“Me? Take off my mask…?”
The executive secretary had clearly told me that I absolutely must not remove it. Faced with this unexpected request, I instinctively glanced toward the door. Of course, the secretary was no longer there. So what was I supposed to do now?
If I took it off at his request and the director looked at my face only to feel nauseous, it would be an incredibly awkward situation.
Seeing me fumble awkwardly with the mask, the director maintained his expressionless face and continued gesturing for me to take it off. Faced with this incomprehensible request, I could not hide my confusion and slowly removed the mask.
“…But, Director. Before I came in, your secretary told me that I absolutely must not take it off.”
—“I know. That is the rule here, and I am the one who made it. The secretary was simply conveying my instructions verbatim. Since I told you to take it off, it is fine.”
Then why was he suddenly changing his mind and making things difficult for me…?
He observed me sharply before continuing. His unwavering gaze was so intense that I did not know where to look.
—-“And the gloves, too. You can take those off.”
“The gloves too? But…”
—-“It’s fine. Take them off and put them here.”
He lightly tapped the tabletop with his finger as if urging me to hurry. For a moment, I seriously wondered if this was some kind of test. Perhaps if I took them off, the contract would be canceled, while if I refused, the contract would remain in effect.
Come to think of it, after wearing the mask this whole time, my face must have been bright red by now. Sweaty and flushed—surely that was exactly the kind of state the director hated more than anything.
Since I had no idea what he was planning, I could not help feeling tense. Under his persistent gaze, I finally removed the gloves and placed them on the table, then slowly took off the mask, all the while carefully watching the director’s reaction.
But his response was completely beyond anything I had expected.
Contrary to the rumors that he would feel nauseous when seeing another person’s face up close, he remained perfectly calm. His expressionless face stayed exactly the same, without the slightest sign of discomfort. After staring at me for a while, however, the director’s expression changed slightly, and clear confusion appeared in his eyes. He quickly concealed his emotions before speaking.
—-“Then, Baek Eun Woo, tell me exactly how long you intend to keep working. I need to know the precise deadline so I can at least have some peace of mind. I have already made a concession, so I hope you can understand me to that extent as well.”
“Ah, I’ll try to arrange things sooner than the time I told the café owner, but…”
—-“Try, but?”
At my vague answer, he frowned deeply. Although he was frowning at me, this was the first time since we had met that I had seen even a trace of emotion on his face. Knowing that upsetting the director would do me no good, I hurriedly tried to placate him.
“I have an unavoidable reason. The employees at this company really like the desserts I make. I need to stay for another month so the new employee can learn how to make them the same way. Since they’re employees of your company, I hope you can be lenient with me and consider it a kind of employee benefit.”
—-A benefit, huh?
In truth, they paid for the desserts themselves, so it wasn’t exactly a benefit. But if the food they were used to suddenly changed flavor or disappeared altogether, they would surely be disappointed.
Somehow finding the courage, I continued trying to persuade him, using my hands to explain the situation. The director simply watched me in silence. When I finally stopped talking, a brief but awkward silence settled between us.
—-“…Two months.”
“Pardon?”
—-“I said two months. You have a habit of asking people to repeat themselves, don’t you? Stop doing that. Understand me the first time and answer accordingly. Wrap everything up within exactly two months. To me, the child is more important than the taste preferences of the company’s employees.”
“Yes, yes. I understand.”
I instinctively agreed under the weight of his authoritative voice. Seeing me tremble slightly, he let out a short sigh.
—-“Baek Eun Woo. I am a man who values rules and plans. I expect you to follow the rules that have been established.”
His expression was so cold that I felt as though I were being completely controlled. My shoulders instinctively hunched. My cheeks grew hot again from the tension. The director glanced at my flushed face before checking the time.
—“That’s all. Are you going home? I’ll call a driver.”
“Huh? No, it’s really not necessary!”
When I saw the director pick up the phone from the desk, I hurriedly refused. Seriously… that would be so uncomfortable. Just imagining myself sitting in a car driven by his chauffeur made me want to die. Even this neat, perfectly arranged office was suffocating enough. How much more stifling would it be inside his car?
Just imagining it made my chest tighten. You are reading on novelping.com, the official source.
But perhaps because I was so desperate, I accidentally grabbed his hand. In trying to stop him, I had ended up touching him.
The director’s eyes narrowed as he looked down at my hand resting on his. Wrinkles appeared between his brows.
“Ah! I’m sorry, Director!”
Why was I being so foolish today? Touching the director… This was even more serious than taking off my mask at his request.
I quickly pulled my hand back and apologized. Perhaps because I showed remorse immediately, the deeply furrowed expression on his face gradually relaxed. He regained his composure and continued speaking.
—-“…Since you’re already late because of coming here, don’t be so formal. Take the car. It will be waiting at the main entrance on the first floor.”
After saying that, the director briefly glanced at his wrist before standing up. It seemed he intended to let the matter go. I quickly said goodbye and left before he could change his mind.
I really had no idea what was going on.
His behavior was so different from everything I had heard from the chairman and the secretary that I was completely confused. Judging from the way the employees in the secretary’s office moved around, his cleanliness disorder was certainly not a lie. Yet the director’s attitude toward me was completely different from what I had heard.
But that wasn’t the important thing right now.
He had settled on two months, so my immediate priority was to finish my work within that time.
In principle, he was right, too. From our brief conversation today, I had realized something: he was actually making quite a few changes for me.
