Switch Mode

Survive! Gwanggong! – Chapter 106

Seon-woo stared down at the vibrating phone on the table as if it were an explosive device. It wasn’t until the vibrations dragged on for quite a while that he finally picked it up again. In the meantime, two missed calls had already appeared on the screen. Ignoring it as if he hadn’t noticed wouldn’t solve anything this time. With a heavy heart, he answered the call, and Eun-jae’s voice came through immediately.

—Hello. Director Gwak?

Despite this being his third persistent call, Eun-jae’s voice was calm and businesslike. The everyday greeting felt almost absurd, but Seon-woo knew he had to respond.

“…What is it?”

Seon-woo kept his tone as emotionless as possible. Hearing Eun-jae call his name so casually, as if they hadn’t just seen each other yesterday, instantly brought back memories of their last encounter. He remembered how Seo Eun-jae had hurled blame and resentment at him, with nowhere to place it—and how he himself had abruptly walked away, leaving Eun-jae behind. The thought sparked a faint twinge of guilt.

That lingering guilt made it difficult to respond with cold indifference. And yet, he couldn’t bring himself to answer kindly, either. A flat, detached reply would probably sting more than a cold one, but it seemed like the best he could do.

—Have you been doing well?

Unbothered by Seon-woo’s aloof tone, Eun-jae asked about his well-being in a composed voice, as though nothing had ever happened between them. Had Seon-woo been even slightly more tired or mentally drained, he might have been pulled along by that steady pace. He might have been fooled into thinking, Maybe nothing really happened.

“What did you call about?”

But Seon-woo didn’t take the bait. Instead, he repeated the same question in an equally impassive tone. After a brief pause, Eun-jae spoke again.

—Is it really that hard to answer a simple question about how you’ve been?

The sharpness in his voice was unmistakable. There was a time when Seon-woo had thought of him as nothing more than gentle and kind—but clearly, that had been a misjudgment. Just like at their last meeting, Eun-jae didn’t bother to hide his pointed and cutting demeanor now. Whether that was his true personality or just the result of current circumstances, Seon-woo couldn’t say. After all, a person’s character isn’t permanently fixed—it can shift and change.

“What kind of answer are you hoping to hear?”

Despite Eun-jae’s barbed tone, Seon-woo didn’t waver. He gave no response to the question itself, just shot back with a hard-edged counter of his own. He had no better reply to offer—and truthfully, he was curious about what Eun-jae was expecting to hear from him.

A quiet sigh came through the receiver.

—Fine. Whatever…

Compared to the calm tone he had started with, Eun-jae now sounded noticeably dejected. His voice held a weariness—maybe even resignation. It probably wasn’t the reply he’d been hoping for. Then again, it was only natural. Seon-woo was nothing like the person Eun-jae had expected… or perhaps wanted to get to know—the ‘Gwanggong’ of his imagination. All Seon-woo could do was feel sorry about that.

So he remained silent. And after a long pause, Eun-jae finally seemed to have regained his composure enough to speak again.

—I called because I have something to tell you. Just like you said, Director.

Seon-woo decided not to react to Eun-jae’s sharp tone. It seemed he really did have a reason for calling. Of course, after parting the way they had, it would’ve been strange for him to suddenly reach out just to exchange pleasantries. With that thought, Seon-woo gave a reply that was, by his standards, fairly generous.

“Go ahead.”

He answered with a strictly businesslike tone. But Eun-jae, without a hint of hesitation or timidity, immediately rejected the offer.

—…I don’t think this is something we should talk about over the phone.

How serious could it be if it couldn’t even be said over a call? As far as Gwak Seon-woo was concerned, the only thing that really warranted that kind of privacy was a love confession. A love confession from Seo Eun-jae…?

Considering how closely Eun-jae’s behavior resembled obsession, it wasn’t entirely out of the realm of possibility. But right now? Not in this icy, tension-filled atmosphere.

“Are you asking to meet?”

Seon-woo asked with a deliberately flat tone, void of any emotion. Eun-jae responded immediately, without a moment’s pause.

