False Accusation

"Phew, I can finally relax a bit."

After the crazy busy morning work was over, it was only during lunchtime that I could finally catch my breath. Muttering that under my breath, I took my hands off the keyboard.

To resolve the data leak incident that had erupted at dawn, the first thing I did as a programmer was to delete all the dummy data remaining on the server so that users could no longer find traces of the old story.

Honestly, if I said it didn't hurt, I'd be lying.

It was, in a way, erasing the traces of a game that was like my own child, with my own hands.

But the game was already officially released, and clinging to the past now wouldn't change anything.

So, I had no choice but to go with the direction of preserving as much as possible.

Because that was the best I could do at this point.

Just then, the subordinate guy sitting next to me spoke first.

"Assistant Manager-nim, are you finally done with work?"

"Yeah, I've wrapped it up more or less."

"Then let's grab lunch together."

Only after hearing those words did I remember I was hungry and looked around the office.

Everyone seemed to have already gone out for lunch; the office was very quiet.

"Were you waiting for me?"

At that, the subordinate guy shrugged and replied.

"If even I'm not here, you'd just end up eating alone again, wouldn't you?"

"You little punk, that's loyal of you."

"If you're grateful, buy me something good."

"What's the cafeteria menu today?"

"...You're such a tightwad."

Pretending not to hear the subordinate's grumbling, I grabbed my wallet and smartphone lying next to the monitor.

"Let's hurry up; lunchtime's almost over."

After eating a late lunch at the cafeteria like that, when we returned to the office, it was just past 1 PM.

'Uh oh.'

Because we were the last ones back to the office, the stinging looks from the other employees were harsh.

I tried my best to ignore those stares as I returned to my seat and sat down, but somehow, the gazes on the back of my head didn't disappear.

'Did I get something on my face?'

Looking puzzled, I was checking my face with a mirror when a female employee spoke to me.

"Assistant Manager Kim-ssi."

"Yes?"

"The CEO-nim says he wants to see you for a moment; he has something to discuss."

It was a sudden summons, but being called like this by CEO Lee Hyun-cheol wasn't a one-time thing, so I said I understood.

Before heading to the CEO's office, I checked one last time to see if there was any chili powder stuck in my teeth, tidied my clothes, and knocked on the CEO's office door.

Tok tok-

Then a short reply came from inside: "Come in."

I carefully opened the door and stepped inside. CEO Lee Hyun-cheol, looking just like yesterday, scanned me from head to toe as I entered.

'What's going on?'

His eyes were a bit different from usual.

Only then did I realize something felt off about the atmosphere. With a tense expression, I asked CEO Lee Hyun-cheol.

"CEO-nim, did you call for me?"

CEO Lee Hyun-cheol nodded and pointed to an extra chair.

"Have a seat there, Assistant Manager Kim."

I carefully sat down on the chair as instructed. CEO Lee Hyun-cheol turned his body slightly toward me, clasped his hands over his knees, and spoke.

"The reason I called you, Assistant Manager Kim, is because a strange post appeared on the company messenger."

"A strange post... you say?"

"It'll be better for you to see it with your own eyes than for me to explain with a hundred words."

With that, CEO Lee Hyun-cheol personally turned his monitor to show me a single post.

And the contents of the post were as follows:

'The one who leaked internal information to the anonymous workplace site this time is Assistant Manager K, and the motive for the crime is revenge against CEO Lee Hyun-cheol, who arbitrarily overturned the nearly completed game.'

A post literally written to target me.

'...No way.'

Only then did I realize why everyone in the office had been giving me such harsh looks.

"It's not true."

I said that immediately.

"I'm not stupid; why would I do something that would get caught so easily? Especially when I'd be the first one suspected."

After CEO Lee Hyun-cheol took office as the General PD, most of the original development team members quit or moved to other companies.

In that process, some left voluntarily, but many were also forced out by the internal politics of the faction CEO Lee Hyun-cheol brought in from outside.

After continuously weeding them out like that, I was now the only remaining original member.

"But there must be a reason such a post appeared, right? There's no smoke without fire."

CEO Lee Hyun-cheol's eyes as they looked at me were extremely cold.

That's why I could sense it.

He had already decided to kick me out of the company.

Regardless of the truth of this frame-up post, he probably thought it was the perfect opportunity to get rid of me, who had always been a thorn in his side.

"Anyway, since your identification is done, you may leave now. The company audit team will handle the rest."

"...Yes."

After that, I couldn't remember a single thing I heard or said.

But one thing was certain: I had fallen into a trap set by someone, and because of that trap, I was in danger of losing my job soon.

As I quietly closed the door and stepped out of the CEO's office, the eyes of everyone in the office immediately turned to me.

Earlier, I hadn't known the reason, but now I understood.

The meaning of those piercing stares.

Some would believe the post on the company messenger, and some wouldn't.

But at this point, that didn't matter.

Once branded as a criminal, they would now tear me apart freely.

Even if all the accusations turned out to be false, they could just claim they were all instigated and run away, pretending not to know.

I've seen many cases of witch hunts like that before, so it was as clear as day what kind of treatment I would face.

"Fucked."

I muttered tiredly as I sat down in my chair. The subordinate next to me cautiously asked.

"Are you okay, Assistant Manager-nim?"

"No, I'm not okay."

"...I figured as much."

The subordinate guy scratched his cheek with an awkward smile, poked his head over the partition to look around, then asked in a hushed voice.

"But Assistant Manager-nim, that frame-up post on the company messenger—is it real?"

I let out a deep sigh and answered.

"Am I crazy? Why would I do something that would get caught right away?"

No matter how much Blind is a bamboo forest for office workers, the moment the identity of the person who posted is revealed, anonymity loses its meaning.

If I really intended to write an exposé, I would have gone through a more thorough preparation process.

