the chinese male couln't concentrate. he had changed electronical devices countless of times already, and he was pretty sure that he was able to do it even with his eyes closed with how passionate about it he was. but for some reason, he couldn't get things straight that day.

as much as he wanted to forget about it, the conversation him and yuta had had before the conference the day before was still stuck in his head and bothering him.

he couldn't do it anymore. he couldn't keep lying to the ceo about who he really was. he genuinely liked yuta, maybe even more than that, and he could see yuta liked him a lot too. he didn't want to deceive the japanese male by keeping secrets from him.

"will it take a lot more time?" a feminine voice cut sicheng off his daydream, causing him to turn around to stare at the owner of the house he was having an intervention in.

"h-huh, no. i believe everything will be done in less than 10 minutes." sicheng replied, looking down at all of the wires that he was supposed to connect.

"hmm." the lady simply hummed before leaving sicheng alone.

the electrical technician heaved out a sigh, shaking his head to push away any intrusive thought he might have before giving his full attention to the wires.

he worked fast and efficiently, not letting himself being disturbed by his thoughts. and thankfully, he finished connecting everything in less than 10 minutes. he tried to switch the device on to make sure everything worked properly before clearing his throat and putting all of his tools and equipment away.

"it's all done, madam." sicheng said, walking in the next room to inform the owner of the house.

"thank you." she simply said, barely glancing at the engineer. "there's an envelope with your tip by the front door. good bye."

sicheng blinked for a few seconds before nodding. "t-thank you. have a nice day, goodbye." he finally spoke before heading towards the front door to exit the house, not forgetting to grab the envelope on his way.

sicheng plopped himself in his car, throwing his bag on the passenger's seat before staring at the envelope. he delicately opened it, checking its containing and sighing loudly.

it was crazy how much rich people didn't care about money. the woman hadn't even seemed to be particularly fond of sicheng's presence or competences, and yet she had tipped him half of his month salary. how bad he would like to be this mindless about giving out money. instead, he always had to worry and to make sure he'd be able to finish the month without being in debt.

the chinese male placed the money back in the envelope, smiling to himself as he decided to use this money to treat yuta some nice meal. the japanese ceo was always the one to pay for everything they did and to spoil sicheng with riches. sicheng would like to be able to repay him somehow, and to treat him as well as a way to show him his gratitude. so, this tip would be perfect for that. he knew he wouldn't be able to afford such an amazing restaurant as the ones yuta brought him in, but at least, they could share a meaningful meal. and who knows, sicheng could even confess during that meal, telling yuta about his feelings, and mostly, his true self.

after discarding the envelope containing the tip he had just received in the glove box of his car, sicheng started his car, driving away from the mansion he had intervened in and following the road signs until he reached jung corporation's headquarters.

the fake secretary stopped in front of the building, a valet opening the door for him and holding his hand out for sicheng to place the keys inside. the electric technician got out of the car, the valet looking at him weirdly – surely because of his bright orange uniform – but taking the car keys and driving the car to the parking.

sicheng then headed inside, reaching the reception with ease with the numerous times he had been there already.

"hello, how may i help you?" the lady behind the desk asked.

"hello, i'd like to see mister jung, please." sicheng stated, flashing the worker his best smile for a good impression – he was still dressed in his orange t-shirt and shorts on which had been printed 'nano electronics', and he knew that people dressed like this weren't normally expected in such prestigious headquarters.

"i don't think we have a technical intervention planned today." the lady informed, glancing down at sicheng's clothes before looking back up into his eyes.

"n-no, i'm here to see the ceo. not for an intervention." sicheng clarified, straightening his back.

"do you have an appointment, then?" she questioned, making jaehyun's schedule appear on her computer to check herself.

"huh, no." sicheng blinked.

"well, then i'm afraid it won't be possible. mister jung has a very tight schedule and he requests all of his clients to plan appointments before showing up." the receptionist explained calmly, showing sicheng a smile. "and by the looks of it, you don't seem like one of his clients, so i'm going to have to ask you to leave."

the engineer sighed, kind of expecting those words from the receptionist. "is he in a meeting right now? does he have a free period in his agenda today?"

