#120

Ah, this is awkward. I alternated between looking at Cheon, standing there with a bewildered expression, and Secretary Jung Minjae, who was staring at her with a confused look. I had momentarily forgotten that Cheon was dead in this world. Of course, he would be surprised to see someone who had died suddenly come back to life. How should I explain this……

Feeling a stress-induced headache coming on, I pressed my temples with my fingers. While doing so, Secretary Jung Minjae spoke in a dazed voice.

“Why are you here? When did you return to Korea?”

When did you return to Korea?

I tilted my head slightly with a subtle expression. Jung Minjae’s words gave off the impression that Cheon hadn’t died, but had instead been abroad and just returned to Korea.

“Been a while. Probably about a month?”

Unlike my confusion, Cheon answered Jung Minjae’s question with a calm expression. From her demeanor, I could tell that she knew something about the situation.

Something’s suspicious about her.

Thinking this, I narrowed my eyes and shot a glance at Cheon, and she subtly averted her gaze.

……What is she hiding? I thought, preparing myself to find out the truth later. It seemed like Cheon realized my resolve, as her face paled. I turned my attention away from her and instead looked at Secretary Jung Minjae, who was still wearing a confused expression.

“What’s this? If you came so early, you could have contacted me. Are you drawing a line just because I’m no longer your secretary? You’re really making me feel bad.”

I was stunned to see Secretary Jung Minjae acting so friendly toward Cheon. My eyes widened in surprise.

Do you know Secretary Jung Minjae? I looked at Cheon with that thought, and she subtly shook her head, as if only I would recognize her. It seemed like it was a one-sided friendship from within the game world.

“Why would I contact you just because I’m back in Korea? You must be busy with work too.”

Despite Cheon’s indifferent words, Jung Minjae didn’t seem to mind at all. He simply sighed, as if used to it. I seized the opportunity, now that their conversation seemed to be winding down, to speak up.

“Well, it’s getting late. We should probably start moving instead of staying here like this.”

Fortunately, both Cheon and Jung Minjae nodded in agreement. I turned to Jung Minjae and asked.

“Secretary Jung, do you happen to know exactly where we are? I need to know the location so I can contact someone to come pick us up.”

“Ah, yes. Of course.”

I sighed in relief at his confident answer and took my smartphone out of my jacket pocket. However, the screen was completely shattered. I felt all the energy drain from my body.

“What’s this? It’s broken?”

“……Yeah.”

The car’s broken, and now my smartphone is too……? How much money have I lost today? The thought of all that money flying away made my heart ache. While I was feeling down, Secretary Jung Minjae hurriedly rummaged through his pockets. It seemed he was looking for his own phone since my broken one wouldn’t work.

“Ah…… there’s no phone. It must have fallen in the car.”

Oh no, this is getting tricky. As we both exchanged awkward looks, our gazes naturally shifted to Cheon. Receiving both of our stares, Cheon replied with a sour expression.

“Sorry, but I don’t have one. I didn’t bring it.”

“We’re screwed.”

The atmosphere sank with a quiet sigh I couldn’t help but let out. It was understandable. The car we came here in was wrecked, and we had no way to contact anyone. Honestly, it was a pretty hopeless situation.

“Ah! By the way, what about your car, Director?”

“Huh? My car?”

“Yes. Since you came all the way here, you must have come by car. Where is it?”

Secretary Jung Minjae, who had been nervously glancing around in the quiet atmosphere, suddenly asked with a look that said he had come up with a brilliant idea. But unfortunately, Cheon couldn’t give him the answer he was hoping for.

“It’s not here. I didn’t come by car.”

“What?! Then how did you get here?”

How did she get here? She came through a weird spark. I mumbled the truth I couldn’t say out loud, chuckling awkwardly, while Cheon furrowed her brow slightly and answered.

“Taxi.”

“A taxi? You took a taxi all the way here?”

“Yep.”

“To such a remote place, without a smartphone, and without any way to get back?”

Cheon nodded with a completely unapologetic and bold attitude to Secretary Jung Minjae’s question, who looked utterly stunned. Jung Minjae stared at her, mouth agape and eyes trembling.

