Chapter 9

I thought I was going to get fired, but this is bullshit. When did you start calling Yoo Jin-ha by my name and suddenly say,

"You have a crush on me?"

Se-hyeon held back the curse words that were about to come out.

It's not like Shin Tae-oh was the kind of person to hide things, not to the point of scheming, and I get that he's more comfortable with me being his secretary, but this isn't it.

"I didn't understand what you meant right now." Se-hyeon says .

No matter what I really meant, I couldn't say it to the boss.

"No, I don't know, but I think I have a crush on my secretary..."

Shin Tae-oh's voice became too small in the middle.

Due to the wind, Tae-oh's voice became too faint, and I couldn't hear it properly. I couldn't remember what happened that night, so asking why he fell for me was pointless.

"Oh, if such words can be unpleasant, I'm sorry." Shin Tae-oh apologized.

"Well...,"

It could be interpreted as a confession in a workplace context. However, Se-hyeon didn't consider it unpleasant. Perhaps it was because Tae-oh had genuinely comforted him and to eased his cycle.

Besides, Tae-oh is not a bad person.

After all, Se-hyeon was the one who knew Tae-oh best. As shin Tae-oh harboured affection for Jin-ha and stepped back for his happiness. He was a kind man. In fact, as se-hyeon served him as his boss, he realized that shin Tae-oh wasn't a dark-hearted person either.

"I didn't say that with ill intentions; I just expressed what I felt."

Regardless, there was no reason to prolong this conversation.

"I'm sorry " I  apologized because That was the only response I could offer. I wanted to serve Tae-oh as the CEO for a long time

and to achieve that, it was best to exclude emotional exchanges in advance.

thought I could make him stop by hiding my traits, but it seemed that he couldn't accept it anyway.

"It's okay." But Shin Tae-oh's response was actually nicer than I expected. There was no sign of disappointment or regret.

'What is he thinking?'

"To be honest, even I would also react like you did, secretary. No, I might even go further. Even if you curse at me, saying I'm crazy, I'll endure it."

Tae-oh belittled himself so casually, leaving Se-hyeon bewildered. In an attempt to conceal his wavering emotions, he gripped his tablet tightly.

His restless hand, which was clearly visible in Tae-oh's line of sight, bothered him. Usually, he could see through Tae-oh's thoughts so clearly that there was no need to manage his expressions, but this time it was the opposite. It was uncomfortable and... unsettling as if his inner self was exposed to him.

'How can you be so serious and change to me overnight?' Of course, it didn't make sense.

"So, for now, I'm going to keep doing what I've been doing."

For the first time, se-hyeon can't figure out what Shin Tae-oh is thinking.

"If I continue to live my life as usual... and you still say you like being Secretary Ahn, will you reconsider my confession?"

What he just said wasn't a confession. It clearly wasn't a confession, but  why does it sound like a confession to me?

"In that spirit, should I give this to Jin-ha?"

Se-hyeon averted his gaze from the item in his hand and asked Shin Tae-oh.

It wouldn't be strange to give it to Yoo Jin-ha since he always intended to give him pretty and nice things, but...

"Are you referring to the coffee or the mug?"

As I held the mug with the cold coffee in it, I didn't know how to interpret it.

"Both."

Shin Tae-oh's answer sounded ambiguous.

"I understand. I will send it as a gift in addition to the coffee machine and the new mug set."

Se-hyeon couldn't easily turn away even after finishing his words.

"Do you have something else to say?"

"I apologize for not revealing the trait up front."

It was an apology for deceiving him.

"If you say you deceived me by not saying something about your traits, then  I've never said it either about my traits... Is this even?"

I didn't ask him about being an Alpha since I knew that Shin Tae-oh was, but did it turn out that way?

"And?"

"Nothing."

***

I handed Yoo Jin-ha the coffee machine and mug set, and his bewildered expression bothered me.

Since he took a day off today because he wasn't feeling well, so I asked for permission to visit his house through a phone call. Unlike myself, who took a day off due to my cycle, he genuinely

seemed unwell based on his pale complexion.

"Did Hyung, I mean, the CEO give you this too?"

"Yes."

"Did he happen to mention the reason?"

"The reason? Ah..."

I asked, and I got an answer. Normally, I would buy and give items for reasons that didn't make sense, but today there was no other reason. It seemed like it was because of the conversation we had before, but it was something I couldn't tell Yoo Jin-ha.

"There was no other comment."

It was strange to add such an unreasonable reason in the first place, so it was better to say there was none. Besides, even if it wasn't for that reason, Yoo Jin-ha had no reason to accept the gift, so I thought he would refuse and leave without saying anything.

Se-hyeon deliberately kept the receipt as well. He didn't feel comfortable with the idea of Yoo Jin-ha rejecting these items, even if he didn't know about anything else

.

