People were simpler animals than expected. Sotis, when taking action, one doesn’t always act with a clear purpose or motivation. Think about it. If you were about to be hit by a car, would you be able to decide whether to dodge right or left? Your body would just move instinctively, trying to avoid the danger.
It could also be that the clumsy mind hasn’t yet realized the right course of action. Unfortunately, in my case, I could say I am both the forr and the latter.
“Team Leader Baek.”
“What?”
“What, what?”
“Why... did you call, Team Leader Kang?”
When I responded sharply to Kang Seokho’s call, his expression imdiately turned cold. These Alpha bastards, why are they all like this? I was just trying to sit quietly and calm my troubled mind, but this was no help.
“Your eyes have been strange lately? I’ve seen that look before...”
“Haz... May...!”
Even when sothing could be resolved with words, he always tries to handle it with force. Just look at how he pulls my cheeks, as if he's about to tear them off with his rough hands. The intensity of the pain makes it feel like they might have been ripped off. And after he let go, there was no sensation in my cheeks, so it's definitely true.
“Ah, shit... What is it now?!”
“Your expression now looks similar to the one you had last ti.”
Kang Seokho, pulling his face closer, spoke in a way I imdiately understood. This bastard, it seems like he’s bringing up the escape story {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} again.
“I have no intention of doing that, and it was completely a misunderstanding back then, wasn’t it? Who are you trying to accuse of trying to kill soone with such talk?”
“Looking at your face, it doesn’t seem much different from last ti.”
Well... it might be similar. The weight of the emotions is worlds apart, but both tis, the starting point was Yoon Taeo. Maybe I’ve harbored feelings for him since then. If not, I wouldn’t have paid attention to every word he said.
“...I have no intention of doing that.”
“Alright. If you stir up trouble and try to run away, I won’t let it slide.”
“Excuse ...?”
Kang Seokho wrapped his arm around my neck and turned toward the café. I didn’t want to follow him, but every ti my pace slowed, his rough hand tightened around my neck, forcing to walk faster.
“If anything goes wrong, I’ll have to sell you to save myself, right? So, stay quietly with until this is completely finished. Don’t forget, I’m always watching.”
...This bastard. So that’s what our “friendship” was worth. Sweet when convenient, spit out when sour. Still, I guess I understand how much Kang Seokho cares about , just from the fact that he lied to Yoon Taeo. After all, it’s a sign that one of Yoon Taeo’s loyal dogs deceived his master.
“By the way, if you spill it, I won’t be the only one to die, you know?”
“...What?”
Don’t forget, Seokho.
“We lied together, so you think I’ll be the only one to die?”
We’re already bound together, as if sharing one life.
“Are you threatening ?”
“Yes. So, keep the secret well.”
I never plan on dying alone.
At least, talking to Kang Seokho lifted my spirits slightly. It might be anger rising from conversing with this fool, but either way.
“You two look like you’re getting along well, Team Leaders?”
On our way back to the temporary office after grabbing coffee, a familiar voice called us to a stop.
“What brings you here?”
Looking at the general secretary’s unpleasant smile, Kang Seokho couldn’t hide his displeasure. I felt the sa. It was uncomfortable seeing soone excluded from work so blatantly showing up.
“I heard the CEO almost had a big problem. How could I not co?”
“......”
“So, being the general secretary is not a job for just anyone, Team Leader Baek.”
I had thought sothing like this might happen. Though it ca suddenly, the fact remains that the CEO’s rut cycle wasn’t handled smoothly. Soone had to be held responsible. But...
“That’s a matter for the CEO to decide.”
Was he implying I had the authority to decide? Despite my comnt, the general secretary didn’t lose his usual calm deanor and spoke.
“I’ve heard an interesting rumor.”
Though no important words had been spoken yet, sothing about this didn’t feel right. His calm expression, as though he knew everything, always bothered , but today it felt even worse.
“The CEO seems to think soone entered the rut location...?”
“That...!”
