By Zephyria 
“…Pardon?”
Hui-won’s cognitive circuits momentarily stalled at the shocking words he had just heard. His efforts to compose himself were rendered useless. Hui-won frowned as he looked up at Kwon Young-je.
“…I don’t want to.”
“I don’t have a hobby of rolling around with men either.”
“Executive Director Kwon, don’t you rather prefer men?”
“It’s cleaner that way. If I were to choose based on preference, women would be better.”
What is he even saying?
It was like he was testing him, needlessly stirring up his emotions with pointless words. Hui-won shook his head firmly.
In response, Kwon Young-je took a step back. Being tall, he had a habit of looking down on people.
“You don’t have to be so averse to it; I was just saying.”
“I’d prefer it if you didn’t bring it up again.”
“I won’t.”
Kwon Young-je’s expression turned as cold as his prickly tone. Seeming to have finished his business, he tossed the necktie he was holding onto the floor and left the dressing room first.
Bang. As the door closed, Hui-won could finally release a long sigh. He had been so tense that his palms were soaked with sweat. Forget it and get back to work. He barely managed to turn around and start gathering Kwon Young-je’s suits again.
It was probably just a random remark.
Kwon Young-je acted no differently than usual, and Kim Hui-won gradually forgot about that day. Days passed, filled with a busy routine. Quite a bit of time went by like that.
“Make a copy of this for each person… and deliver it to the Executive Director, and double-check if there are any changes to the 1 PM meeting at the research center.”
Hui-won handed several files to Secretary Lee. Secretary Lee’s hand, gripping the edge of the desk, trembled slightly, as if he was struggling to stand properly.
“Oh my… you look even worse today. Are you still not feeling well?”
“Yeah. It’s not getting better.”
“How can a common cold be so severe? You’ve been to the hospital, right?”
Kim Hui-won had been suffering from a cold for three weeks. He thought it was just a regular seasonal cold, but it was lasting longer than expected.
The low-grade fever, accompanied by muscle aches, was draining him. He constantly had to take painkillers for the occasional abdominal pain. As a result, he had lost weight and become limp, like a wilted cabbage.
“Shouldn’t you go to a big hospital and get a thorough check-up?”
“Where would I find the time?”
Just keeping up with Kwon Young-je was more than a full-time job. Especially recently, with the all-out effort to develop a new drug, the amount of work Hui-won had to handle had increased.
“…Ah.”
As another sharp pain stabbed his lower abdomen, Hui-won crouched down, gripping the edge of the desk. Seeing this, Secretary Lee bit his lip.
“General manager, go and rest for a bit. I’ll follow up on the Executive Director’s trip to the Daejeon research center for you.”
“How can I do that? It’s my job.”
“I’ll mention it to the Executive Director when I bring him the documents.”
“…Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“I’m in my fifth year too. I can handle that much. Don’t worry.”
Hui-won gave a bitter smile, feeling apologetic. Because of his condition, the secretarial staff were all taking on his work. He was grateful, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t fulfilling his role as the person in charge.
Eventually, he returned to his seat. Hui-won took out painkillers and fever reducers from his drawer, swallowed them, and sighed deeply.
He felt so unwell that he wanted to lie down and sleep immediately, but he couldn’t show his weakness in the office, so he compromised by covering his face and bowing his head.
About twenty minutes passed when Secretary Lee entered the Executive Director’s office to deliver the documents. The office was, as always, bustling with activity. The incessant ringing of internal phone lines, the sound of faxes coming in, and the clatter of keyboards were all mixed together in the air.
“Secretary Kim.”
Executive Director Kwon burst out of his office. Hearing his name, Hui-won reflexively stood up. The moment he saw Executive Director Kwon’s piercing gaze, he sensed that something was wrong.
“Aren’t you coming to the meeting?”
“…Ah, Executive Director, that’s…”
“Why did you even come to work? If you’re so unwell that you’re neglecting your duties, you should take sick leave and stay home.”
Secretary Lee’s face showed embarrassment behind Kwon Young-je, who didn’t hesitate to criticize him. He had confidently offered to assist, but in reality, he had only provoked Executive Director Kwon’s anger. She kept gesturing apologetically.
“I’m sorry. I’ll prepare immediately.”
Hui-won pulled his chair back, stood up, and grabbed his jacket.
The meticulous Executive Director Kwon always insisted on having him accompany him on important external appointments. It was his fault for trying to pass it on to Secretary Lee, knowing that.
While he was gathering his bag, Kwon Young-je glared at Hui-won, looking displeased. Kwon Young-je, who was meticulous about self-care, couldn’t understand Hui-won’s constant illness. Wasn’t managing one’s condition part of the job?
He stared at Hui-won’s pale face for a long moment before storming out of the office. The employees, sensing the cold atmosphere, couldn’t say a word and only glanced at each other.
“I’ll be back. Wrap things up and go home.”
Hui-won forced a smile and encouraged the employees. It was a frequent business trip, but today, his steps felt heavy, as if he were being dragged to a slaughterhouse. He was also worried about how to appease Kwon Young-je’s anger… He wiped the sweat from his forehead and left the office.
