chapter 37

When the phone rang again, shin Tae-oh asked which hospital it was. It felt like the conversation was off somehow, but Se-hyeon couldn't be sure what it was exactly. After stating the hospital's name

and room number, he pondered deeply.

What am I missing? If it's about Taenyang, I should know it to the core. Why do I feel like I don't know?

"Who is it?"

"Um, it's my boss."

"Your boss? The Chief Secretary? Or the CEO?"

As Se-hyeon's mother asked while cutting fruits, he approached and sat down, putting his phone back in his pocket.

"It's the CEO."

"Didn't you say you were taking the day off today? That you should come up because you're busy?"

"It's not about that."

Se-hyeon picked up a piece of apple with a fork and handed it to his father, nodding. Then he tried to feed his mother a piece of apple, but she was more eager to speak at that moment.

"It's not about that, so why did he call and ask where you are?"

"Oh..."

"Se-hyeon, what's wrong?"

"No, it's nothing."

While talking to his mother, he realized the uneasy reason behind it.

'The boss who called to meet the secretary who took a day off, asking where they are.' and Se-hyeon had been pushed by his momentum and blurted it out obediently. Well, he knew that Taeyangi was a guy who seized opportunities, but he didn't even notice it himself.

He took out his phone and sent a message to the Chief Secretary, saying that he had a

conversation with Shin Tae-oh. Soon, he received a reply with a short vibration.

"I have an urgent appointment today, so I'm going instead".

The Chief Secretary said that he would fill in the vacant position of his personal secretary, which brought a satisfied smile to Se-hyeon's face. He should express his gratitude when he comes to work on Monday.

If the CEO will be here, we should offer him something to drink."

Snap out of his thoughts at his mother's words se-hyeon nodded dazeily.

"What? No. The CEO isn't coming."

As Se-hyeon was thinking about the Chief Secretary, he hurriedly got up from his seat. So Se-hyeon stopped his mother, telling her that there was no need to go.

"He's not coming?"

"No, I mentioned from the beginning that I'm not in Seoul."

Now that he thought about it, shin Tae-oh had mentioned being in front of his house during the call.

When did the appointment suddenly come up?

"I'll check when I go to work. Please sit back down and tell me. How have you been all this time?"

Se-hyeon temporarily set aside thoughts about Shin Tae-oh. His parents' situation was more important at the moment.

***

The cheerful conversation among the family was interrupted by Se-hyeon's one-sided rant.

"In the future, take better care of your health."

"Alright."

Father gently rubbed his injured leg for no reason. Se-hyeon also received his mother's stern look.

"You know that drinking coffee on an empty stomach isn't good, right?"

"I drink it occasionally. Not every day, just sometimes..."

"But you have chronic gastritis? And you even have reflux esophagitis."

"I won't drink it anymore."

"Don't skip meals either. Should I call you every mealtime?"

"Oh, no. I'm fine."

Mother shook her hands vigorously. Though she seemed to be pleading that se-hyeon was really fine, but his eyes held a sense of injustice. It felt like he was being lectured for longer, even though the one in pain wasn't him.

But since everything was out of love for their son, the parents quickly smiled and expressed their joy.

"It's good to see you after a long time. Should we go up today?"

Se-hyeon nodded, feeling a sense of relief.

"I'm planning to go at night."

Se-hyeon also delayed the time a bit, feeling a tinge of regret. Taking a late-night bus meant he wouldn't get much sleep, but he would still be able to handle tomorrow's schedule.

Moreover, he hadn't seen his parents in a while. That's why he wanted to stay a little longer, even if it meant being a bit uncomfortable.

"By the way, can I ask you something?"

"Yes, go ahead."

"What kind of person is your boss?"

Se-hyeon paused as he was about to pick up a strawberry. Why suddenly Shin Tae-oh brought out...

"I want to know, he was such an amazing person?"

"Well, um..."

Shin Tae-oh is amazing... Well, he does have everything.

"Just curious because he's the person you serve."

Se-hyeon nodded his head, but he pondered on how to respond.

"Well, for starters, he's tall."

Anyone who sees Shin Tae-oh for the first time would be overwhelmed by his imposing stature. Even without emitting pheromones and proclaiming himself an alpha, his presence is so strong that people naturally cower in his presence.

"He's also very capable."

As the CEO, he didn't just sit and observe the world. He personally scouted and brought in people, and if he came across a design that seemed promising while walking around, he would try to implement it in the apartments. That's why the apartments built by SR received

particularly high praise.

"He's handsome too."

That should have been mentioned when talking about his height. Anyway, when talking about Shin Tae-oh, his face should never be left out.

"But what's the use of those qualities, is his personality good ?"

His mother, who had been listening quietly, asked.

"In dramas, even if everything is good, there's always a flaw in the personality. Well, even if that is perfect, the drama wouldn't be interesting."

