Chapter 77
“Take care of yourself. You said you’d be back at work the day after tomorrow, right?”
“Probably.”
“Alright, call me if anything comes up.”
As Suyeon patted my shoulder a couple of times and left through the door, I couldn’t help but mull over her words.
The impact of what Suyeon had said was that great.
“EnsonGT’s listing...”
Honestly, I had expected this topic to come up at some point.
Just looking at the sales of Girls Memorial and Reverse Arcadia, one could see that they were already comparable to the annual sales of a decent mid-to-large-sized game company.
If you included the PC Game side, the sales were practically on par with Enson Korea Headquarters.
But this was from a management perspective; as a Developer, I was absolutely against it.
From a Developer’s standpoint, there was absolutely nothing good about it.
All development would be prioritized towards direct profit, with constant mindfulness of shareholders.
And as the Company’s reputation grew, more and more hangers-on would join, simply for the name.
Ultimately, a listing would lead to a decline in Development capabilities in the long term.
Of course, if there were only downsides, one might ask why most companies are so desperate to go public...
The reason was simple.
*Money*.
As they say, games are the culmination of culture, but ultimately, they’re a business that devours enormous amounts of money.
That’s why most companies are so desperate for a listing to secure these development funds...
But this wasn’t really relevant to us.
We weren’t a Company so desperate for capital that we needed to beg shareholders, nor did we have any reason to.
I made these facts clear to Suyeon, stating my opposition unequivocally.
Suyeon, perhaps not expecting such a strong reaction from me, nodded with a bewildered expression.
Anyway, thinking I had overcome a major hurdle, I finally lay down on the bed and let out a sigh.
“Cough, cough.”
A sudden cough.
The medicine seemed to be wearing off, and the flu symptoms were starting to return.
I’ll think about the rest when I wake up. For now, let’s get some sleep...
Before the symptoms worsened, I burrowed under the covers and closed my eyes.
Fortunately, I managed to fall asleep before the flu symptoms got any worse.
***
Knock, knock, knock.
The sound of knocking on the door.
At that sound, my consciousness floated to the surface, and my eyes opened.
Should I call it déjà vu?
I definitely felt like I’d had the exact same experience just a few hours ago...
Coughing, I picked up my padded jacket and walked to the front door.
I told Yerin and the other Team Members not to come because they might catch it... So who could it be?
Curiosity piqued, I checked outside the Front Door via the Intercom and saw a familiar figure.
A sharp impression and a bob cut that brushed her shoulders.
It was Yerin, the one I had talked to earlier today.
*I told her not to come, honestly...*
Just as I was debating whether to open it or not,
Yerin’s voice called out to me again, while she knocked on the door, and I sighed, then opened it.
My Director self urged me not to open it and send her away, but I simply couldn’t.
My personality wasn’t cold enough to turn away an acquaintance who came to visit just on the assumption that they might catch something.
If she catches it, I can just outsource or do whatever to cover it.
Thinking that, I opened the door, and Yerin’s familiar figure came into view.
“Senior, are you feeling any better?”
She was holding a Fruit Basket in both hands, with an apologetic expression.
It seemed the words I’d said earlier, telling her not to come, were weighing on her mind.
I looked down at Yerin’s expressionless face, then shook my head as if there was nothing to be done, and let her in.
“I told you not to come. But since you’re already here, there’s nothing for it. Come on in.”
At that, Yerin smiled and entered the house.
Seeing the large two-room apartment, which was quite spacious for a single person, she asked with a surprised expression.
“Senior, isn’t this too big for one person?”
“It is big, but when I moved in, there weren’t any better places available. And it’s better than being cramped, right?”
“Ah... I suppose so.”
Nodding, Yerin entered the room and first placed the fruit basket she’d brought on the desk.
Then, perhaps noticing the Fruit Basket Suyeon had brought earlier, she asked me.
“Was someone here to visit before me?”
“Yeah. The CEO.”
“Hmm...”
At my answer, Yerin nodded as if she’d expected it.
Rumors of favoritism were openly circulating within the Company, so I just let it be.
However, Yerin’s expression gave me the distinct impression that something was bothering her...
But when our eyes met, Yerin’s expression smoothed out as if it had been a lie, and she took out an apple, then asked.
“Senior, should I peel an apple for you?”
“I already had an apple earlier today, so...”
“Then I’ll peel a peach for you.”
Given Yerin’s tone, which implied no arguments would be accepted, I could only nod.
“You have a knife and plates, right?”
“I do, but I haven’t washed them since I used them earlier today, so they’ll need cleaning.”
Nodding at my answer, Yerin took two peaches and headed to the kitchen.
Watching Yerin’s retreating back, I asked.
“Anything unusual at the Company?”
“Just the usual, I guess.”
“What about the illustrations decided on at the morning meeting?”
In response to my question, Yerin came back into the room, carrying a plate with peeled peaches, and replied.
“We adjusted the sizes and sent them all to the printer. They said it would take about two weeks.”
“Alright, that should... roughly fit the schedule.”
