The New Secretary
"I can't just send her back..."
"Hey, it’s rare to find a girl who likes you enough to follow you around like that."
"Jia is doing the exact same thing, though."
"...Ah, that’s because you’re a freak. Anyway, since she likes you that much, why not just go on a date with her?"
That was what I’d said to a friend while drinking the day after I fought with her.
"But... still, it’s a bit,"
"A bit what?"
"Burdensome? Jia seems so calm, but Eunbyul, she’s just... so loud..."
You say you don't know because you haven't seen her? "I will work hard!"
"..."
The previous secretary, looking at her with a satisfied expression as if she’d greeted me perfectly just as taught, and the new secretary standing right there. It was exhausting just looking at them. I even wondered if I should just work without a secretary from now on. I slowly nodded and closed the door.
"....? Why, why are you closing it?"
"I don't know. He’s been having a hard time lately. Everything else is fine, but just the tone. A little lower. Quieter. He likes that kind of thing."
Eunbyul saying "Ah..." and the secretary nodding. Regardless, I went down to the first-floor convenience store, bought a pack of cigarettes, and stepped out into the outdoor smoking area. The employees greeted me. I told them to stay seated, as if it were fine, and sighed.
"Huu..."
What do I do now? What is this? Why did she come here? Why? No, I heard she was in the company. But why did she suddenly become my secretary? Had she been in the Procurement Team this whole time? Why didn't she say anything? What is she thinking?
As I sank into my thoughts, the cigarette burned down until it was hot enough to sting my fingers. I carefully extinguished it and tossed it in the trash. Then, I went back inside and sat at my desk. The two of them were still together.
"Um... Executive Director, I’ve finished most of the basics, so I’m planning to teach her one more time tomorrow."
"Then..."
"I think I should go up now and finish the handover. You don't have many afternoon appointments, so would that be alright?"
I pondered for a moment before nodding. I couldn't stop it. And even if I tried, it didn't seem like that woman would leave anyway.
"Sure. Go ahead. You must have a lot to do."
"Thank you. And, do as I told you. Don't be too... you know. Okay?"
"Yes, I understand...!"
Then the door closed, and I kept my eyes fixed on the monitor, starting my work as if she were an invisible person. After a while, I lifted my gaze to see what she was doing, and she was sitting exactly where she had been. When our eyes met, she lowered her head slightly. I tried hard to ignore her, but eventually, I snapped.
"No, seriously, why! Why are you here?"
"....Ah, well... I was instructed from above, so I..."
"Instructed? You didn't ask to come here? Why here of all places?"
"I suppose... I’ve become a bit... sm-smarter...? Since I’ve improved? Wouldn't that be it? Hehe."
The Chairman was having a cup of coffee with his old guest, Eun Seongmin. While they were talking about construction, the Chairman suddenly set his coffee cup down.
"Ah, so that employee named Eunbyul is your daughter?"
"Yup."
"What was that nickname... something-holic? I can't remember. Anyway, that friend who works so well?"
"Have you seen her?"
Business people are bound to be close, but among them, his father and the Chairman of Seongjeong had attended elementary and middle school together. After that, when he was told to work a bit at the company he would eventually inherit, he had said:
"I can't work under someone else. You know my personality."
"Hmm..."
"I’ll do my own work. Father runs an architecture firm, right? I’ll learn the trade there."
That’s how it had been. Lost in those memories, the Chairman said:
"Your daughter is a carbon copy of you, then."
"Is she? My daughter doesn't really talk about work."
"Even I, the Chairman, have heard of her. The NCC equipment was needed, but the supplier delayed it, claiming it was because we ordered a small quantity. So that employee heard about it, flew to Germany, and negotiated it alone. When I heard that, I wondered what kind of person could do that these days."
"It feels strange to hear my daughter being praised by a friend. Well, she seems to be doing well. She even gets, what do you call it... lots of bonuses. A while ago, she bought me a massage chair. She said she realized how hard it was after sitting all day. I almost cried from being touched. Really."
Then the topic of conversation shifted.
"So, why did your daughter, suddenly..."
"I was wondering if you could change her position a bit."
"A comfortable, high-paying position? Doowon doesn't have those. Cost-cutting is life."
"No, not that, but... you know. As your son's secretary. Yeah?"
Secretary? "Why a secretary?"
"Well, my daughter works so hard! I want her to learn from someone big, to play in the big leagues..."
"By Suhyun's side? Hey, that’ll narrow her perspective."
