Chapter 12
The lawn in front of the resort.
Employees had already gathered in small groups in front of the stage.
"All right! Everyone's found a spot, right?"
The HR employee serving as MC picked up the microphone.
"We'll now begin the KJ Group workshop recreation!"
"Wooo!"
Clap, clap, clap.
The plaza filled with applause and cheers.
"But it'd be no fun if we just played games, right?"
The MC smiled and pointed to one side of the stage.
"Our CEO personally prepared the prizes for the winners!"
The employees' gazes turned toward the table.
Something covered by a red cloth sat on the table.
With the MC's announcement, the cloth was pulled away, revealing the prizes.
"A premium-plus Korean beef gift set!"
"Whoa!"
"A voucher for a stay in a five-star hotel suite!"
"No way!"
There were wireless earbuds, too.
A high-end coffee machine.
Department store gift certificates, and more.
"Why are there so many prizes?"
"The CEO really goes all out..."
"Guess a chaebol really is a chaebol."
"The CEO's the best!"
The employees' exclamations showed no signs of stopping.
Their fervent gazes turned toward me, too.
"Ahem."
Just seeing the employees happy was enough for me.
Worth spending the money.
"Excellent!"
The MC clapped his hands.
"Now that we have the prizes ready! Let's split into teams!"
The employees began murmuring.
“The way we'll select team members is….”
The HR employee lifted a transparent acrylic box high in the air.
"A draw!"
"Ooh."
"It's completely random, regardless of rank or department!"
The format was three people per team.
Employees who drew slips began gathering with others who had the same number.
A little while later.
"Number 3?"
I drew a slip marked with the number 3.
"I'm number 3 too!"
Choi Yu-ri raised her hand cheerfully.
"Huh? Me too."
Lee Ju-hee waved her slip after her.
"We're on the same team as the CEO."
"No way."
"Each team, come up with a team name! You have five minutes!"
At the host's words, the teams put their heads together.
"What should we do?"
When Lee Ju-hee asked, Choi Yu-ri glanced my way.
She smiled mischievously.
"How about Muscle Monster?"
"...?"
"The CEO's totally a muscle monster."
Laughter erupted around us.
"Pfft."
"Still, he's the CEO..."
"It suits him, though."
Lee Ju-hee clapped, too.
"Oh! That's not bad!"
I shrugged.
It was comfortable for me in a lot of ways that the employees treated me casually.
"I don't mind."
The host lifted the microphone.
"Team 3! What's your team name?"
Choi Yu-ri shouted with a bright smile.
"Muscle Monster!"
"...?"
The host paused for a moment.
"...Team 3, Muscle Monster."
The team name immediately appeared on the electronic display.
③ Muscle Monster
"...It actually went through."
Choi Yu-ri scratched her head, looking embarrassed.
"I said it as a joke..."
"I like it."
Lee Ju-hee couldn't hold back her laughter.
"Here comes Muscle Monster!"
*
"Excellent!"
After team selection and naming were over, the host picked up the microphone again.
"Now, let's begin the games!"
The employees turned their attention forward.
"The first game is... popping balloons!"
The staff came out carrying armfuls of huge balloons.
The host began reading the prepared instructions.
"Pair up, one man and one woman, and hold a balloon between your bodies—"
"Just a moment."
A low, weighty voice interrupted.
It was Kang Tae-seong.
The employees all turned to look at Kang Tae-seong.
"...?"
Kang Tae-seong slowly opened his mouth.
"Let's, um, change the method a little."
"Pardon?"
"There's no need to hug each other, is there?"
People tilted their heads in confusion.
"...?"
"Isn't that how everyone usually does it?"
"That's the fastest way to pop them, though."
The employees seemed more puzzled than anything.
Seeing that, Kang Tae-seong swallowed a sigh.
'As expected.'
This was a world inside an eroge.
The atmosphere here treated men and women pressing their bodies together while playing games as perfectly normal.
No one found it strange.
But he was different.
There was no need for an unnecessary incident to happen under the pretext of a game like this.
'This is a world where anything could happen.'
If it could be prevented, it was better to stop it in advance.
"Let's use our backs instead of our stomachs."
Kang Tae-seong continued.
"We can carry the balloon held between our backs."
The game was modified on the spot.
"Oh... That's fine, too. Then the rules are changed!"
The host shouted loudly.
"This game is Back-to-Back Balloon Relay! Get from the starting line to the turnaround point without dropping the balloon!"
The employees quickly nodded once they understood.
"Sounds fun."
"With our backs?"
"Seems even harder that way."
"Isn't that way too favorable to the CEO!"
Someone shouted indignantly.
Kang Tae-seong shrugged.
"Executive privilege."
"Wooo!"
“Make me CEO too!"
"That's so unfair!"
Laughter erupted across the venue.
The MC chuckled and nodded, too.
"All right! First event: the back-to-back balloon relay!"
Employees paired off and stood back to back.
It was a simple race: return to the turnaround point without dropping the balloon.
Team Muscle Monster was ready, too.
Kang Tae-seong and Lee Ju-hee were the first pair.
"Ready, Mr. CEO?"
"Yes."
