episode_0059

A small room located next to the office.

It would have been fortunate if there had been a bed provided, but I couldn’t shake off the bitterness because it seemed to mean that I had been so devoted to my work that I had to stay there.

Knock, knock.

In the stillness that has descended, only the sound of dripping sap spreads quietly.

Weakened immunity due to accumulated fatigue.

This was the opinion of the attending physician who came running to examine me, and simply put, I had caught a cold because I was physically and mentally exhausted.

In the end, it’s all my fault.

The chairman’s work must have piled up as much as the time he wasted playing at the park.

So that’s why you called me and wanted help… .

“Sigh… .”

The chairman, who had been lying down quietly, took a deep breath and frowned slightly.

Are you having trouble sleeping?

I wiped my wet eyes and looked around the chairman.

I tried moving the pillow slightly and pulling up the blanket.

But eventually, there was nothing left to try, so I started pulling out the hair that was stuck to my sweat, strand by strand.

“Daily amount… .”

“Chairman, you shouldn’t get up yet! There’s not much left in the ringer, so just a little bit… .”

It looks like it broke because I touched it.

Why is everything I do like this?

Ah… My nose feels tingly again. Why do tears keep falling even though I didn’t do anything right… .

“Jo… Please rest a little more… Phew… Because of that… You overdid it… Ugh… .”

I tried to console myself not to cry, but I felt so pathetic that tears started to fall down.

“Sorry… I’m sorry… I’m… sorry… I should have apologized right away… I’m so sorry… .”

If we do this, the chairman will be in trouble.

You’re probably already busy… If you add more things to worry about… .

“Haru Yang, please give me your hand.”

No matter how much I hold back, the tears won’t stop. But the chairman even asks for my hand… .

I continued to rub my eyes with my left hand and held out my right hand to the chairman.

“If you think I ruined my workday because of the amount of sheep, you are being arrogant and self-conscious.”

A soft touch gently wrapping around your hand. On the other hand, the words that came out of the chairman’s mouth were not like that.

“I am solely responsible for my physical condition. My poor health was a mistake brought about by my greed.”

But I know that this is a consideration as gentle as the Chairman’s hands.

Clumsy, difficult to understand, and dishonest.

The chairman is shifting the responsibility that should be mine to myself.

“So… .”

The chairman’s hands were becoming increasingly strong.

“Sigh… .”

Then, with a sigh of relief, it all came crashing down.

“I wanted to say that it wasn’t the fault of the sheep. Forget about pride or excessive self-consciousness. I unknowingly added something.”

The chairman looked away as if he was embarrassed and revealed his true feelings.

“But… .”

“I will not allow any objections. I do not particularly like it when someone challenges my policy.”

As we’ve known each other for a long time, it seems like there’s been a lot of progress between us, even though we thought we’d be awkward together our whole lives.

Of course I didn’t notice. Maybe the chairman didn’t notice either.

It developed naturally, without us even knowing, very slowly, and only today has it blossomed into a tiny flower bud.

“Huh… The chairman… is a dictator… .”

I burst into laughter without realizing it and even threw out a joke.

“Dictator… .”

The chairman, who had been looking out the window, turned his gaze toward me as if he was embarrassed.

“That might not be wrong.”

Then he chuckled and burst into a small laugh.

“But even if he is a dictator, it is a happier thing than I thought to know that there is someone who will cry for me.”

He let go of my hand and rubbed his eyes with his thumbs like he had done in his office.

“Maybe… I guess I’ve been lonely all this time. Just a little bit, just a little bit.”

I don’t know if it was because he was sweating a lot or because his face was a little haggard, but the chairman looked very weak.

He was definitely a robotic person with a bit of a blind side, but he also had this kind of affectionate side…

I don’t want to waste this hard-earned opportunity.

I placed my right hand over the back of the Chairman’s hand and brought it to my cheek.

The chairman’s hand was incredibly warm thanks to having been holding it until just now.

It wasn’t just the silk hands that were warm.

Blue eyes that were usually reminiscent of frozen ice.

I could feel the same feeling as the chairman’s name in those eyes.

The sky. It was a cloudless sky on a bright spring day.

“So don’t blame yourself. The picnic we had with Haru Yang was fun. Seriously.”

“Uh, how….”

I was lost in the Chairman’s eyes for a moment, but then I came to my senses at the sound of his voice and stepped back.

How did you know I was blaming myself?

“The daily amount is easy to understand.”

I let go of the chairman’s hand and felt my face.

Did it show on his face? No, what kind of expression is that, blaming himself for the picnic?

dripping.

As I was floundering in the waves of confusion, someone quietly knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

The person who came in as soon as the chairman’s permission was given.

It was the nurse who came with the attending physician earlier.

