Secretary Gwanggong's Survival Diary-Chapter 23

A cold hand touched the back of my neck.

That’s when I realized it.

I still... hadn’t taken my evening suppressant.

The effect only lasted about twelve hours, so since I’d taken it in the morning, it must be right around the twelve-hour mark by now.

“...That’s... impossible.”

I tried my best ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) to hide the trembling in my voice, but even under normal circumstances, I could barely speak properly when standing in front of the always-sharp Yoon Taeo—let alone while being grabbed by the back of the neck.

“Right. It should be impossible. And that’s why I feel fucking awful, Secretary Kim.”

Yoon Taeo didn’t pull his face away from my neck for a long while, repeatedly inhaling and exhaling.

It felt like the closer the distance, the more I would feel it.

I needed to get up from where I was sitting and put some space between us.

My heart was pounding so wildly, I seriously wondered if I should just kneel and beg him to spare me.

“But you hate Omegas, sir.... There’s not a single one on staff, even.”

“That’s true.”

His brow furrowed, and he set his whiskey glass down on the sofa table.

At least he didn’t come any closer.

Thanks to that brief pause, a thought occurred to me.

“Maybe... it’s just that you’ve been more sensitive lately. Just in case, I’ll double-check the personal relationships of all the secretaries going in and out of the house.”

The doctor told me that if the suppressant had worn off, I should be able to sense the other person’s pheromones too.

Of course, I wasn’t an Alpha with numbers as high as Yoon Taeo’s, but given that I couldn’t sense any Alpha pheromones at all, it probably meant the suppressant hadn’t worn off completely.

“...Yeah. I’d appreciate it if you paid more attention to who gets brought into the house.”

“I will, sir....”

Thank fucking god.

Yoon Taeo didn’t push the suspicion any further.

Maybe it helped that I’d gone on that whole spiel about my “ideal type” the other day—he didn’t seem to suspect that I’d been with another Omega and come back wearing their scent.

“Um... Sir.”

“What.”

He didn’t look like he was planning to drink more.

Instead, he turned to head into the bedroom.

I had to stop him. There was something I needed to confirm before he went.

My heart still felt like it might explode, but this was directly tied to whether I lived or died.

“What should we... do about Han Yejun?”

“What do you mean, what should we do? Set something up for tomorrow. I’ll just see his face for a bit, that’s all.”

Ah...

So he hasn’t completely lost interest in Han Yejun.

If he ever finds out that Yejun has feelings for me instead... that’d be a disaster.

I guess people really don’t change their tastes.

“We’ve got that bet, don’t we? Gotta meet him.”

“...Bet, sir....”

That didn’t sound like an empty comment.

Unlike earlier, when he was pissed about the Omega scent, now he sounded... excited.

“You’ve been working so hard to pair me up with the guy, Secretary Kim. I can’t just ignore that. My expectations are high—very high.”

No. Don’t.

Don’t get your hopes up.

Han Yejun’s not into you, he’s going to shoot you down like you’re a rock in his path.

I swallowed down the words that surged up to my throat and forced a smile instead.

Yoon Taeo disappeared into his room just like that.

The living room left behind felt unusually silent, and my heart beat with an uncomfortable thud. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

It felt like one of those nights—uneasy, for no clear reason.

❖ ❖ ❖

It felt like the calm before a storm.

Han Yejun kept persistently contacting me, and since I couldn’t fully ignore him, I had to play along.

Even though I tried to keep any personal feelings out of it, the politeness that was ingrained in me came out anyway.

After a long meeting, my phone buzzed hard with a long vibration.

Of course, it was Han Yejun.

“Yejun.”

– Hyung, why’ve you been ignoring my messages?

“Ah... sorry. I was in a meeting.”

– Are you really making me meet that CEO guy again today?

I had already told Han Yejun about the meeting earlier today.

Judging from his tone, he clearly wasn’t too thrilled.

How the hell was I supposed to talk him into going to this thing?

Frustration started to bubble up.

“I-It’s just! Just coffee. A quick cup.”

– Haah... seriously.

