Born to Be a Secretary

“Good morning.”
As Heewon stepped into the office with a formal greeting, the stunned faces of the secretaries came into view first. Since he had expected such a reaction, he smiled gently.
“Director!”

“What’s going on? What’s happened!”
“Are you really back?”
The secretary room was literally turned upside down. Without skipping a single greeting, they all rushed to grab both of Heewon’s arms and clung tightly. So touched were they that his own secretary’s eyes were even brimming with tears.

“I’m only here briefly. To hand over the duties.”
“No way! You’re not leaving again! Stay here and roll with us for life!”
His secretary wrapped around Heewon’s waist and clung on tightly. This wasn’t a joke—they really wouldn’t let him go.

“Cut it out, will you? There’s no time to be doing this.”
Heewon poked the forehead of his secretary, who clung on like a leech. Jokingly complaining that his waist would break, his secretary let out a sad whine and finally let go.
Heewon naturally returned to his seat. Although about three weeks had passed since leaving the company, the desk was exactly the same as before. As if they expected Heewon to come back any moment, not a single Post-it stuck to the monitor had been thrown away.

Looking around his desk, a flood of memories surged. Heewon smiled faintly, leaning on the edge of the desk. He’d indulge in sentimentality later. For now, urgent tasks came first.
Raising his smooth face, he addressed the secretaries who all looked at him with unwavering attention.
“Let’s have one-on-one meetings. Who should I start with?”

Except for Heewon, there were four secretaries in total. It seemed they had divided their parts to assist Executive Director Kwon.
Secretary Ji handled the morning commute, Secretary Song took care of guest hospitality and Kwon’s schedule, and the most senior secretary managed external events and overall support. Even a recently hired newcomer was entrusted with document management. Admirable.
Knowing that these well-trained talents diligently fulfilled their respective roles, Heewon felt genuinely proud.

“Secretary Ji, any special issues?”
“Hmm… it seems he’s stopped drinking coffee now.”
Heewon paused, lifting his head.
“The Executive Director?”

“Yes. He orders the same from the café you told us about. A short-sized Americano with /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ an extra shot. But he hasn’t been drinking it.”
That couldn’t be. Executive Director Kwon always started his day with coffee. No exceptions.
“And anything else?”

“He’s been feeling the heat more lately. Whenever he gets in the car, he always opens the window.”
“……”
Heewon rested his chin and silently observed Ji Seung-hyun. What could be the reason? He constantly pondered, trying to find the cause.

Then suddenly, an alien scent reached his nose. Since his traits had changed, his sense of smell had sharpened, allowing him to notice others’ odors more keenly.
Heewon pulled Secretary Ji’s hand and brought it to his wrist. As he inhaled, a faint scent was detected. Ah, this is it.
“Not perfume, right? Could it be body lotion?”

“Huh? Ah… yes. It’s from a perfume brand.”
“The Executive Director doesn’t like artificial scents much. Especially musk types—he dislikes them because they give him headaches. The lotion’s scent itself isn’t strong, but the car is a closed space, so it seems to bother him…”
Secretary Ji seemed to have a sudden realization, her mouth slightly open. Heewon smiled and lowered his gaze, jotting down notes.

“That’s not to say he shouldn’t use body lotion. Just better if it’s something less scented.”
“Yes!”
Still, given his sensitive nature, he didn’t get irritated and simply opened the window. He’s gotten quite fragile, Executive Director Kwon.

He must also know how hard the secretaries are working and how competent they are. It was obvious Kwon was enduring a lot too.
If they keep adjusting like this, the moment they sync well will come. Heewon swallowed his smile and continued taking notes.
After finishing interviews with Secretary Song and the newcomer, the secretaries each voiced their difficulties, and Heewon offered fitting advice. Change is always difficult. They had to get through this process safely, and that was Heewon Kim’s role.

As he wrapped up the conversation with the newcomer, footsteps sounded outside. Kwon Youngjae, returning from an external schedule, was entering the office.
Heewon stood and buttoned his jacket. He pressed the dangling ID badge gently with his hand and bowed politely. As Kwon’s footsteps halted, their eyes met briefly.
Secretary Lee, who followed behind, widened her eyes like saucers. Her joy and surprise were clear, while Kwon’s expression remained dry as he stared at Heewon.

The long-empty seat had found its owner. Just filling one person had somehow restored a sense of stability to the office atmosphere.
“There’s a meeting right away, right? Let’s prepare.”
Without a word about Heewon’s presence, Kwon gave instructions to Secretary Lee. “Yes, Executive Director,” she answered politely, then gestured to the newcomer. The newcomer awkwardly returned to their seat and started gathering meeting materials.

