By Zephyria 
The morning commute was smooth. Executive Director Kwon Young-je drank coffee in the car and listened to briefings. Kim Hui-won sent a notification to the secretary’s group chat. Even though he had clearly announced his return the day before, the secretaries were in a frenzy.
Outside the passenger window, the bustling scenery of downtown Seoul came into view. The sunlight hitting the high-rise buildings shone like shimmering waves on a river, and the roadside trees boasted their lush green leaves. Hui-won admired the scenery for a moment. There was no need to make any special resolutions, but as a human, he couldn’t help but feel a flutter in his heart.
The sedan stopped in front of the headquarters, and the doors opened simultaneously, with people getting out in the front and back. It was a commute he had repeated countless times, so there was nothing new about it. Hui-won stayed close behind Executive Director Kwon Young-je and hurried along.
As he passed through the lobby, countless eyes turned to him. Everyone was surprised by Secretary Kim’s return. Some were shocked, some were puzzled, and many were openly gossiping.
Having fully expected this, Hui-won moved forward with a calm expression. After passing through the unusually long lobby, he stood in front of the executive elevator, where he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
“Good morning.”
A lighthearted voice came from beside him as he waited for the elevator to arrive. Executive Director Kwon Young-je didn’t even turn his head.
Even though he was being treated like an invisible man, Kwon Young-ho grinned. His interest was solely on Secretary Kim from the start. He moved closer, shoulder to shoulder.
“Wow, is it true? Secretary Kim, you’re really back?”
Kwon Young-ho not only leaned in uncomfortably close, but also arbitrarily fiddled with Hui-won’s employee ID. Seeing that it still said Chief Secretary, he scoffed. Kwon Young-ho pressed the inside of his cheek with his tongue, as if he couldn’t believe it.
“What’s with all the confidence?”
“Are you really okay? Can you really work at this company?” Kwon Young-ho kept nagging him from the side, to the point of annoyance. The employees standing nearby could hear everything, and there was no sign of any dignity.
Hui-won straightened the employee ID that Kwon Young-ho had carelessly tossed aside and bowed politely.
“Good morning, Director Kwon Young-ho.”
“I’m always doing well. But our Secretary Kim… well, I don’t think you’ll be doing so well?”
He patted Hui-won’s shoulder as if he were trying to comfort him, so Hui-won clenched his teeth. Kwon Young-ho knew full well that he was an Omega and continued to provoke him. He was trying to see how he would react.
“I have a feeling that there will be many unavoidable things when serving a Dominant Alpha. Why did you suddenly take on the role of secretary again? Did you two make some kind of extracurricular agreement? Did you really come here to work?”
Hui-won grabbed Kwon Young-ho’s wrist, which was on his shoulder, and pulled it down. There wasn’t a trace of agitation on his face as he turned to Kwon Young-ho.
“Director Kwon Young-ho, I would appreciate it if you would refrain from making inappropriate remarks.”
“Huh?”
“As you may know, I am no longer a Beta. Sexually suggestive remarks may cause problems in the future.”
Kwon Young-ho’s face stiffened noticeably for a moment. But that was only for a moment, and he burst out laughing.
“Puhaha! That’s right! I have no intention of being rude like someone else and getting sued.”
Kwon Young-ho rubbed his mouth hard, trying to erase his laughter. He leaned to one side, resting his weight on one leg, and twisted his upper body.
“Since we’re on the subject…”
His attention naturally shifted to someone else. His ultimate target was, of course, Executive Director Kwon Young-je.
“What the hell were you doing out there that made you end up like this?”
“……”
“I’m afraid the Chairman will find out. It’s only a matter of time before this hits the news. How about it, Hyung? Should I introduce you to a good lawyer?”
He continued to spout nonsense, never tiring.
Executive Director Kwon Young-je didn’t respond at all. He didn’t even look at him. As if a dog were barking beside him, he paid no attention to Kwon Young-ho and only stared at the tightly closed elevator.
In the silent stillness, only the sound of people’s breathing filled the air. No one among the employees dared to open their mouths, afraid of being noticed. If the elevator hadn’t arrived, the uncomfortable atmosphere would have continued endlessly.
As soon as the doors opened, Hui-won quickly pressed the button to hold the elevator, and Executive Director Kwon Young-je boarded first. Hui-won followed him into the elevator.
Just as Kwon Young-ho was about to follow, a long arm blocked his way. Kwon Young-ho looked up in disbelief.
“What is it? Did you rent out the whole elevator?”
“I will if I have to.”
A look of near contempt stared at Kwon Young-ho. Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he pressed the close button. Kwon Young-ho’s bewildered face was visible through the slowly closing gap in the door. But even that soon disappeared.
