Survive! Gwanggong!

“Team leader……”

Right beside Seon-woo, Eun-jae murmured softly. The voice was too quiet to be calling out to Seung-hyeon—it sounded more like he was talking to himself. It was only because Gwanggong had such sharp hearing that he caught it at all.

Meanwhile, as soon as Seung-hyeon appeared before him, a set of dialogue options popped up in front of Seon-woo. Because of that, he had no time to greet him properly and had to scan through the options first.

▶ “What brings you here this time?”

▶ “Do I really have to see your unpleasant face even here? Seo Eun-jae-ssi, let’s go somewhere else.”

▶ “Hyung-nim, looks like you’re still playing that pathetic little family game of yours.”

No matter how he looked at it, the only response that made sense for the first choice was, “He probably came to see the exhibition.” Still, compared to the second or third options, it was practically courteous. The second line, especially, not only disrespected both Seung-hyeon and Gwak Su-won at once, but also had the added effect of drawing attention to Seo Eun-jae.

And the third one? It showed not a shred of respect toward his older cousin.

Seon-woo slowly opened his mouth.

“What brings you here?”

The response didn’t come from Seung-hyeon—it was Su-won who answered.

“I called him… Thought it’d be nice if we all came together. Not like we get many chances to gather anyway.”

He was still sweating bullets, pressing a handkerchief to his face as if trying to wipe it off entirely. Seon-woo glanced briefly in his direction but didn’t say anything. His expression remained blank and indifferent. Su-won averted his eyes awkwardly but added another comment.

“And come on, do we really need to be so formal here too? I mean, we’re family.”

It was impossible to tell if he was truly timid or not. Even with that look of being completely uncomfortable, he still chuckled dryly. Something about it left Seon-woo with a vague sense of irritation.

Apparently, the system felt the same, because a new set of choices instantly appeared.

▶ “Family? Who’s calling who family? Let’s be clear.” 

▶ (Ignore him in silence.)

At least it gave him an option. Seon-woo had no desire to get dragged into some exhausting confrontation, so he went with the silent treatment.

“Haha…

▶ “Hyung-nim, I figured at least you’d know what’s wrong here.”

▶ (Ignore him in silence.)

Su-won gave another awkward laugh, but the system just wouldn’t give up. It kept flashing new dialogue choices at him like it was desperate for him to say something, but Seon-woo stubbornly stuck with ignoring everything.

Thankfully, before another set of choices could appear, Seung-hyeon stepped in and cut into the conversation.

“The Executive Director is just being considerate. I mean, we work at the same company and all.”

‘I appreciate the cover, but…’

It was such an unconvincing excuse that Seon-woo couldn’t help but think, At least make it sound plausible.

As long as the system existed, there was absolutely no chance that Gwak Seon-woo would ever considerately look out for Gwak Seung-hyeon in his lifetime.

Judging by the look on his face, Gwak Su-won seemed to be thinking the exact same thing.

“Hahaha, Seung-hyeon, you really are…”

So oblivious.

He didn’t say it out loud, but the sentiment was practically ringing in Seon-woo’s ears anyway.

Instead of replying, Seon-woo let out a pointed scoff.

At that moment, his eyes met Seung-hyeon’s. He wanted to ask him outright: What the hell are you even thinking?

Since he couldn’t say it aloud this time either, he conveyed it with a sharp glance. Whether Seung-hyeon didn’t get it or simply didn’t care, he just smiled mildly, doing absolutely nothing in return.

“Ah, excuse me. I need to take a quick call. Sorry.”

Right then, Seung-hyeon pulled out his phone and excused himself, walking away as naturally as if it had been planned. Su-won’s gaze hovered vaguely around Seon-woo’s side, then suddenly stopped at one spot.

“By the way… that friend over there? Did you come together?”

He was referring to Seo Eun-jae.

Until now, Eun-jae had been standing so still and quiet he was practically invisible. At the mention, he visibly flinched, his shoulders jerking. Unlike the eternally stone-faced Gwanggong, who probably wouldn’t bat an eye even if the sky fell, Seo Eun-jae seemed to be the type who wore his emotions right on the surface.

“Hello. I’m Seo Eun-jae. I work under Executive Director Gwak Seon-woo. I just came to see the exhibition on my own today and happened to run into him here.”

Before Seon-woo could respond, Eun-jae jumped in and introduced himself.

Su-won might have looked like someone steeped in timidity, but the way he addressed Eun-jae gave off that unmistakable chaebol air. Not in a good way—there was something cold and detached in his indifferent, businesslike expression that made it feel off.

“Hmm, a secretary? Doesn’t look like the one I saw before.”

“Oh! No, I’m an Assistant Manager in Sales Team 2.”

“Really?”

Su-won’s question could’ve easily felt pressuring, but Eun-jae answered smoothly and politely without missing a beat.

Su-won, looking puzzled, turned to Seon-woo and spoke again.

“You even remember all the junior staff? I mean, it’s great you’re so diligent and all, but at that level, it’s kind of scary…”

Judging by the half-laugh he added at the end, he probably meant it as a joke. But no matter how you heard it, it didn’t come across in a positive way. Especially not with the person in question standing right there—it was the kind of comment better left unsaid.

It felt like someone ought to apologize to Eun-jae on Su-won’s behalf.

And right on cue, a pair of pointed dialogue options lit up in front of Seon-woo.

