CHAPTER 310: ...GIVEN THEY HADN’T STORMED SEO-JUN’S COMPANY

The first few replies were exactly what I expected.

["Good job."] Ki-hoon wrote.

["That’s my boy."] Jin-Yeok added. ["But don’t get too carried away."]

["Hyung will definitely put them in their place."] Min-Cheol wrote.

I could almost hear their voices overlapping in my head as if they were saying the words directly to me.

I’ve been with them for so long that’s why.

But then came the flood of longer messages, messages that I expected. They can’t possibly praise me and then be done with it. Even knowing I was exposed to the tiniest bit of danger would rile them up.

["Are you hurt?"] Ki-hoon asked. ["Did they touch you at all?"]

["Where exactly was Seo-Jun when this was happening?"] Min-Cheol did not fail to show his hostility in this situation. ["Doesn’t he know how dangerous the situation could’ve been? The least he could’ve done was be by your side."]

Haha, he couldn’t because he was in a meeting, but I couldn’t even respond like that now because the message was so long ago, and Min-Cheol wouldn’t exactly take any form of excuse.

["What would he have done if you got hurt?"] He continued. ["Hyung, please stay safe. The people in that company must carry venom given who their boss is."]

Ouch, that was a bit hurtful. I sighed.

And then, the last message was from Seo-Jun.

A simple classic CEO line.

["Send me the names of those employees."]

I laughed, shaking my head. They always made it sound like I had just fought a war instead of tossing around a few sharp words.

And how did he expect me to know the names of the employees? I simply ranted until I was satisfied and left. I think blowing away the little sense of pride they have was enough punishment.

No need to go extreme.

If he wanted to fire the people who were making trouble then he might as well fire everyone he’s slept with and those who have eyes on him.

Hmph.

Still, I could imagine their expressions. They must be worried. I didn’t respond after that and even the missed calls too. I was too busy, ahem, to check my phone.

I typed back quickly, hoping it wasn’t too late.

But given they hadn’t stormed Seo-Jun’s company after not getting a response from me this whole time, Seo-Jun must’ve told them I was asleep.

Hope he didn’t spark any flames though. That one... he was such a troublemaker.

["No, I’m fine. I didn’t even break a sweat. You guys worry too much."]

I paused, thinking a bit and then, I added,

["But... have you all had dinner? If not, can we all have dinner by the time I get home?"]

My finger hovered over the send button for a moment, wondering if this was the right call. What if they lie that they hadn’t had dinner just so they can watch me eat at the dining table?

Well, even if they have, it’s not like I can stop them if they want to watch me. I’m already used to their excessive care anyway.

(Hmph. Good for you. And mind you, I’m not feeling bitter whatsoever. Hmph)

I finally pressed the send button and waited a bit, counting, one two, three, four, five, and then my phone began to buzz violently since it was still on vibration mode.

I looked at it and saw a simple message from Ki-hoon.

["We’ll wait."]

Just two words, but they made my lips curl up into a smile.

Gosh, why was I blushing over something like that?

I quickly shook it off and typed down,

["Does this mean you were about to have dinner or you still haven’t left work?"] I asked and the next person to respond was Jin-Yeok.

["I’m the only one in this big mansion. How pitiful of me, right? The workaholics are still at work but it looks like they’ll get here before you."] He wrote down. ["Oh, Jo-Pil, hurry and come back home. I miss you a lot already."]

And as if planning to taunt the others, he sent a heart sticker and then a bunny sticker blowing a kiss.

He just... Made everything so much worse.

And before I knew it, my phone began to buzz again with a heated argument against Jin-Yeok.

["Hey, old man, keep your kisses to yourself. Don’t stress Hyung out."] Min-Cheol fired first.

["If you feel lonely then you should think about finishing the project you’ve put on hold all this time."]

["Hyung doesn’t like lazy people."]

It was all spiralling out of control and I decided to just place my phone down for a bit.

No good will come from trying to intervene right now while the chaos is still so hot. Let’s allow them to cool their heads.

No one was going to admit it, but I’m sure they all feel it too.

Even if we weren’t in the same space, the atmosphere we usually have at home was being replayed even when we weren’t together, through the chats.

In this life, nothing soothes the soul more than having a place to return to and staying with people with whom you can be yourself.

Though they were still holding up their facade, they were freer than they could be in their own houses.

This was what you call, taking off the mask and letting your face breathe.

And I was glad I could make that atmosphere and comfort for them with just my presence alone.

’Gosh, I feel so happy all of a sudden.’ I thought, giggling to myself.

Then, Seo-Jun returned. He walked in and said,

"Alright, I brought your snacks." He walked towards me, held me up, and not even giving me a chance to thank him for the snacks as he quickly added, "Alright, let’s go. We have to stop somewhere before we get back to the mansion."

"We’re stopping somewhere?" I asked, feeling clueless. Wasn’t he already done with work for the day?

"Yes."

"Then, where are we going?"

Guess.

Guys, you will never guess where this guy decided to take me to. Just because he noticed I liked a beautiful scenery, he decided to treat my eyes a bit more before we returned to the mansion.