Private Secretary - Chapter 20

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Private Secretary Episode 20

Lee Seol found herself at a loss for words.

“I’m the one asking you. When your friend asks for help, are you going to keep calculating profit and loss in your head like that? If you think your friend can get out of the situation well enough on their own, won’t you help them?”

Tae-san gently grasped Lee Seol’s shoulders and looked straight into her eyes.

“What’s more important than questioning intentions in human relationships is keeping your moral obligations. You just missed that.”

“…”

He spoke firmly yet calmly, just like teaching a child.

In front of him like that, Lee Seol couldn’t offer a single word of rebuttal, and Tae-san patted her shoulders a couple of times before going outside.

Lee Seol felt as if she had been struck by Tae-san.

Setting aside all the accumulated emotions and complicated situations, Tae-san’s words that she should help simply because they were old friends stuck deep in her mind.

“Right. That’s correct.”

Though she was convinced, Lee Seol couldn’t quite shake off the bitter and disappointed feelings.

Even after learning that his choice had legitimate reasons, the emotions left within her weren’t so clear. She felt so upset as if she might cry.

Why? Why do I have to feel these emotions?

Lee Seol turned her gaze blankly and soon discovered the ramen that had been boiling and was now overflowing.

At that pitiful sight, Lee Seol vaguely realized why she felt so disappointed.

Just like ramen that you really wanted to eat and cooked, but when something more important comes up, you can abandon it and leave anytime.

No matter how well Tae-san treated her, she would always be second priority.

The sight of it being neglected and cooling down, neither this nor that, looked exactly like herself right now, making her feel even more bitter inside.

“But what exactly were you expecting?”

Lee Seol, who had become indescribably devastated, asked herself a fundamental question.

What exactly had she expected from her boss Kang Tae-san that made her so disappointed and despairing?

It was even absurd how she was rejoicing and grieving at every word as if Tae-san was someone important to her.

“Get a grip, Han Lee Seol. Let’s know your place.”

Lee Seol stared at the ramen that had overflowed and just covered it with the lid.

She couldn’t even do the dishes because she didn’t know where to throw away the food waste.

I’ll just leave this here for the homeowner who left it behind to deal with.

Embracing her constantly sinking heart, Lee Seol left Tae-san’s house.

It was when Lee Seol came outside and was walking down the same path she had come.

She heard an engine sound from somewhere, and soon a familiar car quickly passed by Lee Seol.

Even though he must have seen her, he ignored her and sped up to go pick up Kim Se-na.

Seeing that sight again made her feel choked up for no reason.

To suppress emotions that didn’t suit her position, Lee Seol turned away from the departing car and only looked up at the sky that had grown dark.

“Right. Maybe today could be an opportunity for him to get much closer to Kim Se-na. Then he won’t have to do those pointless blind date games, which is good.”

Lee Seol changed the direction of her thoughts.

Like the saying that any road leads to Seoul, it would be fine as long as things worked out well with Kim Se-na somehow.

Kim Se-na, moved by Kang Tae-san who came running regardless of the circumstances, might change her mind.

She thought it would be better to hope that those two would work out tonight instead.

“Stop thinking about it. It’s not your business, Han Lee Seol. Stop being nosy.”

Lee Seol tapped her head, which kept getting complicated with various thoughts.

Lee Seol arrived at a nearby bus stop, got on the bus going home, and stared blankly out the window.

When the bus stopped due to a traffic light, she saw a couple sitting at the bus stop feeding each other snacks and laughing affectionately.

As soon as she saw that, she suddenly remembered the day she watched a movie with Tae-san.

The gaze that looked at her intently, and the gentle gesture of silently offering a handkerchief when she started hiccupping.

Lee Seol, who had been carrying the handkerchief around since that day, always looking for a chance to return it, felt utterly deflated.

He had even brightly illuminated the alley in front of her home with his headlights that day.

When even Kang Tae-san’s laughter as he looked at her and laughed heartily echoed in her ears, Lee Seol’s heart became even more complicated.

Even bumping her head against the innocent window to try to erase Kang Tae-san who kept coming to mind regardless of her will was useless.

“No matter how I think about it, it’s such a waste. That’s why I’m acting like this.”

Lee Seol muttered quietly so no one could hear and sighed.

The reason her sunken heart still hadn’t recovered was because she was on Kang Tae-san’s side.

Even though he only clung to women who belonged to someone else, he was clearly a person with outstanding ability and charm.

But Kim Se-na only took his feelings for granted and didn’t seem to properly treasure them.

That’s why it was more frustrating and more regrettable.

If only she was someone who didn’t neglect his feelings and knew how to give back as much as she received, she would have understood.

No matter how she looked at it, the current relationship was one-sidedly disadvantageous only to Kang Tae-san.

But only Kang Tae-san didn’t know this, so she was bound to be frustrated.

Even when she repeated to herself not to care anymore, not to interfere, to know her place, it kept not going as she wished, which was tormenting.

‘Right. I get it all, but they’re strangers, so why do you care who’s more precious? You’re Kang Tae-san’s secretary, not his friend, right?’

No matter how much Tae-san was at a disadvantage, if he himself liked Kim Se-na, who could say anything about it?

Having that thought, a sneer naturally escaped her.

“Anyone would think I’m jealous or something.”

That’s exactly what it looked like.

Her heart was hurt because of a man who left her and went to another woman, and she was jealous of the woman who received such a man’s affection. How ridiculous.

‘I guess it has been a long time since I dated anyone. To have such delusions.’

Unless this feeling was a delusion, how could she be jealous of Kim Se-na over Kang Tae-san? It was absurd.

Lee Seol laughed helplessly as if she found herself ridiculous and opened the window.

To get some cold air and come to her senses.

* * *

Lee Seol went home listening to upbeat music continuously to shake off her idle thoughts.

And as soon as she came out after a refreshing wash, she immediately accessed an OTT site.

She wanted to watch a movie or drama interesting enough to drive away all idle thoughts.

When she was wondering what work she should watch to completely escape from reality, her phone vibrated long.

It was Tae-san. Originally, she should have answered before the ringtone sounded more than twice, but right now she didn’t feel like doing so.

Of course, she knew it was unqualified rebellion. But even if she got scolded later, she didn’t want to answer obediently right now.

After persuading me so logically and leaving, why are you calling now?

I’m off work, and I’m going to pretend I didn’t see this call.

For the first time, Lee Seol received Tae-san’s call but pretended not to see it and flipped her phone over.

Then, when she was browsing through a list of movies she had missed the timing to watch.

This time, the smartwatch she had placed on the table vibrated.

“Ha, really…”

This time it was also Tae-san. She might not have known before, but now that she knew, she couldn’t avoid it twice.

Lee Seol eventually stopped playing and answered the phone.

“Yes.”

[Where are you? Are you home?]

After leaving someone alone at home and going away, now that the urgent situation is resolved, are you finally feeling a bit concerned?

Lee Seol quietly took a deep breath to avoid showing the twisted emotions settling in her heart.

“Yes.”

[…I have a favor to ask.]

Tae-san rarely hesitated and actually used the word ‘favor.’

His calmly subdued voice somehow seemed apologetic too.

What kind of situation is this now?

“Yes?”

[I’ll send you an address, so could you buy some gasoline and bring it here?]

Lee Seol doubted her ears.

What did he ask me to do? Right now?

“…What do you mean?”

[My car ran out of gas and completely died. Rather than calling insurance on a Saturday night, I thought you’d be faster, so I called. Buy plenty of gasoline. As quickly as possible.]

Hearing such an absurd request, Lee Seol was so dumbfounded she could only gape.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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