#46

Does it take skill to crush a can? I thought you could just press it, and it would flatten easily. Whether Nam Yisol knew I was puzzled or not, he held out the can he had been holding in front of Yoo Euiseo and spoke.

“Euiseo, can you do this too?”

“Do you think I could? I could probably crumple it to some extent, but I definitely couldn’t do it that neatly.”

“If you practice a bit, maybe you could? You and Hosu are the strongest among us.”

At Nam Yisol’s question, a spark of interest flickered across Yoo Euiseo’s face. Noticing it, I quickly stepped into their conversation.

“You shouldn’t do that. You might get hurt.”

If he tried to practice crushing aluminum cans, he could end up cutting himself on the jagged edges. When I intervened, Yoo Euiseo pouted and turned his gaze away from the crushed can. Pretending not to notice his disappointment, I picked up the convenience store bag he had placed on the floor. After putting the remaining drinks into the small fridge in the corner, I opened the bag and held it out to the kids.

“Please put all your empty cans in here. I’ll take them out to the trash.”

“What?! No way! Why would you do something like this, sir? I’ll do it. Please give it to me.”

“It’s fine. This isn’t a difficult task. Just put them in the bag, and I’ll handle the rest.”

As I reassured Lee Gaon, who was panicking over my request, I collected all the empty cans they had finished. With this, there was no chance for Yoo Euiseo to secretly crush a can. Feeling satisfied that I had prevented a possible accident, I suddenly noticed from the corner of my eye that Yoo Euiseo was slowly inching toward me.

Curious, I turned my head to look at him, and he flinched in surprise, stopping in his tracks.

……What’s going on? Why is he acting like that? Could he really be after the cans? Did he want to practice that badly? Suspicious, I instinctively moved the bag containing the empty cans behind my back, but Yoo Euiseo waved his hands in protest.

“Why are you hiding that? I don’t care about the cans!”

His expression was filled with frustration, and I sighed in relief, bringing the bag back to its original position. Seeing that, Yoo Euiseo pouted and grumbled.

“I’m not a kid, you know. I wasn’t actually planning to practice.”

“Is that so? That’s a relief.”

Though I clearly remembered his face lighting up with interest, I decided to let it slide and played along. Seeing this, Yoo Euiseo seemed satisfied, tucking in his lower lip before trotting closer to me again.

“Why? What is it?”

He stopped precisely two steps away from me. Finding his actions odd, I asked, and after a moment of hesitation, he cautiously spoke.

“Sir, your tie is crooked.”

My tie? At his words, I looked down to check. As he had said, the knot was quite loose. When did it get like this? Thinking back, I recalled absentmindedly adjusting my tie during a meeting.

“Oh. I must have fiddled with it during the meeting.”

“A meeting?”

“Yes. A planning meeting for your next album concept. I was attending it before coming here.”

Saying that, I lifted my hands to fix my tie, but I stopped when Yoo Euiseo reached out and gently grabbed my hands.

“Euiseo-ssi?”

“I’ll do it for you.”

When he offered to fix it, I nodded lightly. There was no reason to refuse his kindness.

“Then, I’ll leave it to you.”

With a soft smile, I lowered my hands, and Yoo Euiseo stepped closer, looking slightly nervous as he reached out.

“I just need to tie it the same way as before, right?”

“Yes.”

The moment my answer fell, Yoo Euiseo moved swiftly and skillfully. He untied the loose knot and expertly redid it.

“You’re really good at this.”

“My high school uniform didn’t have a clip-on tie. At first, my mom did it for me, but I didn’t want to keep asking her, so I practiced hard.”

He chuckled sheepishly, looking a bit embarrassed. Seeing him smile so genuinely, I found myself smiling as well. Somehow, a warm and cozy atmosphere settled between us.

Then, suddenly, a familiar voice came from the practice room entrance.

“President.”

Instinctively, I turned my head toward the voice. Through the door, which the kids had forgotten to close, I saw Secretary Sung Yoojun standing there holding his smartphone.

