a player too. Her reaction time was super fast when a foul ball went to the audience.”

The contestants of Playlist stayed in the stadium to watch the game after singing the National Anthem.

They sat on the side of the home team, and at one point in the match, a foul ball flew to their side.

It was Dokgo Miro who reacted immediately and hit the foul ball.

“Oh, here’s a clip of it! Wow, I didn’t realize that it was so fast.”

“Let’s play it.”

At Hani’s suggestion, Kwon Lena immediately floated a hologram.

The screen showed Dokgo Miro hitting the foul ball with an iron mace with spikes.

The King of Eungwang District Back Alleys used a baseball bat with iron nails, but she obviously can’t use that as her main weapon.

Instead, it seems like she chose a weapon similar to that, the Morning Star.

“What’s that weapon? A mace?”

Kwon Lena asked as she looked closer at the screen, and Mok Wooram answered her.

“It looks like the Morning Star, an R-rank weapon provided by the school for beginners. The Morning Star is longer than a regular mace. But…”

“But?”

“It’s supposed to be used with two hands, but she swung it lightly with just one hand. If she did that in response to a sudden situation, that means she has impeccable physical strength.”

The other kids looked visibly proud yet surprised at this revelation, but Song Daesok suddenly spoke.

“Geurin can do that too.”

Song Daesok’s sudden remark was unexpected, but I guess it’s true.

During the sports exchange events, a similar incident occurred at one of the ice hockey games.

It was Min Geurin who responded to that situation.

Since she’s able to kick a puck, I guess she could kick a baseball too.

Song Daesok’s words made Do Sihoo glance at Min Geurin.

Do Sihoo suddenly exclaimed, perhaps he was at the game that day too.

“Oh, it happened during the ice hockey game with our school, right? Yeah, you’re good at kicking.”

“O-oh… thanks.”

“Don’t thank him, Geurin!”

He brought up the topic first, so what’s he fussing about now?

Min Geurin complained about Song Daesok’s attitude while Do Sihoo watched the two’s interaction.

He must be a quick-witted guy as he took a step back with a smile as if he immediately understood the two’s dynamics.

We talked about Dokgo Miro, Playlist, and the Joo-Oh Dragons some more before going our own ways.

The enthusiastic Jang Namwook made plans with Do Sihoo to train, but we went to a nearby cafe first to eat some snacks.

We parted ways shortly after that.

I came back to my dormitory room and checked the pile of messages in my inbox, but I opted not to check them right away.

‘They’d call me if it’s urgent.’

I made such excuses as I stared at the hologram clock.

My dormitory room was so quiet to the point that I couldn’t hear any sound.

I should’ve brought an analog clock.

At least the ticks would fill the silence.

The numbers in the hologram clock keeps changing, but my eyes were still wide open.

‘…I can’t sleep.’

I would have to wake up early tomorrow to stop by the flower shop, and then stop by the ossuary.

After that, I’ll go back to my dorm to change clothes and meet Cheon Dongha to go to the Hwangmyeong Research Institute…

There are so many things to do tomorrow, but sleep just isn’t coming to me.

In the end, I lay alone in my room until the night ended and the sun began to rise.