#91

“Secretary Jung?”

“Manager Ahn. Is the president here by any chance?”

“Yes, he is. What’s going on?”

“I came to deliver an urgent message.”

At Secretary Jung Minjae’s urgent voice, Manager Ahn Siwon stepped aside from the doorway. As the way cleared, Secretary Jung Minjae quickly entered. He scanned the recording studio with his eyes, then his face lit up when he spotted me sitting in a chair.

“President! There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you.”

“Is something wrong? If there’s an issue, you shouldn’t have gone to all this trouble—why didn’t you just call or text……?”

I stopped mid-sentence as a thought suddenly struck me. Right, I had set my smartphone to silent before coming here so I wouldn’t disrupt the recording.

I pulled my phone from the inside pocket of my jacket and unlocked it. There were several missed calls and unread messages from Secretary Jung Minjae.

……He had tried to contact me—I just didn’t notice.

“I’m sorry. I put my phone on silent so it wouldn’t interrupt the session.”

“That’s alright.”

If I had known this would happen, I should’ve told someone where I was going. I thought it would be fine since I was still in the building—that was my mistake. With an apologetic expression, I looked at Jung Minjae and asked.

“What’s the matter that you came all this way in such a hurry?”

“Ah, well……”

He fidgeted with his lips and trailed off, despite the supposed urgency. Watching him hesitate even now, I narrowed my eyes in confusion, but then slowly stood up as I realized something.

“Shall we talk outside?”

“Yes.”

As soon as I suggested stepping out, Jung Minjae nodded in agreement. It must be something sensitive, not meant for others to hear. With that thought, I walked out of the recording studio.

“……So, what is it?”

As we walked down the hallway away from the studio, I asked. Jung Minjae, who had been following closely behind, quickly opened his mouth.

“President, the president of Korea University is here to see you.”

The president of Korea University? I stopped in my tracks at the mention of the familiar title.

“……President Go Woonjae?”

“Yes.”

“That’s strange. I distinctly remember turning down his meeting request this morning. Why would he come here?”

“Well…… He said it was something related to Yoo Euiseo-ssi, and insisted he had to speak with you……”

My voice turned cold, and Secretary Jung Minjae looked visibly tense as he answered. His response made me furrow my brows in frustration.

“Where is he now? That man.”

“He’s in the lobby. Since he didn’t have an appointment, we didn’t let him further inside.”

In the lobby, huh…… I let out a long sigh, the exhaustion clear on my face.

It was troublesome enough to keep someone of his status waiting in the lobby, but even more troublesome would be letting the news of President Go Woonjae’s visit reach Yoo Euiseo in the recording studio. It was clear as day that Yoo Euiseo would be uncomfortable around him, and I definitely didn’t want the two to run into each other.

“No choice, then. Bring him to the president’s office. I suppose I should hear what kind of conversation he’s so desperate to have.”

“Yes, understood. I’ll bring him right away.”

There was no turning back now—might as well see what nonsense he came to spout. With my order, Secretary Jung Minjae quickly walked off.

“President? Is something going on?”

As I watched Jung Minjae’s figure disappear down the hall, Manager Ahn Siwon’s voice called out from behind me.

“Yes. Something urgent came up, so I think I’ll have to go now.”

I turned around to face Ahn Siwon, who had come out into the hallway. He looked at me with a worried expression.

“Is it serious?”

“No. Not serious. Just…… annoying.”

At my reply, Ahn Siwon’s brows drooped into a worried arch. Behind him, I saw the members of Tartarus peeking out, curious about what was happening. Their heads poking out from behind the door, trying to see what was going on, was both adorable and a little funny—so much so that I let out a small chuckle. Just then, my eyes met Nam Yisol’s.

“President, are you leaving?”

His voice held a note of disappointment. I nodded with an apologetic expression.

“Yes. Someone I’m not thrilled to see has arrived, and it looks like I’ll have to go meet them.”

