The Golden Empress's Surprise Visit
"You sure can drink, our dear Woong~"
Honestly, I couldn't think of any real enjoyment or meaning in this company dinner. Of course, outsiders might say it's an honor just to sit among such beauties. I didn't mind being surrounded by gorgeous women either, but it felt like standing inside a skyscraper that could collapse at any moment. I wished they understood that.
"Ahaha..."
The President and the Field Team Leader had been exchanging barbed compliments since earlier, while the Response Team Leader had long since stopped paying attention to anything but her phone, only occasionally picking at the food and drinks in front of her.
Press...
"No trouble at work, right? The Management Team Leader isn't bullying you or making things hard?"
"...No, she's been taking good care of me."
Ever since the food arrived, the only ones actually eating properly were the Field Team Leader and me. Even while her chopsticks moved busily, she kept her posture perfectly straight as she countered the President's remarks. As for me, I couldn't drink without snacks, so I kept stuffing food in my mouth. The President was right—the food really was delicious, which made the alcohol go down easily.
The reason I kept drinking without thinking too hard about this strange dinner was simple: it wasn't that I didn't want to think, but that I couldn't.
"Ehehe~ Good, good, drink up~ I'll have one too~ And you have another~"
On top of that, the President had somehow slipped behind me and was now clinging tightly to both shoulders, resting her face on top of my head. There was no escaping.
"...President, may I ask you something?"
"Sure~ Of course. My three sizes? What color underwear I'm wearing today? Ask anything."
"Obviously not those kinds of questions... It's just that most of the team leaders don't seem very interested in this dinner."
"Huh...? No, no, they're only being cautious because you're here today. Normally it's much more lively."
I nodded, but with the two women across from us already treating each other like mortal enemies, "lively" was hard to imagine. Why had everyone even bothered showing up? ...Including me.
"You threatened them that if they skipped the end-of-month dinner, there'd be no bonuses from now on. And you provoked the Management Team Leader and Field Team Leader by saying that skipping would be the same as running away because they didn't want to see each other."
"Aha..."
The Response Team Leader, who had been silent until now, spoke without taking her eyes off her phone screen. Thanks to her, the mystery was solved.
"There really was a time when things were lively, you know? Yerin, you seriously don't remember?"
"...I don't really recall. And please don't use my real name—someone might be listening."
"Sniff, you're so cold these days... You used to be so cute. Speaking of which, Woong, do you know the Response Team Leader's name? You two are probably around the same age."
"Ah, that's..."
The President made a clumsy crying face, then poked my cheek with her finger while breathing alcohol-scented air into my ear, making me hesitate to answer. But she seemed to have already read my reaction.
"Oh? So you already knew? What, you were pretending not to be interested but you've already made your move?"
"W-what do you mean, made my move?! It's not like that!"
The Response Team Leader finally put down her phone and shot me a sharp glare with those cool eyes. Her flustered expression really was cute, just like the President said. And now there was a wet sound right by my ear... licking?
"Euh-heung, chup."
"Ugh?!"
I had noticed the President's breath, warmed by alcohol, was much closer than before, but I never expected her to actually put her mouth on me. Well, if it was the President, maybe I should have seen it coming... but I never actually thought she would.
"Lick, mmh... Your reaction still feels so innocent. How about it? Feeling a little jealous now?"
Twitch!
Whether I denied it or admitted it, I was trapped in the President's game. As I watched the Response Team Leader's face slowly turn red while she opened and closed her mouth, struggling to respond, I tried desperately to keep my own expression from going slack from the unfamiliar sensation on my ear—what the—?!
"Sluuuurp... So that's why you've been staring at your phone this whole time~? Makes sense... You probably didn't want to notice. But what are we going to do now~? You think you can hide something like this from me?"
Her husky voice carried a faint scent of cigar smoke, and her hot breath tickled my ear teasingly. But the one actually biting and sucking on my ear, sending shivers down my spine with that strange stimulation, was none other than the President herself.
"...Stop it. Woong looks uncomfortable."
"Huh? Who does? He'd probably feel pretty good, right~? Isn't that so?"
"Urgh... Huh?!"
The President's hands, which had been gripping my shoulders tightly, slid downward and began gently rubbing my chest. Thanks to that, the sensation of her breasts pressing against my back—previously just barely touching—became much more distinct. Her powerful, healthy physique was impressive, but even the President had soft spots. Though not quite on Harpy's level, the firm, springy feel of her breasts was definitely worth embracing as they wrapped around my back.
"Uh, ugh..."
The Field Team Leader's sweet scent from the seat beside me was pushed aside by the President's intense, almost beast-like aroma. I could only stiffen up and keep my mouth shut.
"If you don't let go right now... you'll regret it."
"Hahaha! What, did I hit the mark? Yerin, don't tell me you..."
"No, I mean it literally—you'll regret it. I'm warning you out of concern."
"Huh...?"
A commotion seemed to be happening outside the room. The sound of dishes breaking, people shouting in surprise. I wasn't the only one who noticed something was wrong—the President also loosened her burdensome back-hug and tried to pull away. But she was too late.
