The Country Life Diary of a Gangster's Secretary - c53

This chapter is paid for by Nemuru!

A chilly silence lingered in the room after Hyeseong left. Ahn Gi-baek, who had been staring at where he disappeared for a moment, refilled his glass and opened his mouth.

 

“Manager Kim, take care of that bastard Kim Doo-sung right away.”

 

“Yes. President.”

 

“This is why you shouldn’t take in a black-haired beast. He begged and groveled so much that I kept him, but… Anyway, how unexpected.”

 

“What do you mean, sir?”

 

Manager Kim, who was about to call someone, asked with a puzzled look.

 

“That little punk left Taesung. Isn’t it interesting that Kwon Ihyeok just let him go?”

 

Ahn Gi-baek picked up his glass. Every time he encountered Taesung during the Seohyeon faction days, there was always something that caught his eye.

 

Ihyeok, whom he saw when dealing with the disposal of the Baekdae faction and confidential transactions, was literally a fierce beast with nothing to fear. Even Ahn Gi-baek, who was known as a gangster among the huge organizations and had a reputation among them, thought that Ihyeok would become big no matter what he did when he saw him then.

 

But it was right after that he saw a different side of Ihyeok. He saw that fierce beast strangely soften in front of just one guy. Recalling the image of Ihyeok smiling and stroking the head of the pale and young guy, Ahn Gi-baek emptied his glass completely.

 

***

 

Hyeseong touched his lips again as he left the room. The swelling had risen more than before, and the taste of blood still seeped into his mouth. He wanted to demand medical expenses, but decided to let it go in order to keep them in the role of cleaning up the trash called Kim Doo-sung without antagonizing them.

 

Walking down the long corridor, Hyeseong took out his cell phone and briefly explained the situation to Lee Pilhyun. Focused on typing the message, Hyeseong didn’t notice that the person passing by was staring at him intently.

 

“Wow, there’s even an omega walking around the hotel dripping with pheromones.”

 

At the words of the passing man, Hyeseong froze on the spot.

 

Looking back, the man grinned, flashing a blatant and unpleasant smile before leaving. Hyeseong’s heart pounded heavily at those words.

 

Pheromones? Are they coming out now? But why all of a sudden? Could it be due to emotional turmoil?

 

It seemed he was unknowingly startled by the unexpected series of events that happened inside. The doctor’s words came to mind, saying that Hyeseong, who was not yet accustomed to being an omega, should be aware that pheromones can flow out without self-awareness even with big changes in emotions.

 

Hyeseong looked around and quickly entered the restroom. He went into the stall at the very end, sat on the lid, and took deep breaths as much as possible.

 

More than being surprised that pheromones were flowing out without his will, Hyeseong’s heart pounded wildly at the fact that a stranger had noticed it.

 

In fact, until now, he had been at home all the time, and even when he went out, it was just briefly taking care of errands near the house or downtown. There were no occasions to meet many people except for the neighborhood residents or Dohyun. He had unknowingly felt relieved, thinking that the pheromones were not serious enough to flow out yet.

 

He clearly knew in his head that his nature had changed to an omega, but that fact didn’t hit him hard on a visceral level.

 

However, just now, a passing stranger whom he had never seen before felt his pheromones. Hyeseong clenched his fists tightly.

 

If, really if this happened in front of Ihyeok, if he noticed everything…

 

“Let’s calm down.”

 

Hyeseong muttered softly, shaking his head.

 

But once his heart was shaken, it wouldn’t settle down obediently. If Ihyeok knew, if he knew that he had completely manifested as an omega, there was one question that would surely follow.

 

Why did he suddenly fully manifest as an omega?

 

Clutching his head, Hyeseong slowly raised his head.

 

The doctor had definitely said it during the initial consultation. Did he have any experience of being excessively exposed to an alpha’s pheromones or engaging in sexual relations?

 

“…”

 

Hyeseong recalled the unique tiles in the bathroom he had seen earlier in Ahn Gi-baek’s room. There were definitely similar unique tiles in that hotel bathroom too. The room layout was also quite similar.

 

Was that why? Hyeseong opened the box of memories he had tried to bury and never opened even once.

 

That day was probably the trigger. The reason why Hyeseong was now squatting in the bathroom, worrying about the pheromones flowing out without his will.

 

Everything up to now converged to that one incident.

 

***

 

One of the businesses that allowed Taesung to solidify its upward trend was winning the contract for a super luxury hotel in the UK. At that time, a famous British company had entered the hotel business and chose Taesung as the construction company.

 

The news that Taesung was selected over renowned and well-established construction companies surprised even the domestic industry. It also became the stepping stone for Taesung Construction to completely establish its position and gain recognition from everyone.

