Secretary Gwanggong's Survival Diary-Chapter 39

“...President...?”

Before I knew it, I was stumbling backward. I couldn't help it. How could anyone stand still after seeing a giant, who looked like a raging bear, slinging a hammer with a head as big as my own head over his shoulder? Why the hell did he come here wearing leather gloves...?

Let's forget about the doorknob that was smashed to pieces. Because right now, it feels like my head might be the next thing to get smashed. When he moved the hammer again, I instinctively raised my arms to shield my head.

“What are you doing? Move. Let me in.”

But instead of using the hammer, Yoon Taeo carelessly tossed it aside and shoved me aside to enter the house. ...Let’s not even mention that he didn’t take off his shoes. I had just scrubbed the floor a little while ago, but whatever, I can clean it again.

“Go ahead. Explain yourself.”

Ah... What kind of shitty situation is this again? I followed him into the room with hesitant steps, but the atmosphere was absolutely fucked.

Yoon Taeo sat down on the bed, which was practically the only piece of furniture in this place where one could rest their ass other than the dining chair. It was as if he was the owner of the house and I was the uninvited guest.

“W-What... explanation...?”

But there was no way I could voice any complaints about that. Yoon Taeo’s current state was exactly like that day when he had that blowout with Wonk Gyuil a few days ago. In other words, he was in full psycho mode.

He clenched and unclenched his fists in those leather gloves, his eyes glinting with an eerie expression. Thanks to that, even though nothing had happened yet, I already felt like crying. But I had learned from the last time. Showing tears only made him angrier. I had to hold it in.

“So, you’re playing dumb now? That’s what I hate the most.”

“I-I’m sorry!”

I apologized reflexively, but that didn’t mean I understood a damn thing about what he was saying.

“So, you must have done something worth apologizing for, huh?”

“...Huh...? N-No, actually... I really don’t know what you’re talking about....”

Tap, tap, tap.

I spoke honestly, but Yoon Taeo’s gaze was like he was trying to tear my face apart with his eyes. ...Would it hurt less to get hit with a leather-gloved fist or a bare one...?

“Eyes. Here.”

The moment I tried to avert my gaze due to the intensity of his stare, he barked at me. Holding back the urge to cry, I forced myself to meet his eyes again.

What the hell is wrong with his eyes?

“I heard some pretty ridiculous intel today.”

“...Intel...?”

“A very credible tip that Secretary Kim was planning to flee the country tonight.”

“W-What?! That’s nonsense...!”

Despite my desperate denial, Taeo’s expression remained as hard as stone.

“Nonsense, huh? Then how do you explain the missing stuff from my house? And how do you explain why Secretary Kim is here right now? If we look at the situation, it doesn’t seem like bullshit, does it? Not to mention, you weren’t even answering your phone just a moment ago.”

What the hell...? What is going on?! All I did was take one day off tomorrow, and now it's blown up into some kind of escape plot?!

“P-President... I think you’re misunderstanding something here. Please, calm down and listen to me. How could I possibly plan to flee and leave you behind...?”

“...What?”

I opened my hands toward him, trying to show that I had no ill intentions as I cautiously stepped closer. No matter how I looked at it, this was a dangerously volatile situation.

Did I say something wrong just now? Taeo’s expression suddenly shifted to something I couldn’t read. The frighteningly rigid muscles of his face momentarily relaxed.

“I even submitted my leave request this afternoon... saying I was taking one sick day tomorrow. You approved it too, President....”

I spoke as gently as possible. Right now, I had to avoid provoking Yoon Taeo’s already unstable emotions.

“I brought my stuff because... I needed to do laundry, and since this is technically my place, I thought I’d change clothes here... And since I took a sick day, I thought I’d just rest here today and tomorrow....”

Think about it. Who the hell wants to stay at the office even on their day off?

Tap, tap, tap.

Yoon Taeo’s fingers began drumming against his thigh again. He still didn’t seem entirely convinced, but at least he looked slightly less ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) furious than before.

“Bring me your phone.”

“My phone...?”

“What, did you think I was asking for mine?”

Without knowing why, I had no choice but to hand over my phone to Yoon Taeo.

This was him being merciful in his own way. Instead of half-killing me and then talking, he was at least attempting to talk first.

“Wonk Gyuil, Wonk Gyuil....”

As he scrolled through my phone, he muttered the name as if trying to memorize it.

“The Vice Minister’s son!”

“Hah.”

After checking my call log, he let out a brief, dry laugh and threw my phone behind him. In this cramped place, it bounced off the wall and fell somewhere between the bed and the wall. ...Damn it, did I finish paying off that phone...?

“This just pisses me off even more.”

“...Huh...?”

“Get up.”

Yoon Taeo stood up again. Then, without warning, he grabbed my wrist. The calmness he had shown for a brief moment evaporated, and he was back to the state he was in when he barged in with that hammer. I couldn’t make sense of his shifting moods at all.

“Maybe I should just take the risk and believe you’re not really fleeing.”

“Huh? It’s not a risk! I’m not fleeing at all! But, wait, where are we going?!”

Is this what they mean by being utterly powerless? Yoon Taeo dragged me along without even giving me a chance to find my shoes. I tried to sit back and resist, but his grip was so overpowering that it was pointless.

“But still, there’s one thing I just can’t forgive.”

After I finally managed to slip on my shoes and step outside, the narrow alley in front of my place was completely blocked by a line of black company cars. My place was surrounded so tightly that even an ant couldn’t crawl through.

...What the hell is going on...?

While I stood there in a daze, Taeo opened the car door and shoved me inside like a piece of luggage. Then he climbed in after me and slammed the door shut.

