BTBS Ch 3

#003

Kim Heewon was a unique case. After passing the journalism exam, he joined a major domestic media company’s social affairs department, which was considered difficult to get into. However, he realized that this wasn’t his path and left the company after just six months.

He then joined Apex, a pharmaceutical company that developed specialized medications for Alpha and Omega trait carriers, with global influence.

Kim Heewon’s career at the company went quite smoothly. He was naturally intelligent, had good verbal skills as a former journalist, and was quick to pick up on things. It didn’t take long for rumors to spread that the new ‘golden maknae¹’ had joined the PR team.

When Kim Heewon was in his first year, Kwon Young-jae had joined the year before. It was well known that he was the direct descendant of CEO Kwon. It was also well-known that he was engaged in a fierce succession battle with his cousin, Kwon Young-ho, for the future CEO position.

Kwon Young-jae had followed a clear elite path. He had joined as a regular employee and was quickly promoted to team leader within a year. It could be seen as a privilege of the owner’s family, but his exceptional skills were also undeniable.

The first time the two men met was at a PR team’s reporting meeting. The presentation was being handled by a third-year manager, with Kim Heewon supporting his senior.

Kwon Young-jae arrived thirty minutes earlier than the scheduled time, making the presenter, the PR team manager, very nervous. Despite having presented before, he was unusually tense.

‘Heewon, what should I do? I’m so nervous, I feel sick…’

‘It’s okay, Manager. You can do this.’

Kim Heewon calmly reassured his senior and continued with the preparations. He greeted each person who entered the meeting room, set up drinks on the table once everyone had arrived, and made sure everything was in order.

Kwon Young-jae observed Kim Heewon’s hands as he placed a paper cup down. His nails were neatly trimmed, and his shirt sleeves were spotless without any stains. Most of all, there was no body odor from him, a rarity in a man. When standing close to him, not even the usual scent of fabric softener could be detected.

In front of Kwon Young-jae was a short paper cup, filled with an Americano close to espresso, his favorite coffee.

Was it just a coincidence? Kim Heewon looked around, noticing that everyone had different drinks, all catered to their individual tastes, including the participants of the meeting.

The presentation then began, but it was interrupted for a moment due to a projector malfunction.

In the face of the potential crisis, Kim Heewon quickly handed out printed versions of the presentation materials to the attendees and arranged for a large monitor to be brought in and connected to the laptop. His arranging skills were outstanding.

Kwon Young-jae carefully watched the entire process. He repeatedly glanced at Kim Heewon’s ID badge, visible on his clean jacket. It read ‘Kim Heewon, PR Team.’

Kwon Young-jae purposely requested meetings with the PR team afterward and met with Kim Heewon five more times. After seeing his consistent performance, Kwon Young-jae became certain.

‘Would you consider becoming my personal secretary?’

‘I can meet all your conditions. The salary and benefits will be the best in the industry.’

‘I’ll take good care of you. Let’s work together.’

The proposal from someone who was likely to become the company’s next CEO was frankly appealing. Kwon Young-jae was capable, had a clean personal life, and was praised for being one of the rare polite and nice people among the wealthy.

The fact that they were the same age was a bit of an issue, but in the company, position came before age. He wasn’t naïve enough to not understand that. Besides, it was better to work with someone of the same age rather than a younger person.

After a week of consideration, Heewon accepted the offer. From that point on, he became Kwon Young-jae’s right-hand man and spent six years by his side.

Thanks to his meticulous personality and innate sense, he adapted well to the role of a personal secretary. While Kwon Young-jae’s lack of warmth was a major flaw, it rarely bothered Kim Heewon, as his mental fortitude was solid.

Of course, it wasn’t easy. People often asked how he managed such a tough job. To that, Kim Heewon always replied—

Turns out, being a personal secretary was his true calling.

***

A little later, Heewon double-checked the participants for the upcoming weekly reporting meeting. Apex, being a genetic-based pharmaceutical company, had a much higher ratio of genetic individuals than other companies.

Among them, checking on Omega employees was a crucial task. Although everyone was an adult and capable of handling things on their own, accidents could happen at any time.

