Secretary Gwanggong's Survival Diary-Chapter 40

“No, no. The towel is crooked.”

“...I’m sorry.”

“Only keep ten hand towels. Any more than that and it’ll look messy.”

“...Team Leader, you really shouldn’t be wandering around like this. Seriously, I’m going to get in big trouble.”

Sometimes, I would think about it. Those Betas who got caught and locked up by Yoon Taeo — they were pitiful. Just their bad luck to get tangled up with a psycho like him, ruining their lives. Stripped of their freedom, living under constant surveillance like a pet, every move being watched. No wonder they kept trying to escape.

“I got it, I got it. Let me know when lunch is ready.”

But now, I understood. Those guys were idiots. I couldn’t understand why they hated this kind of life.

At first, of course, I was confused and terrified. But once I settled into this life of being confined in the house, it actually suited me better than I thought. My shattered phone and even my work tablet had been confiscated, completely severing my connection to the outside world. But strangely enough, I didn’t feel inconvenienced at all. It hadn’t even been a full day yet, but unlike last time, it actually felt like I was getting a proper break.

“Team Leader, you’re not allowed to go outside.”

“Haa... I was just trying to go to the yard.”

“Please wait a moment...”

It was such a rare sunny day, and I couldn’t even step out into the garden whenever I wanted. But I just smiled in response. Security Team 2 was stationed both inside and outside the house, making it impossible for me to move freely. But so what?

“It’s a call from the President.”

A security team member handed me a phone.

Where do you think you’re going?

“President, did the morning meeting go well? I was just going to take a walk in the garden and read a book.”

You’d better not be getting any funny ideas.

“Aww, of course not. Don’t worry.”

Yoon Taeo was trying to sound intimidating, but why would I even think of doing anything stupid? Besides, it was impossible to get past this security force and escape the house anyway.

Only after Taeo gave the okay was I allowed to step outside into the garden. I walked slowly, letting the warm sunlight and cool breeze wash over me. The garden was so ridiculously vast that there was no need to go outside the house.

“You can go rest. I’m just going to read for a while.”

“It’s fine.”

The security team member followed a few steps behind me, as stiff as a statue. It was kind of funny and kind of pathetic. I shrugged it off and sat down on the terrace at the back of the house, placing the book I brought under my arm and opening it.

“Team Leader, the wind is getting colder now.”

“No, I’m fine... but thanks.”

The moment I sat down, the security guy pulled out a blanket and a standing heater from God-knows-where. When was the last time I had such a comfortable moment like this? I could say with absolute certainty — probably never.

But unfortunately, it seemed that reading wasn’t really my thing. The moment I opened the book, sleep started to creep in. I leaned back in the chair, pulling the blanket up to my neck. All the accumulated exhaustion came crashing down.

“...Secretary.”

Someone shook my shoulder, and I struggled to lift my heavy eyelids.

“...President...?”

Yoon Taeo’s face filled my field of vision. My mind snapped awake, and I quickly looked around. It was still daytime. freewёbnoνel.com

“Why are you here...?”

“Do I have to report every single move I make now?”

“No, that’s not what I meant...”

Yoon Taeo sat down in the chair opposite mine. Now that I looked around, there was food laid out on the terrace table.

“Can’t I at least eat lunch before going back to work?”

But... why the hell are you eating at home? Then again, why should I even bother trying to understand this lunatic’s train of thought? I just picked up my fork and knife and started eating.

“Do we have anyone on the team who can cook like this...?”

The plating was impeccable, and the food looked far too professional. It seemed like the work of someone far more skilled than me.

“As if. Those incompetent fools couldn’t possibly make this.”

Ah, so Taeo still wasn’t impressed with the secretarial team.

“...Then...?”

“You don’t need to concern yourself with that, Secretary Baek.”

The only reason he could call my name correctly was because of the name tag. Last night, when he confined me, he gave me one additional order.

“Don’t take this off without my permission.”

Wearing the stupidly scribbled name tag everywhere was a humiliating order, but I had no guts to refuse. I was obediently wearing it over my chest, not even daring to ask whether I had to wear it in the shower too. I might get hit if I did.

“...Why aren’t you eating?”

“I am.”

But no, he wasn’t. No matter how long I stared, the food on his plate didn’t seem to be going down. Then again, Taeo was always the type to take one bite and put his fork down. Ignoring it, I focused on my own meal. For some reason, food I didn’t cook myself tasted so much better.

“President, I need to go to the hospital.”

“From the looks of it, you seem way too healthy.”

...Well, I was always in pretty good shape.

“It’s... it’s gastritis.”

I had prepared a plausible illness that wouldn’t show obvious symptoms.

“For someone with gastritis, you seem to be eating very well... Should I just call the doctor here?”