"Yeah, you're not the type to be that careless, Assistant Manager-nim."

The subordinate guy nodded after hearing my explanation, then asked as if it just occurred to him.

"Then who posted something like that, and for what purpose?"

"...Who knows."

The most likely possibility is that someone with a grudge against me did it, but it could also be that CEO Lee Hyun-cheol staged it himself.

He's been looking at me quite unfavorably for a long time, so maybe he was trying to get rid of me entirely.

"Anyway, don't act chummy with me for a while. I don't want you to get caught in the crossfire."

"Come on, how can you say that? We've built up some camaraderie after all this time."

"Do as I say, you know?"

"...When did that stale joke even come from?"

Having achieved my goal of making the usually positive subordinate guy rarely show a serious expression, I decided to focus as much as possible on work for the remaining time to clear my chaotic mind.

Say what you will, but right now, there was nothing I could do.

That evening.

"I'm home."

"Welcome back, seonsaengnim!"

Saori, who came to greet me at the entrance wearing the same naked dress shirt I saw in the morning, welcomed me with a bright smile.

"Did you eat dinner?"

"Mm, not yet. I waited for seonsaengnim to come so we could eat together."

Saying that, Saori looked toward the kitchen.

A delicious smell wafted over, so it seemed she had made some kind of dish.

"How did you make something when there weren't any proper ingredients in the fridge?"

"I ordered it using the smartphone seonsaengnim left me."

"Ah."

Right, these days even groceries can be delivered.

I usually only used delivery apps for ordering takeout, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so it never even occurred to me to use one for grocery shopping.

"You look tired. Hurry up and wash your hands, then come eat."

Saori said that as she took the bag from my hand.

Her action was so natural that I couldn't even react properly.

Anyway, I was indeed hungry, so I went to the bathroom to wash my hands, took off my suit jacket in the bedroom, and came back to the living room.

"Oh..."

Then I was a bit surprised to see the dinner Saori had prepared.

"Hamburger steak?"

"Yeah. I made it myself."

Saori said that, puffing out her chest proudly.

"Ppul."

Seeing her like that—so different from her cool beauty appearance—she looked cute, and I couldn't help but laugh.

Seeing my reaction, Saori puffed out her cheeks slightly, pulled out a chair herself, and urged me.

"Don't just stand there; sit down and eat quickly, seonsaengnim."

"Got it."

Unable to resist her persistent urging, I sat down at the table. Looking at the high-quality hamburger steak that I couldn't believe was made in my own kitchen, I couldn't help but admire it.

'This isn't ordinary skill.'

A hamburger steak with perfect doneness, topped with demi-glace sauce.

The broccoli and bite-sized carrots served as garnish were charming.

I felt it yesterday when ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she made soybean paste soup in an instant, but it seemed Saori, contrary to the image of being clumsy at housework, was actually very good at cooking.

Thinking that, I used my chopsticks to split the hamburger steak neatly in half. Greasy juices dripped down, staining the white plate.

Seeing that, I unconsciously swallowed my saliva, picked up the freshly cut piece with my chopsticks, and took a big bite.

"Heo heu."

It was hot.

But more than that, it was delicious.

The subtly seasoned, slightly saltier-than-average taste was perfect for eating with rice.

Before the lingering taste of the hamburger steak in my mouth faded, I scooped up a generous amount of white rice and put it in my mouth.

It was like a perpetual motion engine—the perfect harmony of protein and carbohydrates moved me involuntarily.

'This is what home-cooked meals are all about.'

Of course, the nationality was quite different from what I thought, but did that matter now?

Considering the sincerity of the person who made it, I scraped the plate clean, let out a satisfied sigh, and patted my belly.

"Did you enjoy it?"

Saori, who had been sitting across from me watching, asked, and I answered, "Of course."

It wasn't a lie. It was genuinely the first time in a long while that I had eaten so well.

Usually, I ate just to survive, but this time, I savored every single bite.

"Hehe."

Saori smiled happily, just like yesterday, hearing my praise.

Suddenly, it felt like we were a newlywed couple, and I awkwardly averted my gaze. Then Saori spoke as if it had just occurred to her.

"Oh, right, seonsaengnim. Did something bad happen?"

"What?"

"Earlier, when you came home, you seemed kind of down."

...Was it that obvious?

Hearing her words, I unconsciously touched my face, but it didn't feel any different from usual.

No, maybe—

"Did you read my mind?"

When I asked that, Saori, as if guilty about something, avoided answering with a "Who knows?"

I probably hit the mark.

Originally, Tachibana Saori's ability in the game was 'Mental Manipulation'.

And she was classified as an 'Special Grade' code, granted to only 12 people on Academy City's level pyramid, which has a total of 6 stages—the strongest mental-type ability user.

I let out a small sigh and said to her.

"It's really nothing, so don't worry. I just had a little trouble at work."

Of course, depending on how things turned out, I could be subject to disciplinary dismissal, but since it was a baseless frame-up with no evidence, I was confident I would be proven innocent.

"...Okay. But if you ever need my help, just let me know. I'm always on seonsaengnim's side."

Saying that, Saori made a gesture of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠conceding first, so I thanked her and unconsciously patted her head, which happened to be in the perfect position.

Then I flinched and pulled my hand away.

"Oh, sorry. Did that bother you?"

But Saori shook her head, and as if asking for more, she grabbed my palm with both hands and placed it on the top of her own head.

'She's cute.'

Who would think of her as the 'Queen' seeing her like this?

If anyone who knew even a little bit of Rea's story saw this, they'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠be shocked.

In the first part of the story, she was a villain with no blood or tears.

'Well, this is fine too.'

Just petting her head seemed to recover all the stress I had received at work today, so I continued stroking Saori's head for a while.