Secretary Gwanggong's Survival Diary-Chapter 86

This time was no different from the many times before. He was a man who seemed to gather all the world’s light into one spot, a person drenched in spotlight. Among countless black-and-white shadows, he alone overflowed with color. So much so that, as if bewitched, it took only a moment for Taeo to have him brought by the lounge staff and seated front and center.

“Name.”

After watching the man who couldn’t even properly meet his eyes for quite a while, Yoon Taeo finally spoke.

“Ha, Han Yejun...”

Hesitant. A voice so faint it was barely audible without full concentration. Whatever someone said or did. Taeo ought to have been familiar by now, but dealing with someone who looked as if threatened with death was particularly irritating. Still, he threw out a few formal, memorized questions, and the replies were just as formal.

“Alright. You can leave first.”

They sat for quite a long time attempting conversation. Objectively speaking, calling it a ‘conversation’ was questionable, but it was Taeo’s best effort. Eventually, reaching his limit, Taeo got up first and left.

“This one seems decent, Boss.”

Without Taeo noticing, the General Secretary approached and evaluated Han Yejun, left behind in the seat.

“Is that so.”

“I’ll take care of the cleanup. You should meet better people now, Boss.”

A good person. Was someone a good person if you didn’t know how to carry a conversation? Or was it a good relationship if you trembled nervously just drinking a glass of water? Fundamental questions Taeo had never thought about rose.

“Do as you like. Like you always do.”

Even on the way home in the car, the question lingered stubbornly.

“Rest well, Boss.”

Kang Seokho fussed in the car on the way back. Saying Taeo’s eye for people wasn’t ordinary, that somehow this time it felt right. But Taeo paid no mind to the praise.

If asked about the man Taeo met earlier at the lounge, objectively he’d say ‘not bad.’ His facial features were clear and not ugly. But that was all. Strangely, no feelings beyond ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ that arose. So hard to understand himself. Yet the answer became faintly clear upon entering the house. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

“What the hell is this.”

Yoon Taeo’s nose was especially sensitive. As soon as he entered, his face twisted at the strange smells pouring from all around. On the dining table was food he never expected to see in this house: ramen. He knew what it was, but just didn’t like it.

“Ah, I was hungry... I’ll clear it soon.”

What time was it? The secretary had a reason for being so weak. Trying to fill his hunger with ramen after ten o’clock at night. And since he thought Taeo would hate it, he tried to remove the pot whole, which annoyed Taeo. On impulse, Taeo sat across and forced him to eat.

The secretary looked embarrassed for a moment but soon the expression vanished as he ate. Watching him empty the ramen bowl, Taeo felt something clogged inside loosen. Yeah, to eat, you gotta eat that much. The guy must have two mouths, slurping noodles fast while chatting loudly.

He rambled on about not being tired, how he had a cooking license, how he didn’t cook when alone. Mostly useless chatter.

“...I see. Seeing Secretary Kim eat ramen, I think I’m getting hungry too.”

“...Would you like some? It’s clean since I portioned it out...”

Half joke, half serious. The secretary didn’t just eat ramen but ate it well. Watching made Taeo’s absent appetite rise. But the face he made when offering the pot was a sight. The broth was completely gone, not a single noodle left, yet he clearly didn’t want more.

What a glutton. Still, even that greed didn’t look hateful.

“Tomorrow, come in an hour later.”

Taeo didn’t want to disrupt his routine but thought the weak guy deserved an extra hour of sleep. Another impulsive decision.

After washing up and lying down, Taeo felt something was off. If the man was a ‘good person,’ shouldn’t he at least be like Secretary Kim while eating together? If truly good, shouldn’t the conversation flow like it did with Kim?

Come to think of it, Secretary Kim’s face looked clearer today. Usually, Taeo had to concentrate intensely to discern expressions, but today the fog lifted, and various emotions showed without effort.

“Secretary Kim...”

Even falling asleep, Han Yejun had no chance to intrude Taeo’s thoughts.

❖ ❖ ❖

The secretary who stayed nearby was more capable than he looked. He handled most things before being ordered and came running like the wind when called. It was as if he was single-handedly managing countless secretary tasks. Though sometimes, he showed excessive zeal—particularly concerning Taeo’s betas.

Taeo had told him to book a restaurant to have a meal with ‘Secretary Kim’ but ended up bringing a beta and even made Taeo an unwelcome guest at a beta’s house. It was the same now.

“Haa...”

“Is something wrong, Boss?”

The secretary nudged Taeo’s back, saying he took the whole afternoon off for the first time in a while and sent him off to lunch with a beta whose name he couldn’t remember. Taeo had no choice but to head to the appointment, but felt reluctant. When he first met the beta, Han Yejun, at the lounge, his favorability was 50, but it quickly plummeted with repeated meetings. No, it didn’t seem to start at 50 at all.

Besides, because Taeo viewed him coldly, it was easy to tell the beta had no affection for him either. What meaning did these meetings have?

“It’s nothing. But I heard Secretary Team 1 only has Secretary Kim now. Is that right?”

