Secretary Gwanggong's Survival Diary-Chapter 25

“Ahhh!”

Lee Jiseok, who looked like he was about to drive the knife into me any second, convulsed and collapsed to the side. I couldn’t even track it with my eyes, but judging by the cigarette butt rolling across the floor, it seemed like Yoon Taeo had somehow managed to flick his lit cigarette right at him.

“Aaagh! Fuck! What the hell are you—?!”

Must’ve hit him in the eye. Lee Jiseok clutched one of his eyes, howling, spewing rage through clenched teeth as he scrambled back up.

“You gonna say something that even makes sense? And what the fuck is up with this dump?”

Even though it was evening, Yoon Taeo’s shoes still gleamed like he’d just stepped out of the house in the morning. He walked into the room with one hand shoved in his pocket, unbothered, as if he were just out for a stroll. Like he was admiring something strange, he looked around the house before coming to a stop in front of Lee Jiseok.

“Fuck!”

As soon as Yoon Taeo stepped within arm’s reach, Lee Jiseok swung the knife at him.

“Where the fuck were you raised? I’m talking, and you think it’s okay to start swinging a blade first?”

“Agh—Aaagh...!”

No doubt... it seemed threatening. Lee Jiseok was notoriously violent, even for a Beta—strong, fast, and brutal. But with a simple, almost casual flick of his hand, Yoon Taeo grabbed the wrist holding the knife. And just like that, it was over—absurdly fast.

“Let—Let go...!”

It happened in a blink. Lee Jiseok’s wrist was twisted back violently. His body contorted in a bizarre shape as it tried to follow the forced motion, but the wrist kept turning until the back of his hand was nearly touching his forearm. A loud crack rang out—crunch—and Lee Jiseok’s scream split the air.

“How’re you gonna pay for losing the bet, Secretary Kim?”

“...Huh...? Me...?”

Still gripping Lee Jiseok’s ruined arm, Yoon Taeo turned to look at me. He hadn’t even bothered to take his other hand out of his pocket as he muttered that nonsense at me.

“Pretty sure I told you to wait and see what would happen if I won.”

“...Uh, shouldn’t we, uh... clean this place up first, maybe...?”

“Well, if that’s what you want, sure.”

Yoon Taeo let go of Lee Jiseok like he was tossing out trash, and the guy flopped to the floor, one arm swinging uselessly.

“So that one’s the lover, huh?”

“That one” was Lee Jiseok. “The other one” was Han Yejun. Yejun had completely collapsed to the floor, legs like jelly. He just sat there, silent, watching the whole thing unfold.

“If you’re gonna fight over a lover, do it quietly in your own damn house. Why kidnap someone else’s secretary?”

“Ahhh—stop, stop!”

This time, Yoon Taeo aimed for the ankle. His polished shoe slowly crushed down on Lee Jiseok’s foot.

“Attempted murder in the act, right? But here you are begging to live. Wow. No shame at all.”

As he grunted softly and pressed down, another sickening crack came from Lee Jiseok’s ankle, followed by a brief, guttural scream. His body, now half-unconscious, jerked and twitched on the floor.

“...Urgh, ugh....”

Watching him like that made me want to throw up. His ankle was twisted inward at a grotesque angle, and his wrist—yeah, that tendon was probably completely snapped. The way his fingers were splayed out looked unnatural, repulsive even.

“CEO, sir...!”

“What are ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) you doing right now.”

I rushed over and grabbed onto Yoon Taeo’s forearm. If I stood by watching for another second, I’d probably pass out myself.

“Please, sir, I’m begging you. Just stop. ...Urgh, I think I’m gonna be sick....”

Yoon Taeo looked at me like I was garbage. That expression of pure disdain. But what was I supposed to do? Disgusting is disgusting.

“Go call him in.”

“...Who...?”

Still gripping Lee Jiseok’s good arm, Yoon Taeo replied. For a second, it almost looked like he was trying to help him up.

“Haah.”

“Ah—understood! I’m sure he’s outside or something...”

I spun around at his annoyed sigh—no, actually, I turned because I heard another crunch. That was the sound of Lee Jiseok’s arm getting yanked out of its socket. Honestly, when you’re up against Yoon Taeo, people might as well be paper dolls. One touch and everything just shatters.

I briefly wondered if I should check on Han Yejun... but really, nothing good would come from trying to protect him now. I slipped out of the house alone.

“Shit!”

As soon as I stepped out, the hallway of the old villa was packed with hulking black figures. The tension in the air was so sharp, I wondered if I’d forgotten to take my pheromone suppressants. Not a trace of their usual playfulness.

“Team Leader Baek, are you alright?”

“Ah... yeah. How did you get here, Team Leader? No—why were you here and not... you know, in there...?”

Kang Seokho didn’t have his usual joking tone, which somehow made me feel like I had to be serious too. For some reason, the tattoos on his face felt even more sinister tonight.

“...I’m sorry. I should’ve paid more attention.”

“No, really... I’m fine. I mean it.”