Han Yejun let out a long sigh, not saying a word.

– Hyung... how can you do this after everything I said to you? I told you, I’m not interested in that CEO guy.

“...What...?”

– If you’re going to be like this, then I don’t have a choice either.

I understood what he meant.

Last night, he’d thrown a completely unexpected confession at me, and it had shaken me.

I’d pretended not to understand, but he clearly believed I had.

– Fine, I’ll go. I’ll settle this today, once and for all.

“Yejun—Yejun!”

Click.

The call ended with a hard snap.

That final line he flung at me...

This was going to blow up.

I rushed over to Yoon Taeo’s office.

No matter what, we had to cancel that meeting.

Every fiber of my being screamed that it was the only way I’d survive this.

“Sir.”

“Yeah.”

“I think we should cancel today’s meeting with Han Yejun....”

“And why’s that.”

“I was thinking maybe we could prioritize the deal with Ara Savings Bank. Other firms are already moving in too.”

I hadn’t even prepared that excuse, but it came pouring out.

Even if Yoon Taeo was an obsessive lunatic when it came to romance, he never neglected work.

I’d use that.

No matter what, I’d drag the bank president to a dinner meeting myself if I had to.

“So you want me to go out there and entertain them?”

“It’s not...! Sir, do you really have time to be entertaining? They’re the ones who should be treating you to dinner. We’re buying them out at a premium—if anything, they should be thanking us. And it’s a solid bank, too... couldn’t hurt to start building rapport.”

Since finance was our company’s main business, the nonsense I was spouting sounded kind of reasonable.

Maybe Taeo thought the same, since he tapped his desk a few times and fell into thought.

“What you’re saying... makes sense, Secretary Kim.”

“Right...?”

Yes!

At the very least, I’d bought some time to talk Yejun down.

“Next time. I don’t really feel like seeing him today anyway. It’s not urgent enough to ditch a prior engagement.”

“...Ah, yes....”

“What’s this? Why do you sound disappointed, Secretary Kim?”

“No! Not at all...!”

I waved my hands in denial.

It wasn’t disappointment—it was pure fucking dread.

But I couldn’t let that show.

“Now I really don’t want to go. Forget it. Tell that bank president to contact our rep directly.”

“...Yes, sir.”

This childish bastard was way too sharp.

The second I showed even the tiniest sign of concern, he bailed on the meeting entirely.

If you’re going to have a shitty personality, at least be bad at reading people.

What a goddamn unfair world.

“Then... I’ll get going.”

“Straighten up your shoulders. They’re about to hit the floor.”

Yeah, that’s exactly how I fucking feel, asshole.

Without making a sound, I muttered fuck, fuck under my breath as I slipped out of his room.

...If Han Yejun so much as runs his mouth the wrong way, my life is over.

Objectively, it’s not even my fault, but knowing Yoon Taeo’s personality, he could easily invent a reason to kill me.

“Didn’t you wag your tail and make him fall for you?”

“Were you seducing him by sticking too close for no reason?”

It’s the perfect excuse to vent his anger over Yejun losing interest.

“Team Leader... we have a problem.”

“Haah, do we even have any problems left at this point?”

From where I’m standing, I doubt anything could be worse than this.

“Well... Lee Jiseok has disappeared.”

“...What?”

“He might’ve caught on to the surveillance. He switched subway lines a few times, then completely vanished.”

“How the hell was the surveillance being done...? Ugh. Which team?”

“Security Team 3... sir.”

“He got past them?”

Unbelievable.

Kang Seokho might come off like a delinquent, but when it came to work, he always delivered with near perfection.

He was Yoon Taeo’s loyal dog, purely because of his skill.

And the team he led was no different—composed entirely of Alphas with superior survival instincts and combat capabilities.

There was a reason for their reputation.

“There’s also... another issue.”

“...Another one.”

The deputy team leader looked like he might drop to his knees right there, face scrunched up and eyes already misting over.

“It’s presumed... that the Beta and Lee Jiseok have already met.”

“...What...?”

I thought nothing could surprise me anymore, but even I couldn’t hide my shock this time.