"Hmm... If you look at it that way, it seems like the CEO is perfect, right?"

"Oh my."

Even though Mother reacted with surprise, Se-hyeon didn't think much of it.

Well, didn't I mention that he's a perfect boss?

"He has a good personality. He's witty and laughs a lot."

Apart from occasionally whining like a kitten, his personality was honestly not bad at all.

"He's considerate and kind. Just think that he has everything."

A pitiful little tiger with everything.

Se-hyeon smiled widely at his mother, who had become engrossed in his words. He wanted to express that his workplace wasn't difficult.

"The CEO takes good care of me, so I'm doing well at work. Except for the occasional unfortunate errands he sends me on, it's fine."

For example, the excuse he made up to give a gift to the main actor?

...I mostly enjoyed it, but there were still moments when I felt sorry.

"But speaking of that CEO..."

"Yes?"

Se-hyeon looked at the squirming strawberry as if asking why.

"He's taller than you, right?"

"Yes."

Did she ask because I was vague earlier?

"You said he's handsome, but is his face small too?"

I should have mentioned the size of his face as well.

"Yes, it's small. If you search his name on the internet, you'll find pictures. You can see for yourself..."

"Yeah... I think I've seen them."

"Really? When?"

They had already searched and seen his pictures, which was intriguing, so Se-hyeon asked, but his parents' reaction seemed a bit strange.

"Why are you looking behind me...?"

What's behind me? Se-hyeon turned his head to see where his parents were looking, and then froze in place.

Someone tell me it's a lie. It was Shin Tae-oh?

Seeing the Chief Secretary standing behind him confirmed that he hadn't mistaken anything.

Consequently, Se-hyeon's hair stood on end even more.

I wish he hadn't heard anything.

More than wondering why Shin Tae-oh was here, Se-hyeon was curious if he had heard everything.

"Sir, what brings you here?"

Se-hyeon stood up and turned towards Shin Tae-oh. It wasn't difficult for him to put on a nonchalant expression. But what's the use of pretending when Shin Tae-oh isn't looking?

"Hello."

Shin Tae-oh greeted Se-hyeon's parents instead of Se-hyeon.

"It seems like you already know, but..."

Shin Tae-oh's gaze briefly met Se-hyeon's, and he whispered something that others couldn't hear, directed only at him.

"I'll address the misunderstanding later."

Huh? What did I do wrong?

Feeling unjustly accused in a strange way, Se-hyeon couldn't say anything because he didn't know what the misunderstanding was about.

Meanwhile, Shin Tae-oh turned his attention back to Se-hyeon's parents and continued speaking

"I am that CEO. It seems like you've already heard my introduction, but shall I do it again?"

To Shin Tae-oh's question, Se-hyeon's parents politely declined and declined again.

***

"What happened? You said there was an urgent schedule."

Se-hyeon handed a cup of coffee to Lee Jin-ho.

"He suddenly called and only mentioned the hospital's name. I thought he was coming to meet you, so I should have told you earlier."

Lee Jin-ho, who rushed out without knowing anything, learned about the situation only after coming here and apologized.

"I'm sorry."

Even though it was Taenyang's mischief, Se-hyeon felt responsible enough to apologize.

So Se-hyeon bowed his head to Lee Jin-ho, who was sipping his coffee and kept his gaze fixed on Se-hyeon.

"I was just trying to stay out of it."

"You could have just stayed out of it..."

"You're not dating, right?"

"No."

Lee Jin-ho's eyes showed even more surprise at Se-hyeon's immediate response.

"Why are you so quick with your answers?"

"I thought you were going to ask."

It's foolish to be at the hospital where he rushed to in such a hurry and not know what the Chief Secretary might think.

Lee Jin-ho looked at his coffee and glanced around.

"He's not listening, right?"

At Lee Jin-ho's muttering, Se-hyeon also looked around. There were no noticeable faces for now.

Se-hyeon let out a sigh of relief and slowly turned to Lee Jin-ho, who had a meaningful look in his eyes, causing Se-hyeon to flinch.

"It seems like you're concerned to be heard even if you're not dating."

Se-hyeon was caught off guard by Lee Jin-ho's remark.

"Please don't go there, Chief Secretary."

Se-hyeon hoped that Lee Jin-ho wouldn't add more to the already difficult situation.

"Just tell me honestly."

"I'm being honest right now."

"You don't dislike the fact that the CEO is concerned about you, do you?"

"...Concern?"

Se-hyeon felt like he knew everything until now, but he was caught off guard by Lee Jin-ho's recent question.

"Don't you know? he came here thinking Se-hyeon was hospitalized."

I thought you know.

As Lee Jin-ho continued muttering, one puzzle piece after another fell into place for Sehyeon, albeit belatedly.