10 rules of a Secretary chapter 101

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Doha, who had been watching me grow quiet, let out a soft laugh and spoke gently.

“I knew it.”

“……”

When I didn’t respond, he returned his focus to treating my wound.

The sound of him brushing through my hair filled the silence, and every time his fingers grazed my scalp, a shiver of discomfort and anticipation ran through me.

My toes instinctively curled and uncurled as I gripped the hem of my bathrobe with both hands, trying to shake off the awkward ticklish sensation that kept seeping into my muddled thoughts.

My eyes drifted downward, settling on his thigh for no reason at all.

The fabric of his pants stretched taut over his firm thighs, highlighting the muscles underneath.

My gaze wandered from his knee to his thigh and then to the crease leading up to his groin.

When I noticed a slight bulge on the side of his right thigh, my face instantly flushed.

Embarrassed and unsure where to look, I squeezed my eyes shut, which only heightened my awareness of his fingers combing through my hair.

Afraid that something strange might escape my lips, I clenched my hands even tighter.

“CEO, I… ugh, I can do this myself. It’s not really something you should be doing…”

“You’ll get workplace injury compensation, so just stay still. And really, do you think applying ointment requires status? You talk like I’ve never gotten ointment on my hands in my life.”

“But this was my fault… ugh…”

“Here it is. It’s just a small cut, so thankfully it doesn’t need stitches.”

Doha deftly dabbed disinfectant onto a cotton swab and began treating the wound, moving with a familiarity that suggested he’d done this many times before.

“This might sting a bit.”

A sharp pain made my back tingle, and I kept biting my lips against the sensation that, inexplicably, made me feel strange.

It was nothing more than medical treatment, but my mind kept drifting in an odd direction.

Each touch of the disinfectant made my toes curl in discomfort.

Even as he applied ointment and taped gauze over the cut, I found myself holding my breath and clenching my muscles.

“Haaa…”

“Be careful not to get it wet. How’s your cheek? It looks a bit swollen.”

“I didn’t get hit that hard. Mr. Jungha doesn’t have much strength, honestly. But thank you for worrying, CEO.”

The strange sensation still clung to my skin, sticky and persistent.

I rubbed my arm absentmindedly, fiddling with the gauze wrapped around it, trying to shake off the lingering feeling.

“You seem pretty experienced at this.”

“I’ve been to some remote places.”

“Remote places?”

“When I was a kid… My mother loved to travel all over the world. I ended up getting dragged along. I got hurt pretty often, and sometimes all we had for medical supplies was some old bandages and a bottle of disinfectant.”

He casually tossed the remaining medical supplies into a bag and glanced at me, as if checking where I was looking.

The faint scent of his cologne mixed with his pheromones, something familiar yet suddenly unsettling.

Wrinkling my nose, I tried to catch the hidden hint of rosewood in the air, then stopped myself, confused.

Why was I… trying to pick up his scent?

I stared at him dumbly before snapping out of it and blurting out a question.

“Your mother… she’s the one staying at the villa, right?”

“Why? Are you curious?”

His expression turned playfully intrigued, and I hesitated before responding, stumbling over my words.

“Then your mother must be a Dominant Omega.”

“She’s… a bit unusual. She took me all over the world when I was a kid, for a rather ridiculous reason.”

He tapped his fingers on the table, leaning forward as he spoke.

“She said that to get what you want, you have to learn patience through endless waiting. Japan, Hong Kong, Laos, Italy, the United States… we traveled everywhere. I learned the hard way how to be patient, especially when I couldn’t understand a word anyone was saying.”

“……”

“I’m pretty patient for an Alpha, but… lately, I’m losing it. There’s someone I think about all day, and I’m starting to feel like I’m going crazy.”

He rested his arm on the back of the sofa and propped his chin on his hand, gazing at the sunset.

The red light spilling across his face made his eyes look dreamy and faraway, like a teenager in love, or maybe like someone nervously awaiting a confession.

His blushing cheeks and wistful expression made my heart clench.

It was the first time we’d had such a conversation.

Me asking about his past, and him answering honestly, offering me a glimpse into his life—a life I knew so little about.

Strangely, the moment felt warm, and I found myself watching his lips, waiting for whatever he’d say next.

“Sometimes I think it’d be easier to lock that person up somewhere quiet, even put a leash on them. It’d be faster, simpler. But I’d be the one suffering in the end. I learned that from watching my mother. Watching her toy with someone for twenty years… it was entertaining in a twisted way. That’s not the reason she’s secluded, of course… anyway.”

