#15

Secretary Sung Yoojun opened the door, and Manager Ahn Siwon walked in. With a pleasant smile on my face, I stared intently at Manager Ahn Siwon as he bounced toward me with light, energetic steps.

Now that I think about it, Secretary Sung Yoojun wasn’t the only one bound to me. Manager Ahn Siwon was also among those bound to me. Did that mean he, like Sung Yoojun, felt an unconditional sense of loyalty toward me?

“You look incredibly handsome today, as always. And your outfit suits you so well. When you wear a jacket and coat, you give off a reserved, ascetic vibe, but with just the vest and shirt, you feel more relaxed and laid-back. Team Leader Seohee said today that the president looks absolutely amazing, and now I understand why. Well, to be fair, our president is always handsome, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year!”

……What did I just hear? I doubted my ears at Manager Ahn Siwon’s words that had flown by in an instant. I felt like I had just heard something utterly shocking.

“Oh, right. The Tartarus kids are touring the company with Team Leader Seohee right now, so you don’t have to worry about them.”

“You mean Team Leader Seohee from the Business Support Team?”

“Yep! She said she had some free time and offered to show them around herself, so she took them. Originally, I was going to do it, but Team Leader Seohee looked so excited that I gratefully let her take over. Did I make a mistake?”

The question was directed at me, not Sung Yoojun, who had been the one conversing with him. Still doubting my hearing, I finally came to my senses when I received the question and shook my head.

“No, you did well.”

“Really? That’s a relief. I thought I had made a mistake because your expression didn’t look good.”

No, that wasn’t why my expression wasn’t good……

I looked at Manager Ahn Siwon with a complicated expression before letting out a quiet sigh. Then, deciding to completely erase from my memory what he had just said about my appearance, I chose to ask him what had been on my mind.

“……Manager Ahn. May I ask you something?”

“Huh? Oh! Of course! Ask me anything. I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”

Even with his enthusiastic approval, I found it hard to open my mouth. Understandably so—asking him if he was feeling some strange sense of loyalty toward me would take a significant amount of courage.

“Well…… Manager Ahn, I’m just asking on the off chance, but……”

“Yes, yes.”

“By any chance…… really, just hypothetically speaking…… do you feel like you absolutely cannot defy me, that you have to think of me first above everything else, that it’s an undeniable truth of the world?”

At my hesitant question, Manager Ahn Siwon’s eyes widened. He blinked a couple of times before tilting his head with a puzzled expression.

“Oh? How did you know?”

Hearing his question, filled with pure curiosity, I felt a dark sense of despair wash over me as I hung my head.

I had a bad feeling, but I didn’t expect it to actually be true…… Feeling a sudden headache, I pressed my fingers against my temples. Just then, Manager Ahn Siwon’s bright voice rang out again.

“Was it about a week ago? Ever since the day I brought the Tartarus kids here, I suddenly started feeling that way, so I thought maybe I had fallen for you.”

“What? F-Fallen…… for me?”

“I thought maybe I had fallen for you……”

The more he spoke, the more dazed I became. Seeing my blank expression, Secretary Sung Yoojun discreetly reached out and covered Manager Ahn Siwon’s mouth.

“Mmff?”

“Manager Ahn, honesty is good, but sometimes it’s best to gauge the other person’s state first.”

At Sung Yoojun’s tired-sounding advice, Ahn Siwon widened his eyes before breaking into his usual mischievous smile. Seeing that, Sung Yoojun let out a deep sigh and finally removed his hand from Ahn Siwon’s mouth.

Looking at the cheerful Ahn Siwon, who seemed utterly unaware of my inner turmoil, I spoke with an exhausted expression.

“I’d really love to know how you reached that conclusion.”

“Want me to explain?”

“No, no, that’s fine. I’m curious, but I don’t think I actually need to hear it.”

I quickly raised a hand to block his kindness before he could continue. Seeing this, Ahn Siwon nodded without any sign of dissatisfaction. Watching his bright face—so blissfully unaware of life’s complications—I let out a heavy sigh.