“Okay……”

Nam Yisol answered in a low, dejected voice, his eyes dropping down. Feeling bad, I quickly added,

“I’ll come again.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Really.”

At my firm answer, Nam Yisol’s once gloomy face lit up. Watching him smile shyly, his eyelids gently folding, I looked at him warmly for a moment before leaving a quick goodbye to everyone and heading toward the president’s office.

It didn’t take long to get from the 4th-floor recording studio to the 8th-floor president’s office. In fact, thinking about having to meet someone I really didn’t want to see made it feel like I arrived even faster than usual.

“……Ugh, I really don’t want to do this……”

The words slipped out on their own as I opened the office door and stepped inside. Dragging my feet, I made my way over to the single-person sofa and sat down, just as a knock came at the door.

“President, it’s Jung Minjae. I’ve brought the president.”

“Come in.”

At my short reply of permission, the door opened, and Secretary Jung Minjae stepped in alongside an elderly man I had never seen before. That must be President Go Woonjae. I wondered briefly if this man had any familiarity with the in-game Goo Won in his school days. As I rose from my seat with that thought, President Go Woonjae spoke first.

“It’s been a while.”

“Yes. It’s been a while, sir.”

So we have met before. I kept my distaste for this unexpected meeting well hidden and looked calmly at President Go Woonjae.

Given what I’d heard earlier from Secretary Sung Yoojun about the Go family’s past misdeeds, I’d imagined President Go Woonjae to be a stiff, closed-minded old man with a stern look—someone difficult and unreasonable. But the actual man standing in front of me looked more like a regular grandfather you’d run into in the neighborhood.

He had the kind of warm demeanor that made you think he might call over a passing child just to press a candy into their hand and tell them gently to play safely. I don’t usually judge people by their appearance, but as humans are visually wired creatures, I couldn’t help being a bit surprised by how soft President Go Woonjae looked.

“Sorry for showing up so suddenly.”

“I’d like to tell you not to worry, but I’m afraid I can’t go that far. My apologies.”

I gave my answer in a roundabout way to express that his visit was unwelcome, and President Go Woonjae’s brow twitched. He didn’t seem angry—more taken aback than anything else.

“……Would it be alright if I sat down?”

“Yes. Please, make yourself comfortable.”

With my permission, President Go Woonjae made his way over and sat carefully on the sofa. I, too, sat down once I saw him take his seat. As we both settled in, Jung Minjae approached and asked in a quiet voice.

“Shall I bring you something to drink?”

At his question, my gaze naturally turned toward President Go Woonjae. He hesitated for a moment, then replied slowly.

“Just a cup of tea, please.”

“I’ll have the same, thank you.”

“Understood. I’ll bring it right away.”

With a polite nod, Jung Minjae stepped out to prepare the tea. Once he was gone, a heavy silence settled over the office. It lingered until he returned, set the tea on the table, and quietly left again.

“……First, let me begin by apologizing for coming in such an impolite way. I understand that showing up after having my request for a meeting rejected is not the proper thing to do. Still, I was in a hurry, and I made a mistake. I’m sorry. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”

The one to finally break the silence was President Go Woonjae. He apologized in an exceptionally polite and respectful manner, bowing his head deeply. His actions left me genuinely taken aback.

I had never expected someone significantly older than me to offer such a textbook apology. Or rather, I hadn’t expected someone who had done such things to his daughter-in-law and grandson to be capable of such respectful contrition.

I stared in astonishment as President Go Woonjae slowly raised his head. Catching my expression, he gave a bitter smile.

“If you can’t forgive me, I’ll understand. But please…… if nothing else, would you be willing to hear me out? Just once. That’s all I ask, President Goo Won.”

President Go Woonjae pleaded with me like I was the last person on earth he could turn to. Honestly, his desperation made it difficult to refuse outright. I closed my eyes for a moment and exhaled softly. Then, turning to face President Go Woonjae, who was waiting tensely for my response, I finally spoke.

“I can hear what you have to say. But I can’t promise anything beyond that.”