#85

The porridge I had yesterday was really tasty, but rice is definitely better. I ate the food the housekeeper made with a sense of quiet happiness. Just as I was about to finish the rice in my bowl, I heard hurried footsteps coming down from upstairs, as if someone had just woken up.

Curious about who was so energetic so early, I turned my head, and saw Lee Daon running into the dining room.

“President!! And…… Secretary Sung Yoojun.”

Lee Daon smiled brightly when he saw me, but when he noticed that Sung Yoojun was eating across from me, his expression changed. Sung Yoojun, slightly put off, glanced at Lee Daon and said in an indifferent voice.

“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

“Would you have slept well? Throwing someone onto the bed like that……”

“Thrown onto the bed?”

I was surprised by Lee Daon’s words and turned to look at Sung Yoojun. He then opened his mouth with a very apologetic expression.

“I’m sorry. The person who fell asleep turned out to be much heavier than I expected, so I lost my strength and…… I’m sorry, did it startle you?”

“You and Yoo Euiseo moved me, and now you’re saying this nonsense?!”

“Hey~. Sometimes things like that happen in life. Don’t be so mad~.”

At Sung Yoojun’s apology, Lee Daon’s eyebrows, which had been rising higher and higher, twitched at the natural voice coming from behind. Lee Daon turned around with a face full of irritation. Nam Yisol, who had been following, ran his hand through his disheveled hair as he smiled.

“Euiseo’s been struggling with his diet lately, so that’s probably why.”

“No, it wasn’t because he lost strength and dropped me; it was definitely on purpose! Do you think I can’t tell the difference?”

“You probably thought it was a mistake in your sleep. Why would Secretary Sung and Euiseo throw you onto the bed? There’s no reason for that, right? Right, Secretary Sung?”

“Exactly. There’s no reason at all.”

The scene between Nam Yisol and Sung Yoojun, both of whom were laughing and exchanging words, looked suspicious to anyone watching. Lee Daon, noticing the two of them, made a face full of frustration.

“……So this is how it’s going to be?”

“Well, you should’ve slept in your room. Why did you sleep in the president’s room? If you had, Secretary Sung and Euiseo wouldn’t have had to struggle moving you.”

Nam Yisol responded with a light snort and then turned to look at me.

“Are you okay, sir? Are you not in pain anymore?”

“Yes. I’m fine now. I’m all better.”

I smiled softly in response to his concerned question, and Nam Yisol sighed in relief.

“I was really worried when I heard you had a high fever yesterday. The doctor said the patient should rest, so I didn’t come in to check on you.”

Nam Yisol’s voice sounded downcast, and his expression looked rather glum. It seemed he had been quite worried while I was ill.

“Thank you for worrying about me, Yisol-ssi.”

I expressed my gratitude sincerely, and Nam Yisol smiled brightly before walking over to me. I raised my hand to pat his head, but my hand didn’t reach him. Lee Daon, who had slipped in, sat down beside me and placed his head under my palm first.

“President.”

His round, curved eyes were so pretty. Reflexively, I moved my hand to stroke Lee Daon’s hair, and he rubbed his head against my palm with a happy expression. Then, with a look of somewhat smug victory, he glanced at Nam Yisol, who was standing awkwardly.

The two of them exchanged intense glares that almost seemed like sparks would fly. Seeing their reaction, I gave an awkward smile and quickly covered Lee Daon’s eyes with my hand.

“Sir?”

Lee Daon called me with a flustered voice, and I felt the ticklish sensation of his eyelashes brushing against my palm. Despite the sensation, I didn’t move my hand away from his eyes.

“Please don’t fight, both of you.”

At my firm words, Nam Yisol’s gaze softened in an instant. Lee Daon, whose body had been tense, also relaxed. I felt relieved and withdrew my hand from covering Lee Daon’s eyes.

Then, Nam Yisol and Lee Daon exchanged a quick glance before both turning their heads away. Although their reaction wasn’t particularly kind, I was just relieved that they weren’t fighting anymore.

