Secretary Gwanggong's Survival Diary-Chapter 36

“...So, the CEO’s rut will be held at the villa in Yeonju. Team 2 will handle the preparations....”

I’m so damn annoyed. While briefing the team on the preparations for Yoon Taeo’s rut cycle, all eyes were glued to me. More accurately, to my... chest. The childish, sloppy name tag that looked like it was made by a kindergarten kid. The one that Yoon Taeo himself crafted for me.

This morning, on my way to work, I had attempted a timid act of rebellion.

“Name tag.”

“Sir... but I already have my employee ID. It has my name on it too, even though the text is tiny....”

“Oh, so you’re saying the necklace style would be better?”

When Yoon Taeo’s eyes started rolling around like a madman, I thought to myself — if I nodded just once at that moment, he might’ve slapped a collar on me with my name dangling from it like some mutt named ‘Bbo Bbi’ or ‘Whitey.’

So, instead, I had no choice but to quietly take the name tag out of my pocket and clip it on. And because of that, throughout the entire meeting, the team members kept sneaking glances at my chest, trying not to burst into laughter. How is this any different from public humiliation? Hell, maybe I should just make everyone here wear a name tag too.

Beep.

Before the meeting even ended, the call button on the table in front of Yoon Taeo lit up.

“Then, Security Team, coordinate the security plans, and make sure the checklist of all necessary items at the villa is complete. We’ll need enough for a minimum of three days, maximum of seven.”

The meeting wrapped up hastily, and I rushed to answer the call. Why the hell do I never get a break?

“You called for me.”

“I hear my rut’s coming up soon.”

“Huh? Oh... Yes. It comes around regularly every three months, so it should be any day now.”

“...Really?”

Sitting at his desk, Yoon Taeo wore a vague expression, tapping his fingers against the tabletop in a slow, rhythmic pattern. He looked like he was deep in thought.

“This time, prepare a lot of the meds.”

“...Sedatives?”

Sedatives to suppress an Alpha’s rut cycle were rarer than people thought. Of course, for someone like Yoon Taeo, getting them wasn’t a problem. But the effectiveness of those sedatives wasn’t all that great. No matter how much you took, it was almost impossible to suppress the cycle entirely.

“Sir, you’re a dominant Alpha, so even if you take a ton, it won’t completely suppress it....”

“But the more I take, the more it’ll be suppressed, right?”

“...Why...?”

I wanted to ask what the point was, but I bit my tongue. I couldn’t fully grasp his intentions, but I could guess.

“I understand. I’ll inform the attending physician.”

After a brief bow, I left the office.

...Yoon Taeo is planning to go through this rut cycle without a Beta. Even though it’s going to be excruciatingly painful.

❖ ❖ ❖

“Team Leader, I want to transfer to another team.”

Since when did society develop this much? He looks like a person, but he talks like a robot. Like some glitching AI or a second-rate actor performing a bad line reading.

“Chick— I mean, Gyuil. Did the CEO say something to you yesterday?”

“No! N-No, sir! The CEO didn’t say anything to me....”

He definitely did. What the hell did he say to make the chick want to transfer teams while giving me such a pathetic performance?

“What did he say? Did he threaten to toss you in a cement block and dump you in the Incheon sea?”

“Huh...?”

“Or did he say he’d rip your head off and throw it in a trash bag?”

“W-Why would he say something so violent...?”

Ah, so it wasn’t that. Judging by the chick’s look of disgust as if he were staring at literal garbage, that guess was off the mark.

“Anyway, there’s no such thing as a team transfer in our secretary team.”

“But....”

“Ours is the only team in the company with a zero percent turnover rate. So, no, not happening.”

“That can’t be....”

The chick’s expression looked as if the world had just crumbled around him, like he’d heard the most unbelievable news of his life.

“I don’t know what the CEO said to you, but you’re working with me anyway, so don’t worry too much. I’ll make sure you don’t have to run into the CEO as much as possible. I really like you, Gyuil. You’re a good kid.”

I grabbed his hand, squeezing it gently, and put on my most sympathetic expression. Sorry, but I have no intention of letting you go. At least, not until the casino permit is secured. You’re stuck with me until I can claim that massive accomplishment as my own.

“...Yes, Team Leader.”

“Good. Now go on and get to work. Take it easy, alright?”

This is practically a daycare at this point. I patted the chick’s arm a few times like he was a little kid throwing a tantrum because he didn’t want to work, then sent him off and returned to my duties.

I opened the status board that each secretary team updates for the rut cycle preparations. Drawing on my experience managing Yoon Taeo’s residence, I was going to ensure that the villa was as optimal a setting as possible for the upcoming rut.

Once he enters the villa, no one would be able to enter or leave for at least three days. For that duration, Yoon Taeo would be trapped in there, fighting through the overwhelming instincts that would consume him. And it would be... agonizing.