Kwon’s arrival set the secretary room bustling again. Heewon also sat down and began organizing the scattered documents.
Soon, Secretary Lee came over to Heewon’s desk. Without warning, she spun his chair and grabbed his shoulder blades tightly. Her blazing eyes looked fierce. She was on the verge of letting out harsh words.
“What on earth is this?”

“Calm down, Secretary Lee. You’re about to grab his collar.”
“Do I look like I’m calming down?!”
Still, it was an office, so her voice wasn’t loud. But if her gaze had shape, Heewon might have been torn to shreds. That was how wild and fierce her eyes were.

“Is it true that you became an omega?”
“Yeah.”
“No way? You look the same.”

Secretary Lee shook her head from side to side. How could he be an omega? He was just the same Director Kim. Her thoughts were so plainly written on her face that Heewon couldn’t help but laugh.
“Stop it, it’s distracting.”
“Your skin seems better, but I don’t know if that’s from the trait manifesting or just feeling at ease. I think it’s probably the latter.”

“Then Secretary Lee… hmm, you look pretty worn out.”
Secretary Lee dragged over an empty chair and plopped down with legs apart, bending deeply to claw at her tidy hair. “I’m dying here,” she muttered despairingly.
Heewon shifted sideways and leaned deeply into his chair’s backrest, watching Secretary Lee writhe like a tormented artist. It was time to listen to her complaints.

“How have you been handling things?”
“What’s so hard about it?”
“Feels like my lifespan is shrinking day by day? Like I’m going to wither and die before my term ends?”

“That’s an exaggeration.”
“Executive Director Kwon is the strictest person I’ve ever met. If you make a mistake, he stares you down… I really think I’m going to get arrhythmia.”
“Who was the one who said he had a blessed face? Said just looking at him improved efficiency?”

“Cancel that. He’s the scariest-looking person in the world.”
Secretary Lee held her forehead and waved her hands, looking utterly fed up. It seemed Kwon had been harsh on her.
Heewon thought for a moment, tapping the chair’s armrest. Seeing Secretary Lee working hard to cover for others made him uneasy.

When he gently tapped her shoulder, Secretary Lee raised her disheveled head. Despite her sophisticated appearance, her expression was grim. Heewon nodded toward her.
“Let’s go out. I’ll buy you coffee.”
Carrying coffee from the first-floor café, they moved to the break room. It was a quiet time, and the break room was rather empty. Heewon set an alarm for ten minutes before the meeting’s end and chatted quietly with Secretary Lee.

“It’s tough. Didn’t I get cursed at too? Breaking down was common. You saw it a lot from me.”
“But when Executive Director treats you, there’s trust and tolerance at the base. For us, no mercy.”
Most of the conversation was complaints about Kwon. Why did he pursue perfection so much? Why didn’t he take even a ten-minute break? “Workaholic is a too-nice word. He’s just crazy about work.” Secretary Lee said she was under tension all day, causing her to get circular bald spots on her head, even showing Heewon her patchy hair.

“Why aren’t you hiring an executive secretary?”
Heewon asked the most important question. No matter how competent the secretaries were, dividing parts like this only caused discomfort. Though things ran this way for now, it couldn’t last long.
“The Executive Director hasn’t said anything. We’ve been too busy to look into it.”

“Would you do it, Secretary Lee?”
“Director!”
Secretary Lee shouted almost at the top of her lungs. Heewon quietly pressed down her claw-like hand and calmed her.

“I’m not joking. There’s no one as meticulous as you. Executive Director knows that’s why he keeps you by his side.”
“Can you please say that’s a joke? Can’t you see I’m freaking out?”
“You hate it that much? He’d raise your salary a lot. You know how generous he is with rewards.”

“Ah, no way. I can’t. Not even if I die.”
Still barely holding on, Secretary Lee shook her head vigorously. She was resolute.
Heewon sipped his coffee. Honestly, he was thinking of recommending her as executive secretary, but with such refusal, he was at a loss. Looks like he had to find someone else.

Quietly drinking coffee, he turned his head sideways. Secretary Lee, pouting her lower lip, caught his gaze. Heewon gave her a gentle, friendly smile.
“I’m coming back to work only until the day after tomorrow.”
Secretary Lee balled her fist.

“So, you’re picking a fight now?”
“No, I mean I want to finish all my work before then. I’ll shortlist candidates for the executive secretary. Of course, interviews will be needed, and the most important thing is whether the Executive Director agrees or not… but until then, you’ll have to work hard.”
“……”

“I’m sorry I can’t help more.”
Her pout deepened into a frown, almost on the verge of tears. When she struggled to say thank you, Heewon quietly patted her shoulder.