Secretary Gwanggong's Survival Diary-Chapter 42

“Oh my... The food court here really doesn’t have much, huh? No venison, can you believe it? That’s our CEO’s favorite... What a shame, what are we going to do...?”

I put on an exaggerated act. Realistically, there was no way they’d be selling venison in a place like this. It was a specialty ingredient you had to order from a specialty supplier. But I had to cover up the fact that I’d completely forgotten to order it. Why didn’t I remember venison when it had come so easily to mind when I was trying to butter Taeo up?

“Forget it. We’ll just eat whatever.”

“Whatever” is hardly the right word. I bought prime Hanwoo beef, and a piece the size of my palm cost hundreds of thousands of won. Well... the price went up even more because I secretly bought two extra pieces for myself from the same cut, but that’s my little secret.

“Still, I’ll try to cook something nice,” I said.

Yoon Taeo didn’t respond. To anyone else, it might have looked like he was pissed off, but actually, this was his way of being in a good mood. When Taeo was happy, he kept his mouth shut. When he was in a foul mood, he’d make snide, passive-aggressive remarks in that annoying voice of his.

“Put the bags in my car and go home.”

“...I can drive you, sir.”

“No need.”

“Then, should I follow behind?”

“Why?”

“Well, um...”

Why the hell are you looking at me, you bastard? Kang Seokho looked right at me after hearing Taeo tell him to go home. His lips mouthed, “What now?” as if I had all the answers.

“To keep Chief Baek from running away again...”

You...! This bastard! Why the hell is he bringing up old shit I was just starting to forget? And it wasn’t running away; he keeps calling it running away. His expression was full of fake concern, but everything about him screamed he was doing this on purpose. Was he taking revenge for being used as a shopping cart pusher earlier?

“You saying you’re better than me or something?”

Looks like Seokho picked the wrong target to mess with today.

“So if I’m the one watching him, he escapes, but if you’re the one watching him, he won’t?”

“CEO, sir! N-no, that’s not what I meant... I was just....”

There it is. When Yoon Taeo is pissed off, his mouth runs off like a faucet, spewing one biting remark after another without pause. And every word that comes out is like a punch to the gut, making it impossible to respond. I know this better than anyone. It makes you want to cry and beg to just be sent home.

“If you know him so well, why’d you let him get away in the first place?”

No... No! I feel like my eyes are about to pop out of my head from sheer frustration, but I keep my mouth shut. If I say anything here, I’ll just get dragged down with Seokho.

“I’ll go load the stuff in the car. You two talk.”

I slipped away, pretending to be diligently following orders. I put the shopping bags in the backseat of Taeo’s SUV and climbed into the passenger seat, fastening the seatbelt. When I closed the car door, I made sure to slam it with an extra loud bang. It was my way of saying, “I’m not running away!” The surrounding people gave me odd looks, but I didn’t care. As long as my message got through to Taeo.

Yoon Taeo left Seokho standing there and approached the car. Just when I thought we were finally about to leave, he opened the door, started the engine, fiddled with something, and then closed the door again.

Since the car was soundproofed, I couldn’t hear anything they were saying. But judging from Seokho’s flushed face and the way his eyes looked glassy with unshed tears, I could guess the gist of the conversation. Then, Seokho bowed deeply, almost to the point of hitting his head on the ground, and hurried off like he was escaping.

...Why do I suddenly feel so sleepy...?

“Haa... Why is everyone acting up these days?”

“M-me...?”

The sleepiness that had just washed over me evaporated the moment Taeo opened the car door. It wasn’t because of his sarcastic tone but because the cold wind that rushed in was like a slap to the face. Only now did I realize how warm and cozy the car’s interior and heated seat had been.

“So you do know you’re disobeying me, huh?”

“Yes... no...? But I swear, I wasn’t trying to run away...!”

“That’s something we’ll figure out once the investigation’s over. But if it turns out that even a single detail doesn’t match what you said... you’d better look forward to it.”

...Would it be possible to yank a steering wheel right out of its socket? Judging by the bulging veins on the back of Taeo’s hand as he gripped the wheel, he was holding it pretty damn tight. And knowing him, I wouldn’t be surprised if he actually could pull it right out. All because that bastard Seokho had to go and open his big mouth, bringing up stuff we’d all already moved past.

“I’ll say it again, I have no reason to run away....”

“A reason, huh.”

Yoon Taeo drove smoothly. Maybe it was because the car was a luxury vehicle, or maybe he was just that good of a driver, but even when going over speed bumps or taking sharp turns, it felt seamless. Honestly, he drove better than most chauffeurs.

Wait a second... Why did he come alone without his driver?

“Right? It’s not like I did anything wrong like the Team 2 Leader, and besides, if I did run away and got caught, you’d rip my head off. So why would I even bother trying?”

It was a lie, but I said it anyway. Who wouldn’t want to run away in a work environment where you never know when your head’s going to roll? I definitely had dreams of escaping, but I wasn’t dumb enough to say that out loud.

“A head, huh... I’ve never actually ripped one off before, but if things keep going this way, Secretary Baek might be the first.”

