Chapter 137
Chapter 137
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Thin Ice
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In media mixes, board games always lead to bad outcomes.
Usually devilish board games, or ones where terrible things happen. Either way, nothing good ever comes of them, that's for sure.
It's even called a Containment Object.
It might just be a matter of time before this romance board game turns into a full-on death game.
"Your expression doesn't look good."
As I anxiously watched Yoo Daon fiddling with the dice, Jang Chaeyeon had quietly come over and sat down next to me.
"Oh, Chaeyeon."
"Got some worries?"
Worries? Of course I did.
"I'm just thinking this might cause another incident midway through."
Given all the past cases, it'd be weirder if nothing went wrong.
"It won't."
No sooner had I finished speaking than Jang Chaeyeon shook her head in denial.
"This is a pretty famous board game in the Management Bureau."
"...Really?"
"Lots of office romances have started with this."
Now that was surprising.
"But is the group size right? Genders don't match up, and one guy's married."
I couldn't ignore the intense pleading look Park Ye-eun was shooting me from the back.
She was younger than my little sister, gazing at me so desperately—surely I had to lend a hand at least once...
"It's fine."
"But still..."
"It's fine. No problem."
"Ye-eun's only seventeen..."
"The board game accounts for everything."
"...Got it."
Besides, I had no energy left to argue with Jang Chaeyeon.
Sorry.
Ignoring the pleading gaze, I turned my eyes to the board game.
It was a pretty straightforward board game at its core.
A square board with spaces for cards, reminiscent of a territory-grabbing game.
The main difference was the electronic display in the center showing numbers.
Accessories included...
Six pieces. A deck of coated dice cards.
"Victory conditions..."
Let's see.
I read the enclosed instruction manual.
[Love Board Game]
[Roll the dice and move around the board!]
[Draw a card from where you land and 'must' follow what it says.]
[Love equations are automatically added afterward, and the couple with the highest love score wins a prize!]
[Thank you sincerely for playing our publisher's board game!]
The rules themselves were simple. Didn't seem like it'd take too long.
I sat down next to the Team Leader.
...
The Team Leader looked at me with a face full of tension.
"Jaeheon."
"Yes, Team Leader."
"I'm really scared."
What?
Hearing that, I suddenly felt scared too and checked above the Team Leader's head.
[Name: Heo Chan]
[Age: 49]
[Trait: Complacency]
[Talent: Crisis Detection]
[Background: This man is currently in danger of social murder.]
[Weakness: All you can do is pray he loves his wife dearly.]
"Oh, nothing serious."
"I am serious. Me!"
If anything, seeing it so transparently eased my worries even more.
"Eek!"
Yoo Daon flicked the dice.
It landed on 3.
"Guess I'll move!"
Yoo Daon moved three spaces and drew a card.
"What's it say?"
"Uh..."
Yoo Daon mumbled as she read the card.
"Take out a gift you wanted to give to the guy you like most from around you and give it to him."
Ambiguous choice.
"A gift, like what... Huh?"
Yoo Daon muttered, then suddenly shot up from her seat.
"Huh? Huh? My body's moving on its own..."
Then she walked robot-like back to her spot.
"Uh, wait. That's!"
She pulled something from her drawer, came over to me, and held it out.
Even I, clueless about cosmetics, knew what this was.
Lip tint.
One she'd been using.
"...Uh, this is."
"S-so..."
Yoo Daon's face turned beet red as she held out the tint with both hands, babbling incoherently.
"No, I mean, probably since there wasn't much at my spot, that's why I'm giving it. You know?"
"I don't even use lip tint."
"...Yeah..."
She mumbled in embarrassment.
I took the tint, and Yoo Daon let out a "Eek!" as if regaining control of her body, then walked back to her seat.
"Next is me?"
Our intern, Park Ye-eun, rolled the dice.
It was a 6.
Park Ye-eun drew a card.
"Sit next to the person you're most comfortable with."
Silence.
Park Ye-eun didn't move.
Five pairs of eyes turned to her.
She'd been sitting next to me since the game started.
"Of course he's the most comfortable."
She pointed at others with a look like, "What're you asking?"
"Old man."
"Yeah, I'm old..."
Team Leader.
"Scary."
"Y-yeah...?"
Pointed at Yoo Daon.
"Uncomfortable."
...
Pointed at Jang Chaeyeon.
"Annoying."
"This brat really wants to die..."
Pointed at Song Arin.
"By elimination, Oppa wins."
Park Ye-eun smiled like a little devil.
She was totally teasing on purpose.
"Thanks. You're pretty comfortable for me too."
Felt like looking after a little sister.
"Next."
Jang Chaeyeon picked up the dice and rolled it right as she finished speaking.
A 5.
She moved her piece, drew a card, and started reading.
"Sit on the lap of someone you like."
"Oho..."
Level just spiked.
Jang Chaeyeon stood up without hesitation.
Staring straight at me.
Yeah, I figured.
Without a moment's doubt, she came over.
"I'll sit."
"...Go ahead."
She sat on my lap.
Park Ye-eun whistled sharply from beside us, teasing.
"Good times."
The Team Leader chuckled heartily.
Everyone's acting like it's not their problem.
...
As Jang Chaeyeon's body touched mine, a citrus scent wafted from her nape.
She's slimmer than I thought.
And soft—no. Hold on.
I piled on other thoughts endlessly to avoid weird ones.