Especially since Kwon Young-jae was an Alpha, it was common for Omegas to make mistakes in front of him.

Therefore, Heewon had to be constantly vigilant. Being a Beta, he still found the world of trait carriers was still difficult to navigate. But what could he do? His boss was a dominant Alpha.

After finishing the preparations, Heewon stood up and put on his jacket, scanning the office.

The secretary’s office was busy in the morning. He had to sort the approval documents coming for Executive Director Kwon, arrange schedules, and handle incoming internal calls. The staff had a lot to do, thanks to their overworked boss.

“This secretary. When does our new hire start?”

“Next month, on the 1st.”

Once the new staff members arrived, things would probably ease up a bit. Heewon fastened his jacket and said,

“Please prepare the new hire’s application and recruitment report, then send it up to Executive Director Kwon.”

“Yes!”

Heewon then entered the office, reminding Executive Director Kwon about the meeting schedule and helping him put on his jacket.

Executive Director Kwon, without a word, stopped what he was doing and accepted the service. It was as if the earlier scolding had never happened. They both resumed their usual demeanor.

A clean, no-strings-attached relationship. That was the secret to their smooth, six-year-long partnership.

The 9th-floor meeting room was famous within the Apex building for having the best natural lighting. Beyond the large floor-to-ceiling windows, the expansive Seoul Forest could be seen. Of course, no one bothered to enjoy the view.

The atmosphere was tense, as it was a presentation on research achievements in front of Executive Director Kwon. The researchers, dressed in formal attire instead of their usual white coats, all looked stiff and nervous.

“Hello, Researcher. I’m Kim Heewon, Executive Director Kwon’s personal secretary. May I ask if you’re feeling alright today?”

Hee-won cautiously approached the Omega trait researcher and asked. The stern-looking researcher glanced at Hee-won. Sharp eyes scanned him up and down.

“You’re the one who sent that email last time, right?”

“Yes, since there was no reply, I’m asking again.”

“I didn’t reply because the content was rude.”

The response was quite cold. Heewon hid his discomfort and simply smiled. There were occasional people who reacted this sharply.

He could understand. A notice asking for careful pheromone control could easily come off as coercive or even humiliating.

“I apologize. But for the meeting to proceed smoothly, we ask for your cooperation. I believe this is your first time attending a meeting with Executive Director Kwon. He’s extremely sensitive to pheromones. We have medication prepared in case you need…”

“Do you even realize how over the line that comment is? You ignore the alphas and only target the omegas for management—if that’s not discrimination, then what is!”

“I’m sorry.”

Heewon apologized again. What the researcher said wasn’t entirely wrong, so he had no choice but to step back. He didn’t have the authority to enforce anything more here.

The meeting then began. It seemed to be going smoothly—until it abruptly halted not even ten minutes in. The sensitive Executive Director Kwon frowned.

“Who’s releasing pheromones right now?”

A heavy silence fell over the meeting room. No one spoke, only darting glances filled the air.

Among the twelve attendees, there was one beta, eight alphas, and three omegas. The trait-holders all shook their heads, denying it.

Executive Director Kwon’s expression grew even more severe. No matter how handsome his face was, when he got angry, it was frightening enough to make your skin crawl.

“Are you all deaf? I’m asking who the hell walked into this meeting without even being able to control their pheromones.”

The way he phrased it made it even harder to speak up. The room was so quiet, the sound of someone swallowing could be heard.

People started to put two and two together. They hadn’t noticed at first, but after Kwon pointed it out, an omega’s pheromones were indeed starting to become noticeable. Whoever it was must’ve been too nervous to keep control.

“S-sorry… I’m sorry.”

In the end, one person raised their hand voluntarily. It was the same researcher who had sharply confronted Heewon earlier. The look on their face showed they’d never expected to be called out like this.

“Weren’t you informed in advance?”

“I… well…”

The researcher’s face turned red, and their large eyes began to fill with tears. Finally, the tears burst. As emotions ran high, the pheromones began to spread uncontrollably.