Born to Be a Secretary

It’s been almost a month since the contract relationship between Kwon Young-jae and Seon Woo-jin came to an end.

The reason for their breakup was somewhat cliche, so the public’s interest quickly died down, and the rumors about Kwon Young-jae’s confession were also completely dispelled. All the rumors and scandals were nothing more or less than simple happenings. I thought they were just going about their daily lives, but who would have thought that a nuclear bomb would fall on their smooth daily lives?
The incident occurred on Wednesday morning. Director Yeom of the Patent Strategy Department came to see Executive Director Kwon with a face that looked like he might faint at any moment.
“Can I see you briefly, Executive Director? I have something urgent to report to you regarding a new drug patent.”

When the man, who was usually known for being so arrogant, trembled with both hands, Hee-won instinctively felt that something urgent had happened.
Executive Director Kwon was currently on the phone with an overseas branch. And a meeting was scheduled in thirty minutes. He had to ignore his tight schedule and deliver the urgent matter first.
“Secretary Lee, hold the 3 o’clock meeting for a moment. Tell them that it might fall over.”

“Yes, Director.”
After giving the order, Hee-won returned to his seat and quickly scribbled down a memo. Manager Yeom, who was waiting in the middle of the office, swallowed dry saliva and looked only at Hee-won the whole time.
Then, he entered the office with the memo. Knock, knock, the sound of the knock was light.

In the space that was almost immaculately clean, a man with a greater presence than anyone else was sitting in a chair with a straight posture. Amid the silence, a low voice muttered English.
Managing Director Kwon held his cell phone in one hand and lightly tapped the edge of his desk with the other hand as he continued to talk to the person on the other end of the phone. Perhaps because it was a work-related call, his tone was serious and stiff throughout.
Hee-won quietly approached him. As he put the memo in his hand down on the desk, his indifferent gaze landed on Hee-won’s face and then dropped down.

Kwon Young-jae covered the memo with his palm, engraving the neat handwriting in his eyes. The tendons on the back of his hand were tingling.
“I’m sorry, but something unavoidable has come up that will make it difficult for you to talk. Yes, I’ll call you back tomorrow at the same time.”
As soon as he finished the call, a sharp gaze flew into his face. Hee-won read the meaning and immediately turned around. As soon as he opened the office door, Director Yeom, who had been waiting in front, quickly stepped forward.

The situation was more serious than expected. An accident occurred where confidential information was leaked from the R&D team in charge of new drug research and development.
“Zeus has already applied for a patent.”
Director Yeom explained the details of the accident in a state of atonement.

This morning, the patent team, as per their routine, discovered a competitor’s new drug patent while checking the patent office’s updated information.
It seemed familiar. The compound was developed through independent research by the Apex R&D team, and it was soon to be made into the next new drug. It was a long-term project that required a huge investment, and the initial research alone took nearly a year.
Competitors can create similar substances, but in this case, it was a perfectly identical compound with the same chemical structure and ingredients. This could not have happened without someone handing over the research data.
Kwon Young-jae pressed his temples for a moment after hearing the report. His jaw muscles were clearly visible as he clenched his molars. He was trying his best to suppress his anger.

It was hard to believe that such a mistake could happen in a large pharmaceutical company that was not a small business but had many of the best experts in the country.
His eyes, as sharp as frost, were fixed on Director Yeom. Director Yeom lowered his head and bit his lips, unable to meet his gaze.
“Who is the leaker?”

“We are investigating. There are currently several suspects, but the evidence is not conclusive, so I cannot say anything rashly….”
“Then let go and wait? Do you think that makes sense?”
At the cold rebuke, Director Yeom bowed deeply. Kwon Young-jae lowered his head and muttered a curse. His eyes trembled slightly. He was barely holding back his anger, but °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° he looked so angry that his head was about to flip upside down.

“Convene an emergency meeting right away… No, I’ll go directly to the lab.”
Kwon Young-jae kicked his chair away. He put on his jacket that was hanging on a hanger and glared at Director Yeom fiercely.
“Tell the legal team and the patent strategy department staff to be on standby. Director Yeom will follow me down.”

“Yes, Managing Director.”
In the meantime, Kim Hee-won contacted the driver and had the car ready. If he was going to go down to Daejeon, where the lab was, he would have to postpone all of his schedule for today. While busily assisting Director Kwon, he began to check the priorities of the things that needed to be resolved immediately in his head.
“…….”

Then I happened to look at Executive Director Kwon’s face. This is the kind of expression he makes when he’s really angry. My throat tightened for no reason in front of Kwon Young-jae’s anger, which I saw for the first time. I just swallowed my saliva without saying anything.
***
Apex was literally a mess. Kwon Young-jae visited the research center in Daejeon to personally understand the circumstances of the incident and reconfirmed the fact that confidential information had been leaked.

From then on, the company went into emergency mode and ran breathlessly. Starting with identifying the leaker, lawyers and patent attorneys gathered to come up with countermeasures.
It was a series of long, long meetings. Furthermore, if this fact was leaked to the outside, it could have a big impact on the stock price, so everyone kept it a secret.
Since the day the incident broke out, Kwon Young-jae has completely given up his personal life and has been tied up with the company.

