The CEO’s "Mandatory" Meeting

"CEO-nim, your 2:00 PM has arrived and is waiting in the conference room," Secretary Kim says, keeping his head down as he adjusts his glasses. He tries to sound professional, but his voice carries a slight tremor of exhaustion.

"Cancel it. I have a headache," CEO Jeon says without looking up from his tablet. He casually tosses his designer suit jacket toward the sofa, but it misses, landing squarely over Secretary Kim’s head.

"B-but jeon-nim! This is the regional director from the Busan branch. You’ve rescheduled three times already," Tae says, pulling the jacket off his face and huffing. "If I cancel again, they’ll start rumours that you’ve gone rogue. I can’t keep making excuses for you!"

Jeon finally looks up, a slow, predatory smirk spreading across his face. "Then tell them the truth. Tell them your husband—the CEO—is feeling neglected and requires a private consultation with his favourite assistant."

Tae chokes on thin air, his face turning a bright shade of crimson. "Mister Jeon! We are in the middle of the hallway! Anyone could walk by and hear you talking like a maniac!" He whisper-yells, frantically looking left and right.

Jeon stands up slowly, walking with a lazy, confident stride until he’s inches away from tae. He leans in, his breath warm against Tae's ear. "Let them hear. I’m tired of playing 'boss and employee' when all I want to do is go home and cuddle with you for hours. Besides..." He reaches out, boldly tugging Taehyung closer by the waist. "...my office is soundproof for a reason. Go tell the director I’m 'busy,' then come back here and lock the door. We have a very important... performance review to discuss."

Jeon gives Tae’s hip a playful squeeze before retreating back to his desk with a wink.

Tae stands there, heart racing and face flaming. "Fine! But you’re the one explaining to my mother why we’re late for dinner tonight because you decided to be difficult at work!"

"Deal," Jeon calls out over his shoulder. "Now hurry up. I’m losing my patience, and you know how I get when I'm cranky."

Tae stomps out toward the conference room, a pout on his face, muttering under his breath about "difficult CEOs" while secretly trying to hide the huge smile on his face.

Tae practically sprinted down the hallway, his heart hammering against his ribs. He had to keep his "professional face" on, but his mind was replaying Jeon’s smirk on a loop. He reached the conference room, smoothing out his tie and taking a deep, steadying breath before pushing the door open.

"Director Song, I am terribly sorry," Tae said, bowing perfectly at a 45-degree angle. "The CEO has been hit with a sudden, severe migraine. He’s requested we move this meeting to a virtual call tomorrow morning. I’ll send over the updated invite immediately."

The Director sighed, looking disappointed but not surprised. "Again, Secretary Kim? He seems to have a lot of 'migraines' lately when I’m in town."

"He... works very hard, sir," Tae lied through his teeth, his face heating up as he remembered exactly what "work" Jeon had in mind.

Once the room was cleared, tae didn't waste a second. He hurried back to the executive wing, checking over his shoulder twice before slipping into the CEO’s private office. He heard the heavy 'click' of the electronic lock engaging the moment the door closed.

Jeon was already there, leaning against the edge of his mahogany desk, his tie loosened and the top three buttons of his shirt undone. He looked less like a cold businessman and more like the man tae woke up next to every morning.

"Took you long enough," Jeon drawled, crossing his arms over his chest. "I was about to come out there and drag you back myself."

"You wouldn't dare," tae countered, though he was already walking into jeon’s space. "You'd ruin the 'mysterious and cold' reputation you’ve spent years building. What would the board think if they saw their CEO pining after his own secretary?"

Jeon reached out, catching Tae by the waist and pulling him flush against him. The professional mask finally dropped, replaced by a soft, tired look in his eyes. "Let them think whatever they want. I'm the boss. If they have a problem, they can talk to my lawyer—who, coincidentally, is also my husband's best friend."

Tae laughed, a light, melodic sound that filled the quiet office. He reached up, running his fingers through Jeon’s dark hair. "You're impossible. You know we still have to finish those quarterly reports tonight, right? We can't just hide in here all day."

"Watch me," Jeon murmured, leaning down to press his forehead against tae's. "The reports can wait. My husband’s attention, however, cannot."

He leaned in closer, his lips brushing against tae’s in a teasing ghost of a kiss. "Now, did you lock the door like I told you to? Because I don't plan on letting you leave for at least an hour."

tae’s breath hitched, his hands gripping jeon’s shoulders. "The door is locked, jeon-nim. But if we’re late for dinner, you are the one telling your mother why."

"Worth it," Jeon whispered, finally closing the gap between them.

The office door remained locked as the sun began to dip below the skyline, casting long, golden shadows across Jeon’s desk. Tae’s tie ended up draped over a chair, and the quarterly reports were buried under a stack of folders they had no intention of opening. They spent the next hour in their own private world, the "CEO" and "Secretary" personas melting away into just two people deeply in love and exhausted by the charade.

"We really should go," Tae whispered, breathless, as he leaned his head against Jeon’s shoulder. "Your mother is going to call in five minutes, and if we aren't at least in the car, she'll know something is up."

Jeon groaned, pulling tae closer for one last squeeze. "She already knows I’m obsessed with you, Taehyung. She’s the one who told me to marry you before someone else realised how perfect you are." He stood up, smoothing out his wrinkled shirt and reaching for his discarded jacket. "But you’re right. If we’re late, she’ll make that spicy tofu I hate as a 'punishment.'"

They straightened their clothes and checked their reflections in the glass partition, resetting their professional masks. Tae walked out first, clutching a clipboard and looking every bit the efficient assistant, while Jungkook followed moments later with his usual cold, unreadable expression. They walked through the lobby in silence, nodding curtly to the night security guard, maintaining the distance required by their secret.

It wasn't until they reached the privacy of their SUV in the underground garage that the tension finally snapped. The moment the doors closed, Jungkook reached across the centre console and grabbed tae’s hand, lacing their fingers together tightly.

"Finally," Jungkook sighed, kissing the back of Tae’s hand. "I hate pretending I don’t want to hold your hand for eight hours a day."

Tae smiled, leaning over to peck Jungkook’s cheek. "Only twelve more hours until we have to do it all over again, ceonim. But for now, you’re just my husband. Now drive, or we’re definitely getting the spicy tofu."

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