NOVEL WEB Chapter 33
After half a year, the head office of Enson Korea looked pretty much the same as before.
As if to prove it was one of the three major development companies in the country, there was a spacious lobby on the first floor and a security gate leading inside,
and an ample information desk where four people could easily stand, along with the reception staff.
It felt similar to Enson GT, probably because this was the headquarters.
As soon as we entered the 1st-floor lobby, I could feel the many gazes directed our way.
Most of them were aimed at Su-yeon.
Su-yeon must have interpreted the looks in a different way because she chuckled softly and whispered quietly, so that no one nearby could hear.
“Our Director has practically become a celebrity now? People are starting to recognize him.”
“I’m mistaken. Everyone’s just looking at the President, aren’t they?”
“Do you really think that?”
“Of course. Why would anyone stare at me?”
To be honest, how famous could a director who merely hit a jackpot with a mobile game become?
At that statement, Su-yeon gave me an incredulous look, which I casually brushed off as I headed towards the information desk.
As we approached, one of the four waiting receptionists, seemingly the most senior, came forward to greet us.
“Hello, I am Chae-ran, from the Chairman’s Secretary Office. Are you President Jo Su-yeon and Director Ji Ho-jin?”
“Yes.”
“We’ve confirmed both of you. Please follow us to the President’s Office.”
After a brief confirmation procedure, Chae-ran began to guide us.
We followed her into the elevator that led directly to the President’s Office.
Once the elevator doors closed, Su-yeon suddenly thought of something and turned to Chae-ran to ask.
“Is Hyun-seo on vacation? She usually handled these sorts of tasks.”
“Hyun-seo quit last month, and I’ve taken over from her.”
“Is that so? I had no idea.”
As Su-yeon really seemed unaware and showed her regret, the elevator arrived at the 15th floor.
With the arrival announcement, the doors opened,
and instead of an empty corridor, a pair of a man and a woman stood there.
Since I’ve never seen them before, I wondered if they were acquainted with Su-yeon, but when I glanced over at her,
Su-yeon’s expression was mixed with annoyance and irritation, contrary to what I had expected.
“Su-yeon, what brings you here?”
“If you were coming, you should’ve let us know, right, girl. How come there wasn’t even a phone call?”
“Oppa Su-hwan, and Unni Su-a… what are the two of you doing here…?”
Judging by the atmosphere, they seemed to be the older sister and brother Su-yeon had mentioned yesterday.
“Since we’re all here now, why don’t we move to the conference room over there and have a chat? It’s been a long time since the three of us, including the youngest, have met like this.”
At that, Su-yeon reluctantly nodded and headed towards the conference room.
After confirming that Su-yeon had entered the conference room, Su-hwan turned to Chae-ran and asked,
“Ms. Chae-ran, Su-yeon and I would like some time to talk privately. What time is President Su-yeon’s schedule set for?”
“10:20.”
“In that case, as it’s about 9:50 now, we’ll return here by 10:10.”
“Understood.”
*
In the conference room located on the same floor as the President’s Office,
despite being a family reunion, the warmth one would expect was conspicuously absent.
Instead, an awkward tension filled the air.
The eldest son, Su-hwan, sat across from us sipping coffee,
while Su-a, the second child, sat next to Su-hwan, lecturing Su-yeon.
“It’s not that we avoided you, Su-yeon, but that you ignored our attempts to reach out. We tried contacting you so many times.”
“…”
“Even during family gatherings, you only stay for a little while and leave immediately. You always do that.”
As the lecture continued, I glanced over at Su-yeon.
At such complaints, one would expect irritation or some other emotion, but Su-yeon merely looked disinterested.
“Unni Su-a, that’s enough.”
“What?”
“To be honest, we’re not the kind of siblings who can sit together and have warm chats like this.”
“No, what kind of talk is this! Oppa, say something about this girl!”
“Right, Su-yeon, this time you’ve gone too far.”
In response to their reactions, Su-yeon smiled slyly and said,
“Why don’t you stop pretending? What do you actually want? Do you want to talk directly with Ho-jin? Should I leave the room?”
Taken aback by her more aggressive statement than expected, I turned to see Su-yeon with an expression I had never seen before.
There was a disdainful look and an aggressiveness that I had never witnessed in her until now.
Considering Su-yeon’s usual skill in controlling and concealing her emotions, this felt distinctly different.
‘Something must have definitely happened…’
Since the situation might worsen further if left unchecked, I decided to take action.
Given that making a noticeable move while they were arguing might be unwise, I quietly took Su-yeon’s hand under the table.
