Tak… Tak… Tak…
The situation unfolding right in front of me left me dumbfounded.
Both Valentina and I had left my apartment to go for training, but instead of going to wherever Jake Kim was, she decided to take me shopping.
At first, she did not plan it, but after seeing how all the girls on the streets were staring at me and whispering, she said it lit a fire in her to dress me up.
'When did I become a Barbie doll?' I let out an exhausted sigh, taking yet another piece of clothing and putting it on behind a light brown curtain.
The moment I came out, the faces of five or so attendants in the mall, who had left their posts just to dress me up, brightened.
"Oh my god, he looks heavenly in this too!" one of them squealed, holding her friend's hands and jumping excitedly.
Another ran over to me and offered another set of clothes with a bow of her head. "Mister, try this too. It will look good on you."
The owner of the mall chimed in as well. "Everything will look good on him, say," she continued, moving closer and raising my chin. "Why don't I adopt you as my son? Everything I own will be yours."
I offered the sweetest smile I could bring out. "Sorry, I have a family too."
She let out a sigh. "What a shame." Turning back to her workers, she clapped once. "Okay, girls, wrap up every piece of clothing you want to give our prince here. It's on the house."
The mall erupted in cheers and squeals, like they were the ones getting the gifts. Honestly, it was exhausting. That was without counting the countless glares from the other guys or the idol and model agents who were spying from the corner.
I let out another breath. "Val, why did you bring me here?"
Valentina, who stood by my side, blinked innocently. "I didn't know it would cause such a fuss."
'Well, I guess she did it for my own good.'
Still, seeing how people were treating me made me feel a bit nervous.
I knew I was handsome now, but not to the point where I would not be able to walk on the street without being harassed by several girls.
The owner of the store, who was done packing the bags, called us over. "I will send my girls to drop these at the address the Saintess gave us, so give me a call when you get back."
I nodded, bowing my head slightly in appreciation. "Thanks for the clothes."
"Oh my," she gasped, covering her mouth with her palm. "You are also quite respectful. Are you sure you don't want to take that offer? I can let you have as many of my girls as you want."
My gaze drifted briefly to the girls whose faces were literally screaming that I should accept the offer.
Honestly, if my goal were to live a peaceful life and run away from the plot, this would have been my best chance. Having a lot of money and a massive harem, who would not want that?
However, I shook my head. "Thanks for the offer, Miss Beck, but I have goals of my own too."
I placed a hand on the side of my neck. "But if I do change my mind, I will come and see you."
Miss Beck smiled gently. "Then I will be waiting for you, young prince."
Valentina, who was focused on her phone, glanced up at me and nodded once.
'Seems her brother has arrived.'
"We will see you later, Miss," Val said before grabbing my hand. "Let's go, Allen. My brother and your friend are waiting for us outside."
I nodded and followed behind her.
The moment we stepped out of the mall, the sound of the bustling street filled our ears. Cars that hovered slightly above the ground, maybe by electromagnetic force, filled the streets, as did trains that literally flew in the sky.
Some people traveled by foot, while others rode hoverboards, floating motorcycles, or normal ones.
It was indeed a fantasy world, but different from what people normally imagined when they heard the term.
My gaze darted around the area. I did not know how Jake Kim looked in real life, but I did know how he was described in the novel.
Golden hair as bright as the sun, emerald green eyes, over 183 centimeters in height, and a heroic build.
No matter how much I searched, I could not catch a hint of golden hair.
Valentina's gaze, however, seemed to lock onto a particular area. I followed it, and my eyes landed on a young man with jet black hair and emerald green eyes. Except for the hair color, his other traits fit Jake Kim's description.
By his side was a girl with long white hair and sky blue eyes.
'Is that meant to be Quincy?'
If it was, then the novel's description was way off compared to real life.
Truthfully, the most shocking part about Quincy was her looks. The entire street buzzed just from her passing. I could not understand how such a person would be friends with Allen.
If Valentina was beautiful by human standards, then Quincy was beautiful by angelic standards.
Before Jake even reached us, Valentina rushed toward him as if to give him a hug. Jake spread his arms open too, but at the last moment, she paused and went around him, leaving him completely hanging.
Jake let out a frustrated sigh while Val laughed loudly and hit him on the arm.
I stood there watching them, an involuntary smile forming on my face. Yes, I was being left out, but it was amusing seeing people I had read about come to life, not just as live action versions.
Jake, who was being teased by Valentina, finally turned to meet my gaze. "Val, who is that?"
Valentina tilted her head. "That's the friend I talked about."
"Huh?" Jake tilted his head too. "I thought your friend was Quincy's friend."
Quincy joined in and tilted her head. "Saintess, no offense, but I think you brought the wrong Allen. My Allen is… well… how should I put it…"
'Just say I was ugly already.'
Quincy placed her clenched hand against her palm as if making a judgment. "Yes, he was just below, below average. He wasn't so handsome, so I think you might have brought the wrong person."
Valentina tilted her head even more. "But this is Allen though. You can't recognize him?" As if suddenly realizing that I did not look the same as yesterday, she exclaimed, "Oh right, he changed after my great self awakened him!"
Jake tilted his head further. "I think this guy scammed you, sis. He looks like one of those handsome playboys."
"Bro, you say that about any guy who's more good looking than you."
"No, I don't!"
Quincy tilted her head to the other side. "Al? Is that you?"
I clenched my jaw, genuine anger surging through me. 'Why are they tilting their heads like that? Do they have a freaking neck problem?!'
I held my anger back and, with a smile, tilted my head. No, I tilted my whole body and my head to the side. "Yeah, I'm Allen. Miss me?"
At this point, I knew everyone must have been looking at us like a bunch of fools.
Four attractive people gathered on the street... all tilting their heads.