The Country Life Diary of a Gangster’s Secretary

This chapter is paid for by Nemuru!

Hyeseong left the hospital with a slightly dejected expression. In his hand were the prescribed sedatives. The front of the hospital was bustling with patients who had come to visit. Today was a nice day, with sunlight pouring down as if it would burst.

“……”

Hyeseong naturally looked up at the sky. The noisy sound of people, the warm sunlight. And himself standing under it, holding omega sedatives.

Hyeseong suddenly recalled the conversation he had with Ihyeok before going in for the consultation earlier. His gentle voice had made Hyeseong feel good without him realizing it.

It was truly amusing for him to have quit his job at the company and come down to the countryside to get away. With this medicine bag in hand, Hyeseong could once again realize his situation. The doctor had said that soon, pheromones would start flowing out stably.

If that happened, it would be even harder not to get caught by Ihyeok, who was an alpha. Moreover, as an omega, Hyeseong was just taking his first steps. Those who had their traits determined early on were said to be able to control and skillfully hide their pheromones, but there was no way Hyeseong could do that.

He hadn’t even fully adapted to living as an omega himself yet, let alone being able to control it.

“Sigh.”

Hyeseong let out a deep sigh. It was truly ironic that his body had become more comfortable after quitting his job, but his mind had become more uncomfortable.

That’s when a loud horn sounded from the road near the bus stop. His head, which had been weakly facing the ground, slowly rose.

“Hyeseong!”

Dohyun’s car slid in, and he opened the window, waved his hand wildly, and shouted. And this time, the window in the back seat opened, and a cute dog face, presumed to be Boksil, popped out. Hyeseong chuckled and slowly got into the car.

“You’re here early. Why didn’t you call?”

Hyeseong put on his seat belt and reached out to the back seat. Then, as if greeting Boksil for the first time, he patted his head largely. Perhaps because he was a retriever who followed people well, or because he took after his sociable owner, Boksil rubbed his face against Hyeseong’s hand.

“I thought your hospital consultation would take a long time. So I was going to come and leave a text message.”

Dohyun gestured for Boksil to sit down. At his owner’s words, Boksil went to the car seat and sat obediently. Is this why they say dogs are better than people? Hyeseong couldn’t take his eyes off Boksil, who moved obediently at a single word.

“Oh right, Hyeseong.”

Dohyun looked at his friend and slightly raised the corners of his mouth.

“What did they say at the hospital? How were the checkup results? Did they say there’s nothing wrong with your body?”

“Huh? Oh, yes. Fortunately, they said everything is normal.”

Hyeseong answered while avoiding eye contact with Dohyun for no reason. Lying still didn’t come naturally to him. It seemed like it would take quite some time to get used to it.

“Really? That’s a relief. Then let’s go now! We need to quickly introduce Boksil to his new home too.”

Dohyun typed Hyeseong’s home address into the navigation, looking excited.

“Hey, say it properly. It’s a temporary home. Temporary.”

Hyeseong emphasized each word strongly. But Dohyun started the car without even pretending to listen. Still, it was fortunate to have Dohyun. If he had come here alone today, he would have headed home with the same feelings he had felt in front of the hospital entrance earlier.

* * *

Dohyun was currently facing a once-in-a-lifetime crisis. He was a man who had laughed off most things in life and believed that with positive thinking, he could overcome any adversity and hardship.

However, he absolutely could not just laugh in the face of the situation that had befallen him now. Dohyun had stopped in the middle of organizing the groceries he had briefly checked out with Hyeseong, and with a desperate act of having a stomachache, he had escaped to the bathroom.

Dohyun, who had personally locked the door, swallowed his saliva and turned on his cell phone.

[So you’ve entered the house now?]

Ihyeok’s text that had suddenly arrived. The circumstances that led him to contact his friend’s former boss were roughly as follows.

Dohyun had woken up early, cleaned the kitchen roughly before preparing breakfast, and went out to throw away the food waste, only to run into Ihyeok. He seemed to be going to work early, and as he was driving out, he suddenly stopped when he saw Dohyun and rolled down the window.

And he said just one thing.

“…Give me your number.”

How could asking for someone’s number sound so creepy? It was a statement that couldn’t be more pleasant to others, but when Ihyeok said it, the atmosphere was quite different. Dohyun wanted to ask why, but unfortunately, he didn’t have the guts to do so. After he timidly typed in his number and handed it over, Ihyeok looked at his cell phone with satisfaction.

“When I send you a text, read it immediately and reply right away. And if anything happens to Hyeseong, contact me immediately.”