Where was I even supposed to start explaining this?

“Manager Ahn.”

“Yes, sir?”

“Well, first of all…… I don’t think you’ve fallen for me. It’s a bit difficult to explain, but anyway, that’s how it is.”

Unable to bring up things like the game or the concept of ‘binding’, I mumbled my words vaguely. Seeing my hesitation, a hint of confusion appeared on Ahn Siwon’s gentle face.

Would he ask more questions? How was I supposed to explain if he did? When it came to Sung Yoojun, he at least recognized that this situation wasn’t normal, so I didn’t have to explain much. But Ahn Siwon didn’t seem to have even considered such a possibility.

Logically speaking, more people would probably react like Ahn Siwon rather than Sung Yoojun. After all, who would immediately accept that something completely irrational was happening to them?

“Hmm…… Alright. If that’s what you say, sir, then that’s how it is. I’ll just go with that.”

I had been bracing myself for more questions, so his unexpectedly easy acceptance left me blinking in surprise.

“You’re not going to ask anything else? You’re not curious why I’m so sure about this?”

“Of course I’m curious. But no matter how curious I am, I don’t want to ask if it’s making you look that troubled.”

……What?

Hearing the sheer kindness in his words, I couldn’t help but be dumbfounded.

“What if I’m hiding something really bad from you, though?”

“You? No way! I’d bet my entire fortune that you wouldn’t do something like that. And even if—just if—you were hiding something bad from me, I’d be certain that it was for my own good. So it’s fine. I won’t ask.”

His voice, laced with a soft chuckle, held both playfulness and absolute sincerity. Only after realizing that did I understand—his words weren’t simply a product of his cheerful and carefree nature.

They stemmed from absolute trust in me.

Whether that trust was directed toward me as a person or toward my role in the game, I couldn’t tell. And if it was directed at me personally, I wasn’t sure if it was due to the ‘binding’ effect.

Still, being the recipient of someone’s complete faith felt strangely pleasant, and I couldn’t help but lift the corners of my lips slightly.

“Manager Ahn.”

“Yes?”

“If, someday, I tell you there’s a great investment opportunity and ask you to put in some money, don’t just blindly agree.”

Hearing my lighthearted joke, Manager Ahn Siwon blinked in surprise before bursting into a bright laugh.

“I’ll decide after seeing what the opportunity is!”

He didn’t say he wouldn’t do it.

Shaking my head at his unwavering trust, I decided that there was no need for further discussion. Satisfied that the conversation had ended without major issues, I checked the time.

“It’s already this late. Can you find out where Tartarus is now?”

“I’ll contact Team Leader Seohee.”

It was already 12:30. I wasn’t hungry yet, but just because I wasn’t hungry didn’t mean I wanted to make others skip lunch. So I asked Manager Ahn Siwon about Tartarus’ location, and he quickly pulled out his phone.

“They’re just finishing their tour and heading up here now. Perfect timing.”

Hearing his response, I turned to Sung Yoojun.

“What about the restaurant reservation?”

“It’s been arranged.”

Just then, a cheerful knock sounded at the door.

“Come in.”

Surprised that a knock could sound that lively, I still responded promptly.

At my permission, the door opened, revealing Team Leader Seohee, followed by the much healthier-looking members of Tartarus.

“We’re here…… Oh my goodness! President! What happened?!”

“Team Leader Seohee? Is there a problem?”

“A problem? Did you just ask if there’s a problem? Of course, there is! Sir, where are your jacket and coat?!”

Jacket and coat?

I was completely caught off guard by the unexpected question and turned to look at Secretary Sung Yoojun standing beside me. At some point, he had already slipped his smartphone back into his jacket pocket. Meeting my gaze, he calmly opened his mouth to speak.

“I put them in the wardrobe.”

At his composed response, my eyes shifted back to Team Leader Seohee. I wanted to confirm whether Sung Yoojun’s words had been properly conveyed.

“Oh my goodness, oh my goodness……!”