Survive! Gwanggong!

“No, but how does someone even lose clothes like that?”

Seo Eun-jae had already asked the same question multiple times. The dry cleaner’s response remained unchanged each time. The company had lost the clothes, and if they could provide proof of purchase, they would compensate a portion of the price.

It was an absurd situation, but Gwak Seon-woo remained calm. No matter how ridiculous things got, he often found himself simply accepting them with a thought of, “Is this just how things work in this game?”

If I actually go and get a receipt to claim compensation… would my Gwanggong Score drop because a Gwanggong wouldn’t stoop to something so petty?

By now, Seon-woo had a decent understanding of how the system worked. After a brief moment of thought, he decided to cut his losses and let the clothes go. However, unlike him, Seo Eun-jae looked utterly devastated. He kept asking the dry cleaner, “Are you sure it’s really gone?” and “Could you please check one more time?” only accepting reality after hearing the same answer several times.

Well, for a chaebol, this might be nothing… but for an ordinary person?

Even if it wasn’t Eun-jae in this situation, if the original, humble Gwak Seon-woo had been the one dealing with it, he would have made the same expression.

Wanting to console the stunned Seo Eun-jae, Seon-woo spoke in a calm tone.

“It’s fine. I’ll just consider it a lost cause, so don’t worry about it.”

It wasn’t the most considerate way to phrase it, but there was no helping it. Of course, Seo Eun-jae didn’t seem convinced at all. Naturally, he wouldn’t just accept it with a relieved, “Really? Phew, that’s a relief! Thank you!” But Seon-woo genuinely meant it, so he wanted to hear Eun-jae acknowledge it as soon as possible.

“That’s not right. If there’s a difference in cost, I’ll cover it myself.”

Looking at Eun-jae’s determined expression, Seon-woo thought, With what money, exactly?

He had never asked outright, but judging by Eun-jae’s youthful face, he couldn’t be past his late twenties at most. And unless there was some hidden setting that made him a secret chaebol, he was undoubtedly just an ordinary young professional. Yet here he was, saying he’d pay for a Gwanggong’s coat out of his own pocket.

And if I actually told him to pay up…

His Gwanggong Score would probably drop by about 15 points. A wealthy man taking money from someone barely getting by? That would be the epitome of pathetic.

Just as Seon-woo was about to reassure him once more that it was really fine, a selection window appeared in front of him.

▶ “Then at least treat me to a meal.”

▶ “Then at least treat me to a drink.”

▶ “Then at least pay me back with your body.”

He had expected the system to enforce his refusal to take anything in return, so the options were a little unexpected. But considering this was just a way to entangle him further with Seo Eun-jae, it made sense. Besides, if he insisted on receiving nothing, Eun-jae likely wouldn’t accept it either. This was a reasonable compromise.

Option three was so absurd that he dismissed it without a second thought. And since he wasn’t particularly fond of drinking, option two wasn’t appealing either. That left only one choice.

Given that he had to maintain his “Gwanggong-ness” and was practically starving most of the time, if Seo Eun-jae treated him to a meal, he would actually be quite grateful.

Seon-woo decisively selected the first option.

“Then at least treat me to a meal.”

Even after hearing that, Seo Eun-jae still looked unconvinced. He seemed to be deep in thought for a while before finally answering seriously.

“I’ll buy you a meal… about twenty times.”

It seemed he’d decided that stubbornly insisting any further wasn’t the right move. Seon-woo was secretly pleased at the thought of securing twenty meals, but outwardly, he waved it off as unnecessary.

That day, Seo Eun-jae drove Seon-woo home and apologized at least thirty times along the way. Seon-woo got so tired of repeatedly telling him it was fine that he nearly stopped responding altogether. Even after dropping him off, Eun-jae promised at least three more times that he would definitely buy him a meal before finally leaving.

To Seon-woo, the suggestion had been nothing more than a casual “Let’s grab a meal sometime.” But to Eun-jae, the lost coat must have been a much bigger shock, something he felt genuinely guilty about. That became evident when, the moment Seon-woo arrived home, a message came in.

[Eun-jae: I’ll start treating you to dinner tomorrow night.]

He wasn’t sure what kind of response would be the most “Gwanggong-like,” but since he was practically on the verge of starvation, there was no reason to refuse. He immediately replied, agreeing to the dinner and setting up a time.

However, the next morning, a single message shattered his expectations.

[Eun-jae: Director ㅠㅠ I’m really sorry. A company dinner suddenly came up, and I can’t get out of it…]

Seon-woo didn’t feel the need to scold him for breaking the promise. After all, he himself was an executive at the company Eun-jae worked at—he had no right to complain.

Still, his mind went back to his pitiful breakfast. That morning, like always, he had only managed to down a bitter cup of coffee before heading to work. He had been looking forward to finally having a proper meal at dinner, so the disappointment hit harder than expected.

