The CEO and his Appointed Secretary
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Chapter 3: Secretary Park
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Too soon, the car pulls up to the hotel, flashes of what seems like a million cameras alerting him of their arrival. The car comes to a stop and Jaehyun waits for the driver to open the door for him.
As soon as the door is opened he's bombarded by the reporters. Questions being yelled out, blinding flashes of cameras directed at him.
"How do you feel about becoming a CEO so young?!"
"Do you feel that you're qualified?" Like he hasn't heard that a million times by now.
"You just got back from America?!"
The flashes, the yelling it's all too much.
He can feel a migraine start to form behind his eyelids. Finally, before the urge to start shouting at everyone within the five-meter radius gets too hard to ignore, he's ushered inside the lobby by two guards. Thank fuck.
When the doors close behind him it's not exactly silent, but much better. He can see some hotel guests milling around in the lobby, luggage being tugged around and a man talking loudly into his phone, gesturing wildly on one of the couches across from the reception desk.
He's led by the guards towards the elevators, Jaehyun is guessing this whole shebang is going to be at the lounge at the top of the building—very creatively named 'The Sitting Room' at least it has a gorgeous view of Han River on full display, the dim lights giving it a cozy vibe.
Truthfully, he has no fucking clue what the hell is going on. He was told to show up and that's what he did. If you ask Jaehyun, he would have said hell no to this party but as always he wasn't given the option to voice his opinion.
The elevator dings at the top floor, once again Jaehyun is escorted by the two guards by his sides towards the entrance of the lounge. It has an old-world feel—yet another influence of his grandfather.
Usually, Jeon Jeongho lets top designers make big design decisions but for this one, he wanted his own personal touch.
The place is decorated with brown leather seaters, a dark wooden bar filled with the most expensive bottles of liquor money could buy. Only the crème de la crème could even dream of getting in through the door, let alone have a drink at this very bar.
Jaehyun sees his mother talking to friends of hers, covering her laugh politely behind a hand. She gestures to him in acknowledgment, excusing herself to come to his side.
"Jaehyun. You look great dear. Very fitting for a CEO." Jaehyun's given one of Lee Kyung-hee's signature tight-lipped smiles.
"Thank you, mother," He replies with a forced smile.
"Well, your grandfather is around, I'm sure there are tons of people he wants you to meet. Why don't you go to him?" His mother says with a pat on his arm, before going back to her circle of friends.
Jaehyun spots his grandfather talking to a group of men who seem awfully interested in whatever he has to say, as always he is nursing a neat whiskey in his hand, most likely a Macallan single malt. He is yet to be noticed.
"Oh, CEO Jeon!" A familiar voice calls.
"Hyung."
"Our Jaehyun-ie became a CEO, they grow up so fast!" Taemin says dramatically. He's wearing a pink suit. At least it's a suit, Jaehyun thinks gratefully, already dreading the looks his grandfather will throw their way.
He can take the criticism, as he's done all his life, but he can't stand it when his grandfather criticizes his best friend. "I want you to meet a couple of friends of mine, from university days. Great guys!" Taemin continues excitedly. "You remember Hajoon-hyung? Hajoon-hyung? Yes, him. I want you to meet Sehun-hyung too." He rambles on excitedly while pulling at Jaehyun's sleeve carelessly, it would make his stylist weep in despair.
They come to a stop behind two men who are standing shoulder to shoulder, nursing drinks in their hands. One of them is slightly taller and has really broad shoulders. The other one seems leaner and has light brown hair. "Hyungs!"
"Kim Sehun. Congratulations on becoming CEO." Kim Sehun introduces himself, a smile blooming on his handsome face.
"Jeon Jaehyun." He extends his hand when he remembers his manners and the fact that starting on Monday, he will officially be a CEO at the tender age of twenty-three.
"This is Jung Hajoon, he owns a huge dance studio, he even does choreography for idols! Didn't you choreograph for the dance for 2PM's comeback, hyung?" Taemin says excitedly.
"Nice to meet you," Jaehyun says, the smile directed back at him is blinding, perfect teeth on full display.
"Nice to meet you too! Congratulations." He says with another beaming smile.
"Jaehyun." He hears his grandfather's gruff voice, affected by years and years of smoking and the imported whiskey he loves to drink in his study every night.
He nods to the rest of the guys in acknowledgment, Jaehyun notices that both Sehun and Hajoon's backs are straighter at the sight of him.
"Chairman." Jaehyun greets formally with a bow.
