Chapter 59.1

Chapter 59 – Rule 22. The Leader Stays Composed (7)

‘Those guys….’

I wasn’t mistaken.

I clearly saw Ha Yesong staring at me with a mouth full of pork belly from the log cabin.

‘First it was Park Minhyuk, now Ha Yesong….’

It seemed the executives were watching us from another log cabin.

I understood why they skipped the retreat.

‘To get me and Baek-seo alone?’

They had done similar things before.

‘What a pointless effort….’

Just as I was about to get up and catch them,

“What are you looking at?”

Baek-seo’s gentle voice drew my attention.

“Baek-seo, it seems like the others….”
“Hmm?”

Baek-seo tilted her head, listening attentively.
“Uh….”

Her face suddenly shone like something out of a romance manga.

They say some celebrities actually have a halo effect in person.

With Baek-seo beside me, I could experience that phenomenon firsthand.

My bottom settled back into the chair.

It was unavoidable.

“Why did they all skip? The meat is delicious; it’s a shame.”

“Indeed.”

Well….

I guess it’s fine?

After all, it seemed the executives’ goal was to leave me and Baek-seo alone together.

‘I should respect that.’

It would be best to postpone questioning until it was absolutely unavoidable or until they revealed themselves.

I convinced myself of this.

“Let’s arrange another time for everyone.”

Baek-seo chuckled warmly.

At least I could be glad Yesong got to enjoy the unlimited meat. I chatted with Baek-seo.

***

The pros and cons of retreats.

Playing together in one house.

If you’re with close friends, the pros stand out more.

While being alone with Baek-seo was enjoyable, it wasn’t the kind of enjoyment typical of a retreat.

“I think those two will end up together.”

Baek-seo voiced her thoughts while watching a dating show on TV.

It was about high school students who looked like celebrities participating in a retreat, and as usual, it was quite entertaining.

“It does seem like that.”

“Mirroring is when people unconsciously mimic each other’s actions.”

“Mirroring?”

“A sign of interest.”

Baek-seo gave me a look as if to say she had seen me mirror actions before.

‘Now what?’

We had done everything there was to do together until night fell.

We had talked so much that there was nothing new to discuss over snacks.

‘Neither of us is particularly talkative….’

So, even during the retreat, we ended up watching TV and chatting.

Goofing around was also difficult. It didn’t fit our personalities.

‘It would hurt my image.’

Baek-seo was someone who suited spending leisurely time talking to flowers in a garden.

‘It wouldn’t be right to call Geumyang over either.’

I had already told Geumyang I wouldn’t be able to see her today because of the retreat.
Although it didn’t feel much like a retreat now, it still didn’t seem right to call her on a day meant for the Disciplinary Committee.

‘Should I drag the executives here? No, that’s not right either.’

Even if I wanted to, the peaceful time I was spending with Baek-seo filled my heart with excitement.

It wasn’t intentional, but spending this simple, pleasant time with Baek-seo at the campsite made me happy.

Besides, their purpose was to let us spend time alone. Forcing them here would be problematic.

“Leader.”

Lost in thought, I heard Baek-seo’s voice.

“How should we sleep tonight?”

“We’ll split the rooms. We need to decide who sleeps where. I don’t mind any room.”

“Hmm…. I should take another look around.”

“Go ahead.”

Baek-seo inspected the rooms and went upstairs. Then, she leaned over the upstairs railing and looked down at me.

“Leader, come up here.”
“Why?”

“Just come up.”

Okay.

I got up from the sofa and headed up the stairs.

“Turn off the lights.”

“Why?”

“You’ll see.”

When I turned off the lights on the first floor, the house became dark.

But the lamps on the walls gave off a soft light, making the surroundings distinguishable.

I climbed the stairs to the second floor.

Baek-seo stood by the window, bathed in moonlight. She motioned for me to come over.

A gentle breeze blew through the wide-open window. Since it was a mountain, the summer breeze was cool.

I stood next to Baek-seo and looked out the window.

“Wow, quite….”