119

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He returned to work as if nothing had happened. The office, which had been filled with flower baskets, had also returned to its previous clean and tidy state.

The office was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. No one offered words of comfort to Secretary Kim, who had returned to his post.

They guessed that clumsy consideration would only be poison to him. In fact, Kwon Young-je had instructed each secretary not to mention anything related to the inheritance.

“Secretary Lee, transfer all the meetings canceled last week to me. I’ll be in charge of fixing the schedule for a while since we need to readjust it.”

“Yes, Chief Secretary.”

Secretary Lee gave a short reply and quickly moved his mouse. Click, click. As he pressed the buttons, his gaze secretly drifted sideways. On Chief Secretary Kim’s desk, sitting apart, documents were piled up to a precarious height. Just looking at it was suffocating due to the workload.

The person in question himself seemed numb to reality. Regardless of how he felt inside, at least his outward appearance was no different from the previous Chief Secretary Kim. No, rather, it was as if he was determined to be obsessed with work. He was pushing himself into a corner to the extent of taking on others’ tasks as well.

But Hui-won’s resolve was firm. His family had worried that it might be too early to return, but he thought it was better to stay busy to erase depressing thoughts.

Kwon Young-je also fully supported Hui-won’s decision. As Kim Hui-won’s spouse, no one knew better than Kwon Young-je what would help him.

\*

At the board meeting that started in the morning, an agenda item to dismiss Executive Director Kwon Young-ho was raised.

Chairman Kwon had disowned Kwon Young-ho over the previous incident. While it was legally impossible to remove him from the family register, he had publicly declared he would sever family ties instead.

Kwon Young-je had also filed a complaint. There were plenty of charges to attach: attempted murder, special assault. Even Kwon Young-ho’s parents came, knelt down, and pleaded, but he made it clear there would be no leniency.

It might turn into a messy fight. Kwon Young-ho would likely struggle to survive, citing mental and physical weakness, but in the end, he would have to pay the price for his own actions. I can firmly say it will be anything but light.

Kwon Young-ho should also experience what it feels like to have your blood run cold, what the sense of loss from losing something precious is like. Several times more miserably than what they had experienced. Kwon Young-je reaffirmed his resolve several times a day.

In the absence of the person concerned, the dismissal procedure proceeded smoothly. Some of the attending directors had faces as black as if they had eaten dirt. They realized the lifeline they had grabbed was actually just a handful of straw.

“That… is he really finished?”

“After seeing how things are going, you say that? Executive Director Kwon Young-ho is completely out now. That family itself has been cut down.”

“I heard the inheritance is also gone.”

The directors whispered secretly among themselves. The talk about Kwon Young-ho somehow drifted to Secretary Kim’s inheritance. The joyous news that had turned the company upside down had overnight become tragic news, discussed by many. Along with that, sympathetic gazes were inevitably drawn to Vice Chairman Kwon Young-je.

Kwon Young-je himself was attending the board meeting with his back straight. Not a trace of agitation could be seen on his face, and his tightly knotted tie and wrinkle-free jacket unfilteredly revealed his cold, stern nature.

The eyes revealed under thick, straight eyebrows were as sharp as a finely honed blade. In the oppressive atmosphere that spread quietly, no one could easily approach him to speak.

The dismissal procedure proceeded swiftly. Unanimously. Afterwards, other agenda items followed. The momentarily turbulent atmosphere regained its calm as if nothing had happened. A company is, after all, an organization that prioritizes efficiency. Originally, if there’s a jagged stone, you remove it and it finds its own way to roll.

After the board meeting, which took just over an hour, Kwon Young-je came out, declining directors who requested to speak with him. His deeply sunken eyes quickly found Hui-won. As soon as their eyes met, Secretary Kim strode up to him.

“Vice Chairman, you need to leave immediately.”

Kwon Young-je silently stared at his secretary’s face. Instead of asking if he was okay, he was constantly checking on Hui-won. Wondering if even a slight shadow of sorrow had fallen over him. In the silence, he continued a more cautious search than usual.

But Secretary Kim was someone just as skilled at composing his expression. His neat posture was exactly as always seen, and he was even more thoroughly composed than usual. His pale face was simply due to being overwhelmed by excessive work.

“The buyers?”

“I’ve escorted them to the conference room on the 9th floor. Would you like to review their profiles once more before the meeting?”

Hui-won handed over the tablet PC he was carrying. As if proving the time they had worked together in sync, the assistance was flawless, leaving no gaps. Kwon Young-je moved his steps and opened the tablet PC. While deeply suppressing the desire to hold Hui-won’s hand.

The conference room was perfectly set up. It was a meeting with foreign buyers. Kwon Young-je apologized for being late and took a vacant seat. Hui-won also sat next to him and opened the pre-prepared laptop.

