By Zephyria 
On the day Kwon Young-je returned to Korea, Hui-won went to the airport to see him off. The staff, including Secretary Lee, had already entered the gate long ago. Only Kwon Young-je remained, and his face was clearly marked by a reluctance to leave alone.
“Are you really staying here?”
“Why are you doing this again? Didn’t we finish talking about this yesterday?”
Hui-won would not be going with him this time. His reason was that there were still things left to settle.
“Come back whenever you want. Contact me if you miss me. I’ll make time somehow.”
“Contact me when you arrive.”
Thinking they would miss the flight at this rate, Hui-won gave him a gentle push toward the gate.
Kwon Young-je let out a short sigh and began to walk away. Once he disappeared beyond the departure hall, Hui-won finally released the breath he had been holding. He stood for a moment, staring at the spot where Kwon Young-je had departed, before turning to leave as well.
Upon returning home, Kwon Young-je’s pheromones greeted him like a welcoming host. His absence was felt so distinctly that Hui-won wondered if the house had always been this desolate.
Hui-won sat at the dining table and took some time to organize his thoughts. He began to refine his plans, writing down on paper what he could do to be the happiest.
The conclusion was clear. In fact, agonizing over it had been pointless. Hui-won already knew what would make him the happiest.
By the time he put the pen down, a full page of the paper was densely packed with things to do. He stretched, lightly loosening his stiff body.
“I’ll be busy for a while.”
It is a Korean virtue to return what one has received. Hui-won started by grabbing his wallet. Even if he was leaving eventually, it was time to repay the neighbors who had helped him.
He gave Nancy an apron engraved with her initials and a high-performance oven, and he gave the grandmother next door a hotel voucher for a pet-friendly hotel. He also distributed meaningful gifts to other neighbors who had assisted him.
He also had dinner at the home of Eric and his fiancée. Eric, who was getting married in Portland next month, spent the entire meal expressing his regret.
“I really wanted you to come to our wedding… I even prepared a seat for you, Hyung…”
“I’m sorry I can’t attend. I’ll send a generous wedding gift instead.”
“No, regardless of the money… Why don’t you stay just one more month? You could do some sightseeing in Portland… there are so many great places. I’ll guide you whenever I have time.”
Eric had grown fond of Hui-won in a short time and was very sad to see him go.
“I have to go. There’s someone who’ll cause a scene if I’m not there.”
“The person who’ll cause a scene… surely it’s not who I’m thinking of?”
Vice President Kwon Young-je? He didn’t seem like the type to do that. Eric frowned, looking as if he couldn’t imagine it. Hui-won smiled and put a piece of meat in his mouth. He didn’t forget to compliment Eric’s fiancée, telling her it was delicious.
A week had passed since returning from Boston, and a familiar Monday morning dawned. Kwon Young-je left the house after staying up all night. He had been out of contact with Hui-won since the previous day, and his irritability had reached its peak.
The last message was that he would go to sleep early because he felt a cold coming on. No matter how sick he was, it didn’t make sense to be unreachable all day.
The number of missed calls he had left overnight far exceeded twenty. He could have woken up to drink water or gone to the bathroom, but the fact that Hui-won hadn’t checked his phone once meant he was either seriously ill or a problem of equal magnitude had occurred.
He might have collapsed. Once his thoughts reached that point, Kwon Young-je seriously considered looking up flight tickets. Just then, a message arrived from Hui-won saying he had slept like he was unconscious because the medication was too strong.
And that message was from two hours ago. He tried calling immediately, but Hui-won’s phone was off, and he was out of contact once again.
— [Go there, right now. If the door is locked, break it down if you have to.]
He gave the order to Eric while slamming the front door shut. Despite being on his way to work, Kwon Young-je hadn’t even tied his tie; he was clutching it in his hand. It was a sign of how frantic he was.
As he walked down the stone steps, he reviewed today’s schedule. His face hardened coldly as he calculated how much time he could squeeze out and which appointments could be postponed. It was just as he stepped past the main gate.
“Good morning, Vice President.”
