Private Secretary - Chapter 8

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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 8

He refilled his empty glass with alcohol and began quietly sipping it.

She wanted to ask if something was wrong, but she couldn’t.

Issues involving personal life shouldn’t be pried into until the boss voluntarily opens up about them.

Lee Seol sat comfortably on the floor and gazed at the dark view outside the window.

Meanwhile, after slowly emptying one glass of alcohol, he slumped against the sofa and stared blankly at the ceiling.

“Are you good at keeping secrets?”

At his question, Lee Seol immediately nodded.

“I have never once disclosed my boss’s words to outsiders without permission. And I never will in the future.”

“Then just listen and forget about it.”

“Pardon?”

When Tae-san turned his gaze forward again, his complex and subtle expression was revealed.

“That woman from earlier, she’s someone I’ve liked for a long time.”

“…”

“A woman who cruelly cast me aside, saying that while I thought I had her, she was never mine even once.”

At his confession, Lee Seol’s mind became jumbled.

He thought he had her, but that wasn’t the case? What does this mean?

It seemed their situation was more complicated than it appeared.

In fact, from the moment he instructed her to tear up and burn the wedding invitation earlier, she had somewhat guessed it was a serious situation.

However, aside from that, the fact that her boss, who seemed like he wouldn’t bleed even if pricked with a needle, had opened up so honestly about his inner feelings was quite surprising.

Had he already become comfortable enough with her to this extent?

Lee Seol quietly looked at him.

‘And yet he acted like he had no interest in other people at all.’

The fact that there was a woman he had liked for a long time was quite unexpected. It made her think that this man was human after all.

“Actually, I was too busy with studies and work to have detailed conversations until now. Still, I thought we would naturally get married someday according to the arrangement between our families.”

As if something was amusing, he chuckled.

“When I stopped by Korea a few years ago and we talked, our thoughts turned out to be very different.”

“…”

“After learning that, we went without contact for a while. Then today she suddenly asked to meet alone. Saying she had something to tell me.”

Having said that much, he chuckled.

“But who would have thought I’d hear news of her marriage to another man.”

“…”

“Is this unpleasant feeling because I still have lingering feelings? Or is it regret over losing something I considered mine?”

At his self-deprecating monologue, Lee Seol gradually let down her psychological barriers.

Thinking that Kang Tae-san was also someone who had such human concerns, she somehow felt sorry and sad for him.

After finishing his words, he stared intently at Lee Seol, then slowly bent his waist. The distance became so close that she could feel his breath on her forehead.

It was awkward since it had been a long time since they faced each other so closely, but Lee Seol remained still, pretending to be calm.

“I feel a bit relieved after talking about it. It must have been boring to listen to, but you can go now.”

Normally, she would have gotten up immediately so her boss wouldn’t have to say it twice. But somehow, her feet wouldn’t move right now.

Perhaps at this moment, what Tae-san needed wasn’t simply a secretary, but a friend who would listen to his story.

Of course, he might not want that.

“Why aren’t you moving?”

“…I know it’s presumptuous, but shall I be your conversation partner just for today?”

“What?”

“Well… you seem to need someone to share your inner thoughts with. Since I’m a secretary who assists with private matters, perhaps taking care of my boss’s mental state is also my responsibility.”

Lee Seol knew it well too. That she was crossing the line right now.

Still, just for now, she wanted to listen to his inner thoughts and genuinely comfort him. As human to human, not as boss and subordinate.

‘Working together and seeing each other’s faces every day, I must have grown attached.’

Besides, wasn’t it obvious even without looking?

With that personality, he probably didn’t have proper friends either, so where else would he go to talk about such things besides to her?

He looked at Lee Seol intently with clear eyes that showed no trace of being drunk.

“…Are you serious?”

“Yes, please speak comfortably. Just think of me as a friend.”

Lee Seol shrugged and spoke as if it was nothing.

Tae-san looked at her with wary eyes, as if he didn’t find her particularly trustworthy.

“I’m worried you might let it slip somewhere.”

“What are you saying after you’ve already told me everything?”

When Lee Seol widened her eyes and retorted, Tae-san slightly twisted his lips as if displeased.

But in the end, he couldn’t say anything.

“Then let me ask you something, so answer it.”

Lee Seol quietly nodded.

“She knows I like her but doesn’t push me away. She keeps me by her side, giving me hope. Then suddenly says she’s going to marry another man. What do you think is the psychology of such a woman?”

An answer immediately came to mind, but it was somewhat difficult to say it as it was.

Lee Seol hesitated and kept her mouth shut.

“Why aren’t you answering?”

“I was organizing my words because being completely honest seemed somewhat insolent.”

“Tell me exactly what you think. Don’t beat around the bush.”

“Yes, then… It would mean she thought you were good enough to have fun with, but not suitable as a marriage partner.”

Having received permission, Lee Seol cautiously expressed her opinion.

Then Tae-san contorted his face as if he had heard something unexpected. For him, who rarely showed expression changes, it was quite a big reaction.

Tae-san, who was at a loss for words, slowly pulled back his body as if creating distance.

His face, having returned to his original position, became even more lonely.

Who would have thought that a man who seemed to have everything and be enviable would make such a desolate expression.

‘She must really like that woman Kim Se-na.’

She had only spoken honestly because he asked for an answer, but somehow she felt concerned.

Worried that he might have been hurt by facing a reality he didn’t need to confront because of her.

“…Are you alright?”

“What would I do if I wasn’t alright? I’m not a child.”

He drank more alcohol, unable to hide his displeasure.

Would it be better to stop being presumptuous and leave him alone?

It was the moment Lee Seol was being considerate while pondering.

The man, leaning against the sofa, only turned his head to quietly look at Lee Seol.

“You’re really clever. You’re honest without pretense, yet you know how to maintain boundaries.”

To hear the words “honest without pretense” from her boss’s mouth.

She couldn’t judge at all whether she should take this as a compliment or not.

“If I’ve offended you, I apologize. If you wish, I’ll go back now…”

“Since it’s you who said it, it’s probably more accurate.”

The man turned his head to look straight ahead again.

In his eyes, an emotion resembling regret was now dwelling.

“We’ve known each other since childhood. We became close naturally enough that we didn’t need to say ‘let’s date.’ Before I went to study abroad, we even talked about engagement. Se-na didn’t particularly deny it either, so I thought I would marry her someday… It must have been just my delusion.”

Tae-san began opening up his heart again.

Then did this mean it was okay to stay a bit longer?

Lee Seol put her bottom back down after having lifted it awkwardly. Now she was determined to just listen to his story without asking anything.

“The real reason I feel so disgusted isn’t because Kim Se-na went to another man. It’s unpleasant that she had me and that man on both hands, weighing us against each other all this time. And what makes me even angrier is that I lost to that guy. Does it make sense? That I was abandoned?”

As if his emotions had become quite intense, his knuckles turned white from the force he was applying.

It was amazing that the glass didn’t break.

Watching this, Lee Seol sighed as if dumbfounded.

‘I thought so.’

She thought he was suffering from the pain of lost love, but was that the real cause?

Well, from the perspective of that man who seemed to live for his own pride, it was certainly an issue that would cause a big scratch to his self-esteem.

‘Conversely, that would mean Kim Se-na’s existence holds that much significant influence.’

Otherwise, there would be no reason for Tae-san to be shaken or get so heated like that.

The Kang Tae-san that Lee Seol had observed all this time seemed like a person far removed from love.

When he was young, he devoted himself to academic activities, and when he became a working adult, he had a cold personality that focused only on company work.

But it was surprising that he had been keeping only one woman in his heart all along.

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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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