Survive! Gwanggong!

Gwak Seon-woo watched in real time as Gwak Sang-cheol’s face contorted with rage, all while the system showered him with praise. A satisfied smile crept onto his lips. It almost felt like the Gwanggong nature that had been dormant inside him had finally awakened.

Gwak Seung-hyeon was staring at him, looking both surprised and intrigued. Perhaps he found it strange, or maybe he was just entertained by the situation.

Truthfully, since the system held such a deep-seated dislike for Gwak Seung-hyeon, Seon-woo had worried that his actions might lead to a deduction in his stats. But it seemed the system had interpreted his behavior not as aiding Seung-hyeon, but rather as attacking Gwak Sang-cheol instead.

As Seon-woo idly thought that this outcome was at least fortunate, Sang-cheol’s face flared red, then paled, then turned red again in his struggle to contain his emotions. With a loud bang, he slammed his hand against the table and shot to his feet.

“Are you kidding me right now?! Is that how you talk to an elder?!”

Being a person of conscience, Seon-woo acknowledged that his actions had been improper. However, watching Sang-cheol, a fully grown man, pound the table and stand up to point fingers at his elderly father, didn’t seem particularly respectable either.

Just as Seon-woo debated whether pointing this out would only worsen the atmosphere, someone else cut Sang-cheol off.

“Let’s stop here. We gathered together after so long.”

It was Gwak Sang-hwa, who had been silent the entire time. Sang-cheol flinched in surprise and turned toward the voice. Up until now, Sang-hwa had barely spoken, making it easy to overlook her presence. But just one sentence from her was enough to shut Sang-cheol up.

Looking at her properly, Seon-woo noticed how much she resembled the chairman.

Even though he had already lost face, Sang-cheol seemed unwilling to sit back down so easily, lingering in an awkward half-standing position. Unable to watch any longer, Sang-hwa’s husband let out a good-natured chuckle and interjected.

“Come now, brother. She’s right. This is a family gathering—let’s not ruin the mood.”

Only then did Sang-cheol finally sink back into his seat. Though he still looked thoroughly displeased, throwing the occasional glare in Seon-woo’s direction, he didn’t say anything more.

The chairman, who had remained silent throughout the entire ordeal, cleared his throat.

“Anyway, Seon-woo, take good care of your health.”

The sudden change of topic, as if nothing had happened, made Seon-woo inwardly click his tongue. But he simply lowered his head and replied, “I will keep that in mind.”

It was clear that the Gwanggong was highly trusted by his grandfather—he had just caused a scene, yet he wasn’t even reprimanded for it.

After that, the rest of the meal was filled with casual conversations. Some of the topics were completely unfamiliar to Seon-woo, but he nodded along, pretending to understand, while focusing on his rare chance to enjoy a luxurious meal.

Sang-cheol, still unable to let go of his frustration, continued to shoot Seon-woo venomous looks and eventually took a jab at him.

“Seon-woo must have been working a lot. His appetite seems much better than usual. He used to barely eat anything.”

His words were clearly intended to make Seon-woo flinch.

Caught mid-bite while enthusiastically enjoying the hotel’s course meal, Seon-woo had no choice but to put down his utensils and pretend to be composed. He wasn’t exactly a big eater himself, so he couldn’t help but wonder—just how little had the original Gwanggong been eating before?

Other than that, the gathering ended without any major incidents. The chairman and Sang-hwa’s husband excused themselves first, saying they had somewhere else to be.

Now, only a few others remained as they took the elevator down to the parking lot.

Only a few people remained.

Gwak Sang-cheol, looking noticeably more cheerful than before, was deep in conversation about stocks with his nephew, Gwak Su-won. The way they were talking so animatedly made it feel like their spit would reach him at any moment, so Gwak Seon-woo instinctively took a step back. That was when he accidentally bumped into Gwak Seung-hyeon, who had been standing quietly in the corner.

Seung-hyeon reached out as if to steady him, making a playful sound of surprise. “Whoops.”

Seon-woo turned his head, wondering if he should apologize, but before he could say anything, Seung-hyeon, wearing a somewhat amused yet awkward expression, said, “Don’t glare at me so much.”

…I wasn’t glaring, though.

Feeling a bit flustered, Seon-woo simply looked straight ahead again without saying anything.

As they stepped into the parking lot, the first thing they saw was an elderly man struggling with a heavy-looking shopping basket. It seemed precarious, and sure enough, a moment later, the basket slipped from his hands, scattering fruits and vegetables all over the ground. The old man looked flustered as he hurriedly bent down to pick them up.

As someone who respected his elders, Seon-woo instinctively moved to help. Meanwhile, Sang-cheol scoffed lightly and averted his gaze.

“Tsk.”

Even Su-won, who usually had a timid demeanor, simply walked past the old man with an indifferent expression. Seon-woo was a bit taken aback, but he figured their attitudes weren’t his concern. He was just about to step forward and kneel down when suddenly, his joints locked up like hardened plaster, preventing him from moving.

