Siyeon eventually placed his cheek against Wonyoung’s hand.
“Let me do anything too.”
“…Y-yeah. Do anything.”
Wonyoung answered before it even went through his brain. What could he do? He was too weak to both Siyeon’s face and to Siyeon as a person himself.
Watching Siyeon smile with his eyes folded, Wonyoung quietly opened his mouth.
“You’ve done well until now. You still have warmth left that wants to help someone. That alone is proof you’ve lived well.”
Those words were like words to himself as well. Just a game… no, it wasn’t just a game anymore. It was fine to call it over-immersion, fine to call it stupid.
From the moment he chose not to take the ending, he may have come to love this world.
“Thank you, hyung.”
Hearing Siyeon’s honest thanks, Wonyoung thought he really did well staying in this game.
‘Good grief.’
To grow attached to a game he cursed so much.
He’d decided to follow his heart, but he was giving his heart away more and more, so now it was really serious.
* * *
The next day.
“Good morning.”
Wonyoung, who barely made it to work feeling hungover from just one and a half glasses, hesitated at the tense atmosphere in the office. And the source of that tension was sitting right at his seat.
“D-Director-nim?”
Wonyoung looked at Taerim, who was calmly sitting in his seat, bewildered. With his long legs crossed and chin propped up, he slowly smiled when he saw Wonyoung.
“Good morning, Narae-ssi.”
After being captivated for a moment by his enchanting face as usual today too, Wonyoung asked while checking his watch in confusion.
“…Wh-why are you here, Director-nim? Am I late? I’m not though…”
“I was waiting.”
“For me?”
Wonyoung looked at Taerim dumbfounded. Why would the illustrious Director Kyung Taerim wait for me?
Then Taerim gave a broad smile and resolved that question.
“The debt, I need to be repaid.”
At that moment, the incident with Heegang’s blackmailer flowed through Wonyoung’s mind, and the words he’d said also came to mind.
―Next time you’ll have to repay me properly.
―Y-yes, of course.
I dug my own grave. Though he had no choice at the time, to have his weakness caught by Kyung Taerim.
Wonyoung looked at Taerim gloomily with a feeling of desperation. He was already worried about what that person would make him do.
“Let’s talk inside first.”
Wonyoung followed Taerim out with his shoulders drooping. Will he make me clean the director’s office? Or polish shoes?
He sat across from Taerim as he gestured, anticipating all sorts of troublesome situations.
“Before that, I have one small request.”
“A request?”
“This is something you can do or not do. It’s just a ‘request’ after all.”
Where in the world is there an employee who could refuse a superior’s request, especially that of the actual owner? Wonyoung licked his dry lips in tension.
Soon Taerim called another secretary to bring something. What the secretary left in front of the two people was none other than a plate containing fruit.
“…What is this?”
“Eat it. You can eat it all.”
“No no, you said you had a request.”
“Yes.”
Taerim, who answered calmly, said in the same leisurely tone as that answer.
“Just feed me one.”
“…What did you say?”
A warning appeared but Wonyoung didn’t even see it. Has this person gone crazy? Or have I gone crazy and misheard something?
Seeing Wonyoung’s stunned expression, Taerim elaborated.
“It’s not with strange intentions. There’s something I want to confirm.”
“Wh-what are you confirming?”
“That’s difficult to tell you. That’s why I said it. A small ‘request.’ You can refuse if you want.”
Wonyoung tried to calm down and be composed. There must be a good reason for Taerim making such an absurd request. Perhaps this was an excellent chance to raise his favorability.
It was a bit embarrassing, but feeding one piece of fruit wasn’t difficult. The fruits in the plate were types with strong fragrances like oranges or pineapples.
Wonyoung picked a peach and stabbed it with a fork.
What’s there to be nervous about, he thought as Wonyoung held out the peach stabbed on the fork.
“Please eat.”
Taerim slowly opened his mouth. His red tongue showed slightly then disappeared inside as he swallowed the flesh.
‘What am I watching this scene so intently for?’
Wonyoung shook his head to shake off the random thoughts. But then, Taerim suddenly burst into laughter.
“Hahaha, hahahaha…”
It was a strange laugh that seemed both futile and exhilarating.
What, has this person really gone crazy? Wonyoung looked at Taerim with exactly that expression. Taerim, who laughed for a long while at such a Wonyoung, soon ran his hand through his hair and said.
“How cruel.”
“…Pardon? Is the f-fruit rotten?”
“No. My life is a bit cruel.”
Why is everyone looking back on their lives like this lately, is it the latest trend? Wonyoung swallowed the sigh that came out naturally and asked.
“You don’t have some problem, do you…?”
