Free Web NovelThe morning commute went smoothly. Youngjae Kwon drank coffee in the car while listening to the briefing. Heewon sent a notification to the secretary office group chat. Even though he had clearly informed them in advance the day before that he would return, the secretaries were in an uproar.
Outside the passenger window, the busy Seoul cityscape was visible. The sunlight hitting the tall buildings shimmered like the glint of a river, and the street trees proudly displayed their fresh green leaves. Heewon briefly admired the scenery. There was no particular resolve he needed to make, but as a human being, his heart couldn't help but flutter.
The sedan stopped in front of the headquarters, and at the same time, people got out of the car from both front and back doors. Having commuted countless times before, there was nothing new about this. Heewon followed closely behind Youngjae Kwon and briskly moved forward.
As they passed through the lobby, countless gazes shot over and fixed on them. All were reactions of surprise at Secretary Kim’s return. Some were horrified, some puzzled, and many openly whispered.
As expected, Heewon walked on with a calm expression. Today, especially, passing through the unusually long lobby and standing before the executive elevator, he could breathe a little easier for a moment.
“Good morning.”
While waiting for the elevator to arrive, a light, careless voice was heard from beside them. Youngjae Kwon did not even turn his head.
Despite being blatantly treated like an invisible person, Youngho Kwon chuckled quietly. His interest was all on Secretary Kim from the start. He came close and pressed his shoulder against Kwon’s.
“Wow, really? Secretary Kim, you’re actually back?”
Youngho Kwon, not content with awkwardly sticking his face in, freely fiddled with Heewon’s employee ID badge. Seeing that it still said “Secretary Chief” just like before, he snorted. The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he seemed, pressing his tongue firmly against the inside of his cheek.
“What kind of confidence is this?”
Are you really okay? Can you even work here? Youngho Kwon nagged annoyingly from the side. With all the employees around listening, it was behavior utterly lacking in dignity.
Heewon picked up the employee badge that Youngho had tossed aside carelessly and politely greeted him.
“Good morning, Director Kwon.”
“I’m always fine. But I don’t think our Secretary Kim will be doing so well.”
Patting Heewon’s shoulder as if trying to console him, Youngho made Heewon grit his teeth tightly. Knowing full well that Heewon was an omega, Youngho continued to provoke him, intending to see how he would react.
“I have a feeling that serving a dominant Alpha is going to bring all kinds of unavoidable troubles. Why did you suddenly take on the secretary role again? Did you two sign some kind of off-the-record contract? Are you even here to work?”
Heewon grabbed Youngho’s wrist, which was resting on his shoulder, and pulled it down. His face directed at Youngho showed not a trace of disturbance.
“Director Kwon, I would appreciate it if you refrained from inappropriate remarks.”
“Huh?”
“As you know, I am no longer a Beta. Any statements with sexual implications may become problematic going forward.”
Youngho’s expression visibly stiffened for a moment. But that was brief; he soon burst out laughing.
“Puhaha! That’s right! I have no desire to be sued for being rude like someone else.”
Youngho rubbed the corners of his mouth to wipe away the forced smile. He stood with a crooked leg and twisted his upper body.
“Speaking of which...”
His attention naturally shifted to another person nearby. His final target was, unsurprisingly, Youngjae Kwon.
“How the hell have you been carrying yourself around to end up like this?”
“......”
“I’m scared the chairman might find out. It’s only a matter of time before an article breaks. Hey, can you introduce me to a good lawyer?”
He kept babbling nonsense as if he had endless energy.
Youngjae Kwon said nothing in response. He did not even look over. As if a dog was barking next to him, he showed no interest in Youngho and stared only at the firmly closed elevator doors.
In the silent stillness, only the breaths of people were heard. No one dared to open their mouth out of caution. If the elevator hadn’t arrived soon, the uncomfortable atmosphere might have dragged on endlessly.
As soon as the doors opened, Heewon quickly pressed the button to hold the elevator, and Youngjae Kwon entered first. Then Heewon also stepped inside.
Just as Youngho was about to follow, a long arm blocked his way. Youngho raised his head in disbelief.
“What’s this, renting the whole elevator?”
“If needed, I do.”
A contemptuous gaze stared at Youngho. Then, as if natural, the door close button was pressed. Through the slowly narrowing gap, Youngho’s stunned face was visible. That too soon disappeared.