...Agonizing? Why? I couldn’t understand why a pang of pity suddenly surged up inside me. It was Yoon Taeo who would be going through the rut cycle, not me. Why the hell was I feeling sorry for him?

“Team Leader, I’ve updated the Beta list. As you requested, I added Kang Haewoon as well.”

“...Huh? Oh, thanks.”

I snapped back to reality, eyes scanning over the Beta list. If it wasn’t a Beta that Yoon Taeo had personally chosen, he wouldn’t go through the rut cycle with them. But just in case, preparations had to be made. If the rut cycle was too intense for just sedatives, a Beta would be necessary.

“Kang Haewoon, huh....”

If I remember correctly, in the original story, this was around the time Han Yejun exited the scene. Before his rut cycle began, Yoon Taeo chose his old flame, Lee Jiseok, instead. Consumed by desperation and madness, he practically imprisoned the Beta to get through the rut. And, unsurprisingly, the Beta fled the moment he got the chance.

But now, with the plot derailed, Yoon Taeo was preparing to go through this rut alone.

“Contact Kang Haewoon first. Feel him out, and tell him we’re willing to meet his conditions.”

It might really come down to that. Looking at the list, Kang Haewoon was the only one who seemed remotely viable. The rest were far from being Yoon Taeo’s type.

I gave the order, but something about it felt wrong. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but it left a bad taste in my mouth.

❖ ❖ ❖

“Team Leader, I brought coffee!”

The chick’s cheeks were slightly flushed, his breathing uneven, like he’d run here. But he was smiling.

“You didn’t have to... Why’d you go and buy coffee?”

“We didn’t get to have lunch together, so let’s at least have coffee, okay?”

I’d had to shadow Yoon Taeo for lunch. People in high positions didn’t seem to like handling work matters after hours, so they often conducted business discussions over lunch. At first, I thought I’d have to starve during those meals, but I soon realized that while they chatted away, I could scarf down my food in record time.

Of course, other secretaries would look at me like I was some kind of barbarian for that. But who cares? What’s more important than my stomach? Besides, I was charging it all to the company card anyway.

“Yeah, sure. Let’s take a little break.”

The chick... no, at this point, he was starting to look more like a puppy. A big-breed puppy that wagged its tail while trailing behind you. With the oversized puppy following me, I headed to the break room. Our secretary office was well-compensated for our grueling work environment, to the point that we even had a break room exclusively for the secretary team.

“Actually, I was thinking of not coming to work today... and just... quitting.”

“...Cough! W-What...?”

I choked on the coffee I’d just sucked through the straw. It was that shocking of a statement.

“I don’t think being a secretary suits me... No, actually, I don’t think office life in general suits me....”

Yeah, I knew that. The chick was not cut out for corporate life. Maybe it was due to his character setting, but he made an unusual number of small mistakes. Add to that the kind of service-industry demeanor required to manage schedules and keep track of everything, and he was pretty much a terrible fit for the secretary role. In the original story, he had confessed these concerns to the main Beta protagonist.

“There’s no one who’s perfect from the start. Gyuil, you’re doing just fine right now. Honestly, when I was a newbie, I was way worse than you.”

Ah... damn it. Why are these lies coming out so easily? And that line... wasn’t that what the Beta protagonist said in the original story? Well, too late now. Those words are now mine — Baek Sieon’s.

“Team Leader....” ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

The chick’s eyes glistened with emotion. He looked like he was about to cry. Maybe, just maybe, I’d be able to slip in a little casino permit talk soon. This was going to be easier than I thought.

“I’m so glad you’re here, Team Leader....”

But... it seemed like he was getting a bit too emotional. He pulled his hand from my grip, only to clasp both of my hands tightly in his. His large hands gripped mine with more strength than expected.

“...Especially since we’re... on the same page....”

His thumbs started to stroke the backs of my hands, slowly, over and over. Wait, same page? Same... what?

“It’s such a relief, right?”

The chick smiled bashfully, his cheeks tinged pink. What the hell was so relieving? And why was he... blushing...?

“So, for dinner tonight...”

I always thought I was pretty sharp. Quick to catch on, good at reading between the lines. But right now, I couldn’t understand a single word of what the chick was saying. He was still holding onto my hands, looking like he was ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) about to confess something, when—

“Since when did this company turn into a dating service?”

A sharp, cutting voice sliced through the air, chillingly cold.

A dark shadow moved swiftly, closing in on us. Then it came to a stop directly behind the chick.

“Hands. Off.”

Correction... Yoon Taeo’s massive hand had gripped the chick’s head. He was holding Wonk Gyuil’s skull like a basketball, fingers splayed wide, his large hand completely enveloping it.