"Neo Culture Technology is a recycling corporation that's different from the others. They process your trash into something you probably don't realize that it exists. Like the tip of your shoe, or the plastic on your car wiper," said Irene, smiling and pointing to Shoopen and Hyundai logos.
"Make a healthy environment by using recycled plastic by NCT!" The visual of the country from Red Velvet said to the camera.
"OKAY CUTTTT!" Irene almost stumbles across her steps when Donghyuck Lee excitedly screams like he isn't the actual president of NCT himself. "Thank you, Baek Joohyun-sshi! You look wonderful on the camera!"
"Yes, I enjoyed it, Donghyuck-sshi. Thank you for purposely coming for the shoot." The idol bows and smiles before she takes the extended hand of the older male, slightly shook when he shakes it with profound energy. Before she could retract her hand, though, another man had already slapped Donghyuck's arm. The CEO was wailing and poor Irene has to process the maelstrom while maintaining her polite smile.
"I'm sorry, Irene-sshi, he's just excited." The other male winces, Irene tries to look for a name tag but she doesn't find it. "Thank you so much for taking the time to shoot this CV for us."
Irene shakes the other male's hand as well, but Donghyuck notices that she's just acting on autopilot.
"This is Mark, my secretary. Mark, how can you forget your manners?" Donghyuck introduces him, making Mark muttering an apology in a flustered manner. But if Irene is being honest, she doesn't really think of it. She just calmly watches as the boss and his secretary are bickering among themselves.
Thankfully, her manager comes to her to fetch her, but Donghyuck promptly takes the manager's hand, to Irene and said manager's horror.
"Why don't you two go out with us for dinner? There's a hotpot restaurant nearby." Donghyuck says, and normally, it's really hard to say no to such a big shot. Irene is still rather conflicted, though, as she knows that there are multiple con CEOs who would drug idols to sleep with them. It's sadly a well-known fact in the k-pop industry.
And honestly, even if the one in front of her introduces himself as the boss of the company she's advertising, Irene has a hard time believing that. The reasons being : one, that he looks too young and energetic to be a company's founder. The second, Irene couldn't believe there isn't an ulterior motive for such a big person to come personally to a mere commercial shoot. Three, it's not a reason, Irene just wants to go home so that she can sleep.
So she politely refuses, excusing herself and telling him that she isn't too well. Both men don't look insincere when they asked about her condition worriedly, but she quickly brushes them off and go home with the manager. On her way home, she calls one of her close seniors in SNSD, the call fortunately gets answered after a few rings.
"Taeyeon-sunbaenim? It's me."
"Ah, hi Joohyun-ah! What's up?"
"You filmed the CV for NCT's plastic too, didn't you?" Irene didn't beat around the bushes and asks directly.
"Oh, yes, we did. Right, you're filming it too, aren't you?"
"Yeah. So, is the CEO like, really young?"
"Yeah, I think he's around my age, even. What's up?"
She whispers carefully, looking around her just to make sure. "I think I was probably being conned." Her manager looks disapprovingly at her.
At this, Taeyeon's voice raises. "What?! What happened to you, baby? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, he and his secretary, I think? They were asking me and my manager out on a dinner."
From the other line, Irene can hear Taeyeon's relieved sigh, then her beautiful laugh. "Oh honey, it's all right. He treats every SM's artists after they shoot the CV."
Irene's eyes widen. "You were also treated by him? Oh well." From beside her, her manager scoffs. Irene pouts at her.
Taeyeon doesn't sound judgemental when she hums, looking for an answer."You just happen to be promoting it individually, so I'm not blaming you for feeling threatened." Irene puts the call on the speaker to justify the glare directed to her manager, then shutting the speaker off again.
"Anyways, it was supposed to be safe, and you could have gone with them for good food."
"Oh, okay. Was it that good?"
"Yeah, it really was that I even still remember the event after what, almost ten years?" The ex-girl group leader sounded nostalgic, Irene knows she shot the CV with all members of SNSD.
"Thanks for the talk, and sorry to bother you."
"No problem, honey. Call me anytime, though I can't promise to answer all the time." Taeyeon sounds cheerful and Irene is really glad to have a caring senior like her.
