Secretary Gwanggong's Survival Diary
Chapter 66

I am a person who gives up faster than I thought and accepts reality easily. The anger I felt toward the drama “Madman” that I started watching with anger faded away before the 5th episode aired. After that, I watched it half out of a sense of duty and half out of fun, watching the reactions that fell into the abyss.

And even when I was dragged into this world, I didn't need a long period of adjustment. I accept all situations so easily that it's hard for me to understand. I think that's both my strength and weakness.

“...How did you get here...?”

I'm going to talk about Choi Hyun-jin again. He's the biggest contributor to my situation. He's the main reason I started watching this drama. Didn't I say that before? The reason I started watching Madman was because I wanted to see how badly I would fail. The reason I prayed for it to fail so badly is... .

“Hey, the police station said I could meet you if I went here....”

“Yeah, so why....”

“I’m trying to at least say thank you properly, and....”

Now, his appearance is really embarrassing. He came to our resort with a bag as big as a house on his back and holding my younger brother's hand tightly. His face was filled with emotions such as embarrassment, shame, and shamelessness, and it seemed like he had another purpose.

“...I heard they are also looking for employees....”

Ah! I guess that was the goal. Our resort is being built on the largest scale in the country, so we needed a lot of manpower. We couldn't get all the staff from outside of Jeju Island, so we were actively planning to hire locals, but we haven't posted a proper job posting yet. I don't know the details, but at least that's what I know.

“That... The ones you cut at your previous workplace weren’t like that.”

“I know. It’s enough that you helped me, but I feel too sorry and grateful to just wipe my mouth and move on. I, I wanted to at least say hello....”

Well, honestly, it was something that deserved a thank you. He looked around as if he was looking for someone.

“Isn’t the representative here...? I’d like to meet him and say hello.”

Oh, besides me, Yoon Tae-oh...? Well, what else could I have done? All I did was follow his instructions, reach an agreement with the restaurant owner, and communicate with the insurance company.

“Follow me.”

I had a moment of hesitation. Was it right to let Yoon Tae-oh and Choi Hyun-jin meet? But the answer came quickly. If my hypothesis was correct, there would be no point in trying to separate them, and... there would be no reason to do so.

It's true that Choi Hyun-jin in the world I lived in was a mean person, but strangely, I didn't think that way here. Maybe it was because he was like a different person with the same face...? Maybe that's why I didn't feel that negative when I saw him. As I said, I'm someone who easily accepts the reality I'm in.

“Sir, a guest has arrived.”

It was a short break after finishing the morning meeting. Yoon Tae-oh, who was checking the status of his work on his tablet, looked at Choi Hyun-jin behind me for quite a while. Then, when he turned his gaze back to the tablet screen, it seemed that he had allowed Choi Hyun-jin to visit.

“Come in.”

Choi Hyun-jin sat down opposite Yoon Tae-oh, even though he was timid. I took his rat to a corner of the office and gave him a snack. When the little boy saw the snack, he didn’t even think about following his older brother and stood next to me, holding out his little hand.

"...what?"

“Please give me just one more.”

What is this creature? I thought it was really cute when I saw it in the drama. But when I actually met Choi Hyun-jin's younger sibling, he was even cuter than I expected.

"...ruler."

It's a beauty that you can't hate. Choi Hyun-jin too, one person is truly amazing. I had no choice but to put another snack in his toy-like hand. Only then did he swing his short legs and run to my brother and hand him a snack. He must have taken one for himself and one for his brother. Why is he so... so heartbreakingly cute?

“What's going on?”

I stood a few steps away and watched them. I tried my best to avoid paying attention to them, but when I avoided eye contact, I felt like I was paying more attention to them, so it seemed better to just stare at them.

“I wanted to say thank you... It must have been a huge amount of money....”

“It was huge.”

What nonsense is he talking about when he doesn't even know how much money went into it? Well... a lot of money did go into it. But if the opponent is Choi Hyun-jin, it's an amount that doesn't really matter.

“So... I’ll pay you back, that money.”

"what?"

For the first time, Yoon Tae-oh's gaze left the tablet. He looked straight at Choi Hyun-jin as if he had heard something he shouldn't have heard. I was surprised too. You're going to pay me back that money...?

“I’m the type of person who can’t live in debt.”

“There’s no need to do that. As you can see, it’s not a lot of money for me.”

“I think that would make me feel better! T-T, please do that... Okay?”