The balloon was wedged between their backs.
"Go!"
The two of them began walking carefully.
One, two, three.
Pop!
"...?"
The balloon burst.
"Again!"
They wedged in a new balloon.
This time, they moved a little more slowly.
One, two.
Pop!
"..."
It burst again.
Lee Ju-hee turned around with a baffled expression.
"Mr. CEO."
"...Yes?"
"Why does it keep popping?"
Laughter burst out around them.
"Is it because of his back muscles?"
"That might actually be it."
On the third try.
This time, they moved at almost a crawl.
But.
Pop!
Once again, the balloon burst with a squeal.
The MC burst out laughing.
"Team Muscle Monster! They haven't managed to carry a single balloon!"
Choi Yu-ri doubled over laughing beside them.
"Mr. CEO! You really are a muscle monster!"
Lee Ju-hee couldn't hold back her laughter either.
"Our team name was foreshadowing this."
"Wait! Can we change players?"
"No! Please continue as you are!"
In the end, Team Muscle Monster finished last after popping four balloons without carrying a single one.
Kang Tae-seong scratched his head.
"...I didn't see that coming."
"It's because you're too strong, Mr. CEO."
Choi Yu-ri said with a laugh.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Laughter spread through the venue once more.
"Excellent!"
The host picked up the microphone.
"On to the second event!"
The employees turned their attention forward.
"The Love Squat!"
"...?"
Kang Tae-seong furrowed his brow slightly.
The host continued explaining.
"The winner is whoever can do the most squats while carrying or holding a teammate!"
At the host's words, murmurs spread through the crowd.
"Carry them?"
"Can we hold them?"
"Then holding them is easier."
In fact, most teams reached a similar conclusion.
Though same-gender pairs were allowed, it was overwhelmingly advantageous for a strong man to lift a lightweight woman.
"Hey, you carry me."
"Are you crazy? You're heavier."
"No, I'm not!"
The all-male teams argued over who weighed less, while...
Teams made up entirely of women were busy looking for the strongest person.
On the other hand, teams with both men and women naturally settled on who would do what.
'This much should be fine.'
Kang Tae-seong didn't try to stop them.
If this had been an eroge, they would probably have gone ahead with a game where they pressed their bodies together to pop balloons.
Compared to that, this was a perfectly wholesome game.
'There's no need to block this much.'
Kang Tae-seong looked at his two teammates in turn.
"So it's settled that I'll be the one lifting someone..."
After thinking for a moment, he asked without giving it much thought.
"Which of you weighs less?"
"..."
"..."
Silence fell.
Choi Yu-ri's face turned bright red in an instant.
"M-Mr. CEO!"
"...Yes?"
"You shouldn't ask a woman that!"
"Ah, my apologies."
Kang Tae-seong apologized readily, which only made Choi Yu-ri feel more embarrassed.
"N-No... It's..."
Just as an awkward silence was about to settle in,
Lee Ju-hee raised her hand high.
Then she patted her own stomach and said,
"I've put on weight lately."
"...?"
"So let's have Yu-ri be the one he holds."
"Y-Yes?"
Choi Yu-ri, suddenly put on the spot, widened her eyes.
"Me?"
"You're the lightest, Yu-ri."
"..."
It wasn't wrong.
She was the smallest of the three who usually spent time together.
'I thought that might be the case, but...'
Now that it was actually her turn, her heart sank.
Kang Tae-seong was going to hold her.
That one fact alone made her face feel strangely hot.
Just then.
"Team Muscle Monster!"
The host's voice rang out.
"We're out of time! Please come up onstage!"
"Ah, yes!"
Lee Ju-hee pushed her on the back.
"Yu-ri! Hurry! Mr. CEO, you too! Come on!"
"O-Okay!"
"We have to make up for it here! Good luck, both of you!"
Before she knew it, Choi Yu-ri had gone up onstage with Kang Tae-seong.
The other teams had already finished getting ready onstage.
The host raised a hand high.
"Are you ready?"
Kang Tae-seong looked at Choi Yu-ri.
"..."
Choi Yu-ri lowered her eyes, unable to meet his for no particular reason.
Then Kang Tae-seong said calmly,
"I'll pick you up."
"...Okay."
The moment she answered quietly,
Swish.
One large arm slid beneath her knees.
One of Kang Tae-seong's arms went behind her knees, and his other arm gently wrapped around her back and shoulders.
"Excuse me."
In one smooth motion, he lifted her.
"...!"
Choi Yu-ri's body rose into the air with astonishing ease.
"Huh...?"
Her eyes widened.
It was much steadier than she'd expected.
There was almost no wobble.
A natural pose, like an adult lifting a child.
"Whoa!"
"The CEO's lifting her so easily!"
"She looks really comfortable."
Exclamations of awe rose around them.
With her face bright red, Choi Yu-ri instinctively held onto the nape of Kang Tae-seong's neck lightly.
'S-So close...!'
Her vision was filled with his broad chest and firm shoulders.
The ideal-type conversation they'd had on the bus a little while ago suddenly flashed through her mind.
'...He's really like a bear.'
When her thoughts reached that point, for some reason, her face grew even hotter.