In a meeting conducted in English, it’s hard to follow the flow if your mind wanders even for a moment. You need to be more tense and alert than usual, but Hui-won was absentmindedly staring only at the laptop screen at some point.

A new employee sitting diagonally suddenly noticed this. Even after going through a difficult time, Secretary Kim always showed a resolute appearance, but sometimes his thoughts drifted elsewhere. Even now, his pupils were empty, like a ragdoll clumsily patched together.

Is he okay? Without showing it carelessly, everyone worries about him. Unknowingly, he couldn’t help but watch Secretary Kim.

The moment a burst of loud laughter pierced his ears, the new employee snapped back to attention. The buyers were laughing, bending over at a simple joke. As if he was the only one out of sync, Secretary Kim’s lips also held a trace of a smile at some point.

“Secretary Kim, I think we should change the dinner to Korean cuisine.”

“Yes, Vice Chairman. I’ll change it.”

The buyers from France showed immense interest in Korean food. Hui-won was busy changing the reserved restaurant to a Korean restaurant of a similar class. He exchanged messages with the restaurant’s manager, meticulously checking the reservation details.

After the nearly three-hour meeting, they returned to the office. While Kwon Young-je entered his office to handle remaining work, Hui-won began checking the scheduled appointments once again.

With important guests visiting, there were many things to arrange. He had to pay attention to the buyers’ accommodation and meal arrangements, and the gifts to be given to them also had to be prepared without neglect.

Hui-won scanned the gift packages. Gifts that had been arriving one after another for the past few days were now filling an entire table.

“Are they all here?”

“Just the ginseng confectionery is left. The company said they’ll send it by courier by five.”

“Since we’re putting in the effort, ask them to pay more attention to the packaging as well. It’s fine if the cost increases.”

“Yes, understood.”

Secretary Lee was also next to him, holding a pad and checking the gift list one by one. Suddenly, as if she had just remembered belatedly, she pointed to the shopping bags piled up like a mountain.

“Ah, those were sent by the Clébio side earlier. I forgot to mention it.”

Hui-won approached the shopping bags. Gifts sent by buyers must be opened in advance. That way, he can express gratitude during the meal later.

From expensive French wine to formal gifts, it was full. The fact that they paid this much attention also meant this collaboration was quite important. Hui-won also unwrapped the remaining gift packaging. It was a time to imprint in his mind what the contents were.

“…Oh my. What do we do.”

The moment he opened the flat box, Secretary Lee standing next to him couldn’t hide her panic. When she covered her mouth, Hui-won also stopped breathing.

A small, pure white item was pulled out into Hui-won’s hand. A handmade bodysuit and mittens set. On the soft, fluffy cotton fabric, the baby’s due date was delicately embroidered.

“……”

It’s nothing. The buyer’s side was just slow in updating information. Or perhaps they couldn’t remove the gift in time. He understood it well enough in his head, but faced with the unexpected gift, Hui-won froze as if struck by lightning.

“Chief Secretary, Chief Secretary!”

Secretary Lee let out a sharp scream. Hui-won was tearing at his tie and shirt buttons, slapping his palm down onto his chest. As if something was stuck in his throat, he couldn’t breathe. His face turned pale blue as he only pounded his chest, and finally, he grabbed the table and collapsed.

“Hoo, ugh. Hh.”

Hui-won squeezed out his breath. His ribcage tightened unbearably, and the back of his neck turned completely dark red. Tears streamed down, and he couldn’t see an inch ahead. While struggling in pain alone, someone firmly grabbed both his cheeks and pulled them up.

“Look at me. It’s okay, breathe slowly.”

“Ugh, hh, gk.”

“You can do it. Breathe in and out. Pull yourself together!”

Kwon Young-je urged, looking straight into his eyes. He too, having lost his usual restrained appearance, had a pale face. He didn’t care about anything else. He only focused on holding onto Hui-won and pulling him to the surface.

Hui-won barely managed to exhale and swallow. His body, soaked in cold sweat, trembled as if with chills. Tears that couldn’t be fully contained flowed down his cheeks silently.

“Young-je, I can’t do this anymore.”

“……”

“It’s hard. I feel like I’m going to die. Please… save me.”

Hui-won grabbed Kwon Young-je’s shirt collar and pleaded. His voice, immersed in sorrow, carried an indescribable pain. To the listener, it felt as if his heart was being torn to shreds.

No matter how much you cover and hide a festering inside, it only rots there and doesn’t get better. Both of them knew but were turning a blind eye.

Kwon Young-je patted Hui-won’s wet back. His lips wouldn’t part easily, and he had to swallow his fragmented breath a few more times.

“What… can I do for you.”

He was willing to grant any wish. For now, that was the only way to lift Hui-won up.