< Gwanggong does not personally crouch down to pick up fruit. Gwanggong Score -2. >

…So I can’t even do a good deed now? It’s not like bending my knees would ruin my image that much.

Just as Seon-woo stood there in disbelief, the system generously added another note.

< When performing acts of kindness, Gwanggong must not act directly. He must instruct others to do it. >

What kind of ridiculous logic was this? It wasn’t just nonsensical—it was completely lacking in style. But with his Gwanggong Score already running low, he had no choice but to comply.

Maybe his secretary had arrived by now? He quickly scanned the area.

Instead of his secretary, however, his gaze landed on Gwak Seung-hyeon, who had just entered the parking lot.

Of course, he had no intention of ordering Seung-hyeon around for something like this. But before their eyes could even meet, Seung-hyeon spotted the old man and immediately reacted.

His eyes widened slightly in surprise, but without a moment’s hesitation, he strode over. Without the slightest sign of reluctance, he knelt down and started gathering the fallen groceries.

“Here you go, sir. I’ll pick them up for you.”

His voice was warm and gentle.

Hearing that, Sang-cheol turned back to look. His eyes narrowed, and he stared at Seung-hyeon with an expression of utter disbelief, as if the sight was simply beyond comprehension.

Seon-woo suddenly felt a wave of irritation.

It was infuriating enough that he couldn’t even help an old man because of some nonsense about Gwanggong pride. But what annoyed him even more was the way Sang-cheol looked down on Seung-hyeon—just for doing what should have been a simple, natural act of kindness.

As he turned his head away, trying to push the irritation out of his mind, a sudden alert popped up.

< Emergency Event! Gwanggong Score -8. >

…What the fuck?

No explanation, no warning—just an immediate point deduction. This time, he had no idea what he had even done wrong.

Gwak Seon-woo stopped in his tracks, bewildered. Just then, the chauffeur came running up to him.

“Director!”

After closing the distance, the driver rested his hands on his knees and continued.

“The car has a flat tire… I called someone right away, but it might take a little time.”

So that was the reason.

Now, even a damn flat tire was enough to cost him points? This was getting ridiculous. Seon-woo pressed his fingers against his forehead in disbelief.

Then, he heard a faint sound beside him—a quiet exhale, almost like a stifled laugh. He turned slightly to check, and sure enough, Gwak Sang-cheol was covering his mouth, wearing a barely concealed smirk.

He wasn’t even trying to hide it.

There was no doubt about it—Sang-cheol must have done something to puncture the tire.

Honestly, Seon-woo didn’t particularly care about that. If the car wasn’t available, he could just wait. But for some reason, the system saw this as an unacceptable situation for a Gwanggong, slashing a significant chunk of his score.

‘Maybe it’s down to 55 now… or was it 53?’

As he was mulling it over, Sang-cheol suddenly spoke up.

“Our dear Director Gwak. Instead of waiting around, why don’t you take my car?”

Seon-woo looked at him with cold, unimpressed eyes. So this was his real goal.

He’d rather stand in this parking lot for an hour than get into a car with Sang-cheol and suffer through the suffocating tension. With a sigh, he shook his head.

“I’m fine. It shouldn’t take too long anyway.”

“Come on, don’t be like that. I’m heading the same way—it’d be a quick ride.”

< You failed to handle an unpleasant situation in a Gwanggong-like manner. Gwanggong Score -2. >

Annoyance surged through him. Should he just snap at them and raise his voice, propriety be damned?

But before he could decide, another voice cut in.

“Director, you’re heading to the company, right?”

It was Gwak Seung-hyeon. Apparently, he had already finished helping the elderly man.

“I can take you. I need to stop by the office anyway.”

He spoke casually, then turned to glance at Sang-cheol with a smile.

Sang-cheol’s expression wavered, clearly displeased, but there was no arguing that Seung-hyeon’s offer made far more sense. He didn’t press further or insist, merely muttering to himself in a snide tone.

“Always so eager to play the servant…”

His words were so pointedly rude that even Seon-woo felt offended on Seung-hyeon’s behalf. But Seung-hyeon, as usual, didn’t react in the slightest.

Sang-cheol scoffed and turned away, muttering, “Suit yourself.”

Once he was gone, Seung-hyeon finally turned back to Seon-woo.

“Get in.”

He opened the car door for him, quite literally acting the part of a chauffeur.

Seon-woo had intended to sit in the front passenger seat, but Seung-hyeon had opened the back door, as if he genuinely meant to “escort” him.

Feeling slightly awkward, Seon-woo climbed into the back anyway. As he settled in, he stole a glance toward the driver’s seat.

Seung-hyeon was fastening his seatbelt. Then, as he adjusted the rearview mirror, he caught Seon-woo’s eyes and smiled lightly.

Kwak Seon-woo turned his head away, feeling increasingly overwhelmed. He thought he had been adapting well to how things were unfolding, but now it felt like he was back to square one.

Outside the window, Kwak Sang-cheol was still staring intently in his direction. His gaze was unsettling, filled with hidden intentions.