Chapter 29
‘Sounds like a crisis of getting fired!’
But whether it was because he was nervous or because he was Abangsu, Wonyoung, who had been walking confidently, tripped over someone else’s chair leg and tumbled to the floor.
“Eek!”
While Wonyoung was rubbing his face against the floor, Taerim didn’t recognize him hidden by the partition and walked right past.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes.”
Wonyoung got up abruptly despite his embarrassment at the employees’ questions. And when he turned around, he could see Taerim’s back still walking away.
“Dir…”
But Wonyoung, who was about to call out “Director-nim,” suddenly found himself speechless. He had lost confidence in whether Kyung Taerim really wouldn’t fire him.
He had nothing to do all day and only had to come up with ten ridiculous items, but he couldn’t even manage that.
‘I might be… more incompetent than I thought.’
But he needed the job to pay off his debt. In that case…
“Huh?”
Just as Wonyoung was about to make a decision, he noticed a figure hurriedly disappearing with clothes fluttering. It felt somehow familiar.
“What? When did this…”
And when he looked down, he could see band-aids and ice packs placed at his feet.
“Did you see the person who came by earlier?”
“No, they left so quickly. Probably an employee from another department?”
“No, they were wearing a hat. An outsider?”
“Really…?”
The employees didn’t seem to know the identity of that mysterious figure either. Wonyoung picked up the band-aids and ice pack and trudged to sit on a break room chair. Soon Taerim would come looking for him. Then…
“Should I just write down any reason?”
Wonyoung was about to write “Because Kyung Taerim is annoying,” but stopped after writing “Kyung.”
Still, it would be better to say he was quitting as planned…
“Narae-ssi.”
“…To think I’d quit after just one day of work, such a stupid thing has never happened in my life…”
“Narae-ssi!”
Wonyoung, who belatedly realized his name was being called, looked up sharply. There stood the person he least wanted to see right now.
“Where exactly have you been wandering around? You became a personal secretary but don’t even come out when your boss arrives.”
“Uh…”
Looking at Wonyoung’s blank face, Taerim chuckled and asked.
“Did you finish the assignment?”
Thud. Somehow feeling like he could hear such sound effects, Wonyoung hesitantly opened his mouth.
“Well, that’s…”
Then Taerim noticed the ice pack and band-aids in Wonyoung’s hands.
“What’s that again?”
“Ah, I fell down…”
“You fell? Good grief, you fall asleep at the drop of a hat, why are you so careless?”
“…”
When Wonyoung, who would normally have shot back something, said nothing, Taerim sighed and bent his knees to match his eye level.
“Let me see where you’re hurt.”
“It’s not that seriously injured.”
“Then why are you holding these? Don’t make me say it multiple times, roll up your pants.”
Wonyoung pouted and rolled up his pants hem. Then his swollen red knee was visible.
“Ah, it’s cold!”
Taerim applied the ice pack there. Wonyoung frowned, but Taerim paid no attention.
“Let’s rest for a bit.”
“No, no, Director-nim. You’re busy with work, so please go to your office quickly.”
“The assignment?”
“…The assignment… I’ll go and report it to you.”
As Wonyoung said this and stood up, he momentarily lost his balance and staggered. Taerim quickly caught him, and the distance between the two became much closer.
Thick eyebrows, a straight nose, a sharp jawline. It was indeed a handsome face. If only there weren’t the sparkling effects and strange music, he could have concentrated more.
[The distance with Taerim is too close, causing Rae’s status to become ‘Fluttered.’ His trembling heart makes it difficult for words to come out easily.]
[Status: Fluttered (*/ω＼*)]
Damn. He knew this would happen.
But they say there are mountains beyond mountains. This time choices appeared.
[I’m fine… (Refuses Taerim’s support and falls down again.)]
[Ow ow… (Sneaks into his embrace.)]
‘…Won’t the developer just die?’
Wonyoung took a long deep breath and pressed the top choice. Anyway, even if Narae sneaked into an embrace, he’d obviously get caught.
“I’m fine…”
Crash!
Even while falling, Wonyoung was incredulous. It hurt a bit but it wasn’t to the degree he couldn’t walk, so was this Narae guy a master of exaggeration? Do Abangsu have problems with their leg muscles? Or does Earth’s gravity apply differently to him alone?
As Wonyoung fell while thinking all sorts of thoughts, Taerim quickly helped him up.
“Are you alright?”
“No.”
Wonyoung answered honestly. Neither the choices nor the bitter taste of failing the assignment – nothing was alright. Am I really an excellent talent? Is my only ability falling down?
But the next moment, when Taerim suddenly picked him up in his arms, all his thoughts stopped completely.
