By Zephyria 
His shirt buttons were undone, making it easy to reach the skin below his neck. Touching his bare skin, Kim Hui-won could definitely tell his temperature was high.
He has a fever. He’s not coughing… Could it be a body ache?
Thinking it unlikely, Hui-won turned his head and saw the pheromone purifier in the corner emitting a bright red light. Only then did he realize that Executive Director Kwon was releasing an enormous amount of pheromones.
Hui-won immediately turned on the portable measuring device. Seeing the abnormally high pheromone levels with his own eyes, he was so dumbfounded that his mouth fell open.
His rut had clearly passed. But pheromones this strong could only be released during rut.
“Executive Director, your pheromones are…”
“I know.”
While Hui-won was flustered enough for his voice to tremble, the person in question was calm. Hui-won moved to the side to properly assess his condition.
In response, Kwon Young-je slowly ran a hand over his face and took out a pheromone suppressant from the drawer, swallowing it. He even drank the fatigue recovery drink he had placed on his desk, looking as carefree as could be.
“Taking the medicine will solve it.”
Even with his condition at its worst, his prickly tone remained unchanged. However, he couldn’t help but furrow his brow, as his body was clearly struggling.
Hui-won stared intently at his face. This was an issue that absolutely could not be overlooked. Managing Executive Director Kwon’s condition was strictly his responsibility.
“You need to go to the hospital. I’ll contact Professor Hong immediately to schedule an appointment…”
“Secretary Kim.”
A large hand forcefully gripped Hui-won’s wrist as he took out his phone.
“Do I look like I have the time to leisurely go to the hospital?”
“This isn’t something that can be solved with medicine. Anyone can see that there’s a problem with your condition, Executive Director.”
“Don’t make a fuss. I know my own condition best.”
He lightly dismissed Hui-won’s words. Meanwhile, a fierce staring contest ensued.
The grip on his wrist was considerable. When Hui-won frowned without realizing it, Kwon Young-je finally released his wrist.
“It’s not too late to get a check-up after this situation is resolved, so just procure the medicine well in the meantime.”
“……”
“Let’s go home now.”
He pushed back his chair and stood up. His will was so firm that Hui-won didn’t even dare to stop him. Hui-won took a short breath and grabbed his jacket for him instead.
The current Executive Director Kwon was like a ticking time bomb.
Therefore, he had to keep a close watch on him. Hui-won steeled his loosened resolve.
* * *
The culprit was a senior researcher of five years, who had accumulated massive debts due to failed stock and coin investments. The researcher had resigned a month ago and had already fled overseas, fearing the consequences.
“I don’t care how much it costs, catch him and bring him before me.”
Kwon Young-je hired a private investigation firm. They were known for their skills, so they would likely produce results faster than the prosecution.
The problem was the negotiation with Zeus. Since Zeus had already patented it, Apex could not use the same compound. They could only create a generic drug in at least 20 years, and a patent invalidation lawsuit had no chance of success, but it would cost as much as the research and take time. Inevitably, there would also be a loss of image.
A week later, the other party requested a meeting first. At the hard-won negotiation table, a Zeus representative proposed either buying back the patent at a very high price or forming a partnership to have joint ownership. This partnership was just a way for them to leech off Apex, sucking up their capital and technology.
“There’s absolutely no way we can do that.”
Kwon Young-je’s lips stretched into a long line. He crossed his long legs and tilted his head back slightly. He was smiling, but his eyes were incredibly fierce.
“Does the Vice President think I’m a pushover?”
“Is that how it sounded? We were trying to be as considerate as possible.”
“It’s my first time negotiating with a thief over stolen goods.”
The Zeus Vice President let out a bland laugh. He had expected this reaction to some extent.
“Well, there’s nothing we can do then. We plan to start developing a new drug with this patent. We have high expectations. As you know, it’s a very innovative patent.”
“Go ahead. I’m looking forward to seeing how great a drug you can make.”
“Are you really not willing to cooperate?”
“No. Not in the slightest.”
Kwon Young-je answered firmly. In the meantime, he had reviewed countless scenarios to regain ownership of the patent, but in conclusion, he decided to abandon the stolen patent and attempt a design-around strategy to bypass the existing patent. This was virtually the same as starting from scratch.
It was not an easy decision. He had promised to take full responsibility after a private meeting with the Chairman. If he did not achieve great success in this new drug development, Kwon Young-je was prepared to take off his coat and leave the company.
“Then why did you even come to this meeting? I naturally assumed you were willing to reach an agreement.”
“To warn you. I’m the type to always pay back those who stab me in the back.”
With the smile gone, Kwon Young-je’s face was sharper than ever. The moment the Zeus Vice President met his deep, piercing gaze, he clenched the armrest with his hand. This young pup was even more strong-willed than he had heard. He couldn’t possibly show any signs of being intimidated in front of him, so he straightened his shoulders as much as possible.
