* * *
Volunteering—that was what Jo Yeonjae was referred to as.
Fidgeting with his fingers, he took a deep breath and attempted to stand up, but even that was blocked by Secretary Seonyul.
Placing a firm hand on Yeonjae’s shoulder once again, Seonyul moved toward the door, positioning himself between Yeonjae and the exit.
“Taking care of the secretarial staff is part of my responsibility, so it’s part of my duties. I’ll go volunteering if you make sure to pay me well. Shall we head upstairs, sir? I discovered a great herbal tea last week—how about a tea time?”
“Get out.”
Without turning around, Secretary Seonyul subtly patted Yeonjae on the shoulder before leaving the break room.
“And stop bothering the youngest staff member, sir.”
“I’ve told you many times to stop babying them.”
Secretary Seonyul’s scolding voice faded with his footsteps.
Once everything was quiet, Jo Yeonjae finally let out a sigh of relief, still seated in the same spot.
There was one unspoken rule in the secretarial office.
Yeonjae had heard it from his colleague, Kang Yeonkyu, on his first day when he saw Secretary Seonyul leaving for a field visit with the CEO.
“When those two are together, don’t mess with them. If you manage to survive three years, you’ll be transferred to a good department, so just turn a blind eye.”
It hadn’t made sense at the time.
The CEO seemed like a generous boss who took good care of his only personal secretary.
After all, Yeonjae himself was a member of the secretarial staff.
But today, things felt different. It wasn’t all as it seemed, leaving him feeling strangely uneasy.
“No way.”
If there were any strange vibes, Secretary Seonyul, who was sharp as a tack, would be the first to notice.
Deciding not to worry about it, Yeonjae gathered his materials and hurried out of the room.
With a sullen expression, I tipped the high-end porcelain teapot.
Warm water, sending off light steam, poured into the teacup to heat it up.
The stark contrast between the green water and the white teacup, resembling flower petals, stood out vividly.
Watching the swaying tea, I irritably grabbed the sugar and spoon, tossing them onto the tray.
I had maintained a calm demeanor while coming up from the 8th floor to the CEO’s office, but I wasn’t entirely okay.
Seeing his face disturbed the peace I had managed to hold onto.
It was like a single leaf, insignificant and easily dismissed, drifting with the waves only to end up tickling the edge of the lake.
How could he not reach out even once?
Didn’t he say he would try his best?
Shouldn’t he at least have tried to hold onto me, even if I was just his casual fling?
And he was sick too! Well, I’m not even sure if he was genuinely sick, but still.
He stayed with me until we parted the last few times, so why did he suddenly leave this time?
What changed?
“Hah… What’s with him?”
I repeatedly picked up and set down the teaspoon, finally letting out a sigh as I rubbed my forehead.
I wasn’t in my right mind. It was clear—I wasn’t thinking straight.
I sighed again, questioning why I was even having these thoughts.
Putting aside the unnerving notion of “boss and subordinate,” Han Doha was actually a pretty decent guy—if I looked at him as a person, not my boss.
Sitting crouched in the break room, muttering how crazy I must be, I suddenly stood up.
Dwelling on it wasn’t going to change anything.
Honestly, wasn’t I lucky that he didn’t associate me with our casual fling?
My thoughts were all over the place, driving me insane.
I couldn’t figure out why I was feeling like this.
Questions led to more questions, swimming far off in the distance, but answers weren’t coming easily. It felt like I was being pulled into an endless abyss.
“All that matters is the deposit. Just focus on the contract deposit.”
I whispered that to myself over and over, taking a deep breath in and slowly letting it out.
The turmoil inside me began to settle a little.
I grabbed the tray and my tablet, then left the break room.
A few secretarial staff glanced at me, and I nodded in acknowledgment.
As I turned to leave, I suddenly realized that I hadn’t watered the Bird of Paradise, the mascot of the secretarial office, that morning.
A quick glance showed that the soil was a little dry.
It seemed no one else but me was taking care of it, which left me feeling a bit melancholic.
I hurriedly watered the plant and grabbed the door handle to leave.
“Alright. I’m leaving work on time today. Going home early and having a beer—that’s all I’m thinking about today.”
Muttering to myself, I greeted Secretaries Yoon and Kang with a nod before entering the CEO’s office.
The faint scent of the ocean wafted through the air-conditioned room.
