10 rules of a Secretary chapter 42

It was only around 4 PM that most of the work was finally wrapped up. The list of members to be assigned to the TF team was neatly organized.

All that was left was to report it to CEO Han, and it would be done. I sat blankly at my desk, gripping a now cold can of Coco Palm in my hand as I leaned back in my chair.

The ceiling pattern seemed more interesting today than usual. That looked like a cloud, that one like a hand… and that one like a finger…

The faint sound of a squelch echoed in my ears for a moment. I recalled the sensation of those long, straight fingers moving inside me, a touch colder than my own body, pressing deep into my core.

“You’re quite wet.”

“Crazy…!”

Startled, I jumped out of my seat but quickly sat back down when I noticed the sudden attention on me.

It was driving me insane.

Why did I keep thinking about it?

Other people seemed to just do it like sipping a drink, so why was it such a big deal for me?

I mean, we didn’t even do much. He just grabbed and shook!

Is that the problem?

The grabbing and shaking?

No, technically, he did insert something.

But it wasn’t anything important, just a finger.

A simple, ordinary finger that everyone has!

I slumped over my desk, pressing my cheek against it as I sighed deeply.

Just then, Jo Yeonjae, the youngest member of the secretarial office, cautiously approached me.

“Mr. Seonbi?”

“…Is there something you’re curious about? Do you need help?”

As I straightened up, lightly pressing my flushed cheek with the back of my hand, Jo Yeonjae shyly held out an empty can to me.

It was the same Coco Palm I had handed him last week.

“I finished it.”

“…”

Seeing that made me feel a surge of guilt. This poor rookie had taken my words to heart and followed them to the letter.

He probably cursed this shitty corporate life. I had promised myself I wouldn’t act like a typical old-fashioned boss, but it seemed I had already become one.

Feeling guilty, I took the can from him.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No, no! It’s fine. You were right, Mr. Seonbi. I’m new to this company, so I still don’t know much. I guess I was too eager because I wanted to do well. Please teach me properly from now on. I’m really eager to learn.”

“…Still, I’m sorry. I won’t ask you to do something like that again. If I do, just run away.”

As I gloomily replied, Jo Yeonjae fidgeted with his fingers and hesitated before suddenly clenching his fists and shouting.

“Your English name should be ‘George or Bush!’”

“…Excuse me?”

“Because you ‘George’ and ‘Bush’ my heart!” (TL: 조지George = to hurt or push and 부시다(Bush)= to dazzle or shine brightly, together means you will break my heart.)

The secretarial office instantly fell into silence. Jo Yeonjae’s face turned bright red, as if it might explode at any moment. He looked utterly embarrassed.

I was about to say something, but his next shout stopped me.

“You shouldn’t go to a horse riding club, Mr. Seonbi!”

“…”

“Because you’ll lose your voice!”

Wow, that was adorable. I just stared at him without saying anything, and his face was now filled with tears.

With his short, military-like haircut and the way he scurried around, he really did look like a small animal.

Now, he was just like a little squirrel.

“You’re mixed-race, right, Mr. Seonbi?”

“…I know!”

In the silent office, Assistant Manager Lee raised his hand and joked.

“Between heaven and Korea!”

These crazy guys.

Why did they say the jokes, but I was the one who felt embarrassed?

I couldn’t hold back any longer. I laughed in disbelief and slightly turned my body away.

“What are you all trying to butter me up for?”

“Sashimi with soju!”

“Grilled intestines!”

“Beer and chicken!”

“Why are we talking about alcohol on a Monday? We should drink something else. I’ll go for makgeolli and pajeon! It’s supposed to rain tonight!”

Everyone started chattering about what they wanted to eat. Thanks to that, Jo Yeonjae, who had been blushing furiously, was forgotten. I gently tapped the back of his hand and whispered softly.

“Thank you.”

“I should be thanking you, Mr. Seonbi…”

This rookie had noticed I was feeling down and did something silly to cheer me up. It was such a cute gesture, something only a beginner in the working world would do.

I smiled softly. It was a part of myself I hadn’t possessed back then. It was also proof that the atmosphere in the secretarial office had become much more relaxed.

When I first started, there was no such soft atmosphere.

“Anyway, everyone, let me know where you want to go. Just don’t pick anywhere too expensive. I’m broke.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Oh, a company dinner on a Monday!”