The conversation suddenly took a dark turn.

Kidnapping and imprisonment?

Did the same person who just spoke so sweetly say that?

His expression hadn’t changed, but I felt a chill run down my spine, and I quietly pulled my hand away.

“Because of you, even the Chairman is on edge.”

I didn’t quite follow everything, but his last remark was clear.

Nervous, I asked cautiously.

“Does that mean… once this bet is over, the Chairman will really step down?”

“Who knows? If my brother comes to his senses, things will go smoothly. If not, it might be a little troublesome.”

Doha responded nonchalantly, then stood and handed me a shopping bag that had been sitting on the table.

I took the heavy bag, feeling a sudden urge to ask something pressing.

“And if it works out? Once you’ve gotten everything you want, then what?”

He gave me a quiet smile, his expression unreadable.

The sunset cast a warm glow on his face, making it look as though he were blushing for me.

“It’ll come to an end.”

My heart wouldn’t stop pounding.

I clenched my fists, then slowly relaxed them, forcing a smile as the sunset seemed to seep into my skin.

Finally looking away from him, I lightly patted my cheeks, my hand brushing over skin that felt strangely warm.

My heart raced with a mix of anxiety and something else I couldn’t name.

---

The incident at the hotel passed without much fuss.

That had been my goal, but somehow I felt disappointed that Doha hadn’t intervened more directly.

Shoving those stray feelings aside, I threw myself into a whirlwind of work over the next week.

Finally, the weekend arrived, but instead of enjoying it, I found myself holding my tablet.

Working from home was a nightmare.

If this were someone else’s project, I wouldn’t care, but unfortunately, it was mine.

I was stuck going over concept drafts for an underwear photoshoot featuring a new model.

No matter how much I tried, I couldn’t get the vision right and ended up sketching ideas myself, hunting for inspiration through images and drawings to build a storyboard.

Pathetically, it was all voluntary. I couldn’t stand seeing things done poorly.

Usually, these things were handled by the ad team or the director, not me.

Yet, desperate times call for desperate measures.

Leaning back against the sofa, I rested the tablet on my lap and flexed my fingers.

Ah, exhausting.

Blinking slowly as the weariness settled into my eyes, I sighed.

I needed to at least lie down like this.

Otherwise, I felt like an inexplicable anger, directionless and lost, would burst out of me.

At home, aren’t you supposed to rest in low power mode, without a single thought…?

Damn, all of this is my karma, my baggage.

Hold it together. I got paid, so I have to work for now.

Mumbling that to myself, I clenched the pen in my hand, focusing my mind again.

Given the subject, the model has to nail this part… Hmm…

I muttered a short sound and moved my pen, only to feel a warm sensation brush against my cheek, making me look up.

Dressed comfortably in homewear, Doha held out a cup of coffee to me.

“Thanks.”

I reached out to take it, but suddenly the cup moved away.

I shot Doha a look, questioning his actions.

He placed the cup down with a loud clink on the table right in front of us, then slipped his body into the armrest of the sofa I was leaning on, staring at me with eyes full of dissatisfaction.

As I tried to straighten up from leaning against his thigh, Doha firmly pressed down on my shoulder.

“We’re off the clock now.”

“Y-yeah?”

“Then there shouldn’t be any power dynamics between us, right?”

Shouldn’t there also be no work at home?

I shot him a look of disbelief. He tousled my bangs lightly before leaning down to plant a kiss on my lips.

Three times.

At this rate, I felt like my lips or face would wear out and disappear.

“I really held back from doing this at work. Aren’t I getting any reward?”

“First of all… Mr. CEO.”

“My name.”

Such a childish brat.

Narrowing my eyes at him, I reluctantly gave in.

“Anyway, Doha. If you act like a dog in heat at the office, you’ll get arrested.”

“Then what if I act like a person in heat instead of a dog in heat?”

“I’ll report you to the human rights commission.”

“Then we’ll see each other in court. Feels like a drama, huh?”

He never loses an argument.

Glaring at him, I swallowed a sigh and sat up straight, bracing my back.

I placed the tablet on the table and looked at him.

His breath brushed close.

His sharp, beautiful nose, round nostrils, and slightly injured, red lips came into view, one after the other.

“Your lips are hurt.”

“No one’s been caring for them these days. They’re withering away.”

“I’ll have to take better care of them. Unfortunately, I haven’t unpacked yet, so I don’t have any lip balm.”

“I don’t need that.”

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