I just didn’t know how long that would last.
……..
After Eun Woo left, Ju Heon turned on an additional air purifier in his office, separate from the system that was already running.
Strangely enough, he had not detected any unpleasant odor from Eun Woo’s body, but he still turned it on out of habit.
He carefully wiped the spot where Eun Woo had been sitting with disinfecting wipes and sprayed rubbing alcohol around the area. Even as his hands moved mechanically, Ju Heon’s mind remained filled with questions.
“This really is strange. Why is it like this?”
There had been no distinctive human odor coming from Baek Eun Woo’s body, nor the strong, unpleasant pheromone scent characteristic of an omega. Instead, the only faint scent coming from Baek Eun Woo had been Ju Heon’s own pheromones.
The absence of an omega scent could perhaps be explained by the fact that Eun Woo was a dominant omega. But why couldn’t he even smell his sweat?
Furthermore, this time, Ju Heon had been able to face Eun Woo’s bare face without any difficulty. His flushed, sweaty face had not disgusted him at all. Neither his skin nor his breath had seemed dirty.
Perhaps it was because Eun Woo had such a small mouth that he didn’t show much of his teeth or the inside of his mouth when he spoke, making him appear less dirty.
“He’s probably young, so his skin is in good condition. No, that doesn’t make sense. I’ve been uncomfortable regardless of someone’s age before. Why is this happening?”
Ju Heon desperately tried to find a rational explanation, telling himself that perhaps Eun Woo’s smooth, flawless skin was simply the result of youth and that was why his discomfort had been reduced.
Baek Eun Woo was completely different from anyone Ju Heon had ever encountered.
The fact that he could make physical contact with someone without feeling repulsed actually made him even more unsettled. After living his entire life like this, suddenly meeting someone who made him feel normal was naturally something worth questioning.
To Ju Heon, this was such a significant event that he even wondered whether he should go to the hospital for a checkup.
“If it isn’t because he’s young, then maybe it’s because he’s exceptionally hygienic?”
Based on what he had observed of Baek Eun Woo over the past few days, the young man maintained an extremely high level of cleanliness in everything he did.
Whenever he entered or left the kitchen, he washed his hands thoroughly and frequently changed his apron. He often cleaned both inside and outside the café and checked for dust every hour.
Those habits did not seem like the behavior of someone with the same cleanliness disorder as Ju Heon.
Perhaps they were simply professional habits. Since it was a place where people ate, Eun Woo maintained a high level of cleanliness, and his habit of washing his hands had probably become second nature from working with food.
Well, that was rather pleasing.
Cleanliness was certainly preferable to filth and unpleasantness. Follow the newest chapters on novelping.com.
Perhaps the lack of odor from his body was also thanks to those hygienic habits.
“I even feel a little… sympathetic toward him.”
Ju Heon stood and slowly looked around his office.
The place was always spotless, without a speck of dust. Every small object remained exactly where it belonged, positioned at precisely the right angle. His belongings normally never moved, to the point that he could find them with his eyes closed.
Cleanliness was one thing, but having everything remain in its proper place was what truly made Ju Heon feel at ease.
He had always hated having his daily routine disrupted.
And yet, ever since meeting Baek Eun Woo, it felt as though the patterns of behavior and habits that had remained stable throughout his life were being strangely disturbed.
He couldn’t allow Eun Woo to be different from everyone else. Otherwise, inconvenience would arise, and he would have to spend time adapting to it.
Ju Heon hated that more than anything.
Tiredly pressing his fingers between his brows, Ju Heon called for his secretary.
He needed to observe Baek Eun Woo’s behavior even more carefully.
………
Perhaps because I hadn’t slept well after meeting the director yesterday, I felt a little sick today.
My stomach felt unsettled, and whenever I smelled butter and eggs, there was a strange, fishy odor to them.
Unable to tolerate the smell, I temporarily went outside and sat down beside a flower bed.
“Phew… What’s wrong with me? Why is my stomach suddenly acting up like this?”
I hadn’t eaten anything yet, but because I felt so uncomfortable, I brought a bottle of sparkling mineral water outside with me.
The icy carbonated water felt refreshing against my throat, and it eased my nausea somewhat. While I was regulating my breathing, I saw Jae Yi, the café owner, frantically searching for me.
Why was he in such a hurry during my break?
“Jae Yi!”
I called out and waved so he would know where I was.
When he saw me, Jae Yi hurried over.
—-“Eun Woo. We just got a call from the director’s secretary’s office.”
“The director’s secretary’s office?”
Because of what happened yesterday, the word director made me especially sensitive.
Jae Yi didn’t notice my reaction and continued.
——“Apparently there’s going to be a meeting in the director’s office at five this afternoon. Several senior executives from other companies are coming for the meeting, so they just placed an order with our café.”
“Oh, that happens pretty often, doesn’t it? How many people are there?”
We occasionally received large orders from various departments, so I didn’t think much of it. Since it was still morning, there was plenty of time to prepare.
——“There aren’t that many people, but they want a variety of things, including some items that can serve as a light meal. Apparently, the meeting will be held on the outdoor rooftop terrace of the director’s floor.”
If the meeting was outdoors, we shouldn’t prepare anything decorated with cream.
Since there weren’t many people, it probably wouldn’t be too difficult.
But the real problem today was me.
My stomach had been acting up since early this morning.
I just hoped that I wouldn’t end up vomiting the moment I smelled the ingredients.