By Zephyria 
Kim Hui-won worked like crazy, skipping lunch. He grilled the headhunting agency representative and scoured his connections to see if there was anyone suitable. By the time quitting time approached, Hui-won finally had three resumes on his desk.
“…Hmm, this is okay.”
There was nothing to criticize anywhere. Appearance, experience, and age were all suitable, so he had no doubt that this would meet Kwon Young-je’s standards.
“If he rejects this, he’s not even human.”
He wondered how much he had to work to gather these candidates; if he wrote a report, it would be ten A4 pages long. Thanks to that, his calendar was packed with dinner and drinks for a month.
Regardless of such behind-the-scenes stories, he decided to report to Executive Director Kwon first. Hui-won got up, straightened his clothes, and put the printed resumes in a file.
He knocked on the door of the office. When a low voice answered, “Yes,” he opened the door and went inside.
His confident steps faltered as he smelled the pheromones scattered in the room. Hui-won clenched his teeth for a moment, made a fist, and blocked his nose.
Kwon Young-je, who was working as usual, saw him and made a short sound, “Ah.” The pheromones that had been unconsciously flowing out stopped as if a faucet had been turned off.
“I forgot.”
“…It’s okay.”
Hui-won swallowed the saliva in his mouth and took his stopped steps. He was only surprised for a moment, it wasn’t unbearable. He calmly composed his expression and approached the desk.
“These are the candidates for the personal secretary. Please review them.”
He placed the file within his reach. But Kwon Young-je didn’t even look at the documents and only stared at Hui-won’s face.
His smooth face was the same as Kim Hui-won’s usual face. It was not even distinguishable whether his complexion was pale because his face was originally white, or whether it was the same. What was certain was that he was not at all affected by this level of Alpha pheromone. Kwon Young-je raised the corners of his mouth in satisfaction. He reached out and opened the black file.
“I have confirmed that all three can start working within a month. If you wish, I can schedule an interview in the near future.”
“……”
“In particular, I recommend Mr. Jung Jae-won. He belongs to General Medics in the United States, so he has a high understanding of the industry, and above all, he is fluent in foreign languages. I think he will be perfect for assisting Executive Director Kwon.”
He was somehow impatient and spoke longer than usual. The face of the person reading the resume was too indifferent. Because he knew Kwon Young-je so well, he could clearly read what that expression meant.
Hui-won took another step closer and pressed his lower abdomen against the thick wooden desk.
“Ms. Choi Jin-kyung has experience working as an aide to a member of the National Assembly, so she has excellent crisis management skills, and Mr. Kim Ah-joon worked as a hotel concierge manager, so he is more polite than anyone else,”
“Do you know these people well?”
“Yes?”
Hui-won made a stupid noise at the question that cut off his words. Kwon Young-je slammed the file shut in front of Hui-won. He leisurely crossed his arms and leaned his head back so that the back of the chair was tilted back.
“Is this the best you can do?”
“Yes.”
Hui-won answered without hesitation. Rather, he looked at the person in front of him as if asking what the problem was.
Then Kwon Young-je straightened his posture and reopened the file. He pointed at the resume turned upside down so that Hui-won could see it well.
“Mr. Jung Jae-won, whom Secretary Kim recommends. He worked as a Team leader at General Medics and left last year. His salary was reduced by half, so wasn’t there something wrong with his work ability?”
“……”
“Choi Jin-kyung? I know she’s desperate to enter politics, but would she be satisfied with secretarial work? Kim Ah-joon, well, I don’t even want to mention him. His impression is not good.”
Kwon Young-je was well-informed about the news around him. He had such vast information that it made one wonder how he knew even this, and he remembered even the smallest details of stories he had heard in passing.
Hui-won clenched his fists tightly. His eyes were also full of strength.
“You shouldn’t say things like that.”
“What’s the problem?”
“There is no perfect person in the world. You shouldn’t judge based on documents alone.”
“It’s my job to choose my personal secretary. They have to be perfect.”
“Was I without any flaws?”
Hui-won raised his voice, tired of his picky personality. A moment of silence came over them. Kwon Young-je stared at Hui-won with his unique, direct gaze, and then quietly replied.
“Kim Hui-won, I liked you from the first time I saw you.”
“……”
“Get out. Know that I’m going to discard the resumes.”
A notice was given that he would not discuss it any further.
Hui-won, who couldn’t continue to speak there, turned around with a sigh. His cheeks were slightly hot, perhaps because he was excited. He pressed his cold hands against his cheeks and left the office.
After that, the second and third candidate groups were all rejected. Hui-won judged that Executive Director Kwon had no intention of hiring a personal secretary, and he thought it was meaningless, so he stopped picking candidates.
He remained alone in the office where everyone had left work, staring blankly into the air with empty eyes. Complex thoughts were tangled in his head.
He should have felt relieved after finishing each of his roles, but he didn’t know why he felt so uneasy.
It’s like a mother abandoning her child and running away.
It’s a bit much to compare Kwon Young-je to a child, but that’s how he treated Hui-won. Unlike him, he held on and begged… He thought that the person who would cut him off without looking back because he had developed as an Omega was unexpected.
Hui-won looked at the employee ID hanging around his neck. The letters ‘Secretary General manager Kim Hui-won’ engraved in bold letters shone brightly under the lights.
“Was this such a heavy crown? I didn’t even know.”
Still, he had done enough, so it was right to shake off the uneasy feeling. Hui-won got up, grabbed his jacket and bag, and prepared to leave work.
