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***
“My name is Kim Yoon.”
Introducing himself as Executive Director Tae-yeon’s personal secretary, the man bowed politely towards Yi-won.
Yi-won, however, could not possibly meet him with composure.
The dull ache in his head intensified, as though an earthquake had struck inside his skull.
“So….”
The words wouldn’t come. As Yi-won stood there with his mouth slightly open, unable to continue, Kim Yoon gave a quiet smile.
“This is all….”
When he trailed off again, Kim Yoon answered with practised ease.
“Our Executive Director can be… somewhat excessive.”
Yi-won parted his lips. That was an understatement.
“This isn’t excessive, it’s…”
Insane.
That would be the word. But he could hardly voice such a thought to the man’s own secretary.
Even as they spoke, items continued to be carried into the shop. Each was wrapped in expensive-looking paper, all of them unmistakably luxurious. Then Yi-won caught sight of something that stood out at a glance, clearly far from ordinary.
“H-hang on. Just…just a moment.”
It showed no sign of ending. At Yi-won’s protest, the people carrying the gifts hesitated and stopped.
He let out a short breath and turned back to the secretary, who still wore that polite smile.
Yi-won did not.
At first, he had simply watched in a daze, unsure what was happening. But as time passed, the situation shifted from uncomfortable to outright unpleasant.
“What exactly is this supposed to be?”
His head was already spinning, and this only made it worse. The cramped space felt even smaller now.
No, more than that, what on earth was wrong with Shim Tae-yeon? Not a single message all this time, and then he suddenly reappears and pulls something like… this?
If he gives them, am I simply meant to accept?
The thought turned sour in his mind, and his voice turned cold without him meaning it to.
“I’ve no intention of accepting any of this, so please take it all back.”
Yi-won knew perfectly well he was venting his frustration on the wrong person. Still, at this moment, he could not help it.
The secretary didn’t interrupt, waiting until Yi-won had finished before bowing politely.
“My apologies. Just a moment, if you would.”
He took out his mobile and placed a call. Stepping briskly away, he put some distance between them, though his gaze flicked back towards Yi-won. When their eyes met, he smiled faintly.
Yi-won remained tense, but from the man’s expression alone, he couldn’t tell what was being said on the other end.
A moment later, the secretary returned, holding out the phone.
“He’d like you to take the call.”
“Sorry?”
Startled, Yi-won asked again, then stared down at the phone for a brief moment, his expression still tense.
“….”
It was obvious who was on the other end. For a split second, he considered refusing outright. But what fault lay with the secretary? Besides, perhaps it wasn’t a bad idea to say a few things properly while he had the chance.
With a slightly hardened expression, Yi-won took the phone and raised it to his ear.
“Hello.”
[—Mr Jeong Yi-won?]
A low voice, tinged with amusement, came through the receiver. Whatever he’d been thinking just moments ago vanished completely the instant Yi-won heard it.
[—Have you been well?]
“….”
As though nothing unusual had happened between them that day, Shim Tae-yeon asked after Yi-won’s well-being in an entirely untroubled tone.
Yi-won’s brain, which had stalled, began to turn again. His casual voice unsettled Yi-won.
What is that about? Am I the only one overthinking things again?
“I’ve been… fine.”
Perhaps his feelings slipped into his voice, because the man gave a soft, amused huff.
[—I apologise for not contacting you sooner. There was a minor issue with one of our partners in China, so I didn’t have a moment to spare.]
“I didn’t ask. And I’m not curious.”
Silence flowed from the other end.
Yi-won hesitated. His head swam suddenly. Had he been too harsh without meaning to? Just as unease began to creep in, Tae-yeon spoke again.
[—I hear from Secretary Kim that you asked for the items to be taken back. Is there something you dislike? I gave specific instructions to pay special attention.]
Relief at the sound of his voice was fleeting. Yi-won glanced at the pile of boxes stacked high. Each box was wrapped with meticulous care, from a distance, they could easily have been mistaken for Christmas presents.
“I was going to ask, what exactly are all these?”
His expression turned strained. To anyone’s eye,s they were clearly gifts, yet their contents were a collection of various health tonics: medicinal broths, powder, and herbal extracts of every sort. Just looking at them was exhausting.
However, what shocked Yi-won the most was the wild ginseng.
Even to his untrained eye, it looked anything but ordinary. Not only was the main root thick, but even the fine tendrils were long and robust. He had heard those were expensive…
When he was young, his grandfather had once hired ginseng hunters to the house while searching for cheonjongsam*. He vaguely remembered hearing that the finest specimens looked just like this. The memory left him unsure, but uneasy all the same.
[—Can’t you tell just by looking? They’re meant to protect your body. After what I saw last time… I realised you’re far too weak. At that rate, you won’t be able to handle me.]
Yi-won clenched the phone tightly in shock.
“W-what are you even saying right now?”
He was so taken aback that he could barely get the words out.
“Why on earth would I…!”
He wanted to demand why he should have to “handle” him at all, but they weren’t alone.
“Don’t say such ridiculous things. And there’s nothing wrong with my body.”
He was sensitive to pheromones, yes, but his health itself was not the problem. Yi-won frowned, irritation plain on his face, yet Tae-yeon responded instead with a grave, almost admonishing tone.
[—You probably don’t know because you lack experience, but the sexual drive of an alpha in rut goes far beyond imagination. A dominant alpha, in particular, will ejaculate inside an omega repeatedly for at least three days…]
“Th-that’s enough!”