Hui-won watched the situation unfold, holding his breath.
Unlike Zeus, who brought a string of lawyers to the negotiation table, Kwon Young-je only brought him. Nevertheless, his presence was confident. His gaze was filled with daggers, and his will to overwhelm the opponent was strongly evident.
Honestly, Hui-won was proud of Executive Director Kwon’s actions. He sincerely admired his pride, which never bowed down even when cornered.
Pride that was only in words was no different from bluster, but Kwon Young-je was different. Watching him from the side, he was convinced that this man would always be in a superior position and succeed, no matter what situation he faced.
“Do your best.”
“Thank you for the encouragement.”
Although it was supposed to be a farewell greeting, not even a simple handshake was exchanged. The victory or defeat of the short battle of nerves seemed clear. As if he liked it, Kwon Young-je had a smile on his face as he looked down on the Vice President. Whether the other party was gnashing his teeth or not, he left the scene first.
“Executive Director, you need to go to the hospital now…”
As soon as Hui-won got into the car, he mentioned the next schedule. As he twisted his waist halfway, he saw Kwon Young-je, who was sitting in the back seat, collapsing to the side.
“Executive Director!”
Hui-won hurriedly moved to the back seat and supported Kwon Young-je. As if nearing his limit, he breathed heavily and couldn’t open his eyes easily.
“Driver, please go to Korea University Hospital! Quickly!”
Hui-won shouted, embracing the collapsed body. He then took out his phone and contacted Professor Hong, Executive Director Kwon’s doctor. He was so surprised that his palms were sweaty in that short moment.
“Professor, this is Kim Hui-won. The Executive Director has collapsed, yes. We’re on our way to the hospital now. I think we’ll be there in ten minutes.”
Hui-won kept looking at Kwon Young-je’s face. He had been anxious since he had been taking medicine and holding on. He should have been stubborn in moderation.
Eventually, the bomb went off. Hui-won hugged Kwon Young-je once more. He was quite large, so it was almost as if he was being crushed rather than supported, but there was nothing he could do.
* * *
“It’s a miracle that he’s been walking around normally all this time. He’s practically a walking corpse, isn’t he?”
The test results flipped over. Professor Hong pushed up the glasses perched on the bridge of his nose and sighed several times. That meant the results were serious.
“Just get to the point.”
Kwon Young-je threw off the patient gown he was wearing. In response, Hui-won quickly brought a new dress shirt and covered his bare body. Professor Hong was dumbfounded by the sight of him being attended to as if it were natural, and shook his head with a wry smile.
“Not to mention his pheromone levels, his liver function is also the worst.”
Professor Hong was one of the leading trait specialists in the country. He was Kwon Young-je’s doctor and a long-time friend. Professor Hong Yeon-ju was also one of the few people Kwon Young-je could confide his secrets in.
Professor Hong had been steadily prescribing suppressants to him, but he had no idea that his condition had deteriorated to this extent. It seemed that the severe stress he had recently experienced was the main factor.
“His immunity is also at rock bottom. The only reason he was able to hold on was because you’re an Alpha… but now that there’s something wrong with his pheromone secretion system, I can’t guarantee that anymore. As his doctor, I’m warning you to stop taking the medicine immediately and prepare to go through rut.”
Kwon Young-je had already finished putting on his shirt. He sat on the medical bed and only let out a listless sigh.
Hui-won was organizing the patient gown he had taken off. Kwon Young-je’s long exhalation kept tickling his forehead. He didn’t have the ability to sense pheromones, but from the humid and sweet breath, he could guess that Kwon Young-je was in quite a painful state right now.
“Is there no other way? What about surgery?”
“Surgery is also possible. If you can be hospitalized for three weeks, you can have surgery.”
Professor Hong said firmly. He pushed the test results aside and turned his chair straight. He fixed his gaze on the monitor and quickly tapped on the keyboard.
“It’s not that you hate sex, it’s that you hate Omegas, right?”
“……”
“Should I be more clear? If you don’t go through rut right now, you’ll go into shock. You’ll die before long.”
At the brutal warning, Hui-won’s fingers paused. He barely straightened his back and stood up. Kwon Young-je’s face, which he faced, didn’t look surprised. He was also aware of his condition to some extent.
Kwon Young-je ran a hand over his face. After cleanly erasing even a slight feeling of dismay, he opened his mouth.
“Secretary Kim, check my schedule.”
Hui-won was already scanning his phone. The calendar was already packed with schedules. Even weekends when he didn’t go to work were filled with various events.
“…Executive Director, it’s difficult to clear enough time in the schedule right now.”
“Ahem, death by shock. Death by shock.”
Professor Hong emphasized again in a firm tone.
Kwon Young-je bit his lip tightly. His displeasure was clearly evident. But there was nothing he could do. He nodded as if resigned.
“Postpone everything and clear just one week.”