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Chapter Text

I’m sure you’re wondering why I asked to have coffee with you, especially on your day off.” 

Min-young had to mask her surprise by taking a sip of her coffee. The legends were true, she thought, Executive Secretary Na was someone who wasted no time. 

Honestly, Oh Min-young had no idea if that was a good thing. More than that, she had no idea if her predecessor asking to meet her on their day off was a good omen or a bad one.

But she was a mass communications graduate, minoring in business administration—if she had no idea how to make the best of any situation, then she had no business holding such a prestigious degree from Seoul National University and certainly wouldn’t deserve her newly minted employment status as the executive secretary for Queens Group’s vice-chairwoman. 

So, she nodded, slowly and coolly. “I was wondering, yes,” she said, a bit respectfully, and a bit mindful—she was anxious, yes, but she didn't want to give too much away. Secretary Na still, technically, worked for her boss' boss. The last thing she wanted was to give an impression that she was in over her head and for Na Chae-yon-ssi, the secretary of the newly-appointed chairman of the Queens Group Hong Beom-seok, to give her a vote of no confidence.

Min-young wouldn’t say this aloud, but the question had been eating away at her ever since she received the email after work hours. In fact, she had been thinking of every single possibility and she even worried, briefly, if she was going to get fired before she could even meet her actual boss, the famed Hong Hae-in of Queens Group, Vogue Asia's most influential woman of the year, the newest (and youngest) awardee of presidential excellence in the field of business. 

“And I’m pretty sure that, by now, you’ve finished your orientation.” Na Chae-yon swirled her coffee distractedly, looking as though she was aerating wine instead of cheap cafe drinks, “I think it was Secretary Kim who trained you for the job, right?” 

She nodded again. "Oh, he did. It was really helpful." 

Min-young bit back a smile. Not to sound overconfident, but she didn't just train for the job, she perfected the art of her new job. 

When she learned from the recruiter that her application to Queens Group had been accepted and that she was shortlisted to be the Hong Hae-in's secretary, she devoured everything there was to know—she watched every interview and press release to know her mannerism, read the Hanyang Economic Daily human interest piece to know how she took her coffee (a nitro vanilla cold brew with one cream, and one sugar with an extra shot of espresso paired with a freshly baked mulberry Danish), and even brushed up on the financial projections published by the Nikkei when she assumed her new position as a probation secretary undergoing orientation.

And when Secretary Kim trained her, she made sure she understood and perfected every duty she was expected to do. In essence, Min-young was determined to make herself and her office indispensable to Hong Hae-in. 

"My advice is, as her former secretary—" Na Chae-yon, who finally took one long sip of coffee, set down her cup and looked her straight in the eye, "—forget everything he told you."

Min-young was prepared to assure her senior that she had taken everything Secretary Kim taught to her heart. But before she could answer, the words played back in her ears like the moment freezing over in a silent chamber where even the smallest sound could be heard. Forget everything he told you? 

"I'm sorry, what?"

Na Chae-yon-ssi laughed, shaking her head.  "Don't get me wrong, Kim-biseo's a great secretary... but he's also a man," then, Na Chae-yon made a face, "and he's also unmarried." 

Min-young frowned. "I'm sure it's not all useless, Na Chae-yon-ssi—"

Na Chae-yon held up five fingers. "Hanyang Group, Royal Group, Roel Group, Seri's Choice, and Shinwa Group. A good secretary should know that those five companies are Queens Group's most significant competitors and that knowing your competitors will win you half the battle." Then, she counted another five. "Auro, Castelli, Frette, Girard-Perregaux, and Eliseyevsky. A good secretary should know that those five artisanal and luxury brands are on an upward trend and the company who can successfully cultivate those brands in Korea can lead the curve instead of following. I'm guessing you already know how she takes her coffee, and I'm guessing you already cyberstalked her digital footprint thinking it would give you an edge. Let me disabuse you of that notion: they won't. The things I've told you, those are the things you can prepare for, whether to counter a marketing strategy or to entice a foreign luxury brand to sign with your company, you should know that by now and judging the way your phone lights up with notifications from Wall Street Journal, you already do. But that's what any average secretary would do. Remember, you don't just work for the company, you work for the woman and an indispensable secretary should know how to deal with the unexpected." 

Na Chae-yon took a file folder from her bag and handed it over to her. 

When Min-young opened the folder, she frowned—it was an employee's company profile,  complete with all the various contact details, addresses, and schedules even outside the working hours compiled in a meticulous file. "The legal director, Baek Hyun-woo?"

"Kim-biseo told you what's to be expected of you while you do your job. But like I said, he's a man and he's also unmarried. So, I'm here to teach you how to keep your job and that file right there is your secret weapon for any crisis." 

She read the name on top of the file aloud. "How is the legal director of Queens Group a secret weapon?" 

