Gwak Seung-hyeon’s mother, Jo Jeong-hee, had one of the kindest appearances of anyone Seon-woo had ever met. However, in this moment, she felt more intimidating than anyone else. The fact that simply making eye contact and exchanging greetings with her could lower his Gwanggong score was enough to make anyone feel uneasy. He couldn’t help but avert his gaze, feeling the cold sweat trickling down his back. Seon-woo managed to barely open his mouth and finish his greeting.
“……Yes.”
Perhaps because his score had already dropped once, thankfully, there was no further decrease. Seeing Jo Jeong-hee’s face, which smiled brightly at even his one-word answer, left him feeling incredibly uncomfortable.
He thought it would be nice if Gwak Seung-hyeon would say something to break the silence, but he remained quiet. When their eyes met, Gwak Seung-hyeon smiled faintly. It seemed like Gwak Seung-hyeon was someone who knew how to lift the mood, so there had to be a reason he remained silent, but Seon-woo couldn’t figure out what it was.
Feeling awkward, Seon-woo turned his head, and it was Jo Jeong-hee who began the conversation first.
“How have you been lately? I didn’t get the chance to properly ask you last time, and it’s been on my mind…”
She seemed to be carefully choosing her words. Her tone was cautious, but she wasn’t hesitating too much. It seemed her initial impression of being a quiet person was entirely off.
“Not much has changed. Work… has been busy,” Seon-woo replied.
<Gwanggong score decreased by 3.>
Just from that simple response, his score dropped again. He couldn’t even guess how much the system disapproved of her. While the system hadn’t been particularly friendly to Gwak Sang-cheol either, it didn’t deduct points every time he spoke. It was clear that the system’s reaction to Jo Jeong-hee was unusually extreme.
Though Seon-woo kept a cold expression, he didn’t let on what was happening to him. Neither Jo Jeong-hee nor Gwak Seung-hyeon was aware of his Gwanggong score dropping. After all, the very concept of such a score attached to a person was beyond common knowledge.
Jo Jeong-hee eagerly asked another question. Gwak Seung-hyeon, still smiling, listened to their conversation.
“Surely, you’ve lost quite a bit of weight since I last saw you… It’s been a while, after all.”
From the way Jeong-hee spoke, it seemed Gwanggong had disliked even meeting her, and it had been quite some time since he’d last seen her. Of course, Seon-woo didn’t remember that particular time, but since Jeong-hee was referring to Gwanggong, he felt a little embarrassed. Thirsty, he reached for the wine glass in front of him. He felt so stifled that he wanted to drink the pre-meal wine as if it were water.
<Gwanggong score decreased by 2.>
This time, he didn’t even open his mouth to reply. Seon-woo was stunned by the absurdity of it all. While he was bewildered, Jo Jeong-hee seemed to have thought of something and, laughing joyfully, added,
“Kids really grow up so fast… I thought it was just that kid.”
It was said while looking at Seung-hyeon. When suddenly singled out, Seung-hyeon laughed as if to say he couldn’t believe it and replied.
“You do remember how old I am, right?”
“Even if you’re not thirty but fifty, you’re still my son.”
Seeing the rather light-hearted atmosphere, Seon-woo found himself wondering if he had been mistaken about something. Such natural joking and comfortable vibes… Had the relationship been fine all along, only Gwanggong being the only thing that had thrown him off? But it didn’t feel entirely that way, especially since conversations would suddenly be interrupted by Jeong-hee’s sharp glances that lingered. That was definitely a look that was reading the room.
“…How is aunt doing?”
<Your Gwanggong score has decreased by 4.>
He had intended to ask, “How is aunt these days?” or “What is aunt doing?” but the words that actually came out were simply those. Even calling her “aunt” had reduced his score. Had the system really found that title so off-putting? Lost in thought, Seon-woo once again grasped his wine glass. He had only been drinking the pre-dinner wine so far, unable to even taste the appetizer. He wasn’t bothered by the displeasure as much as wondering, What happens to my meal? He pondered whether he could still eat with this situation.
Jeong-hee, on the other hand, seemed to have figured out what Seon-woo had been about to say after only hearing six words. Without asking any further questions, she answered on her own.
“I’ve been growing some plants at home lately.”
<Your Gwanggong score has decreased by 2.>
It seemed the system had decided that every word exchanged with Jeong-hee would lower his score. Honestly, when he agreed to come here, he had anticipated that his Gwanggong score would drop. So he had come prepared, maintaining a score high enough to handle a certain amount of loss. Given that it had dropped 16 points so far, he thought he had made a good choice.
