Because I Want You to Be Happy

One additional realization dawned on me.

The reason Sia had sent that cryptic letter out of nowhere, and the reason she had come to see me today—it was simply, as family...

"It's a shame, but I should probably wrap up our date," Sia said softly. "I told you what I needed to say, and I got to see your face."

She had simply wanted to see me.

It was a breathtakingly simple reason, but coming from her, it made immediate sense. To anyone looking, Sia's demeanor was bright, playful, and brimming with mischievous energy.

"Leaving earlier than I thought?"

"Weekend curfew at the Imperial Academy dormitory is pretty strict, you know."

I glanced down at my watch. A considerable amount of time had indeed slipped by.

"Then I'll have Director Kim drive you back. Don't bother declining."

Sia gave an obedient nod, and together we stepped out through the front entrance. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠As we stood near the estate's main gate waiting for Director Kim to bring the car around, a brief silence settled between us.

It wasn't an awkward silence. Rather, we had shared so much during the past few hours that neither of us knew quite where to begin picking up the conversation again.

Just then, she broke the quiet.

"Hey."

She called out to me in a small, tentative voice.

"Yeah?"

The moment I turned toward her with a curious look, Sia took a quick step forward and threw her arms around me.

The gesture was so sudden that my body locked up instantly. Sia remained still, her face buried quietly against my chest. My instincts wondered for a split second whether I ought to push her away, but naturally, I couldn't bring myself to do it.

Held in my arms, Sia was... taller than expected, and surprisingly warm. A subtle, comforting scent drifted from her hair. She acted as if she had known from the very start that I would never shove her away—and judging by how she showed no intention of letting go, my patience was bound to run out first.

"...What are you doing?"

"Recharging."

"Recharging?"

"Yes," she mumbled softly against my chest. "It's been so long."

Hearing her say that felt strange, considering this was the very first time for me. Even now, she knew sides of me that I had yet to discover.

Well, that's only natural.

Sia had lived alongside my future self for years. The sheer density of time they had shared would dwarf whatever I possessed right now. I didn't dislike the thought. In fact...

"Come visit often."

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

Sia slowly lifted her head. Her eyes were wide, blinking in astonishment as if she had just heard something entirely beyond her imagination.

"Really?"

"There's still plenty I need to hear from you anyway," I replied casually. Besides, living alone in this disgustingly massive estate had been getting quiet lately.

"You can't take that back and regret it later, okay?" Sia teased, a broad grin spreading across her lips.

Just how often was she planning to drop by? As it happened, we hadn't exchanged numbers before parting ways.

"I'll message you from Director Kim's car."

"You memorized my number?"

"Of course. That's hardly a challenge, isn't it? Oh, and Serin was the one who got me this phone, just so you know."

"To be precise, the faction backing Lee Se-rin got it for you."

"...Sharp as ever, aren't you?"

It was impossible to imagine the current Lee Se-rin acting entirely on her own. Her very admission to the Imperial Academy was proof enough. How could a girl with dangerous ties to the Emperor operate so freely within the academy's walls without help? There had to be a faction harboring deep animosity toward the imperial family, quietly aiding her with everything they had.

"Chairman."

Director Kim's sedan pulled up smoothly to the main gate. Seeing the vehicle arrive, Sia gave me a cheerful wave.

"I'll get going then."

"Right."

"See you next time!"

With that spirited farewell, Sia slipped into the car. I offered Director Kim a subtle nod, silently instructing him to see her back safely.

And just like that, the whirlwind of a girl was gone.

I turned on my heel and headed back toward the front door. Stepping inside ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the house, the contrast struck me with visceral clarity. The estate was dead silent. Compared to the lively chatter that had filled the air moments ago, the emptiness felt stark.

"...You notice it immediately, huh?"

The muttered words had barely left my lips when my pocket buzzed.

Buzz—

I halted and pulled out my phone. An unfamiliar number flashed on the screen. Unlike when I had received the mysterious letter, however, there was no need to guess who it belonged to. Still, the message waiting for me was unexpectedly long—an outright wall of text.