“No, what……?”

Isn’t it ridiculous? Yeah, I get it. Honestly, it makes no sense. I nodded in sympathy for the shock Secretary Jung Minjae was surely feeling.

“So…… what was the reason you came all the way here?”

“Obviously, to meet this guy.”

Cheon answered flatly, pointing at me. Following her outstretched finger, Jung Minjae’s gaze shifted to me. I quickly turned my head to avoid his eyes.

“If that’s the reason, you could’ve just come to the company or home, right? Or, you could’ve contacted the president directly and called him out.”

“That’s why I came this way.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s nothing. Just had some circumstances. You can think of it like that.”

It seemed like Jung Minjae didn’t catch Cheon’s grumbling, filled with dissatisfaction. I looked at Cheon, who quickly turned her head away, answering without saying much. I could tell she was trying to avoid any further questions, but her subtle glance at me made me think I should let it go for now.

Cheon sighed quietly, as though there was a lot she was trying to express. I bit my lip tightly and turned my gaze away. There would be plenty of time to talk later. If there were things I wanted to ask, I could do so later. No need to rush now.

“……So, how do we get out of here?”

As Cheon and I fell silent, Secretary Jung Minjae cautiously asked in a deeply dejected voice.

“Should we try hitchhiking?”

At Cheon’s serious suggestion, I hesitated and spoke with an uncertain tone.

“I’ve never done that before.”

“Has anyone, though?”

Well, of course not. I frowned and let out a deep sigh. Stopping a passing car on such a road and asking for a ride would take a lot of courage. But there was no other choice. The situation was what it was.

I glanced reluctantly over the guardrail. The quiet road that hadn’t seen a single car pass by caught my eye.

“……Do you think any cars will come?”

Cheon and Secretary Jung Minjae both looked toward the road at my softly murmured words. Looking at the quiet road, it seemed that, regardless of how we felt about hitchhiking, we should first be worried about whether it was even possible to try it.

“Maybe one will come eventually?”

Jung Minjae, realizing that no cars had passed since we had gotten off here, looked darker in expression. I patted his slumped shoulder and slowly began walking.

“That’s right. One will come eventually.”

Though I wasn’t entirely sure, all I could do now was believe that it would happen. With that thought, I swiftly jumped over the guardrail. I turned around to check if Cheon and Secretary Jung Minjae were managing to climb over it.

“Wow. This is pretty high.”

Secretary Jung Minjae muttered, seemingly surprised at the height, though he managed to get over it without much trouble, while Cheon effortlessly jumped over it like me. I smiled faintly at the sight. As soon as we stepped onto the road, I extended my hand toward Cheon, who was brushing the dust off her clothes.

“Give that to me, Cheon. I’ll carry it.”

“This?”

“Yep.”

What I had asked Cheon for were the important items I had grabbed from the car earlier. If I had known that Jung Minjae had dropped his phone in the car, I would have made sure to take it as well. Then we wouldn’t be facing such a difficult situation now. I smiled bitterly as I received the items Cheon handed me.

“President, what’s that?”

“Oh, this? These are just things I grabbed from the car.”

“From the car?”

At such a critical moment……? I could tell from Secretary Jung Minjae’s unfinished words that he had realized the implication and awkwardly laughed.

“Yes, well……”

Not giving a full explanation and just trailing off, Secretary Jung Minjae gave me a subtle look. He seemed to be mulling something over for a moment before giving a small nod, signaling that he wouldn’t pursue the topic any further.

“Are we just going to stand here until a car comes?”

After our conversation died down, Cheon furrowed her brow and asked.

“Shall we walk for a bit?”

“Yes. It’s cold from just standing still. I want to move.”

True, it was almost April, but the mornings and evenings were still chilly. On top of that, there was a breeze today, which made it feel even colder than usual.

“Then let’s move. Secretary Jung, is walking okay with you?”

“Yes. It’s fine.”

With Secretary Jung Minjae’s agreement, I started walking slowly. Cheon followed closely behind me.