“No.”
Seo Hanryul blocked me with a serious face. Even if he disliked Han Woojin, it was a radical action that was hard to understand.
“It’s my house, so what does it matter if I go there on my own?”
“I said no.”
Why is he acting like this again when things were going well today?
“…Secretary Han, that person seems a bit strange.”
“What kind of bullshit are you spouting now? Strange, you say?”
“I have a feeling. There’s no emotion in his eyes…. The person is also a bit off, something’s strange.”
“Can’t you tone it down a bit? I don’t know when you started seeing Secretary Han to have such strange thoughts, but he may look like this, but Secretary Han is from an elite background. Don’t look down on him.”
“Are you an idiot? When did I look down on that person? I’m not looking down on him, I’m saying the person is off. And you already said the answer yourself. What would an elite have to lack that he’d be a secretary to a hopeless guy like you?”
Perceptive bastard. He’s thinking the exact same thought I had at first. But what does that have to do with him? I was suspicious about why he was suddenly harping on about Secretary Han.
“Why are you like this about Secretary Han? Last time you even asked for his name…. Why are you so desperate to devour Secretary Han?”
“…Cha Jaehyun. You better listen to me carefully, okay? Isn’t that person pretending to be your secretary while secretly digging into your background?”
Correct. It took me over a month to figure this out, so how did he know at once? I thought he was just an angry bastard, but as expected, whether it’s the protagonist buff or not, he’s sharp in strange places. However, I thought that since Seo Hanryul also dislikes Cha Jaehyun, there’s no reason we need to discuss this topic.
“Actor Seo, haven’t you been watching too many dramas lately? You’re quite the impressive mind reader. …Let’s stop this stupid conversation. I’m going home.”
I answered Seo Hanryul sarcastically.
“…I told you not to.”
I tried to ignore him and leave, but Seo Hanryul lowered his voice and started glaring at me. Where is that crazy bastard getting off track again? Given the atmosphere, if I called Han Woojin, he really seemed ready to pour out abuse at me, so I ended up giving up on calling him.
“Haah…. Seriously, why are you like this today? Fine, I won’t call him. Happy? I’ll take a taxi.”
As a sign of surrender, I made a gesture of raising both hands above my head toward him.
“Talking about a taxi and such. Forget it. Wait a bit. I’ll give you a ride.”
‘Does that bastard have time to spare?’
Seo Hanryul went into his room, then came out roughly throwing on an outer coat.
“Do you have time to spare? I can take a taxi, so you go do your schedule.”
“Shut up. Wouldn’t I be doing this because I have time? I’ll drop you off at home and go straight to the agency.”
Anyway, he’s someone you never know which way he’ll jump.
* * *
In the end, unable to resist Seo Hanryul’s pressure, I got in his car as is. While driving quietly, I remembered the audition and asked him again.
“Hey, so you’re definitely doing the audition, right? Like I said before, I’ll accompany you too, so don’t forget to tell me the schedule.”
“….”
And Seo Hanryul brazenly ignored my question. Not caring about that, I continued talking.
“And I heard that audition is incredibly competitive? …Is practice going well?”
“…When did I ever talk to you about the audition? I don’t think I did. Why are you being so nosy on your own? I’ll do fine, so I’d appreciate it if you’d stop being interested?”
‘Damn…. He’s acting so expensive. Fine, you’re great.’
“Hey, and you’re not fully recovered yet. Just rest for about 3 more days. I’m letting it slide just this once. From next time, cold or whatever, no mercy.”
I’ve rested enough and my physical condition is good too. As if he’s some kind of doctor, he diagnosed my physical condition on his own. But the latter part was important. Rest more?
Hearing this, I felt so grateful I didn’t know what to do with myself. 3 additional days off. Hearing this, it seemed like no matter what bullshit Seo Hanryul said to me today, I wouldn’t get angry.
“…Thanks. I’ll repay this debt with my body.”
“What?”
Things were going well when Seo Hanryul suddenly got very angry at me. What on earth was he thinking?