“I have no problems at all. Rather, it’s a good thing.”
“…?”
Taerim crossed his legs and opened his mouth.
“Then now, shall we talk about debt repayment?”
“…Ugh.”
“Are you going to dislike it that blatantly?”
“It’s not that… I don’t know what you’ll make me do…”
As Wonyoung was making excuses hesitantly, a mission occurred.
[※Mission Alert※]
Objective: Perform Taerim’s request splendidly
Upon failure: Taerim’s favorability decreases by 50
‘Huh?’
No success reward, only a failure penalty? And it’s just barely over 80 now, so if it drops by 50, isn’t that almost starting over from the beginning?
Wonyoung felt rebellious toward this unreasonable mission, but decided to hear Taerim’s story first anyway.
“A promise is a promise… please tell me first.”
“I’d like you to go somewhere with me.”
“Where?”
“It’s just like a family gathering.”
Is he taking me as his attending secretary? That wouldn’t be difficult. As Wonyoung was about to answer that he understood, Taerim’s following words threw him into confusion.
“Narae-ssi will be going with me in the capacity of my lover.”
“Par…don?”
Lover? Lover? To someone else’s family, no, a chaebol family gathering?
In an instant, scenes of dysfunctional chaebol family fights he’d seen in dramas flowed through Wonyoung’s mind. Including himself getting a glass of water dumped on him.
“H-how can I? Before that, why… I’m a man.”
“Because I need you.”
“…”
Taerim’s expression as he said that was very serious. No, it even looked a bit desperate.
“I know it’s an unreasonable request.”
Taerim let out a faint sigh and said.
“But the debt must be repaid. Isn’t that right?”
“…Excuse me.”
Are you kidding, you bastard?
Wonyoung wanted to hit himself for being shaken even for a moment. Then Taerim narrowed his eyes as if it was laughable and asked.
“Will you refuse? Do you think you have the right to do so, Narae-ssi?”
“Pardon?”
“What about my position, my feelings, having to stop you from suddenly hitting someone and silently watch from the side the reconciliation process with an unrelated psychopath?”
“…”
Thinking about it that way, he really had nothing to say. He should be more than willing to pretend to be a lover, as he’d been a nuisance among nuisances at that time.
It’s something he can’t avoid because of the mission anyway. Wonyoung thought if he had to do it anyway, he’d just gladly allow it. Taerim must have his own thoughts. At least Taerim would block a glass of water for him.
“I understand. I’ll do it.”
“Good thinking.”
Taerim said that and patted Wonyoung’s head once. When Wonyoung’s eyes widened, Taerim hesitated and withdrew his hand.
“Anyway, I’m counting on you.”
“U-uh… me too.”
Breaking the momentarily awkward air, Taerim continued.
“The date is tomorrow. So we’ll have to prepare for it today.”
“Prepare? Is preparation necessary?”
“We’re in a lover relationship for tomorrow only. But could you pretend to be lovers as is? Narae-ssi?”
“…”
In front of Wonyoung who became speechless like a mute who ate honey, Taerim put down a thick stack of papers.
“This is my information. Memorize it.”
Memorize all of this? At that absurd instruction, Wonyoung bristled and asked back.
“Th-then does Director-nim know about me?”
“I know enough.”
“What do you know?”
At Wonyoung’s question, Taerim began reciting Wonyoung’s information as if he’d been waiting.
“Narae. 23 years old. Born April 30th. Blood type A. Has debt due to father’s investment fraud, currently remaining debt 42 million, remaining interest 30 million, both parents deceased, likes sashimi, beef, alcohol tolerance is two glasses. Current address is…”
Wonyoung, who had been listening to all that blankly, belatedly stopped Taerim.
“Wait wait! Did you investigate my background?”
“Do you think I wouldn’t have done at least that much when hiring you, Narae-ssi?”
“Then you also knew I wasn’t a spy…”
“That information could have been hidden.”
Ah, really this bastard.
Whether Wonyoung frowned or not, Taerim continued leisurely.
“So what does Narae-ssi know about me?”
Wonyoung had no choice but to remain silent. Well, all Wonyoung knew was Taerim’s name and favorability, and the fact that he’d tried kimchi stew, so there was no way out. There was no way out, but still, to be defeated this completely. It was a bit miserable.
“That’s why I’m telling you to study. Since you’re the person who said you’d do anything, I see that level of effort as natural.”
He was really a person who’d mastered speaking without any tact. When the upset Wonyoung pouted his lips, Taerim let out a faint smile, took the stack of papers he’d held out, and sat next to Wonyoung.
“I won’t leave you to do it alone.”
“…”
“I’m not that irresponsible either.”