“For the next two to three days, don’t overdo it, and don’t skip meals. Make sure to eat properly. If you collapse like you did today, it will have a bigger negative impact on your work.”

A nurse gently guides you while removing the Ringer needle.

I wanted to say something like that, but somehow I felt like the good part was taken away.

“… … .”

The chairman did not respond to the nurse’s instructions. The nurse also remained faithful to her role as if it was something she was used to.

As I was watching that scene, a bad thought suddenly came to my mind.

I somehow found it nice that the Chairman was blunt towards others.

I guess I’m secretly quite possessive. Well, if I thought that Hanna Yeon was being kind to other people… that might be painful in its own way.

“You may feel dizzy when you wake up, so it is recommended that you rest for another hour or two. Be sure to return home today.”

“Oh, yes! I’ll definitely take you in.”

But I thought it was too much for him not to even answer, so I nodded and made a promise instead.

“Seriously, tightly… .”

Sneak.

I turn my head to check the chairman’s expression. Surely he won’t start working as soon as he wakes up?

“Today… I will follow your opinion.”

I guess that’s what he was thinking.

The chairman answered in a tired voice only after I glared at him fiercely.

“We recommend that you rest until tomorrow, but… .”

At the same time, the nurse finished organizing the syringe needle and IV line and turned around.

“That would be too greedy.”

You must have had a hard time.

All the hard work up to that point was buried in the nurse’s one word full of resignation.

“Take care of yourself, and if your condition does not improve, be sure to contact us.”

“Yes, yes! Thank you!”

I bowed deeply to the nurse who was dragging the ringer holder out.

“Let’s go back.”

At the same time, the Chairman got out of bed, completely ignoring the advice he had heard only five minutes ago.

“Come on, Chairman? Please lie down for another hour or two… .”

“It’s more efficient to go back and rest.”

A situation where the person who was trying to stop him ended up being refuted and became mute.

But the chairman’s body didn’t seem to be moving logically.

The chairman, who was trying to get up from bed, staggered a little and sat down again.

“You’re staggering!”

“It’s okay, this much is… .”

I ran to the chairman who was trying to get up again and grabbed his arm.

“And I think I’ll feel better if I get away from work.”

The chairman smiles with difficulty.

He doesn’t want to go to work, he just wants to go home and rest, and there’s no way to stop him…

“Then… I, I’ll carry you!”

“That’s not appropriate attire.”

I checked the chairman’s attire in response to his immediate reply.

A neat black suit and pitch-black stockings that barely show any flesh.

It was the same outfit as always, but the problem was that it included a rather tight suit skirt.

If you carry it in this condition, the skirt will definitely ride up… .

“That…uh…what did he say…? I think it would be okay to say “Hold the princess…?” .”

Actually, it just popped into my head. I was just embarrassed to say it out loud, so I pretended to stutter.

“This is a company… .”

As expected, the chairman looked at me like I was a strange person and made me wake up to reality.

“That’s right! Oh, that, then! Get the stretcher ready!”

“There’s no need to bother with that. Instead… .”

The second one suggested a somewhat more normal method, but even that was rejected.

“Is it okay if I borrow your shoulder for a moment?”

The chairman put his hand on my shoulder and suggested a better solution.

Well, if something like that comes into the company, there will definitely be an uproar.

“Ah, yes, yes! Of course! My shoulder is your shoulder! Lean on it comfortably!”

I shrugged my shoulders, exaggerating my embarrassment.

But what the chairman wanted from my shoulder was just to use it as a support.

“Be careful… .”

“Thank you.”

We managed to get out of the company without attracting too much attention.

We got into the limousine that had been waiting in advance, buried ourselves in the soft backrests, and smiled languidly as we looked at each other’s sweaty faces.

The Chairman must have had a hard time walking with his ailing body, and I also had to bear some of the Chairman’s weight to get here.

“When you get home…you should lie down and go to sleep right away.”

“I know.”

Because the silence was uncomfortable, I reminded the nurse of what she had asked me to do.

And I’m choosing what to say next.

Bam.

A light weight was lifted from my shoulders.

“Chairman… Are you feeling very unwell?”

The chairman shook his head while leaning gently on my shoulder.

Then, he slightly looks up, looks at me, and curls the corners of his mouth.

“One day’s shoulder is my shoulder… right?”

The chairman is playing a joke on me!

Embarrassed and at the same time so touched, I couldn’t even think about having a conversation and just said yes in a choked up voice.

“That’s right… !”

A nice, inexplicable scent and hair tickling the back of my neck.

And just the fact that the Chairman and I are so close makes me so nervous.

Unlike the Chairman, who seemed to be comfortable with his eyes closed, I couldn’t even blink properly until I arrived at the Chairman’s house.