* * *
The fever, which had subsided after taking the medication, began to rise sharply again. Hui-won squeezed his eyes shut and opened them.
He could feel the heat accumulating not only in his eyelids but also behind his eyeballs. His mind was hazy, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. His skin was hot, but he felt chills, and his bones ached.
Kwon Young-je was continuing his inspection of the research center after the two-hour meeting. The head of the research center walked ahead, eagerly explaining everything. The long line of people, led by Kwon Young-je, looked like a king and his ministers.
His whole body throbbed, but he couldn’t show it. Hui-won bit down hard on the inside of his lip and endured, focusing only on the broad back of Executive Director Kwon, who was standing right in front of him.
“We expect to have a rough outline by the middle of next week. We plan to conduct a demonstration, and Executive Director, would you be able to spare some time?”
“Is it meaningful enough for me to dedicate my time to it?”
“We will prepare thoroughly to ensure it is not in vain. We must show results that match the opportunity you have given us.”
“Secretary Kim, check my schedule for next week.”
Hui-won immediately took out his tablet. His schedule for next week was already packed, making it difficult to find time. Even the letters were hard to read.
“…It seems you might be available for about an hour on Wednesday morning.”
“Will that be enough?”
“We will adjust to your schedule, Executive Director.”
“Prepare perfectly, even if it takes time. I hate doing things half-heartedly.”
“Of course. We understand.”
Executive Director Kwon told him to clear his entire Wednesday morning schedule. Hui-won was in a bind due to the sudden order. All the appointments were important, making it difficult to reschedule. He racked his sluggish brain, trying to figure things out.
While descending a staircase with only three steps, his vision suddenly went black.
The heel of his shoe caught on the edge of the step, and his knee buckled. His actions were dulled by the fever, preventing him from correcting himself in time. The tablet pad Hui-won was holding nosedived to the ground first. Crack- The sound of the screen cracking assaulted his ears.
It was Kwon Young-je who caught Hui-won as he fell to the ground. He had instinctively grabbed Hui-won’s waist, but his eyes were wide with surprise, as if he too was shocked.
Kim Hui-won, however, had completely lost his mind and didn’t even know what was happening. He was draped over Kwon Young-je’s arm like laundry, only breathing heavily and raggedly.
As his shock subsided, Kwon Young-je couldn’t help but sigh. His gaze, looking down at the limp head, immediately turned fierce.
How can a person be so foolish? Is it even possible to faint from being sick?
“Where’s the break room?”
“T-This way…!”
Kwon Young-je effortlessly carried his secretary over his shoulder. Everyone reached out, offering to carry him instead, but he ignored them and continued walking.
* * *
Hui-won regained consciousness about two hours later.
He was lying down with his legs stretched out, and he could feel a slight rocking motion. There was something soft under his head. When he managed to lift his eyelids, Kwon Young-je’s sharp jawline was the first thing he saw.
“Hukk!”
Hui-won let out a bizarre sound, somewhere between a scream and a groan, and rolled to the side.
Kwon Young-je quickly grabbed him as he was about to fall off the seat. His indifferent gaze, no different from when he was looking at the tablet, fell on Hui-won’s face. He clicked his tongue softly.
“You’re really something.”
“Executive Director. What happened…?”
“Don’t you remember collapsing during the inspection?”
He remembered. What Hui-won was wondering was why he was lying here after collapsing at the research center.
This wasn’t even the research center. It was inside a limousine he had never seen before, and a portable IV needle was stuck in his wrist. Judging by the fact that the 500ml IV bag was almost empty, at least an hour had passed.
This was beyond confusing; it was terrifying. Hui-won hesitantly sat up and grabbed the jacket he had been using as a pillow.
Kwon Young-je’s expensive jacket was severely wrinkled from being crushed under his head. Even if he returned it, it didn’t seem wearable anymore.
“Then the inspection…”
“What more could I do in that situation?”
“What is this car?”
Kwon Young-je turned his head as if he couldn’t be bothered to answer. His face, once again fixed on the tablet pad, was so indifferent that it was impossible to read his emotions.
Only then could Hui-won infer that Executive Director Kwon had rented a limousine because of him. He was speechless at the excessive kindness.
“When we get to Seoul, Secretary Kim, you can go home.”
“…I’m fine now.”
“You’re not being helpful to me. Do you not realize that you’re hindering my work right now?”
“……”
“I’ll let it slide just for today, so get your act together starting tomorrow.”
What to say. He didn’t know if he was being kind or just annoying. It was clear that he was concerned, but the way he conveyed it was so rude that it made the listener feel bad.
Fortunately, Hui-won was used to Kwon Young-je’s way of expressing himself, so he filtered it out.
He still had a bit of a fever, so he felt dizzy and sighed softly, touching his forehead. He slowly removed the IV line, which had nothing left to drip.
The car ride to Seoul was very quiet. Hui-won sat a reasonable distance away and stared out the window with a troubled expression. Why am I so sick? Hui-won didn’t like this version of himself either.