Secretary Kool

Chapter Four

The Morning After

The first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes was the terrible headache pounding against my temples. I groaned and pulled the blanket over my head, hoping the darkness would somehow make the pain disappear, but it only made me feel worse.

I slowly sat up and looked around my room. My handbag was on the floor beside the bed, one of my shoes was under the chair, and I was still wearing the clothes I had worn to the club.

I frowned.

“What happened last night?”

I reached for my phone and saw several messages from my friends.

Are you awake?

Call me when you see this.

Sorry about last night.

My eyebrows pulled together.

Sorry?

I immediately called one of them.

She answered almost immediately.

“Finally! You're awake.”

“What happened to me?”

“You don't remember?”

“No. I remember going to the club, but everything after that is blurry.”

She laughed softly.

“Kool, you were completely drunk.”

I covered my face.

“Oh, God.”

“You were having fun at first, but then we got distracted.”

“Distracted by what?”

“Some guys came over, and we started talking to them. When we looked around again, you were gone.”

My eyes widened.

“You left me?”

“We thought you had gone somewhere with someone!”

“I was alone?”

“Apparently.”

I was about to complain when another thought suddenly crossed my mind.

“Wait. Was my boss at the club?”

She became silent.

That silence was enough.

“He was, wasn't he?”

“Yes.”

I sat completely still.

“Oh no.”

“You saw him.”

“What did I do?”

My friend hesitated.

“You confronted him.”

I slowly lowered the phone.

“Confronted him how?”

“You were shouting at him.”

I closed my eyes.

Then everything became clearer.

The private table.

Tae-hyun sitting with his friends.

My angry voice.

My finger pointing at him.

“You're too harsh, Boss!”

I groaned.

“No…”

“Yes,” my friend said. “And you blamed him for your breakup.”

I dropped my head onto my pillow.

“I did not.”

“You did.”

“What else?”

“You hit him.”

I sat upright.

“I hit my boss?”

She started laughing.

“This isn't funny!”

“I'm sorry!”

I ended the call and stared at the ceiling.

Four years.

I had worked for Kang Tae-hyun for four years, and throughout all that time, I had always tried to remain professional. I knew exactly how demanding he could be, and I had learned how to handle his moods, his impossible schedules, and his habit of expecting everything to be done perfectly.

Yet one night was enough to make me forget every bit of that professionalism.

I remembered standing in front of him and blaming him for my relationship.

It was ridiculous.

My boyfriend had chosen to end our relationship. Tae-hyun had nothing to do with it.

Still, in my drunken state, I had somehow decided that my boss was responsible for everything.

I buried my face in my hands.

“What have I done?”

Then I remembered something else.

After all my shouting, Tae-hyun had taken me outside.

He could have left me there.

Instead, he made sure I got home safely.

That thought made my embarrassment even worse.

I quickly got ready for work.

When I arrived at the office, I tried to behave as though nothing had happened. I sat at my desk and opened my computer, but I couldn't concentrate.

Every time I heard footsteps near my desk, I became nervous.

Then the door to Tae-hyun's office opened.

I looked up.

Our eyes met.

He said nothing and returned to his office.

I released a quiet breath.

Maybe he had decided to forget the whole thing.

Five minutes later, my desk phone rang.

I stared at it before answering.

“Yes, sir?”

“Come into my office.”

My stomach tightened.

“Yes, sir.”

I walked inside.

Tae-hyun was sitting behind his desk, looking through a document. He didn't look angry, which somehow made me even more nervous.

“You remember last night?”

I lowered my head.

“Yes.”

“Everything?”

“Most of it.”

He looked at me.

“You remember shouting at me?”

“Yes.”

“You remember blaming me for your breakup?”

My face became hot.

“Yes.”

“And hitting me?”

I swallowed.

“Yes.”

There was an uncomfortable silence.

“I am really sorry, sir. I shouldn't have done any of that. I was upset about my relationship, but that doesn't give me the right to take it out on you.”

He studied me for a moment.

“You were drunk.”

“I know, but I still feel terrible about it.”

“You also called me too harsh.”

I looked away.

“I wasn't completely wrong.”

For the first time, something almost like amusement appeared in his eyes.

“Go back to work, Kool.”

I looked at him in surprise.

“That's all?”

“What else should I do?”

“Nothing.”

“Then go.”

I nodded.

“Yes, sir.”

I left his office and returned to my desk.

I sat down and let out a long breath.

The worst part wasn't even that I had embarrassed myself.

It was knowing that I had spent four years trying to be someone Tae-hyun could trust, and one reckless night had made me question everything.

I looked toward his office.

He had been strict with me from the beginning. He had pushed me to become more organized, more responsible, and more confident. There were countless times when I had complained about him, but there were also moments when I knew he depended on me more than he ever admitted.

Maybe that was why I felt so guilty.

And then there was the fact that he had taken me home.

I couldn't stop thinking about it.

For someone who was supposedly so cold, he had still made sure I was safe.

I shook my head and returned to my work.

Whatever that moment meant, I wasn't going to overthink it.

Kang Tae-hyun was my boss.

And I was his secretary.

That was all.

At least, that was what I still believed.