I stared at the screen for a long while. Should I reply? And if I did, what was I supposed to say? The hesitation didn't last long. My thumbs tapped out a brief response.

It wasn't a lie.

Ever since I had fallen into this world and assumed the seat of Seonghwa Group's chairman, I couldn't remember the last time I had spent an afternoon this normally with someone. Sitting across a table to share a simple meal, playing video games together, and casually promising to meet again. Granted, the conversation woven between those moments was far from ordinary, but still...

"Wait a second."

As I replayed today's conversation with Sia in my head, a massive wave of cognitive dissonance suddenly crashed over me. It concerned my future self. Inferring from what Sia had said, more than a decade down the line, I was apparently still sitting in the chairman's chair...

"...No way, right?"

If that was actually true, I felt like I could understand a little too well why my future self had wanted to go back to my original world.

I couldn't take my eyes off the phone screen for a long time.

"I had fun today too."

It was a brief reply, but precisely because it was so typical of him, the sincerity behind the words felt unmistakable. A smile tugged at my lips unbidden. I could feel Director Kim glancing at me through the rearview mirror, but I didn't care. What could I do? When something felt good, it just felt good.

Of course, the person I had met today was slightly different from the man I used to know. Sharper around the edges. A little clumsier in how he carried himself. Yet in my eyes, he was the exact same person. The way he looked at me, the aloof tone he put on to hide his concern, and the underlying tenderness that prevented him from ever truly pushing me away.

—Come visit often.

A soft giggle escaped me again. Hearing words like that made it nearly impossible to hold back. Part of me wanted to run right back to see him tomorrow. But the laughter didn't last. The moment the screen faded to black, my reflection appeared in the dark windowpane.

The face looking back was smiling, yet beneath the surface, something else was impossible to ignore—a deep layer of sorrow woven beneath the curve of my lips.

Perhaps I had told him one lie today. When I said I had no idea why I arrived in the past instead of his original world, claiming the device had been unstable and suffered an error ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mid-transit... I hadn't been entirely untruthful. The machine really was volatile, and I certainly didn't grasp the entire scientific process behind temporal displacement. But deep down, I had a faint inkling of why I had landed in this exact point in time.

At least part of the reason was...

Perhaps it was because of that desperate wish he had made. Because I wanted him to be happy, too. More than anyone else in this world.

Jason Jang watched the cascade of headlines scrolling across his monitor and let a slow, satisfied smile spread across his face. Because he had pushed through the partnership with Seonghwa Group almost entirely on his own authority, early voices of concern had been loud and frequent. Now, even those doubts had been utterly silenced. Internal staff at Neovision were marveling at the sheer speed and precision of Seonghwa Electronics' response.

At the epicenter of that miracle stood Chief Secretary Yoon Chang-seop. Even in the eyes of a self-proclaimed workaholic like Jason Jang, Yoon was laboring to a degree that practically invited pity—working almost like an indentured servant.

Did Geon uncover some horrifying weakness on that old man?

Jason chuckled with deep satisfaction. Whatever the reason, the ability to ruthlessly run top-tier talent was an essential prerequisite for any leader steering a conglomerate.

"Chairman, you need to see this."

His executive secretary, Alex, approached cautiously and held out a tablet. His expression was noticeably different from his usual calm composure. It wasn't the face of a man delivering a routine report; it was the look of someone who had stumbled upon an entirely unforeseen variable.

Jason wordlessly accepted the tablet and immediately scanned the headline flashing across the screen.

The concise bulletin signaled an unmistakable reality: the next crisis destined to test Seonghwa Group was not brewing from without, but erupting from within.

It seemed the world was itching to throw the boy onto the auction block of trial once more. Yet upon reading the news, Jason Jang's lips curled into an intrigued grin. It was a grave matter that could, if mishandled, disrupt the entire joint venture with Neovision. Even so, curiosity far outweighed his concern.

He couldn't wait to see how the young tiger ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠named Kang-geon would sink his fangs into this crisis and devour it whole.