“By the way, sir, you’re in a suit. Are you heading to work already?” 

Lee Daon, who seemed to have completely dismissed Nam Yisol, asked me with a puzzled expression.

“Yes, I have to go to work today.”

“You should stay home and rest a bit longer. I think that would be better for you……”

Lee Daon’s voice was filled with concern, but he trailed off slowly, leaving his words unfinished. I carefully patted his head, aware that he had more to say but was holding back.

“Daon-ssi, I know resting sounds good, but there’s something important I have to do today. So I can’t rest today.”

“Huh? What’s the matter? Is it something you really have to do today?”

I gave a slightly awkward smile at Lee Daon’s question. I wondered if I should even mention it…… It felt a little embarrassing…… After a brief hesitation, I slowly spoke, unable to resist the concern I saw on his face.

“Today is the day you guys are recording, right? I really want to be there to see it.”

“You want to watch our recording?”

“……Yes. It’s the first recording with my company……”

I felt my face heating up, so I quickly looked away. A heavy silence fell over the dining room. The quietness felt a bit too much, so I quickly stood up from my chair.

“I should get going.”

“Huh? Wait, President?!”

Ignoring Lee Daon calling my name, I hurriedly left the dining room without even properly straightening my chair. I could hear footsteps following me, and without needing to turn around, I knew it was Sung Yoojun.

“Sir.”

“If you’re going to tease me, please don’t. I’m already embarrassed enough.”

I cut him off with a clear intention, and I heard a soft laugh from behind me. I fought the urge to turn around and instead hurried down to the parking lot, getting into the car. Soon enough, Sung Yoojun sat in the driver’s seat with a smiling face.

Looking at his face, it was clear that Sung Yoojun wanted to tease me but was holding himself back, likely due to the things I had said. I let out a heavy sigh that seemed to come from deep within me, and I pressed my forehead.

“I don’t understand why I’m so embarrassed. I just said the truth.”

I wiped my face with my hand as if to shake off the embarrassment. Sung Yoojun chuckled joyfully.

“That can happen.”

Hearing his voice filled with amusement, I shyly lifted my face from my palm. My cheeks felt warm, red with embarrassment. Sung Yoojun caught a glimpse of my flushed face in the rearview mirror and smiled.

“Seems like today’s recording will go smoothly.”

“Huh? How do you know that, Secretary Sung?”

“When someone who cares about something is this excited, they want to fulfill that expectation, don’t they? Tartarus is probably the same. Thinking about it, it’s an entirely predictable outcome.”

Someone who cares about it.

I awkwardly stretched my lips into a thin line at Sung Yoojun’s words. My heart fluttered a little. After all, who wouldn’t feel this way when hearing that they are important to someone, especially someone they care about?

“Are you embarrassed again?”

“How can I not be embarrassed after hearing something like that?”

“My boss is surprisingly shy, isn’t he? Although, I suppose that’s what makes him even cuter.”

His comment, mixed with teasing and sincerity, made me narrow my eyes sharply.

“If you keep teasing me like this, I’ll have to ask you about that whole ‘throwing me around’ thing from earlier.”

“Oh? Didn’t I apologize for that? I didn’t expect you to relentlessly probe into an employee’s mistake like this, sir.”

“Secretary Sung, don’t forget that I know just as much about you as you know about me.”

He gave an awkward expression as I hinted at the absurdity of his lies.

It was hard to believe that Sung Yoojun and Yoo Euiseo, both of whom were strong, could have been exhausted just from moving a single person. Given their usual strength, it just didn’t add up. Plus, when he apologized to Lee Daon earlier, it didn’t seem genuine at all, and his conversation with Nam Yisol felt off, too. There were plenty of things that made me suspicious.

It seemed like Sung Yoojun was aware of this, as he hesitated for a moment before openly admitting his actions.

“I might’ve been a little mischievous.”

“Mischievous?”

“Yes. I got jealous of seeing Lee Daon-ssi sleeping so comfortably in your arms, so…… I couldn’t help myself.”