Over the past few days, I'd figured something out. The Boss had a strong grip, which made him efficient at chipping away at my karma. Since the pain was something I'd have to endure either way, taking a few hits from him to get it over with came out ahead.
“I'm certain I gave the order to kill him...”
Exactly.
Phew.
I'd finished bracing myself.
I opened my mouth, light and easy.
“That was because I-”
“I stopped him.”
“!”
Startled, I turned my head. Jang Yijung was looking straight at the Boss. The fingers that had been drumming on the desk came to a dead stop.
“...What did you say?”
“It's not like one more body was going to change the mood of the room anyway.”
Jang Yijung went on, his face blank.
“Killing him would've just been a pain, so I talked him out of it.”
It was a lie. Jang Yijung hadn't lifted a finger. If anything, he'd acted like he couldn't care less whether Yeom Hajae lived or died.
A brief silence settled in. Through the razor-thin tension, a low, raspy voice cut through.
“That wasn't your call to make.”
The hand on the desk curled into a fist.
“No? Ah... so I messed up there, did I.”
Jang Yijung lifted a hand to the back of his neck. Even facing down the Boss's hostility, he wore the calm expression of a man who'd made some trivial little slip.
“...”
I kept still for the moment. I couldn't understand what Jang Yijung was scheming, telling a lie like that. Unless he wanted to get the daylights beaten out of him, there was no reason for him to step in.
“A slip-up...”
The Boss chewed the words out, vicious. His face was hidden behind the mask, but I caught on instantly.
That look... it was the look of a man who wanted to beat someone bloody.
His clenched fist trembled. I got that ominous, prickling feeling, the one I always got about thirty seconds before he started throwing things. The instant he finally picked up the teacup-
I squeezed my eyes shut.
Smack!
Lukewarm water soaked my head. The teacup, hurled across the room, bounced off my skull and dropped. I'd flinched my eyes closed on reflex, but I was bewildered.
Why me, and not Jang Yijung...?
My bangs, soaked and limp, drooped down to block my view.
“Cough, explain... yourself...”
The Boss had set the stage for me. I decided to think positive. Since I'd already taken the hit, better to put it toward my good-guy act than to whine about how unfair it was.
“What fault could Yijung possibly have? It was my own poor judgment.”
I may not have managed to kill Yeom Hajae, but dressing the monster invasion up as a terror attack was entirely my doing. Jang Yijung did absolutely nothing, Boss. That bastard just sat there stuffing his face with dessert the whole time. Trying to kill me was a bonus. So the one who deserves a beating isn't me, it's Jang Yijung. Please knock some sense into that worthless piece of garbage.
That's what I wanted to say, but... this was all for the bigger picture. I clamped my eyes shut. In my mind, I traced the character for patience.
Patience. Patience. Patience.
I steeled my will and opened my eyes.
“It's all my fault, Boss.”
I swept my hair back and flashed a bright smile.
“So if you're going to punish anyone, it should be me.”
[Quest: Settle Your Karma.
!If a set amount of time passes without completing the quest, a penalty will be applied.]
[Karma: 59,395]
Otherwise, where am I supposed to go to grind all this karma down?
“That doesn't add up, though...”
The Boss flipped open his cigarette case. I stepped forward and lit one for him with a practiced motion.
He crooked his index finger toward the floor. I knelt down at his side, just as ordered.
Knowing the Boss's temper, I'd expected to get clocked right away, but nothing happened.
I followed his gaze to the side, where Jang Yijung stood watching the two of us, blank-faced. The Boss issued his command.
“Out.”
“...Yes.”
Only then did Jang Yijung head for the door. Through the closing gap, he glanced back at me. I met a pair of red eyes that looked oddly conflicted.
I thought to myself.
Now he owes me one.
That was assuming the bastard even understood the concept of owing someone, but still...
A moment later the door clicked fully shut. Now the only ones left in the room were the Boss and me. I swallowed.
The Boss nudged my forehead with the tip of his shoe, tap, tap. He'd kick me clean across the floor at this rate. Bracing for a concussion, I shut my eyes.
“...Heh.”
When I cracked one eye open, I saw a stern jawline. I was sure I'd heard him laugh, though...
Surprisingly, the Boss didn't hit me. He lifted his foot off my head and spun his chair around once.
I had no idea why, but his mood seemed to have lifted. Or maybe he'd just been in unusually good spirits today. Either way, predicting the Boss's fickle moods was a hopeless task.
He took a deep drag of his cigarette. Mumbling around the chewed-up filter, he asked,
“That brat... you gone soft on him or something?”
