ACTSV chapter 69

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The next day, Secretary Yang was slumped in his chair, completely hungover.

He greeted Jingyeom and Jinwoo, who had just arrived at the office, with a hollow expression, as if he didn’t have the strength to lift a finger.

“…How much did I drink last night?”

“Three bottles of soju and five pints of beer.”

“Ah… No wonder.”

Secretary Yang leaned back in his chair, looking as if he was about to slide right onto the floor. A slight nudge might have tipped him over completely.

“Did you take something for the hangover?”

“…No, I barely managed to get up, so I took a taxi to avoid being late….”

Jinwoo sighed, shaking his head. Although Secretary Yang occasionally drank a beer or two, Jinwoo had never seen him drink so much.

He didn’t know Secretary Yang’s drinking capacity, so he hadn’t stopped him, but now he wished he had.

“Shall I lay out a blanket in the break room for you?”

“…Could you?”

“You really want me to?”

Secretary Yang weakly nodded. He must have been really struggling.

Jingyeom, who had been standing quietly, glanced at his watch. It was fifteen minutes before 9 o’clock.

“I’ll go get some hangover remedies.”

“Huh? No, don’t. If you go, you’ll end up getting nagged by three different people.”

Secretary Yang’s hand weakly waved in protest.

“You stay here, hyung. I’ll go.”

“But you have to prepare the documents for the director. I’ll go.”

Given Secretary Yang’s condition, it was true that Jinwoo had more documents to prepare.

The convenience store wasn’t far—it was just across the street—so he could get there and back before 9 o’clock.

Even if he returned after 9, the others had already seen him arrive, so it wouldn’t be a big issue.

“…Please, Jingyeom.”

“Yes, I’ll be right back!”

The elevator arrived immediately, and the traffic light turned at just the right moment, allowing Jingyeom to move quickly.

As he waited for the elevator with the convenience store bag in hand, he noticed a line of employees, fewer than before but still significant.

Wonbeom was in the elevator coming up from the basement. The employees quickly bowed deeply as he entered.

Jingyeom also bowed and waited for him to go up. No matter how busy the time was, no one wanted to share the elevator with the director.

“Get in.”

Wonbeom’s nod made Jingyeom hesitate for a moment before hastily entering the elevator. He was starting to get the hang of these things.

“Good morning, Director!”

“Morning.”

Wonbeom briefly glanced at Jingyeom’s hand. More precisely, at the convenience store bag held in his pale white hand.

“What’s that?”

“Oh, this? It’s for Secretary Yang. Hangover remedies and chocolate milk.”

“…Why chocolate milk?”

“I looked it up online, and it said chocolate milk is good for hangovers.”

Jingyeom, who had never been drunk himself, didn’t know if it actually worked, but he’d read it online and bought it. He’d also gotten orange juice because vitamins were supposed to be good too.

As the elevator stopped, Jingyeom showed the contents of the convenience store bag and held the open button, waiting for Wonbeom to step out.

“…Aren’t you getting off?”

“I am.”

Wonbeom, who had been staring at the bag, stepped out. Jingyeom followed closely behind.

“Director, you’re here.”

“Ugh, hello.”

“…”

Upon seeing Secretary Yang’s pale face, Wonbeom clicked his tongue softly.

“You should’ve known when to stop.”

“It’s been so long since I drank with you, Director. I was just in a good mood.”

Ever since working as Director Tak’s secretary, Secretary Yang hadn’t had a chance to drink like that.

The atmosphere had been lively with four people, and he’d lost track of how much he was drinking.

Secretary Yang, who had been grumbling, noticed Jingyeom, who had been hidden behind Wonbeom, and reached out his arm.

“Ah, Jingyeom. Please, quickly…”

“Here you go!”

Jingyeom handed over the entire convenience store bag. Secretary Yang immediately pulled out the pill and liquid hangover remedies and hurriedly began to open them, only to be stopped by Wonbeom’s voice.

“What about mine?”

“…But Director, you didn’t drink last night.”

“Someone kept drinking so much that I feel like I got drunk too. I think I need some of that.”

“…”

Secretary Yang hesitated for a moment. Should he give him what he had in his hand or not? But his hesitation didn’t last long.

“My stomach feels queasy, and I have a headache. Isn’t this a hangover?”

“Please, take it.”

In the end, Secretary Yang was forced to hand over the pills and medicine bottle.

“I also feel like having some chocolate milk and orange juice.”

“Oh! Director…”

“What? You don’t want to give it to me?”

“…No, please take it all.”

Secretary Yang reluctantly handed over the entire convenience store bag to Wonbeom.

Jinwoo, who had been watching the entire scene, looked at Wonbeom with an incredulous expression.

‘He’s really pulling out all the stops.’

No matter how much he drank, Wonbeom never had hangovers.

Besides, he hadn’t had a single drink last night, and here he was claiming to have a hangover. His antics were quite varied.

Even though it was obvious he wasn’t planning to actually drink it, it was clear to both Jinwoo and Secretary Yang that he was just trying to take what Jingyeom had bought.

But Jingyeom, unaware of this, chimed in.

“I’ll go buy more!”

“No, this is enough.”

“But that…”

Jingyeom glanced at Secretary Yang, who shook his head vigorously, signaling for him to drop it.

