"could you please move the banner a bit to the right please?"

"we're on it!"

"thank you." the secretary nodded, carefully looking at his surroundings again. "and please, make sure the table cloths are ironed and that the utensils are placed neately on the- oh god, you are the caterer, right?" taeyong stopped himself mid-sentence as a face he could recognise passed by.

"huh, yes, that's me." the man answered.

"just a last check, nothing you made contains tuna, right?" taeyong asked, hoping with all of his life that he would answer positively.

"that is right, sir. nothing with tuna."

"oh, thank you very much!" the secretary sighed in relief before turning around again, trying to recall what he had been doing just before interrupting himself to question the caterer. "ughh... this is so stressful..." he let out before lifting his head, causing his eyes to fall on the banner that was previously a bit too much on the left. "the banner is perfect like that, thank you!" he exclaimed, earning a few nods from the workers.

less than a day was left before the congress. only a few hours separated now from the moment when this place would be swarmed with ceos and rich investors interested in the automobile industry, and let's say taeyong had just reached the highest level of stress his body could achieve.

he wanted everything to be perfect. after all, seeing how fast-growing nakamotors had been for the past year, people had high expectations of the company, and taeyong hoped they would be able to meet each and every of them with this event.

"we're ready for the sound check!" one of the workers announced from afar, flashing taeyong a smile.

"okay, please go- sorry, i need to take this call!" the secretary stopped himself mid-sentence again as he felt his phone vibrating in his back pocket.

the boy ignored the fact that the number wasn't saved on his phone and answered immediately – at that point, if he saved every supplier's number his contact list would take all of his phone storage. "good afternoon, lee taeyong from nakamotors speaking." he let out almost robotically.

"mister lee, we are reaching you because we are having a problem with the flyers you ordered for the congress." a woman said on the other side of the line.

as the woman spoke, taeyong tried his best to concentrate and remember who this could be. of course, he had already had them over on the phone, but he had so many calls a day that he could barely remember every of them.

thankfully, the word 'flyers' was enough to make him understand that they were the company responsible for printing and delivering the hundreds of flyers that would be handed out to other ceos during the congress, and also the visit cards that they would have to leave with in order to be able to reach yuta or taeyong if they ever needed.

"alright, what is the problem?" the secretary asked, glancing to the side as one of the workers approached him holding two tablecloths, both having a very slight colour difference.

"well, we were supposed to deliver the flyers right now, but all of your delivery vans are occupied right now, and because we are so close to closing hours, we won't be able to deliver them tonight."

taeyong listened to her with one ear as he successively looked at the two pieces of cloth the worker was preseting to him before choosing the lightest shade.

"you'll have them tomorrow morning around 10am if it's okay for you." the woman on the phone finished as the tablecloth worker left taeyong alone.

"huh, please stop me if i'm wrong, but i thought these flyers had been ordered weeks ago, and that you had assured that you would be able to deliver them on time." the secretary slightly raised his voice, his level of stress increasing as he tried to find an alternative solution.

"yes, two of our vans should have come back an hour ago, but something came up and they are still stuck delivering products." she explained. "but we can send the products tomorrow if- "

"tomorrow 10am is too late." taeyong explained. "and i suppose you are closing soon."

"in half an hour, sir." the woman replied.

taeyong heaved out a loud sigh, rubbing his forehead with his palm as he took a deep breath to calm himself and hopefully make his stress level come down.

"alright." taeyong spoke. "i'll come collect them myself. i'll be there before closing time."

"okay, we'll wait for you then. goodbye."

the secretary hung up before he could say goodbye, immediately scanning over the room with his eyes to find a general manager. thankfully, he was quick to find one and run to his side.

"everything alright taeyong?" the man asked with a smile.

"yeah- well, no." the secretary shook his head. "anyway, can you please make sure everything is going smoothly? i need to go grab the flyers before the printing company closes, it's an emergency."

"sure." the man nodded. "i'll check on everything while you're gone."

"thank you so much!" taeyong flashed the male a wide smile before turning on his heels and running away.

the secretary ran across the building, quickly reaching the lifts and pressing the button of yuta's office's floor. the elevator ride was kind of short despite the height of the building, and taeyong couldn't be more relieved when he arrived at the top floor and entered his and yuta's office.

"oh, taeyong! is everything ready down there?" yuta asked, diverting his eyes from his screen.

"almost." the secretary nodded, rushing to his desk and grabbing his coat. "but we have a slight problem with the flyers, i need to go and get them."

"by car?" yuta questioned. "can't you have someone else doing it?"

"they're closing soon and we can't risk it. i know where they are and what i have to take, so it will be a gain of time." taeyong explained quickly.