After she hangs up, her manager mock sobs from the driver seat. "So we could've gotten a nice, warm hotpot, with two hot men, one of them being a CEO."
"Shut up."
---
From another car, another conversation is taking place.
(It is a was supposed to be fancy black Hyundai, the car itself was a generous gift from the said automobile company. However, it has a bright lime green logo written NCT attached to it and, for lack of better words, other festive ornaments, making it painfully conspicuous.
Donghyuck rarely uses his car because their company's motto is to save the environment and using a personal vehicle is anything but, yet Mark would still prefer driving any other lower-class vehicles to this shame-inducing car of his boss.)
"Wow, idols are really amazing, aren't they," Donghyuck says, to no one in particular, not even to Mark who's driving beside him. "They dance while singing, they look pretty for the camera, they're polite, and they have to do all of it even when they're sick."
"Yes, they're multitasking well, like me. I'm supposed to be your secretary, not driver, Donghyuck," he sarcastically remarks, maybe for the hundredth time. "If you're not going to hire a driver, at least drive by yourself. This is your car, Jesus Christ."
"Did you just hand my car over to your God?" Mark almost manages to whine while wheezing and Donghyuck cackles unabashedly.
The conversation stops right there and Mark doesn't even point out that Donghyuck joked about the most irrelevant thing, he's given up on it. Yes, the secretary has a variety of tasks lined up before him, but while he complains, he doesn't mind. The mundane assignments have become a routine he enjoys.
He's also a very capable secretary, except for making his boss coffee. Mark's almost eidetic memory (saved for the times he goes into a room and forgetting what he was supposed to do,) and comprehension skill make him a major target for other companies' headhunters. The most occasional argument to ensnare him being, "don't you want to get a higher position? If you're just a secretary, people look down on you, don't they? You can get so much more."
If he weren't so polite, Mark would've answered every time, "those who don't matter like you, anyway."
If you ask everyone in NCT's main office, they would know that Mark is arguably the second most important figure in the company, even if he's just a secretary and the president is Johnny Seo. He's taken on multiple tasks, from running Donghyuck's errands, checking the accountant's notes to reading the chemical statistics of their company's activities. This is only possible because he has a very bright mind and the capability to thoroughly understand any kind of report.
The only reason someone with a brain as well-developed as him is merely a secretary (albeit in terms of title only) is that Donghyuck has so much farther incentive that Mark wouldn't even dream to think of.
As of his current train of thought, Donghyuck was putting on some songs that Mark doesn't know after the conversation ended on the way, not talking to him. Thus the drive felt rather long, but they've finally reached the equally bright lime green building. They both got out of the car and Mark handed the key to the valet driver who salutes them with a perfect bow.
"Thanks for driving me here, Markie-hyung." Donghyuck smiles at him and at moments like this, Mark becomes confused at himself for complaining about driving him. When he gets a super cute thank you like this, and when his stomach churns at the thought of someone else receiving it.
Merely a few seconds after they got out of the bright car, one of the Research Department heads, Jisung is already running out to get them.
"Hi, Mark, boss." The youngest head department is huffing his breaths heavily and they both just stood there looking at him, then each other.
"Did you run here, Jisung-ah?" Mark asks him while patting his back.
Jisung nods, "Made a beeline through the stairs after Chenle saw that bright green thing from the red light across the street."
Mark looks at Donghyuck accusingly. "See, that's just how ugly the car is, Jisung literally saw it from a hundred meter away."
"Chenle just has good eyesight! And it just means that it's good for promoting."
Mark shakes his head, not wanting to argue about this for the hundredth time. "Oh, right. Why'd you used the stairs?" Jisung makes an adorable gargling face and both Mark and Donghyuck squeals inwardly.
"The elevator's jam-packed. Everyone's running around, really."
Donghyuck happily smiles, it's nice to hear his workers being productive. "So, what did you want to talk about?"
Jisung jolts. "Oh right! Hyung, you'll want to see this."
---
Happy birthday Hyuckieeee ugh this is a lil late but I wrote a Markhyuck fic!
Thank you so much for reading this !! Votes would very much be appreciated, but above all, I'm really glad that you've taken ur time to read it!!