“Secretary Sung? Has the meeting ended?”

Hoping that the meeting had finally concluded, I asked expectantly. However, strangely, there was no immediate response. It was unusual for Secretary Sung Yoojun, who always responded promptly to my words.

“Secretary Sung?”

Concerned by his uncharacteristic hesitation, I called out again. His gaze, which had been lingering on Yoo Euiseo’s hands fixing my tie, finally shifted to meet mine.

“What’s the matter?”

“Ah…… Yes. I came to report something.”

His voice was stiff as he spoke. Though brief, I noticed that his gaze had flickered toward Yoo Euiseo. It was only for a moment, but I was sure I hadn’t imagined it.

Could it be something related to Yoo Euiseo?

Careful to keep my expression neutral, I turned back to Yoo Euiseo.

“Thank you for fixing my tie, Euiseo-ssi. It looks perfect now.”

Since he seemed to be finishing up, I expressed my gratitude, and Yoo Euiseo smiled shyly.

“It’s nothing. If you ever need help again, just let me know. I’ll be happy to do it.”

I patted Yoo Euiseo’s head twice as he scratched the back of his head while looking down. His offer to help at any time seemed truly admirable.

“Then, I’ll be going now. Everyone, don’t overwork yourselves too much. Once we fully start working on the album, things will get busy, so make sure to rest while you can.”

Mixing a playful joke with a heartfelt piece of advice, I turned around and walked toward Sung Yoojun. I had no idea what kind of report he had for me. Considering his usual calm demeanor, it was certain that something bad had happened……

“Wait.”

Just as I was striding forward to hear the report as quickly as possible, I felt someone grabbing the sleeve of my jacket. Carefully, so as not to touch my skin, but firmly enough that I couldn’t simply shake it off and walk away. I stopped in my tracks and turned to see who was holding onto my sleeve. What I saw was none other than Lee Daon, who had been standing far away with Lee Gaon just moments ago.

“Daon-ssi?”

Wondering what in the world he was doing, I called his name in a puzzled voice, and Lee Daon, with a cold, hardened expression, said.

“Talk here.”

“What?”

“You’re going to talk about Yoo Euiseo, aren’t you? Then don’t go somewhere else. Talk here, so he can hear it himself.”

Lee Daon’s words hit the mark precisely, leaving me momentarily speechless. How did he know? Did he also notice Sung Yoojun’s gaze? That fleeting glance that only lasted for a split second?

As I kept silent, Lee Daon’s grip on my sleeve tightened slightly. His eyes, filled with determination, stared straight into mine, making it clear that he had no intention of letting go.

“It’s about Yoo Euiseo, isn’t it? Then, of course, he should hear it himself. Why would you talk about his situation without letting him hear it? That’s not right.”

Every word he said made perfect sense. It was his matter, so naturally, he should be informed. But since I didn’t even know what the issue was yet, I felt hesitant to reveal everything so recklessly.

Maybe I should hear it first and then decide what to tell him? It might seem overprotective, but it also felt like a reasonable approach.

“Well……”

“Is it really about me? President, did something happen because of me?”

Just as I was about to voice my thoughts, Yoo Euiseo spoke with an anxious expression filled with worry. Seeing that face, I couldn’t bring myself to say that I would hear it first and then tell him. How could I say such a thing when someone was already trembling with unease?

“……Secretary Sung.”

“Yes.”

Just by calling his name, Secretary Sung Yoojun immediately understood my intentions and stepped toward me with firm strides. As he approached, Lee Daon finally released my sleeve. Ignoring the wrinkles left on my jacket, I turned to Sung Yoojun, who was now standing right beside me.

“Please report.”

“I received a call from Manager Lee Jaewon.”

Manager Lee Jaewon.

I blinked slowly and tilted my head at the mention of Tartarus’ former manager.

“A call from him isn’t exactly unusual…… Did he contact you for a different reason this time?”