chapter 36

Ha Min-hyuk and Se-hyeon turned to look at Shin Tae-oh.

"If I had known it would turn out like this..."

Se-hyeon wasn't sure what he wanted to say, but it didn't appeal to Se-hyeon. he just wished Ha Min-hyuk hadn't said anything. However, at that moment, Ha Min-hyuk couldn't help himself and spoke.

"I should have said that I came to meet Assistant Ahn, not CEO Shin Tae-oh."

When Ha Min-hyuk came to meet Shin Tae-oh, there was no prior appointment, so he was turned down. But when he was with Se-hyeon, Shin Tae-oh appeared.

So it felt like I(se-hyeon) could hear Ha Min-hyuk's inner thoughts, saying, "So you're the key."

"I didn't come to see Ha Min-hyuk."

Shin Tae-oh walked past Ha Min-hyuk and approached Se-hyeon.

"Tablet."

"Here it is."

Shin Tae-oh took the tablet and checked the schedule displayed on the screen.

"This is troublesome."

Shin Tae-oh expressed his displeasure to Se-hyeon without giving a second glance to Ha Min-hyuk.

"We have less than thirty minutes until the next meeting. But instead of sitting at your desk during that time, why are you wandering around like this?"

Se-hyeon stared back at Shin Tae-oh. While the CEO's schedule should be followed accordingly, it's different for a secretary. They have to divide and allocate their time. Even if there's a simple meeting scheduled, they need to assess the meeting room's condition and review the materials. That way, they can answer Shin Tae-oh's questions smoothly and without hesitation.

There are numerous busy moments in unseen places. Even as a senior secretary, Se-hyeon rarely had time to sit at his desk. he might have even left a duster on one side, for all he knew.

"Did the chief secretary ask you to do this?"

"Well... yes."

"Tsk."

Jin-ho(chief secretary) and Se-hyeon were just working as usual, but Shin Tae-oh seemed dissatisfied.

Tae-oh, do you happen to know? You're just blocking me and wasting time in front of me.

"This..."

Shin Tae-oh lifted the coffee he had placed on one side and offered it to Se-hyeon.

"What's this?"

"Coffee that I bought for all the members of the secretary's office."

"Ah..."

Se-hyeon, who thought it was only for Shin Tae-oh, nodded as he took the coffee.

"The chief of the secretary's office told me not to leave the coffee on your desk. He said it would get cold by the time you finally sat down, considering how you're constantly on the move."

So that's why he brought it like this?

"Well, since I happened to have some free time, I said I would bring it."

Shin Tae-oh awkwardly mumbled the reason for bringing the coffee. And as if signaling that his business was done, he ignored Ha Min-hyuk and attempted to leave his seat.

"I'm sorry, but please spare me a little of that free time."

Ha Min-hyuk grabbed Shin Tae-oh's arm as he tried to leave.

"I won't hold you for long."

Shin Tae-oh turned his body towards Ha Min-hyuk.

"Otherwise, should I have a conversation with the assistant alone? Is that okay?"

"Using such shallow tactics won't work on me."

Shin Tae-oh scoffed at Ha Min-hyuk as if it was out of the question. It seemed like he thought I would be concerned about him having a conversation with Se-hyeon alone.

"But still, I'm curious because Ha Min-hyuk seems so eager for me."

Shin Tae-oh chuckled and gestured towards his office to Ha Min-hyuk. As he willingly entered the office and Shin Tae-oh followed, Se-hyeon was left standing alone in the hallway.

Shallow tactics...

Who would be swayed by them?

***

After listening to the reason Ha Min-hyuk came for, Shin Tae-oh sent a serious gaze.

"So, you're suggesting that we form a consortium together?"

"Yes, I would like us to participate in the bidding together."

The project Ha Min-hyuk was assigned to involve forming a consortium to bid for the construction of a large apartment complex. And Ha Min-hyuk proposed that consortium to SR Construction. It was a flow that perfectly matched the original.

Shin Tae-oh tapped his fingers while crossing his arms. Se-hyeon stood silently behind Shin Tae-oh. he heard everything, but he had no visible reaction to show.

When multiple construction companies form a consortium to build a large complex, they can later combine their brands and choose a name or come up with a new one. If the complex is well-built, it could quickly become a landmark.

Recently, consortiums have been actively formed. There were many advantages to multiple companies collaborating on a single complex. Firstly, the burden was reduced as the workload was shared. Even if one party couldn't proceed with the construction, the other party could continue. And that wasn't the only advantage. They could openly compare the apartments they built, which motivated them to build better.

"It sounds great, but..."

Ha Jin-seong is the problem. He would obstruct Ha Min-hyuk, and ultimately the burden would fall on Shin Tae-oh

regarding the large complex.

