#37

“Team Leader Seohee, your expression was so grim that I thought something serious had happened……”

“Oh, really?”

At her question, I slowly nodded. Team Leader Seohee seemed to contemplate something for a moment before speaking again.

“I guess it showed on my face because I was convinced you were going to reject the idea.”

“Reject? Me? Why did you think that?”

“Well, you want Tartarus to rest more, don’t you? If they start preparing for an album, they’ll get busy with practice and everything else, and they’ll have to start managing their physique again. I thought you’d naturally oppose it.”

Hmm…… Of course, I did want to oppose it. They still looked too skinny in my eyes, and the thought of them having to control their weight even more didn’t sit well with me. But no matter how much I disliked it, this was a professional matter. I couldn’t keep letting my personal feelings interfere with business decisions.

“I have no intention of opposing it. As you suggested, we’ll move forward with the album preparations, so don’t worry.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

Saying that, I turned my gaze to Secretary Sung Yoojun, who was seated across from Team Leader Seohee.

“You’ll be in charge of this project, Secretary Sung. Just give me the final report when everything is ready.”

“Understood.”

Even though I was essentially passing off the work, Secretary Sung nodded with a reliable expression. Seeing his composed demeanor pricked at my conscience a little, but I had no choice.

I knew nothing about idols—let alone the ‘i’ in ‘idol’—and I understood even less about the trends of this world.

Me overseeing Tartarus’s album production would be completely ridiculous. For now, my best course of action was to delegate tasks to the right people while continuing to study this industry.

“……I don’t know. The fact that everything wrapped up so easily makes it feel kind of anticlimactic. It’s a strange feeling.” 

Team Leader Seohee murmured in a dazed voice while I was busy resolving to learn more about the idol industry.

“This is all thanks to your outstanding skills, Team Leader Seohee. Everything you suggest inspires confidence.”

“Oh my, what a flattering thing to say. Why are you being so kind today, sir? Ah. You’ve always been kind, of course. I just happened to forget for a moment.”

She responded to my indirect way of expressing trust with a teasing compliment. Feeling embarrassed, I wrinkled my nose slightly, and Team Leader Seohee’s lips curved into a soft smile.

“Anyway, I’m really glad you accepted my proposal. To be honest, I was getting a lot of pressure from all sides about this album.”

“Pressure? Who’s been putting pressure on you?”

Hearing that Team Leader Seohee had been pressured by someone, I couldn’t help but look at her in genuine confusion.

In Goo Won Entertainment, Team Leader Seohee held a fairly high position. The fact that she could casually visit my office to bring me snacks spoke volumes about her standing. So who in this company could possibly have the authority to pressure her?

“Who else? The other team leaders, of course. They’re all desperate to start working on Tartarus’s album. Thanks to them, I’ve been the one getting endlessly pestered. They kept insisting that I at least bring it up with you.”

“Why did they ask you to do that? Why didn’t they just come directly to me?”

Were they hesitant to visit the president’s office? That might make sense for regular employees, but for team leaders, it shouldn’t be that intimidating. They often came here for work-related matters, after all.

As I tilted my head, unable to make sense of it, Team Leader Seohee spoke with an unenthusiastic expression.

“The reason is obvious even without asking. They’re not intimidated by you—they’re embarrassed.”

……Huh?

Completely caught off guard by her response, I looked at her in bewilderment.

“They’re not hesitant because they feel burdened? But rather…… embarrassed?”

“Yes. I can say that with absolute certainty.”

I tried to rephrase it, hoping she would correct herself, but I failed miserably. Feeling as if a drop of cold sweat was sliding down my back, I hesitated before carefully asking,

“Could I…… ask what exactly they’re embarrassed about?”

My question came out in a stammer, and Team Leader Seohee gave me a look that practically said, ‘Do you really need to ask?’.

“Well, of course, it’s because talking to you makes their hearts flutter. That’s why they feel embarrassed.”

Talking to me makes their hearts flutter……?

