NOVPUB“What, a search?”
“You must know. I heard you heard it with the CEO yesterday.”
“But why did you do that in the secretary’s office....”
The large men who had been tying me down fell away at Kang Seok-ho’s gesture that continued. But they were better. Compared to Kang Seok-ho who was walking while wrapping his arms around my shoulders.
“Think about it. Who do you think has been by the CEO’s side the longest?”
“...They must have already confirmed his identity. Since the day he joined the company.”
He leaned against me as if we were close friends and hurried his steps.
“Of course I did. But if something happened to the CEO, shouldn’t we start by investigating the secretary’s office?”
I couldn’t even refute the stupid kid who was saying the right thing after a long time. Even I think it’s quite natural to start by investigating the secretary’s office.
“I, I can do it?”
“No. Team Leader Baek can’t. The CEO told me to leave this time too.”
“...Again...?”
“Surely, you don’t know why.”
It seemed like it was my first time coming in. The office of the 3rd Security Team. As expected of their personalities, the office was also very bleak.
On one wall were rows of large cabinets that I didn’t want to know what was inside. They would probably contain all sorts of equipment needed to kill people. Then there were several small rooms that looked like small conference rooms, and strangely enough, they had iron doors with no windows. One of those rooms was the one I ended up in.
“I don’t know...?”
Kang Seok-ho, who was already feeling heavy, felt his breath get a little heavier as he entered the small room. Why... Are the desks and chairs all made of iron...? The interior looked just like an interrogation room I’d seen somewhere.
“Sit down?”
“.......”
“Sit down, Team Leader Baek.”
I sat down across from Kang Seok-ho, who had already taken his seat. His expression was quite serious as he sat at an angle so that I could see his face covered in tattoos. It was time for me to lighten the mood and reveal my original playful personality.
“You really don’t know? Why did the CEO exclude Team Leader Baek from this case as well?”
... I didn’t want to know. My thoughts became complicated at Kang Seok-ho’s words.
Could it be that Yoon Tae-oh had noticed something? Looking at the current situation, it seemed reasonable. So Kang Seok-ho must have chosen me as the first among the many secretaries. And he excluded me from the Omega search case.
“Te, Team Leader. I think there’s some kind of misunderstanding....”
“What kind of misunderstanding is that? Since he ignored the CEO’s orders like that, it’s only natural that he excludes me.”
“Ah....”
A long sigh escaped Kang Seok-ho’s mouth. 그러곤 테이블을 가로질러 날아온 손이 내 이마빡에 딱밤을 날렸다. 눈앞이 아찔해질 정도로 세게 날아온 한 방에 정신이 조금 선명해졌다.
“그러니까 말 좀 잘 듣지 그랬냐고. 도망가려다 잡힌 지 얼마나 됐다고 또 지시를 무시하냐, 넌.”
“아니, 사람을 왜...! 그리고 누가 도망을 가요!”
이거로 확실해졌다. 이 개새끼가 내 밀항 소문을 악의적으로 퍼트렸다는 게. 왜 여태 내가 도망가려 했다고 생각하고 있냐고. 아무런 증거도 나오지 않았는데...!
“하아... 아무튼 너도 조사 대상이니까 그런 줄 알아.”
“저, 저도요...?”
“어. 알파 빼고 전원.”
“대표님이 그러라고 하신 거예요?”
“아니, 이건 내 결정인데. 대표님이 뭐 그렇게 세세한 것까지 지시하시려고.”
큰일이다....
“강 팀장님, 조사는 어떻게 진행하시려고요...?”
난 대체 무슨 깡이었을까. Why didn’t he just run away after hearing Yoon Tae-oh’s test results at the hospital yesterday? I had expected that the omega-hunting operation would proceed like this.
Kang Seok-ho, who had been holding his weight for a while, finally revealed his original appearance. He pulled out his hair and didn’t hide his frustration.
“Haa, after investigating everything....”
“And...?”
“We have to get tested.”
What, are we going to do...? Test?
“...A trait test?”
“Even if it’s annoying, that’s the most accurate. There’s no way he’d lie.”
I want to pull out my hair. This is really a big problem... .
❖ ❖ ❖
“Team leader, team leader...!”
It’s a total mess. My heart, and the situation in the office. As if they were dealing with potential criminals, Kang Seok-ho’s security team 3 dragged away the secretaries one by one. Some team members even said they had suspicious circumstances and hadn’t returned for hours.