Yoon Tae-oh glanced at me. What, what do you want me to do...? I quickly walked towards him, and my head worked at lightning speed to come up with the answer Yoon Tae-oh wanted.

It seemed like there was only one question left in this situation, so I quietly whispered to his ear the amount that had been agreed upon with the restaurant owner. As if it was the right answer, Yoon Tae-oh sat up straight again.

“No, I don’t think I can pay you back, absolutely not.”

When Yoon Tae-oh heard /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ the amount I mentioned, he gave a short smile and confirmed it. His unlucky tone sounded like a mockery, but his assessment was probably accurate. After all, he was a kid who had gotten to this point through money games. If a guy who smells money like a ghost said that, then there was nothing he could get from Choi Hyun-jin.

“Go, I can pay you back...!”

“Well, whatever. Whatever suits you.”

Why would he pay back money that he didn't have to pay back? I wondered, but I could tell what his intention was when Choi Hyun-jin opened her mouth again.

“Here... I heard you’re looking for employees. Can you let me do that job...?”

"employee?"

“Whatever! I’m good at it.”

There’s no way Yoon Tae-oh would know something I don’t know. He looked at me with a questioning look. What does Choi Hyun-jin mean? I had to quickly look up the relevant information on my work tablet.

“Hey, the housekeeping department has posted a job opening.”

The main job isn't written down, but I think it's probably housekeeping and other housekeeping. In the original, Choi Hyun-jin gets a job at a resort. It was originally a casino... but it seems like she ends up working in the housekeeping department instead of the casino, which hasn't even started preparing to open yet.

“So, if you hire me, I’ll pay off your debt with the money you earn here?”

“Yes... That’s the story... B, I have a favor to ask...!”

Choi Hyun-jin doesn't seem to be a weak character. It seems like she tried to use her wits to get a job, but she didn't maintain that attitude until the end and begged sincerely.

“As you can see, I have a younger sibling, so I have to go to a place where food and lodging are provided.... But I also work really hard...?”

“Well, I only saw a few mistakes.”

That's right. A person who has an accident every time he takes a step is good at his job. Choi Hyun-jin kept opening her mouth as if she thought the situation was turning negative for her.

“I will pay you back on time....”

Knock, knock, knock. Yoon Tae-oh is thinking hard. You can see his fingers gently tapping the tablet screen.

“Is this your younger sibling?”

“Yes... I’m five now....”

Was it because he practiced beforehand? Or was it because it was his nature? The child did not avoid the gazes pouring down on me. Then, he stopped eating his snack and smiled faintly. His bright smile, which did not match the gloomy Choi Hyun-jin, made me feel even more sorry.

“Please give some word to the HR team, Secretary Baek.”

"all right."

It was my fate to enter the resort anyway. It was just that I would get a different job, a little earlier. With Yoon Tae-oh’s help. Realizing that Choi Hyun-jin had also approved my employment, I stood up from my seat and grabbed Yoon Tae-oh’s hand.

“Go, thank you! I’ll really work hard.”

“...What is this?”

“I’ll pay you back right away! Thank you so much...!”

... You’re being really annoying. For a moment, looking at Choi Hyun-jin’s face, a thought occurred to me. Is that face...?

“Let’s go now, I’m busy.”

Yoon Tae-oh was the first to shake off Choi Hyun-jin. Choi Hyun-jin followed me out of the room, holding my younger brother's hand.

“Ha, really... he was a nice person....”

It was a complete change from when he entered the room. For some reason, he couldn't hide his excitement.

“I was really skeptical when I heard that you would cover the accident expenses.... But I didn’t know you would even give me a job....”

Although he didn't want to say anything in return, Choi Hyun-jin kept moving her mouth busily.

“Yes... Did you apply for the job?”

“Yes, I did it before I came!”

“Then the HR team will contact you separately. I think you just have to wait.”

“Thank you so much, Secretary! See you next time.”

The move Choi Hyun-jin made today was a shallow move. She must have found the job posting at MK Resort in a situation where there were no jobs. With a younger sibling, providing accommodation was essential. But the person who had done her a favor was an MK person, so she must have thought to take advantage of it. The reality that was right in front of her was too hard, so she had to do something.

But now, as I watched Choi Hyun-jin moving away, I could be sure of one more thing. The gaze that had been looking at Yoon Tae-oh in the room earlier. That was definitely a face filled with emotion. What emotion could it be that would make the tips of his ears and cheeks blush and his eyes sparkle? Maybe it was that emotion that led him here.

Choi Hyun-jin... started liking Yoon Tae-oh.