Born to Be a Secretary

The next morning, Heewon was busy preparing for work early. While tidying his clothes, his phone suddenly rang loudly.

It was Executive Director Kwon calling before seven o’clock. Wondering what it was about, Heewon answered without hesitation.
“Yes, Executive Director.”
— How’s your condition?

Uncharacteristically, he started by asking after Heewon’s well-being. Heewon licked his dry lips, feeling a bit awkward.
“I’m fine. Fully okay.”
— Good to hear. Stop by home as soon as you’re ready.

Kwon hung up after dropping a brief instruction. Such incidents were so frequent that Heewon was no longer surprised. If anything, the consistent attitude brought him some relief. Smiling slightly, Heewon slipped his arm through his jacket sleeve and buttoned up neatly, hurrying to get ready to leave.
They arrived at Kwon Youngjae’s residence shortly after seven o’clock. The owner was in his study, dressed sharply in a suit, looking ready to leave for work at once.
Heewon bowed respectfully and handed him the coffee he’d just bought. The scent of freshly brewed coffee quickly filled the study.

Kwon took a natural sip of the hot coffee, leaned back comfortably, and lifted his gaze. His eyes settled on Secretary Kim standing politely before him.
“Have you decided?”
Though the question was half-hearted and clipped, Heewon immediately understood the meaning: Kwon was asking if he had decided to sue Kwon Youngho.

There was a reason for the private meeting. Though not exactly secret, it was a topic better kept away from others’ ears.
Heewon nodded. Having thought it through many times and made up his mind, the answer came easily.
“I don’t want to add more noise to the situation.”

“I [N O V E L I G H T] thought so.”
Kwon replied without much expression. Calmly sipping his coffee, he added quietly,
“Kwon Youngho is leaving the country in three days.”

“That’s sooner than expected.”
“The chairman is determined. He’s running away to save himself.”
If he fled like that, he would probably keep his head down for a while. Too much energy was wasted on dealing with one annoying person. It would be best if he disappeared for good.
No matter how much he crushed him now, Kwon Youngho would someday show his ambition again and crawl back out, meaning another tiresome fight might be inevitable.

Still, a few years of peace were expected. Kwon flicked through his phone with a lighter expression and brought up unfinished work from the previous day.
“What time is the lunch appointment?”
“Twelve-thirty.”

“You have a separate meeting with the chairman at two, so make sure schedules don’t overlap.”
Heewon busily arranged the afternoon in his mind. Considering travel time and the usual private meeting with Chairman Kwon, it was a bit tight.
“There are five consecutive reports from the Strategic Planning Division starting at three o’clock. I’ll inform them there might be a thirty-minute delay.”

“Do that.”
Satisfied with the smooth flow of plans, Kwon tapped evenly on the desk with his index finger. Heewon glanced down at the hand.
“……”

Oh my. His thumb was badly damaged. The other hand was fine, so it wasn’t from punching something. How could such a refined gentleman injure his hand? Surely it had happened during the struggle.
Though half out of his mind, Heewon vaguely remembered Kwon putting his hand in his mouth to try to control him. That must be how the injury happened. Heewon felt guilty and couldn’t raise his head, but he couldn’t keep ignoring it, so he went to get the first aid kit.
“Executive Director, let me take a quick look.”

He quickly spun the chair around, causing Kwon’s eyebrows to twitch slightly. His eyes flickered momentarily in surprise but soon returned to their usual dry expression.
Heewon grabbed Kwon’s wrist and carefully straightened each long, slender finger. Though the injured party remained calm, Heewon’s face looked like the world was collapsing. Especially since it was the right hand he used often—he felt even worse as the one responsible.
Fortunately, the skin wasn’t torn, but there was a dark purple bruise at the thumb’s fingerprint area. It was a bit swollen and felt warm to the touch. Heewon gently pressed the swollen spot with appropriate pressure.

“Does it hurt?”
“Not really.”
“Should I make a hospital appointment? It’d be better to get it checked out.”

“Enough, don’t fuss.”
He tried to endure but, as usual, showed signs of annoyance. When he tried to pull his hand away, Heewon firmly held his wrist back.
“I’ll just do a simple treatment.”

He pulled out various ointments from the first aid kit, gently cleaned the area with disinfected cotton, and applied bruise cream. He blew softly on the sticky ointment to help it absorb.
Though Kwon looked displeased throughout, he didn’t free his hand. Worried he might get an infection later, Heewon quickly finished taping the thumb.
Looking closer, Heewon noticed faint scratches under Kwon’s jaw. Maybe he caused those too. Given how much he’d struggled, it was plausible.

“Excuse me.”
Heewon bent down and gently applied ointment to the wound under Kwon’s jaw, carefully avoiding damage to the smooth skin. He used his ring finger delicately, showing utmost care.
“……”

Kwon stared intently at Heewon. His sharp gaze lingered long on the swollen lips before slowly tracing down his neckline.
Meanwhile, Heewon checked that there were no further injuries and finally straightened his bent back with a sigh.
After capping the ointment tube and wiping his moist fingers with white gauze, Heewon froze at the sight of Kwon abruptly standing up from his chair.

The impatient hand grabbed Heewon’s shoulder and pushed him backward. Unconsciously, Heewon sat down hard on the desk, but even when trying to get up, Kwon blocked him closely, leaving him unable to move.
“Executive Director, what are you doing…”
Flustered, Heewon stammered. Suddenly, Kwon reached out and yanked the knot of Heewon’s tie, loosening the collar buttons. His fingers wandering were so cold that Heewon’s shoulders twitched involuntarily.

Beneath the exposed neck, a black handprint was clearly visible. Compared to that, the bruise was nothing. Faced with the mark of strangulation, Kwon frowned fiercely.
He snorted disdainfully at the sight of the neck marks.
“You’re not going to sue despite this?”

When he repeated the question, Heewon touched his sore neck. He had already checked the bruise in the shower. He thought it was okay since the shirt collar cleverly covered it, but Kwon’s sharp eyes didn’t miss a thing.
“I’ve already decided. It’ll fade eventually.”
He said awkwardly, but Kwon’s deadly glare didn’t ease. Lifting his phone from the desk, he grabbed Heewon’s chin with his other hand to steady him. The phone suddenly faced Heewon’s face, causing him to grimace.

“What are you doing? You’re not taking pictures, are you?”
“Just in case, keep it as evidence.”
“You don’t have to go that far…”

Facing the intimidating gaze, Heewon shut his mouth tight.
Better to let him do as he wishes—what power did he have? Grasping the edge of the desk with both hands, Heewon obediently tilted his head.
Kwon opened the camera app and flung the shirt collar wider open. Holding the shirt open with his hand, he examined the neck thoroughly.

The longer the wait, the more anxious Heewon became. With nowhere appropriate to look, he just stared at the camera screen. His half-closed eyes moistened his dry lips.
“Executive Director.”
“……”

Kwon stared at the screen without pressing the shutter for a long time. With a small mutter of frustration, he finally clicked the button.
Click, click.
The continuous shutter sound made Heewon straighten his tilted head. He thought he heard cursing. Kwon’s expression as he checked the photos was so dark that Heewon dared not say a word.

“All done?”
“…You.”
Kwon stuffed his phone into his pants pocket and immediately glared fiercely.

“Button up properly.”
“Yes.”
That was already the plan. Heewon left the desk, fastened the undone buttons, and fixed his tie neatly. Being meticulous about his appearance was his specialty after all.

The tight shirt collar began to constrict his neck. The sensation was strangely comforting. It was better than looking disheveled in front of Executive Director Kwon.
What had just happened… was really weird.