1. Shall We Get Married?
“Ganghyeon, it’s time for you to get married too.”
Ganghyeon quietly set down the teacup he’d just taken a sip from. Does she even know how old I am? In this day and age, nobody got pressured into marriage in their late twenties. But Ganghyeon stared quietly at the elderly woman sitting across from him before curving the corners of his lips into a smile.
“I suppose I should.”
“Yes. Your mother has been looking into suitable marriage prospects.”
The Han family had, for generations, been scarce on sons. It wasn’t that there were no daughters in the family, but they were treated as far less than the sons. Ganghyeon’s father, Han Myeonghun, was a third-generation only son, and Ganghyeon, having no other siblings, naturally became the fourth. There were countless relatives drifting in and out of the household hoping to catch some crumbs of benefit, but the family ties were so distant they were complicated to trace.
Going back several generations, there was said to be a woman who had been cast out of the family for bearing only daughters. Ganghyeon recalled hearing from his grandmother a story — something out of a folklore program — that it was this woman’s curse that had left the family line so thin. If a story like that existed, you’d think something would have changed, but this household showed absolutely no signs of self-reflection.
“When you think about the children that will be born, you can’t ignore family background. If they’re to suit your taste, the person will have to be decent, and their traits should be appropriate as well, don’t you think.”
Approximately 1% of the total population were alphas. Among them, the ratio of dominant alphas was 30%. This extreme minority of dominant alphas held the reins of society’s upper echelons and commanded the world.
The trait of a dominant alpha — proof of both intelligence and physical capability — was the most definitive marker of belonging to the highest class. The immense wealth built up over long generations made their lives all the more prosperous and solidified their standing.
A dominant alpha passing everything down to another dominant alpha was the best-case scenario. They were selective in choosing dominant omegas to marry. There was no better method for raising the probability of producing a second generation that inherited dominant alpha bloodlines. But probability was just probability, and getting a child with the desired traits was no easy feat.
And so, after tasting failure several times through natural childbirth, they would turn their eyes to other dominant omegas. This was usually called an affair, infidelity, or — something unbefitting of the times — a surrogate arrangement, and the children born from such unions bore the title of ‘illegitimate child.’
Among those illegitimate children, only the ones born as alphas were saved and welcomed into their father’s household. The existence of children with any other traits was buried and disappeared without a trace.
Ganghyeon was the illegitimate child who had entered Han Myeonghun’s household in just that way. He was a dominant alpha who had properly inherited Han Myeonghun’s blood. Had it not been for the traits he was fortunate enough to be born with, his current comfortable life would not have existed.
“I’ll do as you decide.”
The grandmother was satisfied with Ganghyeon’s answer. Han Myeonghun turned his gaze back to his newspaper, and Ganghyeon took one more sip of the richly steeped tea. Ganghyeon lifted the cuff of his jacket slightly to check the time, then announced he would be on his way and rose from his seat. He gave a perfunctory farewell to Mrs. Choi, who had come to see him to the front door, and left the house.
No matter how outstanding one’s individual ability, holding a director’s position at a respectable company at this age was close to impossible. His grandmother had told him he was now of marriageable age, but at twenty-seven, it was easy to be dismissed as a clueless youngster just about anywhere.
Age might matter when determining rank among ordinary people, but in the face of family background, wealth, and power, it meant nothing. That was confirmed by the attitude of the middle-aged manager who came into young Ganghyeon’s office to deliver his work reports.
“The projected outcomes will need to be reviewed again. Not long ago, questions about the ethics of this company’s management surfaced through M Broadcasting. That’s set to be reported on again. We might get through it without major trouble if we’re lucky, but the risk has grown too large to go in banking on that probability alone. Deputy Director Lee will have checked thoroughly, but please have it verified once more.”
“Yes, understood. Director.”
After Deputy Director Lee left the room, a notification chimed on his phone. It was a message from his mother, Mrs. Choi. Several image files were attached. The photos paired with brief descriptions made it look exactly like job application documents.
[You should at least look at them — they are your potential spouse, after all.]
Mrs. Choi had raised Ganghyeon since he was a newborn, yet she had never managed to become a warm mother to him. Even though he had been born through artificial insemination arranged by his paternal grandmother with the couple’s mutual agreement, she had never been able to accept him in her heart.
After being turned away a few times as a young child when he hadn’t understood anything and had pushed his way into Mrs. Choi’s arms, Ganghyeon never approached her again. Once he learned the truth of his birth, he came to understand her. Their current relationship wasn’t bad. Ganghyeon flipped through the images, scanning them, and paused briefly on the last one. Not because the face or the profile was unusual — it was simply because this was the only one with a different gender.
[Please choose whichever one you like, Mother.]