As the doors closed completely, only the mechanical sound of the elevator ascending could be heard inside. What a commotion on the first day back. In the suffocating silence, Hui-won squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again.
Instinctively, he glanced to the side. He expected Executive Director Kwon Young-je to be very angry, but he was more composed than he thought. Rather, he was calmly adjusting his cuffs and tidying his clothes.
There was no way that the sensitive Executive Director Kwon Young-je wouldn’t notice the gaze. He turned his head slightly and said in a dry voice, devoid of any laughter.
“Didn’t you expect this to happen?”
“I did.”
“Keep your wits about you. You’ll be hearing that kind of nonsense countless times from now on.”
Hui-won nodded. Executive Director Kwon Young-je’s words were more of a criticism than encouragement, but strangely, they gave him strength.
He also steeled his heart and used the elevator panel as a mirror to straighten his appearance. His neat appearance was no different from before. As Executive Director Kwon Young-je said, even if he was an Omega, he just had to act confidently.
“We sincerely welcome you back.”
Starting with Secretary Lee’s lead, the secretaries gathered in a circle and applauded. There was no sound of hands clapping, so it was just a pretense, but they were truly moved.
Hui-won only slightly wrinkled his nose. It was quite embarrassing to come back after having said his goodbyes.
“Thank you so much for the welcome… but let’s put the greetings aside for now and start working?”
He dismissed the secretaries and returned to his seat. On the empty desk, there were only two large monitors, a keyboard, a mouse, and an internal phone.
As Hui-won familiarly set up the computer, he spoke to the secretaries who were standing far away.
“Please share all the work you’ve been doing and the schedules you have planned.”
“Yes, General manager.”
“Yes! Understood.”
As if they had been waiting for it, work piled up. Seeing the desk cluttered in an instant, he finally realized that he was back. He took a deep breath that resembled a sigh.
“Alright. Shall we slowly dip our toes into the fires of hell?”
Hui-won tightened his tie and began to immerse himself in his work.
He was completely out of his mind.
He was busy enough trying to figure out the backlog of work and dealing with it one by one, but why were there so many phone calls? It was as if someone had sent out a mass text message about his return, because there were so many calls looking for Kim Hui-won today.
“General manager, the secretary-general of the Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Association is on the phone. I’ve already transferred the call.”
No sooner had he finished one call than a new one was waiting for him. It was only 11 o’clock, but he already felt exhausted. Hui-won lightly tilted his neck and picked up the internal phone he had just put down. When he pressed the button, a calm tone flowed out, as if he had never been tired.
“Hello, this is Kim Hui-won from the secretary’s office.”
The purpose of the calls was usually to confirm Executive Director Kwon Young-je’s schedule and to encourage him to attend events. It was common to ask for his opinion via email for external activities, but it was rare to receive phone calls like this. There was only one reason. It was to inquire about Kim Hui-won’s well-being and the truth of the rumors.
“…Ah, yes. That’s right. Haha… Well, what’s so hard about it for me? It’s what I’ve always done. Thank you for your concern.”
Hui-won clutched his forehead and answered like a machine. On the surface, he looked completely fed up, but the words flowing from his mouth were as smooth as if they had been oiled.
“Secretary-general, I appreciate your words, but I don’t think I’ll be able to meet you separately. More importantly, you said the 3rd of next month, right? Could you please let me know the time and place?”
It was fine to be curious to a certain extent, but some people crossed the line.
They asked questions disguised as concerns, such as whether it was possible for an Omega to be constantly with an Alpha, whether they were worried that an accident might happen, and what they would do during heat. There were even people who said they would come to the company even though they had no business there, like the secretary-general right now.
Hui-won drew a line in the sand every time. The softer you were, the more likely you were to be underestimated. If necessary, he pointed out the other person’s rudeness, and if that didn’t work, he would cut them off and change the subject. Most people with a sense of decency would realize their mistake. They would also realize once again that Secretary Kim was not someone to be taken lightly.
He had been repeating this over and over again, so it was inevitable that he would be exhausted.
But because he knew that it would be easier in the future if he laid the groundwork well in the beginning, Hui-won silently responded, considering it his fate.
“Okay, I understand. Please send it to me by email as before, and I will check it and reply. Yes, thank you for your hard work. Thank you.”
Hui-won’s voice, which was ending another call, became unusually fast. He already had the internal phone in one hand, and his cell phone was in his right hand. It had been about seven seconds since the phone started ringing. He had to answer the call no matter what, so he was in a hurry.
He almost threw the internal phone down and hurriedly picked up his cell phone.
Madam Lim Seo-ran
Just seeing the name on the screen caused an earthquake in his pupils. Hui-won took a long, shaky breath and carefully swiped the screen with his fingertip.
“Hello, Madam. I apologize for answering late.”