"I have to steal my grandson for a little bit, please excuse us." Jeon Jeongho says with a practiced smile and starts steering him away with a hand on his elbow without waiting for an answer.
Jaehyun manages to mumble something to Kim Sehun and Jung Hajoon just before he's ushered away.
"I want you to meet Kim Namgi first. He's a prosecutor, a very good one." His grandfather says with a meaningful gaze.
They are stopped along the way for polite congratulations, firm handshakes and even more practiced smiles. Jaehyun is starting to feel a little overwhelmed already and it's only been like fifteen minutes in here. He resists the urge to tug at his collar, to free his neck from the constriction of the tie. Instead, he squeezes his nails painfully against his palm. His temples are starting to throb already.
"Prosecutor Kim!" His grandfather calls. A tall, blonde man in a grey suit turns around, almost knocking over the glass of water on the table in front of him, catching it just in time before it can go crashing down on the floor.
"Chairman. And this must be Jeon Jaehyun. I'm Kim Namgi, with the Supreme Prosecutors' Office." Kim Namgi's gaze is behind a pair of black-rimmed glasses but it doesn't take away from the intensity of it.
Jaehyun feels like all the mistakes he made in his life and all his dirty little secrets are on full display in front of this man, he resists the urge to turn his gaze away.
"Nice to meet you," Jaehyun says, grasping the offered hand in a firm handshake.
"Namgi-hyung—oh!" The three of them turn to the owner of the melodic voice, it has the slightest hint of a lisp, with something that reminds him of Busan.
Jaehyun's breath hitches.
"Secretary Park! Great timing. I was just introducing him to everyone." His grandfather turns to him briefly. "This is Park Jihwan, he will be your secretary." He continues with a genuine smile, seemingly pleased with this Park Jihwan guy.
Jaehyun is, admittedly, a little annoyed.
"It's great to finally meet you, CEO Jeon." Park Jihwan says with a wide smile that makes his eyes disappear. His eyes are literally shining, what the fuck. His lips are so full and so red. Jaehyun's eyes drop to them involuntarily.
"L-likewise," He says in a daze. Somehow remembering to extend his hand for a brief handshake.
How the hell is a guy's hand this soft?
"Secretary Park here will show you the ropes. I'm putting my grandson in your capable hands, Jihwan-ssi. I know you'll shape him up great." The Chairman says with another smile, lightly patting Jaehyun on the back, a display of affection that's completely foreign to Jaehyun.
"I'm looking forward to working with you." Park Jihwan directs another dazzling smile at him.
"Y-yes." Flashbacks to middle school start to flood Jaehyun's head. Why is he reduced to a stuttering mess again?
The next hour or so passes by in a blur of faces and more handshakes.
Jaehyun doesn't remember half the people he meets. At least he's thankful to have gotten the press conference out of the way, where he was expected to give a speech (that wasn't even written by himself, but still).
Here, he just has to go around handing out fake smiles and wait patiently until this whole ordeal is over so that he can go back to his penthouse to hole up in there until Monday morning when he's officially starting work.
His grandfather steers him towards an empty section of the bar, signalling towards the bartender for a refill. "I wanted you to meet Min Yejun as well, he's our CFO."
"Yejun-hyung?" Jungkook asks as he picks up the glass offered to him.
"You already met him?" His grandfather questions with a raise of his eyebrows behind his glasses, taking a careful sip from his nth whiskey of the night.
"Yeah, he's my friend," Jaehyun replies, annoyed to be repeating this to his grandfather when he should already know that they're friends.
"Perfect. Well, it's good that you already know him then. He's in Shanghai at the moment, he'll be back on Monday for the board of directors' meeting."
"Okay."
"You'll be there too, Jaehyun." He is reminded with a pointed gaze.
"Obviously, I'm the CEO, aren't I?".
"Don't disappoint." Like he hasn't been told that before. Countless times.
Jaehyun resists the urge to roll his eyes and say "Yes, sir." Instead, he coughs into his hand.
His grandfather seems to pity him and leaves him alone at the bar, and Jaehyun is finally able to drink (and hopefully get tipsy) on his own. He breathes a sigh of relief when he sees his grandfather go around the room to socialize.
"CEO Jeon." That voice again. It's already affecting him. How is Jaehyun supposed to survive when he has to hear this every day?
"Secretary Park," Jaehyun says, twirling the glass in his hand.
"Please, just Jihwan is fine."
The low lighting of the lounge is not helping Jaehyun's libido at the moment.
Jaehyun knows himself. Alcohol amplifies his already high sex drive through the roof. Maybe drinking wasn't a good idea.
"Sure."