▶ “Did it ever occur to you that maybe you’re just too careless, hyung-nim?” 

▶ “That’s not always the case.”

Sure, the other side had said something inappropriate, but that didn’t mean Seon-woo was about to pick a fight.

Maintaining his blank expression, he chose the calmer response.

“That’s not always the case.”

Eun-jae turned toward him with a slightly surprised look, as if he hadn’t expected that reply. Su-won nodded, seemingly without much thought.

“I see.”

Just when it seemed like the topic was about to drop, a new face inserted herself into the scene.

A middle-aged woman approached from behind Gwak Su-won, the sound of her heels clicking sharply against the floor. Her expression was stiff and severe, leaving a strong impression.

< [!] Would you like to view character information? >
< Yes / No >

Selecting ‘Yes’ brought up a brief info window.

「Choi Kyung-sook
Wife of Gwak Sang-cheol.
Owner of this gallery.」

Was that rhyming intentional?

The thought flitted through Seon-woo’s mind as he studied her face. The gaze she fixed on him couldn’t be called friendly, not even out of courtesy.

“Ah, Auntie…”

Gwak Su-won, sweating profusely, greeted her with an uneasy laugh. Without properly turning to acknowledge him, Choi Kyung-sook gave only a curt nod before addressing Seon-woo.

“What’s the occasion? Surprised you managed to drag yourself all the way here.”

Her opening line was coldly sarcastic. Seon-woo refrained from replying, worried that opening his mouth might only make things worse. Instead, he gave a small nod. That alone seemed to irritate her, judging by the way one eyebrow twitched in displeasure.

“Did you enjoy the exhibit? Then again, someone like you—so thoroughly uninterested in the arts—I doubt you’d get anything out of looking at abstract pieces.”

Rather than openly criticizing him, it seemed she preferred to take jabs through veiled remarks.

It was true, so Seon-woo wasn’t particularly offended. But apparently, that calm didn’t extend to the system. Up until now, it had at least pretended to give him a choice by offering dialogue options—but this time, it hijacked his voice without permission.

“Abstract painting? I like it. I really do.”

The sarcastic tone said it all—he was spoiling for a fight now, whether he wanted to or not. It was a disaster.

As expected, what followed was a blatant provocation.

“Perfect for people with no substance trying to act like they’ve got some.”

“What?”

“And great for price manipulation, too…”

She didn’t need to say more. The meaning behind her words was all too clear. She was implying—with near certainty—that art had been used for money laundering. It was probably not even speculation anymore but something close to fact.

Perhaps because she had nothing to say in response, Choi Kyung-sook’s face briefly twisted. After forcing her expression back into shape, she spoke again.

“…A person’s dignity is reflected in the company they keep. Don’t you think you’re lowering your own value a bit too much? After all that trouble inviting you, just look who you decided to bring along.”

She jerked her chin toward Eun-jae.

It was bewildering. After getting insulted by Seon-woo, she’d now turned to lash out at the person standing silently beside him. Maybe this was just how provocatively the game’s story was written—or maybe this was what Choi Kyung-sook was truly like. There was no way to tell.

The only thing Seon-woo was sure of was this: the reason Seo Eun-jae had to endure this humiliation was probably, once again, because he was the main sub.

He felt nothing but guilt toward Seo Eun-jae, who had come to see the exhibition only to run into his boss and suffer a barrage of humiliation he’d never asked for.

This time, I really should say something—like, ‘You might want to watch your words when speaking in front of someone.’

But just as Seon-woo opened his mouth, Eun-jae spoke up first.

“Excuse me, but… the Executive Director didn’t bring me here.”

Despite having just been dragged into this and insulted out of nowhere, Eun-jae didn’t look the least bit angry. In fact, he seemed to think this kind of thing was to be expected. That reaction threw Seon-woo off, and he glanced over at Eun-jae with a puzzled expression.

Kyung-sook’s gaze, now laced with disdain, also shifted toward Eun-jae. Just as she looked like she was about to snap back—

“Yes, I brought him.”

Seung-hyeon’s voice rang out, drawing everyone’s attention. He strolled over at a leisurely pace, adding with a cheeky grin at the end, “The call took longer than I thought!”

When he made eye contact with Seon-woo, he smiled with his eyes and silently mouthed a single word.

‘Promise.’

Seon-woo wasn’t under any status ailment, but it still made his head throb. He deliberately turned his face away from Seung-hyeon.

Kyung-sook furrowed her brow and let out a single comment.

“Of course. Figures.”

Somehow, her tone dripped with even more contempt than before.

Gwak Su-won, who had just lowered the handkerchief from his sweaty forehead, quickly interjected.

“Now, Auntie, why don’t we step over here for a moment? There’s something I wanted to ask you about… that thing you mentioned earlier…”

His voice was practically begging to de-escalate the situation. Fortunately, Kyung-sook seemed to go along with it. She let out a quiet scoff and turned her back.

As Gwak Su-won and Choi Kyung-sook walked away, Seung-hyeon turned toward Seon-woo and Eun-jae with a smile.

“So what was going on here? I helped out a little, didn’t I?”

His voice was as innocent as if the whole thing had been a staged performance.

Eun-jae gave a confused little laugh, still looking dazed.

Seon-woo, reflexively, recalled the conversation he’d had with Seung-hyeon behind the restaurant.