10 rules of a Secretary chapter 5

It was impossible to count how many journalists I had met to block interviews of the assaulted employees.

So, I decided to handle it myself. I kept trying and giving up countless times, searching for every possible solution.

The problem was my meddlesome nature. Every time I saw those particularly pale and chapped lips in photographs, it tugged at my heart, and I felt pity.

If you were born with a face like that, you should at least take good care of it.

At first, I just handed him lip balm. “Please, use this,” I said.

But every time, he would throw it back at me.

Out of sheer stubbornness, I tried to apply it on his lips, but he recoiled in disgust within exactly three seconds, saying he hated the slippery feeling.

“Hit me if you want, let’s at least get compensation!” I thought, as I rubbed it on his lips with my finger, and magically, CEO Han became docile.

It took such a long time to get to that point that I never want to recall it again.

But I did it.

Came, saw, conquered.

It was a perfect victory, expressible in just three words.

If we were to share credit for his lips, his mother, who gave birth to him, deserved 50%, CEO Han himself got 5%, and the remaining 45% was mine.

The reason I didn’t surpass his mother’s share was out of a sense of conscience.

How could I surpass the person who gave birth to him?

Despite all the care given to those lips, CEO Han treated them roughly, as if dealing with a useless draft (which he would tear up in front of me).

To him, even 5% credit seemed too much. In other words, those lips were almost mine.

“The problem is, he won’t let anyone else touch his lips but me.”

For those complex reasons, I decided to go to the filming site, but it made me anxious when he insisted on separating from me.

He wasn’t the kind of person who would apply lip balm himself just because I handed it to him.

I rubbed the lip balm on my fingertip again and looked intently at CEO Han’s lips. I checked several times to make sure they weren’t too red and carefully rubbed his upper lip.

As I gently caressed his warm, soft lips, I glanced at CEO Han, whose eyes were half-closed.

His long eyelashes cast a deep shadow around his eyes. Remembering the light-colored irises hidden within, I refocused on his lips and then looked up again. His hazel eyes were looking at me.

As I indulged in these idle thoughts, I met his gaze nonchalantly. “What’s the big deal if he looks at me? I have the freedom to look back.”

“Is there anywhere uncomfortable, Mr. President?”

“You were staring so intensely. It made my heart flutter.”

His confident tone was filled with arrogance. Seeing his raised eyebrows, I smiled back and pressed his lips gently before letting go.

“What part of what I told the executive earlier did you miss? I’m a beta, and my preferences are unwaveringly straightforward. And we’re done here. Don’t bite your lips on set.”

“If you’re worried, why don’t you come along?”

Oh, of course not. In this line of work, if you’ve promised to clock out, that’s the end of it. As a salaried employee, I wanted to do as little work as possible. I subtly shifted the conversation to another topic.

“If your lips are a mess when I’m not around…”

I stopped there and handed CEO Han the lip balm. His palm, touching mine, felt unusually warm. Upon closer inspection, his exposed skin seemed slightly flushed.

I thought I might need to get him some tonic and opened my mouth while staring at his palm.

“If they’re a mess, I’ll take a vacation.”

“Vacation?”

I kept silent at his questioning, as I was firm on this matter. How could I possibly let go after working so hard to get his lips to this state?

I looked at his cold face, swallowing hard.

“Yes, vacation.”

“Secretary Sun. I didn’t know you had a knack for picking such timing.”

What timing? It’s the time when the senior executive and I are bickering over whether to acquire a subsidiary or not.

Recently, the chairman subtly suggested to his sons to try running an apparel subsidiary.

Although it was quite well-known within the Daewon Group, it encompassed everything from outdoor gear to underwear, meaning there was more work than expected.

Although nothing significant had happened yet, I had a feeling something was going to blow up soon.

If it were up to me, I’d rather acquire an art gallery than an apparel subsidiary, but unfortunately, the chairman tightly held onto the art gallery, which was a real gem.

Despite such issues, I needed to assert my rights.

Otherwise, how could a mere salaried worker ever win against a superior?

