Chapter 7

However, the relationship between Ethan and Alexander wasn’t that good. I remember that Ethan had a somewhat uncomfortable atmosphere towards him. But regardless of my circumstances, it wasn’t polite to stare at his face, so I quickly corrected my posture and bowed to Alexander.

“I apologize for not greeting you properly.”

“It’s fine. I wasn’t expecting a greeting.”

I glanced up at Alexander, who responded immediately. Noticing my gaze, Alexander raised an eyebrow. I decided I needed to clarify my gaze.

“I thought you resembled the CEO. Ah, I mean CEO Ethan.”

“I’ve never heard that before.”

Alexander raised his eyebrows as he spoke.

“Really? You look so similar. Oh, maybe it’s because your hair color is different?”

“Usually, that alone is enough for people to see it differently.”

Now that I thought about it, that was true. Still, the facial structure and eye shape were quite similar; did others not think so?

“By the way, how did you...?”

“I was about to enter the conference room when I saw someone collapse right in front of me.”

Ah, I see. I imagined what kind of situation it must have been for this man. It might have been bad luck for him, but on the contrary, it was a good situation for me.

“You could have just walked past, but thank you. Thanks to you, I feel much better now.”

In the in-game novel, when Yeon Yiseo collapsed, it was Ethan who brought her in. The setting was that Ethan was attracted to Yeon Yiseo, who was a type he couldn’t normally see around him, but now the counterpart had changed to Alexander.

So, was this a distortion of the original work? I wasn’t sure. It made sense since Alexander wasn’t a capture character. I couldn’t tell if he was added later or not, but if that were the case, Seo Eunwoo would have told me.

“It’s only natural that Ethan’s secretary collapsed during work.”

Is it really natural? I thought that usually, people wouldn’t care much if a company employee collapsed or not. Well, I didn’t know for sure, but he must have judged that himself.

“Ah, I suppose that’s true. If someone collapsed and filed a lawsuit, it would be troublesome.”

I nodded as I muttered. Suddenly, I snapped back to reality as I felt a sharp gaze on my face; Alexander was watching me. I was startled and quickly clarified.

“I have no intention of doing that. My dream is to work at this job for my entire life.”

“Is that so? That’s a relief.”

He checked his wristwatch and then spoke to me.

“Well then, I think I’ll head back to the presentation venue. I’ve informed my secretary, so please rest until you feel better. I’ll take you home.”

I realized that Alexander was still dressed in a full suit. After all, it was his younger brother’s new product launch. If he weren’t there, it would certainly lead to unfavorable comments. It would definitely affect the stock, so he had to attend. The thought that I could have caused a loss made me dizzy.

“Well then, I’ll be going out. I’ll come back when the IV is done, so please rest.”

Kane said that and followed Alexander out. I was left alone in the room again.

The real Alexander was much more polite and respectful than I had imagined. I pondered why the image of Alexander, whom I had never properly met, seemed so tyrannical, and I realized it was because of Ethan’s influence.

Ethan in initially seemed nice, but as the game progressed, he showed insane obsession. Many users were thrilled by that gap in his character. Being the brother of such an Ethan, I had hastily concluded that he would be even more extreme.

“...Hmm. I feel a bit sorry.”

I wouldn’t have to apologize again while facing him directly, but the feeling of guilt didn’t disappear. I sighed and lay back down on the bed.

I wondered when I would get to stay in such a nice room again. The pillows, blankets, and bed were all top-notch. I rubbed my cheek against the cool, soft blanket. I resolved to not think about anything until the IV was done and just rest.

My body, which hadn’t fully recovered yet, soon fell into a deep sleep, wrapped in the fluffy blanket.

Perhaps thanks to getting the IV and resting over the weekend, Yeon Yiseo felt much better. Now she could maintain her normal temperature without taking medication. On Monday, the group negotiations that had been particularly tough went well, and on Wednesday, she was able to enjoy lunch with Natalie as a thank you.

“That day, you were really my savior, Yiseo. Thank you so much. You must have been feeling unwell, but you managed to get back, right?”

“Yes, I got back well.”

I answered casually to Natalie’s question. I didn’t think it was necessary to tell her about my encounter with Alexander.

If she found out that I had collapsed, she would feel very sorry, and secondly, I thought there was no need to intentionally bring up a topic that would pique her curiosity. If it were just about me, it wouldn’t matter much, but since others were involved, I couldn’t easily bring it up.

“Did the presentation go well that day? I would have attended if I had been well.”

“Don’t worry. You know the CEO. Perfect. Truly amazing reactions. The media and users’ responses were good, so the marketing team that would report to the CEO must have breathed a sigh of relief.”

Nodding in agreement with Natalie’s words, I replied.

“That’s a relief.”

“Exactly, that’s why we can sit here and have lunch. But we have to go back soon.”

Natalie checked the time on her phone. The usual lunch break was one hour, but neither of them had the luxury of a relaxed lunch hour. It was common for them to hold food delivered in one hand while looking at the monitor or to finish their meals in ten minutes.

Thus, having a 40-minute lunch break today felt like a rare opportunity to enjoy a leisurely meal. After eating a warm hamburger, there was even time left to drink a latte. It was a luxury I could never have dreamed of on a normal day.

“By the way, this is the first time I’ve gone out with you, Yiseo. I’ve wanted to go out like this occasionally, but today I finally get to fulfill that wish.”

At Natalie’s words, I smiled faintly. Eating lunch outside was nice. But the problem was that it cost money. The high prices made it burdensome.

To be honest, I couldn’t afford to buy lunch today, so I initially made an excuse that I had something to take care of, but soon my excuse was exposed by Natalie. In the end, I was dragged out by her, and she paid for my share of the meal, saying she had brought me along.

“I think tomorrow will probably be fine too, so let’s go out and eat together again.”

The amount I spent on lunch today quickly flashed through my mind. Including the latte, it was about $36, which was too much to spend on a single meal. Unable to respond immediately and giving a vague smile, Natalie made a strange expression.

“Was eating with me not enjoyable?”

I quickly denied it without beating around the bush.

“No, it’s not like that. It’s not.”

“They say a strong denial is a positive. Did I hit the nail on the head?”

Natalie chuckled at my indecisive reaction. Then, with a serious face, she spoke.

“First of all, I want to make it clear that I really like you, Yiseo.”

At her sudden change of topic, I looked at her with a smile on my lips. It seemed she was serious.

“Is there some kind of problem?”

“A problem?”

“Like having trouble with cash flow... you know, something like that.”

At that cautiously posed question, my expression hardened. It was quite rude for a sudden question. It wasn’t something I would expect from the Natalie I had known until now.

“I don’t understand why you would bring that up all of a sudden.”

“If there isn’t, that’s fine. I was just worried there might be a problem, so I asked. I was wondering if there was anything I could help with.”

“I’m not curious about what you think, but why you thought that.”

At my follow-up question, Natalie fiddled with her fingers, looking troubled, and finally spoke.

“I know it’s an intrusive question. But it was something that had been on my mind, so I intervened. You know I’m the eldest daughter with five younger brothers, right? My younger siblings are nice, but, um, a lot has happened. Especially my youngest brother has caused a lot of trouble. It’s not something that can be dressed up as just a cute little trouble.”

She exaggeratedly laughed and shrugged her shoulders. She lifted her gaze from the table to meet mine.