#12

Suddenly?

Just a moment ago, he was persistently questioning whether I was okay or not, and now suddenly this?

“Thank you……?”

Feeling puzzled by Sung Yoojun’s sudden change in attitude, I gave a hesitant word of thanks. Since he did say he liked me better now, it seemed only polite to acknowledge it.

Hearing my somewhat awkward gratitude, Sung Yoojun let out another small chuckle. He seemed to be trying his best to suppress the sound, but with his shoulders trembling and his face full of amusement, his attempt was anything but successful.

I stared at him with a slightly disgruntled expression before shaking my head lightly and turning my gaze back outside the window. Well, whatever. As long as he’s enjoying himself. Thinking that, I quietly let out a sigh without him noticing.

***

When I arrived at the company, it was just past 10:30. As the company’s president, my working hours weren’t exactly fixed, but I had never arrived at work past 9 o’clock before, so coming in this late made my conscience prickle with guilt.

Well, even if I was late, no one could really say anything since I was the president, but still, setting an example was important. The person at the top had to conduct themselves properly for the employees below them to follow suit.

“Good morning, President.”

“Yes, good morning.”

“Hello, President! The suit you’re wearing today looks amazing on you! Three-piece suits are truly the best.”

“Thank you. Team Leader Seohee, your outfit today also looks wonderful.”

As I responded to each employee who greeted me and continued walking, I reached the President’s office in no time. The moment I stepped into the warmly heated office, I took off my coat and jacket. I wore suits for the sake of my professional image, but they were far too uncomfortable to keep on all day.

Ah, I really miss my stretched-out T-shirts and fleece pajama pants from the real world…… They were so comfortable.

“Please hand them to me.”

I didn’t refuse Sung Yoojun’s outstretched hand, asking for my clothes. At first, I had felt guilty and awkward about handing my clothes over to someone else, so I used to reject his offer, but Sung Yoojun never backed down. In the end, I was the one who surrendered first.

“Today’s documents are on your desk.”

Ah, documents…… Hearing Sung Yoojun’s words, my mood sank. The workload at Goo Won Entertainment, where I was currently president, wasn’t too heavy, but the workload at Haje Group, where I held the chairman position, was excessive to the point of overflowing.

Since I had hired professional managers for each subsidiary, I didn’t have to concern myself too much with daily operations, but the sheer volume of reports they sent me each day was overwhelming. I had filtered out minor issues and only received reports on major matters, yet there was still so much to review……

On top of that, I had been a lifelong freelancer, never having set foot in a company before. I had no clue how businesses operated and possessed zero knowledge of management. Given that, it was only natural that I struggled to comprehend even half of the final reports sent my way.

Still, since it was my responsibility, I figured I should at least understand what I was dealing with, so I’d been diligently studying while reading the reports. But since I was learning on my own, my progress was painfully slow.

“Don’t make that face, sir. Today’s workload is lighter than usual.”

That probably still meant I’d be stuck at my desk all day. Internally scoffing at Sung Yoojun’s words, I glanced at my desk. As expected, there was a smaller stack of documents than usual, but it was still an intimidating pile that would take significant time to get through.

Looks like I’ll be glued to my desk all day again.

With a gloomy expression, I sat down in my chair. Since I had arrived late today and was already short on time, I couldn’t afford to waste any more. If I wanted to achieve every office worker’s dream of leaving work on time, I needed to start reading those documents immediately.

As soon as I silently focused on the documents, Sung Yoojun, who had been standing beside me, quietly exited the office. Shortly after, he returned with a steaming cup of coffee, filling the room with a fragrant aroma.

“Here’s your coffee, sir.”

“Thank you.”

A cup of coffee, with wisps of steam rising from it, was placed on my desk. Since I wasn’t good with hot beverages, I decided to let it cool a bit before taking a sip and turning my attention back to the documents. Or at least, I tried to.

“President.”

Distracted by Sung Yoojun’s voice, I slowly lifted my head. Normally, he would set down the coffee and leave the office to attend to his tasks, but today, he was standing beside me, looking at me with a serious expression.

“Do you have something to say?”

Does he have an important matter to discuss? I gently set down the document in my hands and straightened my posture, signaling my willingness to listen. Seeing me do so, Sung Yoojun slowly parted his lips.

“We will be relocating Tartarus’s dormitory after lunch today. Do you plan to be there in person?”

Ah, right. Today was the day Tartarus members were moving. I briefly glanced at the schedule on my desk before replying.

“Yes, I intend to go. There shouldn’t be any issues once they move into our dorm, but I believe my presence would be beneficial when they retrieve their belongings from their previous residence.”

Of course, we had hired a moving company to handle the packing and transportation. However, some of the members had mentioned wanting to personally pack certain items, so I had willingly decided to accompany them. Their previous dorm was still under Lee Yongjun’s control, and given how much he resented me, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t take it out on the members.

“Are you concerned about President Lee Yongjun?”

“I wouldn’t say I’m not. People like him have a tendency to lash out at those they deem weaker when they lose to someone they consider stronger.”

Clicking my tongue in irritation, I admitted the truth. Honestly, it wasn’t just a possibility—it was almost guaranteed.

“In that case, it might be better for me to go instead. You’re very busy, sir.”

Hearing his calm suggestion, I leaned back in my chair and studied him. It was true that President Lee Yongjun feared Sung Yoojun, and given Sung Yoojun’s exceptional abilities, he would undoubtedly be able to protect Tartarus. If I sent him, I wouldn’t necessarily have to go myself.

Yet, for some reason, I didn’t want to do that.

As Sung Yoojun pointed out, I was extremely busy, and if I accompanied Tartarus to their old dorm today, there was a high chance I wouldn’t be able to leave work on time. Still, despite all that, I wanted to go with them. I wanted to witness them gathering their precious belongings and leaving behind the place where they had endured hardships with my own eyes.

“……No, I’ll go myself.”

“Is that so? Understood. I’ll adjust the schedule accordingly.”

After a brief silence, I reaffirmed my decision, and Sung Yoojun accepted it without further comment.

As he adjusted the schedule on his tablet, I turned back to my documents, thinking our conversation was over. However, I was once again interrupted when he called my name.

“President.”

“Yes, Secretary Sung.”

What is it this time? I looked at him with a puzzled expression. He stared at me with an unreadable look before speaking again.

“If we follow the schedule as planned, your workday will end quite late today.”

“……Yes, that’s likely.”

I already knew that—did he really need to rub it in?

I dejectedly fiddled with the stack of documents on my desk. The thick pile of paper under my fingers felt far from pleasant. However, I wasn’t going to change my decision about accompanying Tartarus. Yeah…… Working overtime isn’t the end of the world. I can handle it……

“Sir, if you don’t mind, may I assist you?”

“……Pardon?”

“I could read through the documents first and summarize them for you. It might make things easier.”

I blinked in surprise at Sung Yoojun’s suggestion.

What he had just proposed was an incredibly considerate and thoughtful offer. Given my current situation, I deeply appreciated it. But would this offer hold the same meaning for the original Goo Won from this world?

My answer to that was a firm ‘No’.

Shifting my gaze from Sung Yoojun to the stack of documents on my desk, I pondered.

These reports only contained summaries of major decisions rather than minor details. At first glance, it might seem like the original Goo Won was minimally involved in company management. However, if you looked deeper, that assumption was entirely incorrect.

The original Goo Won personally reviewed and controlled every major decision affecting his company—across all subsidiaries under his group. He had hired professional managers because he couldn’t physically oversee everything himself, but the fact that he scrutinized every major decision meant that he desired complete control over his businesses.