He paused at the ordinary morning greeting. Looking up, he saw a familiar face standing side-by-side with the driver. It wasn’t Secretary Ji, who usually assisted him on his commute.
Hui-won smiled with his eyes, holding out a take-out coffee. The claim that he was sick had been a complete lie. Dressed in a neat suit with a face full of vitality, he was exactly the sight Kwon Young-je had longed to see.
“You’ll have some coffee, right?”
The hand holding the phone dropped. Kwon Young-je walked straight forward and pulled Hui-won into a sudden, tight embrace. He welcomed him so intensely that Hui-won almost spilled the coffee in his hand.
“You really…”
Their chests heaved against each other. Kwon Young-je was so surprised and overwhelmed that he couldn’t even form words properly. His pounding heartbeat was palpable even to Hui-won.
“Were you surprised?”
“Ha, you can even ask that.”
Hui-won laughed and patted Kwon Young-je’s broad back. This man only broke down in front of him. The great Kwon Young-je likes me this much.
“What happened?”
“A surprise gift. I was nervous that you’d find out I sent a scheduled message.”
“Is everything settled?”
Hui-won buried his nose in his shoulder and took a deep breath.
They had spent a very arduous season. The summer that felt as if it would never end had passed, and it was now time to welcome a new season.
“Yes, everything is resolved.”
There is a saying that a child sent away first must be buried in one’s heart for a lifetime. Hui-won kept only the good memories and let go of all the sadness and lingering regrets. Thanks to that, he was able to return with a much stronger heart.
“I think I hated showing you my broken side. But Young-je, how can a person be perfect? Both you and I have at least one weak spot. It’s only natural to break down when things are hard.”
“…….”
Kwon Young-je gently stroked the back of Hui-won’s head, as if he were proud of Hui-won for the time he spent suffering alone and for overcoming it.
“I realized that struggling to hide my pain didn’t make anything better. I don’t know why I avoided it so much when things are solved quickly if we lean on each other… I only know now that I’ve experienced it.”
“You’ve reached a state of enlightenment.”
Hui-won burst into laughter. That was true. He had gone to Boston and truly awakened. He was truly glad that the time they spent apart had not been in vain. He tightened his arms around Kwon Young-je.
“Thank you for waiting for me.”
“Welcome back.”
The relief mixed into the sigh was of an immeasurable depth. It felt as if everything had finally found its proper place.
After hugging for a long time, quite a bit of time had passed. Hui-won slowly pulled away and glanced at his sleeve.
“You’ll be late. Please head to work.”
Kwon Young-je chuckled softly, as the business-like tone was so unfamiliar after such a long time.
“Your transition is fast. Are you returning to being Secretary Kim starting today?”
“I have to work hard. Though I think it won’t be easy to get my touch back since I’ve rested for so long.”
“You should be prepared. The role of my personal secretary isn’t easy.”
Kwon Young-je wiped the smile from his face and spoke in the tone befitting a Vice President. However, he soon leaned down and lightly nipped Hui-won’s lip.
He pulled his face back and naturally took the coffee. When he handed over the tie he had been clutching, Hui-won quickly and neatly tied it for him.
Just by adding a tie to the empty shirt, Kwon Young-je’s appearance looked flawlessly perfect. Satisfied, Hui-won lightly tapped his shoulder.
“Ah, so handsome. This is the look I fell for.”
“I fell for you first.”
“…Since when?”
Instead of answering, Kwon Young-je just drank his coffee. His eyes, looking at Hui-won, were overflowing with warm affection.
He had been attracted regardless of trait and had always wanted him to be his person. Perhaps from the first moment they met, Kim Hui-won had been imprinted in his mind.
He didn’t believe in things like fate. Falling in love with Hui-won wasn’t because of pheromones or out of necessity. He was simply drawn to the person that was Kim Hui-won. He was a powerful enough presence to shatter even his traumas.
“I’ll tell you when I get off work.”
“You promised.”
No matter what adversity came their way, he was no longer afraid. Their firmly clasped hands proved it.
Not a relationship of superior and subordinate, but an equal relationship, partners to spend a lifetime together.
Perhaps loving each other was their true calling.
<Being a Secretary is My Calling> End.