#130

And that was the correct answer. Just as Cheon said, I was in a bad mood right now.

Having no say in matters related to me, no matter how many times it happened, always left me feeling dirty.

“To be honest, if I said it wasn’t true, I’d be lying.”

“Yeah, you’ve always hated this kind of coercive and forced stuff.”

At Cheon’s words, I sat down on the sofa and gave a bitter smile.

“You’re the same, though.”

I said this in a voice tinged with a faint smile, and Cheon shrugged lightly.

“Not as much as you.”

Hmm, that’s also true.

I chuckled softly and shook my head. Watching me, Cheon, who seemed like she wanted to say something, eventually closed her mouth. An awkward silence descended between Cheon and me.

“……That person really has a way of making his influence last a long time.”

After a short while, it was my mutter, almost a sigh, that broke the silence. I weakly leaned my body against the sofa backrest as I stared blankly at the ceiling.

I felt unusually drained and tired. To clear my mind, I closed my stiff eyes and rubbed them with the palm of my hand when I suddenly felt the seat beside me sink. Slowly, I removed my hand from my eyes and turned my head. Cheon was already sitting beside me.

“Why?”

“Just because.”

When I asked about the sudden decision to sit next to me, I got a nonchalant response. But when she subtly grabbed my hand resting on the sofa, I didn’t need to hear an answer to know what she was thinking.

“Anyway, what a good kid.”

Saying that, I lightly pinched Cheon’s cheek, and immediately, sharp eyes locked onto me. Although it seemed like she was angry, I knew deep down she was just embarrassed, so I couldn’t help but smile happily.

“Thank you.”

I released the cheek I had pinched and gently patted the spot. The warmth of her skin under my fingers helped calm my restless mind. As Cheon’s face began to soften, sensing that I had calmed down, I watched her for a moment before leaning in and softly resting my head on her shoulder.

“1,000 won for a single lean.”

“1,000 won? Isn’t that too expensive?”

“It is. Whose shoulder is it?”

As soon as I leaned my head on her shoulder, my little sister boldly demanded money, which made me chuckle softly.

“Last time, I let you lean on me for free in the taxi.”

“That was your business. If you felt wronged, you should’ve asked for it then.”

“Are we really going to be like this with each other?”

“Don’t you think it’s because we’re like this that I do it?”

At her teasing question, I lifted my head from Cheon’s shoulder and stared at her intently. When I looked at her, Cheon, who had been facing forward, turned her gaze toward me. Her eyes, filled with mischief, met mine. Seeing those lovely eyes, I couldn’t help but smile.

“If you keep this up, I won’t buy you dinner anymore.”

It might not be much to others, but to Cheon, those words were a big threat. She flinched slightly, her body trembling. She squinted her eyes, scrutinizing me to see whether I was serious or not.

Of course, it was a lie, but I kept smiling to ensure my little sister wouldn’t easily figure out what I was thinking. When it seemed like she believed I was serious, Cheon pouted in dissatisfaction.

“……How sneaky.”

At her cute reaction, I burst into laughter. Realizing she had been tricked, Cheon shoved me with a sharp hand. I fell onto the sofa from the push, but I couldn’t stop laughing.

After laughing until tears came to my eyes, I finally noticed Cheon’s cold expression. I asked her in a voice mixed with apology and amusement.

“Joking…… Ahem, ahem. Just kidding. What do you want to eat? I’ll buy you anything.”

Naturally, what I got in return was a glare that was even more intense than before. I raised my hands in a surrender gesture, pulled out my smartphone from my jacket pocket, and placed an order for sushi to the residence staff.

“I ordered sushi, so it’ll be here soon. Let’s eat that.”

I tried to coax Cheon with food she usually liked, but the response I got was still chilly. As she suddenly got up from her spot beside me and headed back to the single-person sofa, I found myself in a bit of a dilemma.

“Cheon.”

Whether I called her or not, Cheon didn’t respond, just turning on the TV with the remote on the table.

The sound of the TV changed several times as she flipped through channels. Then, suddenly, a very familiar song filled the room. My head naturally turned toward the TV.

It was Tartarus’ stage being broadcast. I quickly scanned the top of the screen. As expected, the name of today’s pre-recorded music show was displayed.