A company dinner on a Monday should be something to avoid, right? Why was everyone so excited about it? I couldn’t understand.

When I have to dine alone with CEO Han, my throat feels like it’s closing up, and I think I’m going to choke. It seemed the secretarial staff didn’t have that issue.

When it was time to leave, I handed my card to the secretarial staff and sent them off first. I sat at my desk, waiting for CEO Han.

I lingered in the office, wandered around near the CEO’s office, and even stood by the entrance, waiting.

I kept checking my phone, wondering if I had missed any calls from him. But everything remained silent.

I sank into the plush chair inside the desk between the secretarial office and the CEO’s office, staring quietly at the ceiling as darkness settled in.

It was the first time he hadn’t contacted me at all. Had I done something wrong?

I didn’t think so. I had just done what I was supposed to do as a secretary and offered the usual advice.

How was I supposed to apologize or not, when I didn’t even know what he was upset about? Understanding the whims of a fickle boss was never easy.

After sitting for a long time, crossing and uncrossing my legs in the chair, I suddenly got up and walked into the CEO’s office, thinking ‘just in case.’

The office, now bathed in twilight as the setting sun faded, felt eerie and unfamiliar. It was even more so because the lights were off, something that rarely happened in the CEO’s office.

It seemed CEO Han hadn’t come back to the company. I figured I’d contact him later and was about to leave when—

“Come in.”

His familiar voice stopped me, and I quickly glanced around to find him. CEO Han was seated in a chair, barely visible in the dim light. I raised my hand to turn on the lights, but he stopped me.

“If you have something to say, say it there.”

“…I apologize if I overstepped today. I’m sorry. But I was genuinely concerned about your well-being…”

“If you were worried about my well-being, you should’ve kept those guys away while my partner was next to me. Every time a scandal breaks, the stock price fluctuates. It would have been better to tell me not to have a partner at all. If that’s the case, isn’t a sex partner safer? A partner requires going on dates, but a sex partner just needs to be met in a hotel room.”

“That’s why I asked if it was for money.”

He could craft quite a plausible excuse, despite not even bothering to go on anything like a date with his partners.

He should be fooling ghosts, not me. If it were really for money, at least that would be something tangible he’d gained by giving his body.

As I stood there, waiting for his response, I blinked slowly at the sound of his deep sigh.

“Come here.”

“…Yes.”

I fumbled through the darkness until I reached his side. CEO Han made another gesture with his hand, a movement so clear it was unmistakable even in the faint silhouette.

When I got closer, CEO Han grabbed my hand and muttered as if sighing.

“If it were for money, would it bother you?”

“…Why would you ask me that?”

“That’s why I’m asking. Would it bother you?”

Now he was asking me to read his mind, to guess his feelings. It was like asking me to become a mind reader. Well, technically, I guess I was the same person…

I gently pulled my hand away from his and knelt down on one knee. Then I took out a lip balm from my pocket and carefully rubbed it with my finger.

“Please lower your head a little.”

I felt his head descend as I heard the rustle of his clothes.

With one hand, I carefully held the CEO’s chin, and with my other hand, I slowly applied the lip balm to his lips. His lips were completely chapped.

There seemed to be wounds as well, and I was always curious about what kind of actions could lead to such a state.

“It must feel uncomfortable. If I were the model.”

“……”

“If you really are a sex partner, don’t give anything beyond the contract. But if you want to win someone over, you need to show your heart. Everyone knows the CEO has money. Money is just a basic requirement; you need to show the additional options.”

I found myself teaching the proper way to form relationships. I wondered why I had to go this far, considering I didn’t even have a partner, but I made an effort to never forget my duty until the very end.

The tenth commandment of being a secretary: Don’t forget that the CEO is also human.

Even though the CEO was perfect in work, it didn’t mean he was flawless. There must be shortcomings or weaknesses.

But asking for advice like this seemed off. I melted the lip balm on my hand once more and lightly tapped the edges of his lips.

“That’s human relationships.”

Maybe I could write an autobiography someday. Something like a follow-up to Dale Carnegie’s theories on relationships, perhaps. I got up from my seat and put the lip balm away.

“But personally, I would recommend finding another model or a different sex partner.”

“……Why?”

“When work and emotions are intertwined, one of them is bound to fail.”

This was advice for myself as well. Work and emotions need to be kept perfectly separate. I cannot give up on either my job as a secretary or my role as a model.