“I can wash myself.”

 

Ryu Seo-ha tried to move away with a gentle smile, but was firmly held in place by a large hand pressing down on his shoulder. It was a touch imbued with strong will to never leave him alone.

 

“Ah, open up.”

 

He hesitantly complied with the insistent request, and immediately felt the toothbrush bristles against his molars. The act of thoroughly brushing his teeth continued with surprising delicacy.

 

“Spit.”

 

He spat out the foam he had been holding in his mouth into the sink, and rinsed with water Choi Gang-hu had personally brought. It felt like being a small child. In fact, no one had ever helped him brush his teeth even in his childhood.

 

Except for special places like the dentist, it was embarrassing to have the inside of body parts not usually shown to others so thoroughly exposed. On the other hand, it felt strangely comfortable.

 

Ryu Seo-ha, who had been sitting in a half-daze, snapped to attention when he felt hands undoing his shirt front. Surely he didn’t intend to keep him tied up and tend to him like this going forward? Even in the bathtub?

 

“…Wait a moment.”

 

Though he tried to stop him urgently, Choi Gang-hu paid no heed and continued unbuttoning his shirt one by one. Ryu Seo-ha pulled his arms together towards his chest and slightly leaned his upper body back.

 

Choi Gang-hu narrowed his eyes. As if reproaching him for why he was avoiding it. It was quite different from his usual reaction of quickly giving up. The touch grabbing his shirt collar again after moving away the arms covering his front was firm.

 

“You’ve been covered in dirt all night.”

 

Whose fault was that? If it weren’t for Choi Gang-hu vertically dropping from a helicopter in flight, he wouldn’t have been covered in dirt. Instead of protesting like that, Ryu Seo-ha slightly drooped the corners of his eyes.

 

“Even so, a bath first thing in the morning is too…”

 

Choi Gang-hu’s hands, which had been moving without hesitation, paused. As expected, this was more effective than strongly opposing. But only for a moment.

 

“I thought you liked water.”

 

Seeming to think continuing to argue here would be endless, Choi Gang-hu lifted him up again. His strides crossing the bathroom, larger than an ordinary home’s master bedroom, were big.

 

“I’ll just wash my face.”

 

Ryu Seo-ha shook his head, pulling on the sleeve of the arm supporting his body.

 

“I want to wash you myself.”

 

But his passive dissuasion had no effect at all.

 

“I’ll be late for work.”

 

“You weren’t planning to go to work anyway.”

 

Having been in the position of seeking a place to die alone, he had no words to argue back. Choi Gang-hu, who had set him down on the edge of the marble bathtub, bent halfway to match eye level.

 

“And from today, you don’t need to heal guild members anymore.”

 

“What?”

 

“From now on, you’ll only work in the guild master’s office.”

 

Ryu Seo-ha’s eyes widened at the sudden announcement. Not even a general office job, but assigning a healer to non-healing work? From the guild’s perspective, it was an inefficient personnel decision that was a huge waste of talent.

 

“The HR team wouldn’t have suggested this… Is this your unilateral decision?”

 

Ryu Seo-ha stared at Choi Gang-hu, who nodded and smiled, then let out a faint sigh. Many thoughts came to mind at the job assignment that showed intent to keep him tied to his side in some way.

 

Should he be grateful that he wasn’t confined to the house, unable to even go to work? If Choi Gang-hu had been in a position to work from home every day, he might have had to live in perfect confinement.

 

“We have a mountain of issues to discuss, don’t we?”

 

Choi Gang-hu answered as he straightened up and rolled up his sleeves. His forearms with thick veins bulging were fully exposed. It was surprising to see him not at all on edge while exposing bare skin.

 

“Based on the contents of the ‘Future Event Journal’ Ryu Seo-ha gifted me.”

 

Ryu Seo-ha, who had been staring blankly at him personally checking the water temperature in the tub, blinked. It was because he recalled the contents of the book he had written and left behind for Choi Gang-hu.

 

He had divulged all sorts of secrets as his supposed final gift. He had written down everything about crucial events Choi Gang-hu must avoid, key information about the Order, ways to obtain necessary items and people.

 

“…That’s.”

 

It was something he had done without thinking the situation would change like this. He was at a loss for how to explain. Though Choi Gang-hu must have many questions, he didn’t voice any doubts.

 

Looking up at him as he just silently stared into his eyes, Ryu Seo-ha soon made up his mind. To honestly confess everything. Anything that could be found out had already been exposed anyway. That this was the world inside a novel…

 

“Guild Master!”

 

But his lips, which had been about to open slightly, were closed again by Secretary Jang rushing in urgently. Choi Gang-hu, frowning at the unauthorized intrusion, quickly unrolled his sleeves that he had pushed up.

 

“What is it?”

 

A voice as frosty as his icy gaze flowed out as if interrogating. It was a voice clearly revealing his displeased mood. Secretary Jang’s face turned pale blue at the unspoken pressure.