The familiar fragrance helped calm my nerves a bit.
I’m a secretary, a secretary, a secretary.
I repeated that mantra three times, and my face seemed to relax.
“Sir, I’m here.”
“What did you talk about with that guy?”
“Yeonjae?”
“You even call him by name?”
What fresh hell is this?
I set the tray on the table and glanced at the CEO, whose face was furrowed in displeasure.
As he got up and approached me, I casually responded.
“Well, there’s Yeonjae, Sanghye, and oh, Yeonkyu too. Hmm… what was Assistant Manager Lee’s name again… Ah! Right, Jiae.”
“And what about me?”
“You’re the CEO.”
I gave him a look that said, “What kind of question is that?” I picked up the pre-warmed teacup and, for him, gently poured the tea.
The pale green liquid filled the white cup.
After briefly caressing the cup to check its temperature, I placed it on the saucer in front of him.
“It’s Banyacha. Made from tender leaves harvested just before Gogu, it’s low in bitterness and smooth on the palate.”
“So, what did you two talk about?”
“He seemed uncomfortable with the TF work, so I’ve been helping him. I went over basic marketing terminology and gave him a few ideas. Technically, it’s work I should be doing, and for someone who’s been here only two months, it seemed a bit too much for him.”
“Kids need to be thrown off a cliff to learn how to survive. You don’t need to explain every little thing to them.”
“I’m not exactly a hands-off mentor…”
Shouldn’t you be the first to work independently?
It was ridiculous hearing those words from someone who should’ve been raised the hardest.
I lowered my gaze, set down the teacup and snacks next to his, and quietly spoke.
“…You’re right to some extent, but Yeonjae’s situation is similar to mine.”
“If it’s not a valid situation, it could cause problems during re-contracting if he’s doing tasks outside the scope of his job description. Isn’t your contract renewal coming up at the end of the year? My secretary should focus on tasks related to me, not worry about other people. Last time, you volunteered to handle the chairman’s business, and now you’re taking on volunteer work—how am I supposed to interpret that?”
The chairman was a situation I couldn’t refuse, and the youngest staff member was just too pitiful to ignore.
“Well, I interned in the second marketing team before being assigned to the secretarial office, so his situation is somewhat similar to mine. Back then, I was also the youngest in the office, so I can’t help but see a bit of myself in Yeon… I mean, Secretary Jo. I just wanted to help where I could. And as for the chairman’s work, as I mentioned before, it was something I couldn’t decline. I may be your person, but the chairman can easily dispose of someone like me.”
“…”
“You are my boss. But objectively speaking, the chairman is even higher than you.”
“Hand.”
When I placed my hand in his outstretched palm, he gently pulled me forward.
In that instant, the teacup overturned, spilling its contents onto the table.
The cup rolled onto the soft carpet with a dull thud.
Ah, I’ll have to call someone to clean that up.
“Seonyul.”
“…Yes.”
“You said ‘hand,’ so I offered mine, and since I can hold it, it’s mine, right?”
‘You stamped it, so it’s mine now.’
The simultaneous thoughts that flashed through my mind made my breath catch.
My pupils trembled uncontrollably.
My lips quivered as well, and I tried to avert my gaze, but CEO Han’s gaze was unwavering.
It was hard to look away. I needed to say something else.
I lightly tapped my cheek with the back of my hand, desperately trying to shift my thoughts.
I couldn’t let them go there. I mustn’t connect it.
“…You didn’t give me your tail, though.”
The words I let out were trembling relentlessly. I barely managed to speak the next line.
“And I… I want to work by your side for a long, long time. Even longer than now… as I said, long enough to grow old together, for a hundred ye—urk…!”
The hand that was holding mine pulled me forward, and my nose bumped into his shoulder.
The faint scent of rosewood lingered around his neck, brushing against my nose, sending a chill down my spine.
He had always kept that scent tightly restrained, so why today…?
My body, which was beginning to tremble, started to heave with rapid breaths. His scent kept clinging to my breaths.
“While taking my money, you still seem so concerned about others’ business. Seonyul, after eight years of working for me, have you forgotten who I am?”
“Well, that’s… CEO, so, um…”
“No matter how much I tell you to stop worrying about other things, your eyes still wander. How should I take that? Fine, I’ve been too lenient. I should’ve tied you down so you couldn’t even whine from the start.”
* * *
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