Born to Be a Secretary

His shirt was unbuttoned, so I could easily reach under his neck. I could feel his bare skin and could definitely tell that his body temperature was high.
He had a fever. He wasn’t coughing… Is it something like a cold?
I turned my head to see that the pheromone purifier in the corner was emitting a bright red light. Only then did I realize that a huge amount of pheromones were pouring out of Executive Director Kwon.

Hee-won immediately turned on the portable measuring device. When he saw the abnormally high pheromone levels with his own eyes, his mouth fell open in absurdity.
The rut had clearly passed. However, such a strong pheromone could not have come out unless he was in heat.
“Executive Director. The pheromones are….”

“I know.”
While some people were flustered and even had trembling voices, the person in question was calm. Hee-won moved to the side to check the condition properly.
Kwon Young-jae slowly wiped his face and took out a pheromone suppressant from the drawer. He even drank the fatigue recovery pills that were on his desk, looking incredibly peaceful.

“This will be resolved with medication.”
Even though his condition was at rock bottom, his rough tone was still the same. However, his wrinkled brows did not straighten easily, as if his body was inevitably tired.
Hee-won stared down at his face. This was an issue that absolutely could not be overlooked. Managing Executive Director Kwon’s condition was strictly his responsibility.

“You should go to the hospital. Contact Professor Hong right away and make an appointment for treatment…”
“Secretary Kim.”
A large hand firmly grabbed Hee-won’s wrist as he took out his cell phone.

“Do you think I’m in a position to leisurely go to the hospital right now?”
“This isn’t something that can be resolved with medication. The Executive Director’s condition is problematic no matter who looks at it,”
“Don’t make a fuss. I know my condition well.”

He lightly dismissed Hee-won’s words. In the meantime, the staring contest became fierce.
The grip on his wrist was considerable. When Hee-won unconsciously frowned, Kwon Young-jae finally let go of his wrist.
“It’s not too late to get treatment after this situation is resolved, so in the meantime, just get some medicine.”
“…….”

“Let’s get off work now.”
He pushed the desk aside and got up. He couldn’t even think of stopping him because his intentions were so firm. Hee-won took a deep breath and took his jacket instead.
The current Executive Director Kwon was like a time bomb that could explode at any moment.

Therefore, he had to watch closely. Hee-won pulled himself together.
***
The culprit was a senior researcher in his fifth year of service, and he was said to have incurred a huge amount of debt due to failed investments in stocks and coins. The researcher had quit the company a month ago and had already gone into hiding overseas, perhaps fearing the consequences.

“No matter how much it costs, just catch him and bring him in front of me.”
Kwon Young-jae hired a private detective agency. They were known for their skills, so they would probably be able to achieve results faster than the prosecution.
The problem was the negotiation with Zeus. Since Zeus had already issued the patent, Apex could not use the same compound. It was at least 20 years before a generic drug could be made, and while the patent invalidation lawsuit had a chance of winning, it would cost a corresponding amount of money and time for the research. It would also inevitably result in a loss of image.

A week later, the other party requested a meeting first. During the difficult negotiation, a Zeus official proposed that they buy back the patent at a very high price or form a partnership to have joint ownership. It was called a partnership, but the logic was that they would suck Apex’s capital and technology by sticking a straw in it.
“We absolutely cannot do that.”
Kwon Young-jae’s lips curled. He tilted his head back with his long legs crossed. He was smiling, but his eyes were fierce beyond description.

“Do you think I’m a pushover, Mr. Vice President?”
“Did that sound like that? Well, we tried our best to be considerate.”
“This is the first time I’ve ever negotiated with stolen goods.”

The Zeus Vice President let out a bitter laugh. He had somewhat expected this kind of reaction.
“Well, there’s nothing we can do. We plan to start developing a new drug with that patent. We have high hopes. As you know, it’s such an innovative patent.”
“Try it. I can’t wait to see how great a drug you’ll make.”

“Are you really not willing to cooperate?”
“Yes. Not even a little bit.”
Kwon Young-jae answered firmly. In the meantime, we reviewed countless cases to regain ownership of the patent, but in the end, we decided to give up the patent that was taken away and try a design-around strategy to bypass the existing patent. This was practically the same as starting over from scratch.

It wasn’t an easy decision. After talking privately with the chairman, we decided to take full responsibility. If this new drug development wasn’t a great success, Kwon Young-jae was ready to take off his clothes and leave the company.
“Then why are you here? I thought you were willing to settle.”
“It’s to warn you. I’m the type of person who always gets backstabbed.”

