Secretary Gwanggong's Survival Diary-Chapter 87

"Baek Sieon, Baek Sieon..."

Yoon Taeo couldn’t fall asleep easily. The cause, once again, was that secretary guy, and looking back, it was truly strange. Recently, it was true that the secretary’s face had been standing out more and more. But it was still not easy to recognize him just by his face. Yet now, he appeared a bit clearer.

Today. It seemed to be the moment when he called out his name. Like life being granted to a withered old tree, the blur around the secretary’s face noticeably faded.

Because of that, Taeo could see him in more detail. The cheek that subtly trembled when flustered, the lips tensed tightly when holding back words. Like a noisy voice ringing in the ears, his face was also quite varied. Still, compared to other “Betas,” his impression was faint, but Taeo thought it was a fairly decent face.

“A guy who eats two servings of Korean set meals by himself...”

What about his appetite, eating the two servings prepared for both of them alone? Perhaps that was why his face became clearer; even late at night, each of the secretary’s expressions circled Taeo’s mind. For a long, long time.

❖ ❖ ❖

Tap, tap, tap.

After finishing a meeting, Yoon Taeo sank into deep thought. After checking the time once, he called the secretary’s office.

Once again, a strange voice greeted him.

“Where is Secretary Kim?”

“No need.”

He lost count how many times someone else answered the call. It had been meetings all morning, a quick lunch, and then more meetings. By the schedule alone, Secretary Kim wasn’t needed. But after a long time with no sign of him, something felt off. Could it be that the chief secretary had stirred up some trouble? Just thinking that made Taeo’s mood sour.

“Sir.”

Should he send the head of security? No, what could Secretary Kim possibly have done to deserve that?

While Taeo’s mind was tangled, the voice he had been waiting for came. Hearing that he went out to manage his home, Taeo felt relieved but annoyed at the same time. He had definitely told him not to leave any traces. Well, it was a relief that nothing bad had happened, but still, the annoyance lingered.

“You really work hard. Honestly, I didn’t expect you to aim for the chief secretary spot, quite the surprise.”

Then, it happened. A strange scent spread through the almost odorless office. Yoon Taeo moved toward the source of the smell.

“W-what...! No, I didn’t purposely keep it from you, but since you were in a meeting... and aside from lunch, there probably weren’t any gaps... Sir, sir...! Ah, from now on... I’ll even leave a text... hic... message!”

The closer Yoon Taeo came, the more visibly tense and stiff the secretary became. But Taeo’s ears and eyes had no time to care about his state. Approaching closely, burying his face in the back of the secretary’s neck and taking a deep breath, the perfume scent that muddled his mind hit his nose more strongly.

Haah, damn it.

It was definitely someone else’s scent. If it were anyone else, he might have been mistaken, but as a dominant Alpha with a particularly sensitive nose, there was no room for error. How dare he meet another guy... No, that wasn’t the important part. The real problem was doing that during work hours, and then lying to his superior about it. Yeah, that was the issue.

“Are you going around seeing your lover during work hours? Well, as long as you do your job properly, I don’t care if you’re dating or having sex.”

“...I’m not so out of my mind that I’d have sex during work hours. And I’m not seeing anyone.”

His shameless denial to Taeo’s question made him feel even worse. What had he done to deserve such arrogant lies? That was why Taeo made him book a hotel room. Originally, he planned to meet and deal with a Beta he had no interest in today, but he changed his mind.

Why did he even worry about a bastard like that? For the first time in a while, Taeo felt utterly shitty.

❖ ❖ ❖

“I thought you didn’t want to see me anymore...”

That bastard, and this bastard. Taeo was irritated by the Beta who, as soon as he sat at the table, sarcastically teased him about standing him up yesterday.

“Just shut up and eat.”

“I only came because I couldn’t leave you in trouble...”

Even after the meal was served, the Beta, Han Yejun, showed no sign of hiding his sulky mood. Taeo smirked at his words.

“Why am I your hyung? And why would I be in trouble?”

“...I didn’t say it was you, sir. I’m talking about ‘Hyung Sieon.’ I said I came because I was worried about hyung’s troubles.”

The story was really strange. And at the same time, amid the complicated mixed scents, a familiar and unpleasant smell faintly emerged. It was the same smell Secretary Kim had brought earlier. Pulling his torso closer over the table, the scent hit stronger. The source was definitely that Beta guy in {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} front.

“Explain properly. Everything that happened today.”