Once the door was fully closed, the only sound inside was the mechanical noise of the elevator rising. What a ruckus on the first day back. In the suffocating silence, Heewon blinked his eyes tightly open and closed them again.
Instinctively, he glanced sideways. He thought Youngjae would be very angry, but he was more composed than expected. On the contrary, he awkwardly tugged at his cuff and tidied his clothes.
Heewon could not have failed to feel the sharp gaze from Youngjae. Youngjae glanced over briefly and spoke in a hoarse voice devoid of any trace of a smile.
“Didn’t expect this, huh?”
“I did.”
“Get your head straight. You’ll hear a lot more nonsense like that going forward.”
Heewon nodded. Youngjae’s words were closer to criticism than encouragement but somehow gave him strength.
He also gathered himself and adjusted his posture, using the elevator panel as a mirror. His neat appearance was no different from before. As Youngjae said, even if you are an omega, you just need to carry yourself with confidence.
“Welcome back.”
Starting with this secretary’s lead, the gathered secretaries applauded in a circle. It wasn’t even loud enough to cause a sound, just an imitation, but they were genuinely moved.
Heewon only slightly wrinkled the bridge of his nose. After saying farewell, returning now was quite embarrassing.
“Thanks for the welcome... but let’s start work first, and save greetings for later.”
Dispersing the secretaries, he returned to his seat. On the now empty desk, only two large monitors, a keyboard, a mouse, and an internal phone were placed.
Setting up the computer as usual, Heewon called out to the secretaries sitting far away. freewebnøvel.coɱ
“Please share all the tasks you have been handling and the schedules coming up.”
“Yes, Director.”
“Yes! Understood.”
Work piled up as if waiting for him. Seeing the cluttered desk all at once, he finally felt the reality of being back. He exhaled a long breath, almost like a sigh.
“All right. Time to dip my feet in hellfire.”
After tightening his tie firmly, Heewon began focusing on work.
It was complete chaos.
Just concentrating on understanding and working through the backlog was already exhausting, but why were so many calls coming in? It seemed like someone had sent a group text about Heewon’s return, because today there were many calls looking for him.
“Director, the secretary general of the Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio Association is on the line. I’ve put him through.”
As soon as the call ended, another phone was waiting for Heewon. It was only 11 a.m., but he was already feeling drained. He lightly stretched his neck and picked up the internal phone he had just put down. Pressing a button, a calm tone flowed out as if nothing was difficult.
“Yes, this is Secretary Kim Heewon.”
The purpose of the calls was mostly to confirm Executive Director Youngjae Kwon’s schedule or to invite him to events. It was uncommon to call like this instead of emailing for official matters. The only reason was one: to check on Heewon’s wellbeing and the truth of rumors under the guise of concern.
“...Ah, yes. That’s right. Haha... Well, it’s nothing difficult for me, it’s what I’ve always done. Thank you for your concern.”
Heewon answered mechanically, clutching his forehead. Although his expression clearly showed exhaustion, the words flowed smoothly as if oiled.
“Secretary General, I appreciate your words, but it will be difficult to meet separately. You mentioned the 3rd of next month, right? Please tell me the time and place.”
Curiosity was sometimes over the line; some people crossed boundaries.
Questions disguised as concern followed: how is it possible for an omega to be constantly around an alpha? What if an accident happens? What about rut periods? Some even said they would come to the company without business, like this secretary general.
Each time, Heewon drew a sharp line. Being too soft only invites being looked down on. If necessary, he pointed out the rudeness of the other party, and if that did not work, he cut off the conversation and changed the topic. Those with a little sense usually realize their mistake. They also once again realize that Secretary Kim is not an easy person to mess with.
Doing this repeatedly was inevitably draining.
But knowing that setting the tone early on would make the future easier, Heewon endured it as part of his job and responded quietly.
“I understand for now. Please organize your questions into an email like before and I will review and respond. Yes, thank you for your effort.”
Ending another call, Heewon’s voice rarely sped up. One hand held the internal phone, the other a mobile. About seven seconds after the ringtone started, he urgently answered. It was a call he absolutely had to take.
He almost dropped the internal phone and hurriedly picked up the mobile.
Mrs. Lim Seoran
Just seeing the name on the screen caused an earthquake in his pupils. Heewon exhaled a long, trembling breath and carefully swiped the screen with his fingertips.
“Good afternoon, Mrs. Lim. Sorry for the late answer.”