“...Secretary Baek...?”

“The best way to avoid that is to make sure it never comes to that in the first place.”

While talking to me, Yoon Taeo started a call. A second later, the car’s speakers crackled, and Kang Seokho’s voice filled the air.

“Clean out Baek Sieon’s place.”

“CEO!”

What the hell ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) is he saying right now? Why my apartment?

“Burn everything. It’s all an eyesore.”

Seokho didn’t even ask why. He just said, “Understood,” and the call ended right there.

“M-my apartment...?”

“There wasn’t anything worth keeping in there anyway.”

“But still...!”

“Or I could burn something else instead.”

His eyes briefly flicked toward me, his fingers drumming on the steering wheel. The look he gave me said it all. He was saying he could burn me instead.

“...My clothes are all still there....”

“If you need anything, I’ll buy you new ones.”

Wait... did he just say he’d buy me new clothes?

“Even so... those were all expensive clothes...! Why do you think my place was such a mess? It’s because I spent all my money on clothes and accessories. I splurge in that area, so they’re all really pricey.”

Yeah, that was a lie. Baek Sieon’s wardrobe was full of no-brand clothes. If you added up the entire closet’s worth of clothes, it wouldn’t even reach a million won. But if Taeo was offering to buy me new stuff, might as well make them expensive, right? Besides, that apartment never really felt like mine anyway. And after going there once, I had no desire to stay there again.

“...This?”

Yoon Taeo flicked at the hoodie I was wearing. Even to me, it was a shabby, threadbare thing. But with a straight face, I said, “Yeah, that one too.” What was he going to do about it? Even cheap-looking clothes could be expensive.

“I can practically hear your brain gears turning from here.”

“No, really... It’s actually really expensive...”

“Hah. Sure, go ahead. Let’s see how much you can really buy.”

I kept the grin that was threatening to spread across my face under control. Just wait. I’m going to be the first person to make you realize even your black card has a limit.

As things unfolded this way, the misunderstanding Taeo was having didn’t seem all that bad after all. No work, just lounging around at home, getting chauffeured to places, eating delicious food, and now being able to buy whatever I wanted... Wouldn’t that be a pretty sweet life?

❖ ❖ ❖

“Sir, dinner is ready.”

“Didn’t you send the chef away for this?”

I had made dinner myself. Apparently, Taeo had brought in a chef earlier. The lunch I ate had been made by that chef.

“With me here, why bother?”

After spending the whole day doing nothing, I felt like I should at least do something. And besides, I wanted to look good in Taeo’s eyes, so I decided to cook. It wasn’t like it was hard—it was something I’d done before.

“...What is this?”

“It’s Hanwoo skirt steak...”

I cooked it the way Taeo liked it—crispy on the outside, with just a faint hint of blood on the inside. It was what he liked, damn it. He picked it out himself earlier, so why is he acting so annoyed?

“Why does it look like there’s only one serving? There are two mouths to feed here.”

“Oh... Well, you usually eat dinner alone, so...”

I hadn’t expected to share a meal with him again, so I only prepared one serving. I even poured a single glass of red wine and served it with the meat.

“Secretary Baek’s portion must be in there somewhere, right?”

...No, please... no!

“Sir, wait! Just a moment! You can’t just go in there like that! There’s a fire, knives, it’s dangerous...!”

I grabbed onto Taeo’s arm, but there was no stopping him. He strode right into the kitchen without a second thought.

“Hah. Of course.”

“...I wasn’t feeling well, so...”

I want to die.

“There’s even sauce. What’s this?”

“Should I swap it for yours...?”

I was caught. Taeo’s portion was a modest, single serving, while mine was nearly three times that amount. I was too lazy to slice it into portions, so I chopped it up and stir-fried it with some vegetables. Now, the heap of meat piled up like a mountain on the plate looked utterly embarrassing.

“Bring a glass of wine out. Let’s eat together.”

Taeo picked up my plate and carried it to the dining table. Following his orders, I brought the wine and a fork and sat down across from him.

“But... your meat is of the highest quality, sir. Mine’s more like... leftovers, you could say.”

“What kind of meat has that many leftovers?”

Not buying it, huh.

“L-let’s eat together.”

Now that I was caught, I decided to just share a bit. I picked up a piece of my meat with the fork and placed it on Taeo’s plate. But I knew he wouldn’t like it. Unlike him, I didn’t like my meat rare, so I had cooked it all the way through.

“Not bad. Give me more.” freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

“...Really...?”

You bastard. He’s definitely doing this on purpose. They say the grass is always greener on the other side, right? I guess my food must look bigger and tastier than his. It’s always the ones who already have plenty who are the greediest. This won’t do. I have to finish it all before he takes more.

“But.”

“...Yes?”

“Didn’t you say you had gastritis? What kind of gastritis patient eats over a kilo of beef?”

Ah, right. I did say that, didn’t I? But it was already too late. My plate was empty, and the wine glass was drained.

“I guess... you could call it a miracle...? Being around you must have cured me, sir.”

Yeah. Just say whatever at this point.