"okay. do you need me to come with you? i have a phone call to make, but i can have it while you're driving so- "

"NO!" taeyong let out quickly, perhaps a bit too loudly too.

the ceo looked at him surprised before he started chuckling.

"well..."

"sorry..." taeyong muttered, his cheeks red. "i'm stressed and... and i don't know... it's okay, you don't need to come. i will be quick and efficient."

"don't worry, taeyong." yuta assured. "make sure to breathe, okay? and don't stress too much, it's alright. the world economy won't crash if we don't have those flyers, mmh?"

taeyong nodded quickly. "yes, you're right."

"good. you can go now."

and without further ado, taeyong walked out of the office and stepped into the lift again, quickly getting to the ground floor and walking in the opposite way of the entrance to get out by the back door.

the secretary checked his surroundings before walking towards the road, holding his arm out as soon as he saw a taxi passing by.

"taxi, please!" he exclaimed as the car stopped right in front of him.

"good afternoon, where to?" the taxi driver asked as taeyong opened the door and got in the car.

"the main printing house, please."

"alright. let's go." the driver said. "it will be a fifteen minutes drive."

"perfect."

☏

"okay, that will be all for today!" jaehyun exclaimed as he pressed the power button of his computer, shutting it down completely and signing the end of his work day.

the ceo lifted his arms stretching his limbs until his joints popped, making him let out a sigh of relief.

noticing how dark the sky was outside, jaehyun checked his watch only to realise it was already past 10pm. he really was a workaholic, and he liked his position as a ceo so much that he didn't even realise how fast time passed. some days, he even forgot to take his lunch break because of how focused he was in his work.

"thank god no one is waiting for me at home..." the ceo declared, chuckling as he could already imagine his wife and his kids scolding him for coming back home so late at night. but who cared, he was single and lived alone, so what if he came back home at midnight instead of 6pm? this didn't change anything.

anyway, today was a particularly busy day considering that jaehyun wouldn't be be able to work fully the next day since he wouldn't be at his office. of course not, he needed to attend the congress held by nakamotors for their first anniversary, an event that he couldn't imagine missing – note the sarcasm.

the busy ceo packed his stuff and shut the blinds before making sure he hadn't forgotten anything and finally leaving his office. as he walked across the empty open spaces that composed jung corporation headquarters, jaehyun let his mind imagine how the even of the next day would be. he could already picture yuta nakamoto being dressed in his best tuxedo, with the brightest and yet fakest smile ever as he presented his ascention to the top of the secor thanks to his stupidly innovative cars.

oh, he could imagine perfectly how all of the other ceos or the investors would be, all trying to get in his good papers as if they could make the best business partners. all of that for money, because it was no secret that in this world, nothing mattered more than money, and all of the ceos were greedy men that couldn't care less about anything but silver and gold.

and knowing how ceos nowadays were, jaehyun could imagine all of their secretaries trying their best to befriend nakamoto's secretary to achieve their goal and-

"oh, my fucking god!" jaehyun stopped in his tracks, his eyes wide as he slapped his hand over his forehead. "i don't have a secretary..."

and it was like a storm erupted in the jaehyun's head. the ceo's thoughts were running wild, trying to focus as much as possible to gather information and find a solution quickly.

but what could he do? it was past 10pm, he knew no one that would pass as a decent secretary, and he needed to be at nakamotors' headquarters first thing in the morning meaning he wouldn't be able to stop by his headquarters to ask one of his employees to act as his secretary – plus, the employees wouldn't be there yet when he'll pass by.

"fuck, fuck, fuck..." the ceo muttered, stomping his feet as he continued crossing the open spaces, pulling his phone out and checking his contact list to see if he couln't find someone that could fit this role.

sadly, he didn't judge any of his contacts fitting enough for it, meaning that he still didn't have a secretary and that he only had a few hours left to find one. presenting himself to nakamotors without a secretary was unconceivable after his father's rambling, and he was right, nowadays, ceos were expected to have secretaries.

so, 10 minutes after realising his mistake, jaehyun was left with the same problem: he didn't have a secretary, and he needed one.

at that point, he would be taking anyone, whether it was an actual secretary or even a random business worker that would be ready to spend a day in a nice event in an expensive suit and surrounded by greedy men.

the ceo of jung corporation was so close to losing his composure, and honestly, he would have lost it a hundred times if it was not for the noise that disturbed the giant and silent open spaces.

a wave of hope took over jaehyun as he ran as fast as he could in the direction of the noise, not caring about how desperate he looked at that exact moment. he couldn't be alone in the headquarters; there was surely one of his passionate business workers still here working hard on some project due the next day even though they normally finsihed much earlier than 10:30pm. there had to be at least one person left in the headquarters, one kind soul that would save jaehyun's life.

and thank god, there was.

someone was there, fumbling with their things under their desk.

jaehyun immediately rushed to the person's side, arriving there out of breath.