"You're refusing?"

In response to Se-hyeon's question, Yoo Jin-ha briefly glanced at the coffee machine and then reached out his hand. It was strange. Usually, his hand would move backwards as a gesture of refusal, but why was it coming forward this time?

"I will accept it."

"Okay."

It was the first time.

"Please convey my thanks."

"I understand."

Se-hyeon adjusted the empty hands that felt empty. After clasping his empty hands to his body, Se-hyeon bowed lightly to Yoo-jin and walked away.

There were too many unexpected things happening, and Se-hyeon couldn't gather his thoughts. But at least, he didn't show it on the outside. It was a trace of his hardest efforts since he fell into this world.

Pretending not to notice Yoo Jin-ha's gaze that couldn't leave his back, Se-hyeon continued walking forward.

***

"Secretary Ahn!"

Se-hyeon, who had just delivered a gift to Yoo Jin-ha, stopped when he saw a familiar car. As he thought back to whether Tae-oh had an outside schedule today, Chief secretary got out of the car and approached him.

"Sir."

"I was busy today and couldn't even greet you properly."

Getting out of the car to say hello meant that Shin Tae-oh wasn't there, so Se-hyeon relaxed and looked at the chief secretary.

"I don't mind. If anything, I should relieve you of some of your work. You've been working a lot while I've been gone, haven't you?"

I said, knowing that when I took a vacation day, it was always the chief secretary who took care of it, not someone else.

"That's the least I can do. It's our job, not anyone else's."

he calls me secretary, but sometimes when he calls me by my name and approaches me in a friendly way, I can't help but let my guard down. I came to this place to be Shin Tae-oh's secretary and ended up with the head of the secretarial department.

It wasn't clear who he was in the novel. Apparently, the chief secretary is only shown as someone who receives Shin Tae-oh's instructions, so he doesn't go beyond an extra, but in real life, he is a very sweet and caring person.

So Se-hyeon liked Lee Jin-ho, head of the secretary's office, on a human level. It was their fourth encounter.

"If someone else heard what you just said, they might feel hurt, you know?"The chief joked

"On the contrary, they might understand. After all, you're the busiest among us."

"If you think that way, then I'm glad.In that case, I'll let you leave early."

Unconsciously, Se-hyeon glanced at his wristwatch. It wasn't even five o'clock yet, and he was already being sent off?

"If you drive the boss to house."

Then he added a condition, and Se-hyeon agreed.

With the added condition, Se-hyeon accepted the car keys that Yoo Jin-ha offered with an expression that said, "Good luck."

"I thought you seemed overly happy about it."se-hyeon inquired

"I'm happy. Because you're the one who can control the boss's mood the best."

"Mood? Is he not feeling well now?"

"Hmm... It might be better to see it for yourself rather than hearing it from me."

As Lee Jin-ho turned his head toward the direction he was gesturing, Shin Tae-oh walked out.

Judging by his expressionless face, he didn't look particularly happy.

"I have work to do, so I'll go inside."

Lee jin-oh lightly tapped Se-hyeon's arm as a sign and entered the building, leaving Se-hyeon holding the car keys and waiting for Shin Tae-oh. A puzzled look crossed Se-hyeon's face as he approached although he seemed to be in a rather indifferent

mood outside.

"Why is Secretary Ahn standing here?"

"I'll accompany you."

Without saying anything else, Se-hyeon opened the backseat door, and Shin Tae-oh, who saw the interaction between the two, stared intensely at Lee Jin-ho’s back who entered the building.

"Putting off your own tasks to someone else... I guess you'll never be secretary in general, will you?"

"Sir, I delivered the gift to Yoo Jin-ha."

Shin Tae-oh looked silently at Se-hyeon for a moment before speaking abruptly.

"Really... Did he accept it?"

It seems that rejection has become routine for him, so it's surprising in a way. But shouldn't Shin Tae-oh be happy? What’s with that sulky expression in his eyes?

"That's right. It was on my way home, so I thought I'd drop it off."

"It's not like you have to go all the way to his house to deliver it."

"I thought you would like me to deliver It immediately."

"Oh, I see. I got it."

Shin Tae-oh nodded his head and responded emotionlessly, then suddenly looked at the car door that Se-hyeon had grabbed.

"Why is that?"

"I feel like I might get motion sickness."

"Ah, I'll go buy medicine then. Or should I take you to the nearest hospital?"

As Se-hyeon asked as if he could handle the situation quickly, Shin Tae-oh interrupted him by shaking his head and replied

"It's fine. It's motion sickness that gets better when you sit in the passenger seat..."

After saying that, Tae-oh got in the passenger seat.

'What's this?'

Suddenly complaining about feeling nauseous and demanding the passenger seat as if it were some kind of medication.