#33

As Jung Hosu continued speaking rapidly, I slowly tilted my head to the side. It was clear that he was desperately trying to defend Nam Yisol, afraid that I might develop a negative opinion of him. I had noticed it since dawn—Tartarus seemed to have a remarkably close bond among its members.

Was it because they had gone through difficult situations together? Or maybe because their time as trainees had given them plenty of opportunities to strengthen their friendships?

Well, whatever the reason, considering how fiercely he was protecting Nam Yisol, I felt it would be too intrusive to keep pressing the matter. So, I decided to drop my questions here.

Judging from the way he said they had only made eye contact, it didn’t seem like the in-game version of me had done anything directly to Nam Yisol. He probably just shot them a glare, overflowing with hostility toward Tartarus.

It wasn’t too difficult for me to guess the actions of my in-game counterpart, someone who shared my name, face, and even a similar personality. Of course, that didn’t make it any more pleasant.

I shook my head a couple of times, as if brushing off the unpleasant sensation creeping up from my toes, then buried my face in my smartphone again. I had to get back to what I was originally doing.

“How about beef bulgogi hot pot?”

“That sounds good.”

“What about seafood stamina soup?”

“That sounds delicious.”

There were quite a few options when I searched for nourishing dishes. Since Jung Hosu was saying that anything was fine, it seemed more practical to consult Secretary Sung Yoojun’s opinion.

Just as I had that thought, the timing was perfect—there was a knock at the door, followed by Sung Yoojun’s voice.

“President. It’s Sung Yoojun.”

“Come in, Secretary Sung.”

At my permission, the door opened, and Sung Yoojun entered the office.

“What about them?”

“They said they were leaving, so I saw them off.”

At his words, I furrowed my brows in displeasure. Even if it had been a long time since they last saw their son, they just left without so much as a goodbye? This really made it seem like money was their only reason for coming here.

I slowly shifted my gaze to Jung Hosu, who was sitting next to me. Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, his face remained expressionless, showing no signs of hurt. Even though this was a situation where he had every right to feel disappointed.

If anything, it would have been better if he had gotten angry or shown some kind of emotion. But acting as if he was completely fine, as if he was used to being treated this way—that was even more heartbreaking.

Did he even realize how much it hurt others to see him like this?

With a heavy heart, I let out a slow breath, calming myself. Then, I stretched out my smartphone toward Jung Hosu, holding it right in front of his face.

Startled by the sudden gesture, he instinctively leaned back, but after a moment, he hesitantly leaned forward again to read the text on the screen.

“Steamed pumpkin duck? Are you saying we should go eat this?”

At his question, I nodded firmly.

“If the menu sounds good to you, let’s go eat together. If not, we can choose something else.”

“I don’t mind. This is fine.”

“Great. Then let’s go have this. Oh, by the way, how do you feel about dessert? Do you like it?”

“Dessert? Uh…… I guess just an average amount?”

At his response, I nodded again.

“Then let’s stop by a dessert place with treats so good that even our dear Hosu-ssi will love them. And today, I’m determined to empty my wallet completely, so we’re going to eat as much as we want.”

Clenching my fist as if making a solemn vow, I saw a flicker of bewilderment cross Jung Hosu’s face. He looked at me as if I was incomprehensible.

I gently patted his head. He wouldn’t realize it, but this was my way of offering comfort. I didn’t know enough about his family situation to bring it up carelessly. So instead, I would make sure he didn’t dwell on bad feelings for too long—by feeding him delicious food, helping him have an enjoyable experience, and making sure he could relax.

Even if that was all I could do, I believed that, in some small way, it would serve as comfort to him.

“Secretary Sung, you’re okay with pumpkin duck too, right?”

“Yes, of course, President.”

With Secretary Sung Yoojun’s agreement secured, I sprang up from the couch.

It looked like today’s lunch would be a long one.

***

Several days had passed since the day we met Jung Hosu’s parents. In the meantime, Tartarus had resumed their individual activities.

I wanted to let them rest a little longer, but with some members appearing as fixed cast members on programs, the staff pleaded that it would be unreasonable to keep sending substitutes without a valid reason. In the end, I had no choice but to surrender, raising both hands in defeat.