Because of that, the team members couldn’t be dragged away by the security team. There was a reasonable suspicion in the office that they would frame me for a crime that didn’t exist and handle me without anyone knowing.
Beep-
“Yes, CEO.”
- Come in for a moment.
Haa... I can’t get things done. Fortunately, I was investigated by Kang Seok-ho and only received a few formal questions, but since I had something to hide, the place I was sitting felt like a bed of thorns.
“Where are you going?”
“The CEO just called me. Didn’t you hear me?”
Now, even my every move was being monitored. The team members of Security Team 3 followed me without a hint of hesitation despite my sharp voice, all the way to Yoon Tae-oh’s office. I couldn’t bring myself to tell them to stop following me, so I just sighed in displeasure and went into Yoon Tae-oh’s office.
“Did you call me, CEO?”
Even after I entered my office, Yoon Tae-oh didn’t take his eyes off his laptop screen for a long time. He was typing on the keyboard with a serious expression on his face, looking at something. I don’t know if it was because of my mood, but it didn’t seem like a very positive situation.
“Are you dissatisfied with me?”
“...Yes...?”
What are you talking about, Tae-oh? Where is an employee who isn’t dissatisfied with their job...? Do you think I can listen to it without being shocked...?
“Why is the schedule like this? Are you telling me to have a meeting until 10 o’clock today, right now?”
“Oh... That’s not my fault...?”
“Oh, then what kind of idiot would schedule it like this?”
“No, sir... That, that’s not what I’m talking about....”
It seems like he also has anger management issues. The sound of his hands slamming down on the keyboard made his words trail off in surprise.
“Bring me, I want to see that kid’s face. Even though he was away because of the rut, isn’t this a bit too much?”
“That’s... because of the CEO, all of it?”
“...What?”
“Before the CEO went to the villa, he didn’t keep any of his schedules, so I had no choice. I pushed back the most I could.”
Can you bring me a mirror? Why are you playing around like that before the rut and making everyone else late for work? I’m late for work because of you, so I’m the one who should be mad, not you, you punk.
“Haa... This is driving me crazy, really.”
Yoon Tae-oh stands up. He rolls up his sleeves. He approaches.
“It’s my fault, right now.”
The blue °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° veins on the back of his fists that clench and unclench his fists are particularly visible. Whose hands are as big as his head... . Why are you suddenly changing into a fighting stance after having a nice conversation... ?
“I, I’m still lacking in work, so it’s my fault that I couldn’t set the schedule like that, right...?”
“Really?”
“Yes... You...?”
It’s difficult. I don’t want to blame him or myself. I feel like it’ll be hard to get through this way or that way.
“Think carefully. Why did I have to postpone the schedule like that?”
What are you thinking? How do I know that you canceled all your schedules on your own while I was away for a moment? I’m curious about what kind of mind you had to postpone everything like that. As I looked at Yoon Tae-oh with a questioning look in my eyes, one eyebrow went up and my mouth opened.
“I think it happened because I was trying to deal with someone who was trying to run away, but I guess the person in question has already forgotten.”
“So that’s what happened....”
Let’s pretend not to know. I wasn’t trying to run away. This guy and Kang Seok-ho just misunderstood and went crazy.
“So it’s Secretary Baek’s fault, right? Right?”
A hand with blue veins touched his chin. He held one side of his neck and his thumb gently stroked his lower jaw repeatedly as if urging him to answer. I rolled my eyes and looked at him.
This was definitely a situation where he was making fun of me. He was blaming me for my mistake. But why... was my body tense? Maybe because my chin could fall off my body at any moment, my heart started to beat loudly. Maybe that’s why I nodded my head slightly as he asked me questions, as if I was possessed.
“Sometimes, Secretary Baek is really generous.”
Although his posture remained the same, Yoon Tae-oh’s expression suddenly relaxed. The corners of his lips, which had seemed stiff, rose, revealing a smiling face.
... Why do you keep smiling so prettily... . Thanks to that, the thumping in his chest became louder.
“Who just nods when the CEO asks?”
It felt like a reprimand for workplace etiquette, but Yoon Tae-oh still smiled and lifted the hand that had been holding his cheek to gently cup my cheek.
This is the limit. This is truly a fear beyond imagination. My heart is pounding as if it will burst out of my chest, and my palms are soaked with sweat. No matter how much I swallow my saliva, my thirst shows no sign of easing. My body, forgetting the weather, is engulfed in a fever, my face feels like it will burst, and sweat breaks out through my scalp.
... Right, it’s scary...?