“...What? Is that really necessary...?”

This was unexpected. I had a detailed pheromone test scheduled for today. Lately, the suppressants didn’t seem to be working as effectively. I wasn’t detecting Alpha pheromones yet, but my body had been reacting oddly lately. Plus, it was time to renew my prescription for pheromone blockers, so delaying wasn’t an option.

“President... I have a personal doctor. It would be difficult to change that suddenly...”

“No.”

“H-How about after the hospital, we go to ‘Devois’ for dinner? You love the salmon steak there. We haven’t been in a while, right...?”

“...We’ll see.”

What the hell? That was a firm no, but he seemed to be wavering.

“Or, I could cook for you at home... How about some venison? It’s been a while since I made that.”

Come on, bite. I had to appease Yoon Taeo as much as possible. I picked up a small open sandwich with crispy duck and black truffle and slid it onto his plate.

Without a word, he stared at it with a stiff expression before finally picking it up with his fork and putting it in his mouth.

Come on, hurry up and chew it down, you bastard.

“Take the Head of Security Team 3 with you. And don’t get any ideas. If you disappoint me again, there won’t be a second chance.”

Haa... Thank God. Seriously, why is he so distrustful of people? Then again, with how many times he’s been backstabbed, it’s not hard to understand. In this story, Betas often tried to run away under the pretense of going to the hospital. Not me, though. I had no intention of doing that.

“Team Leader... about him.”

Ah, Kang Seokho. How the hell am I going to kill that bastard?

❖ ❖ ❖

“Team Leader, let’s be honest, okay?”

“About what?”

“Who did you team up with to try and get me fired?”

“W-What? What the hell are you talking about?”

Kang Seokho tried to play dumb. That bastard’s reckless report to Yoon Taeo nearly got me dragged to the River Styx.

“You’re the one who told the President I was planning to flee, right?”

“I-I was just worried about you... And besides, how was I supposed to know the President would get that pissed off...?”

Seeing Kang Seokho stammer and squirm, it didn’t seem like he was lying. But even if he wasn’t, it was still infuriating.

“I kept my last bit of loyalty and didn’t mention that we were accomplices.”

“Accomplices?! Have you lost your mind, Team Leader Baek?”

“What? We stole the watch together, didn’t we?”

“Stole?! You took it by yourself, damn it...!”

Yeah, well, that part doesn’t matter to Yoon Taeo.

“Anyway, if you frame me one more time, I’ll tell him that you and I were planning to run away together. Just so you know.”

If I did that, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine. Both our heads would roll.

“Man, I barely survived yesterday...”

“Oh...? Really? But... why does your face look like a rag...?”

Now that I had finished venting my anger, I noticed that Kang Seokho’s face was swollen and bruised like a battered bun.

“...I don’t know. Just know that it’s all your fault. So please, seriously, don’t do anything stupid, okay?”

“You’re saying that to the guy who’s being held captive because of what you said, Team Leader...?”

While exchanging pointless banter, the car pulled up to the hospital.

“Baek Team Leader! I’m coming with you.”

“Ah, come on! Just wait here. Seriously, I’m not going to run away. I still don’t want to die, at least not yet.”

“But if I let you go alone, the President will kill me.”

It took a long and painful negotiation to convince him. Seriously, just wait in the car before I actually decide to run away. I had ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) no choice but to insist.

It was fortunate that it was a general hospital, but if I brought Seokho along to the endocrinology department for pheromone regulation, he might find out that I’m an Omega.

“Patient Baek Sieon.”

Honestly, I wanted to postpone the appointment, but I couldn’t. I only had one day’s worth of pheromone suppressants left. If I didn’t get them today, there was a 100% chance I’d end up as a corpse by tomorrow night. And since coming to the hospital with Seokho was a risk, I had no choice but to come here to get the meds.

“You were originally scheduled for a detailed examination today, but you didn’t do it?”

“Oh... I didn’t have time. I’ll just pick up the medication for now.”

“...But...”

The doctor’s expression as he checked my chart was tinged with a peculiar confusion.

“...What is it?”

“The results of the pheromone test we just did are a bit... unusual. Your levels seem extremely unstable.”

“Unstable...?”

What the hell does that mean? I’m not an expert on pheromones, but I know my own body well enough. And I’d never heard anything like that before.

“This...”

The doctor seemed to be choosing his words carefully. The way he was dragging it out was making me unnecessarily anxious. Maybe there really was something wrong with my body. Or maybe the suppressants weren’t working at all anymore. A flood of anxious thoughts raced through my mind.

Then the doctor finally opened his mouth, and the words that came out were... bizarre.

“Are you... by any chance, pregnant?”

What the... absolute fuck...?!