Survive! Gwanggong!

Seon-woo turned his head back in confusion. Usually, grabbing someone’s wrist like this was an old-fashioned tactic reserved for male leads in dramas when they aggressively cornered the female lead.

Yet, Seo Eun-jae’s grip on Gwak Seon-woo’s wrist was surprisingly firm, as if he had unintentionally applied too much strength.

“Go ahead and talk.”

Rather than telling him to let go, Seon-woo simply looked down at his captured wrist and spoke. Realizing his mistake, Eun-jae loosened his grip, though he didn’t let go entirely. Seon-woo had no real intention of shaking him off, so he just quietly observed Eun-jae’s hand.

The Gwanggong’s body was like a perfectly sculpted statue. In contrast, Eun-jae had a noticeably slender and delicate frame. But that didn’t mean his hands were small or fragile. It was unexpected. Had he been too fixated on the brief character description in the system’s introduction?

While Seon-woo was lost in idle thoughts, Eun-jae, who had been hesitating, finally spoke in a somewhat strange voice.

“Did you… just apologize to me?”

Was this really something to say with such a serious expression? He acknowledged that his apology was surprising, but he hadn’t expected this level of reaction. Seon-woo suppressed his disbelief and replied nonchalantly.

“Well, something like that.”

Eun-jae’s gaze wavered as if he were struggling to find the right words. The awkward silence made Seon-woo feel slightly uncomfortable, so he asked,

“Is there a problem?”

It was only then that Eun-jae seemed to realize he had been dazed for too long. He quickly shook his head in denial, but even so, he still hadn’t let go of Seon-woo’s wrist.

“No, no, it’s not that…”

“Not that?”

Seon-woo calmly latched onto his trailing words, waiting for an explanation. Eun-jae met his gaze with an unreadable expression before finally continuing.

“I thought you really hated me. So… I guess I was a little surprised…”

Seon-woo found this statement baffling. Given how the system had constantly given Eun-jae special treatment, such a conclusion shouldn’t have even been possible. Especially when compared to how he treated Gwak Seung-hyeon…

Instead of saying, That’s only because you haven’t seen how I treat my cousin, Seon-woo simply tilted his head slightly and replied,

“I don’t recall ever saying that I hated you.”

Apparently, the system thought his answer wasn’t enough, as it immediately popped up with a set of dialogue choices.

▶ “It’s not that I hate you… It’s just that… I’ve never met anyone like you before.”

▶ “Maybe you just feel unfamiliar to me. But that doesn’t mean… it’s necessarily a bad thing.”

Both lines felt far too much like something out of a melodrama. The second one, in particular, annoyed him—the artificial tone, stuck somewhere between formal and informal speech, grated on his nerves.

With a sigh, Seon-woo chose the first option.

“It’s not that I hate you… It’s just that… I’ve never met anyone like you before.”

If Seon-woo had spoken in line with his actual feelings, his words would have come out in a reluctant, unenthusiastic tone. If that had happened, “I’ve never met someone like you before.” would have sounded like an insult no matter how many times it was repeated.

However, despite his true feelings, the words slipped out in a voice that simply sounded… complicated.

Seo Eun-jae, still holding onto Seon-woo’s wrist, gazed at him with an unreadable expression. Seon-woo had assumed Eun-jae had a soft, kind demeanor, but now, seeing him like this—expressionless and unreadable—it was clear that his face wasn’t simply that of someone gentle.

After a long pause, Eun-jae finally spoke.

“Do you remember that I was supposed to return your clothes today?”

Of all things, this was what he chose to say? That was… strange. The situation only felt more and more bewildering to Seon-woo.

“I remember.”

Still, he answered coolly, keeping his expression composed. Eun-jae seamlessly continued the conversation, transitioning topics so naturally that it was hard to tell if he was deliberately changing the subject or not.

“I meant to get them ready in advance yesterday, but things were a bit hectic… So I was planning to drop them off after work today.”

Seon-woo had no idea what kind of response Eun-jae was expecting from him. Was this an indirect way of asking if he wanted to go together? If that was the case, Seon-woo had no reason to refuse. Getting the clothes at work would be awkward, and going to Eun-jae’s place just to pick them up was even more out of the question.

Before Eun-jae could say anything further, Seon-woo took the initiative.

“If you’re planning to go to the dry cleaners, we can go together.”

“Ah… Are you sure that’s okay?”

“Yeah. I’ll pick them up myself.”

Eun-jae’s expression made it hard to tell if this was the response he had been hoping for or not. But after a brief pause, he answered in his usual calm manner.

“Understood. Should we meet at the parking lot at six like last time?”

“That works.”

Compared to the odd tension from just moments ago, the plans were set almost too quickly and too smoothly. But right after Seon-woo agreed, Eun-jae’s expression became slightly awkward.

“Would it be okay if we took my car instead? I’ll drop you off at home afterward.”

So that was what he’d been hesitating to ask. Now that Seon-woo thought about it, it made sense. Going back to the office just to get his car would be a hassle. And unlike Eun-jae, the Gwanggong’s car had a dedicated driver, so it wasn’t an inconvenience for him at all.

“That’s fine.”