Before leaving for the appointment, the secretary said that. Taeo said he was away organizing the house. Asked if he’d seen another secretary at home lately. Taeo didn’t reply long, thinking it had been a long time since anyone was seen at home. He only assumed someone was working but didn’t care who exactly.

“Yes, that’s correct. It’s the General Secretary’s order, but it’s suspicious.”

Kang Seokho, already aware, added Taeo’s opinion. Secretary Team 1 was nearly dissolved, and all 1-team tasks were given to Baek Sieon, which seemed like a plot by the General Secretary.

“Seriously? What big deal is house cleaning?”

Leaving one person in charge of the large house was suspicious. The money spent was trivial, too little to satisfy the General Secretary’s greed. He wouldn’t pick a secretary who’d be knocked out with a single punch while sleeping. The General Secretary was dangerous but not the type to arrange such schemes.

Taeo quietly suspected the secretary might not be the General Secretary’s man, though he had no proof.

“Wait.”

Lost in thought, Taeo saw a familiar sign— the Korean restaurant where he once ate with the secretary. When the car stopped at the curb, Taeo entered the restaurant himself. Memories of the secretary devouring the course dishes in one bite made Taeo reluctant to go to the appointment.

The beta he’d meet would look near death and force himself to eat; Taeo preferred to see someone else.

What did the secretary eat well again...

Retracing his memory, Taeo packed two servings and headed home.

“By the way, Boss, why the sudden trip home...”

“Just to check, isn’t it?”

Taeo gave an ambiguous reply and stayed silent.

‘I wonder how the secretary will entertain me this time.’

‘Why bother with expensive Korean food just to check Baek Sieon?’

Different curiosities bloomed in the car.

“No one’s here, Boss?”

Upon entering, Taeo’s mood sank instantly. The secretary’s words were true. Not a shadow of anyone was in the house. Was he really managing the huge house alone? The image formed like a painting— a tiny guy bustling everywhere cleaning, laundry, cooking, then returning to work calmly by Taeo’s side. Whether the secretary was the General Secretary’s man or not, Taeo felt unpleasant.

“Call everyone from HR and the secretary teams except Secretary Kim.”

“...Now?”

“Immediately.”

Even Kang Seokho, who boasted he stayed by Taeo’s side for a long time, shivered at the low command. A man not known for kindness grew even harsher. Fear of his own neck being sliced led to urgent calls.

Sensing the seriousness, many people soon gathered in the living room. Taeo didn’t speak until the last person entered. The suffocating silence heightened tension. The Security Team 3 Alphas struggled with the overwhelming pheromones from the dominant Alpha. This was no metaphor—they had to endure a literally suffocating situation.

“Sieon...”

For the first time, Taeo saw his name clearly on a resume. The secretary Baek Sieon’s record was unremarkable. He graduated with average grades, joined at a middling level. His work evaluations were neither lacking nor outstanding. Of course, surviving so far marked him as a capable asset, but looking at the data alone, he was a thoroughly average beta.

And now he had just entered the living room. Behind a group clad in dark suits, his hesitant face showed deep embarrassment.

“Baek, Sieon.”

Hearing the name from his own mouth felt strange. The secretary was always ‘Secretary Kim’ enough. Though the guy frequently corrected him to ‘Secretary Baek,’ to Taeo, Kim or Baek was the same. When he called his name clearly, the already nervous guy froze like a stone. Definitely a scared little guy, but this time Taeo couldn’t let it go.

“Where have you been?”

“...I just went to the hospital for a bit.”

See? How could he not be sick after doing so much alone? Taeo thought it best to cut off all the General Secretary’s limbs in one sweep. Since picking who was his man and who wasn’t was tedious, he ordered a clean sweep. Listening to the story, Taeo became more confident the secretary wasn’t the General Secretary’s man, so he gave orders comfortably.

Leaving Secretary Team 1 with just the leader was unintended. The incompetent HR team and careless General Secretary had conspired. Well... Taeo was mostly to blame for driving away all secretaries, but no one pointed that out.

“How dare you lie to me?”

Still tense, Taeo called the secretary into a separate room. If he wasn’t feeling well, he could have just said so. Why hide it and keep working? From managing the house alone to making Taeo seem like a vicious boss, the guy’s behavior annoyed Taeo, and a sharp tone came out.

“Come here.”

Because of that, the secretary was so nervous he couldn’t meet his eyes. Taeo regretted it quickly. Shouldn’t have gotten angry like last time... Maybe the guy was just a victim after all.

To ease the mood, Taeo called the secretary to eat some cold lunchbox food. But when the secretary approached instead of sitting on the sofa, a different impulse arose.

“More.”

The secretary, already just a step away, wormed his way between Taeo’s legs. It was a strange distance, even for Taeo who’d met many betas.

Taeo thought.

This was an apology. For leaving him to handle so much alone, for letting him work despite being unwell. It was just a rationalization for what would come, but to Taeo, it felt fitting. So he reached out and grabbed the secretary’s thin waist, as dry and hard as dead wood.

“P-please s-save me...!”

But the response from the other side was something Taeo couldn’t even imagine— an urgent, desperate voice.