“Director-nim!”
“Let’s go like this.”
“I’m fine though!”
“After falling down twice? I told you. Don’t make me say things multiple times. I’m only tolerating this because it’s you.”
Tolerating what exactly? While carrying a person in a princess carry in front of all the employees? Could there be greater humiliation than a grown man being carried by another man? If it were Wonyoung, he probably wouldn’t do such a thing unless it was someone he really disliked!
Sigh, forget everything, he just wanted to cry.
‘Is this what Semi-ssi showed me on SNS called a “kkol”? Have I become Kyung Taerim’s kkol…’
Having learned some strangely wrong knowledge, Wonyoung looked up at the empty air in despair and muttered to himself.
Thus, Kyung Taerim’s kkol reached the director’s office while showing off to the entire company that he was Kyung Taerim’s kkol.
The secretaries were also unable to hide their shock seeing Taerim appear carrying Wonyoung. It was a rare sight to see that prickly boss who hated contact with others carrying not a woman but a man.
Meanwhile, Wonyoung’s face was bright red as he kept his head down. Seeing that cute appearance, the secretaries nodded inwardly, thinking it was somehow understandable.
“Do you have an ice pack?”
“Yes, we do, Director-nim. Shall I bring it to you?”
At the chief secretary’s question, Taerim nodded once and entered his office.
He carefully set Wonyoung down on the sofa and sat across from him. When the chief secretary brought an ice pack and ointment and left, he personally applied the ointment to Wonyoung’s leg.
“Does it hurt?”
Wonyoung, whose fluttered state had worsened due to Taerim’s treatment, just shook his head left and right without words. At that pitiful sight, Taerim clicked his tongue inwardly. He should have held on properly – regret, which he rarely experienced, raised its head.
“You can rest tomorrow.”
“How can I… after only coming for one day…”
Wonyoung, unable to finish what he wanted to say due to his fluttered state, just stammered, then spoke with a dejected face.
“I didn’t finish the assignment… Anyway, I’ll be fired…”
So it doesn’t matter. The last words were almost inaudible. Drooped shoulders, pitifully drooping eye corners, lips that looked like tears might leak out any moment. It was truly such a pitiful sight that anyone would feel compassion.
But then, there was a rustling sound of paper. When Wonyoung looked up, the assignment he had definitely put in his pocket was in Taerim’s hands.
“When did you…!”
Taerim, who had read through the contents, unconsciously let out a laugh. He even muttered “This is driving me crazy.” The content that Wonyoung had racked his brain to write was as follows:
Reasons Why I’m Not a Spy
- I don’t know anyone in HS Group except Director Kyung Taerim and have no connections.
- Anyway, Director Kyung Taerim is not my type.
- I’m too poor to have received money. (You can tell by looking at my account.)
- If you investigate the people I’ve called, you’ll find there are no HS Group related people. (I don’t have many friends either.)
- I’m bad at seduction. I’m not suitable talent for being a spy.
- There are many people better at spying than me, so there’s no reason to pay money to use me.
- I haven’t found out anything about Director Kyung Taerim.
- I’ve never tried to look good to Director Kyung Taerim.
- I don’t contact Director Kyung Taerim first. (This is absolutely not a strategy.)
Even Wonyoung thought it was an embarrassing level, but since the assignment content itself was problematic from the start, it couldn’t be helped.
And even while rationalizing like this, Wonyoung couldn’t help his ears turning red either.
Taerim, who had read through the assignment while chuckling, said:
“You said you’d be fired because you couldn’t write the last reason?”
“…Yes.”
“Fortunately, I think I can give you the tenth reason.”
“What?”
“Number 10, Narae-ssi is bad at lying.”
Wonyoung was flabbergasted.
“…You always said things about my strategies and such.”
So when he unconsciously questioned like that, Taerim calmly countered:
“Seeing you say that, I guess you’ve gotten some energy back?”
“…”
“Why, are you happy that you’re not getting fired?”
Honestly, it wasn’t a bad feeling. Anyway, surviving was also an ability. Right now, Narae’s pathetic ability stats were applied, so he could say he was amazing for persuading Taerim by drawing out 200% of that.
“Then you’ll believe what I say now, right?”
Wonyoung asked hopefully, thinking he wouldn’t have to hear about strategies anymore, but the answer that came back was unexpected.
“Well, we’ll see how you do.”
How you do? See? Is this person joking right now?
“You said I’m bad at lying.”
“I said you’re bad at it, not that you don’t do it. You just show it when you do.”
“Then what about saying I’m a spy…”
“That’s another unknown. I might have missed something. All of this could be acting.”