At Seon-woo’s response, Eun-jae finally relaxed and smiled like usual. The entire conversation had been unexpectedly perplexing, but at least he had managed to get a few things off his chest. He’d apologized for yesterday, and once he got his clothes back, there wouldn’t be anything left weighing on his mind.

***

When Seon-woo headed down to the parking lot at the agreed time, the car waiting for him was a white sedan—one of the most common models you’d see on the road.

As he opened the passenger door and got in, Eun-jae looked slightly sheepish.

“It’s… not exactly a luxury ride.”

Seon-woo silently shook his head. The Gwanggong had probably only ever ridden in ridiculously expensive foreign cars, so it was natural to assume he’d be uncomfortable in an ordinary domestic one.

But Seon-woo was still a rookie Gwanggong, not even a full week into it. In fact, this car felt much more familiar to him.

“It doesn’t matter.”

And he meant it wholeheartedly. But Eun-jae still seemed a little self-conscious. Seon-woo wasn’t the type to go on and on reassuring someone, and besides, he had a reputation to maintain as the reserved Gwanggong, so he chose to stay silent.

Once they were in the car, Eun-jae repeatedly asked if he was too cold, too hot, or if the seat was uncomfortable—checking on him at least five times. Only after receiving the same answer each time—”I’m fine.”—did he finally seem satisfied. As he started the car and pulled out of the parking lot, he casually mentioned,

“Honestly, I’m not great with buses. I get really bad motion sickness whenever I take one.”

Seon-woo wasn’t sure what kind of reaction was expected from a Gwanggong in this situation, so he simply responded, “I see.”

“Yeah, so before I got my own car, I only took the subway whenever possible. But if I try to get to work from my place by train, it takes way too long.”

“Is that so?”

“In the beginning, I forced myself to wake up hours early to take the subway, but it was unbearable. So in the end, I decided to just get a car.”

“Hm.”

Seon-woo was running out of things to say, but Eun-jae carried on talking effortlessly.

“I never really cared much about cars before, but once I got one, I became really attached to it. Maybe it’s because I can customize it however I want.”

Hearing that, Seon-woo glanced around the interior of the car. A bear-shaped air freshener dangled from the rearview mirror, and on the backseat sat a plush, velvety cushion. For a guy in his late twenties, the car had an unexpectedly cute and cozy atmosphere. Even though he had to have noticed Seon-woo’s gaze, Eun-jae didn’t seem embarrassed at all—his round eyes even sparkled slightly.

“I see.”

Managing another short response, Seon-woo folded his arms and stared straight ahead. He had never been the type to enjoy small talk, but even for him, keeping the conversation this curt felt a little uncomfortable. However, Eun-jae didn’t seem the least bit bothered. He hummed a tune to himself, fully focused on driving.

Despite his cutesy aesthetic, Eun-jae’s driving style was the complete opposite. He had a clear penchant for speed, taking turns boldly and always pushing right up to the speed limit. Judging by his completely calm expression, he was obviously used to driving like this.

So that’s why he said I drive carefully…

Apparently, when Eun-jae had commented on Seon-woo’s “calm” driving, he had been comparing it to his own standards.

Just as Seon-woo was processing that realization, Eun-jae, focused on the road, suddenly slammed the brakes—stopping just short of what felt like an emergency halt. Then, as if belatedly remembering something, he turned his head and asked,

“Are you okay? Do you get carsick?”

He used to.

“No.”

If this were his original body, he’d probably be pale and on the verge of retching by now. But thankfully, the Gwanggong’s body seemed to have sturdy semicircular canals, because he felt completely fine.

After confirming that, Seon-woo calmly added,

“I’m fine.”

Hearing that, Eun-jae simply nodded and said, “That’s a relief,” before restarting the car. However, compared to before, he seemed to be making a conscious effort to drive more cautiously.

If he was naturally prone to rough driving, he must have gotten into plenty of road disputes. That made Seon-woo wonder—how would Seo Eun-jae handle those situations?

Given his polite demeanor and tendency to apologize easily, he might just offer a respectful bow and a sincere apology. On the other hand, he could also end up flustered and unsure of how to respond. But then again, considering how aggressively he drove and how his expression could go completely blank, maybe he was actually the type to escalate things and argue back just as fiercely.

Fortunately, they arrived at the dry cleaners without incident, so there was no need to test that theory.

When Seon-woo stepped out of the car, his body was fine, but mentally, he felt a little drained. Meanwhile, Eun-jae, having just sped down the road like it was a racetrack, remained completely unfazed as he reached for the door handle of the dry cleaners. As if something had suddenly occurred to him, he turned and asked,

“I can’t imagine you personally dropping off your dry cleaning… This must be your first time at a place like this, right?”

Seon-woo, who had frequented dry cleaners more than anyone, shamelessly replied,

“Yes.”

Well, technically, it’s my first time in this body, so…

It didn’t even feel like a lie.

Eun-jae greeted the shop owner warmly and informed them that he was there to pick up his order. But just moments later, both he and Seon-woo received some unexpected and rather frustrating news.

“Ah… Oh no, this is terrible. I’m so sorry. Your laundry has been lost.”

A truly troublesome situation had just unfolded.