“It seems to be true, then. I only heard rumors.”
Ah, this fool. The general secretary had made a half-hearted comnt, but Kang Seokho quickly confird it as true. Looking at the old man’s smirk, it seed like he was fishing for information.
“The CEO was mistaken. No one entered the rut location.”
I tried to speak up quickly, but the general secretary didn’t seem to have any intention of believing .
“Well... I suppose we’ll find out when we check. Well then.”
The general secretary’s footsteps grew faster as he walked away. His elevated mood was evident in his gait.
“...What do we do now...?”
“What’s the problem? If the CEO doesn’t rember, we just deny it.”
“Do you think it’ll be okay...? I get uneasy when I’m tangled up with that old man...”
I felt the sa. The unpleasant mory of nearly having my Oga status exposed resurfaced, making feel even more uneasy. Strangely enough, this old man felt more botherso than Yoon Taeo. We couldn’t afford to stay idle, so we quickly moved toward the temporary office, but the situation had already unfolded.
❖ ❖ ❖
“Ha... What’s going on now, General Secretary?”
Yoon Taeo rested for only a day before returning to work. Considering his condition, it didn’t seem like he really needed the rest. His face, which had been in good condition after his rut, now twisted because of the general secretary. The old man had called in a bunch of secretaries, creating a noisy atmosphere.
“I was so worried when I heard the CEO was in danger during the rut.”
“Thanks to that, I’m perfectly fine now.”
“It’s not sothing that can be brushed off so easily, CEO.”
“Are you complaining about being fine now?”
Despite Yoon Taeo’s sharp tone, the general secretary didn’t lose his smile. I had thought we had removed most of the general secretary’s influence when we dealt with the Oga hunt, but this slippery old man still seed to have his fingers in the office politics. He had even co to Jeju Island as soon as the rut started.
“Well, that part is a relief, but...”
The sharp eyes of the old man scanned .
“I don’t think this can just be overlooked. Handling the CEO’s health issue like that? That’s sothing that wouldn’t have happened when I was the general secretary.”
I wanted to argue that the rut cycle had been disrupted, but I stayed quiet. Speaking up wouldn’t help. The other secretaries just looked like they hoped the bla wouldn’t fall on them. In fact, it was strange that there would be no consequences for such an ‘accident.’
“So, does that an you think so punishnt is necessary?”
Instead of the silent secretaries, it was Yoon Taeo who asked. I didn’t know what he was thinking, but his tone wasn’t friendly either. He lit a cigarette as he spoke.
“Well... That’s up to the CEO to decide, isn’t it?”
An unexpected answer. I had expected him to single out for punishnt. But from what he said next, it seed like he had a different intention.
“However, I think it’s ti to return everything to its proper place. I feel a bit embarrassed saying this myself.”
“Ha.”
A short laugh escaped from Yoon Taeo’s mouth along with a puff of white smoke from his cigarette. In the end, the conversation was about his reinstatent.
“If it weren’t for this ti, CEO, it could have been a huge problem.”
I thought we were just talking about my work, but sothing about the conversation felt off. The others seed confused by what the general secretary was saying.
“I feel like I have to ntion this, but when the CEO was in danger, I had no choice but to step in.”
“General Secretary, what are you saying...?”
Apart from Yoon Taeo, I was the only one who could speak up. I was just as confused, but I hid my feelings and spoke up. The old man’s snake-like gaze locked onto , and his eyes narrowed.
“This is why I need to co back. If you don’t know that a Beta entered the rut location, it’s a problem, Team Leader Baek.”
“A Beta... what?”
“If it weren’t for this person, we would have been in real trouble.”
The general secretary raised his left hand. As if on cue, the door opened, and soone walked in.
“Hyunjin helped a lot.”
Choi Hyunjin, looking bashful, lowered his head and chewed his lips slightly as he walked slowly over to stand next to the general secretary.
“...It’s nothing.”
And he didn’t deny the general secretary’s words.
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