Seo-in, seated in the driver’s seat, gazed at Yeonbaek Hospital. His head tilted upward toward the higher windows of that tall building, as though trying to gauge which floor the hospital room might be on. The warm, gentle voice of Go Eun-ju drifted through his memory.
— Welcome, dear. …Gi-jeong is my son, but he’s quite the cold one, isn’t he? They say he takes after his father.
The light in the hospital room was off. It was late, and besides — even if he went up now, the situation would be different from before. She probably wouldn’t even recognize him anymore.
Seo-in’s subdued gaze fell to the ring on his finger. He hadn’t even married Kwon Gi-jeong yet……
— Haah, haah!
A week ago, Seo-in had jolted awake as though from a terrible nightmare. His entire body had been soaked in sweat. He gasped as though forcing out breath that had been trapped inside him.
His legs had given out beneath him, and he’d tumbled off the side of the bed — only to realize he was somewhere not entirely unfamiliar to him.
It was his family home, where he had lived before marrying Kwon Gi-jeong. He’d even gone through a period of disorientation, hearing from the people around him confirm that he wasn’t yet married to Kwon Gi-jeong.
But all of that had become clear today — without question.
He had come back to the past. Seo-in had gone back and forth many times over whether to go through with meeting Kwon Gi-jeong today.
Would it be all right to tell someone what had happened to him? Would there be anyone who’d believe him? But hadn’t Kwon Gi-jeong’s attitude toward him given him his answer?
Even during their years as a married couple, Gi-jeong had never been warm — but the eyes Seo-in had seen today were dry to the point of being utterly desiccated of emotion.
Unlike Seo-in’s family, who stood to gain from this marriage, Kwon Gi-jeong was the one who had nothing but losses to absorb.
Seo-in’s father, Park Myeong-il, had founded Horim Savings Bank and devoted his entire life to it. The problem was that his investments had begun to crack and splinter one by one, and the pressure on his finances had steadily mounted.
The solution he had settled on to fill the funding gap was Executive Director Kwon Gi-jeong of Yeonbaek Pharmaceutical Group. Gi-jeong had been in an enormous rush to marry, and as a result, a marriage between two families that should never have been connected had come to pass — so Kwon Gi-jeong’s lack of enthusiasm was more than understandable.
“……”
Seo-in exhaled a long breath, his gaze resting on the hospital room window. Go Eun-ju, Kwon Gi-jeong’s mother, would not survive the year. The reason Kwon Gi-jeong had been in such a hurry to marry was connected to that, too.
Seo-in vaguely recalled the image of Kwon Gi-jeong’s back as he had walked into the funeral hall in the past. Seo-in had walked closely behind him. The space had been full of noise and bustle from the mourners, yet within all of that, the area around Kwon Gi-jeong alone had been steeped in a terrible, suffocating quiet……
As if to fold away all the lingering regret and hollow emptiness of the years that had obscured his vision, Seo-in turned the steering wheel.
……I can save her.
Perhaps he could set right the time that had passed. And so there was something Seo-in had to do.
Min A-ran emerged into the sitting room, patting her elegantly pinned hair into place one last time. Her flowing dress whispered softly against her slender frame as she moved.
The interior of the three-story mansion was lavish, tailored to her tastes. The display cases lining the reception room from one end to the other were filled with expensive objects. There were porcelain pieces received as gifts, and decorations Min A-ran had bought herself on a whim to lift her spirits.
Min A-ran murmured toward a passing household attendant.
“A glass of water for me. And call Director Jo in as well.”
The attendants scattered as though putting distance between themselves and Min A-ran as she settled herself onto the sofa in the center of the sitting room. Director Jo made her way through them and came close, taking a seat beside the sofa. She was a beta.
Min A-ran had made a point of staffing her household exclusively with betas. Unlike alphas and omegas, they were not affected by pheromones, nor could they properly detect them.
So within this household, the only omegas were Min A-ran herself — whose beauty was striking — and her second son, Park Seo-in. And Han Hae-yul, who had married into the family through Park Beom-yeong.
Watching the attendant approach and set down the glass of water, Min A-ran asked:
“Where’s Beom-yeong?”