Pheromones deliberately displayed don’t only affect mates. Even a normal Beta could sense that energy. Han Yejun was no exception. Just moments ago, he had been sneering and indifferent, but suddenly his attitude changed completely. Although Taeo didn’t threaten him, his reasonable fear that a single wrong word could break his neck forced him to correct his behavior. He had been bluffing because he thought Taeo liked him, but things didn’t go as expected. He had to honestly tell what Taeo wanted to hear.

“So, Secretary Kim came to calm you down?”

“...Well, yes.”

“Is that all?”

“......”

Look at that. Taeo looked at the hesitant Beta across the table and was certain. This Beta had feelings for Secretary Kim. He wasn’t sure how strong, but it was definite. Isn’t it always like that? Even if you don’t know your own feelings, you can easily read someone else’s from a step back. Taeo was exactly that kind of person.

Even Taeo thought it was childish, but he proudly dragged Secretary Kim from the hotel lobby into the room. Seeing the Beta’s crumbled expression between the closing elevator doors, Taeo couldn’t feel victorious.

Secretary Kim only started telling the truth after entering the room. He admitted he did meet that Beta, but it was purely business. Did Taeo really misunderstand and think he had some sort of relationship with Han Yejun?

“Did you really think that...?”

“Does Secretary Kim really think so?”

To have such poor judgment of people. Looking at the Beta’s attitude, it was clear he had feelings for Taeo, and Taeo found it amusing to be so sure that Kim did not share those feelings alone. Kim’s posture, which had been tense moments ago, relaxed and even became confident in a way that Taeo found oddly cute.

“To be honest, Yejun isn’t my type... Well, objectively, I think he’s cute, but that’s all.”

That was information Taeo didn’t want to know. That noisy mouth kept babbling useless stuff. But hearing it made him curious: what was Secretary Kim’s type?

“Then what’s your type?”

“Rather than Yejun, I’d say you, sir... no, not really, anyway, no.”

Sir...? Taeo was startled by those unfiltered words spilling out. Secretary Kim waved his hands wildly, trying to cover it up with a long excuse, but Taeo’s ears kept hearing only one thing: “Sir, you’re my type.”

He hadn’t exactly said that, but close enough.

❖ ❖ ❖

“How about canceling Han Yejun’s appointment today...?”

Taeo had no particular interest left in that Beta. And knowing the feelings he held, he was even more displeased. He hadn’t told Secretary Kim, but he was thinking of ending things today. But since that person was someone he could meet or not, seeing the secretary’s face suggesting postponing the appointment, Taeo didn’t want to simply agree. Something about it looked like a hastily arranged meeting with some tiny bank manager or whatever.

“No.”

With Taeo’s one word, the secretary’s face visibly fell. Watching him leave the office with his shoulders drooped as if touching the ground, Taeo couldn’t hide a smirk. How could he be so transparent with his emotions? Taeo wished he could see his face more clearly. More vividly, more sharply, to see all those expressions.

But the consequences of such a joking decision were otherwise.

“Let’s be honest now, Han Haejun.”

“...It’s Han Yejun.”

“Same difference.”

“Sigh, fine. Then I have something to say too. I really appreciate the help with the house and all, but... I think I like someone else more. I tried to like you, but it just doesn’t work.”

What the... Taeo was quite taken aback by what Han Yejun spilled out. It was exactly what Taeo intended to say. More precisely, it was: “I’ll let you stay at the house for a while, but we’re done. Well, we’re not really a ‘we,’ but.” Han Yejun’s part about ‘someone else’ didn’t sit well, but anyway, Taeo was relieved not to have to say much more.

“Sorry to interrupt your meal, sir...”

For the first time, the situation wasn’t uncomfortable. A comfort like not having to pretend any particular appearance. Even the coffee, which wasn’t to his taste, passed down his throat fairly well. Then Kang Seokho came close and whispered low into his ear. It was unusual to disturb personal time for work.

“Chief Baek is missing. It seems... he’s been kidnapped.”

Kidnapped? What the hell kind of bastard?

“...Got it.”

“Sir...”

“I said got it.”

At the sudden news, Taeo nearly reacted emotionally first. But no matter how he thought about it, it was unnatural. Not a disappearance or escape, but a kidnapping. Of a mere secretary.

The first suspicious face that came to mind was the chief secretary’s. Taeo decided, at least for now, that the secretary guy and the chief secretary were not on the same side. If so, the chief secretary might want to get rid of the guy replacing his position first. Although he was incomparable to Taeo, the displaced one might lose reason. Taeo was lost in those thoughts.

“Excuse me, I need to...! Sorry.”

The Beta across from him jumped up looking completely out of it. Taeo instinctively felt that if he followed him, he’d find the answer. It was only a hunch with no evidence, but Taeo was right.

Where they went, Baek Sieon had been kidnapped.