– The VIP and the Beta have started dining.
The voice through the in-ear monitor made my hands rush faster.
“Put that down and go check the table setup in the lounge.”
“Yes, Team Leader.”
I picked the wrong hotel. I tried to choose a place with decent food and a lounge atmosphere, but the suite I hastily booked under Yoon Taeo’s sudden instructions was a disaster. The interior was antique and ornate—completely opposite of Taeo’s taste. The bedding, curtains, and carpets were all decked out in flashy, clashing colors. It didn’t look cheap per se, but if Taeo saw it, he’d probably burn everything on sight.
– It seems they’re not enjoying the al.
“Which one of them?”
And so, after getting the hotel’s permission, I was in the middle of replacing every swappable item with Taeo’s own: curtains, bedding, carpets, towels, even the water glasses and bottled water. I was losing it. I was short-handed and had to prep the entire room myself, and now I hear the carefully arranged al isn’t even to their liking?
– Neither of them is really eating. Plates are being cleared with barely a bite taken, Team Leader.
What went wrong? I’d planned the nu considering both Taeo and Han Yejun’s eating habits. The updates coming in from afar as I observed Taeo weren’t exactly promising.
“Get the lounge ready, quick. Looks like they’ll be heading up sooner than we thought.”
Even as I spoke, my hands moved faster. Luckily, it wasn’t awkward—I did this kind of thing daily at ho anyway. The other team mbers had never handled stuff like this, so I couldn’t trust them with it. I changed the bedding, replaced the towels and hand towels with the ones we used at ho.
“Why the hell is he staying at a hotel when he has two perfectly fine houses?”
I couldn’t understand it. Taeo was unusually tidy and precise in his preferences. He couldn’t sleep in places like hotels, but he hated bringing people to his house even more. So everyone else had to suffer instead.
“Ugh... I’m fucking dying.”
After switching out even the bottled water in the fridge to the exact brand Taeo drinks, the room finally looked acceptable. Not perfect, but at least not offensive enough to make him scowl.
– Team Leader, we’ve got a problem.
Just as I was about to stretch my back, the urgent voice in my ear made my heart pound. It was almost guaranteed bad news.
– They’re not going to the lounge—they’re heading down to the lobby. Looks like they’re going straight to the room.
Fuck. They’re skipping the drinks and atmosphere-building and heading straight to the suite? I did a final check of the room in a rush and headed to the elevator. I hadn’t handed over the room key yet, so it was better if I escorted them.
This hotel had a separate elevator for the top-floor lounge and restaurant. To access guest rooms, you had to go back down to the lobby and transfer to the guest elevator.
“Director, did you enjoy your al? Mr. Yejun, did you eat well too?”
As soon as I stepped into the lobby, Taeo and Han Yejun arrived too. I knew damn well they hadn’t finished their al, but I feigned ignorance with a polite smile.
“Hyung! I didn’t see you, thought you weren’t coming.”
“Ah... I had to take care of sothing separately...”
“Did you eat?”
“...Well...”
Han Yejun greeted like a puppy welcoming its owner ho. He had been standing beside Yoon Taeo, but ran over and chatted cheerfully as soon as he saw . I couldn’t help but be aware of Taeo’s reaction, standing a few steps behind, clearly displeased with a crooked look on his face.
“Didn’t I say you should go ahead?”
“...You told to go first, not that you were coming.”
“Whatever.”
And then, from the way they talked, sothing seed... off. Taeo always had a thorny, cold voice—that wasn’t new. But Han Yejun was matching that energy, answering with a similarly sharp tone. It was like they’d had a fight upstairs or sothing.
“Hyung, isn’t it your quitting ti now? If you haven’t eaten, wanna grab a bite with ?”
“...?”
These two, who were supposed to head up to the suite, were now trading cold words. The mood felt like everything had already gone off the rails. And on top of that, why was Yejun, who just ca from a al, offering to eat with ? His bright eyes waiting for my answer only deepened my confusion.