It was only natural that I couldn’t keep ignoring the opinions of experts when I knew next to nothing about this industry. Still, I was quietly dissatisfied that I couldn’t let the kids rest a bit more. Of course, that was just my personal sentiment, and I had no intention of showing that to the staff, who were simply doing their jobs. Nor should I.

The problem was that, no matter how much I tried to hide it, some sharp-eyed individuals had already caught on.

“President. It’s Sung Yoojun.”

“……Come in.”

At my low-spoken permission, Secretary Sung Yoojun opened the office door and stepped inside. Nervously rolling my eyes, I watched as he approached with his usual composed steps, my gaze landing on his hands.

Then, I saw the box he was holding and let out a quiet sigh.

“Who sent it this time?”

“The team leader of the Public Relations team.”

With that, Secretary Sung Yoojun placed the neatly wrapped box on my desk. I stared at it with an expression of utter exasperation. Seeing that I only glared at the box with sharp eyes instead of touching it, Secretary Sung Yoojun helpfully reached out and unwrapped it for me.

The beautiful wrapping fell away, revealing a selection of undeniably delicious-looking slices of cake. I gazed at the cakes, which boasted a stunning appearance, with a complicated expression before asking.

“……How many times has this happened now?”

“This is the second time today. And there will be a third.”

I turned to look at Secretary Sung Yoojun, wondering what he meant, and saw him calmly placing a takeout cup of a warm beverage on my desk. At that, my face twisted uncontrollably.

“Secretary Sung…… Don’t tell me you bought this yourself?”

“Yes. Since eating cake alone would surely make your throat dry, I had no choice.”

“I truly appreciate the thought, but this is too much. Please send everything back.”

“If you do that, they’ll all be disappointed.”

Disappointed? That wasn’t the issue—how was I supposed to eat all of this? I glanced over at the growing pile of gifts stacked on the table in front of the sofa. No matter how I looked at it, there was no way I could handle all of it by myself.

With a tired groan, I buried my face in my palm.

Today marked exactly eight days since I started receiving endless food gifts from the company employees.

This troublesome situation had all started with Manager Ahn Siwon.

After Tartarus had resumed activities, Ahn Siwon had quickly caught on to the fact that I wasn’t entirely happy about it. So, every time he saw me, he would subtly hand me sweet treats like candy, chocolate, or jelly.

That much was fine. I quite liked sweets, after all.

But the problem arose when other employees, seeing Ahn Siwon’s actions, started following his lead—one after another, they began sending me various snacks.

At first, I gratefully accepted their gestures of kindness without refusal.

However, as the quantity gradually increased, it reached a point where I simply couldn’t manage it all on my own.

In the end, I decided it was better to return the gifts rather than let them go to waste. So, I sent everything back and declared that I would no longer accept any more gifts.

But the employees’ reaction…… They were visibly crestfallen, their shoulders sagging as they wandered the company halls like zombies who had lost everything. It was such a pitiful sight that, in the end, I couldn’t hold out. Just a day after making my declaration, I was forced to revoke it.

“I really don’t understand why everyone is doing this to me.”

I grumbled while closing the cake box again, but Secretary Sung Yoojun subtly stopped my hand.

“Isn’t it endearing? Please be generous and let it slide.”

“Endearing? What part of this is endearing?”

“The way they’re struggling to find snacks that suit you while staying within an amount that wouldn’t be considered bribery.”

……What was he even saying now?

I eyed Secretary Sung Yoojun skeptically, doubting his taste in humor. But he paid no mind to my reaction. Instead, he simply picked up a slice of strawberry shortcake from the box and placed it in front of me.

“Try it. It’s from a café that’s been trending online recently.”

“I’m fine. I don’t really feel like eating right now.”

“Oh dear, what a shame. The team leader of the PR team even gave up their lunch break to buy it for you, knowing that you like strawberry cake the most.”

……Why would someone give up their lunch break just for a cake?

Perplexed, I stared at the strawberry shortcake in front of me before slowly shifting my gaze to Secretary Sung Yoojun.

His expression remained perfectly composed, yet his eyes betrayed him. They sparkled with an unmistakable amusement—he was thoroughly enjoying this situation.

“……Are you having fun?”