It didn’t matter who the other person was. No matter how much his powerful parents had tried to keep it quiet, the fact that he was an illegitimate child followed him around like a tag. Even being an only child with no other siblings didn’t change that much. No matter what he did, that tag wouldn’t come off. A marriage on equal footing with a distinguished family required a lot of careful consideration.
He had seen more than enough of the two-faced nature of people who were warm to his face but whispered about his birth behind his back. Ganghyeon had hardened his resolve on something he had been thinking about since childhood.
Ganghyeon intended to cut off the Han family line just like this. He had no desire to bear a child carrying his blood and add to the Han descendants. It was unfortunate for anyone who had applied for the position of his spouse while dreaming of a happy married life raising children, but they would receive sufficient compensation in other ways, so he decided not to concern himself with it.
Jiwon, sitting at the dining table listening to his parents talk, pushed his glasses up with the hand he’d had folded across his chest. Not knowing what to say, he rested his chin in his hand and thought for a moment, then pointed at his younger sister sitting on the sofa.
“You’re passing her over for me?”
Why me, when there’s a twenty-four-year-old flower maiden right there? Jiwon asked, his expression twisted into something ambiguous. His father, whose gray hair had grown far more plentiful than when Jiwon had left to study abroad, and his mother, dressed somewhat more modestly than before, abruptly reached out and grabbed Jiwon’s hands. They had made a huge fuss saying something urgent had come up even though the semester wasn’t over yet, so he had rushed back home — only to be hit with something absolutely absurd, and he was at a complete loss.
Marry someone I’ve never even seen. What on earth is this all of a sudden.
“Chaewon is recessive, so she was ruled out from the start.”
“And on top of that, that girl is pregnant right now.”
“She’s pregnant? What — what is going on. Then you should get her married off quickly. I genuinely don’t understand what any of this has to do with me all of a sudden.”
“We’re buried under a huge promissory note. We’ve barely been scraping by day to day as it is, but if we can’t find a solution by early next month, Dad’s business is going under. Without Cheongmu Construction’s help, it’s over, Jiwon.”
His father explained the company’s current difficulties to Jiwon in detail. Since he hadn’t been paying attention, he didn’t fully grasp everything about the business, but to get through the current crisis, Cheongmu Construction’s help was absolutely necessary — and the fastest way to secure that was to do as they requested and marry into their family’s son.
He understood what was being said, but he couldn’t wrap his head around it. Was there really still anyone in this day and age getting married like this? Had every omega in the country frozen to death? Did Cheongmu Construction’s son have such serious problems that he couldn’t even manage to get married on his own?
“I don’t get it, but — fine. Let’s say I get married. But do they actually want me? You said they’re a remarkable family.”
“Yes. Apparently they find you very appealing. It came through Mrs. Kim, who’s famous for arranging marriages between business and political circles, so it’s reliable. The family is distinguished and their son is said to be very tall and handsome.”
“Mom. I feel like I’m being sold right now.”
“Then let’s just meet first. You might feel differently once you see him. Hmm?”
Jiwon laughed, the sound like air leaking out. He had naturally intended to refuse, but he couldn’t bring himself to ignore his mother’s desperate face and his father’s drooping shoulders. Silence fell over the house. Jiwon, who had been lost in thought rubbing his thumbnail, lifted his head. Right, let’s just meet. Meeting him doesn’t mean we’re getting married on the spot.
“So when do I meet him.”
His mother, too sorry for words, added that word was widely spread about how smart and impressive the family’s son was, then answered.
“Tonight.”
“Mom, seriously, what is this—”
Jiwon stiffened, caught off guard. His mother patted his shoulder apologetically. This couldn’t be something his parents enjoyed doing — suddenly bringing up marriage to him like this. It only meant the family’s situation was dire enough to demand it. Jiwon let out a long, heavy sigh. For now, he decided he would just meet the man first. The appointment wasn’t far off, so there wasn’t much time to hesitate anyway.
The atmosphere was ambiguously warm. He had thought it would be a simple meeting to see each other, but with each of them accompanied by their mothers, it was close enough to a formal introduction that it was hard to tell the difference. Jiwon, wearing a necktie and suit for the first time in ages, sat quietly beside his mother, both hands clasped together on his thighs, twiddling his two thumbs in circles as he feigned disinterest. He was squinting uncomfortably as if dust had gotten into his eye when he looked up and made eye contact with Ganghyeon, who was sitting across the wide table from him.
To be candid, he looked better in person than in the photo. His masculine face carried an air of distinguished refinement, and even in a suit, his well-built physique was evident. The sharp coldness in his eyes made it clear he was no fool. While wondering why someone like that would be sitting here in a place like this, Jiwon realized that he himself must look exactly the same way to the other person — and let out a dry, hollow laugh.