 

“An emergency board meeting has been called…!”

 

It was professional how he didn’t forget to convey what he needed to say even in this situation.

 

“For what?”

 

“YH Global has expressed intent for a public takeover of Gangseong Trading.”

 

YH Global? Ryu Seo-ha’s eyes widened at the familiar company name. Gangseong Trading was From Hell Guild’s largest shareholder. It meant that if things went wrong, the guild’s ownership could change.

 

“Wasn’t that company essentially dissolved?”

 

“Yes. I heard a foreign private equity fund had acquired it…”

 

Secretary Jang shook his head as if he didn’t know what was going on either, then bowed deeply upon facing his employer’s sharp expression.

 

“It seems you need to attend the meeting right away.”

 

At the subsequent unspoken urging, Choi Gang-hu roughly ran his hand through his hair and turned his head. Ryu Seo-ha, meeting his gaze, just slowly blinked his rabbit-like wide eyes.

 

“I’ll have to wash quickly then.”

 

Before he could grasp the meaning of the low mutter, a large hand suddenly approached.

 

❖ ❖ ❖

 

“An attempt at hostile M&A! How does this make sense?”

 

“How could a shattered small company…”

 

“It’s possible because they have a wealthy private equity fund management company behind them. Those wolf-like corporate raiders!”

 

The Gangseong Trading executives seated around the rectangular table spat out angry words.

 

“Gangseong Trading isn’t just some unsound company, how could such an absurd…”

 

“Isn’t this tantamount to declaring all-out war on our group?”

 

“Instead of just venting complaints, we need to come up with countermeasures. So how much friendly stake…”

 

Ryu Seo-ha, sitting in one of the chairs lined up against the wall, blankly listened to the noisy conversation going back and forth, then swallowed a sigh that was about to escape. He couldn’t understand what on earth was going on.

 

In the end, it was good that they substituted bathing with a water attribute item. But he never expected to attend an emergency board meeting that not just anyone could sit in on, instead of Secretary Jang. The glances from those around were burdensome.

 

“Can’t we just grant existing shareholders stock options?”

 

When Choi Gang-hu, who had been silently listening, opened his mouth, the gazes that had been stealing glances at Ryu Seo-ha quickly scattered. The man who had focused everyone’s attention with just one sentence swept his eyes over the executives.

 

“Uh… The poison pill system is not allowed under Korean commercial law.”

 

One executive who mustered courage among those bowing their heads like ripe autumn rice plants answered in a small voice. Choi Gang-hu, who had learned management in the US and wasn’t familiar with Korean circumstances, frowned.

 

“What about a reverse takeover bid?”

 

“Well, that… The internal stake ratio of hedge funds in YH Global stock is abnormally high…”

 

Realizing that Korean companies were more vulnerable to external attacks than imagined, Choi Gang-hu’s eyes sank deeply as he flipped through documents.

 

“We should buy back treasury shares first then.”

 

“The problem is that due to Gangseong Trading’s stock price soaring from From Hell Guild’s recent tremendous growth, the amount that can be purchased with funds available to headquarters is not much.”

 

As he listened to the executive’s concerned words, Ryu Seo-ha fell into thought. In the original work, there had been an attempt to seize management rights targeting Gangseong Trading. But the situation was quite different from now.

 

There was only internal competition over voting rights with his half-brother Choi Junwan, without foreign investment companies getting involved. Perhaps unlike the original work, did Choi Gang-hu have some trouble with an investment company while abroad?

 

Even if that were the case, it was an acquisition attempt that didn’t make sense. To express intent for a public takeover despite seeing the stock price soaring day after day. It certainly wasn’t an action aiming only for financial gain.

 

Even if it was an investment finance company that could easily handle trillions, buying such a large company at such an expensive price would inevitably deal a big blow. Suddenly, an organization that could calmly pull off such a crazy act crossed his mind.

 

A group with enormous financial power and global influence, but infiltrating and operating secretly without anyone knowing. A group of madmen who would spare nothing to achieve their goals.

 

‘The Order.’

 

Ryu Seo-ha’s expression became serious. He had already guessed that YH Global’s president, Go Young-hoon, had connections to the Order that instigated the kidnapping. He had vanished as if on cue.

 

Could this have been the plan from the beginning? The words about selling him at full price while he was still in his possession were apparently just lies for misdirection. What was his real purpose?

 

“It seems no one has any good ideas. Then let’s hear my person’s opinion.”

 

Suddenly, Choi Gang-hu half-turned his back on the executives and twisted his body towards the wall. Their eyes met directly.

 

“What does Ryu Seo-ha think?”

 

The attention of everyone present focused on Ryu Seo-ha. Not just the executives, but even the secretarial staff lined up sitting against the wall. Their gazes were filled with questions.