“I’m almost done, but...”
One thing was certain: whatever reconciliation yesterday’s dinner was supposed to achieve, it had failed. Sothing had gone wrong between the two again. I figured I’d have to let Yejun vent a bit once today’s work wrapped up.
“Too bad. Secretary Kim probably won’t be getting off work early—he’s got sothing to do with .”
“...Huh? ?”
Yoon Taeo, who had been standing behind Yejun, strode up and grabbed my arm.
“Didn’t I tell you to prep a hotel room?”
“That’s done, but I don’t think it’s necessary rig—”
“It is. Right now.”
And just like that, he dragged toward the elevator, spouting nonsense I didn’t understand.
“There’s a car waiting outside the lobby. Get in and go.”
Leaving behind nothing but an order disguised as a suggestion, Taeo let the elevator doors close as Han Yejun stared at us, looking stunned.
“Director...?”
“I’d really appreciate it if you shut your mouth.”
“......”
This was expected. If sothing happened between Taeo and Yejun, it was only natural the fallout would hit . When his Beta wouldn’t listen, Taeo’s wrath usually landed on the nearest bystander. And right now, his mood was so foul it could only be described as the worst. The air was so suffocating and sharp I couldn’t even muster the courage to ask him to let go of my arm—it felt like it was about to snap off.
“...This is the room.”
“Go in.”
I opened the door and held it for him to enter, but Taeo just stood there like he was waiting for to go first. I had no choice but to step inside first and hold the door open. Only then did he finally move.
I followed him into the suite and instantly regretted it.
“What’s with the lighting.”
I’d purposely left one card key in the slot to leave the indirect lights on—romantic, subtle mood lighting. I an... wasn’t it obvious? If they had a nice dinner, ward up over drinks in the lounge, and ca up to the hotel room, it was pretty much guaranteed where it would go. But that plan was dead now. The romantic lighting clashed horribly with the current vibe. Taeo grumbled and turned on all the lights.
Click. The sound of a cigarette lighting felt deafening. Taeo sat on the couch, puffing smoke, staring at like he wanted to skin alive without saying a word.
“...This is a non-smoking room.”
I tried murmuring it to myself, but he didn’t react. Honestly, it was so faint even I barely heard it—maybe he really didn’t.
I’d probably have to bring it up with the hotel later. He probably didn’t even know smoking wasn’t allowed. Not that it would matter in his current state.
His gaze was oppressive. I didn’t know what mistake he was about to point out, so I shut my mouth and stood stiff, hands behind my back, staring at the floor.
“Who prepped this place?”
“...I did.”
“Ha.”
After a long silence, one short question. Then more silence. The smoke was starting to sting my nose too. It felt especially bitter, maybe because Taeo didn’t even usually smoke. I almost wished he’d just explode instead of watching like he wanted to wring my neck.
“Secretary Kim, are you not afraid of anything?”
“...Excuse ?”
“What gave you the nerve to lie to like it’s nothing?”
His words made no sense. I looked up and t his eyes.
“Lie...? What lie?”
There was no change in his expression. Just the slow exhale of thick, white smoke filling the space between us.
“You’re a Beta, so maybe you don’t know—but Alphas are more perceptive than you think.”
Yeah, I knew that. Their animal instincts were sharper than most. They might look similar to Betas on the outside, but they were practically a different species. Heightened senses—sll, sight, touch—that was common knowledge. Unlike Ogas, who were a more recent ergence.
“I’m especially sensitive to slls.”
Fucking bloodhound. Yeah, I knew. That’s why the entire secretary team didn’t wear cologne. Better to go without than risk using sothing he doesn’t like. Still not sure why he’s bringing this up now, though.
“This afternoon, you had a certain sll.”
...Sll?
“And just now, that sll was even stronger on him. Wouldn’t that raise so very reasonable suspicions, Secretary Kim?”
...No way. That’s not even possible...
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