Because of Executive Director Kwon, who doesn’t even eat or rest, the secretarial staff is also being sent away. Even a small mistake could have caused a serious problem, so everyone was alert and carried out their duties.
Aside from being busy, Executive Director Kwon was in the worst mood. It was obvious that his stress was at its peak.
The office was as tense as if a cold north wind was blowing, even though it was April. Everyone was holding their breath, trying to keep an eye on things. Kim Hee-won was on edge and served Executive Director Kwon more attentively than usual.

It’s been a week since the leak incident, and work is getting late again today. Even though it’s past 3 in the morning, the lights in the executive director’s office are still on.
Hee-won was left alone in the office and cleaned up his desk. Every day was like a sheet of thin ice, so it was natural for him to get tired. However, at times like these, it’s important to keep your surroundings neat and tidy and calm your mind.
Hee-won rested his elbows on the cleanly cleaned desk and supported his chin with his clasped hands. He blinked his heavy eyelids and looked toward the office. He could see Executive Director Kwon, who had maintained a straight posture for hours without being tired, reviewing documents through the glass window.

He had stayed up all night last night, too. Unlike Hee-won, who took turns with another secretary in the morning and took some time to rest, Kwon Young-jae had been awake for over 40 hours.
Isn’t he going to get sick? Even if he’s a dominant alpha, he’s not an iron man. But somehow I’ve never seen him yawn even once.
“Anyway, I’ll finish off your stamina.”

He muttered to himself and twisted his waist, causing the chair to turn to the side. Hee-won slowly lowered his arm and opened the secret drawer next to the desk.
The compartment below the drawer was full of survival items. From red ginseng sticks to fatigue recovery, high-potency vitamins, and stimulants when you’re really sleepy and feel like you’re going to die.
Hee-won took out an energy drink with high caffeine and secretly took a sip. Working all night is not easy for someone in their thirties. I’m sure Kwon Young-je would be the same way…

He glanced at the wall clock with the can of soda stuck to his lips. I have to get him home no matter what today. I’ll probably get scolded, but if he keeps falling down, it’ll be even worse.
When he made a grand plan on his own, his eyes that were dim from sleepiness gained energy! With that momentum, he drank down the remaining soda.
He grabbed one of Kwon Young-je’s fatigue recovery drinks and got up. After roughly adjusting his clothes, he knocked lightly on the office door. There was no response, but Hee-won opened the door and went in.

Kwon Young-je’s condition was terrible due to the continuous high-intensity work. Not only was his tie loose and his shirt crumpled, but his desk, which usually boasted sharp angles, was also a mess.
His darkly shadowed eyes proved that he was not a robot. Kwon Young-jae glanced at his secretary who had come in without permission and then focused on the call again. Instead, his expression became even more fierce than before.
It was one of Kwon Young-jae’s habits. Whenever he was stressed, he would always frown like this, his forehead wrinkled.

Hee-won quietly approached and placed a fatigue recovery pill in the spot where Kwon Young-jae’s eyes were. Then, without saying a word, he began to clean up the messy desk.
“I know what Park Byun wants to talk about. But I don’t need to look after his situation, do I?”
His voice cracked and tired. Hee-won sighed, letting the conversation go in one ear. What a mess this is. It’s the same for me, Kwon Young-jae, and the lawyer who gets a call at 3 in the morning.

“Stop trying to persuade me. Do you think I’m staying up this late to have this kind of wasteful argument?”
Kwon Young-jae untied his tie with an irritated hand. When the loosely tied tie was thrown, Hee-won quickly rolled it up and picked it up on the floor. The messy desk was now completely cleaned up.
“Okay, let’s discuss this again when we come to work tomorrow. Summon the lawyers from the legal team and come to my office by 9 o’clock.”

After the call ended, the office became eerily quiet. Kwon Young-jae still frowned and held his forehead. He seemed to be extremely stressed and exhausted, and he didn’t have the energy to do anything right now.
I understand. He is a very systematic and thorough person, and he absolutely hates making mistakes in the work he is in charge of.
This incident in particular seems to have a significant impact. Wasn't the project that he had worked hard on in danger of being ruined because of someone who sold company secrets without fear? It was even harder to bear because his perfect career was tarnished.

Unable to bear it any longer, Hee-won approached him and carefully straightened the collar of his shirt that had been turned inside out.
gave.
When someone else's hand touched him, his wide back twitched. However, Kwon Young-jae did not say anything and just leaned his head on the chair. He closed his eyes and let out a long sigh as if he did not want to lift a finger.

"Director, how about you leave work today? Get some sleep and come out."
He let out a quick glance at his purpose. Director Kwon's face, which he confirmed out of the corner of his eye, looked like it would not be strange if he collapsed at any moment.
Young-jae, let's go home. If you stay up all night again, you are not a real person. Hee-won muttered to himself and stared at his face intently.

... Huh?
But something was strange. Kwon Young-jae's skin seemed to be redder than usual. Hee-won paused for a moment and reached out to touch Director Kwon's nape.