“Huh? Soft?”
Was he bothered that I'd covered for Jang Yijung? I'd only been thinking ahead and securing my own interests.
“He's just cute, that's all.”
I answered with my brain switched off, since I had nothing better to say.
“...”
The Boss was quiet for a beat, then flicked his ash.
“Cute, he says...”
...Something had gone wrong. I hastily wrapped both hands around the Boss's calf and lifted it a little.
“Haha, anyway... shall I give it a suck for you?”
The Boss looked down at me. The toe of his shoe pressed against my lips.
“Suck.”
“Suck.”
The sound leaked out of the office.
Jang Yijung, who'd been walking off down the hallway, stopped dead. He turned on his heel and approached the office door again.
He stood facing it. There were no more words from inside. Instead, came the rustle of fabric.
The instant he moved to press his ear to the door-
From far off came the sound of the stairwell door swinging shut. Then, from the other end of the corridor, a chattering voice drifted over.
“This batch of kibble tasted awful, nya. Next time pick one with chicken in it, nya.”
“Understood. I'll keep that in mind.”
Jang Yijung quickly took a few steps back from the door. At the same moment, a black cat with its tail held high rounded the corner. Go Sangwon trailed behind it.
“Nya?”
Spotting Jang Yijung, the cat trotted over.
“What're you doing here, nya?”
It had lowered its voice, apparently aware they were right outside the office. Jang Yijung was about to answer when-
“Ugh..., mmf, stop...”
A muffled groan seeped out from inside the office.
The cat's ears twitched. Jang Yijung pressed his lips together and listened.
Retching... the sound of something being forced down. Sucked.
“Suck,” he'd said. ...Suck what, exactly?
He puzzled over the source of the noise. The cat, as if it had a pretty good idea, spoke up airily.
“Hm. He's doing that again, nya.”
Jang Yijung's brow flickered.
“That?”
“That's Seo Sinwoo's specialty, nya.”
A loaded choice of words.
“He's definitely gone and caused some kind of trouble again, nya.”
Go Sangwon, who'd come up beside them, nodded along.
“So that's it. It's certainly effective at putting out the Boss's temper.”
“Stress relief, nya. I'll never understand the Boss's tastes, nya.”
“Stress... relief? Tastes?”
Jang Yijung's mouth fell open a fraction. His trademark sleepy eyes didn't change, but his head was caught in a whirlpool of confusion.
Oblivious to all this, Go Sangwon calmly checked his wristwatch.
“It is past the appointed time, but... we'd best wait a little before going in.”
“Good idea, nya. If you don't wait for the cleanup, you'll see something filthy, nya.”
“Cleanup...”
Jang Yijung furrowed his brow slightly.
“So why are you here, nya?”
“...I just got chewed out and came out a minute ago. What is that?”
“You don't know, nya? That's-”
“Nabi.”
Go Sangwon cut the cat off. Meeting Go Sangwon's eyes, Nabi clamped its mouth shut. After mulling it over for a second, the cat let out a single curt remark.
“...You're better off not knowing, nya.”
If word got out to the newbie that puking was his specialty, Seo Sinwoo might throw a fit. Remembering that Seo Sinwoo held grudges for a very long time, Nabi sealed its itching lips.
Cough, cough!
A violent fit of coughing came from inside. It wasn't the Boss's, it was Seo Sinwoo's.
Jang Yijung's doubts only deepened. What reason could a man who hadn't even caught a cold have to be coughing like that...?
Just as he was landing on a possibility he'd rather deny-
The cat, stretching out with a long mrrow, said,
“Should be wrapping up soon, nya.”
Bang!
The words had barely left its mouth when Seo Sinwoo came bursting out of the office, one hand clamped over his mouth. Seeing the group clustered by the door, he asked, puzzled,
“Hm? What's everyone doing gathered here?”
“We were waiting for you to finish, nya.”
“Ahh...”
After shooting Jang Yijung a glance, Seo Sinwoo cut between the three of them and walked off.
“I need the restroom...”
Then, with hurried steps, he rounded the corner and vanished.
“You may go in now. Nabi, please wait out here.”
“Meow.”
Go Sangwon stepped into the office. The cat plopped its rear down in front of the door.
“Quit loitering around for nothing and get lost already, nya.”
Ignoring the advice, Jang Yijung stared blankly down the hallway where Seo Sinwoo had disappeared.
“His face was all red.”
“?”
He'd landed on a misunderstanding that would've horrified Seo Sinwoo if he'd heard it.