“CEO Han, unfortunately, I have five days of summer vacation to use this year, and there is no reason I should be deprived of my legally guaranteed vacation. If you refuse, I intend to go to the Human Rights Commission and the Ministry of Employment and Labor to honestly and sincerely discuss the unfair workload. Will you still say no?”

“Then, my unfortunate secretary will be fired, and we’ll have a candid and sincere legal battle in the mud together. Could our relationship be re-evaluated then? They say emotions can develop even from rolling around together.”

He never loses a word. I sighed and grasped his hand tightly with both of mine.

“So please, don’t bite your lips. Let me clock out peacefully. You know the photos from the shoot will come to me first. If you don’t tear them, I’ll grant you a wish within my power.”

“Alright, go ahead. Even a lover would nag less than you.”

Who would ever think of becoming this madman’s lover? But no matter how much I thought about it, his appearance was impeccable. I cautiously released his hand and replied calmly.

“If I were your lover, your lips would be flawless without a single wrinkle.”

“They already are, halfway because of you.”

He spoke irritably, putting the lip balm I gave him into his jacket pocket and waved his hand, signaling me to leave, much like a celebrity dealing with an annoying fan.

I watched his back anxiously and reluctantly walked away.

As I approached the president’s car, I nodded to the driver and said I’d see him tomorrow. Just as I was about to pass, the door swung open, and Driver Jung got out.

“Secretary Sun, please get in.”

“But Driver Jung, you have to wait for the president.”

“The president instructed me to take you home.”

“When did he say that?”

As I blinked in surprise, Driver Jung waved his phone.

“I received the message a little while ago.”

Such unnecessary kindness. If I refused, Driver Jung would be scolded for not doing his job properly, which would make me uncomfortable. It was a well-laid plan. I awkwardly laughed and squeezed into the car.

The car that had been driving for a while stopped at an unexpected location. It was a white, square building known to everyone with a bit of common sense.

A green cross and the letters “KJ” were stylishly inscribed inside. I looked at the six letters “Kyungjeon University Hospital” and turned to Driver Jung.

“When did my house become a university hospital?”

“CEO Han instructed you to get treatment…”

“No, I mean, I prefer…”

“If you say you prefer money, he said, ‘I’ll also give you extra pay, so get treated.'”

“I’ll be back.”

Laughing at the excessive kindness, I immediately turned and entered the hospital.

Just in case, I contacted the president’s attending physician, who replied that he had been waiting.

I strode vigorously through the hospital corridor, smiling despite my battered face.

I kept silently chanting, “Thank you, sir.”

The clicking sound crept into my ears. Sitting in the dressing room, with the background noise of some people’s conversations, I pondered deeply.

“Are they out of their minds?”

They couldn’t be sane. Otherwise, they wouldn’t hand me such ridiculous underwear. I couldn’t hide my complex expression as I looked at the pink garter belt and lace-covered underwear.

“Jung Yi! Haven’t you changed yet?”

Instead of answering, I banged on the wall. Jung Yi was my model name. Since I couldn’t use my real name, it was a second-best option.

I pressed a black veil onto my head and grabbed the piece of cloth that was supposed to be underwear.

Were these people really crazy? Today, I felt more pitiful than ever, dealing with these crazy people.

‘This isn’t fabric, just a chunk of lace…’

The corset-like strings at the dip where my buttocks and waist met, and the lace that spread out from both sides, barely covered half, no, a quarter of my buttocks.

Even that was lace, showing my skin clearly.

I seriously wondered who would wear such a thing, but in the end, I slipped the palm-sized piece of cloth onto my legs.

‘Hmm… Have I gained some weight recently?’

As I stood looking at my buttocks in the mirror, I had a serious moment of self-reflection. I hadn’t lived my life for this, and suddenly, an untimely regret surged.

My slender waistline and leg line, and the slightly raised buttocks were so pathetic I could hardly look at them.

Three years ago, after manifesting as an omega, my body had gradually changed.

My flesh became softer bit by bit until I ended up like this.

Fortunately, when dressed, I still looked like an ordinary beta.