"good evening... i need... your help... please." he spoke between pants, looking as desperate as ever.

the male that was under the desk jumped slightly before he turned around his eyes widening like saucers as he saw who was standing in front of him.

"m-mister jung?!" he exclaimed, sitting up straight and causing himself to hit his head against the desk.

"yes, it's me." jaehyun nodded, helping the boy that was rubbing his head up. "i really need your help."

"m-my help?!" the boy looked at him in disbelief.

"yes. you work here?" jaehyun asked. "in the marketing department, right?"

"h-huh..." the male stuttered, glancing at his surroundings. "w-well... n-no, n-not really... i'm a technician from nano electronics, i was called to change the additional screens."

"so, you're not a marketing worker?" jaehyun questioned. "not even an intern?"

"n-no, i'm an engineer." the boy replied, rather confused by the ceo's actions.

jaehyun sighed loudly, placing both of his hands on his temples as he walked in circles for a few seconds, checking his surroundings again before looking back at the engineer who still hadn't gotten back to work.

"is there anyone else in the other open spaces?" jaheyun asked.

"i passed through all of the open spaces, and sadly everybody left. and i was going to leave right after i was done with this last screen actually." the engineer explained, motioning to the brand-new screen that he had just installed.

he earned another silence from the ceo who groaned loudly. jaehyun had his thoughts running completely wild, trying to find a solution to his problem.

he checked his phone again, seeing no messages and fining no one fitting enough for the job – someone that wouldn't laugh at him for being so desperate, or someone that wouldn't ridicule him if they came to be his secretary.

with a nth sigh, the ceo placed his phone back in his pocket, looking at the engineer, despair evident in his eyes.

"do you own a nice tuxedo?"

the technician blinked a few times, looking up at the ceo with furrowed brows. "a-a tuxedo?"

"yeah, a suit. monochromatic, preferably navy or black, but any colour would be fine."

"well... i have a black one, but if you're asking because you want me to lend- "

"perfect." jaehyun cut him. "i really need you to help me, then."

the engineer looked down at himself before lifting his head again to stare at the ceo dressed very professionally. "to help you?" he repeated. "do you have a problem with your laptop? or your internet connection? if not, i'm not sure i can be of great help, because there's nothing more i can do."

"i have a congress tomorrow. i need you to act as my secretary." jaehyun explained simply, desperation still hearable in his voice.

the engineer stayed glued on his sopt, his eyes wide and his mouth agape as he tried processing the words the ceo had just pronounced, his mind sending him alerts and warning him that this had to be a joke.

"s-sorry?" he breathed out, still stunned.

"i don't have a secretary and i need you to pretend like you are my secretary for a congress tomorrow." the ceo rephrased his words, leaving the other male as sureprised as he previously was.

"y-you can't be serious." he stuttered. "i-i'm just a technician, a-and if i'm still here at that time of the day it is because my manager threatened to fire me because i wasn't enough for the job and i want to prove him i can do good. i definitely am not a secretary."

jaehyun sighed, quickly glancing at his watch. he was aware that this engineer wasn't the appropriate candidate for this mission, but he had only a few hours left and wasn't sure he'd be able to find someone else. he was his best and only option.

"what's your name?" the ceo asked.

"dong sicheng." the engineer replied.

"look, sicheng, i am one of the biggest ceos of this industry and i have to be present tomorrow in the early morning at a congress with a secretary that i don't have. i need you to play as my secretary, otherwise, i'll be completely doomed." jaehyun explained the best he could, trying not to sound like he was begging an engineer – which was exactly what was happening. "you won't need to talk or anything. just be there by my side. for the duration of the congress, as if you were my secretary."

there was a silence. the engineer, sicheng, had no idea what to say to the businessman. he was still in shock of the words that had escaped his mouth, still not 100% sure that they were not a big joke and that the ceo would start laughing his ass off in a few seconds.

"i'll make sure that your manager doesn't fire you, and i can even negotiate you a raise in salary if you want." jaehyun spoke as calmly as he could. "but please, i really need you to act as if you were my secretary tomorrow."

sicheng looked in the ceo's eyes, seeing nothing but desperation and hope, as if the engineer really was his last possibility. and who was sicheng to turn down such an important ceo, mostly if that said ceo suggested rising his salary and making sure he wasn't fired?

"o-okay..." sicheng mumbled. "i'll help you. but be aware that this is a terrible idea."