“…What’s going to happen to Hyeseong?”

It was pure curiosity. Hyeseong was a respectable adult, so those words about appointing himself as a guardian didn’t seem to fit well. Moreover, Ihyeok was neither his family nor anything else, so it was even more incomprehensible for him to meddle like that.

“Don’t talk back.”

For a moment, a complicated expression flashed across his face. But it was only for a moment. Ihyeok answered coldly, once again making Dohyun shut his mouth.

“…Then can I ask one more question?”

“What.”

Ihyeok looked at him as if telling him to try asking.

“What’s the standard for ‘anything happening’?”

Ihyeok sighed deeply as he looked at Dohyun, who was raising his hand with a stupid expression. He really couldn’t understand how Hyeseong, who was a smart and sharp kid, had become friends with this guy.

“Just situations where I might be needed. When it’s urgent or pressing. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“And one more thing. Don’t go and tell Hyeseong that I told you this.”

Dohyun flinched as if he had been stabbed in the vital point. Ihyeok looked as if he had expected this and only disappeared in his car after receiving a definite promise from him to keep it confidential.

“Hah.”

Dohyun’s troubled sigh echoed inside the bathroom. Even though he had clearly told him to contact him if anything happened, Ihyeok had somehow found out that he had gone to Seoul with Hyeseong and had been sending text messages since earlier.

Dohyun was agonizing over what to reply. Saying yes seemed too impudent, but replying with okay seemed a bit awkward since they weren’t close.

[Yes.]

In the end, Dohyun, who had found the appropriate answer, pressed send with satisfaction. As he was about to leave the bathroom, the vibration rang out immediately.

[What did Hyeseong say at the hospital? Did he not tell you anything?]

Dohyun sat back down on the toilet with a sorrowful face. What is this? It’s practically the same as reporting from time to time, not just when something happens. Dohyun felt a bit uncomfortable as if he was monitoring his friend’s every move, but he thought it would be okay for now and obediently typed a text.

[Yes. He went to hear the results of his regular checkup, but fortunately, they said there was nothing abnormal.]

Seeing the ‘1’ disappear immediately, Dohyun slumped his shoulders. But when there was no reply even after a minute, Dohyun was about to get up again with excitement.

[I’ll be staying in Seoul for a few days, so what did Hyeseong say about that?]

What kind of question is this again? Dohyun thought it was strange but recalled Hyeseong’s reaction in the morning.

[Well, there was nothing special.]

[Are you sure you didn’t see it wrong?]

[My eyesight is 20/20. I have Mongolian-level vision, so there’s no way I saw it wrong.]

Dohyun put a little emotion into it. Of course, he did regret it a bit after sending it. Did it come across as too impudent? He thought that Ihyeok’s curses might fly in immediately, but strangely, they didn’t.

[What is Hyeseong doing now?]

[He’s probably playing with Boksil?]

[And who’s Boksil?]

[He’s the dog I’m raising.]

After that last text, the conversation was cut off again. Even though Ihyeok had read it, he wasn’t replying again. But Dohyun didn’t let his guard down. He was going to wait a little longer, and if a text still didn’t come, he was thinking of leaving the bathroom.

Soon enough, as expected, the vibration rang out again.

[Send a picture.]

[A picture of me?]

[Do you want to die? A picture of Hyeseong. You said he’s playing with the dog. Take a picture and send it.]

What kind of request is this now? He’s even telling me to take a picture and send it. Dohyun clearly wrote that while taking a picture was fine, he couldn’t just send it arbitrarily without the person’s permission, but he couldn’t send it and quietly came out of the bathroom.

As he slowly came out, Hyeseong was sitting in the living room, talking to Boksil.

“Do you like this?”

Hyeseong was showing Boksil several toys he had bought in bulk at the mart and told him to pick the one he wanted. Dohyun swallowed his saliva and carefully raised his cell phone. After thoroughly turning on the silent camera, he captured Hyeseong, who was smiling slightly at Boksil, on the screen.

“Park Dohyun? What are you doing there?”

“Huh? No! Just, well. It seemed like you were having fun with Boksil. Haha.”

Dohyun laughed awkwardly and quickly hid his cell phone behind his back.

“If you’re done using the bathroom, hurry up and organize the groceries we bought.”

“Okay. Got it.”

“Boksil, tell your dad to work, and let’s play.”

Hyeseong spoke playfully, scrunching up Boksil’s face in a funny way. Dohyun was totally distracted as he went into the kitchen, busy sending the picture he had just taken to Ihyeok.

This chapter is paid for by Nemuru!