“Thank you, Mr. Yoon.”
Jaehyuk smiled politely, shaking the investor’s hand as the meeting wrapped up. It had ended faster than expected, but his schedule was still packed—more lunch meetings, more discussions, more responsibilities waiting to pile on.
Still…
At least I can finally eat.
His stomach grumbled in agreement.
Asahi’s probably waiting…
As soon as he stepped out of the conference room, his phone rang.
Doyoung.
Jaehyuk answered immediately. “Yes? Kim Doyoung, breathe first, then talk. What’s going on?”
“Asahi was knocked out!”
“…What?”
The line went silent—but Jaehyuk was already moving.
He rushed into the elevator, barely noticing the people he bumped into. “Sorry—sorry,” he muttered quickly, not even slowing down. Behind him, a few confused investors exchanged looks… then followed.
Something was clearly wrong.
When Jaehyuk arrived at the cafeteria—
Chaos.
A crowd had gathered.
Employees whispered, phones raised, some even taking pictures.
In the middle of it all—Asahi unmoving.
Doyoung was kneeling beside him, carefully holding his head to keep it from hitting the floor.
Jaehyuk’s expression darkened instantly.
“What’s going on here?”
Silence fell like a switch had been flipped.
In the corner, Dohwan stiffened, quietly shrinking into the background, already planning his escape—or better yet, someone else to blame.
Jaehyuk stepped forward, his jaw tight.
For a split second, a dangerous thought crossed his mind.
Whoever did this…
But first—He knelt beside Asahi.
“Mr. Yoon, should we call an ambulance?” one employee asked nervously. “He might be seriously injured—”
“He doesn’t need a doctor,” Jaehyuk cut in calmly.
Doyoung blinked.
“…Hyung?”
“Your phone,” Jaehyuk said, holding out
his hand. “I threw mine earlier.”
“…You what?”
“Long story.”
Doyoung handed it over anyway.
Jaehyuk quickly pulled a card from his wallet—Treasure Studio.
Right.
The delivery guy mentioned this, He dialed.
The call connected after a few rings.
“Hello! This is Treasure Studio, Ha Yoonbin speaking. How may I assist you?” a bright voice chirped.
Jaehyuk lowered his voice.
“Yoonbin-sshi, I need help. My mother’s order arrived yesterday, but something happened. He suddenly shut down—like he fainted.”
“May I have your name?”
“Yoon Jaehyuk.”
A pause.
Then—
“Oh! Jae-sshi,” the voice brightened. “Did someone touch the back of his neck?”
Jaehyuk glanced at Doyoung.
Doyoung shook his head—then subtly mouthed: Dohwan.
“…Someone did,” Jaehyuk confirmed.
“You can press it again to reboot him. Just make sure no one touches it accidentally.”
“…Got it. Thank you.”He ended the call and handed the phone back.
“Hyung… he’ll be okay, right?” Doyoung asked quietly.
Jaehyuk didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he looked around.
“Everyone, back to work.”No one moved.
“…Now.”That did it.
The crowd scattered instantly.
Once they were alone—
Jaehyuk sighed. “Don’t worry. He’ll be fine.”Doyoung frowned. “But—”
“He’s made of metal. He can’t exactly die unless something short-circuits.”
“…I’m sorry, what?”
Jaehyuk blinked. “Oh. I didn’t tell you?”
Doyoung stared at him.
“You didn’t tell me that the guy I’m babysitting is basically a walking, talking high-end appliance, no.”
Jaehyuk winced slightly. “My mom bought him. From Treasure Studio.”
“…You’re serious.”
“Very.” Doyoung looked down at Asahi.
“…I almost fed him like a normal person.”
“You did feed him like a normal person.”
“…I feel lied to.”
“Understandable.”
Jaehyuk gently reached behind Asahi’s neck— Click.
Asahi’s body is still there for a moment.
Then—His eyes flickered.Lit up.
“The system is restarting…”
A faint static followed then Asahi blinked, gaze focusing again. “What is happening?” he asked calmly, like he hadn’t just caused a full-scale office panic.
Jaehyuk exhaled in relief.
“Nothing important,” he said quickly, helping him up. “Let’s go. I’m starving.”
He glanced at Doyoung. “Book us a restaurant for the lunch meeting.”
Doyoung nodded, still processing life.
“Oh—and Doyoung?”
“…Yes?”
“Prepare hiring documents later.”
Doyoung blinked. “For?” Jaehyuk’s smile didn’t reach his eyes.“I think we need a new manager.”
From across the room, Dohwan felt a chill run down his spine.
As Jaehyuk turned, he noticed the investors still lingering nearby.
Ah right-He immediately put on his professional smile. “I apologize for earlier. I was in a hurry and didn’t watch where I was going.” One of them chuckled. “No worries. You seem… passionate.”
“That’s one way to put it,” another added.Mr. Park, one of the oldest investors—and a longtime friend of Jaehyuk’s father—smiled knowingly. “Let’s head out. We all have work to do.”
Jaehyuk bowed politely. “Have a safe trip.” Then, without hesitation, he grabbed Asahi’s hand and walked away.
**\*\**\
Elsewhere—“So… the youngest son of the Yoon family bought something from Treasure Studio?”
A man chuckled darkly, leaning back in his chair.
“What a pathetic situation.”
A subordinate knelt before him, head lowered.
“They’re struggling,” the man continued. “The eldest is still in a coma… and the youngest is playing CEO.”
He tossed an envelope at the subordinate’s feet.
“Make sure Yoon Jeonghan never wakes up.” A pause.
“…Or kill him.”
The man smiled—a slow, dangerous curve of his lips. “I’ll handle the youngest.” His eyes gleamed.
“After all… everything they own will soon belong to me.” His laughter echoed in the room—cold, sharp, and unmistakably cruel.