"these are confidential information that i am not allowed to share, mister." she told. "please, leave. your attire isn't proper for the headquarters of such an important company."

"i just need to pass a quick call, excuse me."

sicheng heaved another sigh, pulling his phone out of his pocket and clicking on jaehyun's contact number to call him under the eyes of the receptionist.

"hello sicheng, everything alright?" the ceo asked, answering after a few beeps.

"jaehyun, yes. i needed to have a talk with you."

"sure. i don't have anything important this afternoon. should i come to nano electronics?"

"it won't be necessary." sicheng explained. "i'm at your headquarters."

"oh! just come to my office then." jaehyun informed his fake-secretary.

"well... the receptionist won't let me..." sicheng stated in a hushed tone, glancing at the receptionist who was looking back at him.

"i'm coming."

jaehyun hung up immediately after, leaving sicheng with a small smile.

he approached the receptionist again, the lady still looking at him questioningly.

"is there anything else i can help you with?" she asked.

"no, it's okay. mister jung will be here in a second." sicheng answered politely.

"sir, once again, if you don't have an appointment, i won't let you meet mister jung." she repeated."plus, your attire is not proper, so i am going to ask you to leave before i call- "

"sicheng!"

both the receptionist and the chinese male lifted their heads at the voice they recognised, turning around simultaneously to see the ceo walking in their direction.

"jaehyun." sicheng smiled at him, staying in front of the reception.

"s-sir, this man has been claiming he needs to see you but he doesn't have an appointment and- "

"he doesn't need an appointment." jaehyun cut her words mindlessly. "and you better remember his face and his orange shorts from now on. sicheng can come to my office whenever and wearing whatever, no appointments needed."

the receptionist looked at the ceo with wide eyes before glancing at the engineer. sicheng took a pleasure to flash her a fake smile.

"yes, mister jung. i will keep that in mind from now on." she bowed her head.

"thank you." jaehyun nodded. "let's go, sicheng."

with that said, sicheng followed jaehyun towards his office, accelerating his pace slightly so that he could be next to the ceo.

"i feel like a vip, now." he giggled.

"well, you're a vip at jung corporation." jaehyun shrugged.

"a vip in an ungly ass orange uniform." sicheng pointed out, looking down at his outfit with a sigh. "i feel ashamed to wear that even as a technician."

"well, you can always wear the suits i got for you." jaehyun replied, pushing the door of his office open, allowing sicheng to get inside and inviting him to sit down.

jaehyun walked to his own side of the desk, taking a seat on his arm chair before pushing away the few papers that were in front of him on his desk to give his full attention to the male seated in his office.

"so, what did you need to talk about?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked at the fake- secretary.

sicheng's throat suddenly started feeling dry, all of the previous nervousness that he had desperately tried to get rid of slapping him harder than ever. the little fight he had had with the receptionist had allowed him to forget about his real problems for a while, making him feel like an important guest for a while.

but now that he was sitting in jaehyun's office, he was back to being the electrical technician that everyone knew him as – well, almost every one – and he knew that he would have little to no power facing the ceo.

saying the truth had never been hard for sicheng. as a person that valued honesty more than anything, he had never thought too much before spitting things that he had on his mind despite of how harsh the truth may be. but somehow, it seemed abnormally difficult to speak to jaehyun in all honesty right now.

"you're scaring me sicheng. you look very nervous." jaehyun declared, hiding his own fear behind an awkward chuckle. "what is happening?"

"i-i... i-i can't do it anymore..." the secretary breathed out, fidgeting with his fingers on his lap out of nervousness.

"what can't you do?" jaehyun frowned.

"i-i can't pretend to be your secretary anymore."

here they were. those words that sicheng had struggled to speak out so much.

the words weren't particularly heavy in their meaning or shocking. jaehyun sort of expected sicheng to announce this at some point, having noticed how the chinese male hated the fact that he had to lie on who he really was. so, he wasn't surprised, and he felt somehow reassured that this was what had sicheng this nervous – seeing his state, he was expecting much worse news, to be fully honest. 