“Ki-iyaaa…?!”
Caught off guard by the sudden contact, Su-yeon flinched and her guarded expression faltered.
With this reaction, the tense atmosphere in the conference room collapsed instantly.
As the atmosphere turned noisy, I chose that moment to speak up.
“I’ll step out with the President for a while.”
With those words, I led Su-yeon out of the conference room, ignoring the voices calling out from behind.
‘Where should we go…?’
After some thought, I decided to take Su-yeon to the terrace.
It seemed better to let her enjoy some fresh air outside instead of staying indoors.
Fortunately, this decision seemed right as her expression brightened somewhat.
“…Sorry.”
“Me?”
“Even at this age, I couldn’t control my emotions. You must have seen an embarrassing side of me.”
“…”
As she fixed her hair blown by the wind and looked at me,
“Your expression shows a lot of curiosity… If you have any questions, feel free to ask.”
Following Su-yeon’s invitation, I cautiously asked,
“Do you have any specific reason why things are tense between you and the two of them?”
“Reason for the tension? It’s simple. Over my life, everything was taken away from me by my siblings.”
A secret never disclosed to anyone.
As she revealed it, Su-yeon’s face appeared relieved.
“To be honest, thinking about it now, I’m not sure. Being continuously taken from since I was considered the youngest has made me unsure whether I should even be angry.”
“…”
“Certainly, since I know those two never intended harm, I couldn’t confide in anyone, and eventually, all those feelings piled up to become grievances against them.”
After contemplating Su-yeon’s confession, I responded,
“Though I can’t comment on your family matters, I believe I can simply resolve the current situation.”
“Simply resolve it?”
“Yes.”
Su-yeon, with a doubtful expression, asked hesitantly,
“Surely those two would offer you far better treatment than you’re currently receiving… and yet you’re willing to turn that down?”
“Yes.”
“Why? I’m not doubting you, but…”
“Sir, you know my previous workplace, right?”
“Your previous workplace? Oh…”
It seemed Su-yeon finally understood why I was so confident.
“I transferred to Enson GT to create the games I wanted with my own hands. If I just wanted better benefits, I would’ve stayed at ND Soft.”
“Right…”
“So please stop worrying and enjoy the breeze here.”
Upon hearing this, Su-yeon’s face slightly reddened.
Evidently, it was embarrassing for her to have revealed her emotions.
“I’ll go back and sort things out, then return.”
“But shouldn’t we go together?”
“This is something I should handle personally. Would you be able to stay quietly if we return to the conference room now?”
“…”
Su-yeon was at a loss for words in response to my question.
“I’ll be back soon.”
*
“…Despite the significant offer, you’re still declining a transfer?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Because you believe you can’t make games freely at our company as you can at Enson GT?”
“Exactly.”
Su-a sighed deeply, shaking her head in disbelief at my stubbornness.
On the other hand, Su-hwan questioned me again,
“Are you absolutely certain you wouldn’t consider a transfer, regardless of the conditions?”
“Yes, not at all.”
“Alright, then we’ll call it a day.”
“Oppa! Can you really just give up here?”
What could we do if he refuses any conditions,” Su-hwan shrugged, “kidnap him?”
“Stop talking such nonsense! I’m just disappointed, that’s all.”
Ignoring the bickering behind me, I exited the meeting room.
Just as I stepped out, Su-yeon approached me and asked,
“How did it go?”
“I’ve cleanly rejected all offers, and it seems they’ve both given up.”
“…That’s a relief.”
Su-yeon let out a sigh of relief and slumped to the floor. I told her,
“Please stand up. There’s one more task left.”
“Ah, that’s right…”
Realizing she still had a private meeting with her father, Su-yeon’s face twisted.
“Can’t we just go home today…?”
“No, it’s not possible.”
Today’s primary agenda was her private meeting with Chairman, so I wasn’t keen on going either, but there was nothing we could do about it.
That’s the nature of being an employee, isn’t it?
However, the private meeting with the Chairman turned out to be completely different from what I had anticipated.
I had spent the night preparing answers for expected game business-related questions, which turned out to be entirely useless,
since the Chairman simply finished by saying, “It’s right to leave practical matters to the specialists,” and didn’t ask anything further.
It seemed like he had summoned me mainly to see my face in person rather than for any specific reason, much as Su-yeon had mentioned.
Once all the schedules were over and we were heading back to the company,
we slumped into the backseat, utterly exhausted.
“At least everything went without a hitch, so it’s good.”
“Yeah…”
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