“What were you thinking? I mean I’ll work harder with my body when doing the next schedule.”
“…Can’t you even speak properly? You’re pissing me off.”
“Aren’t you the weird one? What did I say wrong…. Anyway, what you’re thinking.”
“Ha….”
“…Anyway, thanks again. I’ll recover completely during the break and come back, so practice your acting during that time.”
I remembered the audition again and brought up practice. In the novel, it said he passes in one go, but when I actually looked it up, I had a small worry that this audition wasn’t at an easy level at all.
“Don’t nag presumptuously. We’re here, get out.”
“Thanks for the ride. See you in 3 days. Contact me if anything comes up.”
* * *
I finally arrived at my longed-for home. In the end, after getting sick, Seo Hanryul gave me as much as 5 days of rest. To this extent, he’s a very generous employer.
At our first meeting, he emitted killing intent as if he’d kill me, but still, now it seems our relationship has improved to the point where nothing much happens even though we face each other every day. Although his mouth never stops tormenting me…. Still, compared to our first meeting, I felt proud thinking we’d made great progress.
Ring ring-
Checking my phone screen, Han Woojin called me. I was going to not answer, but remembering what I thought this morning, I answered once.
“Young Master, hello. Is your body alright?”
“Yeah, I’m all better.”
“Young Master, I have something to tell you in person. May I visit at a time convenient for you, Young Master?”
“Sure. I’m planning to be home all day today, so come when it’s convenient for you.”
Something to say in person…. Curious, I answered that I understood for now.
“Yes, Young Master.”
Telling him to come when convenient was the root of the problem. Han Woojin arrived at my house in 30 minutes. I didn’t know he’d come home this quickly. This guy also seems to have no middle ground.
“You’re already here? Let’s go sit down first.”
“Yes, Young Master. Thank you.”
Han Woojin and I sat down alone in the living room. What urgent message did he come so quickly to convey?
“So, what is it?”
“Well…. Young Master, about studying abroad.”
Unusually, Han Woojin for some reason frustratingly opened his mouth slowly.
“What about studying abroad?”
“By any chance, do you have plans to return to America recently?”
“That’s right. But why are you asking that?”
Once the manager work ends, I’m thinking of going back to America. It was strange that this matter came out of Han Woojin’s mouth, but I answered truthfully for now.
“If it’s alright with you, Young Master, I’d like to help you prepare before going to study abroad.”
Is he saying he’ll give me dedicated tutoring right now? It was a very random proposal.
“Why would Secretary Han specifically have to help with my studies?”
Suspicious of his behavior, I tilted my head slightly and asked back. At the same time, I felt admiration for Han Woojin’s cunning in creating an excuse to stick by my side somehow.
“It’s also the secretary’s duty to help so that you can study smoothly even after you go abroad, Young Master. If you learn the necessary parts in Korea in advance, I thought you’d be able to have a smoother study abroad life, so I suggested it.”
Robot Han Woojin answered me with a slight smile. When he smiled, goosebumps rose on my arms. Since when did dedicated tutoring become a secretary’s duty? But listening to the proposal, I thought it wouldn’t be too bad.
If we only meet during tutoring, Han Woojin won’t get scolded by Cha Taehan asking why he couldn’t meet me, and I can also learn a lot from Han Woojin. It was an undeniable fact that I received very big help from Han Woojin during the team project too.
“Alright. That’s not a bad proposal. Good. So when are you planning to start this studying Secretary Han is talking about?”
“If it’s alright with you, Young Master, we can start from today.”
Han Woojin suddenly started taking out English textbooks from his briefcase. I even felt scared at his chilling execution ability.
“Secretary Han, you even bought books? You must really like studying?”
Having nothing to say to his bulldozer-like execution ability, I just threw out whatever words came to mind.
“…Well. Young Master, how many people like studying? Unless they’re studying together with someone.”
Han Woojin went even further and joked while smiling gently with his eyes. It was already bizarre that Han Woojin was smiling, but adding a joke to his smiling face made my head spin.
Why is he acting like this again? Cold sweat started forming on my back.