"i figured out you would be telling me that at some point..." jaehyun sighed, looking away from sicheng.

the chinese male blinked, staring at the ceo. "y-you're not mad at me for saying that?"

"i knew it was bound to happen." jaehyun explained. "i saw from the start how hard it was for you to lie on who you were. to be honest, i'm surprised it lasted this long."

"b-but..." sicheng frowned.

"i just have one last little request from you. just one. and after you can go back to your life, and i won't bother you ever again." jaehyun continued speaking before sicheng could even form a complete sentence.

"w-what request?" sicheng asked, trying his best to convince himself to reject the offer whatever it may be. he was here, talking to jaehyun in his office to put an end to the big lie they had created, and there was no way he could give in again.

"one more week. just one little week." jaehyun said, showing sicheng one finger. "i need you to be my secretary until world creativity and innovation day next week. after that, i won't interfere with your life ever again."

"i-i can't, jaehyun. not anymore." sicheng let out, looking at the ceo sadly.

"just for that day sicheng, please." jaehyun pleaded. "i just need you to appear as my secretary there. for the last time. please, i need you for world creativity and innovation day..."

sicheng held his breath, finding the situation awfully familiar.

strangely, jaehyun really sounded like that first time he had seen sicheng and desperately pleaded him to act as his secretary for a congress.

and to say sicheng's act was supposed to be a one-time thing, just for that congress jaehyun needed to take part in. and yet, here he was, months later, being by jaehyun's side at every of his congresses or each time jung corporation and nakamotors would have something to do together.

the chinese male knew that he couldn't say yes to jaehyun's new proposition.

first of all, because it was always the same with ceos. they said it was a one-time thing, and it became a habit. accepting to be his secretary until world creativity and innovation day meant being his secretary whenever a new important event, congress or seminar occurred.

second of all, because sicheng wasn't a secretary, and lying was getting harder for him every day. he couldn't just keep pretending like he had something to do about the sales of cars around the word. and he couldn't keep pretending like he had no clue what was going on each time someone complained about the network being shit or a computer working poorly.

and third of all, because he didn't want to lie to yuta anymore. not when his feelings had started being so powerful to the point he was willing to confess his love to the ceo. and definitely not when yuta had started to put his all trust in him and tell him things that his rival's secretary shouldn't know about.

"jaehyun, i'm sorry..." sicheng answered, his head lowering.

"please, sicheng. i am pleading you..." jaehyun insisted, his tone like nothing sicheng had ever heard before. "it's just for a few more days. and for world creativity and innovation day."

"yuta will be there, and... i can't lie to him anymore." sicheng heaved out a sigh, voicing out the main reason that pushed him to end everything there.

"is it about your feelings for him?" jaehyun questioned.

"jaehyun, it's much more than that..." sicheng explained, scratching his nape, trying to keep his calm and find a way to make jaehyun accept his defeat.

"i'll tell him the truth and i'll take the blame." jaehyun said immediately. "i'll tell him that you didn't want to lie but that i forced you. i'll take care of it if it's just that."

"but it's not just that..." sicheng sighed again.

"i know you really like him, but please, just for a week..."

"jaehyun, i can't lie to him anymore." sicheng stated, his voice firmer and his tone a bit harsher. "he genuinely likes me, and he trusts me. i can't just keep lying to his face. can you even imagine how awful i felt when he started telling me about the new prototype of car they came up with for world creativity and innovation day? he was telling me everything because he genuinely cared for me and trusted me, and- "

"wait a second." jaehyun's head shot up to look at sicheng, his brows furrowed as he replayed sicheng's words in his mind.

did sicheng just mention about a new prototype of cars? oh god, this meant nothing good for jaehyun.

no wonder yuta had always been so secretive about innovations and stuff during the congresses they had previously had. he had always said that he was keeping the big surprise for world creativity and innovation day, but jaehyun had never really put too much thought into it.

but now that sicheng had talked about this new prototype, jaehyun started to realise that the situation may be a bit more complicated than what he had imagined. yuta had surely worked really hard, and he probably had succeeded to create fuel-less cars, just like he kept saying he wanted to create.

and of course, he was going to show this new prototype at world creativity and innovation day, in front of countless businessmen, shareholders and of course, the press. and this would inevitably make his popularity skyrocket and the sales of nakamotors multiply. well, that is if his prototype worked, which jaehyun didn't doubt it would, because as much as he hated to admit it, yuta was someone brilliant.