—Yes. Where are you right now?

Upon hearing that, a wave of exhaustion suddenly crashed over Seon-woo. Leaning back in his seat, he let out a deep sigh and answered with words soaked in fatigue.

“Do I really have to tell you that…”

It wasn’t so much an answer as it was a sigh-laced murmur to himself. But Eun-jae, catching on to his blatant display of irritation, shot back in a voice sharpened by tension.

—Are you with the Team Leader?

Out of nowhere. That question was completely unexpected. Seon-woo, eyes closed just moments ago, opened them again in disbelief. Why was this topic suddenly surfacing again? Why was everyone so obsessed with dragging Gwak Seung-hyeon into this?

His exhaustion was swiftly replaced by irritation. If he had actually been with Seung-hyeon, at least he could’ve claimed some sense of justification. But in truth, he was being kept from going to him precisely because of Eun-jae’s interruption. Seon-woo made no effort to hide his displeasure as he replied.

“Why don’t you quit with the pointless questions.”

—Are you with him?

Despite the curt response, Eun-jae refused to back down. Like a parrot, he repeated the same question. It was obvious that he wouldn’t stop until he got an answer—but even so, Seon-woo had no intention of giving him one.

He tapped the surface of the table lightly with a finger, saying nothing. Still waiting, Eun-jae’s voice came again, now colder and more biting.

—I don’t understand why you won’t just answer. If you’re with him, just say so. If not, just say you’re not.

Finally, Seon-woo’s tightly shut lips parted.

“I don’t even understand why I need to meet you in the first place.”

Words the original Gwanggong would never have uttered. At least, never to Seo Eun-jae. The Gwanggong was supposed to be someone who dropped his guard only for Seo Eun-jae—who softened only when it came to him.

Maybe that was why Eun-jae seemed at a loss for words. After a long silence, he finally managed to speak—barely.

—…It’s something important.

“You haven’t even said what it’s about. Do you really think it’s okay to drag someone out with no explanation?”

Even with Eun-jae’s strained voice, Seon-woo showed no signs of softening. Whether he was conflicted or not, Eun-jae let out only a shallow breath before quietly speaking again.

—You must have something weighing on your mind.

This time, Seon-woo couldn’t immediately brush it off with a cold retort. The words hit a nerve. A stream of names, starting with Gwak Sang-cheol, flashed through his mind. While Seon-woo remained silent, Eun-jae continued speaking—remarkably composed for someone who had just been so bluntly rejected.

—You said you were curious about what I know.

Seon-woo didn’t answer. If Eun-jae were standing in front of him, he might’ve simply nodded in reply. That he couldn’t do even that was a minor irritation.

—You know it’s not over just because Executive Director Gwak Sang-cheol got arrested.

That sealed it.

Whatever Eun-jae wanted to say, it was clearly something important to Seon-woo too. As if certain of what Seon-woo’s answer would be, Eun-jae calmly posed the question again.

—Let me ask again. Where are you right now?

Since Seo Eun-jae said he would come in person, Seon-woo stayed put and waited for him at the hospital café. Eun-jae had sounded a little confused when he heard where Seon-woo was, but Seon-woo didn’t bother explaining.

Instead, he flipped the question around. Not to ask whether Eun-jae really did know something, but to ask why he wanted to share it.

Eun-jae said it was because he wanted to help Gwak Seon-woo.

It was a hard claim to take at face value. After all, he was in the middle of being thoroughly rejected by Seon-woo—and yet, he still claimed to want to help him. Was Seo Eun-jae really the kind of person so brimming with pure-hearted loyalty? Maybe if he were the ‘main su’ from the original work… but…

If Seon-woo was being honest with himself, he didn’t think Eun-jae was as sweet, naive, or cheerful as he was in the source material. Then again, not knowing the original story in full, it was hard to say for sure.

But some things had to be acknowledged.