Yi-won almost screamed. He clamped a hand firmly over the receiver and glanced around in alarm.
The thought that someone might have overheard made his skin crawl.
When he lifted his head uneasily, the secretary was watching him with a puzzled look, as if asking what was wrong. Yi-won flinched and quickly looked away. His face burned, heat rushing to his cheeks. He could not listen to this.
Turning his head aside, Yi-won pressed the phone closer and whispered urgently.
“D-do you have no sense of shame at all? How can you say things like that so casually…!”
Words about ejaculating inside someone… just recalling them made his face blaze red.
While his ears felt on fire at the mere thought, Tae-yeon spoke such obscenities without even a change in breath. Despite the freezing weather, Yi-won was drenched in sweat.
“Please, just…stop, will you?”
He tried to drive the point home one last time, yet the phone fell eerily silent.
“…Hello?”
What now? Did the call drop?
Frowning, he pulled the phone away to check the screen. The call was still connected.
Yi-won lifted it back to his ear.
“Mr Shim Tae-yeon?”
But this time, from the other end came a soft laugh, like gently flowing water. Yi-won’s eyes widened before he could stop himself, like a startled rabbit. He had seen Tae-yeon give the occasional faint smile before, but hearing him laugh so openly was a first.
Though it travelled through electronic noise, the sound was startlingly clear, as if Tae-yeon were laughing right beside him. Listening to it, Yi-won felt an odd tickle in his ear and pressed his palm against it, rubbing absently.
[—Just as I thought.]
“…What do you mean?”
[—Being apart makes it clearer. I like you.]
“…!”
The confession came out of nowhere. Yi-won’s grip on the phone tightened unconsciously.
[—I’ve been thinking it over, and now it feels… clearer, somehow.]
“M-Mr Shim Tae-yeon…”
[—I like how you can be bold one moment, then turn shy over something trivial.]
“….”
[—And what I like most… is your scent.]
“Mr Shim Tae-yeon!”
He’d let it go this far just to see where it would end, but this was absurd. Yi-won’s lips trembled in tiny spasms, his eyes quivering as if caught in an earthquake. He had tried to fight back with words, but instead, he was left with nothing, retreating without even salvaging his pride.
Then Tae-yeon whispered, his voice suddenly firm.
[—Two days. I’ll wrap everything up and come back, no matter what.]
Yi-won was rendered completely speechless.
He should have demanded why Tae-yeon was telling him this at all, yet his tongue felt frozen. Not a single word would come out.
The moment he heard those words, his heart began to pound without his consent. Swallowing against his dry throat, Yi-won tightened his grip around the phone, which had grown warm in his hand.
[—I’ll see you then.]
With that, the call ended abruptly.
“….”
Yi-won stared quietly at the darkened screen.
Call duration: 10 minutes 35 seconds.
It felt as though he had been bewitched.
***
Even after two days had passed, Tae-yeon remained in China.
What he had expected to resolve quickly had spiralled into something far more complicated. Rapid economic growth had driven labour costs up, but the most troublesome issue was China’s uncooperative stance.
With their bias inevitably favouring domestic interests, maintaining market share there was becoming increasingly difficult.
“You said it would work. You were so confident, and this is all you have to say now?”
Tae-yeon yanked at his tie roughly, scowling. This was the third time already. He had trusted them because they claimed it was a sure thing, and yet the result was a complete mess.
“Director Min, is this how you normally handle your work? By guesswork?”
A pounding headache surged, and Tae-yeon pulled off his glasses, tossing them onto the desk. After staying up for nights on end, his eyes felt dry and strained.
He had already been questioning the value of operating in China, given the continuous losses. Now, not only had they failed to maintain their market share, but they had even lost out on a key property bid. It was enough to make him wonder whether keeping the factories running there had any meaning at all.
[—I have no excuse.]
Rubbing his temples, Tae-yeon let out a deep sigh.
Director Min was one of the few people in the company who maintained neutrality. Even when Shim Jae-yeon had ridden high on their father’s overwhelming favour and gathered supporters around him, Min had stuck to principles and procedures. He had ambition, too, which was why Tae-yeon had regarded him well.
Had something changed in the meantime?
“I think trying anything further here would be a waste of time.”
Tae-yeon raised the possibility of withdrawing from China. Director Min hesitated before responding.
[—But the Chinese market is a project the Vice Chairman invested a great deal into…]
Tae-yeon’s hand, which had been rubbing his temple, stilled. A cold gleam flashed in his dark blue eyes. His expression became blank as he asked,
“So who is the person in charge here right now?”
His voice had dropped in temperature, turning dangerous. Even over the phone, the chill carried through, and Director Min could not bring himself to answer.
“Two years is plenty of time for someone to change”
Tae-yeon muttered coolly.
“Or perhaps I misjudged you from the start.”
[—…I have no excuse.]
There was no attempt at justification. Tae-yeon let out a hollow laugh. There was little point in continuing the conversation.
Either way, the business in China had failed. With a bitter taste in his mouth, Tae-yeon ended the call.
“…Hah.”
He must have tensed up too much, his blood pressure had spiked, and his head throbbed even harder. An unpleasant feeling washed over him like a receding tide, leaving his whole body heavy, as though he were sinking into a sticky swamp.
Sleep was clearly out of the question again tonight.
So, we got a concession just like that? Poor Yi-won, his alpha is persistent and shameless
emptymurmurs
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