However, wasn’t this too much? Just as he thought this, another notification popped up.
<Your current Gwanggong score is 49.>
As expected… Seon-woo quietly sighed to himself. It wasn’t entirely unexpected that his score would drop to this point. He had thought he could withstand one or two status effects and still manage to eat. Plus, he had hoped that if his score dropped below a certain level, the system would turn off again, like last time.
But the situation was going in a direction Seon-woo hadn’t anticipated.
<Your Gwanggong score is below 50. “Status Effect: Hyperventilation” has occurred! Please raise your Gwanggong score to resolve it.>
Hyperventilation? The moment Seon-woo confirmed the name of the status effect, his face turned pale with shock. And right after, he felt a tightness in his chest, as if he was struggling to breathe.
In an instant, Seon-woo’s face alternated between becoming pale and then flushed, and he began to breathe quickly. His chest felt tight, and his vision became blurry. It wasn’t just embarrassing; it was absurd, a penalty he hadn’t anticipated. Because hyperventilation is usually triggered by psychological anxiety, even though he had been fine moments ago, a sudden feeling of unease and fear washed over him.
He had heard that people usually don’t die from hyperventilation unless there’s another underlying condition. You could usually calm down just by holding a bag to your face or even breathing into your sleeve. But right now, Seon-woo wasn’t experiencing natural hyperventilation. He was dealing with a symptom forcibly induced by the system. Even if he calmed down now, it didn’t seem like the problem would resolve.
“Gwak Seon-woo? Gwak Seon-woo. Are you alright?”
<Gwanggong score decreased by 1.>
Jo Jeong-hee, seeing his condition, asked with concern. Seon-woo was too out of breath to answer. Would the system turn off if he spoke with her long enough, lowering his score below 40? He wasn’t sure, but the only solutions he could think of were either that or causing a scene to raise his score. However, it was hard to see how he could raise his Gwanggong score to that level right now.
The system likely wanted Seon-woo to stop having a pleasant meal with Jeong-hee and instead unleash a barrage of insults, like a true Gwanggong would. If he did that, maybe his score would recover. But that wasn’t why he came here, and he certainly didn’t want to do that. He couldn’t just follow the system’s demands.
Moreover, even if he raised his score, the abnormal status wouldn’t disappear right away. Gasping for air, Seon-woo wrapped his hand around his throat and raised his head to look at Jo Jeong-hee and Gwak Seung-hyeon. His rapid breathing caused tears to well up in his eyes. Closing and reopening his eyes to clear his vision, he resolved, as he had initially thought, that he needed to get his Gwanggong score below 40 here.
However, just at that moment, the options appeared.
▶(Stand up and leave the seat.)
▶(Stand up and run out.)
The options were clear in their intent. Barely able to read what was written, Seon-woo muttered an expletive under his breath. He couldn’t refuse it now, especially not in the current situation.
Rather than making a scene and making things worse, he decided to get up from his seat. Ignoring the loud clatter of the chair, he turned his back on them. If he walked out now, it would definitely make them uncomfortable, but making them a little uncomfortable was far better than hearing insults.
As Seon-woo hurriedly left, he heard someone calling behind him.
“Director. Wait a moment. Director!”
Had he ever heard such a desperate voice from Gwak Seung-hyeon before? It was strange that such a thought crossed his mind at this moment. Hearing that voice, Seon-woo somehow felt like Gwak Seung-hyeon might chase after him. Without listening any longer, he kept walking briskly, not paying attention to whether Gwak Seung-hyeon followed or not.
Seon-woo ran out to the main road without a second thought. Once he took in the outside air, it seemed a bit easier to breathe than it had moments ago. Still, with his dizzying head, he thought to himself.
Should I have gone to the parking lot? Why did I come out here of all places? It’s like I was drawn to it…
But for some reason, the car he had parked neatly in the lot was now strangely right in front of him. It was odd, but he didn’t have the time to ponder it any further. Without hesitation, he got into the car. He gripped the steering wheel and tried to take a deep breath, but he still couldn’t seem to breathe properly.
“Director.”
Gasping for air, he barely registered the voice calling out. Though it wasn’t very clear, muffled by the car door, he recognized it immediately. Just as he had expected, Gwak Seung-hyeon had followed him out. With a tense expression, he glanced at Seon-woo’s car before quickly opening the passenger door and jumping into the seat.