Come to think of it, tomorrow's performance review...
"Hey."
"...Yes."
The citrus scent grew thicker.
Jang Chaeyeon leaned fully into me and whispered softly.
"I'm about to slip off, so hold my waist."
...
Lately, she had a knack for flustering me. A lot.
"Uh, that is, Chaeyeon."
Even so, asking me to hold her waist—
She reached back, grabbed my hand, and placed it on her waist.
Her warm body heat seeped into my palm.
"Yeah. Like that."
Jang Chaeyeon turned her head and smiled softly.
...
...
Our eyes met,
"Four spaces."
—Rattle...
In the silent office, the sound of dice rolling echoed.
Song Arin placed her piece on the board.
"...I'm not done yet."
Jang Chaeyeon muttered while glaring at Song Arin, who smiled back at her gaze.
"Time passed, so I rolled. Did I interrupt?"
"Yeah."
"Got it. I'll draw a card?"
She answered casually and drew one.
"Let's see."
...
Jang Chaeyeon stared at her sullenly, and Song Arin's face turned bright red as she read.
"Th-this is insane."
This is making me uneasy.
"What is it?"
Song Arin hesitated at my question several times.
Fidgeting with the card,
"...Pick someone and kiss their neck."
"Is this for real?"
"Ow..."
I strode over unthinkingly and snatched Song Arin's card to read it.
Jang Chaeyeon had to get up suddenly because of it, but that wasn't important.
[Designate someone you like and kiss their neck.]
For real?
"No, we shouldn't do stuff like this..."
"Hey, I want to, but..."
Song Arin grabbed my tie and yanked, pulling my body closer to her.
"My body won't, listen...!"
"If I push you away..."
"That's not the rules...!"
...
Song Arin cried out desperately.
She seemed like the type who'd ignore rules, but surprisingly, she stuck to them.
"Team Leader, why're you covering my eyes?"
"Too stimulating for a minor."
The Team Leader had covered Park Ye-eun's eyes with a binder at some point; I gave him a thumbs-up, and he nodded in understanding.
Thank goodness at least the Team Leader stayed normal.
"S-so. Do it?"
"No, but why me?"
"Who else? The girls or the Team Leader?"
"Good point."
Couldn't really do it to the other three, and definitely not the Team Leader.
"R-right. So this is unavoidable."
...
"It's really unavoidable? I'm not doing this because I want to?"
"Less talking, just do it."
"...For real? I'm doing it? Don't complain after?"
"My one wish is for this game to end fast."
I hadn't even rolled yet, but I was already getting tired.
Song Arin looked up at me, face flushed crimson, closed her eyes, and pressed her lips to my neck.
A soft sensation touched my skin,
"Ew."
A strange tingle shot up my spine, and as my body shivered,
...
Looking down, Song Arin had her eyes closed, lips on my neck.
...
...
She opened her eyes and glared up at me,
And our eyes met as I looked down.
—Sting!
"Ow!"
A sharp pain hit my neck, and she hurriedly let go of my tie and stepped back.
"Th-there's a mark now."
"Probably."
I checked my neck in the office mirror.
A red mark.
Gotta patch this up.
"...Why only me..."
Leaving Yoo Daon mumbling resentfully behind, the Team Leader rolled the dice.
Honestly.
This was the tensest part for me.
What could I do to save the Team Leader from social murder?
"...Six."
The Team Leader moved six spaces and reached for a card.
...
Gulp.
Tension made me swallow dryly.
With trembling hands, the Team Leader flipped the card and slowly read the text.
"Name the most attractive person of the opposite sex."
...!
Gotta be careful here.
I whipped my head around.
The intern was already recording on her smartphone, and the three women glared at each other like they didn't care.
I was the only one tense with the Team Leader.
"Whew..."
The Team Leader sighed deeply and spoke solemnly.
"...My wife...!"
...!
Before I knew it, I was clapping.
At least this turn, the Team Leader dodged social suicide and murder.
Still tense-faced, the Team Leader handed me the dice.
"Jaeheon."
"Yes, Team Leader."
"Do well."
"I'll manage."
Nothing to lose anyway.
I rolled.
"Two spaces."
Moved my piece and drew a card.
Suddenly, everyone's eyes were on my hand.
This is more pressure than I thought.
I slowly read the card.
"Sit next to the person you've had the most skinship with."
Skinship?
"Oh, that's gotta be me."
Song Arin muttered proudly, crossing her legs.
"W-well. Can't be helped. I kissed your neck earlier, right?"
"...I'd say I'm not far behind either. It's skinship, after all."
Jang Chaeyeon grumbled sullenly, arms crossed.
My legs moved on their own like a robot's.
"Huh."
So that's what it meant.
Different from mental attacks. No headache.
Slowly, I headed to the side,
"Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh?"
"...Huh..."
"Wait, this is, uh, a misunderstanding. From, before... or something..."
Yoo Daon waved her hands frantically, sweating bullets.
"Wow."
"Ooh."
The Team Leader and Park Ye-eun's gazes turned to us,
...
...
Jang Chaeyeon and Song Arin blinked in shock, staring at us.
"Um, Daon."
I'd slept next to Yoo Daon last night.
"Y-yes."
Yoo Daon avoided my eyes like she'd committed a grave sin.
"...Did you two do anything else on the side?"
The color drained from Yoo Daon's face.