“Those are them. Oppa’s kids.”

Cheon muttered in a slightly raised voice, as if surprised to spot familiar faces on TV. I nodded proudly with a satisfied look.

“Yeah, today was their comeback on the music show.”

“They were really idols, huh? It’s kind of surprising. Well, I guess it makes sense since the game was called Idol Misery Simulation.”

Cheon nodded thoughtfully as if she had come to a conclusion. I watched her for a moment before turning my attention back to the TV. Seeing the stage from a different angle than before gave me a new perspective.

“Oh, they’re good. The song’s nice, too. Did you pick the song?”

“No way. You know I have no talent for that. I’ll leave that work to the experts.”

“Good choice. If you picked it, it would’ve definitely been a disaster.”

The sudden attack hurt a bit. I scrunched my nose and threw a glance at Cheon without making it obvious. Cheon shrugged lightly at my look.

“What? What, did I say something wrong? You’re terrible at music, aren’t you, and also with art.”

What Cheon said was true. As she pointed out, I really didn’t have any talent for music or art. If I had picked the title track, this album would’ve surely flopped. I was sure of it.

“It’s so true I can’t even argue with it.”

I loosened my furrowed brows and readily admitted my defeat, and Cheon shook her head at my response. I smiled faintly as I watched her slump into the sofa with a deflated expression, then turned my attention back to the voice coming from the TV.

“Hello! This is Tartarus!”

It seemed like they had a special interview lined up for their comeback, as the members of Tartarus were appearing with the music show MC on TV.

The short interview wasn’t anything extraordinary. They talked about their feelings for their long-awaited comeback, the concept of their new album, and the messages they wanted to send to their fans. It was amusing since the questions on the screen were exactly the same as the ones Manager Ahn Siwon had handed to Tartarus a few days ago.

I found myself chuckling quietly while watching the TV, but suddenly, I felt a sharp sting on my cheek. I turned my head, wondering what it was, and saw Cheon watching me with a strange expression.

“What?”

“…….”

When I asked her, tilting my head slightly, Cheon didn’t respond. She just stared at me intently.

Why is she doing that all of a sudden? I was puzzled about why Cheon was looking at me like that when the doorbell rang. Both of our gazes immediately shifted to the door.

“I’ll go. Stay seated.”

I tried to stop Cheon from getting up and stood up myself. It looked like the food I ordered had arrived. I leisurely walked to the door, opened it, and saw a friendly-smiling residence staff member pushing a trolley.

“Chairman, your ordered food has arrived.”

“Oh, thank you. Please, give it to me. I’ll take it.”

“Understood. Then I’ll take my leave. Enjoy your time.”

After bowing, the staff member gave a professional air as he walked away, closing the door behind him. It was only natural—he was one of the staff members I had carefully chosen for Cheon.

I watched the staff member’s retreating figure with a pleased expression before pulling the trolley from the entrance into the living room.

The dining table was a mess, so there was no way we could eat there. I figured we’d have to eat at the table in front of the sofa instead.

Ignoring the pile of instant food packaging still stacked on the dining table, I headed to the small table in front of the sofa, where Cheon quickly got up and started helping set the food.

“Thank you for the meal.”

“Thank you for the meal.”

We politely exchanged pleasantries before picking up our chopsticks and looking at the sushi in front of us.

“This is delicious.”

“Yeah, it’s good. Maybe I should have ordered more? Should we order more now, Cheon?”

“Umm, no. Let’s try it first and decide.”

Since coming to this world, I had mostly eaten home-cooked meals prepared by the housekeeper or dined out. It was only after Cheon started living at the residence that I got to try hotel food, and it turned out to be surprisingly tasty.

There must be a reason why hotel businesses are so successful. Of course, there are many other reasons, but I thought about that as I picked up a piece of eel sushi with my chopsticks. Suddenly, my smartphone rang. I quickly stuffed the eel sushi in my mouth and pulled out my phone from my jacket pocket.

“Who is it?”

“Huh? Ah, it’s Manager Ahn.”

After chewing the sushi quickly, I hurriedly pressed the answer button before the phone disconnected.

“Yes, Manager Ahn. What’s going on?”

“President! The first-place announcement is about to happen. Are you watching TV?”