Survive! Gwanggong!

“That…”

Gwak Seon-woo opened his mouth, trying to say something—anything—to explain himself. No matter how he looked at it, he had too many reasons to feel guilty toward Gwak Seung-hyeon. Even if whatever he said wouldn’t carry much weight in this situation, at the very least, he wanted to make it clear that it wasn’t because he hated him. But the moment he tried to speak, it was as if something lodged in his throat, blocking his voice completely.

Gwak Seung-hyeon turned his head, puzzled. Even as the elevator came to a stop, Seon-woo remained frozen. In the end, he had to step out without uttering a single excuse. Not that it would have made any difference. Whenever they talked, he was bound to end up choosing the most inconsiderate option anyway.

The two were led to a private room inside the restaurant. Five people were already seated at the table. At the head sat an elderly man with a stern face, his presence alone exuding authority. Even without an introduction, it was obvious—this man had to be the chairman. The sharp glint in his wrinkled eyes hadn’t dulled with age. He certainly looked like Gwanggong’s grandfather.

Seated beside him were two middle-aged men, one woman, and another man who appeared about ten years older than Seon-woo. He had no way of knowing who was who. Surrounded by unfamiliar family members, he carefully controlled his expression to avoid revealing his lack of recognition.

“Seon-woo, you’re here.”

The chairman greeted him first. His tone was dignified, yet his pleasure at seeing him was evident. Instead of answering, Seon-woo simply bowed. The others acknowledged him with slight nods or glances, except for one man who waved exaggeratedly.

“Well, well! Our dear Director Gwak!”

Seon-woo turned his head to get a better look at the man. He didn’t seem old enough to be his father’s generation but looked to be in his mid-to-late fifties. If only they had name tags, things would be much easier. Since he had no idea who the man was, he couldn’t offer a proper response and settled for another silent nod before taking the empty seat.

Right behind him, Gwak Seung-hyeon entered. The seated individuals acknowledged him in a similar manner, but it was painfully obvious that the atmosphere had shifted. Especially the man who had just greeted Seon-woo so enthusiastically—his reaction changed the most. His voice, now laced with contempt, made it clear that he wasn’t pleased.

“Oh, Seung-hyeon is here too.”

The chairman gave a slight nod, and Seung-hyeon took his seat. In the subtle yet tense air, someone spoke up. The man, who appeared about ten years older than Seon-woo and was constantly dabbing his face with a handkerchief, directed his question toward him.

“Is Uncle… still in the Middle East? Seon-woo, how is your father’s health?”

Caught off guard by the sudden address, Seon-woo averted his gaze. This was tricky. Even if he spoke, he wasn’t sure what to say. The pause stretched long enough that it now seemed like he had deliberately ignored the question.

The man must have felt slighted, as he awkwardly pulled out his handkerchief again and wiped his face. Just as Seon-woo was starting to break out in a cold sweat himself, a system notification popped up in front of him.

< [!] Character information has been updated. Would you like to view it? >

< Yes | No >

If the notification was going to pop up anyway, it would have been better if it had appeared earlier. Resigned, Seon-woo chose the first option, and a message window immediately opened in front of him.

「Gwak Su-won
Seon-woo’s older cousin. The son of the late Gwak Sang-hun, the chairman’s eldest son. Thirty-eight years old. Currently working in a subsidiary related to shipbuilding.
Has hyperhidrosis.」

He had assumed Su-won was over forty, but he turned out to be younger than expected. The information was also surprisingly sparse compared to the descriptions of other major figures he had seen before. While Seon-woo remained silent, the chairman let out a dry cough.

He had expected to be called out for ignoring his cousin’s question, but surprisingly, the chairman’s attention was directed toward Su-won instead. He cast a disdainful glance at his cousin, who was still wiping his sweat, and spoke in a displeased tone.

“That Sang-gyeong brat hasn’t shown his face in months.”

As if in response, more message windows popped up.

「Gwak Jun-gu
Chairman of KG Group. Seon-woo’s grandfather. He has four sons and one daughter, but his eldest and third sons are deceased. Currently 84 years old.」

「Gwak Sang-gyeong
The chairman’s second son and Seon-woo’s father. Manages the heavy industries subsidiary. Frequently overseas for business.」

Now that he had names to match the faces, Seon-woo felt a little more at ease. Still, the strange realization that he had only just learned his grandfather and father’s full names left him at a loss for words.

Someone else answered in his place.

“Haha, come now, Chairman. Your birthday is coming up soon—he’ll surely return for that.”

「Nam Jeong-dong
Husband of the chairman’s youngest daughter, Gwak Sang-hwa. A skilled businessman.」

「Gwak Sang-hwa
The chairman’s youngest daughter. CEO of the main company.」

Seon-woo was busy piecing together all the incoming information. In the meantime, the chairman seemed satisfied with the response and stroked his beard, letting out a thoughtful hum. Then his gaze shifted back to Seon-woo. It seemed the conversation had circled back to him.

“I hear you’ve been very busy with work lately, Seon-woo. But you should still make sure to eat properly.”

He was probably referring to the lunch appointment he had canceled yesterday. Half of Seon-woo appreciated his grandfather’s concern, while the other half felt that if eating had been an option, he would have done something about it already. As expected, in moments like these, the system presented him with a choice.

▶ “You don’t need to worry about me.”

▶ “I’ve been eating well, for the most part.”

▶ (Ignore silently.)

Without hesitation, Seon-woo chose the least offensive response, driven by the deeply ingrained Confucian value of respecting one’s elders.

