Secret Deal in the Rooftop Room

Eunsu pulled out the scale at once.

Beep.

"Weight's… the same."

She switched on the InBody machine right away, gripped the handles, and stepped onto the platform.

"…What the hell."

The ratios… are different.

It was too pronounced to dismiss as simple margin of error.

Eunsu scanned the printout again. Then she lifted her head and studied her body in the mirror more carefully.

That was when a voice came from behind her.

"Boss, hey."

She turned. It was Minho, one of the male trainers who worked at the same club.

"Oh. Hey…"

She answered absently, still examining herself.

Minho started toward her, then stopped mid-step and just stared.

"…What?"

Eunsu asked, catching the look on his face.

He didn't answer. He took another step closer. The gaze was blatant—the assessing, full-body sweep of a trainer who knew exactly what he was looking at.

"Coach… what did you do?"

"…Do what."

"No, I mean…"

Minho hesitated, then just said it.

"Your body… got way hotter."

He circled to her side, shifting angles as he looked her over. The frankness of it made Eunsu twist slightly away.

"Hold on a second. Just stand still."

"Hey!!!"

"Seriously, one second."

His eyes tracked her more insistently, sharp and professional.

"Whoa… what is this."

"What is what?"

"Your lines… they cleaned up. Doesn't feel like you put on muscle… and it's not just fat loss either… wait, you did lose some, but the way it happened is weird."

Eunsu's heart kicked hard once.

It matched what she'd felt herself.

"…Don't overdo it."

"I'm serious. The whole balance of your body feels different. Boss, you already had a great body, but right now it's like…"

Minho was still tilting his head, puzzled.

"Change your diet?"

"…No."

"Program, then?"

"…I said no."

"You're not on anything, right?"

"Hey."

Eunsu snapped it short.

Only then did Minho laugh and raise his hands.

"Joke, joke. But damn, this is wild…"

"Enough. Drop it and get ready for PT."

Eunsu kept stretching like nothing was wrong and started hunting for the cause.

Diet?

She shook her head at once.

No.

This past week she had been a wreck over the divorce. Her diet had basically collapsed. She had even binged a few times, and there had been late-night snacks and alcohol.

Training?

Not that either.

Her volume had actually dropped. The twice-a-day splits she normally ran had dwindled to a single half-focused session more often than not.

Eunsu bit her lip lightly.

Possible explanations were vanishing one by one. Her mind was quietly converging on a single point.

Sex with Taeseok? No way… really? That doesn't even make sense. But… that's the only thing that changed.

Her gaze flickered for the briefest instant.

Sex with Taeseok was insanely good, yeah… but… this is ridiculous. Thinking my body changed because of that.

A little past seven in the evening, Jeonghun actually called.

Taeseok hadn't expected it—and yet here it was.

He hesitated, then picked up. Jeonghun's voice came through, calm and even.

"I'm… on my way to your place with Mijin right now."

A beat of silence.

Then the explosion.

"You crazy bastard… hey!!! Don't come."

Taeseok was nearly shouting.

"I never told you to actually bring Mijin. You're a smart guy—why do you always play dumb at times like this?"

A short laugh drifted over the line.

"Yeah. I know."

Jeonghun still sounded completely at ease.

"I know that wasn't what you meant. But I also know that if I meet that impossible condition of yours, you won't be able to refuse so easily."

For a moment Taeseok had nothing.

"…For real? You ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠met every condition I laid out?"

"Well. How far Mijin will ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠actually let you go—I don't know. That's her choice. I already told you that up front…"

Then the next words, lower and clearer.

"But ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I'm still bringing her. Whatever you do to Mijin… I'm ready to live with it."

"Hey, Jeonghun. Cut the shit."

"I'm not joking. You think I'd drag Mijin into a joke? We'll be there soon. See you in a bit."

Click.

The call cut off one-sidedly.

Taeseok stared at his phone for a long moment, then slowly let out a breath.

"…Crazy bastard."

Jeonghun knew.

He knew that Taeseok had once liked Mijin.

Yoon Mijin—the girl who had shaken the entire department the moment she enrolled. Looks that turned every head, a presence that pulled eyes without trying. Taeseok still remembered the way the room shifted whenever she walked into a lecture hall, every male gaze locking onto her at once.

It was hard to believe any guy in that class hadn't wanted her.

Taeseok had been no exception.

And out of all those men, she had chosen Jeonghun.

Confident bearing. Easy speech. Perfect background.

Honestly, it had been a choice you couldn't even argue with. Maybe the most realistic, most sensible choice a woman could make.

And now that same Jeonghun was bringing his girlfriend Mijin here.

For one reason only: he wanted to sleep with Eunjeong.

Crazy bastard…

Taeseok cursed under his breath.

