"Good morning, sir. I—well, good afternoon," Daniel greeted, lightly out of breath. "I didn't mean to disrupt your vacation. I'm calling to inform you that Whitlock has accepted the offer. He also asked if anything else needs to be discussed before we proceed."

Liam stopped walking and glanced at the passing crowds along the Seoul street.

"Good morning and afternoon, Daniel," Liam replied. "You're not disrupting anything. Actually… I was starting to wonder when Whitlock would respond. Took him long enough."

A faint chuckle came from the other end.

"As for what comes next," Liam continued, "my part is done. You and Lucy will handle the rest."

"Understood, sir."

A stretch of silence followed, which was intentional on Daniel's part and Liam sensed it immediately. He knew that Daniel had something he wanted to say, but he wasn't sure if he should.

Liam sighed.

"You're curious. You want to know how I was able to appear in front of Whitlock's office, teleport in and out, and float so high in the sky," Liam said.

"Sir, I—" Daniel froze, realising that Liam had guessed what he was thinking.

"It's fine. I understand," Liam cut in gently. "I knew you'd think about it eventually."

Another silence came, heavier this time.

"I understand your concerns," Liam said. "But you don't need to worry. There are things about me that you don't know yet, but you will when the time is right."

Daniel inhaled sharply on the other end. Liam continued:

"Until then, focus on what you're already doing. I trust you, Daniel. More than you know. And I have a lot of good things planned for you."

Daniel didn't speak. Liam knew he was processing everything slowly.

"What I'm doing now," Liam added, "requires people who can stand beside me. Not behind me. People I can rely on and you're one of those people."

The line stayed quiet for several long seconds before Daniel finally exhaled.

"Sir… I don't know whether to be terrified or excited for the future."

Liam smiled faintly. He understands Daniel's torn and complicated emotional state. If he was in his position, he's not sure he will be able to take things as well as he's taking it.

Daniel continued, with his voice softer than usual. "When you hired me as Managing Director, I had no idea who I was working for. And honestly? I still don't fully understand. But I knew one thing from the start: life wouldn't be boring and I won't be stuck with just routine paperwork, or dealing with dark things."

Liam chuckled under his breath.

"And I was right," Daniel said. "Because I'm working for someone who can do things no one should logically be able to do. Someone who treats me well—even if that usually means burying me in work."

Liam laughed. "Sorry."

"No need to apologize," Daniel replied quickly. "I enjoy the work. And I have Lucy to help me survive it."

Liam shook his head, amused.

Daniel's tone softened. "Sir… I don't know what your end goal is. I don't know what you truly are. But I'm sure of one thing."

"What's that?"

"That whatever you're building… it's big. Bigger than what I can even imagine. And I want to see the end of it with you. I hope you give me more opportunities to prove myself along the way."

Liam stopped walking completely. Those words hit him in a place he wasn't used to acknowledging.

Trust.

Loyalty.

A genuine desire to walk alongside him, not serve him.

He swallowed lightly and replied, "Daniel… you've already proven yourself. More than you know."

He leaned against a railing overlooking a busy intersection.

"I have no intention of dropping you along the way. I'm not losing anyone. Not on this journey. And when everything ends—however it ends—I want the people with me today to still be there."

On the other end, Daniel laughed softly. It was actually an exhale of relief and pride.

"Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome. Discuss everything with Lucy. If anything requires my direct attention, call me."

"I will, sir."

"Good. I'll leave things to you."

With that, the call ended.

Liam lowered the phone slowly and slid it into his pocket. But his expression didn't settle immediately. His chest felt oddly tight—not in a painful way, but in a way he wasn't used to.

Daniel's words lingered.

I want to see the end of everything with you.

He hadn't realized how much he needed to hear something like that until he heard it.

Liam resumed walking, weaving through the Seoul crowds.

As he walked, his mind drifted back to his childhood—those quiet, lonely days when he had no one to talk to. When he smiled even when he was hurting. When the safest mask was silence.

He remembered surviving, and enduring and trying to belong but never being able to.

He never learned how to talk to people deeply. How to trust them. How to express himself without hiding behind calmness or distance.

Interpersonal skills? He barely had any.

He wasn't cold; he just never had a chance to grow them.

And now…

Daniel's words cut deeper than Liam expected.

He wanted to improve. He genuinely did. But change required effort. Conscious effort.

He exhaled softly.

"I should work on this too," he murmured. "Proper connections… real ones… won't form by accident."

He paused outside a convenience store, watching a group of university students laughing as they left with hot coffee cups. Their easy camaraderie felt distant, foreign.

Maybe one day he could have something like that too: people he could speak freely with, without weighing every word.

He looked up at the sky and smiled faintly to himself.

"I'll add it to the list."

Just like that, he continued walking.

The city spread around him with clean streets, warm shops, neon signs waiting for fast approaching nightfall, and crowds flowing around like one living organism.

But Liam felt different. He felt lighter and more aware of the people he had chosen to keep close.

He slipped his hands into his coat pockets and let the Seoul breeze hit his face.

He didn't know exactly how to build better bonds. He didn't know how to communicate feelings properly. He didn't know how to be… normal.

To him, normal is boring and overrated.

But he would learn everything else, except how to be normal.

He will learn slowly and on his own terms.

And with people like Daniel, Lucy, Kristopher, Alex and others beside him... maybe he wouldn't have to do everything alone anymore.

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