#2

As soon as the elevator doors opened, I quickly followed behind the man as he stepped inside. Once he confirmed that I was in, he pressed the button for the top floor—7th—without hesitation. The doors closed, and before long, a chime sounded, announcing our arrival.

As I stepped out of the elevator, I trailed behind the man again, my eyes darting around restlessly. Of course, I made sure to do it discreetly so no one would notice.

I had assumed the building would be big since the underground parking lot was so spacious, but this was far beyond my expectations. On top of that, the interior design was stunning. A blend of yellow, orange, and white created a warm and cozy atmosphere.

“Welcome. Thank you for visiting Lee Yong Entertainment.”

I had been looking at a potted plant in the hallway when a voice from nearby made me turn my head slowly. A man who appeared to be in his early 30s stood there with a polite expression, his gaze fixed on me.

“I am Yoo Hanjin, the secretary of the President’s office at Lee Yong Entertainment. I will escort you inside right away, President Goo Won.”

President Goo Won?

I raised an eyebrow at the title that had just come out of his mouth. Goo Won was indeed my name, but the ‘President’ part felt completely unnatural. ‘Writer’ might have made sense, but President? President of what?

“……Do you have any other business to attend to first? If so, please let me know. I will guide you accordingly.”

“No, I’ll go in right away.”

Something about the way he asked—so carefully, almost like he was watching my reaction—felt strange. I shook my head slightly. I had no idea where I was, so what else was I supposed to do? The best course of action was to head inside and gather more information.

With that thought, I looked at Secretary Yoo Hanjin, silently urging him to hurry and lead the way. The moment our eyes met, his face turned ghostly pale.

“I-I will escort you right away!”

What the hell? I stared at him, bewildered. He was acting like he had just seen something terrifying. Seeing my puzzled gaze, his condition seemed to worsen.

“Sir! President Goo Won has arrived!”

“Oho! Bring him in immediately!”

A hearty voice rang out from inside the President’s office in response to Secretary Yoo’s announcement.

Receiving his superior’s approval, Secretary Yoo quickly and politely opened the door, stepping aside to let me in.

I shifted my gaze away from him and walked into the office. Just as I stepped in, I heard a faint sigh of relief from behind me—an unmistakable exhale of sheer relief.

What the hell? Why is he so scared? I didn’t even do anything.

I found Secretary Yoo’s over-the-top reaction completely baffling. But since I had no interest in interrogating someone who had just barely calmed down, I chose to let it slide.

“Welcome, President Goo! You must have had a long trip!”

As I stepped into the President’s office, a man who had been sitting on the sofa immediately stood up to greet me.

He looked to be in his mid-to-late 40s. His friendly face held a subtle sharpness beneath the surface, yet despite that, he treated me with an oddly deferential attitude.

“Come, have a seat over here.”

Following his gesture, I sat on the sofa and quickly scanned the nameplate on his desk.

Lee Yongjun, President of Lee Yong Entertainment.

The elegant lettering spelling out his title and name felt entirely unfamiliar.

“Would you like something to drink?”

“I’m fine. More than that, I’d prefer to get to the point.”

“Haha, of course. Our President Goo is a very busy person. I understand.”

Since I couldn’t possibly carry on a casual conversation with someone I didn’t even remember, I deliberately cut him off with a cold response. At that, a sheen of nervous sweat appeared on President Lee Yongjun’s forehead. Looking restless, he stole a glance at Secretary Yoo Hanjin standing behind him.

Catching the signal, Secretary Yoo quickly placed a document on the table between us.

“This is the contract, prepared as per our discussion. Please review it.”

With slow, deliberate movements, I picked up the contract and started reading.

As I flipped through each of the five lengthy pages, a deep furrow formed between my brows. The more my expression tightened, the more the surrounding atmosphere grew tense—but I had no time to pay attention to that.

“D-Does something about the contract not sit well with you?”

The moment I placed the contract back on the table, President Lee’s voice came to me in a rush. His tone had become noticeably more respectful and cautious.

But I didn’t answer. Instead, I simply closed my eyes, pressing my fingertips together.

This wasn’t a matter of whether I liked or disliked the contract.

It was something far more fundamental.