 

“Hyeseong, you don’t get motion sickness on planes, right?”

 

Ihyeok asked with a chuckle, watching Hyeseong curiously touching various things while sitting in the business class seat for the first time in his life.

 

“No. I don’t.”

 

Although he didn’t show it at all on his face, Ihyeok knew. He knew that Hyeseong was quite excited right now. The uncharacteristically busy behavior, the eyes filled with energy despite the long flight ahead that should have been tiring, it was all very clear to Ihyeok.

 

And Ihyeok himself was losing track of time while observing this different side of Hyeseong.

 

“If I had known, I should have given you vacations more often.”

 

Ihyeok gently reached out and ruffled Hyeseong’s hair once. Seeing the gentle smile directed at him, Hyeseong suddenly stopped what he was doing and leaned back in his seat obediently.

 

“Why?”

 

“I think I’m too excited.”

 

Oh no, he touched a nerve again. Ihyeok shook his head as if he couldn’t help it. One of the many reasons Hyeseong was evaluated as a competent secretary was that he was quick-witted. Especially when it came to work, his quick wit was on a different level from others, so Hyeseong sometimes caught things that even Ihyeok missed.

 

But sometimes that wit was unnecessarily overdone. Just like now. Hyeseong was only in his mid-twenties. No matter how adult he was, it was the perfect age to have fun and experience emotional ups and downs.

 

It was okay to unfilteredly show the excitement of riding in business class for the first time. However, Hyeseong never did that.

 

Perhaps it was because he lost his parents and grew up too quickly. Hyeseong sometimes tried to suppress his emotions or feelings more than necessary, even though he was mature enough.

 

“Secretary Cheon, what did I say?”

 

Ihyeok gently pinched Hyeseong’s cheek.

 

“…You said not to mind such things when it’s just the two of us, CEO.”

 

Hyeseong’s pronunciation was slightly slurred as his cheek was pinched. Even that looked cute to Ihyeok, and he ended up bursting into laughter.

 

“You know it well. When will you ever fix that habit?”

 

“It’s a chronic disease. This is. Just like how you can’t quit smoking, CEO.”

 

“You always have to stick thorns in your words.”

 

“Aren’t you tired, CEO? The business trip schedule is packed too, so please get some sleep.”

 

This business trip was for a meeting related to the UK hotel contract and was of utmost importance to Taesung. Therefore, Hyeseong couldn’t help but be more nervous. It was as if the company he belonged to had a stepping stone in front of it to leap not only domestically but also to a bigger world.

 

“Yeah. But watching you is more fun for me.”

 

A soft and languid smile settled on Hyeseong’s face. The passing flight attendants stopped there for a moment as if they had planned it and glanced at Ihyeok.

 

Hyeseong knew it well. They weren’t doing it on purpose. They had no reason to blatantly look at passengers when their professionalism was so strong. It was an instinct, like saliva automatically gathering in your mouth when you smell food while hungry.

 

“I’m not a monkey in a zoo.”

 

Hyeseong felt strangely queasy and leaned back.

 

“Then you know it well. Hyeseong, you’re not a monkey, but… Ah, that’s it. A fox.”

 

“A fox?”

 

“Yeah, a baby fox.”

 

At the sudden mention of resemblance, Hyeseong only tilted his head. It was the first time he had been told he looked like a baby fox.

 

“Why?”

 

“Because baby foxes are cute.”

 

Hyeseong lightly bit his lip. It wasn’t because of the resemblance. He just said it based on the common trait of being cute. Hearing such words made his heart flutter even more. It felt good, but at the same time, it was a bit depressing that he only seemed like a cute younger sibling to that person.

 

But those were emotions he had to suppress on his own. As always, Hyeseong calmly controlled his feelings and casually threw the blanket he was holding at Ihyeok.

 

“If you’re going to say useless things, go to sleep.”

 

Ignoring Ihyeok’s playful voice asking why he didn’t like it, Hyeseong turned his gaze out the airplane window.

 

In fact, more than the burden related to the success of the business or the excitement of riding in business class for the first time, what made Hyeseong excited was something else.

 

“Hyeseong, let’s eat a lot of delicious things together. Ahjussi will buy it all for you.”

 

“…Yes.”

 

It was the thrill of heading to a foreign country together with Ihyeok.

 

Perhaps because it was a night flight, nothing was visible in the sky when viewed from above. Using that black background as a canvas, Hyeseong was picturing the trip to the UK with Ihyeok.

 

Of course, he wasn’t sure if they could do anything as the business trip schedule wasn’t very flexible, but even a little was good. Perhaps thanks to that anticipation, Hyeseong couldn’t sleep a wink the whole way.

This chapter is paid for by Nemuru!