Born to Be a Secretary

“Kwon Youngho, that thing.”
“…Ah.”
Heewon sighed softly. That guy Kwon Youngho… acted like a complete mess and ended up causing trouble after all.

Meanwhile, Kwon Youngjae stood up from his chair. He circled the desk and perched himself on its edge. Before Heewon realized it, they were face to face.
“The Kwon Youngho side is already in chaos. The person he messed with this time isn’t someone to take lightly. Seems like they’re desperately trying to cover it up.”
“Is that even possible now that the rumors have leaked to the tabloids?”

“They’re pouring money into it, so it’ll probably get resolved somehow. But well, we’ll have to wait and see. I don’t know if they’ll manage to stop the rumors entirely.”
“If it’s Director Kwon Youngho’s usual pattern… they might try to pin the blame on the ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) Executive Director.”
Because Kwon Youngjae was leaning on the desk with both hands, the fabric around his chest area was taut. Suddenly, he tilted his head back and let out a dry laugh.

“Now you’re starting to really know Kwon Youngho, huh?”
“I’ve had to suffer so much from him.”
“Then you know you need to strike before getting hit.”

Heewon met his gaze steadily. He couldn’t grasp the full blueprint inside Kwon Youngjae’s mind, but one thing was clear.
“Director Kwon Youngho—are you going to cut him loose?”
The corner of Kwon Youngjae’s mouth curled up gently. That was a yes.

Certainly, if they played the game right this time, they could chop off Kwon Youngho’s head cleanly. And since it was a sexual crime, the social backlash would be serious.
It might tarnish the company’s name a bit, but Chairman Kwon wouldn’t just stand by. In fact, the more the company’s name got mentioned, the more likely Chairman Kwon would come down hard. He was a man deeply attached to the company, and it was obvious he wouldn’t show mercy to family or kin.
While Heewon was racking his brain hard, Kwon Youngjae sat silently, watching him like an emperor trusting his strategist to come up with ideas. A faint arrogance mixed with calmness flowed from his poker face.

Heewon mulled over his thoughts and tentatively suggested.
“How about lightly releasing a source?”
“You mean those people Secretary Kim knows?”
Kim Heewon had built a solid network in the media world. Although he’d worked there less than six months, he left on good terms and maintained connections from that time. His university classmates and seniors were all in influential positions now. Plus, many were still active in their fields. It was the perfect time to use those contacts.

Since Heewon had been in charge of official press releases, there were people he contacted regularly.
When a suitable candidate came to mind, he told Kwon Youngjae, who smiled with his eyes.
“I really did pick a good secretary.”

It was the most satisfied expression Kwon Youngjae had shown so far.
“Yes, hyung. I’m doing well. How’s Yujeong? Still causing a ruckus playing soccer? Ah, ballet this time… Ballet’s good. Kids who start early become more flexible and develop better posture. Why my voice? No, nothing’s wrong. Just tired. Not really busy, but the company’s been so noisy lately.”
Heewon lied smoothly without batting an eye. Or rather, it wasn’t entirely a lie. He only pretended to struggle and be troubled, but everything he said was based on absolute truth.

He called a senior from university who worked as a PD for a major broadcaster’s current affairs program to check in, casually dropping the Kwon Youngho incident. As expected, the senior bit the bait immediately and got all worked up. After confirming the facts twice or thrice with Heewon, he begged to take the source himself, promising strict confidentiality about the informant.
“Ah, hyung. Seriously, this is bad… If it gets out that I told you, I’ll definitely get fired.”
Heewon tried to refuse several times in a troubled tone but eventually spilled more information, unable to resist. He wasn’t feeling guilty, just a bit embarrassed. Kwon Youngjae had been staring at him like some strange object, arms crossed, with a piercing gaze since a while ago.

He deliberately turned his back to continue the call. After discussing Kwon Youngho for a few more minutes, he ended the call with a casual meal appointment, no different from a social gathering.
Heewon sighed lightly and turned around. Kwon Youngjae was still standing there like a statue, watching him.
“Your acting… is quite impressive.”

