#115

“Are you tired?”

I slowly opened my eyes at Manager Ahn Siwon’s voice, which broke through my deep thoughts. Through the slightly opened eyelids, I saw the usual president’s office and Manager Ahn Siwon’s face filled with concern.

“No, I’m fine.”

“You don’t seem fine…… Were you thinking about Director Lee Gilseon again?”

At Manager Ahn Siwon’s question, I raised one corner of my mouth.

“Well, something like that.”

Leaning my body against the chair’s backrest, I answered in a voice filled with a sigh, and Manager Ahn Siwon said seriously.

“I don’t know what kind of face he had to come all the way here.”

I nodded in agreement with Ahn Siwon’s grumbling.

Since I started the lawsuit against Director Lee Gilseon, he had visited the company only once. At first, I considered kicking him out right away, but I wanted to hear what he had to say, so I let him into the president’s office. He immediately dropped to his knees and started begging.

‘Sir, I was wrong. I was really wrong. So please, can you just let it go? I really feel like I’m going to die.’

His face had become pale, and he was shaking all over, desperately begging, which didn’t look good at all.

Well, there were plenty of charges against him: defamation, assault, and sexual harassment. The lawyer from Haje Group had said that if this went to trial, it would be hard for him to avoid jail time. In that situation, he must have been desperate. He probably just wanted to settle things somehow. If he could settle this situation, he would kneel as much as needed.

But unfortunately, he chose the wrong person to beg.

I couldn’t be the one to forgive him. Director Lee Gilseon had chosen the wrong person to apologize to. He should have gone to the victims, each one of them, and apologized, banging his head on the ground, begging like his life depended on it. Of course, even then, he might not have been forgiven.

I coldly kicked out Director Lee Gilseon, who chose the wrong person to ask for forgiveness. He refused to leave, and when security staff dragged him out, he screamed at the top of his lungs.

‘Do you think I’ll just let this go? I won’t leave you alone! I’ll make you just like me!’

He was yelling so loudly that his voice even pierced the soundproof door of the president’s office. Thanks to that, rumors about Director Lee Gilseon’s behavior spread throughout the company that day.

“But is it really okay?”

“What’s okay?”

“Director Lee Gilseon’s words. He said he won’t let you go.”

Ahn Siwon, who had come to report something and witnessed Director Lee Gilseon’s behavior, spoke with a worried tone. I shrugged casually, keeping a relaxed face.

“There aren’t many scary people who say things like that.”

With my nonchalant attitude, Ahn Siwon’s face grew dim.

“That’s true, but……”

“What’s wrong, Manager Ahn? Is there something bothering you?”

I asked in a curious tone, and though he hesitated, Manager Ahn Siwon slowly opened his mouth.

“I don’t have a good feeling about this. I’m usually good at reading things like this. Of course, you might not believe in feelings like this, sir.”

At Manager Ahn Siwon’s cautious words, I blinked blankly. In response to my reaction, Ahn Siwon awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

“Was it too far-fetched, after all?”

“No. It’s not that. Regardless of the reason, you’re saying this because you’re worried about me. That alone is enough to listen carefully.”

Whether it’s intuition or whatever, he’s speaking out of concern for me, so of course, I should pay attention. I thought to myself as I gave a faint smile. Just as I was about to say that I would be careful for a while, a knock came at the president’s office door.

“Sir, it’s Jung Minjae.”

“Yes. Come in.”

I said the words of permission without wiping the smile from my face, and the door immediately opened. I looked at Secretary Jung Minjae as he quickly entered the office.

“What’s the matter?”

“I have something to report.”

Jung Minjae’s voice carried an unmistakable urgency. Seeing that, I couldn’t help but wear a worried expression.

“Is there some kind of big problem?”

“Well…… the factory where we entrusted the album production caught fire.”

A fire? I widened my eyes in surprise and stared at Secretary Jung Minjae.

“What about casualties?”

“One factory worker inhaled smoke and was taken to the hospital, but thankfully, there doesn’t seem to be a major issue. There are no other serious injuries or fatalities.”

I let out a sigh of relief at the report that there was no major loss of life. Thank goodness no one was hurt.

“Do we know how much damage the factory suffered?”

“The fire was discovered early, and it was quickly put out, so there isn’t significant damage. However, the aftermath of the fire means the album production will be delayed slightly.”

“Will it affect the comeback schedule?”