Han Yejun met Lee Jiseok?

Doesn’t that mean this whole damn thing is screwed?

“Does that make any sense? We moved him secretly, to a place with no personal ties, under 24/7 surveillance—how the hell did they even meet?”

“Well... there was a small lapse in security... Lee Jiseok disguised himself as a delivery guy and got into the apartment.”

“That’s not a small lapse in security. A delivery guy entered the apartment and stayed inside for a while, and no one noticed? Lee Jiseok’s only been out of prison for a day. Just one day. How does surveillance collapse in one day?”

Now that I think about it, maybe Yoon Taeo was right.

Instead of begging to keep the secretary team alive, maybe I should’ve just let them all get kicked out.

Now the burden of “these useless idiots” is fully on me.

I was the one who begged for their lives.

Even if my reasons weren’t exactly noble... still, I didn’t expect to get stabbed in the back like this.

And for Security Team 3 to screw up too...

“Wait... Han Yejun and Lee Jiseok met?”

“Yes...”

“How long were they together?”

“It’s been confirmed they stayed together for about an hour.”

“I see...”

This might... not be entirely bad, depending on how this plays out...

“Alright, I understand. Just focus on preparing the meeting between the VIP and the Beta. Stay sharp about your surroundings. And make absolutely sure you’re not being tailed.”

“Yes! Thank you, Team Leader...!”

The deputy bowed so deep his head nearly hit his knees and disappeared.

He probably assumed I wouldn’t be punishing him.

Punishment?

If this thing plays out the way I hope, I might even reward him.

“...Lee Jiseok...”

I pulled up Lee Jiseok’s background file again.

It was just a prison mugshot, but the guy had a pretty damn handsome face.

And even though he was a Beta, he was built like an Alpha—tall and broad-shouldered.

Maybe... this guy might actually save my life.

I don’t know what Han Yejun will say to Yoon Taeo, but there’s a chance he won’t even bring me up.

If I’m lucky, maybe it wasn’t me he fell for, but Lee Jiseok—just like in the original storyline.

Even if not, it’d still be a convenient excuse to pin everything on.

For the first time in a while, I felt a small flicker of hope.

❖ ❖ ❖

– All clear. The VIP and the Beta have met.

The steady stream of updates was actually making me feel good for once.

Booking a standalone café with easy security had been the right call, just in case Lee Jiseok tried to show up.

It had a wide garden and a single main building, making visibility easy to maintain.

Now it all came down to what came out of Han Yejun’s mouth.

His tone during our last call still bothered me, but the odds were high that he’d mention Lee Jiseok.

In the original story, after being torn between the overwhelming obsession of Yoon Taeo and the reappearance of Lee Jiseok, he ultimately chose Jiseok.

It was only natural there’d be some emotional upheaval from seeing him again.

Han Yejun might not have made his final decision yet.

– Seems like it’ll be fine, Team Leader. They’re talking and even smiling.

“Alright. I’ll rest for a bit, then.”

Relieved by the good news, I reclined the seat in the car and laid my head back.

Everything was going smoothly for once.

I knew some kind of shitstorm was bound to hit eventually, but at least this time, I wouldn’t be going down alone.

Knock knock.

The second I closed my eyes, someone tapped on the car window.

I rolled it down to see a young man wearing a cap pulled low over his face.

“Hey, mind if I ask for directions?”

“Ah... sorry, I don’t live around here.”

“How do I get to the main road from here? I’m not familiar with the area.”

Luckily, I did know that much.

I rolled the window down a little more and opened my phone map to show him the way.

The area was a little confusing to explain with just words.

“How sweet of you, Baek Sieon.”

And then—

My phone was yanked out of my hand.

“So you’ve been going around stealing other people’s boyfriends, huh?”

A rough hand clamped down over my nose and mouth.

A white cloth pressed against my face.

I thrashed, tried to breathe, and then my vision started to blur.

Everything went black.

And as I lost consciousness, I finally realized who he was.

Lee Jiseok.

Han Yejun’s long-time lover.