“It seems he’ll be home a bit late today.”
“He really ought to eat properly while he works.”
Worry and concern showed plainly on Min A-ran’s face. Then another person came to mind belatedly.
“And Seo-in?”
“He hasn’t come home yet.”
The attendant murmured in a somewhat cautious tone. Min A-ran’s gaze moved to the clock hanging on the wall. It was nearly ten o’clock.
“Let me know when he comes in.”
“Of course.”
As the attendant withdrew, Director Jo picked up the glass of water and offered it to Min A-ran. Taking it, Min A-ran parted her red lips.
“I’d rather he didn’t come home tonight.”
She knew very well who Seo-in had gone to meet today. And how much painstaking effort Min A-ran had put into arranging that meeting in the first place.
“You know too, Director Jo. How much I’ve been doing for Seo-in’s sake. And yet that child has no idea. It’s so frustrating.”
“Once this marriage goes through, he’ll repay you for all of it later — don’t worry too much.”
“That’s right. Who does he think got him a match like this? He owes it all to me. He’d better pay every last bit of it back.”
Min A-ran swallowed a sip of lukewarm water as though soothing the heat threatening to rise within her. She was obsessed with staying young. She never allowed herself to do anything that might damage her skin even slightly.
“But looking at how late it’s getting tonight — doesn’t it seem like something might actually be happening between them?”
“He does seem a bit later than usual.”
“You think so too, Director Jo? Seo-in’s not coming home tonight, is he?”
As though hungry for a definitive answer, Min A-ran reacted visibly — and Director Jo reached for her phone.
“Should I call to check?”
At Director Jo’s suggestion, Min A-ran pulled a face in sheer distaste.
“What are you talking about — ruining the mood like that? Leave it alone!”
Director Jo Hye-min was the only person Min A-ran had kept by her side for ten years. She seemed to understand Min A-ran’s inner feelings reasonably well most of the time — and yet every so often, there were moments like this, when it seemed as though her perceptiveness simply vanished.
In truth, that was precisely why she kept Director Jo close. Being a beta, Director Jo was unable to pick up on the subtle nuances that arose between alphas and omegas.
This household had Chairman Park Myeong-il — her husband — and their precious son Beom-yeong. Both were alphas of considerable presence, and it would do no good to have other omegas nearby. It was for that reason, after careful and thorough consideration from every angle, that Director Jo had been brought in as the perfectly suited choice.
Min A-ran set the water glass down on the table. Just as the heat that had been rising in her began to settle back down again——
“The young master has arrived.”
An attendant approached to inform her that Seo-in had come home.
“Seo-in’s back already?”
How much money had Min A-ran poured into this, and he’d come home having done nothing more than have dinner? Just thinking about it made Min A-ran feel as though new wrinkles were forming around her eyes.
“Seo-in.”
Seo-in walked through the front door in a clean, pressed suit. Not even his tie was out of place. To Min A-ran’s eyes, the sight of him was deeply unsatisfying. He looked as though he’d been buttoned up tight with everything firmly sealed inside.
“Come sit over here.”
“No. I’m tired. Later.”
Seo-in walked past Director Jo, who had risen from her seat and given a bow of her head, and turned to go. Behind him, Min A-ran’s words came raining down.
“Seo-in! Can’t you hear me? Don’t you think you need to tell me what happened out there today?”
“Nothing happened that you’re imagining, Mother.”
“W-what exactly do you think I was imagining……”
Min A-ran’s words trailed off and blurred at the edges. She watched Seo-in’s retreating back as he climbed the stairs toward his room and vented her frustration.
“At a time like this, you’re supposed to know how to reel in Executive Director Kwon while you have the chance. You’re supposed to know how to drag a man into bed. Do I really have to spell it out? Bring me another glass of water. This time make it ice cold!”
Having said all of that, Min A-ran demanded cold water from the attendant standing nearby. The attendant hurried off inside before the full wave of her temper could break.
Min A-ran pressed her hand over her throbbing forehead and leaned back against the sofa. Watching Director Jo settle back into her seat a moment later, she muttered under her breath.