“No, fortunately not to that extent, but……”

Secretary Jung Minjae trailed off. I narrowed my eyes as I stared at him, urging him to finish his sentence. Hesitating for a moment under my gaze, Secretary Jung Minjae slowly opened his mouth.

“……The investigation has shown that it wasn’t just a fire, but arson, so a police investigation seems unavoidable.”

“Arson?”

“Yes.”

His firm reply made me absentmindedly rub my chin with my finger as I fell into thought. Of all times, the factory making the Tartarus album had an arson? Suddenly, Director Lee Gilseon, who had shouted that he wouldn’t let it go, came to mind.

Hmm, something feels off……? Could it be that person’s doing? As I pondered the connection between Director Lee Gilseon and the fire, Manager Ahn Siwon looked at me with a worried expression.

“……It seems like it’s better to go there in person.”

“Do you plan on going to the factory?”

“Yes. Please prepare right away.”

At my instruction, Secretary Jung Minjae quickly left the president’s office. After he left, I briefly stared at the firmly closed door before letting out a sigh and standing up.

“Are you really going there?”

“It’s better for me to see it with my own eyes. I’m also worried about the factory and the workers.”

As I said that, I grabbed my coat. While I was adjusting my clothes, Ahn Siwon approached me and, with a voice full of concern, spoke.

“Isn’t it dangerous to go directly, since it’s arson?”

“The fire’s already been put out, so what could be dangerous?”

“What if the culprit is still there?”

There was a deep sense of unease in Manager Ahn Siwon’s voice. I reached out and patted his shoulder, reassuring him.

“It’ll be fine. Secretary Jung will be with me. Besides, there will be plenty of factory staff there.”

Even though I argued that there wouldn’t be any danger because I wasn’t going alone, Manager Ahn Siwon’s face still didn’t lose its anxious expression.

“Is Secretary Sung very busy? I’d feel safest if Secretary Sung were with you right now.”

“Well, yes. He has a lot of work to take care of.”

The album production for Tartarus, and of course, the lawsuit against Director Lee Gilseon.

Thinking of all the tasks Secretary Sung Yoojun was handling, I couldn’t help but show an expression full of guilt. Of course, with the new album nearly at its final stages, it seemed like Jung Minjae was taking care of a lot of the smaller tasks, but still, the fact remained that Sung Yoojun was busy.

“……I feel bad for making him do so much.”

“That’s the job of a secretary.”

Looking at me with a look of surprise, Manager Ahn Siwon spoke, causing me to wrinkle my nose. No matter what, I couldn’t help but feel guilty.

“Secretary Sung is just doing his job, so don’t make that face, sir. If you’re really concerned, why not give him a nice bonus?”

It seemed that my emotions were showing on my face, and Ahn Siwon spoke in an attempt to comfort me. I gave a faint smile and nodded. Just then, my smartphone, which I had tucked into my jacket pocket, started ringing. I pulled it out and saw a message from Secretary Jung Minjae saying that preparations to head to Namyangju were complete.

I slipped my phone back into my jacket pocket and walked out of the president’s office. Ahn Siwon, who had no reason to stay alone in the room, followed me.

“Are you heading to the practice room, Manager Ahn?”

I asked, noticing him press the button for the 6th floor, where Tartarus practice room was, in the elevator. He nodded.

“Yes. The guys from Tartarus are probably still deep in practice, so I’m going to stop them. I keep telling them to take it easy, but they don’t listen. It’s like they’re addicted to practicing.”

He spoke with a grumpy face, but there was a hint of pride behind it. I couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.

“Seems like they still don’t understand that they need to rest when it’s time to rest. Hurry up and make them take a proper break.”

“I’ll make sure of it. I’ll keep them glued to their chairs for at least an hour.”

“That sounds like a great plan.”

While Ahn Siwon and I shared mischievous smiles, the elevator arrived at the 6th floor. The doors slid open, revealing a spacious hallway.

“Well then, take care, President.”

“Yes. I’ll be back soon.”

With a light farewell, Manager Ahn Siwon stepped out of the elevator, and the doors closed. I felt the elevator begin to descend and gently closed my eyes.

Ding. A clear chime rang, followed by the sound of the door opening. Slowly, I opened my eyes to see Jung Minjae standing in the doorway.

“I’ll accompany you, sir.”

With a polite smile, I casually moved toward him and climbed into the car that Secretary Jung Minjae had opened for me.