Born to Be a Secretary

About twenty minutes later, Executive Director Kwon emerged from behind the curtains, having finished his conversation. As soon as he appeared, he looked for Heewon standing nearby.
“Secretary /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ Kim, about next Wednesday’s schedule...”

He began to give his usual instructions but stopped momentarily upon seeing Heewon.
Curious but not overly concerned, Heewon replied,
“Yes, Executive Director. Please go ahead.”

“Did anything happen while I was away?”
“Nothing at all. Oh, someone from the Hanbit Medical Foundation came by to greet you. A Secretary General named Kim Hyunsik.”
“......”

Though he acted shamelessly, Heewon’s face visibly paled. The change was subtle enough for others not to notice, but Youngjae’s sharp eyes caught it.
He sighed briefly and brushed his hair back. He must have expected this. At least Secretary Kim wasn’t a weak-willed person, thankfully.
“Kim Hyunsik, was there anyone else?”

“...No, he was the only one looking for you.”
So there were some others lurking around too, it seems. No surprise there. Youngjae could easily predict what had happened in his absence.
This was only the beginning. Though unfortunate, there was little he could do to help. It was a problem one had to endure personally, just like now.

Still, Heewon’s steadfast composure and calm demeanor deserved praise. Youngjae had chosen him as his executive secretary because he liked this kind of boldness—and even now, long after, he felt that choice had been the right one.
“Let’s go. We can finish the talk on the way.”
Though it was more of a dismissal than a reward, it seemed best to get Heewon out of the room for the time being.

Heewon showed rare surprise at the order.
“The event started only an hour ago.”
“I can tell the time too.”

“If you leave like this, people will surely talk behind our backs.”
“When have I ever cared about that?”
Youngjae strode ahead briskly, and Heewon hurried to keep up. While others might be easy to read, the thoughts inside Executive Director Kwon’s head remained a mystery.
In the smoothly descending elevator, Heewon rested his throbbing head against the cold wall. The chill helped ease his headache slightly.

He didn’t understand why Kwon was leaving before the event ended, but honestly, he felt relieved. Even with firm resolve, it was still hard to endure. Staying longer might have meant seriously falling ill the next day. His limbs already ached from tension.
Heewon closed his tired eyes for a moment to rest. As he took a deep breath to calm his upset stomach, a faint scent permeated the air.
Oddly, that scent relaxed him. He inhaled again. The crushed aroma of green grass and lemon calmed the noisy turmoil inside. The bittersweet yet refined smell kept drawing Heewon in.

Sniffing the scent, he stepped one pace to the side. His shoulder bumped firmly into an upper arm, and Heewon froze just as his nose twitched. If he was so startled, how would Youngjae react?
“…What was that?”
“Yes?”

“What did you just do?”
A cold gaze without mercy pierced Heewon’s face.
“......”

What excuse could he make? To avoid prolonging this awkward silence into disaster, he hurried to say something.
“You smell nice.”
“......”

“Bergamot, right? It’s often used in perfumes. You don’t need to wear any, Executive Director. Haha, though you normally don’t…”
Shut up, Kim Heewon. Please just shut up.
His head and mouth were at odds. As he babbled, Youngjae’s gaze grew harsher. He wasn’t swearing but was looking down on Heewon like a vermin.

“…Sorry. I’m not feeling well. I’m not in my right mind.”
Eventually admitting to being crazy himself, Heewon slunk back into a corner. If only he could dig a hole and keep crawling down, but inevitably the elevator arrived at the lobby floor.
In the returning car, Heewon sat quietly in the passenger seat holding his phone. He thought over the recent events but couldn’t find a cause. In times like this, expert advice was absolutely necessary.

[Professor, I just smelled Executive Director Kwon’s pheromones. Should I visit psychiatry or trait medicine?]
After sending the message to Professor Hong, he clenched his phone tightly. This wasn’t something to just sweep under the rug. He fervently wished for some kind of solution.
About an hour later, Heewon was lying on the sofa, too drained even to change clothes. The long ringing of the phone startled him into sitting up.

“Yes, Professor.”
— Heewon, I want to ask you something.
“Yes, please.”

— How exactly did you feel when you smelled Youngjae Kwon’s pheromones?
Uh… that. Heewon struggled to recall. It was awkward to start by saying it felt good, so he carefully explained what had happened at the event and how it affected his condition.
— So to summarize, you felt comforted by Youngjae Kwon’s pheromones?

“Well, I guess you could say that, but… it’s not that I had some ulterior motive.”
— No need to be so defensive. That’s natural.
He heard Professor Hong laugh over the speaker. He adjusted his grip on the phone and listened carefully.

— You were under stress because of alpha pheromones today. So Youngjae Kwon’s pheromones naturally acted as a sedative. Usually, the more trusted and close the relationship, the more comfortable one feels with that person’s pheromones. Like family, for example?
“Ah…”
— So it’s not strange at all. Look at Youngjae. He also puts up with your pheromones pretty well, doesn’t he? It’s the same for him.

“So I’m not crazy…”
— Yes, you’re normal.
Heewon wrapped his hands around his forehead and exhaled deeply. Thank you, professor… he muttered faintly as she laughed again.

— You’ve had a tough time. In other cases I would prescribe medication, but yours is a bit special. Or rather, is anyone sane? Using pheromones as an offensive weapon like that! Does Youngjae Kwon know about this?
“I haven’t really told him… and there’s no reason to. But I can handle it well enough.”
— What if something happens? I’ll talk to him. There’s no cure, and it’s inhumane to endure like this. If you took someone you dislike as secretary, they should take responsibility. By the way, I don’t know if he’ll answer my call. He often ignores mine…

After ending the brief call with Professor Hong, Heewon lay back on the sofa. It was his first official event since returning—a proper initiation.
If he hadn’t been a dominant alpha, he probably couldn’t have endured that earlier situation. It was a relief that Youngjae’s pheromones had a calming effect, too…
“Well done. Good job.”

After praising his own steadfast endurance, Heewon tugged his tie tight. Ugh, I really hate this. Tomorrow I have to go to work again.
He grumbled as any office worker would before going off to wash up.
After finishing an outside meeting and watching Youngjae get into the back seat, Heewon climbed into the driver’s seat. With a thud, the door closed, blocking outside noise and leaving only quiet stillness inside.

Heewon buckled his seatbelt and glanced in the rearview mirror at Youngjae. The executive director had already switched to work mode, holding a tablet.
“Executive Director, what would you like for your meal?”
It was already two-thirty. The meeting had run longer than expected, well past lunch.

Youngjae glanced up from the screen and gave a casual nod toward Heewon in the mirror.
“Stop by somewhere nice on the way.”
Where would be good… Heewon lightly tapped the steering wheel with his fingers, pondering. He started recalling Youngjae’s recent eating patterns. There had been many meetings at Korean and Chinese restaurants… maybe it was time for Western cuisine?

Heewon leaned his torso around and showed his face toward the back seat.
“How about pasta?”