#63

At Secretary Jung Minjae’s words, I slowly tapped my index finger on the desk. I had expected this outcome, but actually seeing it happen just as I predicted left me feeling utterly disgusted.

Not long ago, I began suspecting that something might be interfering with Tartarus’s relocation. To confirm whether my suspicions were correct, I conducted a small experiment.

I secretly leased out the building where Tartarus was originally scheduled to move in. By completely cutting off the possibility of them relocating there, I planned to observe whether the fans gathered outside the building would disappear, and if so, when they would.

And the results turned out exactly as Secretary Jung Minjae described. The fans who had been gathering in front of the building all vanished before any information about the lease had even leaked.

This made it seem like someone had deliberately instructed them to be there, and now that there was no reason for them to stay, they had simply dispersed. I let out a scoff, finding the whole situation absurd.

This confirmed it. Something—something beyond logic—had indeed been preventing Tartarus from moving into their new lodging. And just like that, my mood plummeted straight to rock bottom.

“This is seriously infuriating……”

“Excuse me?”

“Nothing. Don’t mind me, I was just talking to myself.”

I spoke with a sigh-laden voice and sank deeper into my chair. Sensing my foul mood, Secretary Jung Minjae carefully offered,

“Then, I’ll take my leave. Please rest well, sir.”

“Alright. Good work today.”

Seeing how eager he was to leave, I weakly nodded. The moment I gave my approval, Secretary Jung Minjae swiftly exited the office.

Silence settled over the now-empty president’s office. Still slouched in my chair, I slowly closed my eyes.

Yeah. Honestly, since this world was inside a game, I had expected there to be some form of enforced constraints. So the fact that something was preventing Tartarus from moving wasn’t entirely shocking.

It was unpleasant to feel so blatantly controlled, but if I tried hard enough, I could push the thought aside. After all, from the moment I was dragged into this bizarre world, I had known that I was nothing more than a powerless pawn.

However, what unsettled me the most was the fact that this enforced constraint seemed intent on keeping Tartarus trapped in my house.

I had been trying my best to ignore it, but this world was, without a doubt, a game designed to make Tartarus miserable. And if what the original owner of this body had said was true, then my very existence here was meant to ensure their suffering.

Knowing that, how could I possibly accept this strange force keeping them tied to my home without concern?

I let out a deep sigh and pressed my palm against my forehead, feeling the persistent headache that had been plaguing me lately.

What worried me most was the extent of this enforced constraint.

What if…… What if there really was a rule that dictated Tartarus must be unhappy?

Just the mere thought of such a horrifying possibility made me shake my head furiously.

If such a thing truly existed, then as an ordinary human, there was absolutely nothing I could do to resist it.

I couldn’t even stop a group of people from gathering in front of their supposed new lodging—what could I possibly change?

The harsh reality of my helplessness weighed on me, and I rubbed my face with my palm. All I could do was hope—pray, even—that this was not the case. And that bitter truth left a terrible taste in my mouth.

I spent a long, grueling moment dwelling on my own powerlessness when suddenly, a knock on the door interrupted my thoughts.

“President, Nam Yisol-ssi is here to see you.”

“……Let him in.”

Nam Yisol? Why is he here?

He had never once come to my office in person before. The unexpected visit piqued my curiosity, and as I gave permission for him to enter, the door swung open, revealing Nam Yisol holding something in his hands.

“Yisol-ssi, what brings you here? Is the meeting already over?”

I asked as I stood up from my seat. Then, settling onto the single-seater sofa in my office, I gestured for Nam Yisol to take a seat as well.

“The meeting isn’t over yet, but our discussion with the producing team was finished, so we left early. And I came here because I wanted to give you something.”

Something to give me?

Tilting my head in curiosity, I watched as Nam Yisol sat down on the sofa I had pointed to. Amused by my obvious intrigue, he let out a small smile before carefully placing the box he was holding on the table.

“What’s this?”

“Madeleines. I saw them trending on social media lately for being really good, so I bought some. I figured you’d like them since you enjoy bread and snacks.”