No matter how many times he turned it over, the situation made no sense.

He knew exactly what kind of man Jeonghun was. Fast with the numbers. Never took a loss. And that man was deliberately bringing his own girlfriend—Yoon Mijin, of all people?

This was not a prank or an impulse you could write off.

Taeseok leaned back and let his gaze drift into empty air, breaking the situation down piece by piece in his head.

Is Eunjeong really that irresistible…?

She could be.

After receiving the full force of his Blessing of Beauty, she was undeniably magnetic. Age aside, her figure, her presence, that quiet undercurrent of sex appeal—there was plenty to draw a man in.

But was she worth putting Mijin on the table? That was another question entirely.

Mijin was not just another pretty girl. She was the kind of presence that made people turn and look on campus, a woman chosen out of a crowd of suitors. And he was offering her to another man?

Taeseok exhaled softly.

Only one explanation remained.

He's certain I won't be able to do anything to Mijin.

Jeonghun knew Taeseok had once liked her. Knew he had never managed to say it out loud, had only watched from a distance and talked himself into stepping back.

Anyone who remembered that would assume the same thing this time.

That he wouldn't act. That even if Mijin were placed right in front of him, he would freeze up the way he always had and walk away empty-handed.

That certainty was what let Jeonghun set this reckless board so casually.

"…Ha."

A short laugh escaped Taeseok.

It was a hypothesis so plausible he couldn't even deny it. No—it was the most realistic one.

He kept his head down a moment longer, then slowly breathed out.

He's making me want to win.

Something warm stirred deep in his chest—an old, suppressed thing that had just been prodded ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠awake.

But separate from that heat, another unease seeped in slowly.

Was it right to be pulled into a board this man had built and once again offer up his own woman, Eunjeong, to sleep with that bastard?

The first time, rage at her had briefly stolen his reason. Doing it again now felt like treating her as nothing more than a tool.

And Mijin was no longer just a girl he had once liked—she was a prize in this game, no different.

Thinking of women less as people and more as pieces arranged on a board.

Am I really okay with becoming that?

It was not the kind of question he could simply wave away.

In that moment, a familiar screen rose in his mind.

The Status Window.

Emotion Levels, Dominance, information on the target. An interface that converted human feeling into numbers and displayed relationships as control—literally a game UI.

Right… whatever existence showed me this is playing a game with me too. Nudging me to play along… which means I've already become its tool.

He laughed hollowly.

In the end, this Status Window is telling me not to look at people as people. To just enjoy the game.

He was already doing that, to a degree.

With Eunjeong.

And with her younger sister Eunsu as well…

A light, almost relieved smile touched Taeseok's face, as if something had settled.

Whatever gave me this life that's finally interesting… I should show it something interesting in return. That's how this Status Window stays with me longer, right?

A cool evening breeze moved across the rooftop of the Rooftop Room.

Distant traffic and the low murmur of people layered over each other like a thin film, sealing this small space off from the rest of the world in its own quiet.

Taeseok leaned against the railing, cigarette between his lips, and lit it.

Smoke had just begun to rise when footsteps sounded from the stairwell—light dress shoes, and lighter still… the soft slap of something like sandals.

Taeseok turned his head slowly.

Jeonghun came up first. His shoulders resolved under the light, and Taeseok's gaze slid past him as if pulled.

And then—

time seemed to stop for a moment.

Yoon Mijin.

She appeared at the top of the stairs.

It was the first time he had seen her since that last day at the family funeral.

The wind lifted her hair slightly; the faint light brushed the nape of her neck and cast a soft shadow there.

Jeonghun took the first step forward, but Taeseok's eyes never left Mijin.

For a brief instant he saw her as she had been then—dressed in black, head bowed, standing quietly. The Mijin in front of him now carried an entirely different air. Brighter. More put-together. Above all, far more refined.

Hair falling naturally over her shoulders, clean without looking overdone. A thin blouse that followed her body and suggested her silhouette without trying. A skirt of moderate length—neither short nor long—that managed to be both neat and feminine, the line of her legs underneath more than enough to hold the eye. Simple sandals. And just above them, a bag that drew the gaze without effort: no loud logo, yet unmistakably expensive at a glance.

A gift from Jeonghun, no doubt.

He didn't need to check. It suited her oddly well.

Mijin glanced around, then met Taeseok's eyes and dipped her head in greeting.

"Hello, Sunbae."

Her tone was calm, her expression measured—neither too warm nor awkwardly distant. Exactly the right line.

Taeseok looked at her a moment, then gave a short nod.

"Yeah… long time."

"Have you been well?"

"Mm… yeah. More or less. You look good."

The greetings finished, an awkward silence settled between them.

"Hey, why are you just standing there? Sit down."

Jeonghun tossed the words out lightly and claimed a seat first.