By Zephyria 
Kim Hui-won carefully slid the phone he was clutching back into his pants pocket.
After clearing his throat softly, he raised his chin confidently.
“Shall we just go?”
“Suit yourself.”
Fortunately, Kwon Young-je didn’t react much. He turned around first to call the elevator, and Hui-won brazenly followed. Even while riding the elevator together, all sorts of worries flashed through his mind. A premonition that the future wouldn’t be easy. Something like that.
An familiar car was parked in front of the villa’s entrance. Hui-won recognized Kwon Young-je’s car at a glance. Coming by car for a 5-minute walk, he was a young master indeed.
It seemed he drove himself without a chauffeur because it was the weekend… then, do I have to drive?
Just as his secretarial instincts were about to rear their head, Kwon Young-je got into the driver’s seat first. Hui-won approached the passenger seat, hiding his awkward expression.
Come to think of it, this was the first time he’d been in a car driven by Kwon Young-je in his entire six years as a secretary. Rather than feeling lucky, he felt more uncomfortable. It was as if thorns were embedded in the leather seat, preventing him from leaning back comfortably.
In contrast, Kwon Young-je started the engine and turned the steering wheel with practiced ease. As the car left the villa complex in a smooth arc, Kwon Young-je, his eyes fixed on the front window, said,
“Be careful not to leak any pheromones in front of me. I hate anything that smells.”
“Let’s both be careful. It’s not something that only I can control.”
“……”
It was a reasonable statement in his own mind, but the gaze coming from the side was quite sharp. Hui-won quietly pulled his hat’s cap down. His eyes, hidden in the shadow of the hat, were constantly fluctuating.
* * *
Mikazuki boasted a neat atmosphere befitting a high-end Japanese restaurant. It was usually difficult to get in without a reservation, but Kwon Young-je was such a special guest. The manager, who recognized him, gladly offered the best private room.
They each took a seat in the inner room, which was covered with traditional tatami mats. As they were wiping their hands with warm towels, the ordered meal was quickly served.
For the time being, they started eating without a word. Since they originally ate together often, there was no awkwardness. Unless it was a business meal, Kwon Young-je rarely spoke while eating, and Hui-won was used to such silence.
Eating something much tastier than delivered sushi melted away his sulky mood. Hui-won put a slice of red sea bream in his mouth and chewed it carefully. The unique savory and sweet taste permeated from the chewy flesh.
Kwon Young-je quietly raised his eyes. The figure of Kim Hui-won sitting across from him felt unfamiliar.
He had always only seen him in a neat suit, whether it was early in the morning, late at night, or on weekends, so this was the first time he had seen him in casual clothes. His tofu-like pale face and sky-blue shirt suited him quite well. He almost looked like a college student.
Regardless of his attire, his upright posture and polite chopstick manners were the same as Secretary Kim’s, whom he had always seen. It wasn’t wrong to say that the essence was the same no matter what the appearance was. Kwon Young-je unknowingly raised the corners of his lips, then composed his expression and lightly wet his throat.
“I’ll get straight to the point.”
When he spoke during the meal for once, Hui-won also put down his chopsticks. He hurriedly chewed and swallowed his food and gulped down water.
“How about being my executive secretary again?”
Hui-won’s eyes widened, and at the same time, he choked.
Cough! Keh-keh, he coughed out small, irregular coughs and patted his chest, Kwon Young-je openly clicked his tongue. He grabbed a few napkins and threw them in front of Hui-won.
Hui-won quickly picked up the napkins and wiped his mouth. Was this what he wanted to say? He barely caught his breath and asked.
“What are you talking about?”
“I can’t find anyone as good as Secretary Kim.”
Hui-won’s eyelids flickered. It was so absurd, but the other person’s face was so indifferent that he wondered if he was the only one who felt this dumbfounded.
“Have you even tried to find someone?”
Was that even a question? Kwon Young-je’s handsome brow furrowed. At that, Kim Hui-won sighed deeply. He broke his straight posture and rested his elbows on the table, covering his throbbing forehead.