“Here, Senior, you don’t have to worry so much. We’ll handle things just fine, so stop worrying about the Company and have one of these.”
With those words, Yerin held a peach slice to my mouth.
“Here, eat.”
“I can eat it myself?”
Despite my words, Yerin shook her head and kept pushing it closer.
Under that strange pressure, I eventually nodded and had to eat the peach Yerin offered.
“It’s sweet and tastes good, but...”
With my throat already swollen from the flu, making it hard to swallow even saliva, trying to swallow a firm peach was quite an ordeal.
So, I ate just the one peach slice she gave me and put down the fork.
At that, Yerin, who had been chewing on a peach, quickly swallowed and asked me.
“Aren’t you having any more?”
“My throat hurts...”
“Ah.”
Only then did Yerin realize what the problem was.
She muttered, “*I should’ve bought soft peaches,*” and then put down the fork with a dejected expression.
Then, as if to make up for her mistake, she looked at me and asked.
“Senior, you haven’t had dinner yet, have you?”
“That’s right, I haven’t.”
Indeed, I hadn’t eaten anything except the breakfast I had before work and a few apple slices when Suyeon visited.
“Then, I’ll make you some porridge!”
I couldn’t help but make a wry face at Yerin’s confident declaration as she stood up.
It wasn’t like I’d known Yerin for just a day or two; of course, I knew about her Cooking Skills.
She was a mystery; despite having drawing skills superior to anyone else's, she couldn’t cook with those same hands.
That woman was Lee Yerin.
Having witnessed this for several years, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy when she confidently offered to cook.
With these feelings, I stared intently at Yerin.
At that, Yerin met my gaze with a confident expression.
Given her different attitude from before, it seemed like there was something to it.
“Still, I’ve been living alone for several years. Making porridge is no problem.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
Because of her overflowing confidence, I had no choice but to give my permission.
“All the ingredients are in the fridge, so just take what you need.”
“Yes!”
As soon as she got permission, Yerin walked straight to the kitchen.
Her demeanor was a little unsettling, but still...
Surely she wouldn’t mess up something as simple as porridge, would she?
***
I wanted to hit my past self from ten minutes ago over the head with a hammer for thinking that.
Porridge.
A simple dish is made by adding soaked rice or cooked rice to water, mixing in various ingredients, and simmering.
As the description suggests, it was a recipe that was harder to fail than to succeed at.
However, Yerin managed to achieve that difficult feat.
The accidental use of sugar instead of salt wasn’t something I worried too much about, as it was largely my fault for not labeling the jars separately.
But adding two spoonfuls of fish sauce instead of soy sauce, claiming it was a secret ingredient, was something I absolutely could not tolerate.
“Yerin...”
“Yes, yes...?”
Eventually, I made my way to the kitchen and called Yerin, enduring the chills as the flu symptoms returned.
At that, Yerin flinched and turned around.
Judging by her expression, it seemed she, too, realized something was going wrong.
“I’ll do it, so wait at the dining table. You’re going to eat too, right?”
“Yes...”
With a dejected expression, Yerin moved away from the sink and returned to the dining table chair.
It seemed her conscience wouldn’t allow her to insist on finishing it herself.
First, I approached the sink, emptied the contents of the boiling pot, and put new water on to boil.
Then, I roughly chopped rice and vegetables into the boiling water, seasoned them with salt, soy sauce, and Chicken Stock, and drizzled sesame oil to complete a simple vegetable porridge.
Unlike earlier, when it smelled of fish sauce, now there is the savory aroma of porridge.
Carrying two bowls of porridge to the Dining Table, I saw Yerin looking at me with an expression full of defeat.
“...Senior, where did you learn to cook?”
“I never formally learned... but I’ve been living alone for over six years, so I should at least be able to do this much.”
“...You’re talking as if you’re targeting someone, aren’t you?”
“No, that wasn’t my intention...”
Yerin scrutinized me with suspicious eyes, then sighed and picked up her spoon.
“By the way, what about the others?”
“I told them not to come because they might catch it from you, Senior.”
Yerin replied in a casual tone.
At her words, I was about to nod instinctively, but then I felt something was off and asked again.
“Then what about you?”
“Well, I know that whenever Senior gets sick, your morale always hits rock bottom, so I came to comfort you.”
“Was that so?”
“Yes. I saw it a few times back at ND Soft. It was how Senior acts when you’re sick.”
Yerin said it with an indifferent expression, but I was quite touched.
“Alright, thank you...”
“If you’re grateful, then do well. And stop piling on more work.”
Yerin grumbled, “*As if I’m not already dead tired from all the overtime lately,*” and began eating her porridge.
Seeing Yerin like that, I chuckled and started eating a spoonful of porridge myself.
After a struggle with my throat, I finally managed to finish a bowl of porridge.
Only after gently pushing Yerin out, who had offered to help with the housework, could I take my medicine and lie back down in bed.
Thinking about the piled-up housework was daunting..., but, oh well, tomorrow’s self will take care of it.
Thinking that, I closed my eyes.
For someone suffering from the flu, it wasn’t a bad way to end the day.