“......”
“...Ma’am?”
“It’s been a while since you had a al with family, hasn’t it? I haven’t eaten with mine in ages either.”
Honestly, that “Family relations: None” line on Kibon’s personnel card had stuck with more than I expected.
I smiled faintly and continued.
“Earlier, you asked how I’m so good at drafting official docunts. Even though I didn’t have a boss to teach .”
“...Yes.”
“My twin brother works in the Ministry of Finance. I helped him out a lot.”
“The Ministry of Finance?!”
Kibon was so shocked, he dropped his spoon.
I scratched my cheek, a bit sheepish.
“It’s not allowed. Definitely not. But... there were unavoidable circumstances. He’s not really family, anyway. Well, we share so blood, but...”
“Wait, so you just... did it for him?”
“......”
“...Ma’am?”
“I learned a lot too, since he kept asking for reference material. The Ministry of Finance docunts are insanely well-organized, really good to study from. So it’s not like I just did it for him, you know?”
“Ha.”
Kibon let out a dry, incredulous laugh.
Well, yeah. It does sound ridiculous.
I quickly cleared the next dish and went on.
“And when I helped him, I got to eat dinner with them. I was trying to save on food costs, so that was... honestly, a big deal.”
“......”
“But more than saving money... sotis, even if they’re horrible people, you just want to have dinner with soone.”
At that, Kibon frowned.
Then, without touching his plate, he asked,
“So... during those dinners, did your family acknowledge how much work you were doing?”
“They just told to help more. Said that the departnt I was in, the Scroll-whatever thing, probably had no real work anyway.”
I shrugged and gave him a glance that said, hurry up and eat.
Kibon reluctantly picked up his fork and muttered,
“That must’ve been... unfair. Sad, even...”
I brushed it off and added,
“It wasn’t that bad. I just thought... it’d be nice to have a family who at least rembered the na of my departnt.”
Kibon didn’t say anything.
Which made sense.
What do you say when your boss starts talking about their tragic backstory?
Not that I was just venting.
“Anyway, compared to the people I used to live with, even if I’m your boss, I’m probably better.”
“......”
“Starting tomorrow, I won’t ask you to eat with again.”
“...What?”
“But if you ever don’t want to eat alone, I’ll co with you. Just ask . No need to be shy.”
“......”
“So days, even if the people are terrible... you just don’t want to eat alone. Even if you don’t say it, I get it.”
I still had plenty of al vouchers from Kiaros.
And I had more than enough reason to use them on soone in a situation like mine.
‘Damn. I kind of sound cool right now.’
Maybe I always wanted a boss who would say stuff like this?
A foreign orphan, always alone... of course he’d be moved, right?
I glanced over, expecting a face full of emotion.
‘What the hell. Why does he look mad?’
He was holding it back, but I could see it—he was genuinely angry.
I flinched, and Kibon forced a smile. He finally started moving his fork again.
Then he spoke through clenched teeth.
“Still... now that you’re a minister... does it help, even a little?”
“Hmm.”
I tilted my head and answered.
“Not really. Just because I beca a minister doesn’t an all my emptiness is gone.”
“......”
“No matter how successful you are, if there’s no one to be happy for you, it’s hollow. Family can’t be replaced.”
Normally, I wasn’t the type to talk about myself.
I hated being pitied, and explaining my ssy personal stuff always felt like surrendering my pride. That’s why I never shared.
But Kibon was the only subordinate I had.
A foreigner, with a similar background to mine. Maybe that’s why the words ca so easily.
‘See? He’s not even cutting his own at anymore. He’s just mauling it. Total emotional overload.’
Kibon was absolutely butchering the at from the main dish.
He took a deep breath and said slowly,
“So even as a minister... you’re still not happy.”
“Hmm?”
I frowned.
Then imdiately said,
“What are you talking about? I’m happy.”
“Wait... but didn’t you say you felt hollow?”
“I do. But I’m still happy.”
I said it plainly.
“I like having my own minister’s office and a wide desk. I like having a secretary. I like the salary bump. I like the bonuses. I like that I have the power to appoint my own team leaders. I like that no one’s above to nag or make dumb comnts. I like being able to fix broken docunts myself. I like attending the weekly ministers’ etings.”
“......But you said family can’t be replaced...”
“Oh, yeah.”
Kibon blinked, speechless.
“You can’t replace family. So you just have to aim higher.”
“...What?”
“With honor, wealth, power, influence—whatever you can. You fill the hollow parts however you can.”
“...Seriously?”
Being a lonely minister was better than being a lonely nobody.
That was my day-one takeaway from this job.
Kibon rolled his eyes and asked,
“Wait, but... you’re already a minister. What’s higher than that?”
“Hmm.”
I folded my arms and fell into thought.
Explaining this a hundred tis wouldn’t help. I’d have to show him.
I finally picked up my fork again and said with resolve,
“If you’re curious, eat faster.”
“...Sorry?”
“I’ll show you.”
***
Kibon didn’t seem used to eating quickly.
Or maybe he was just uncomfortable eating with his boss.
Either way, he didn’t finish. I did.
“Co with .”
I motioned for him to follow—I’d arrived back before the end of the lunch break.
We headed to a café inside the palace.
It was the kind of place where palace bureaucrats grabbed a coffee after lunch.
I pulled Kibon behind a wall to stay out of sight.
“What is this...?”
Kibon rolled his eyes. Just then—
“Would you mind moving?”
“Sorry, but there’s a lot of us.”
A group of bureaucrats was surrounding a table where so other governnt workers sat.
The standing group clearly had the numbers.
“This is our only break ti before we have to get back to work.”
“Unlike so paycheck-stealing slackers who don’t do anything.”
The seated workers—three or four of them—bowed their heads and got up without a word.
No one said anything like “we got here first” or “there’s room for everyone.”
The problem was...
“Wait, aren’t those Scroll Departnt staff?”
Kibon whispered in disbelief.
He was right.
The people getting shoved out were our departnt workers. My forr seniors.
“Click your tongue all you want, who’d want to work under a 23-year-old minister with less than ten staff?”
“If it were , I’d quit out of sheer embarrassnt. What kind of joke of an organization is that?”
“They’re the sha of the palace, I swear.”
The ones who took over the table laughed and jeered openly.
One of our staff suddenly spun around.
She was a tiny woman with thick glasses that made her look a little silly.
“Y-you’re being too ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) much. W-we got up, okay? So s-stop mocking us...”
Everyone burst out laughing.
“Did you hear? She’s a team leader in the Scroll Departnt. Seriously, how desperate are they?”
“No wonder even soone like her gets promoted. That departnt is trash.”
“I wouldn’t take a team lead position under a 23-year-old minister even if you paid .”
The mockery didn’t stop.
Eventually, the Scroll Departnt employees turned and hurried away.
The others laughed among themselves, smug.
That was when—
“You’d think palace officials would be working together for the empire’s good...”
Kibon furrowed his brow and stepped forward.
Startled, I grabbed his arm.
“What are you doing? Don’t tell you’re about to deliver so cliché, uninspiring speech in front of those people?”
“Why would that be a bad thing?”
“Like they’re going to listen to an intern. What, are you royalty or sothing?”
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