Min-young's sure she's heard that name before, maybe when she was absentmindedly scrolling through the sub-reddit forums on some juicy chaebol gossip back when she was still doing her thesis. 

But when she did a deep dive on her current employer, there was something akin to a congressional media blackout—the entire digital footprint had been scrubbed squeaky clean. 

“You’ll find out soon enough.” Chae-yon stood up and made her way before she could protest. “Welcome to Queens.”

Chapter Text

“Secretary Oh, eottokae? This is an impossible situation.”

Min-young might have been a new hire, but she was a quick study. 

In fact, just two months on the job, she quickly learned that there were two general rules of thumb regarding the vice-chairman. The first one was that the worse Ms. Hong’s mood is, the fancier her outfit. 

The office even had a system in place—if their boss was decked in all her diamonds like a peacock with tail feathers high, then they were all dead meat. A fancy matching Bulgari jewelry set and a designer Burberry outfit meant anything short of perfection might just get the entire office fired. 

She thought it was just a myth until a junior accountant from the finance department made the mistake of not proof-reading his report during the tense acquisition of some Queens Group asset that the former management under Pione Investment (which was run by some guy named Yoon Eun-sung) had sold off for parts like a corporate pirate. She’s never seen a grown man cry like that except in movies and dramas, but heartbreak and Ms. Hong, apparently, could bring about the same results when she’s dressed to kill. 

Min-young saw it now as a fact that, if she valued her life, nothing short of perfection would suffice when Ms. Hong was dressed like a runway model for Italian haute couture.

Which was why she tried so hard to make sure everything was perfect for the Goseong land acquisition. 

Queens Group had been focused on diversifying its portfolio and the newest sector they were trying to enter into was energy. When the recent metallurgy reports on a mining vein had yielded large amounts of Grade A copper, Ms. Hong had been determined to secure the land and the mining rights—from energy to manufacturing, that copper yield wouldn’t just earn the company profit, it would have secured a hundred-year future for Queens. 

And they were working on a deadline, too. Government bidding on the project was about to begin, and if they didn’t have the lands and mining rights from Goseong Holdings, they would effectively kiss goodbye what was literally the modern day equivalent of striking gold. 

Which was why Min-young was conflicted. Because if the first rule of thumb was to avoid Ms. Hong when she’s dressed to the nines, the second was to avoid waking up Hong Hae-in when she’s asleep at all costs. 

And right in her office, Vice Chairman Hong was slumped down, her face buried in her folded arms, sound asleep while the time sensitive deal was clutched in Min-young’s hand and still missing the all-important seal and signature of Queens Group’s vice chairman.

“What are we going to do?” One of her co-workers, Lee Se-na, paced the floor, her hand placed just right above her heart as she started fanning herself. “If we wake her up, we’re screwed. But if we let her sleep and let Hansang Group snipe the deal, we’re dead. We’re damned if we do and damned if we don't.”

“Se-na-ssi is right,” Kim Dae-ho, their office’s RD attache, slumped limply into an empty chair. “We’re basically corpses already.” 

“Hold on. Let me think.” Min-young hissed, letting the ink of panic color her tone. 

This was a puzzle—and she liked puzzles—all she had to do was solve the puzzle.

Min-young kept switching her gaze between the file in her hands, the clock that hung in the bullpen wall, and across the hall, the door to Ms. Hong’s office. 

Ms. Hong’s signature was the final step in approving the deal. The deadline was in thirty minutes before Hansang swoops in and snatches the deal like a vulture. 

They needed this deal. But in order to secure the deal, they needed to wake up Ms. Hong. But waking up Ms. Hong was a death sentence waiting to happen. Min-young tapped her fingers on the desk, her heart pumping in her chest. 

She stared at the ceiling forlornly. “This is impossible!” She hissed slamming the drawer of her desk shut—soft enough not to disturb Ms. Hong, but powerful enough to rattle the stack of folders she had arranged on her table. 

She wanted to just lie down on the ground when she saw one folder peek out from the mess. It was a folder from Human Resources, more particularly, it was a file of an employee.

She opened the cover and saw the bio-data of the legal director, Atty. Baek Hyun-woo. 

At first, she wondered why she had this file. Ms. Hong didn’t really ask for employee files, and surely HR would have asked for the return of such a confidential document—

Min-young did a double take and brought the page closer to her eyes. “Legal director?” She sounded out each of the syllables closely and carefully. 

Why did that ring a bell? 

Min-young flipped through the other pages of the file—there were a few pages dedicated to his guidelines and frameworks for legal issues, there was a section job performance which showed that he consistently passed with flying colors, then there was a page for the communication directory to reach him and the legal department, and finally, on the last page, his schedule. 

She was still puzzled at why she had that file when, as she was about to close the folder, she noticed a post-it on the back side of the front cover. Min-young peeled it off and stared at the note:

Use only during emergencies and do not—I repeat, DO NOT—share his personal cell number. 

Good luck. I hope you don’t have to use it often. 