"oh my god... they're going to grow even more... and i'll never get to crush them..." jaehyun let out, his eyes diverting left and right on his desk, trying to find something to calm himself down as his anxiety exploded inside his chest. "m-my f-father is going to take the business back for good..."

"jaehyun, what are you saying?" sicheng questioned, slightly concerned by the distress state in which jaehyun was putting himself in.

"m-my father..." jaehyun stuttered, biting on his lips harshly as his father's words rang in his ears, deafening him.

if jung corporation hasn't won over nakamotors by world creativity and innovation day, i'm taking back the business

"h-he said if i couldn't crush nakamotors by world creativity and innovation day, he'd take back the business from me." jaehyun explained, before looking up at sicheng. "can you understand? if i don't get rid of him by next week, i'm no longer the ceo of jung corporation!"

sicheng gulped, obviously not aware that such a pact had been made between the ceo and his father. well, judging by the distress visible on jaehyun's face and by the pressure his father always put on his shoulders, it seemed like jaehyun's father had decided on his own that he'd be taking back the business from his son.

"i-i didn't know..." sicheng let out, suddenly feeling bad for the ceo.

additionally, the fact that yuta had told him how ready he was for that day made sicheng realise that jaehyun stood no chance in front of the other ceo. he felt somehow bad for thinking that way, because jaehyun was his friend and he genuinely wanted the best from him. but unfortunately, if he was realistic, sicheng knew that yuta's business model would be more seducing than jaehyun's. and as much as jaehyun tried to win his place as the leader of the industry again, it would be to no avail, because it was too old-fashioned and people nowadays preferred business-models like yuta's.

"oh fuck..." jaehyun groaned, standing up and pacing around his office. "i should have expected that... and i should have focused more on my sales and shareholders!" he continued his feet stomping on the carpeted floor loudly under sicheng's worried eyes.

let's be honest, when he had decided to come to jaehyun's office to stop being his secretary, he never expected that the conversation would take such a turn. and yet, here he was, observing jaehyun crumbling from inside and losing his sanity over his failure.

sicheng felt genuinely bad for him. it hurt seeing the ceo in such a state, and in this moment, despite knowing that he couldn't do anything to help the male, he wanted to accept his offer and keep acting as his secretary for a few more days. if only it could help him feeling a bit better and think of a way not to let his father take the business for him.

he cared a lot for jaehyun and the man he had become after meeting sicheng.

the chinese male was impressed how much he had changed. when he had met him for the first time, jaehyun was nothing but a cold-hearted ceo who cared about profit and nothing else. he wanted to be the best and didn't mind disrespecting others to do so. all in all, he was like all of those other ceos: a narcissistic and greedy asshole.

but surprisingly, with weeks passing, this side of himself slowly disappeared, being replaced by someone much more warm-hearted, who started caring more about others. he started treating sicheng as a friend and let the chinese male care for him, which felt nice for both of them. he was much more considerate and thoughtful, always making sure that sicheng was at ease, and also playful from time to time, just like real friends. and sicheng was really glad to count this ceo among his friends considering how much he had changed.

"jaehyun..." sicheng stood up as well, walking to jaehyun's side as the male kept pacing back and forth, mumbling about all he should have done to secure his position at the top of the automobile sector. "hey, jaehyun..."

but there was nothing to do. jaehyun was in his own world, his thoughts racing a hundred miles per hour.

and as much as sicheng was willing to lift his mood up and be a comforting shoulder to cry on, jaehyun's distress pushed him back to his old persona: someone lonely, who dealt with his problems on his own.

"if only i had fucking focused on developing more our subsidiaries..." jaehyun continued ranting.

"jaehyun, calm down. we're going to find a solution." sicheng stated again, trying to catch his attention.