“No, Director Kwon… am I the only one who doesn’t understand?”
“What?”
“Where in the world is there an Omega secretary? You know that trait can never handle the work.”
Hui-won tapped the table with his finger and began a long speech. No matter how discrimination-free the world was, the Omega trait was not suitable for a secretarial position.
The class commonly referred to as the privileged were mostly Alphas, and it was difficult for Omegas to survive in that gap. Moreover, the secretary was in the position of ‘Eul’.
They were humans who lived to show off their abilities, so wouldn’t their pheromones be the same? Alpha pheromones would be overflowing everywhere they went. Moreover, there would be people everywhere trying to suppress him with their pheromones. It was invisible, but it was no different from violence. How could he endure such a situation?
Of course, Kwon Young-je couldn’t have been unaware of that fact. He sugarcoated his unreasonable proposal.
“I don’t think Secretary Kim is such a pushover. I believe you have a better ability to control yourself than others.”
“Well, thank you for thinking highly of me, but I can’t even trust my own body?”
“You’re a dominant Omega, aren’t you?”
Dominant Omegas tend to have better pheromone control than ordinary Omegas. It is also the accepted theory in academia that they are resistant to Alpha pheromones and are not easily affected. Kwon Young-je pointed that out.
But Hui-won remained negative. He sighed openly in front of the other person.
“It hasn’t been long since I manifested as an Omega. I haven’t encountered any unexpected situations either. It’s obviously dangerous, so I don’t see the need for me to do that job.”
“I need you to.”
“You’re being selfish.”
“I’ll raise your salary more.”
The conversation continued like a broken record. Kim Hui-won repeatedly insisted on his opposition, and Kwon Young-je simply insisted on his demands. Would there be a conclusion like this? The moist slices of raw fish were left unattended and were drying out.
“Decisively, Director Kwon can’t stand Omega pheromones! I don’t want to work while being criticized, you know?”
Kim Hui-won was a living witness who had watched Kwon Young-je’s behavior right next to him.
When he was a Beta, he overlooked it, thinking how difficult it must be, but now the situation had been reversed. To be honest, he didn’t have the confidence to endure Kwon Young-je’s contempt.
At that, Kwon Young-je sharpened his gaze as if he couldn’t understand.
“Why do you think about being criticized first? Isn’t it something Secretary Kim can be careful about?”
“That’s because I don’t want to live so tired.”
Hui-won now had a headache that felt like his head was splitting. He pressed his temples and said as if complaining.
“What if either Director Kwon or I go into heat?”
“Do you think it’s possible for you and me to cause an accident?”
Kwon Young-je frowned at the terrible assumption. Hui-won glanced at him. Kwon Young-je responded with a ‘what’ to his meaningful gaze.
“…There’s a precedent.”
Only then did a look of dismay appear on Kwon Young-je’s face. Certainly, that was true. He couldn’t argue because he had done something.
His black eyes stared at Hui-won. He knew he was good at speaking, but this was the first time Kim Hui-won, who said exactly what he wanted to say, was so annoying.
“So, you’re really refusing?”
Hui-won only nodded instead of answering. His determination was so firm that there was not an inch of hesitation.
“I can at least do the handover before I leave. I felt uneasy leaving it abandoned like that.”
“……”
“Instead, it’s difficult to assist Director Kwon like before, and my role is only to train the secretarial staff. If you still like that, I’ll leave the company.”
Three days, Hui-won opened his fingers and set a deadline for the handover period. He was truly a smart human being.
Kwon Young-je was not happy with the unilateral proposal. However, there was no other way.
Eventually, he let out a long breath.
“Help me pick an executive secretary too. I’m too busy right now to pay attention to that.”
“I will.”
“Let’s start from next Monday.”
He also agreed. When the agreement was over, Hui-won finally had a relaxed face and picked up his chopsticks again. He put a slice of raw fish with pickled ginger in his mouth and chewed it. It was a little dry, but it still tasted great.
A smile naturally bloomed. He also added a firm determination to liquidate all ties with Kwon Young-je on this occasion and have his resignation approved.