“Thank you.”
He accepted the backhanded compliment nonchalantly. Heewon cleared his throat softly and continued the report.
“Judging by the reaction, they’ll probably start investigating immediately.”

“You’re an expert in that field, so no problem.”
Kwon Youngjae crossed his arms and slightly raised his chin. A sharp light gleamed in his gaze as he looked down at Heewon.
“Secretary Kim, don’t get involved in this anymore. Leave it to me to monitor Kwon Youngho’s movements.”

“Yes, Executive Director.”
Kwon Youngjae had already secretly assigned watchers. Judging by his behavior and attitude, he was clearly playing the villain role scheming something, but his handsome features softened his sinister aura.
Heewon thought to himself: Kwon Executive Director is the one who benefits most from his looks among people he knows. And I must never cross him.

After finishing their secret chat, two hours had already passed. The other secretaries looked curious about what had been discussed, but Heewon quietly returned to his desk to start working.
Whether Kwon Youngho would be cut loose or not, no one could say.
Once the planned investigation began, things got extremely urgent on Kwon Youngho’s side.

He denied all involvement, but his past actions kept popping up everywhere like a mole digging tunnels and surfacing repeatedly.
They hadn’t even tried to interfere. It was all because Kwon Youngho had been such a reckless jerk. There was a limit to gag orders, and despite reaching a difficult settlement with the victim, the case was steadily surfacing.
He had been questioned by the police, but a brilliant team of lawyers had protected him and buried the case quietly. But the problem was the media.

This was a current affairs program known for digging deep and exposing everything down to the dust inside socks. So Kwon Youngho was really troubled. He tried to meet the PD for bribery and threats, but nothing worked.
Thinking he couldn’t take the fall alone, Kwon Youngjae brought up a past incident where Kwon Youngho had almost been sued by an employee, but evidence of gaslighting by Kwon Youngho on that employee came to light, turning it into a self-defeating move.
“Did you foresee this?”

“What?”
“Kim Seonyul, the researcher. When did you prepare that kind of evidence?”
In the car, Heewon asked about the details. He’d heard that last week Kwon Youngjae paid the researcher 30 million won in settlement money, but the news that evidence linking her to Kwon Youngho had been collected was new.

Kwon Youngjae, reading the news in the back seat, glanced briefly. With a dry expression as if asking why such a question was being asked, he answered.
“Isn’t it obvious? Do you think I’d pay settlement money without some benefit?”
Emails, texts, call recordings—all collected. Looking at the gains, the 30 million won was well spent.

Heewon was amazed at Kwon Youngjae’s meticulousness once again. The destination came into view. Today, Heewon drove toward the imposing Apex headquarters.
An emergency board meeting had been convened due to yesterday’s current affairs program broadcast. Chairman Kwon sat at the head of the table, his face boiling with anger, and Kwon Youngho sat diagonally across, looking like a corpse.
Opposite them, Kwon Youngjae calmly sipped some Yongjeong tea prepared with snacks. The subtly sweet taste was excellent.

“Even if it stains the company name, that’s one thing—but a sexual crime? The executive director of a pharmaceutical company using drugs?”
Chairman Kwon’s thunderous roar echoed loudly. In the middle of the meeting room with nowhere to hide, Kwon Youngho shrank visibly. His sharp face had dried up over the past few days like a hollowed-out stalk.
“It’s an attempted offense, Chairman. Fortunately, we reached a settlement with the victim, and the police decided not to prosecute…”

“I got embarrassed in front of the entire nation—how is that fortunate? This damn bastard still hasn’t come to his senses!”
If there had been an ashtray in front of him, Chairman Kwon would have smashed it over Kwon Youngho’s head. The chairman’s anger was beyond imagination, and all titles and positions meant nothing. Humiliated before the board, Kwon Youngho clenched his teeth and bowed his reddened face.