"i should just have opened new businesses across the world, and bought new promising companies..." jaehyun pulled on his hair, ignoring sicheng's comforting words. "and yet all i did was try to play his secretry's feelings for him to spill his secrets..." jaehyun groaned. "and all of that for fucking nothing because taeyong didn't even tell me ONE SINGLE USEFUL BUSINESS-RELATED THING!"

"WHAT THE FUCK, JAEHYUN?!"

the ceo's attention got diverted from his at-war thoughts to the other male present in the room who had just screamed and cursed at him, and who was now looking at him with his face red in – probably – anger, and his fists balled-up.

"what did you just say?!" sicheng asked in disbelief, raising a brow at the ceo.

and that's when jaehyun realised what he had just spilled out loud in front of the engineer. "come on! don't look at me like that." jaehyun rolled his eyes. "it was your fucking idea."

"m-my idea?!" sicheng gasped, placing a hand on his chest.

"yes, sicheng. YOU were the one to say that taeyong looked like he was so in love with me that he could spill me any of his business secrets!" jaehyun spat.

sicheng immediately scoffed. "i never told you to play with his feelings to make him spill his secrets!" he yelled back. "who in their right mind could even think about doing such a thing?"

"the business world isn't all rainbows and butterflies, sicheng." jaehyun tsked, crossing his arms over his chest. "business is a constant war between businessmen. and wars cannot be won without dirtying your hands."

sicheng bit his lip, his eyes studying jaehyun's face for a few seconds. the chinese male then let out a small chuckle, the sound escaping his lips in astonishment.

"i thought i had been able to change you..." sicheng sighed. "but you're still the same cold-hearted and greedy ceo that i first met."

"it is clear that you didn't attend any business school." jaehyun scoffed. "if it had been the case, you would have known that businessmen are just rotten to the core. and unfortunately, a rotten fruit never becomes eatable again."

"you make it seem like you enjoy being an asshole." sicheng spoke out, his bottom lip quivering as he felt the urge to cry. he hated the turn this conversation had taken. he couldn't bear it anymore. he wanted to leave and cry on his own, moping at how naïve and innocent he had been.

"i was taught to be one." jaehyun replied honestly. "and i obviously failed, because focusing on taeyong caused me to spoil all of my precious time and will make me lose my business." the ceo continued. "if only i had followed my instinct and refused to have a secretary, none of this would have happened. if only i hadn't met you, you would never have told me to play taeyong. if only i hadn't trusted you, i wouldn't have lost jung corporation!"

sicheng stared at jaehyun, a first tear cascading down his cheek as his heart broke inside his chest. he couldn't believe jaehyun had just said that. not after everything they had lived.

"s-so... y-you're saying it's all m-my fault...?" sicheng let out, his voice shaky because of the crying.

"i should have known better." jaehyun passed a hand through his hair. "an engineer cannot pass as a secretary. let alone one that lets himself being mistreated by his boss."

the chinese male held in a scoff.

he wanted to scream at jaehyun, to remind him how much he had objected to becoming his fake-secretary and how pathetically jaehyun had begged for him to help him. he wanted to spit all of it to jaehyun's face, to show him that the real culprit in all of this had only been jaehyun.

but he didn't have the strength to do so anymore.

"alright." sicheng swallowed back a sob. "i'll just leave then. just go back to having no secretary. it seemed like it was better that way anyway." the chinese male shrugged. "i'll just disappear from your sight and go back to being mistreated by my boss. goodbye."

and that being said, sicheng turned on his heels exiting jaehyun's office without glancing back at the ceo.

on his side, jaehyun stayed in a deafening silence for a few minutes, stuck to his spot as his anger slowly died down, letting his reason take possession of his body again.

and so, as his mind replayed his and sicheng's conversation again with him being more aware, he couldn't help but scream in frustration, pulling on his har harshly before kicking with all of his strength the side of his wooden desk, causing it to collapse immediately, messing up all of the documents that were resting on top of it.

"well done, jung jaehyun." he spat at himself, his hands balled-up in fists. "not only did you lose your business, but you also lost your only friend."