#129

“Just a current affairs program is just a current affairs program. What else could it be?”

“Haha, what’s that supposed to mean?”

Nam Yisol, who was smiling brightly and staring at his father with eyes full of affection, seemed unaware that his father had not once properly looked at him since arriving. His father’s gaze only wandered around the vicinity or the floor, never meeting his son’s eyes. I raised an eyebrow slightly at the oddity of it.

And then, just as I was thinking this, Nam Yisol’s gaze, which had been fixed on his father, shifted toward me.

“Oh, right. Dad, this is my new company’s president.”

Nam Yisol whispered this to his father, his voice carrying an undeniable warmth. Feeling that warmth, Nam Yisol’s father flinched slightly, then slowly lifted his head to look at me.

As his gaze lingered on me, I lowered the raised eyebrow back into place and smiled broadly.

“Hello, I’m Goo Won, the president of Goo Won Entertainment.”

“Good day. I’m Nam Yikwon. Though I am lacking in many ways, I am a professor at Cheongseon University. And……”

Professor Nam Yikwon, after introducing himself, trailed off as if he were about to say something more, glancing at his son, Nam Yisol, out of the corner of his eye. Feeling the shift in his gaze, Nam Yisol quickly returned his attention to his father. However, their eyes never met.

Professor Nam Yikwon swiftly averted his gaze from his son, and I, observing the silent interaction between them, turned my attention from the professor to Nam Yisol, who was simply smiling brightly despite the awkwardness. I couldn’t help but raise the corners of my mouth a little higher.

“I was wondering who Yisol-ssi took after to be so tall and handsome, and it seems he must take after his father.”

“……Is that so?”

My compliment, aimed at easing the tension, seemed to have made Professor Nam Yikwon’s expression subtly darken. He licked his lips nervously and, with an awkward gesture, checked his wristwatch.

“Sir, I’m sorry, but I’m running short on time.”

“Oh, my. I must have kept you too long, with how busy you are.”

“It’s nothing. I’ll excuse myself now.”

With a small bow, Professor Nam Yikwon excused himself. As he hurriedly walked away, I caught sight of his retreating figure. His actions were quite rude, and Nam Yisol, clearly uncomfortable, kept glancing between me and his father as they grew further apart.

“Go after him, Yisol-ssi.”

“What? But……”

“You haven’t seen him in a while, right? It’s fine, just go after him.”

I spoke softly, and Nam Yisol’s face showed a flash of guilt. He repeatedly apologized to me before quickly chasing after his father.

“……It seems like my kids don’t have a peaceful home life, after all.”

“Indeed.”

Watching Nam Yisol’s figure fade into the distance, a sigh slipped from my lips. Secretary Sung Yoojun quietly agreed with me. I held my throbbing head, thinking about the troubling scene between father and son.

***

After spending the entire day dealing with the issues caused by Director Lee Gilseon, I was exhausted and headed not to my home, but to the Haje Hotel Residence where Cheon had recently moved in.

Not long ago, Cheon had claimed that she didn’t want to live in a house full of strangers and, for the sake of her ‘work,’ it would be more comfortable for her to live alone.

Naturally, I had assumed that Cheon would live with me, and I was a little disappointed, but since my younger sister was already 30 years old, I couldn’t really interfere with her living situation. The most I could do was provide her with the hotel residence, so she could live there comfortably.

“Cheon, I’m here.”

“Come on in~.”

Opening the hotel door with the key Cheon had given me, I saw Cheon floating in the air, lying down. I briefly looked at the surreal sight I had forced myself to get used to over the past few days, and then quickly looked away.

“Oh, you’re not even surprised anymore?”

“I’ve seen it more than once.”

“Well, that’s true. But it’s a little disappointing. Your face when you first saw it was hilarious.”

Cheon chuckled as she patted the air as if it were hilarious. I narrowed my eyes and glared at her, but Cheon didn’t seem affected at all.

“You didn’t want to live with me because of this, not because of work, right?”