Unless he heard it from Seo Eun-jae, getting to the truth was going to remain a distant possibility. And with people like Gwak Sang-hwa already starting to suspect him, there was no guarantee more wouldn’t follow. Letting his guard down could very well lead to false accusations—and that would make things far worse for him.

Not long after, Seo Eun-jae walked into the hospital café. He spotted Seon-woo and hurried over. He’d sounded calm on the phone, but clearly, he wasn’t as composed as he pretended to be. Still, to show it so openly like that… If it had been Seung-hyeon, that kind of emotional display would’ve been unthinkable…

Startled by that passing thought, Seon-woo made a conscious effort to cut it off. Eun-jae spoke first.

“You were really here.”

“I figured you might worry if you ended up coming for nothing.”

He shrugged lightly as he replied. It wouldn’t have been hard to send Eun-jae on a wild goose chase with the wrong location, but he didn’t have the time for that—and it wouldn’t have been very Gwanggong-like, either.

Eun-jae cautiously asked,

“What brings you to the hospital?”

“The Chairman collapsed.”

Seon-woo answered without hesitation. He could see Eun-jae’s eyes widen in surprise. Whether it was because he hadn’t expected this situation, or because he hadn’t expected Seon-woo to respond so readily—it was hard to tell.

“You look surprised. Did you not see this coming?”

He cut straight to the point. Eun-jae swallowed hard before responding.

“…It wasn’t something that was supposed to happen.”

So he wasn’t even trying to hide that he knew anymore. Not that it mattered—Seon-woo had already suspected as much. Still, it did catch him off guard. He had known his presence had altered the original storyline, but the Chairman collapsing hadn’t been part of the script—that much was news to him.

Raising his brows in mild surprise, Seon-woo quickly moved on. There was no time to waste.

“Let’s hear it, then.”

“I don’t think this is the right place to talk about it.”

Again. The pounding in his head returned. A surge of irritation slipped past his restraint. And he didn’t bother to hide it.

Grabbing the cooling coffee cup in front of him, Seon-woo snapped coldly.

“You said you couldn’t talk over the phone, so you came out here—and now you’re saying you can’t talk here either? What’s it going to take, locking the door and staring each other in the face before your mouth opens?”

The sarcasm dripped from his voice. Hearing himself speak like that felt strange, almost foreign—but that odd sensation quickly evaporated, thanks to Eun-jae’s calm reply.

“Then that sounds perfect.”

Levia
Author: Levia

Survive! Gwanggong!

Survive! Gwanggong!

Status: Completed Author:

I transmigrated into a BL game created by my junior.

Same name, completely different people—there was no common ground between Gwanggong "Gwak Seon-woo" and the ordinary, everyday "Gwak Seon-woo."

A house so devoid of life that it seemed untouched by human existence, an all-black interior, a fridge stocked with nothing but Evian and whiskey.

"Ah! That’s cold!"

< Inappropriate speech for a Gwanggong detected. Gwanggong Score -9. >

Showering under a sunflower showerhead with no control over water temperature.

Desperately craving hot chocolate but limited to espresso and black coffee.

Unable to eat his all-time favorite Dakhanmari, or even a basic franchise sandwich.

Fighting tooth and nail to keep a meal from being canceled by the system at random.

"Can’t I just… have one decent meal?"

< Gwanggong does not obsess over food. Gwanggong Score -2. >

< Current Gwanggong Score: 49. >

< Warning: Status Effect [Insomnia] activated due to Gwanggong Score dropping below 50. Raise your Gwanggong Score to resolve this issue. >

In this brutal world, the only person capable of making a Gwanggong live like an actual human being... is the main uke.

…Or so the system claims.

But there is no way in hell Seon-woo is letting things get weird.

The unexplainable affection toward the main uke.

The uncontrollable rage that boils over at the sight of a second gong.

he forced emotions shoved down his throat by the system.

Seon-woo does his best to ignore it all as he focuses on picking the right choices.

▶ "Shut up!"

▶ "Get lost!"

▶ "Bullshit!"

…If only he actually had a choice.

Comment

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
error: Content is protected !!

Options

not work with dark mode
Reset
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x