“Do you not want to give it to me?”

“No! Of course, the Director should have it! I’m fine!”

Secretary Yang quickly waved both hands and gestured for Wonbeom to take it inside.

Wonbeom grabbed the items in his hand and the convenience store bag.

“Since you insist, I’ll take it. Thanks, Jingyeom.”

“…Yes.”

It was clear to anyone that he was taking it by force, but no one dared to say it out loud.

As Wonbeom entered his office, Secretary Yang slumped back into his chair.

“Ugh…”

A groan escaped his lips.

“I’ll go buy some more.”

“No, no. Don’t go, Jingyeom! I think I’ll be fine with just some coffee. Yeah… that should do. It has to.”

Secretary Yang repeated the words like a mantra, as if trying to hypnotize himself. Even if Jingyeom went to buy more, it was clear that it would all end up in Wonbeom’s hands again.

Secretary Yang muttered to himself, regretting that he had underestimated Wonbeom’s persistence.

“I’ll go get some coffee. Secretary Baek, could you handle the morning report?”

“Yes, take your time.”

“…Thanks.”

Secretary Yang staggered toward the break room. His retreating figure looked pitiful.

Jingyeom whispered softly.

“Is the Director bad with alcohol? He didn’t drink at all yesterday.”

“…Maybe he’s the type to get hangovers without drinking.”

“Can that even happen? Wow… that must be really tough.”

“…”

Jinwoo briefly wondered where he should start correcting the situation but ultimately decided to let it go.

---

Soohyuk cut down his overseas business trip, which was expected to take two weeks, to just three days.

There was no room for leisure. Every minute and second counted.

Because of this, the people who accompanied him also had to work with reduced sleep. The only consolation for them was that Director Sun returned to Korea ahead of them.

This gave them some time to finish up at a slower pace and catch up on some rest.

‘I’ll arrive before the end of the workday.’

Checking the time, Soohyuk quickly made his way to the parking lot.

As Soohyuk exited the airport, one hand carried a suitcase, while the other cradled a stuffed animal under his arm.

He had bought it the moment he saw it, thinking of Jingyeom, without hesitation.

Although he could have stored it in the luggage compartment, he had held onto it even during the flight.

The stuffed animal was a polar fox, with fur as white and soft as Jingyeom’s skin.

The polar fox had recently taken the internet by storm and had become incredibly popular. It seemed the popularity had led to the creation of stuffed animals as well.

The polar fox plush that Soohyuk had purchased was quite unique.

It had a plump body like a seal, pointy triangular ears, and short, cute paws. Its round eyes reminded him of someone, making it all the more adorable.

The sight of Soohyuk in a suit holding the plush toy made him stand out even more.

After reaching his car, Soohyuk placed the suitcase in the trunk and the plush toy in the passenger seat, even buckling it in.

“The more I look at it, the more it resembles him.”

It was definitely a good purchase.

Jingyeom’s phone, placed on his desk, buzzed and displayed a message.

Focused on organizing the meeting materials, he ignored the notification and kept working.

But the persistent vibration made it impossible to ignore.

Soohyuk Hyung: Come to the rooftop garden (5:21 PM)

Soohyuk Hyung: Hurry

Soohyuk Hyung: Now (5:22 PM)

Soohyuk Hyung: Busy? (5:27 PM)

Soohyuk Hyung: …Are you busy? (5:36 PM)

The last one had the vibe of a wistful ex-boyfriend.

Jingyeom chuckled and quickly replied:

Me: Sorry, I just saw this! (5:37 PM)

Me: Are you in Korea?

Soohyuk Hyung: Yeah (5:37 PM)

Soohyuk Hyung: Hurry, I’ve been waiting since earlier

Soohyuk Hyung: It’s hot… (5:38 PM)

Me: Yes, I’m coming now! (5:39 PM)

The messages were from Soohyuk, but they felt strangely out of character, making it even more unusual.

“Jinwoo, I’m going to the rooftop garden for a bit.”

“Why there?”

Since the incident last time, Jingyeom hadn’t gone to the rooftop garden. It was hot, and he had no reason to go up there, so he hadn’t even glanced in its direction.

Jinwoo, aware of this, looked puzzled.

“Director Sun asked me to come up for a moment.”

“……Director Sun?”

Jinwoo’s hands, which were on the keyboard, hesitated, and he turned his chair towards Jingyeom.

“He’s in Korea?”

“Yeah, he’s at the rooftop garden now. I’ll be back soon!”

Jingyeom, holding his phone, quickly left before Jinwoo could stop him.

Secretary Yang, who had been eavesdropping while keeping her eyes on the monitor, subtly shifted her position.

“Wow… What’s a week? He finished in three days. You have to acknowledge his skills, right?”

“…….”

“Who am I talking to right now?”

Secretary Yang continued rambling, but none of her words registered with Jinwoo.

‘I should have blocked him again.’

Jinwoo clicked his tongue and tried to focus on work, but his thoughts kept drifting, and the letters on the screen wouldn’t register. He wanted to chase after Jingyeom right now.

As he stirred, Secretary Yang placed a hand on his chair’s armrest.

“Just let it be. Chasing after him now would be over the top. You know that, right?”

“……Yeah, I know.”

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