In the bottom of the post-it, there was a number scrawled in neat handwriting and she saw the signature… it was from Ms. Hong’s previous secretary, Na Chae-yon. 

The memory of meeting Secretary Na came to mind. She remembered being told to forget everything Secretary Kim taught her and to—

“Jamkkanman,” she murmured, her mind making out mental equations. She thought of the problem logically, and maybe that was the issue. 

She’s been thinking of the company. But she wasn’t working for the company—she was working for the woman. 

“We’re not doomed yet.” She announced, dropping the file to rummage inside her handbag for her phone. Her co-workers crowded her, looking at her with hopeful anticipation and a collective bated breath. 

The screen of her phone lit up and she dragged the phone icon to a side to open the call setting. Min-young paused briefly, half praying that this crazy stunt works and half trying to get her heart to calm down because she might end up in the hospital due to palpitations when the phone started ringing and—

“Yeoboseoyo?” 

It was a man’s voice. 

“Is this…” she gulped nervously, “is this Legal Director Baek’s phone?” 

There was a shuffle of sounds from the other line. It sounded like he had sighed tiredly. “If you have any legal concerns, please contact the Legal Department through the official channels—" 

“This is Ms. Hong’s secretary, Oh Min-young. Please don’t hang up.” She interjected so quickly that she didn’t have time to breathe. “Baek-eesanim, we have a Sleeping Peacock One situation.”

After what felt like an eternity had passed—but in reality, it was only 10 minutes—the door to the office creaked open to signal the arrival of a newcomer. 

He was tall, dressed in a fine bespoke suit that Min-young was sure cost more than her apartment. “Is she inside her office?” 

They all nodded mutely while Dae-ho nervously pointed to the door. 

He paused to look at the proposal folder from Goseong. “And you need her signature here?”

“Yes. It’s for the copper mine acquisition.” 

Director Baek perused the folder, and nodded approvingly. “It’s a good deal. Please don’t worry. I’ll have her sign it.”

Director Baek smiled warmly and thanked them before entering the office. They all piled to the side of the door, watching as he approached Ms. Hong. 

Min-young couldn’t help but watch (like the way she would watch those nature documentaries where it was hard to look at the helpless antelope  cross a crocodile-infested river, but couldn't quite look away even as the poor animal was dragged down under) as he approached her boss and when he crouched down to kneel beside the chair, his hand gently shaking Ms. Hong awake, Min-young fully expected a blood bath. Instead, her boss just furrowed deeper into her arms before peering a look at the man who just disturbed her slumber, smiling sweetly at the man before leaning in to—

Oh. Oh. They all looked away, whether it was out of courtesy or out of bewildered shock, Min-young wouldn’t know. 

The others exploded into a chorus of whispers and wide-eyed disbelief. “Did he just… did that namja just kiss Ms. Hong—” 

“I didn’t realize that half-passed five was the new lunch break.” A sharp voice interrupted the hushed exchange of whispers and everyone in the bullpen stood apart and their backs shot up straight. “Are you all done with the show?”

They hadn’t realized that someone new came into the office… but Min-young recognized that voice and tilted her head slightly, recovering fast enough to let her co-workers catch up. 

“Apologies, Secretary Na,” their team leader, who was still flushed red, bowed more deeply and averted his gaze away from the open door leading to Ms. Hong’s office as Director Baek walked out, the folder in his hand. “We weren’t expecting you.” 

Secretary Na looked at them, unimpressed. “The Chairman was wondering what was the hold up with the signature.” Then, she looked at Director Baek, and maybe Min-young was hallucinating this from the near heart attack she just had, but was that fond exasperation she saw on Secretary Na’s face? 

“Is this it?” Chae-yon-ssi flipped through the pages and hummed approvingly at the sight of the signed papers. 

Director Baek nodded. “Ye,” he nodded. 

Then, Chae-yon looked dismissively. “Good job.” 

Min-young would have been terrified to say that to the Director of the Legal Department, but this Baek Hyun-woo guy just smiled wryly and motioned towards the office. “I’m going to take her home,” he paused, looking away from Secretary Na to suddenly look at the team, “unless you still need Hae-in to stay in office longer?” 

“Just take her home already.” Secretary Na suddenly blurted out, informally and familiarly, cracking a small smile towards the end. “Fly her away to Germany, even, so that she stops dressing so glamorously.” 

Director Baek laughed, a real and hearty chuckle as his eyes squinted. “So that she ends up killing me instead?”

“Hey, better you than us.” 

He didn’t reply, but he shook his head, still smiling warmly as he re-entered the office. Everyone—even Secretary Na—huddled around the door this time. 

Ms. Hong was still slumped down on the desk, half-out of it and half-awake. He leaned down to whisper something in her ear. She probably gave a soft response, because the next thing they knew, Director Baek had scooped her into his arms. 

“If there’s nothing more to do at the office, please feel free to take the rest of the day off.”