#17

In my haste, as I quickly blurted out my words, Yoo Euiseo’s fork, which had been heading towards his plate, abruptly stopped in midair. He lifted his gaze from the asparagus on his plate and stared at me intently.

Yoo Euiseo looked as if he was contemplating something while looking at me. I had no way of knowing what he was thinking about, but I decided to wait patiently until he spoke first.

“But…… it’s embarrassing. Being a picky eater at this age……”

After a long wait, the words I finally heard were so unexpected that they left me speechless.

Wait, why? No matter how old someone is, they can have foods they don’t like. While I was dumbfounded, Yoo Euiseo continued speaking.

“And before…… the president said it didn’t look good and told me to fix it. No, the former president…… He told me that if I couldn’t eat it, I should keep eating it until I got used to it, even if I had to throw up……”

Ah, Lee Yongjun, that man, seriously.

I wasn’t confident that I could keep my expression from contorting, so I quietly covered my face with my palm.

Yoo Euiseo was a fully grown adult, now 23 years old. That meant he was at an age where he could decide his own preferences. Of course, if he avoided vegetables entirely, I might suggest he eat them for the sake of his health. But from what I observed while eating with him today, he was consuming other vegetables just fine, except for asparagus.

In other words, there was no reason for him to force himself to eat something he hated to the point of being prepared to throw up.

“Euiseo-ssi. Do you remember what I said before?”

“Which…… thing?”

“I said, ‘Everything that President Lee Yongjun said is wrong.’”

Yoo Euiseo slowly lowered the fork that had been suspended in the air and nodded.

“It’s the same this time. President Lee Yongjun was wrong.”

Saying that, I picked up my fork and stabbed the asparagus from Yoo Euiseo’s plate, transferring it to my own.

“If you don’t want to eat it, you don’t have to. There’s no need to force yourself. Of course, if you personally think you should fix your habit of avoiding asparagus and take action, I won’t stop you. But if it’s just because of other people’s judgments and pressure, then I’d rather you not force yourself.”

Yoo Euiseo blankly watched as the asparagus was moved from his plate to mine.

“If you were still a child, a guardian might try to correct your picky eating for the sake of your health. But you’re a full-grown adult, and as an adult, you have your own tastes. I don’t think those preferences should be changed just because of someone else’s pressure.”

As I finished speaking, I placed the asparagus I had taken from Yoo Euiseo’s plate into my mouth. The asparagus, which had troubled Yoo Euiseo so much, was surprisingly tender as I chewed it and swallowed it down.

“Do you understand what I mean by this?”

“……Yes. From now on, if I don’t want to eat it, I just won’t.”

His voice sounded somewhat timid. I glanced at him to check if my words had offended him. What I saw was Yoo Euiseo, his cheeks flushed, fiddling with his fork.

Why is his face red? Caught off guard by his unexpected reaction, I spoke hesitantly.

“Euiseo-ssi, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

Worried that he might have a fever, I asked hurriedly, but Yoo Euiseo frantically shook his head.

“No! No! I’m not! I’m really not sick! It’s just that…… it’s the first time I’ve ever heard something like that…… so……”

As he said that, his face turned not only red but even his neck was flushed.

“……So, it just made me happy……”

Ah, happy……

Seeing Yoo Euiseo shyly speaking, his face and neck burning red, I suddenly felt embarrassed as well. As the atmosphere grew increasingly awkward and I was trying to figure out how to handle it, I heard a cheerful burst of laughter from the side.

The laughter came from Nam Yisol. He was slapping the table with his palm and laughing heartily.

“Ah, Yoo Euiseo is seriously hilarious.”

“Don’t laugh!”

“How can I not laugh when it’s so funny? And you shouldn’t be speaking informally to your hyung. Right, sir?”

In the middle of their argument, Nam Yisol suddenly threw a question at me, drawing the attention of everyone in the room to me. Surprised by the sudden spotlight, I blinked a few times before cautiously opening my mouth.

“Normally, it’s polite to use formal speech with someone older than you.”

“See? The president doesn’t like it when younger people speak informally to him, right?”