Kwon Young-jae’s face, which had lost its smile, was sharper than ever. The moment he met his deep, sharp eyes, the Zeus vice president tightened his grip on the armrest. Even though he was young, he was not usually that strong-willed, as he had heard. He couldn’t bear to show his intimidation in front of him, so he straightened his shoulders.
Hee-won watched the situation unfold in silence.
Unlike Zeus, who had brought a bunch of lawyers to the negotiation table, Kwon Young-jae brought only him. Nevertheless, his presence was imposing. His gaze was sharp and his determination to crush his opponent was clearly visible.

Honestly, Hee-won was proud of Executive Director Kwon’s actions. He truly thought his pride of never bowing his head even when he was pushed to the edge was truly amazing.
They say pride in name only is no different from bluff, but Kwon Young-jae was different. Watching from the sidelines, he was certain that this man would always gain the upper hand and succeed no matter what situation he was in.
“Try it out.”

“Thank you for the encouragement.”
Although it was supposed to be a farewell, not even the usual handshake was exchanged. The outcome of the short battle of wits seemed clear. Kwon Young-jae looked down at the vice president with a smile on his face, as if he was quite pleased with it. Regardless of whether the other person was shaking or not, he left first.
“Director, you should go to the hospital now….”

As soon as Hee-won got into the car, he mentioned the next schedule. He turned his waist halfway and saw Kwon Young-je, who was sitting in the backseat, collapse to the side.
“Director!”
Hee-won hurriedly moved to the backseat and supported Kwon Young-je. He seemed to be nearing his limit and could not open his eyes, breathing heavily.

“Sir, please take me to Korea University Hospital! Hurry up!”
Hee-won shouted while hugging his collapsed body. He then took out his cell phone and contacted Professor Hong, Director Kwon’s attending physician. He was so surprised that his short palms were covered in sweat.
“Professor. This is Kim Hee-won. Director Kwon collapsed, so yes. I’m on my way to the hospital right now. I think I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

Hee-won kept looking at Kwon Young-je’s face. So, I was anxious from the time I took the medicine and held on. You should be stubborn to some extent.
The bomb finally exploded. Hee-won hugged Kwon Young-jae once more. He was so big that he couldn’t support him, but he was almost crushed, but there was nothing he could do.
***

“It was a miracle that he was able to walk around normally all this time. Isn’t this a walking corpse?”
The test results were tossed over. Professor Hong pushed up his glasses that were hanging on the bridge of his nose and sighed several times. That meant that the results were serious.
“Just the main point.”

Kwon Young-jae took off the hospital gown he was wearing and threw it away. Hee-won quickly brought a new shirt and covered his naked body. Professor Hong laughed in vain at the sight of him being treated as if it was natural, and shook his head.
“Not to mention the pheromone levels, the liver levels are the worst.”
Professor Hong is one of the best phenotype specialists in Korea. He was Kwon Young-je’s attending physician and longtime friend. Professor Hong Yeon-ju is one of the few people Kwon Young-je can confide in.

Professor Hong had been prescribing him inhibitors consistently, but he had no idea that his condition had deteriorated to this extent. Perhaps the main reason was the severe stress he had recently experienced.
“Your immune system is also at its lowest. The only reason you were able to hold out was because you were an alpha… Now that there is something wrong with your pheromone secretion system, I can’t guarantee anything. As your attending physician, I warn you to stop taking the medication immediately and prepare to send a rut.”
Kwon Young-je had already put on his shirt. He sat on the medical bed and sighed in exhaustion.

Hee-won was organizing the patient gown that he had taken off. Kwon Young-je’s long exhalations made her forehead tickle. Although he didn’t have the ability to detect pheromones, he could guess that Kwon Young-jae was in quite a miserable state right now from his moist and warm breath.
“Isn’t there another way? Surgery?”
“Surgery is possible. If you can stay in the hospital for three weeks, then get the surgery.”

Professor Hong said bluntly. He put the test results aside and turned his chair right back. He kept his eyes fixed on the monitor and quickly typed on the keyboard.
“You hate omegas, not sex, right?”
“…….”

“Should I be more specific? If you don’t go on a rut right now, you’ll ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ go into shock. You’ll be behind soon.”
Hee-won’s fingers stopped at the stern warning. He barely managed to straighten his waist and stand up. Kwon Young-jae’s face didn’t look particularly surprised. That was because he was also somewhat aware of his condition.
Kwon Young-jae swept his face down. After completely wiping away even the slightly complicated emotions, he opened his mouth.

“Secretary Kim, check your schedule.”
Hee-won was already looking through her phone. The calendar was already jam-packed with schedules. Even on weekends when she didn’t have work, there were various events scheduled.
“…Director, it’s hard to make enough time for her schedule right now.”

“Oh, shocking. Shocking.”
Professor Hong emphasized again in a firm tone.
Kwon Young-jae bit his lips tightly.

It was clearly unsatisfactory. But there was nothing he could do. He nodded resignedly.
“Put everything aside and try to take a week off.”