Chapter 5 – The Immortal Tries Her Hand in Playing a Computer Game

"Sebastian, I have been telling you for the last century," I pointed out. "We need to employ humans. Have you sent out the job application yet?"

"I'm working on it, boss," he replied.

"We cannot be at the forefront of the company," I explained. "This human is the face and will be the face of the company. Ensure that this human is loyal and can be trusted. I would want him to know about our secret."

"Okay, boss."

I looked up thoughtfully. "Do you need an assistant to help you, Sebastian?" I asked curiously. "Do we have anyone capable of it?"

"I can handle it by myself, boss."

I stared at my assistant for a good long minute at his statement. He seemed to be firm with his statement but I am not a bad employer. I made a face, crossed my legs and ordered him to get himself help. The company was growing, and I knew that he needed the help that he needed as I was always away from the company.

This immortal is making me worry more than necessary.

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Are you coming over today?

It was one in the afternoon on a Saturday when Jiminie messaged me. My phone buzzed upon receiving his message and I unlocked the mobile to check the content. He had been asking me to come over for the past week, and I thought I should drop by before he ends up getting pissed at me. Telling him that I'd drop by in the evening, I set my phone aside.

On a Saturday, I was at work and seated inside the office. I had a stack of things that I needed to complete, and if I didn't, my assistant, Sebastian, would have my head. He would give me an earful, a long speech about being responsible as the CEO and the owner of companies since I had been putting the work off for days and yesterday was the final straw for him.

My capable team could function fine without me or my input but there were days that I needed to step in and sign contracts, checking in on new deals with new clients. I was reading through them, going through them and checking their clauses when Sebastian came in with a new stack of reports for me to go through.

"Really?"

"It's your downfall, boss."

I took a deep breath and let out a deep sigh.

"I'm glad that you made the decision to move back here," he said softly, a small smile on his face. "The clan is relieved that you're okay, and we're excited to have you back with us, boss."

"You guys are just pampered," I said with a flat look.

He chuckled. "We missed you, boss," he said. "The boys are planning to have a feast for your welcome party. I will let you know when we're ready."

I looked at him. "Don't use one of our clubs," I said.

"Sure thing, boss."

"Is there any more work that I need to look at?" I asked. "I have to go and visit the little one."

"These are just the remaining ones," he replied.

"Okay, thanks."

"Also I have a suggestion, boss," he added.

"What is it?"

"Can you come to the office on a normal day?" he queried. "It will boost the morale of the company employees, especially the humans. Hyun Syik will definitely be relieved to see you come in. I think the old man misses you and has refrained from visiting you to give you some space."

"I'll think about it, Sebastian."

"Thank you, boss."

.

Hours later –

Punching in the passcode, I opened the door and let the door swing close behind me. Looking around the apartment, I took off my shoes and stepped further inside the unit. "Jiminie? Where are you?" I called out as I wandered the living room and the kitchen. There wasn't anyone at the front part of the apartment.

"Over here, Alice!"

"What are you doing?"

"I'm playing a game!" His voice sounded far away. "In my room!"

Meandering down the hallway, I passed by the shared bathroom and turned a left where the bedrooms were. I passed by his mother's bedroom and entered his bedroom – seeing him sitting on a chair while playing a shooting game. It looked highly nauseating and I simply sat on the bed – watching him play, laughing and scolding his teammates over the headset he was wearing.

"What game are you playing?" I asked.

"Overwatch."

"It looks complicated."

"It's fun, do you want to try it out?"

"No thanks, I might break it," I murmured quietly.

"What are you talking about, Alice?" he asked with a laugh. "You can't break the console, it's tough. I'll let you have a turn after this game is over."

"Oh, it's fine," I said. "I'll just watch you play."

"You sure? It's fun."

"Yeah."

As I watched him play, I could tell that he has spent a lot of time getting better in the game and the controller had plenty of buttons to press on. They were not easy to use – they needed time to hone the skills and I wondered the kind of system that they were using. I glanced at the brand, recognised it and started googling about the company.

Knee deep in their system information, I overhear Jiminie talking to his friends. "Who I was talking to?" I scrolled through the page. "She's my long-time friend." I hummed as I read through their systems, going through their specifications. "No! No way!" I checked their games and their list of personnel who were working there. "She's mine!"

I looked up when I hear him say that.

"She's beyond your league!" I watched as he grew agitated and he began aggressively playing – shooting endlessly, while hunting down his opponents. "Don't you fucking dare!" Jiminie was getting angrier by the second and I got up, putting my hand on his head before ruffling them. He usually calms down whenever I do that and soon enough, he quiets down – a pout on his lips.

"Alice ~" he whined.

"Don't fight," I said.

"Okay ~"

I turned around to leave the room. "Where are you going?" He asked, his eyes still glued to the monitor. "Hey! Stop being an arse!"

"I'm going to get some snacks," I said.

"Don't take too long!"

I wandered out of his bedroom and down to the kitchen. I've been over once, and despite it being a new place; there was a sense of homeliness to it - like it was lived in. There were photo frames of Jiminie when he was younger, and there were ones with his mother. I spied one photo frame with me and Jaemin in it as well.

Seeing that made me smile.

I came back to his room with a handful of snacks as well as a cup of coffee for myself. He had a serious look on his face as he played, his fingers were busy moving on the console. I sat on the bed as I watched him play, and after he was done with one round, he beckoned me over.

"Come and play here, Alice," he said as he turned around, beckoning me over with his arms. "I'll guide you."

"Do you have another chair?" I asked.

He gave me a look. "Come here," he said again.

I made a face as I got up, heading towards the human and sitting on his lap - wrapped in his warm embrace. I could hear his heart beating against his chest and it resonated against my back as I leaned against him. Where did he learn this from? A K-drama scene? Something he read in a book?

"Alright," he said as he brought my hands towards the console, wrapping my digits around it. He began to give me a break down of what each button could do, hints of how to play the game and the tactics on how to win the game. It was meticulous and used a lot of brainpower.

How do humans play this?

"Don't worry about losing the first few rounds," he said as he started the game, pressing on a button to enter the match. "You need to get used to the controls and the dynamics of the game."

"Okay."

As I chose a character, mulling over each strength, ability and special power, I could feel him shifting beneath me and his chin resting on my head. It made me realise just how tall he was growing. Our positions used to be reversed; me teaching him how to play a Nintendo game boy while he sits on my lap.

I missed those days, he was just a little boy and now he's grown so big that he's dwarfed me instead.

"That's a good character," he said suddenly, bringing me out of my nostalgic thoughts. "You should choose that."

"Okay."

There were four in a team, and each character was chosen by each player. We appeared on a map and there was a time limit. I grew curious at the game, and began to play once the timer started. On the top right, there was a map that showed the positions of each team member.

I was highly focused on the computer monitor, my fingers mimicking what I had seen from Jiminie's playing and I could feel myself smiling at the rush from playing the game. Once the game was over, I was brought back to reality and realised that Jiminie was howling with laughter.

"How are you able to play so good like that, Alice?" he asked jovially. "This is your first try, isn't it?"

"I just watched you play, little one," I replied.

"That's crazy!" he cried. "Let's play again!"

I spent the rest of the evening in his apartment, playing games and watching him play. Honestly, I wouldn't possibly find a more exciting thing to do. I knew Jaemin would say that I was whipped for the young one, and I knew that I was. Ever since he gave me his banana milk, I knew that I would be his side forever.

Well, not forever.

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