The Boss & The Secretary - How to Get Sakurai Sho's Approval
"Can I see his resume?" Sho requested as soon as he closed the door. Ohno took a paper on his table and handed it out to him as they sat down. Both of them stayed silent. Sho examined the resume while Ohno stared at Nino through the glass window. As he expected, Nino didn't have any qualification to work as a secretary. He shook his head disapprovingly.
"I reject his application." He informed Ohno. He put the resume on the table.
"You reject him but I already hire him." Ohno objected. As usual, he was stubborn when he had made up his mind.
"He doesn't have any qualification to be a secretary." Sho stated the fact. "He never work as a secretary before and he doesn't even have a high school diploma."
"Did Aiba chan work as a secretary before he worked here?" Ohno countered. Sho was taken aback by the sudden attack. He was surprised that Ohno will use that as a weapon against him. For a moment, he almost forgot that Aiba never work as a secretary before he accepted him to work here. Instead, Aiba worked in a convenience store near his house. He offered the job to Aiba because Aiba needed money to pay for his mother's operation.
"At least Aiba chan didn't drop out of school." He tried once again. "I admit Aiba chan was a mess when he first started. But, he is hardworking and always enthusiastic to learn. You know he did a good job and that's why you always ask for his help. But, we don't know anything about this Ninomiya guy."
Once again, he was surprised when Ohno glared at him. He gulped in response to see the glare. Ohno was intimidating when he was angry. However, before Ohno could say anything, they were distracted by a sound from outside. Nino was screaming and Ohno immediately left to see what happened. Sho followed him.
He barely listened to the explanation given for the screaming. Instead he focused more on Nino and Ohno. From the interaction between Ohno and Nino, he drew a conclusion that both of them knew each other. The way Nino blushed when Ohno almost said something about their privacy indicated that they may have slept together before.
This was the first time he saw Ohno showed his affection for someone. Ohno is in love with Nino, he concluded. He seemed happy to have Nino by his side but he could see a hint of sadness as well. Did Nino break Ohno's heart before? Why did he show up again? Was there any ulterior motive for his return in Ohno's life? There were various other questions in his head. Most of them caused him to have a bad impression on Nino and he couldn't help the scowl on his face as he trailed behind Ohno.
"You know him before." He stated matter of factly as they were once again alone in Ohno's office.
Ohno glanced at him before he shoved Nino's resume towards him. He pointed at Nino's high school. He went to the same school as Ohno and Sho had expected that. Almost instantly, he remembered Matsumoto Jun, who was also Ohno's classmate in school. He worked as a model and sometimes he dropped by at their company. Usually, Sho only greeted him but Aiba was pretty close with Jun. Accidentally, Aiba had told Jun about the plan to make Ohno fell in love with his secretary. But, Jun had warned him it will be futile because Ohno had only loved one person in his life. At first, he thought Jun was bluffing. But, seeing how Ohno was affected by Nino, it seemed that Jun had been telling him the truth. Nino is the person Ohno loves.
"Is he your ex-boyfriend?" He asked. Ohno shook his head. He didn't hide his sadness this time.
"Just a friend with benefit." Ohno answered nonchalantly. He frowned upon hearing that. He didn't understand why Ohno cared so much for Nino. He was worried that Nino was only after Ohno’s money.
"Don't think of him like that. Not everyone is lucky, Sho chan." Ohno said firmly when Sho almost snapped at him. Sho momentarily froze to hear that. He blinked his eyes, trying to think of what Ohno meant.
"It's not my place to talk about his private matter. But, please trust me on this. I know he can do his job well." Ohno continued. He wasn't looking at Sho, instead he kept staring at Nino. Sho followed suit, watching how Nino was trying earnestly to understand what Aiba was talking about. Knowing how bad Aiba was in teaching someone, he laughed softly to see the sight. If Nino could understand, it will be a miracle.
"Okay, if that's what you want." He finally gave up. If Ohno was telling him the truth about Nino's situation, then there will be no harm to help him. But, he still wanted to test Nino's capabilities. So, he proposed an idea to Ohno, who wasn't surprised to hear it.
After getting the agreement from Ohno, he approached the two secretaries. Aiba was showing Nino an example of a meeting minutes. Perfect, he thought to himself. When the two of them noticed him, they immediately stopped talking. He pretended to scowl, causing Nino to flinch. Aiba, on the other hand, looked at him with a frown.
"Are you teaching him how to make meeting minutes?" He asked Aiba, who nodded in return.
"Okay. Go and have your lunch." Sho said, noticing it was almost 2PM. "I have a meeting at 4PM. I want Ninomiya san to attend the meeting."
"But..." It was Aiba who wanted to object. Nino only nodded his head.
"Ohno san and I have an agreement. Ninomiya san will be my secretary for a week before he is officially accepted."
Nino gulped in response. He looked afraid with the idea. But, there was something else in his eyes. A determination. A determination to show that he wasn't useless. A determination to prove his capabilities. That was a good sign, Sho thought to himself. Maybe it was wrong for him to be judgemental earlier.
"Let's go for lunch, Nino." Ohno suddenly appeared from behind them. He grabbed Nino's waist, causing the other guy to yelp but he didn't push him away. Before Nino could say anything, he dragged Nino away from Aiba and Sho.