Although he asked playfully, Nam Yisol’s gaze toward Yoo Euiseo was sharp. Seeing that piercing look, I realized that Nam Yisol was giving Yoo Euiseo a warning.

And that warning was likely because of Yoo Euiseo’s inconsistent mix of formal and informal speech when talking to me. Hmm, how should I respond in this situation?

To be honest, I didn’t really care whether younger people used formal speech with me or not. If Yoo Euiseo felt more comfortable speaking informally, I thought it would be best for him to speak however he felt comfortable.

But that was just my personal opinion. If there were other rules within the group, I wasn’t sure if it was okay for me to disregard them.

As I remained silent, deep in thought, Yoo Euiseo, whose expression had darkened considerably, cautiously spoke.

“Do you dislike it a lot? That I didn’t use proper formal speech……”

His downcast expression struck something deep inside me. What was it hitting? My conscience? Sympathy? Guilt? I had no idea, but one thing was certain—I couldn’t tell him I disliked it while looking at that face.

“……No. I don’t really mind. I’ve never been too concerned about formal speech.”

At my response, Yoo Euiseo’s face brightened while Nam Yisol pouted.

“What the heck, President? Aren’t you spoiling Yoo Euiseo too much? I’m starting to feel left out.”

With an exaggeratedly sorrowful voice, Nam Yisol leaned his head against my shoulder. Seeing this, Yoo Euiseo’s eyes burned with intensity as he stared at Nam Yisol.

Caught between the two, unable to move, I hesitated for a moment before lightly patting Nam Yisol’s head resting on my shoulder.

“I’m not spoiling him; I’m just stating my opinion.”

“But I still feel left out. Don’t just dote on Yoo Euiseo—dote on me too, sir.”

Wait, this was unexpected…… Feeling flustered, I stared at Nam Yisol, who was whining for attention. I had no idea how to respond.

“Uh…… I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it would feel like favoritism. I’ll try to be more mindful from now on.”

After much deliberation, I carefully and seriously apologized, which made Nam Yisol burst into laughter. Slapping his thighs, he laughed so hard that tears formed in his eyes.

“I was wondering how you’d react, but I didn’t expect this.”

“……”

“Ah, seriously. Ever since meeting our president, I feel like I’ve been laughing so much more.”

……Well, isn’t it a good thing to laugh more? Yeah, let’s just think of it as a good thing. Internally chuckling dryly, I shifted my gaze to the steak on my plate, avoiding further conversation. Thankfully, Nam Yisol didn’t call me out on my escape.

From then on, our meal continued quietly and peacefully. After finishing without issue, we got back in the car and headed toward the dormitory Tartaros had been using.

“We’ve arrived.”

At Secretary Sung Yoojun’s calm voice, I turned my gaze to the window. Through the darkly tinted glass, I saw a neighborhood filled with villa-style apartments. I thanked Secretary Sung Yoojun as he opened the door for me and stepped out of the car.

“Is this the place?”

“Yes, it is.”

“What floor is it?”

I asked while looking at the four-story villa in front of me. Secretary Sung Yoojun hesitated before answering.

Wait, did Secretary Sung Yoojun just hesitate? That was so unlike him. Confused, I gave him a questioning look. He hesitated momentarily, then glanced at the black van pulling up behind our sedan, looking oddly relieved.

What’s going on? This feels suspicious. I have a bad feeling about this. As my thoughts raced, I instinctively turned a scrutinizing gaze toward Secretary Sung Yoojun. At that moment, Manager Ahn Siwon stepped out of the van and quickly approached me.

“President!”

“Yes, Manager Ahn?”

“Take this!”

Saying that, Manager Ahn Siwon held out something with both hands. Curious, I looked down and saw a small cylindrical case in his palm.

“……Cheongsimhwan?”

*Cheongsimhwan (Korean: 청심환, lit. ’clear-mind pill’) is a pill formulated with thirty-odd herbs and other medicinal ingredients, including calculus bovis, ginseng, musk, and Chinese yam root. It is used to treat various symptoms, such as numb limbs and fit of apoplexy, epilepsy, and others in traditional Korean medicine.