“To the house.”

“Yes, President.”

Kang Seokho was in the driver’s seat, looking unusually tense. There was even a security team member sitting in the passenger seat, which was not normal. As our car started moving, more cars—presumably from Security Team 3—followed behind in a line.

“...President, can you at least tell me what’s going on...?”

“You’d better keep your mouth shut.”

The slight composure Taeo had shown while talking inside the house had completely disappeared. What the hell is this nonsense about me trying to flee? And why are there so many people here just to drag me back?

I had a thousand questions, but all I could do was clamp my mouth shut and follow along as we drove toward Taeo’s place.

“Get inside.”

Just before stepping out of the car, I briefly locked eyes with Kang Seokho. Wait... wait!

The fleeting, sympathetic, almost apologetic look in Seokho’s eyes filled me with suspicion. This... this has to be that bastard’s doing.

“...President... Please, calm down first....”

Before I even set foot inside, the area around Taeo’s house was crawling with ominous figures. As I ascended the steps from the gate to the front door, I had to force my brain to work fast.

Only Taeo and I entered the house.

And perhaps the high oxygen concentration in here was doing its job because my brain started working overtime. I dashed to the kitchen, poured a glass of deep Hawaiian water, and handed it to Taeo. He accepted the glass with a scowl but still drank from it.

“President, I think you’re really misunderstanding something. The... person who gave you that intel must be Team Leader Kang Seokho, right?”

After taking the glass back and setting it down on the table, I reached for his jacket and began to undo the buttons. Taeo’s eyes flicked to me but showed no particular reaction. I could take that as a sign of permission.

Emboldened, I carefully slid the jacket off his shoulders, then loosened the tie that was tightly wound around his neck.

“Fine. Go ahead. Talk.”

“Ah, so it really was that bastard Kang Seokho. Looks like that son of a bitch was planning to shove me into a coffin and hammer the nails shut.”

I suppressed the wave of irritation that surged up and undid the top button of Yoon Taeo’s shirt. What I was doing right now... well, it wasn’t anything new. I already dressed him like this whenever he went to work. This was just the reverse. But why did he suddenly turn into a docile little lamb?

“...If I were planning to flee the country, would I really have made it obvious by filing for a day off...?”

Sometimes, I had these fantasies. Imagining how I could run away without leaving a trace. In my actual escape plan, there was no such thing as a leave of absence. If I were to run, I’d just vanish like the wind in the middle of a workday. And of course, I wouldn’t forget to secure some cash beforehand. As much as I wanted to run away, I didn’t want to live like a beggar either.

“...And besides, if I was really planning to run, why would I have come back to my... uh, slightly shabby apartment?”

“Hm. Still doesn’t sit right with me.”

Is he getting early-onset dementia or something? Seriously, he’s the one who approved my sick leave, so why is he suddenly acting like this now?

“President, um... I’m just asking, just in case....”

“What is it?”

“When you approved my sick leave, is it possible... you didn’t know it was me who submitted it...?”

“Haa... This is driving me crazy.”

Yoon Taeo swept a hand through his hair in frustration. For a moment, I wondered if I had said something unnecessary, but...

“There’s a limit to how much you can mock someone, Baek Sieon. You’re really crossing the line today.”

No matter how I looked at it, it seemed like the bastard didn’t even remember he was the one who approved it. The way he avoided my gaze, pouring himself a glass of whiskey and tossing it back like it was water — yeah, that confirmed it. That behavior was far too sloppy for Yoon Taeo.

“...Right? There’s no way the President could forget that he approved my sick leave.”

“It’d be best if you didn’t get sarcastic today, Baek Sieon.”

I quickly shut my mouth. I had no other choice. Yoon Taeo had just said my name, clearly and deliberately.

“And why would you leave this behind, like it was a resignation letter?”

In the hand that wasn’t holding the crystal glass, Yoon Taeo held something familiar. It was my name tag, the one with “Baek Sieon” scrawled on it in handwriting that looked like a kid’s.

“That was just... I-I was going to wear it when I came back...?”

“Let’s switch perspectives for a second, Sieon-ah.”

Yoon Taeo set down the glass and started walking toward me. For some reason, I felt the urge to back away, but my legs were frozen in place. Maybe it was because he started calling me in that strange, unsettling way again.

“Everyone’s saying the same thing. That Baek Sieon was acting strange.”

That’s... because of you, you bastard. The guy who had practically driven me to the brink of death just a few days ago is now saying shit like that?

“The desk was cleaned out as if someone was planning to leave. And the only thing left behind was the name tag I gave you.”

“......”

“And back at your place, even the few clothes you had are gone. You didn’t answer your phone, either.”

He moved in closer and pinned the name tag to my chest. Right over the sweatshirt.

“To be honest, I don’t know what to think. I can’t tell if Sieon was really planning to run or if it’s just my misunderstanding.”

Then, in one swift move, he grabbed my chin and forced me to meet his eyes. And in that moment, something... something in his expression made my heart drop to the ground. Or maybe it was the look in his eyes. ...There’s no way. There’s no way that guy could ever have a look like that on his face. But for a brief moment, it was like there was some deep, dark sadness in those eyes.

“But it better just be my misunderstanding, Baek Sieon.”

Of course, that fleeting expression vanished in an instant. The next thing I saw was his usual unhinged stare.

His thumb, surprisingly soft for its size, gently stroked my cheek. Yoon Taeo kept staring at me like that for a long time before finally speaking again.

“Until I confirm everything, you’re not leaving this house. Not a single step.”

...What the hell? Why is he saying something that sounds like he’s talking to some runaway Beta he caught red-handed...? Why is he saying that to me...?