“I’ve been eating well, for the most part.”

The chairman still looked concerned. Contrary to his intimidating aura, Gwanggong seemed to be a cherished and doted-upon grandson. The atmosphere wasn’t exactly warm, but the thought amused Seon-woo enough that he almost let out a chuckle. However, before he could smile, the man from earlier— the only one whose information window had yet to appear—cut in abruptly.

“Listen to the chairman’s advice. You need to pace yourself if you want to last long.”

The words were spoken lightly, but to Seon-woo, they felt like a thinly veiled jab. As his brows furrowed, the system helpfully provided an identification window at just the right moment.

「Gwak Sang-cheol
The chairman’s youngest son. A scoundrel, corrupt chaebol.」

Short and to the point.

This was also the name of the man responsible for ruining his meal yesterday. Seon-woo had already known from his secretary that they were relatives, and he had considered the possibility of encountering him today, but actually seeing him in person gave him a strange feeling. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t muster even a sliver of goodwill toward the man.

Even though this was their first meeting, Seon-woo already disliked him. The system, however, seemed eager to escalate things further.

▶ (Silently smirk.)

▶ (Scoff.)

▶ (Click tongue mockingly.)

It was practically asking him to choose how to be as infuriating as possible. While he was aware of the eyes on him, there was no need to waste time debating—he didn’t have anyone here he needed to impress. Still, he picked the mildest option available.

“You—why the hell are you making that face?”

Sang-cheol, apparently quick to anger, snapped immediately at the sight of Seon-woo’s smirk. Jabbing a finger in his direction, he fumed. Seon-woo merely followed the script the system laid out for him.

“Hasn’t my face always looked like this? You’re the one acting especially sensitive today. That is what I find odd.”

“That—that disrespectful little—!”

The chairman let out another dry cough. He didn’t seem inclined to intervene directly, but he also wasn’t going to let a shouting match continue right in front of him. Sensing that neither Seon-woo nor Sang-cheol intended to back down, Su-won, still dabbing his sweat, hurriedly stepped in.

“Uncle, please calm down. Seon-woo, apologize.”

“For what, exactly?”

< Gwanggong Affinity +2 >

Since he had given a sharp response on his own, without the system’s prompting, it seemed satisfied enough to reward him with an increase in stats. His precariously low Gwanggong Affinity had finally recovered a bit. Feeling amused, Seon-woo allowed himself a slight smile—which only served to infuriate Gwak Sang-cheol even more.

Seeing things escalate, the chairman’s son-in-law, Nam Jeong-dong, stepped in to mediate.

“Now, now, brother-in-law, let’s calm down. Seon-woo has been busy with work lately—he must be exhausted. You’ve been quite busy yourself, haven’t you?”

It was an obvious attempt to change the subject, but it worked. Sang-cheol, who had been glaring daggers at Seon-woo, shifted his attention. Seizing the moment, Jeong-dong continued.

“I also heard you recently made a donation to an orphanage. That was a wonderful thing to do.”

Flattery visibly softened Sang-cheol’s expression. But just as the tension began to ease, Su-won, still fidgeting with his handkerchief, blurted out with a clueless grin,

“That’s right… Uncle Sang-woo used to donate a lot too. I guess you really can’t deny blood ties.”

The room went silent as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over the conversation.

Seon-woo wasn’t entirely sure who this “Uncle Sang-woo” was, but based on the reactions, he could make a guess. Most likely, he was one of the chairman’s deceased sons.

Without thinking, Seon-woo glanced toward Gwak Seung-hyeon. Until now, he had sat silently like a painting, not speaking a single word throughout the meal. The perfectly measured smile he had worn whenever Seon-woo looked his way was now slightly disrupted, as if he had been caught off guard.

Completely oblivious to the atmosphere, Su-won pressed on.

“Speaking of which, how is Aunt doing these days, Seung-hyeon?”

Seung-hyeon slowly crafted a smile. Though the question wasn’t directed at him, Seon-woo felt an inexplicable tension creep up as he watched. Seung-hyeon’s tone was measured, ambiguous.

“Ah… well, nothing much has changed. She’s doing fine.”

“I see. Then—”

“Enough! Don’t you dare bring that up!”

The chairman, who had been stroking his beard, finally lost his temper and roared.

Seung-hyeon didn’t even flinch. He simply turned his head as if nothing had happened, whereas Su-won, startled out of his wits, nearly jumped out of his seat.

Watching the scene unfold, Sang-cheol let out a chuckle and spoke in a mockingly casual tone.

“They say blood doesn’t lie… How shameless… Haha.”

Though it sounded like he was talking to himself, it was clearly meant to be heard. Seung-hyeon, too, must have known the remark was aimed at him, yet he maintained his indifferent expression.

Seon-woo, on the other hand, frowned, glaring at Sang-cheol.

“I wonder if shamelessness is hereditary too…“

For once, the system didn’t present him with any options. A rare silence.

He instinctively felt that, for now, he was free to act as he pleased.

Sang-cheol was smiling. Seung-hyeon was smiling. But even without peering into their minds, it was obvious that the meaning behind their expressions was worlds apart.

Just as Sang-cheol opened his mouth to speak again, Seon-woo let the glass he had been holding slip from his fingers.

The sound of shattering glass pierced the air, followed by an eerie silence.

Sang-cheol was no longer looking at Seung-hyeon. His furious gaze was now locked onto Seon-woo. His voice came out tight with anger.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Seon-woo replied with a smile.

“My hand slipped.”

<  True Gwanggong-like attitude. Gwanggong Affinity +2. >