Step, step, step, step, step.
Confident footsteps approached without hesitation. Creaaak!Thud!
"...!"
Beyond the forcefully opened door stood a foreign beauty with long black hair reaching her ankles and sun-kissed bronze skin. She strode in like a protagonist, treating the startled customers and onlookers as mere background. Who was she?
"..."
She wore no ordinary clothes—only gleaming golden ornaments that barely covered the essential areas. Her outfit was unique, regal, and completely out of place in the modern world. I didn't recognize her at a glance, but everyone else in the room clearly did.
"El Dorado?!"
The President let out a sound somewhere between a scream and a gasp, reflexively clutching me tighter with both hands. Her olive-green eyes, looking down at me, were terrifyingly cold. El Dorado... That was definitely the name of the President's girlfriend.
Her dangerously revealing outfit aside, I instinctively knew this scene was something we shouldn't have been caught in. The President had claimed she'd told her girlfriend about the dinner, but her awkward expression and tone made it obvious that had been a lie.
"Ah... Haha, Dora? What brings you all the way here...? Don't tell me, Yerin, you..."
"I told you, didn't I? You'd regret it."
The President finally pulled away from me, but when El Dorado's gaze landed on me, she flinched. I felt something was off and slowly raised my eyes. Then I realized—the President had let go, but El Dorado's expressionless, murderous glare was still fixed directly on me. She had been staring at me?
Step, step... Jingle, jangle.
Every time she moved, the heavy golden ornaments clinked against each other. The sound grew steadily closer.
Whoosh...
"Huh?!"
"Wait, Dora...! That guy is just—!"
The President's urgent voice reached me, but I was already staring at the palm of El Dorado's hand, extended right in front of my face. Every joint of her five slender fingers was covered in intricate geometric patterns and what looked like letters. Thud.
"Hup?!"
I thought she would stop halfway, but her soft palm covered my entire face without hesitation. I froze, unsure how to react. This... what exactly did it mean? Through the gaps between her fingers that still hadn't moved, I could see El Dorado tilting her head in silence and the President's rough hand, frozen mid-reach as she tried to grab El Dorado's wrist.
Slide.
She finally withdrew her hand from my face. ...What had that been?
"My apologies. It seems I misunderstood for a moment."
"...Yes?"
She had an exotic appearance similar to the President. If I had to compare, the President felt like a northern beauty, while this El Dorado felt like one from the south.
"My lovely Dora... I told you. I was just teasing him because his reactions are cute."
"Shut up."
"...Okay."
She brushed off her hands and placed them on her hips. Surprisingly, that single word silenced the President completely. Then she turned her gaze back to me.
"If you had truly coveted what is mine, you would have already become a gleaming golden statue, breathing your last breath in the most valuable way possible. But now I see that wasn't the case. I apologize."
Her bold posture, emphasizing her curvaceous figure—especially her hips—didn't match the apology at all. Yet for some reason, receiving it made me feel deeply embarrassed. Her expression, posture, voice, and manner of speaking all gave off the powerful impression that she was a queen-like, noble existence.
"I received your message. Thank you, girl. Now then, I'll be taking this lustful wolf with me."
"Yes, please do."
I watched the Response Team Leader nod with a slight smile and finally understood why she had kept holding her phone the whole time. And I was moved. She had contacted El Dorado to save me from the President's clutches... Thank you. Truly.
Creaaak...! Thud!
The storm-like surprise visit from the girlfriend ended with her quietly leaving, taking only the President with her.
"...By the way, what exactly did she mean just now?"
Golden statue? Coveting? What had it meant when she placed her hand on my face? The President's panicked reaction had been strange too.
"If it's about that, I'll explain."
Since I clearly didn't understand the situation, the Management Team Leader mercifully paused her fierce exchange of compliments and turned toward me.
"She is Risk Level 9, the Golden Empress El Dorado. Her two hands have the ability to turn any living being that covets what belongs to her into a solid lump of gold in their original form. She has many other abilities as well, but she's an entity we've been paying special attention to for various reasons."
"9? But this is the surface..."
If I had seen correctly... she had been walking around just now, and quite confidently on two feet.
"Ah, that restriction only applies to living beings. Inanimate objects can be turned into gold without limit. She probably turned part of the wall into gold and easily broke through to climb up. The repair costs are usually covered by the gold lumps, so it's fine."
That was hardly "fine." The idea that she could turn the entire world—land or sea—into gold ingots... That was apocalyptic-level power.
"I can roughly guess what you're worried about, but El Dorado is actually quite rational despite appearances."
"...Didn't I almost become a lump of gold just now?"
That had been a near-death experience.
"Well... it was quite the incident. Still, I'm glad you're safe. Shall we have a toast?"
"..."
The Management Team Leader casually held out a straw-stuck glass of alcohol toward me as if nothing had happened. I swallowed a helpless sigh, realizing we had entrusted such a massive threat—one that could destroy our daily lives—to someone this nonchalant.