I couldn’t help but make a strange expression, doubting my own ears. I wasn’t crying, I wasn’t laughing, and my face wasn’t twisted either—just an odd mixture of emotions. Seeing my reaction, Team Leader Seohee continued.

“It wasn’t like this before, but these days, I often get that feeling when talking to you.”

“H-Huh? Why?”

“Why, you ask…… Hmm…… Ah, it’s because I feel respected by you? And also…… I feel like, ‘Ah, this person is just like me.’”

What…… what was she even talking about? I raised an eyebrow, completely unable to understand, silently urging her to explain further. Fortunately, Team Leader Seohee seemed to catch on and spoke again.

“I’m not quite sure how to explain it…… but if I had to try, I’d say you feel a little different from before. Even back then, you were always polite and considerate toward the employees, but…… there was this inexplicable wall. This might be a bit rude to say, but……”

“It’s okay. Please speak freely. The more honest you are, the better.”

I reassured Team Leader Seohee, who was hesitating, unsure whether to continue. Since I knew almost nothing about Goo Won in the game, every bit of honest feedback from her was valuable information to me.

“……To be completely honest, it used to feel like looking at a very well-made doll or a robot. You looked just like us, but inside, you felt completely different. Even when you said nice things, there was this strange sense of distance, and sometimes, when you had a blank expression, it could be a little eerie…… It’s weird, right? It was the same person, yet now, you feel so different. It’s honestly amazing how much has changed.”

“It feels different……”

I slowly repeated Team Leader Seohee’s words in my mind.

Was I really that different from the Guwon in the game?

Secretary Sung Yoojun had said I was almost identical to him. And the way Team Leader Seohee described the in-game Goo Won’s actions, they all seemed like things I would do. I pondered this while mentally organizing all the information I had gathered about the in-game Goo Won and comparing it to myself.

“Well, that’s all in the past now. You don’t give off that feeling at all anymore.”

“……Is that so?”

“Yes. Everyone else agrees on this, too. One unnamed employee even said that it feels like a celestial being, who used to merely observe humans from the clouds, has now descended to earth in human form and treats them with kindness.”

A celestial being watching from the clouds? Was the in-game Goo Won considered some kind of non-human, godlike entity in this company? Some sort of absolute existence?

“Honestly, if you were to ask who the hottest figure in the business world has been in the past few years, it would undoubtedly be you. And if you asked young people in Korea who they respect the most, at least seven out of ten would say it’s you. So, if someone like that suddenly smiles warmly at you, treating you with the utmost respect, I think it’s only natural that they’d feel embarrassed.”

“I see…… So that’s how it is. This is all new to me, so I’m a little caught off guard.”

“Well, people are usually the last to truly know themselves.”

At Team Leader Seohee’s words, I could only give a slightly awkward smile.

The real reason I didn’t know anything about the in-game Goo Won was because I wasn’t him—I was an outsider. But of course, I couldn’t say that out loud. While I was chewing on those unspoken words, Team Leader Seohee called out to me in a lighter tone.

“By the way, sir.”

“Yes, Team Leader Seohee?”

“I know you told me to speak freely, and I did, but…… you’re not going to hold it against me or anyone else, right? I can trust you on that, right? No demotions, no disadvantages for being honest?”

Team Leader Seohee’s expression was incredibly serious as she asked this. Her eyes burned with the need for a clear answer, and I quickly nodded.

“Of course. I would never penalize anyone for speaking honestly. I was really just curious—that’s all. I wasn’t upset at all. And even if, hypothetically, I had been offended, I would never let personal feelings influence professional matters. That wouldn’t be fair.”

My firm and confident response made a faint sense of relief spread across Team Leader Seohee’s face. Seeing that expression, it dawned on me that I had put quite a bit of pressure on her.

Well…… yeah. Asking someone to give their honest evaluation of their boss, right in front of them? That was practically a nightmare scenario for any employee.

“I’m sorry, Team Leader Seohee. That must have been a lot of pressure for you. I should have been more considerate of your position.”