As I curiously fiddled with the box, Nam Yisol’s words made my shoulders flinch.

I was sure I had never mentioned my preferences since coming here, yet everyone somehow knew them so well. It was almost uncanny at this point.

“……Thank you. I appreciate you going out of your way to get this for me.”

“It’s nothing. If anything, I feel bad that this is all I can give you. You haven’t been able to eat properly at home because of us lately, have you?”

There was a deep sense of guilt in Nam Yisol’s voice. In response, I let out a faint smile and shook my head.

“It’s fine, really. Just because I don’t eat much at home doesn’t mean I’m not eating at all—I make sure to eat well outside.”

“Really?”

“Of course. I mean it.”

“I don’t think so……”

Nam Yisol mumbled, trailing off, but his eyes remained fixed on me with certainty. Feeling slightly pressured by his gaze, I subtly averted my eyes. That’s when he continued in a quiet, gentle voice.

“Sir, have you noticed that your face has gotten thinner?”

It was already the second time today that someone had told me I’d lost weight. I raised a hand and touched my cheek. Strange. I hadn’t noticed any difference, but now that two people had said the same thing, I was starting to feel a little self-conscious.

“Have I really lost that much weight? Is it that obvious?”

“Yes.”

His answer was firm, leaving no room for doubt.

Feeling somewhat awkward under Nam Yisol’s unwavering certainty, I let out a small, helpless laugh and started opening the dessert box he had brought. For some reason, I suddenly felt an obligation to eat something immediately.

As I lifted the lid, I saw neatly arranged madeleines, each individually wrapped. I instinctively reached for one, intending to offer it to Nam Yisol first—but then I froze.

Slowly, I lifted my gaze and found Nam Yisol watching me pick up the madeleine.

“Sir? Is something wrong?”

He sounded puzzled as if he found it odd that I had abruptly stopped what I was doing to look at him. After a brief hesitation, I finally spoke.

“……No, it’s nothing. I just think I should save it for later.”

Manager Ahn Siwon had already warned me countless times that secretly giving food was strictly forbidden.

Since I couldn’t offer him one, it didn’t feel right to eat alone in front of him. Deciding it would be better to wait until after he left, I quietly set the madeleine back down and even closed the box entirely.

Seeing this, Nam Yisol tilted his head in curiosity.

“Are you not eating because of me again?”

“No, it’s just that I haven’t fully digested my lunch yet.”

I lied, thinking he might feel bad if I told him the real reason. Nam Yisol let out a soft chuckle.

“Are you really that worried about eating alone in front of me?”

……Well, so much for that lie.

I scrunched my nose slightly, realizing it hadn’t fooled him at all. Still smiling, Nam Yisol continued in a lighthearted tone.

“I don’t mind if you eat in front of me, you know. And I’m sure the others wouldn’t either. So don’t overthink it—just eat comfortably.”

“But…… people on diets almost always say they don’t mind someone eating in front of them out of politeness, so you should never actually believe it. That’s what Cheon told me……”

I trailed off, suddenly pausing.

Wait. Had I ever mentioned my younger sibling’s name to Nam Yisol before?

I was fairly certain I hadn’t.

“……My younger sibling said that.” 

I added quickly, just in case he got curious. Sure enough, Nam Yisol’s curiosity was piqued.

“Really? Your sibling said that?”

“Yes.”

“That kind of sounds like the heartfelt words of someone who’s been through a lot of dieting struggles.”

I chuckled softly.

“Cheon has always loved food and has a big appetite. If they* let their guard down even a little, their weight would go up quickly, so they had to diet frequently. They always said that staying healthy is the key to being able to keep enjoying good food.”

A gentle smile spread across my face as I spoke. Just talking about Cheon naturally brought her face to my mind.

“……I always notice this, but whenever you talk about your sibling, your expression gets incredibly warm.”

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TL/N: I use ‘they’ here because in this paragraph, the pronoun is non-gender and in the next chapter, Yisol will ask if Goo Won has a sister or a brother.