“Hey, what do you think I am? It’s partly because of work. About…… 30%.”

“What about the other 70%? You wanted to be able to use your abilities at home, didn’t you?”

“Come on, you know that, don’t you, oppa?”

Cheon flew up to me and started poking my cheek with her finger, and I felt a bit emotional. Whether she knew it or not, Cheon continued talking with an indifferent expression.

“Since I have this ability, I should use it well, right? It’d be such a waste to just leave it unused. Plus, this way, my skill level goes up.”

When my sister said the word ‘skill level,’ I silently pressed my forehead.

“That’s low.”

After sharply accusing my sister, Cheon grinned widely.

She was trying to avoid my scolding by bringing up something I couldn’t interfere with, and I sighed tiredly.

The day I found out Cheon had gotten into a horror genre game, I lectured and scolded her for a long time, after which we made one promise.

It was that, unless the other person wanted it, we would never interfere with each other’s gameplay.

It was a promise I made entirely at Cheon’s insistence, but I had no right to argue with her as she struggled to keep her brother alive, knowing that I wouldn’t break the quest I’d been given even if I knew it would kill me. I could only let my younger sister do whatever she wanted and stay out of it……

“Did you realize now that I’m petty?”

For a moment, guilt overwhelmed me, and I bit the inside of my lip. Hearing Cheon’s playful voice, I quickly collected my thoughts and forced a mischievous smile.

“No. It’s been 30 years, at least.”

Saying that, I reached out and messed with Cheon’s floating head, making her groan in annoyance.

“Ah, come on!”

“Why, what’s the problem? I’m just messing up my little sister’s hair because I like her. What’s wrong with that?”

“My hair’s all messed up! Why do you like messing with other people’s hair so much?”

“It’s not just anyone’s hair. I only do it for people I care about, okay? And your hair was a mess from the moment I walked in.”

I recalled Cheon’s hair, which had already been a tangled mess when I first saw her. Honestly, there wasn’t much difference between then and now. Maybe Cheon knew that, as she puckered her lips slightly to cover up her annoyance. Then, she quickly changed the subject to something more favorable for her.

“Are we eating together today, too?”

“Yeah, that’s why I came. Is there anything you want to eat?”

I pulled Cheon’s floating hand toward the sofa as I asked, and Cheon fell into deep thought with a serious expression on her face.

“I heard the bakery here at the hotel is really good.”

“Cheon, you need to eat actual meals, not just bread.”

“Ugh, you’re such a nag.”

Cheon grumbled, giving me a cold glare, and I pressed her head down with my hand. As I pressed, her body slowly lowered and eventually landed on the living room sofa. I watched her change her posture and sit down properly on the sofa, then said.

“You’ve been eating only instant food all day today. At least have a proper dinner.”

As I glanced at the wrappers of instant food scattered on the dining table, Cheon scrunched her nose. I sighed deeply at her behavior. I had put her in a hotel so she could eat properly, so why was she not using the services available? She, of all people, loved food.

“If you keep skipping meals like this, should I just move in here too?”

Cheon’s eyes narrowed in response to my half-serious threat. She gave me a skeptical look before asking in a casual tone.

“Can you leave from there?”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“Can you leave from there?”

I blinked in confusion at Cheon’s question. After a brief moment of thought, I realized what she meant and frowned.

“Isn’t living in that house only a rule for Tartarus?”

I recalled the events that had occurred when we tried to move Tartarus’ lodging recently, and Cheon nodded slowly.

“From the start, the game’s condition was for the protagonists…… I mean, you and them, to live in the same house, right?”

“How do you know that?”

“Based on the big data from multiple game plays.”

……What is she talking about?

I looked at Cheon with a confused expression, but her face was completely serious. Seeing her so earnest, it didn’t seem like she was joking.

“……Really?”

“Really.”

Her answer came without hesitation, and I frowned quietly. Cheon let out a small sigh as she saw my twisted expression.

“Does that bother you?”

It was a question asked with the certainty that it would.