"I want to join." Aiba shouted at them. But, Ohno ignored him, causing Aiba to pout.
"Let them be. Do you want to join me for lunch, then?" He asked his secretary. Aiba beamed excitedly at him.
***********
Ohno brought Nino to one of his favourite restaurants near the office. Nino followed him without much objection. But, he kept asking him to bring him to a cheap restaurant because he didn't have enough money. Ohno simply ignored him.
Once they've arrived at the restaurant, Nino refused to get inside. He won't move even though Ohno tried to pull him. The restaurant looked fancy, he knew that. Knowing how much Nino loves to eat hamburgers in the past, he wanted Nino to taste the delicious hamburger from the restaurant. Well, since Nino wouldn't budge from his position, Ohno got closer to him and whispered in his ear.
"Do you want me to carry you princess style into the restaurant?" He tried to make his voice as seductive as possible. He smiled triumphantly when Nino blushed. With a pout, Nino followed him inside.
They were greeted with a familiar waiter. As he was one of the regulars, the waiter assigned him to his usual seat. He hold Nino's hand tightly as both of them followed the waiter. As expected, Nino walked timidly and was trying to hide himself. He must be thinking that he didn't deserve to be in the restaurant. But, who cares.
"I will just have garlic bread." Nino said without looking at the menu. Ohno nodded his head before he called for the waiter to order their food.
"Two sets of hamburger steak and garlic bread, please." Ohno informed the waiter. He noticed Nino's silent protest from the corner of his eye. But, he ignored him.
"How many times do I have to tell you? I don't have money to pay." Nino grumbled once the waiter left.
"Who said it is for you?" Ohno responded, trying to remain blank when he saw how surprised Nino was with what he said. He was dying to laugh when he saw Nino pouted. "I order two steaks because one is not enough for me."
"I have to be Sakurai san's secretary?" Nino changed the topic. Clearly, it was an attempt to hide his embarrassment.
"Yes."
"Is he... Hmm... Strict?"
"Yes." He answered, loving the way Nino tensed with his response. "But, you have nothing to worry about. Sho chan loves people who can do his job properly. He loves working with a smart guy like you."
Nino tried to hide his smile. He was clearly happy to be called smart. For some reason, it saddened Ohno to think of Nino's fate. If he was born in a better environment, he didn't have to suffer because of his step father.
"If I fail to impress Sakurai san, I have to find another job, right?"
"Do you think you will fail?" He tried to provoke Nino, knowing that the guy will work better when he was being provoked.
"I will not disappoint you." Nino answered with determination. "I will make Sakurai san feels surprise to see my true capabilities."
"Good."
Ohno reached for Nino's hands at the other end of the table to encourage him. He was happy when Nino didn't push him away. However, he immediately released the hands when the waiter arrived with their food. Once again, he had to stop himself from smiling when he noticed the way Nino eyeing the steak. It was evident he wanted to eat steak.
"Enjoy your bread." He said once the waiter left. He loved to see the way Nino pretended not to be affected to see the steak right in front of him. Nino started to eat his bread in silence while Ohno cut the steak. Then, he shoved the steak right in front of Nino.
"I don't want." Nino said, reluctantly pushed his hand that was holding the fork with steak away.
"Give it a try." He said softly. Even though Nino tried to refuse the steak again, Ohno knew it would be futile. He clearly wanted to taste the food. So, with a shy smile, he put the meat in his mouth.
"Umai!" He exclaimed excitedly once he tasted the food. Almost immediately, he blushed and started to look around, feeling embarrassed. Ohno chuckled to see his reaction. There’s no doubt. Nino is the most adorable human being ever.
"Just eat the steak, Cutie." He shoved the other plate towards Nino. "Make me omurice for dinner tonight, okay."
Nino nodded his head with a shy smile. They spent the rest of the lunch with Ohno briefing Nino about the meeting he will have to attend this evening.
**********
"Okay, is there anything else you would like to discuss?" Sho asked the clients. Both of the clients looked at each other before they shook their heads.
"Okay, then. If there's nothing else, I would like to conclude our meeting." He stood up and the two clients followed suit. They shook hands before he sent the clients to exit the office. Nino followed behind them. Once the clients had left the office, Nino returned to his seat. His hands already started working to prepare the minutes.
"They're quite fussy." He informed Nino, whose eyes focused on the computer. But, when he noticed Sho was talking to him, he immediately nodded his head. He still seemed to be afraid of Sho.
"How was your first meeting?" He asked the new secretary. He tried to keep his expression as solemn as possible. To be honest, he was impressed with the way Nino handled the meeting. For him, the meeting was tough because there were too many requirements from the clients. He hoped Nino managed to jot down all the details from the meeting. He had recorded the entire meeting for precaution.
"It's difficult at first. But, after a while, I started to get the hang of it."
"Okay. Once you finish the minutes, give it to Aiba for checking. And then, confirm with him my schedule for tomorrow."
Nino nodded his head. Sho left him to do his job. From his office, he watched how Nino diligently did the minutes. He smiled tenderly remembering Aiba's first time attending a meeting. He was too loud and clumsy. Nino, on the other hand, handled the meeting professionally. He remained calm throughout the meeting. If Nino kept up the good work, maybe he will not need one week to test him.
Next