Born to Be a Secretary

“What on earth happened inside?”

Sharp eyes quietly hiding and watching glittered with curiosity. They busily whispered behind backs, filling themselves with dopamine.
Kwon Youngjae’s tired-looking eyes suddenly caught sight of them and instantly turned cold. The employees scattered like startled rabbits, fearing to get caught in the crossfire. The already chaotic hallway went through several more ordeals like this.
Attorney Park handed a bottle of water to Executive Director Kwon. Although skilled in lawsuits and legal disputes, this was his first time dealing with an internal workplace violence incident, and he was at a loss on how to manage it.

“I heard Secretary Kim fainted… Shall we transfer him to the hospital?”
“He’ll be fine. He’s regained consciousness now.”
“In that case, may I have a brief talk…”

“He’s not in a condition to discuss legal complaints now. We’ll handle that later.”
“Understood.”
Park immediately accepted the firm dismissal, collecting the half-finished water bottle Kwon had left. With the situation roughly understood, there was no need to linger and talk further here.

Kwon massaged his stiff neck. Having gone through such a tough ordeal, it was natural to be drained. He was usually good at hiding fatigue in front of others, but this time exhaustion showed plainly on his face.
“Shall we call it a day?”
“The security team has locked down the elevator and parking lot. Let’s move immediately.”

Even when leaving, important things shouldn’t be forgotten. Kwon re-entered the empty room, grabbed Heewon’s arm who was slouched against the wall, and forcibly pulled him up. Heewon’s legs still felt weak, and his body swayed forward.
“Want me to carry you?”
Kwon asked sharply. Heewon just shook his head. Unable to respond properly and looking listless, deepening the frown between Kwon’s brows.

“Then walk properly on your legs. If you don’t want to be seen dragged in front of others.”
Could he at least soften his tone? The harsh orders coming from the same man who had just pressed lips and sucked seemed cruel. Well, that was Executive Director Kwon for you. Surprisingly, his consistent coldness felt comfortable, so Heewon straightened his back and firmly planted his feet.
Escorted by the security team, they walked. Both looked like a mess. Disheveled hair and white powder smeared all over resembled someone fleeing a disaster site.

Though Heewon walked steadily, he occasionally twisted a leg. Each time, Kwon stopped and glared sharply. The silent reproach—Can’t you walk properly?—made Heewon sigh involuntarily.
Ah… I wish I could go alone. Heewon suppressed the bursting feelings deep inside and struggled to take each step. But unlike his wishes, there was only one car waiting in the parking lot.
The moment the rear door opened, Kwon grabbed Heewon’s shoulder, pulled him close, and pushed him inside. Being stripped even of the right to sit in the passenger seat, Heewon’s already stunned face became even more dazed. Before he could say a word, Kwon climbed in behind him and slammed the door shut.
“Drive to Hannam Village.”

He gave a curt order to the driver, stating the place where Heewon lived so confidently that the driver complied without question.
A suffocating silence settled. Trapped in the back seat with no room to move, Heewon suffered, and the driver, driving while wary of the rearview mirror, was equally uncomfortable. The only one calm inside the car was Kwon Youngjae.
Not wanting to think about him any longer, Heewon rested his forehead against the left window. His mind was completely blank. His ears felt muffled as if submerged, and his limbs hung limply.

Most troubling was the thick haze of Kwon’s pheromones inside the enclosed car. Was he trying to pickle a person? Even after enough exposure, he seemed clueless about moderation.
Frowning slightly, Heewon weakly said,
“Executive Director, could you… please lower the pheromones…”

A frosty glare shot back at the difficult request.
He clearly had no intention of lowering the pheromones. What was the point in asking further? He couldn’t bend the Executive Director’s will anyway. Resigning from persuasion, Heewon closed his eyes completely.
Still, it was actually comfortable.

The deeper he breathed, the more relaxed he felt. It was a strange thing. As the tight tension loosened, his heavy head gradually tilted.
They passed through a subway construction zone. The rough steel plates on the road made the ride unpleasant. Though the driver slowed down as much as possible, the jolts were unavoidable, and he kept glancing at the rearview mirror to check on the rear passenger.
“I’m sorry, Executive Director. We should have taken a detour…”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
Kwon replied nonchalantly. The noise and bumps were tolerable.
Repeated gentle jolts caused Heewon’s head to thump against the window several times, making a fairly loud noise.

Checking delayed emails on his phone, Kwon glanced sideways. The ridiculous sight made him chuckle hollowly. Could he possibly sleep in this situation? Even though it probably hurt quite a bit, Heewon was sleeping like he didn’t have a care in the world.
About to leave him be, Kwon put down his phone and, empty-handed, pulled Heewon’s head upright. It wasn’t a great favor, just setting his tilted head straight.
A sweet, mild osmanthus scent wafted from the loosely opened collar. The relaxed expression showed that his condition had stabilized somewhat.

The disgusting pheromones of «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» Kwon Youngho were no longer detectable. Now, the only scent clinging to Kim Heewon was Kwon Youngjae’s, gently mingled with pheromones.
That was enough. Kwon exhaled deeply and returned his attention to the phone.
After a long time, Heewon woke from sleep. Opening his eyes, he saw the car stopped in front of the familiar villa building. The engine was off, and the outside was quiet; the driver’s seat was empty. Only Heewon and Executive Director Kwon remained inside the car.

Glancing anxiously at his watch, he realized a full hour had passed since they left. How could someone be this carefree?? Beyond absurdity, his head spun as he grabbed his messy hair.
“…Why didn’t you wake me up?”
His voice was hoarse, like someone who had slept deeply. Trying to hide his embarrassment, Heewon secretly licked his dry lips.

Kwon, arms crossed arrogantly and eyes closed, immediately opened his eyelids at the sound. Without a glance, he sighed deeply.
“Kim Heewon.”
His voice was low, as if he hadn’t slept. Heewon tensed instinctively and straightened his back.

“You know you went into shock.”
“Yes.”
“If you want, you can sue Kwon Youngho. I already told Professor Hong, so the medical report will be prepared there. Attorney Park will take care of the rest, so you don’t need to worry.”

“……”
He spoke about the earlier incident. The well-organized plan flowed smoothly.
Heewon listened quietly, keeping his mouth tightly shut. It was hard to answer affirmatively right away.

The cold gaze shifted sideways. Kwon still watched Heewon’s troubled face, arms firmly crossed.
“I’m not forcing you. Do as you please.”
“I’ll… think about it for another day.”

“Fine.”
A careless response like do as you want escaped. The gaze he had briefly given returned to its original place.
“This is the last time I’ll overlook this. Don’t ever step out of line again.”

He didn’t forget the sharp warning. Since Heewon had disobeyed orders to wait outside and escalated the situation by coming in, he deserved to be scolded.
“I won’t cause any trouble.”
“……”

“...And thank you for today.”
Heewon managed to add a grateful remark. Although somewhat embarrassed, thanks to Kwon’s efforts, he had been able to recover from the shock, so he wanted to express his gratitude at least today.
Kwon said nothing in return. His expression remained subdued without any visible emotion, nor did he bother to nod. As a man used to modest manners without seeking credit, this response was perhaps natural.

“Rest.”
After a long pause, a brief reply came. Heewon bowed his head and got out of the car.
His footsteps were slow and listless as he climbed the winding entrance path. Approaching the front door, he trudged to enter the security code. His heavy sighs were long and deep like a lament.

After Heewon disappeared, the sedan stayed put until the living room light flickered on through the eighth-floor window.
Inside, the occupant exhaled a weary breath as tired as the one who had just left.