My head still throbbed a bit, but physically, I hadn’t taken any serious damage. And yet, with how sincere his apology was, it felt like he was the one who’d done something wrong. Objectively speaking, Kang Seokho hadn’t made a single mistake.

“The CEO’s asking for you. You should go back in.”

With that, Kang Seokho finally headed inside. For some reason, Yoon Taeo had gone in first, alone, despite the fact that Security Team 3 had clearly arrived together. All their faces were frozen stiff, and their tension was contagious. I found myself going quiet.

Time passed.

So much time, in fact, that I started wondering if I should be the one going back in. There was no sound coming from inside. No voices. No movement. Just silence. Being surrounded by these Alpha bastards, standing like statues, was getting more and more unbearable.

Finally, after what felt like forever, the doorknob creaked and the old metal door creaked open.

“...CEO... sir...?”

“What.”

“You’re not hurt, are you...?”

Was it the backlight? The lighting from inside the house was behind Yoon Taeo, so I couldn’t see his face clearly. But the bright red spatters of blood on his skin stood out vividly. My heart, which had already been pounding, kicked into a higher gear.

“What the hell happened in there...?!”

Fucked.

If Yoon Taeo ended up getting hurt in all this... I might really get torn limb from limb by these Alpha bastards right here and now. I carefully brushed my fingers across his face, which was a full head taller than mine. But—thankfully—it looked like I was just being paranoid. The sensation on my fingertips was unmistakably blood, but it wasn’t his.

“No way I’d get hurt in a shithole like this.”

“R-Right...? I mean... I was just surprised something dirty got on your pretty face, sir... Our CEO wouldn’t ever get hurt in a place like this... Right...?”

“Secretary Kim, you must think I’m a joke.”

“What? No way, sir. You’re incredible at fighting, and also so vicious—I mean fierce—no, wait... anyway, y-you’re badass!”

I frantically fished a handkerchief out of my pocket and wiped the blood off his face. Maybe it tickled. The corner of Yoon Taeo’s lips seemed to twitch, like he was about to smile—or maybe not.

“Wiping my face doesn’t make your screw-up disappear, Secretary Kim.”

“Uh... w-what?”

“Little late to play dumb now.”

This is why... I hate people with good memory. I want to work with goldfish-brained assholes. No—how do you forget names that easily but remember everything else? Fucking bastard.

“Handle things here. Quietly. No public complaints.”

“Yes, sir.”

Kang Seokho standing behind Yoon Taeo looked like hell too. My stomach churned again at the sight of bright red blood splattered all over his white shirt. I didn’t need to see inside to know exactly what had happened to the guy in there.

❖ ❖ ❖

“...Um... sir....”

The silence in the car was heavy—so heavy it felt overkill. Sitting beside him on Yoon Taeo’s order was uncomfortable, and so was the fact that he hadn’t said a single word the whole time.

“What.”

“Han Yejun... how did you handle him...?”

“Why the hell should I go out of my way for some guy who says he likes someone else more than me?”

...Shit.

So he knows everything, after all.

“And even now, Secretary Kim’s worried about him?”

“No! I-I’m just... really curious, that’s all. I have zero interest, I swear!”

This greedy bastard—he hates sharing. Even if he’s lost interest in someone, he still loathes the idea of someone else having them.

“...I just... wanted to say thank you.”

“What?”

“I didn’t think you’d come in person. I’m only alive because of you, sir.”

It was dark inside the car, which gave me the courage to speak. If I couldn’t see his face clearly, maybe he couldn’t see mine either. His sudden appearance—something I never expected—was, just for tonight, my salvation. I don’t know what kind of sadistic games he’ll come up with to torment me later... but in that one moment, he really was.

“You’re thanking me for that?” freewebnσvel.cѳm

Yoon Taeo replied like it was no big deal and turned his head to the window. He began tapping his thigh rhythmically with his fingers. Now that I looked closer, even in the dark, I could see his hands were a complete mess. Reaching into the front seat, I grabbed a wet tissue pack, pulled one out, and tugged his right hand onto my thigh.

“Still... I mean it. Thank you.”

His unusually large hand looked even bigger resting on my weak thigh. That hand—twice the size of mine—had always been terrifying. But, just for now, it wasn’t. Every time I wiped across the back of his hand with the white cloth, it came away stained in dark, clotted blood. And in that moment, a thought crossed my mind—

Thank god.

That it wasn’t his blood.

“I’m glad you’re not hurt. Still, next time, you should let Team Leader Kang handle it.”

“...Got it.”

Maybe tomorrow, this same hand would be the one twisting my neck. But just for tonight, he was the one I was most grateful to. Maybe that’s why. Or maybe the fear I’d pushed down earlier was finally catching up with me. Even though I’d wiped away all the blood a while ago, I didn’t want to let go of his hand.

So I didn’t.

Not yet.

Just a little longer in the dark.

The warmth I felt through his skin was absurdly comforting. My eyelids were getting heavier by the second.