Hui-won, who came down to the underground parking lot, hesitated as he got off the elevator.
Kwon Young-je was standing right in front of him. He clearly had a dinner appointment and he heard that he went out and left work.
“…Are you going back up to the office?”
“No.”
He rolled up his sleeves and glanced at his watch. Then he said in a calm tone.
“You don’t have any plans later, do you? Let’s have a drink together.”
“No, I’m okay.”
“Why.”
Kwon Young-je asked back as if he was dumbfounded. His face showed that he had not considered rejection at all.
“Why would I have a drink with Executive Director Kwon…”
“What about food?”
“I ate simply.”
Kwon Young-je’s eyebrows narrowed more and more. He was becoming uncomfortable because he kept slipping away whenever he suggested something.
He blew a short breath and swept back his fluttering bangs.
“Then are you going straight home?”
“Yes, I should.”
“……”
Kwon Young-je stared at the air for a moment, then grabbed Hui-won’s wrist. He took a big step without saying anything. Hui-won had to be dragged along without saying a word because he felt the chilly air on his skin.
Kwon Young-je opened the passenger seat door and locked the person in there like he was catching a criminal. Hui-won blankly stared at the man walking around the hood, dumbfounded.
A moment later, Kwon Young-je, who got into the driver’s seat, skillfully started the car. He glanced at Hui-won sitting next to him and clicked his tongue. He never agrees to anything easily. Hui-won couldn’t hear the mutterings he was muttering to himself.
“Executive Director Kwon, I brought my car.”
So what? Hui-won immediately turned his head at the fierce glare.
“You’re taking me home, right?”
“Buckle up.”
Is this a new type of harassment? Hui-won quietly pulled the seat belt and fastened it. He ignored Kwon Young-je and deliberately turned his gaze only to the passenger seat window.
It took twenty minutes just to get out of the Namsan Tunnel, and the road was strangely blocked today. There was almost no conversation in the car that couldn’t pick up speed easily.
In the suffocating silence, Hui-won felt stuffy for no reason and rubbed the inside of his shirt collar. A slightly sweet scent lingered. Every time this happened, he was reminded that he was an Omega.
“…What are you really going to do? Do you have any intention of hiring a personal secretary?”
He asked, taking advantage of the signal. Kwon Young-je held the steering wheel with one hand and leaned his arm against the car window, looking only at the front window. He answered after a long time.
“I told you, I can’t have anyone unless they fill my heart.”
“I doubt there will be such a person.”
“There must be somewhere. A human like you.”
Again. Hui-won couldn’t stand the tingling in his ears at the words he spat out. He secretly pulled on his earlobe and asked nonchalantly.
“What did you like so much about me?”
“You want me to say that with my own mouth?”
Laughter leaked from Kwon Young-je’s mouth. Just in time, the signal changed, and he gently turned the steering wheel. The car followed the tail of the procession and made a big turn.
“If you tell me, it will help me find someone similar.”
“……”
“The secretarial staff won’t be able to last long. You should hire someone quickly before the remaining staff run away.”
“Sounds like a threat.”
“It’s sincere advice.”
This time, Kwon Young-je let out a long sigh. The car stopped smoothly at the signal.
He turned his gaze to the passenger seat. Thanks to the boundary between the light and shadow seeping in from beyond the car window, Kwon Young-je’s eyes looked even darker.
“You just didn’t have any annoying parts.”
“……”
“Just being with you makes me feel comfortable.”
What, what is this confession-like thing? The atmosphere is getting weird.
Hui-won didn’t know what to say, so he just rolled his eyes. Even in the midst of all this, the gaze fixed on his left cheek was stinging. Hui-won swallowed hard and cautiously asked.
“Executive Director Kwon… do you perhaps have other feelings for me?”
“Secretary Kim, are you out of your mind?”
Or not.
Hui-won relaxed and stretched out his back. He seemed so dumbfounded next to him that he didn’t think he needed to ask any more questions. He cleared his throat loudly to ease the awkward atmosphere.
“You’re not asking me to release pheromones today?”
“I’m thinking about when to say it.”
“Please hold back. You’re driving.”
I want to go home safely, he added, and Kwon Young-je let out a burst of laughter next to him.
“You’re probably used to it by now?”
“…Really?”
“Try letting it out if you’re curious.”
He has great skills in luring people. Hui-won narrowed his eyes. He felt like it was definitely a bluff, but he decided to believe it for once.
He slightly released pheromones and looked at Kwon Young-je’s complexion. Oh? Not bad? His face was somewhat pale, but he didn’t show any signs of disgust, and he didn’t open the window.
Hui-won smiled slightly at him, feeling proud. He looked out the car window with peace of mind. The night view of the city center was like a wonderful panorama.
“Thank you for taking me home.”
Hui-won got out of the car and bowed politely. Kwon Young-je sat in the driver’s seat and chewed his lips as if he had something left to say. He was originally the type to say what he wanted to say, but he was rarely holding back.
“Go in.”
Hui-won made a fake smile and gestured again.
Go, hurry. At the gesture of pushing him away with both hands, Kwon Young-je glared at Hui-won fiercely, then finally turned his head as if he had given up. The car carrying him sped away.
Only then could he take a breath. Hui-won slapped the back of his neck with the palm of his hand and turned his stiff neck around, then suddenly realized that he had left his car at the company and it would be difficult to go to work tomorrow.
“Ah, shit, I’m sure he’s harassing me.”
From now on, I’ll never accept Kwon Young-je’s favor, Hui-won gritted his teeth and renewed his resolve. There is only one day left to work together.