#143.

The two returned to the office. Director Kim told Lee Han to sit on the sofa, then sat across from him. His eyes were sharp, yet seemed to hide something.

,”What do you think, Lee Han-ssi? What are your first impressions of our special world?” Director Kim’s voice was calm, but Lee Han didn’t miss the tension hidden within.

Lee Han hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth. ,”Is this… all of it?”

A smile spread across Director Kim’s face. It was a smile far from warmth. ,”What I’ve shown Lee Han-ssi is more of the ‘bright side.’ Anything beyond this… requires higher authorization.”

Lee Han blinked. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind. ‘Why did Chairman Park send me to this man?’ And the word ‘product’ he’d heard at the end weighed on his heart.

The moment his eyes met Director Kim’s, Lee Han realized what his role was. His voice trembled. ,”You said I was a referral, right?”

Director Kim slowly nodded. His eyes were carefully observing Lee Han’s reaction.

As Lee Han was about to say something, Director Kim raised his hand to stop him. ,”You’ll hear the rest of the story from Chairman Park-nim. My job ends here.” There was no emotion in his voice. ,”You can leave now.”

Lee Han slowly stood up. As he reached the door, he turned back towards Director Kim. ,”Can I ask you just one thing?”

Director Kim silently nodded, and Lee Han opened his mouth. ,”Have you… given up?”

Director Kim smiled without a word and nodded. In his eyes, there was resignation and, at the same time, a sense of liberation.

Lee Han sighed deeply. He walked towards the elevator, thinking about the world he had just witnessed and the reality he would face. The moment the elevator doors closed, Lee Han unknowingly clenched his fist tightly. Complex emotions crossed his eyes.

While heading to the underground parking lot, Lee Han’s mind was in turmoil. The things he had seen, and the thoughts about the role he now had to play, weighed him down. Deep worries and anxieties settled in his heart.

Lee Han got out of the elevator and paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. His eyes were filled with confusion and worry. ‘Should I really step into this kind of world?’ The question lingered in his mind.

Lee Han slowly walked across the parking lot. His steps were heavy, and his shoulders drooped as if weighed down by something. When he arrived, the driver was already waiting for him by the car.

,”Shall we head back?” the driver asked politely.

Lee Han hesitated for a moment before nodding. He paused before opening the back door. Fear of what he would be doing and what the consequences would be washed over him.

,”Is this really the path I want…” Lee Han muttered in a small voice. His eyes held both determination and deep anguish.

Finally, Lee Han got into the car and closed his eyes, looking out the window. Countless questions and worries still swirled in his mind. But now he knew he had to make a decision. Whether to move forward or turn back now. Lee Han’s choice would determine his fate.

As the car began to move, Lee Han looked back at the building one last time. The massive, dark building seemed to foreshadow his future.

Lee Han returned to Chairman Park’s office with heavy steps. As he opened the door and entered, Chairman Park was waiting for him. A subtle smile played on his wrinkled face.

,”How was it?” Chairman Park’s voice was gentle, but Lee Han didn’t miss the sharpness hidden within.

Lee Han was silent for a moment before opening his mouth. ,”It was a… new experience.” His voice was calm, but his eyes held complex emotions.

Chairman Park slowly got up and headed to the refrigerator in the corner of the room. He took out a bottle of whiskey and poured it into two crystal glasses. The sound of ice clinking echoed in the quiet office.

,”Here, have a drink.” Chairman Park handed a glass to Lee Han.

Lee Han carefully accepted the glass. He hesitated for a moment before gulping down the whiskey in one go. The intense taste of alcohol going down his throat made his face scrunch up. But at the same time, his mind seemed to become clearer.

Chairman Park also raised his glass and drank it slowly, as if savoring it. A heavy silence fell between the two men. Lee Han felt that something important was being exchanged in that silence.

Chairman Park’s eyes scanned Lee Han’s face as if searching for something. A smile spread across his face. ,”What you’ve seen is just the beginning. You’ll be able to see much more in the future.”

Lee Han felt his throat burning again at those words.

