UR Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Christmas Eve. Just one more night, and it would finally be Eun Sung-jun’s vacation.

Humming to himself, Sung-jun pulled out his phone and checked his messages.

[☆ Beastman Travel Agency ★]

Special Offer / Year-End Trip (Departing daily at 7 AM from Incheon Airport) Your romantic Mediterranean trip departs in one day! 🙂

You’ll depart early morning on the 26th, so please collect your ticket at the desk in front of Korea Air on the 2nd floor of the terminal. Have a wonderful trip! ><

Sung-jun had a sort of jinx. In all the time he had worked with Eun Beom-ho, he had never once taken his annual leave and actually gone on a trip.

Was it because he was always with a workaholic? He wasn’t sure if it was a curse or simply a habit, but every time he booked a vacation, something would happen before he could go. He’d end up paying a huge cancellation fee and scrapping the trip altogether.

For his first three years, he didn’t even realize it was a pattern. He was too busy following Beom-ho around after the man started his own company. But after canceling for the third time and submitting the reimbursement paperwork, the accounting team’s Senior Kim had said to him:

“Secretary Sung-jun, you know you cancel your annual trip every year, right?”

And so, just like that, his twenties had been spent working alongside Beom-ho. He had never dated, never traveled, and barely used his vacation days, while his unused leave pay piled up in his bank account. Seeing that number finally made him decide—this time, he would go on a real trip, something that would truly heal him.

Scrolling past the travel agency message, he tapped the icon labeled “Chief Jung.”

[Shall we meet tomorrow at 7 PM at the Jeongsan Tower restaurant?]

This time, nothing would make him cancel his leave. And this time, he even had someone to spend Christmas with.

[I made the reservation in advance. ^^]

The only change in his life was having someone named “Chief Jung” to send that message to—but for Sung-jun, it was a blissful year-end. It had been so long since life felt this peaceful.

He no longer found himself sighing in an empty office after everyone had gone home, filling out overtime requests. He no longer came home to eat cold, leftover meals after an exhausting day. The only thing left on his schedule for the year was his boss’s blind date on Christmas Eve.

“Secretary Eun, you know you still need to use up your remaining annual leave, right?”

As if to make sure he wouldn’t forget, Senior Kim from accounting patted him on the shoulder. Sung-jun flashed a thumbs-up and said firmly:

“This time, I’m really taking it.”

[Chief Jung]

Ding! With a chime, a little envelope icon popped up on his phone. They said that replying right away usually meant the other person was interested. The corners of his lips lifted—only for the phone to chime again immediately.

[Chief Jung: Sounds great ^^]
[Chief Jung: It must’ve been hard to get a reservation on Christmas… I’m looking forward to it ///]

Anyone could see the message was full of interest, and Sung-jun’s heart gave a little tremor.

Of course it had been hard. The Jeongsan Tower restaurant had a great night view and good food, making it difficult to book even on normal days. On Christmas Day, getting a reservation was as competitive as trying to get tickets for an idol concert.

But wasn’t Sung-jun the seasoned personal secretary to the famously picky Eun Beom-ho? He had used every connection and trick he knew to secure a table for the restaurant’s Christmas special dinner. Indeed, tough office life sharpened other skills.

Adjusting his glasses, he smiled at his phone. With some rare free time on his hands, his thoughts drifted into lighthearted daydreams.

In his mind, he pictured Chief Jung smiling with her eyes at him.

“I’m looking forward to it,” she had said. And he was looking forward to it too. A Christmas date in a restaurant with a gorgeous night view—he imagined a rosy year-end like everyone else, his mind already filling with images of a fox-like daughter and a wildcat-like son huddled together and playing.

Bzzz—

In the middle of exchanging warm messages, his phone suddenly rang.

Startled like he’d been caught doing something naughty, Sung-jun shot to his feet. Living on constant standby made his reflexes razor-sharp.

“Yes, hello—cough—President, I have you on the line.”

—Sung-jun.

“Yes, sir! Did you call for me?”

He had pressed the answer button without thinking, but…

A bad feeling crept in. No way, right? He was supposed to start using up his remaining leave tomorrow. Surely he wasn’t being summoned now? Rolling his eyes nervously, he said:

“Um, did your date go well? Do you need a driver? If you’ve been drinking, I can come pick you up.”

He quickly took the initiative—state what you want first, and you usually get fewer orders in return.

—Where are you right now.

The voice on the other end was cool. Too clear for someone who had been drinking, but after so many years serving Beom-ho, Sung-jun knew that wasn’t a good sign.

No way… not right before my vacation, surely?

His senses snapped to attention.

“I’m currently on standby on the floor above your hotel. If it’s urgent, I can come down immediately.”

He listened intently, his face hardening.

What could it be?

The fact that CEO Eun Beom-ho was on a secret blind date at the hotel wasn’t public knowledge, but given his status and family, it was possible that someone with inside information had shown up to cause trouble. Or maybe a reporter had snuck in.

It could also be connected to the recent beastman-related protests. Not long ago, an incident where a carnivore beastman attacked a human had sparked aggressive demonstrations outside the police station and in front of the company, calling for beastmen and humans to be segregated.

Could it be…?

In just a few seconds, a chaotic mess of scenarios ran wild through his head.

He quickly opened the shared biometric monitoring app for Beom-ho. His tense face relaxed slightly when he saw there was no spike in the man’s heart rate—it was steady. Only then did he speak in a calmer tone.

“If you tell me the situation, I’ll have the security team on standby ready to move.”

From the fact that he’d asked “Where are you?” it was clear he needed him right away.

…But please, don’t let this mean I have to work tomorrow too.

He steadied his pounding heart and thought. What could have happened for him to be called like this? Hopefully, it was nothing serious.

His boss, Eun Beom-ho, was stronger than anyone. But that was only true under the assumption that the environment allowed him to fully use his strength.

Tiger beastmen might sit at the very top of the feline predator food chain, but in reality, there were many disadvantages. Unlike lion beastmen, who lived in prides, tigers lived solitary lives—making them extremely vulnerable if attacked by a group.

On top of that, he had nearly been kidnapped as a child. A tiger beastman might be strong, but a young beastman was inevitably weaker than a fully grown adult. Because of that, he had lived for years with a life prepared for sudden danger, always carrying an emergency button. It was also the reason why, despite his name and position being well-known, his private life and face had rarely been exposed to the public.

—No, you don’t need to call the security team. That’ll just make things complicated.

“Then… should I just bring the car around for you? Wait—when you went to the hotel, you took the SUV, didn’t you? Did you get into an accident?”

Sung-jun blinked. Hopefully, this was something he could resolve in one go. He still remembered clearly seeing his boss drive off on his own, insisting he would handle it himself. What kind of accident could it be? He just hoped it wasn’t the kind that would make headlines like that cheetah beastman incident.

“President, if there’s been an accident, you need to tell me. You… do understand that, right?”

There was a mix of urgency and near-pleading in his voice.

—It’s not that… No, a helicopter would be fastest. Sung-jun, can you get one in the air for me?

“A… helicopter?”

—I’ll head to the helipad now as well.

“Uh… I’ll make the call right away. But… what exactly happened?”

—Emergency.

Emergency…?

Sung-jun’s stomach began to twist all over again.