In any case, Shin Tae-oh would reject Ha Min-hyuk's proposal. Honestly, from the

perspective of SR Construction, there were plenty of other options to collaborate with, not just Ha Min-hyuk.

Regardless, the rejection was Shin Tae-oh's responsibility, so Se-hyeon quietly raised his tablet. he checked the shared schedule with the Chief Secretary's Office to ensure there were no disruptions in the upcoming agenda.

"Has it been discussed within the company?"

"Yes. If President Shin Tae-oh agrees to join us, we will proceed immediately."

Ha Min-hyuk came off more resolute than expected. If it wasn't part of his plan from the beginning to build the large complex with SR Construction, his reaction would have been hard to fathom.

"Let me think about it."

Shin Tae-oh didn't immediately come to a conclusion. He didn't outright refuse, but Se-hyeon casually summarized the contents.

He'll probably reject it next time. So, as he calmly looked over the empty schedule, he lifted his head and realized that Ha Min-hyuk had already opened the office door.

Se-hyeon hadn't noticed him moving. In a belated attempt to follow, he turned his head and locked eyes with Ha Min-hyuk.

Ha Min-hyuk exchanged a seemingly "see you later" gaze. With that, the reason to follow him vanished.

"I hope he just disappears obediently..."

Those were Shin Tae-oh's words as he looked at Ha Min-hyuk. What did he want to say by saying that?

"Should I catch all the employees who are dating within the company?"

Ha Min-hyuk is an outsider. So, it's definitely not about employees dating within the company... No, don't think strange thoughts.

"Secretary Ahn, who doesn't even have a partner, should leave early."

Why bring up having a partner?

"Understood."

Indeed, when the main character is engaged in something, the extra characters shouldn't meddle.

***

Se-hyeon, who came to the hospital, alternated between awkwardly avoiding eye contact with his parents.

"They said it's a ligament sprain."

Looking at his father's grimace, Se-hyeon spoke up. With that level of swelling, it's at least a minor fracture.

"Just a small bump?"

Earlier, the nurse had mentioned that it was a major surgery that took sixteen hours.

To describe such a significant surgery as just a bump...

"I didn't want you to worry."

I told you not to say anything at all."

"Well, what else could I do? We can't let the hospital bills pile up." His mother makes excuses, his father blames him for that, and his mother gets angry at his

father, saying it couldn't be helped.

"Sigh..."

Both of them flinched at his involuntary sigh.

"I've told you multiple times that it hurts when you exclude me like that."

Se-hyeon approached them and gave them a hug. Since becoming Ahn Se-hyeon, they were the first family he had gained in his entire life. It was awkward at first, but he quickly embraced their love.

Now he felt that he had to take responsibility for both of them. That's why he became Shin Tae-oh's secretary, using the knowledge from the original work to guide his actions.

"Weren't you scared?"

In response to Se-hyeon's question, his mother was the first to shed tears.

"Don't say that. I thought I would never see this person again."

"Cough. You told me not to be dramatic, saying it's not a serious illness at times."

His father awkwardly turned his head under his mother's stern gaze. Although their financial situation wasn't great, they were parents with beautiful hearts towards each other.

"But is it okay for you to come down like this?"

"It's fine. I took some days off."

Se-hyeon didn't know that the surgery was so significant, but since they were hospitalized, he took the time to come. It was a vacation day he had saved up, only using it according to the heat cycle schedule, but it wasn't important in front of his parents.

"Someone who doesn't have time... You should have just rested at home."

"Yes, that's right. I should have come down one day earlier. Then we could have rested together here."

As Se-hyeon expressed his frustration at not being able to come earlier, his parents felt sorry but also happy to see him after a long time.

"Are you feeling okay? When will you be discharged?.… Wait a moment..."

Just as Se-hyeon was about to ask about his condition, he took out his ringing phone from his pocket. It was a call from Shin Tae-oh.

After confirming his boss's name, Se-hyeon told his parents that he would only make one phone call.

"Hello?"

- Where are you? I'm already in front of Secretary Ahn's house. Can I see you for a moment?

I have something to give you.

"I'm not in Seoul right now."

He held the phone close to his mouth and covered it with his hand. Knowing that his parents were curious about who was on the other line, he turned his body away.

-You're not in Seoul?

"Yes."

Se-hyeon knew that he had to work regardless of the weekend. However, this weekend was different as there were no specific scheduled tasks, and he had already mentioned that he would be away. Therefore, the Chief Secretary wouldn't have called him.

Even if he tried to contact the Chief Secretary, he had to end the call with Shin Tae-oh. So he tried to explain the situation again, but Shin Tae-oh's question came first.

-Where are you?

"Yes?"

In that instant, Se-hyeon looked around at his surroundings. He noticed people wearing hospital gowns here and there.

"I'm at the hospital."

-Shit...

The call ended.

Se-hyeon lowered his phone.

What was that curse just now?