Chairman Park asked. ,”Can you do it?”

To Lee Han, those words seemed to contain many meanings. That he had to abandon the world he had lived in until now. And the meaning of ‘product’…. He felt his guess was probably right.

Seeing Lee Han’s expression, Chairman Park said once more. ,”I know it’s not an easy choice. It’s something I’ve already experienced myself.”

At Chairman Park’s words, Lee Han’s gaze turned sharply towards him.

,”Do you think what I’ve achieved, I’ve achieved alone?” Chairman Park continued. ,”I’ve simply brought them what they wanted.”

Chairman Park took another sip of whiskey and looked at Lee Han, saying, ,”You choose. I’m just making an offer.”

Lee Han lowered his head for a moment at Chairman Park’s words, then asked a question. ,”Why me?”

Chairman Park smiled at those words and replied. ,”It’s not that I only gave you the opportunity. It’s just that everyone else has failed until now, and only you have succeeded. It’s not easy to be faithful to your desires while also exercising restraint. And what we want isn’t coercion. We simply want voluntary participation.”

Lee Han said at those words, ,”I heard about the ‘product.'”

Chairman Park gave a bitter smile, saying, ,”Product, huh… It is a product, I suppose.” After a moment, he continued. ,”Is what you’ve done a problem?”

Lee Han couldn’t say anything.

,”I know it’s not an easy decision.” Chairman Park continued. ,”But it’s not really a problem if you give up either. If you just quietly keep silent, you’ll be able to live normally. Whatever choice you make, it doesn’t change the fact that you have to give up what you have now.”

Lee Han gave a bitter smile at those words.

Chairman Park told Lee Han to think it over, and Lee Han politely greeted him and returned to the management office.

On the way back to the management office, Lee Han’s mind was filled with complex thoughts. He clearly recognized the crossroads he was standing at. One path was the way back to the ordinary life he knew, and the other was a dark path leading to an unknown world.

Lee Han sat on the sofa in the management office and lowered his head. The word ‘product’ lingered in his mind.

Familiar faces flashed before his eyes. Han Su-jin, Kim Eun-ju, Park Min-ah, Jeong Seo-yeon, Kang Ji-won, Im Ha-yoon… At first, they were just targets to subjugate, but now they were deeply embedded in his life.

,”Was it just desire…?”

Lee Han’s muttering echoed in the empty office. Only now did he realize how simple his thoughts had been. It wasn’t just a simple physical relationship. Before he knew it, his relationships with them had developed into deep emotional bonds.

The affection felt in Han Su-jin’s eyes, the longing in Kim Eun-ju’s voice, Park Min-ah’s pure devotion, the passion hidden within Jeong Seo-yeon’s aloofness, Kang Ji-won’s complex emotions, the vulnerability hidden within Im Ha-yoon’s strength… Could he really see all of these as just ‘products’ now?

Lee Han’s hand trembled. He groped for his emotions. The women he thought he was manipulating had, before he knew it, settled deep within his heart. Their eyes, voices, body temperatures… everything had a special meaning to him.

,”Is this… really what I want?”

His muttering was full of confusion and conflict. At first, his goal was simply to manipulate and dominate them. But now the relationship had become too deep. Treating them as ‘products’ was no different from denying all the emotional connections he had built up.

Lee Han slowly got up and walked to the window. He stared at the apartment complex where the darkness of night was deepening. Somewhere in that darkness, they would be living their own lives. Perhaps Lee Han would be in their thoughts.

His hand gripped the window frame tightly. Now he stood at a crossroads. Would he throw away all the relationships he had built up until now, all the emotions he had felt, and treat them as mere ‘products,’ or would he reject all these offers and return them to their previous lives?

Complex emotions filled Lee Han’s eyes. Within him, desire and affection were clashing fiercely.

,”What are… these women to me?”

His muttering disappeared into the darkness. Lee Han was seriously exploring the depth and essence of his emotions for the first time. A future filled with uncertain but intense temptations awaited him. And that future was something he could only obtain by sacrificing all the relationships and emotions he had built up until now.