"Don't say things you don't mean... You spent an hour at dinner bragging about your son without even drinking. And now this."
The Chairman turned his gaze elsewhere, pretending to be busy.
"Ah, anyway, no. That kid is a bit... And he’s married. When I assigned him a female secretary before..."
"What does that have to do with work? Juwon, always separate public and private—"
"Don't copy my tone. I’ll..."
"Just do it. ...Yeah? Do it!"
That was how it happened. The Chairman had no choice but to call the HR Manager.
"Chairman! This is the HR Manager!"
"Yes. Thank you for your hard work. Um..."
Should he do this or not? The Chairman, feeling unsure, said:
"Please change Han Suhyun's secretary."
"Pardon? But the term isn't over yet..."
"That person doesn't need to be a secretary anymore. Tell her to move to the Planning Office. And for the secretary, that excellent new recruit in the Procurement Team? Promote her to Assistant Manager and send her up."
"....Uh....um.... Pl-please wait a moment."
Then, the HR Manager clicked his mouse several times before saying, "I will proceed."
"Yeah. Good work."
"Yes, Chairman. Have a good day."
"I’m married. Don't say anything weird like you used to."
"I came here to work? This is a company, Executive Director."
As she laughed, I frowned and started working. She slowly came to my side and looked at the monitor with me.
"Why. What."
"I was curious what you were doing...! I want to learn too!"
I stared at her for a long time before returning to my work. She kept watching the monitor, then alternated between looking at the documents placed below.
"Executive Director."
"...?"
"The sum of the figures at the very top is a bit strange. It’s 16 supplies of 482 packages, and it’s 3,500 per package. That should be 26,992,000, but it says 24,678,400. The report is wrong."
"Oh... oh, you're right."
"Fix it."
Is the calculation right? I smoothed out the wrinkles on my forehead and quickly tapped on the calculator. It was accurate. I looked at the calculator, then at her, then back at the calculator, repeating the process.
"How, how did you calculate that?"
"I’m good at mental math."
"Oh..."
"The lot number here is also strange. Why is 146ED22521 after 146EB22521? It should be 146EB22522. Looks like a copy-paste error! Hahaha."
"Ah... you're right, wait a second..."
I fixed it.
"You're sharp..."
"I’m an elite in the Procurement Team."
"Who says?"
"The Team Leader. He said he’d never seen anyone work as well as I do."
Ah, so that Procurement Team employee who praised her was...
"...I see. Well, good. You’re smart. You seemed like a fool at first."
"Ah, you have no idea how hard I worked after that! Like, Senior, ugh, no, Executive Director, you weren't even seen much at school."
"Naturally, I only needed 6 credits from my senior year. The rest was an internship."
"Even so, I thought I’d get one call from the number I gave you."
I looked at her for a moment, scratched my head, pretended to be busy with something else, and then slowly held out my phone.
"Sorry. I didn't save it. Write it down for me again."
"Wow.... seriously....."
"I mean, would I have thought we’d be working together?"
"Still.... really...."
She wrote the number down again. From then on, I lowered my guard a little and proceeded with the work. I told her to go get a chair.
"There’s no separate secretary office here. So you can stay here, or work at the empty seat in front of the outer door."
"I’ll just stay here."
"...."
It’s strange. Well... but since she seems to want to work...
"But Executive Director, you’re doing work that’s completely different from your major."
"Some parts match, some don't."
"But my salary won't decrease or anything because I’m a secretary, right?"
"I don't know. Just know that you’ll get more."
When I pointed with my finger and told her to pick something up, she accurately grasped what it was and brought it. When I said I wanted coffee, she’d brew it and bring it right away, and in her spare time, she’d open the brochures I told her to bring to check what was going on.
"Ah... so the things I contract and bring in go through here and then to the places that need them...?"
"Yes. The Procurement Team is busy because it has to be done in a timely manner."
"That’s true. It was exhausting being nagged to hurry up with time limits."
"We don't do it because we want to, either. If we don't, other departments will file complaints."
As we talked, she asked:
"But even if other departments file complaints, you’re a high-ranking person, Executive Director... can't you just tell them to wait?"
"Look, this company belongs to the shareholders, and the largest shareholder is my father, right?"
"Yes."
"If I tell them to wait and a delay occurs, causing a loss?"
"..."
"The Chairman would run over here and grab me by the collar. And well, it’s the department’s role to ensure other employees don't experience inconvenience. I can't just say, 'I’m going to be the Chairman later, so if you keep rushing me, I’ll kill you.'"