It felt strange to be so affected by just one missed meal. Letting out a dry chuckle, Seon-woo opened the chat to type out a simple “Got it.” But before he could send it, a selection window suddenly popped up in front of him.

▶ [Skip it.]

▶ [Missing one company dinner won’t be a big deal.]

“Can I really say that?”

He had expected the system to give him a cool and indifferent response, something befitting a Gwanggong. But this choice was unexpectedly pushy. Curious about how the conversation would unfold, Seon-woo went along with it and selected the option.

[Seon-woo: Skip it.]

[Eun-jae: …What?]

Seo Eun-jae must have been at a loss for words because his response was nothing more than a single-character reply.

[Eun-jae: …?]

Without hesitation, Seon-woo selected the most reasonable option from the next set of choices.

[Seon-woo: I’ll take responsibility.]

[Seon-woo: Be ready to leave after work. Tell them you won’t be attending.]

He didn’t even wait for Eun-jae’s reply before sending both messages in quick succession. For a long while, there was no response—whether because Eun-jae was too dumbfounded or simply caught off guard. It was only after some time that he finally sent a short message.

[Eun-jae: Understood.]

Even as he made his way down to Eun-jae’s department just before the end of the workday, Seon-woo couldn’t help but wonder, Is this really okay?

As an executive, showing up like this could easily lead to strange rumors. He worried that Eun-jae might get caught up in some kind of office gossip—maybe even accused of being involved in something shady.

But the moment he arrived in front of Sales Team 2, that concern completely vanished.

Spotting Eun-jae inside, Seon-woo casually leaned against the doorframe. One of the team members standing nearby glanced at him with a puzzled expression. The moment the employee realized who he was, their face paled as if they were about to collapse.

Inside, Eun-jae appeared to be in the middle of explaining his reason for missing the company dinner.

“I won’t be able to attend the team dinner today. I already informed the team leader…” He suddenly trailed off.

It seemed he had spotted Seon-woo in the midst of the group. His gaze flickered toward him, and he quickly added,

“I have a personal matter to attend to with Director Gwak Seon-woo.”

The reaction from the other employees wasn’t at all what Seon-woo had expected. Rather than suspicion, they looked at Eun-jae as if he were being dragged off to his execution. Their gazes were filled with nothing but deep sympathy.

One employee, particularly expressive in his concern, even muttered under his breath,

“No, Assistant Manager Seo… how did you end up like this…?”

Noticing Seon-woo’s presence, the man immediately clamped his mouth shut with an audible gulp. But another, bolder colleague pulled Eun-jae aside and asked in a hushed voice,

“Assistant Manager, what’s going on? Are you getting fired?”

“What are you talking about? It’s nothing like that. I just happened to owe him a favor and wanted to treat him to a meal… It just so happened to overlap with the team dinner.”

Though they were whispering, Seon-woo caught every word. Just from this exchange, it was painfully obvious what kind of reputation he had within the company. Then again, a Gwanggong known for being friendly with employees would’ve been even stranger.

Still, hearing it right next to him left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Crossing his arms, Seon-woo cleared his throat.

Immediately, all murmuring ceased.

At that moment, a familiar voice called out from behind him.

“What’s all this about?”

It was Gwak Seung-hyeon.

Since Seung-hyeon was Eun-jae’s team leader, it wasn’t surprising to see him here.

Yet, Seon-woo’s eyes widened slightly in surprise at his sudden appearance.

Seung-hyeon glanced at Seon-woo briefly before walking past him and stepping further inside.

“Assistant Manager Seo, skipping the company dinner? But you were one of the key players in this project…”

“Team Leader?”

“You know you shouldn’t skip.”

Seung-hyeon approached Eun-jae, resting a friendly hand on his shoulder with a warm smile.

Eun-jae frowned, grabbed Seung-hyeon’s arm, and subtly turned his body. Then, positioning himself so that his lips were out of Seon-woo’s line of sight, he whispered,

“Team Leader, what are you doing all of a sudden? You’re not usually like this.”

Of course, Seon-woo heard everything. Whether it was because a Gwanggong’s hearing was just that sharp or because Eun-jae’s whispering wasn’t really that quiet, he wasn’t sure.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Assistant Manager Seo.”

Seung-hyeon widened his eyes in a look of pure innocence.

Eun-jae gritted his teeth, but against Seung-hyeon’s ever-pleasant expression, he seemed helpless.

Ignoring Eun-jae’s frustration, Seung-hyeon turned his gaze toward Seon-woo, who had been silently observing the exchange.

“So, why are you skipping the company dinner all of a sudden? Is it because of Director Gwak Seon-woo?”

“…Yes, I have plans.”

“What kind of plans?”

“Just… a dinner.”

Eun-jae’s voice was curt, but his casual attitude suggested a certain level of familiarity between them.

Seung-hyeon, listening to the reply, suddenly clapped his hands together as if he had just come up with a brilliant idea.

“Then the director should just come along, too.”

He said it with a completely straight face, as if it were the most obvious solution in the world.