To put it simply, the five-page contract stated that I would erase all of President Lee Yongjun’s debts to me in exchange for transferring his male idol group, Tartarus, to my company, Goo Won Entertainment.

……Goo Won Entertainment.

Not a name I was particularly familiar with—but not one that was entirely foreign either.

Because that was the exact same name I had set for my company in the game just moments ago.

No way……

Could this place actually be inside the game?

The thought popped into my head before I could stop it, and I immediately tried to reject the idea.

But as a writer with years of experience crafting stories—and given the utterly absurd situation I had found myself in—every instinct in my body screamed that the chances were very, very high.

“……Haah.”

Should I believe this? Or not……?

As I let out a deep sigh without realizing it, the atmosphere in the president’s office grew even colder. President Lee Yongjun trembled all over, his face filled with fear.

“Is there a problem with the contract? That can’t be…… Ah! Right! Secretary Yoo! Hurry and bring in the products. The new owner should check their condition!”

“Y-Yes! I’ll be right back!”

Products……?

At the unsettling word that came out of Lee Yongjun’s mouth, I slowly opened my eyes. Then, I glanced at the contract lying neatly on the table. Was there anything in that contract that could be referred to as a product? I furrowed my brows and carefully recalled its contents. Since I had just read the contract moments ago, it was easy to bring it to mind. And as I did, I found myself looking at Lee Yongjun with a puzzled expression.

The contract he had given me only mentioned the idol group Tartarus. There was nothing in it that could be called a product.

Had the version of me in this game made a separate deal with him? Not knowing the full context was frustrating. In the end, I decided to stay quiet for now and first confirm what exactly he meant by ‘products’.

It took about five minutes for Secretary Yoo Hanjin to return. After a polite knock, the door opened, and he rushed in, flashing me a bright smile before turning around and motioning for someone to enter.

“Hurry up, come on!”

At Secretary Yoo Hanjin’s urging, five young men entered the office. They appeared to be in their early to mid-twenties. There was something strangely familiar about their faces. I was sure I had never seen them before, so why did they look so familiar?

As I puzzled over it, I soon realized the reason.

It was them. The protagonists from the game package cover.

Even though there was a difference between 2D and 3D, their strikingly handsome features made it undeniable—it was definitely them.

……What do I do? This really must be inside the game.

“These guys! Hurry and greet the president! He’s your new boss now!”

As I tried to come to terms with the unbelievable reality in front of me, Secretary Yoo Hanjin urgently pressured the young men behind him.

At his urging, the protagonists stiffly introduced themselves one by one. I closed my eyes for a brief moment to compose myself before focusing on their voices. No matter how confusing the situation was, for now, I needed to concentrate on what was happening.

“Hello. I’m Jung Hosu, the leader of Tartarus.”

“I’m Nam Yisol.”

“I’m Yoo Euiseo, the rapper.”

“I’m Lee Gaon, the main vocalist.”

“It’s… I’m Lee Daon, the main dancer……”

Lee Daon, who seemed annoyed, initially spoke casually but tacked on a polite ending after receiving sharp looks from both President Lee Yongjun and Secretary Yoo Hanjin. Aside from that, the introductions were smooth.

I gave a quick glance at the members of Tartarus, who were looking at me with dark expressions, before shifting my gaze back to Secretary Yoo Hanjin. No matter how I looked at it, I still couldn’t see what President Lee Yongjun was referring to as ‘products’.

Alright. I’ve seen the idol group I’m supposed to take in, but where are the products you said you were bringing?

At my questioning gaze, Secretary Yoo Hanjin’s face grew increasingly pale.

“W-Why are you looking at me like that……? Do you not like them?”

At his question, I couldn’t help but show a subtle frown.

Wait, you said you were bringing in products. So where are they? Why are you asking whether I like them or not?

Unable to understand the flow of the conversation, I furrowed my brows slightly. Seeing this, Secretary Yoo Hanjin hurriedly continued speaking.

“Ah! If you’re worried about the products’ condition, there’s no need for concern. As you know, our company, Lee Yong Entertainment, is very meticulous when it comes to product management. If you check, you’ll see that they’re in great condition, they’re young, and they’re in perfect health. If you wish, I can also provide their medical examination reports. The results were obtained just a few days ago, so the information is completely reliable.”