While Dabin hyung took the chairman and went abroad on the pretext of a business trip, Dawon-ssi submitted divorce papers for a consensual divorce and immediately fled abroad with Lee Haeun-ssi. I gathered the custody and property division agreements I had prepared in advance, along with the recording, submitted my resignation to the company, then took Jiwon and left the house. By the time the chairman, who belatedly learned the truth, contacted me in a fury, three days had passed since I entered the house Dabin hyung had secured beforehand. The chairman, who at first yelled and raged as if the phone would break, started trying to appease me as soon as he learned that Dawon-ssi had left for abroad. He said he would grant me anything I wanted, so please just tell him where Dawon was, what about the child, and at the end I even heard crying sounds. I sent to the chairman’s house the recording that Dawon-ssi had entrusted to me before leaving.
The recording was about the things Dawon-ssi had heard from the chairman all this time. The chairman’s verbal abuse toward Dawon-ssi, who was an omega, the blatant disregard and discrimination. At the end, there were also Dawon-ssi’s words.
[I am Jeong Dawon, granddaughter of Woosung Group Chairman Jeong Hyeonchul. For nearly 30 years, I have suffered verbal abuse, disregard, and mental abuse from Chairman Jeong Hyeonchul, protected by no one in the family except my older brother, for the reason that I am an omega, a recessive omega. Because he was ashamed of me, Chairman Jeong Hyeonchul introduced me to people as a Woosung omega. Although it may have been unwanted, I sincerely apologize for having deceived you.
I have a beta lover, and because of that, Chairman Jeong Hyeonchul looked down on me even more and tried to marry me to a Woosung alpha. Unable to endure it any longer, I ran away. To Kim Eorin-ssi, who was sacrificed after being caught up in our family problems, I am truly sorry.
What I want to say is this. A person who divides people into ranks by manifestation type is sitting above countless people and operating a huge corporation. This is not right. There is not a single omega in Chairman Jeong Hyeonchul’s secretarial office, and there is not even a beta among the board of directors. This is the result stemming from the chairman’s extreme alpha supremacism. Is Woosung Group a righteous company? Does Chairman Jeong Hyeonchul have the qualifications to sit in that position?
……Of course you know, Grandfather. This is a copy. Don’t crush my life anymore. The moment I see your shadow in my life again, I won’t hold back either.]
After that, the calls that had been pouring in from the chairman every day stopped abruptly. It was the same from other family members. Even when Dawon-ssi, who didn’t trust the chairman, came back to Korea with numerous bodyguards to finalize the divorce, they didn’t appear.
When the divorce was finalized and she was really leaving Korea, Dawon-ssi looked at me and said nothing for a long time. I couldn’t see her eyes because of her sunglasses, but I somehow thought Dawon-ssi was crying.
Dawon-ssi, who couldn’t continue speaking until the flight time approached, gripped the strap of the bag she was holding once and smiled slightly.
“I’m a bad person. So I can’t even say I’m sorry.”
“……”
“Hate me. You understand, right? When you meet Chiwon-ssi later…… tell him to understand because you couldn’t meet because of me. Curse me out too. That I was a bad bitch who left without even apologizing until the end. So…… because you met Chiwon-ssi late, you hate me to death……”
After saying that, Dawon-ssi once again caught her breath for a long time. In the silence, I opened my mouth.
“Why did you come to love Lee Haeun-ssi?”
“……She was someone who looked at me regardless of things like being an omega or Woosung.”
That was the end. Dawon-ssi, who had been looking into my face for a while, hugged Dabin hyung once and then headed to the departure gate. Jiwon was in my arms. Both Dawon-ssi and Jiwon only glanced at each other at the last moment, without any final farewells. To each other, the other person didn’t exist.
Hugging the small squirming warmth, I swallowed the question I couldn’t ask. Would Chiwon also come to love me again?
The news about our divorce flowed very quietly. The chairman, who had been desperate to use me for publicity somehow, struggled desperately to bury the divorce news quietly. And I prepared to establish a new position with Dabin hyung’s help.
I was introduced to Secretary Cha around the time Jiwon started talking.
“This is someone who will help you with your work from now on.”
“My name is Cha Inhwan.”
“Hyung, this person is your secretary.”
“From now on, he’s your secretary.”
I was at a loss for words and looked at Dabin hyung, who was smiling brightly as always. Coming from working beside Dabin hyung to me, no matter how favorably you looked at it, it was nothing short of a demotion. But not only Dabin hyung but even Secretary Cha had a bright face. When I didn’t hide my uncomfortable look, Dabin hyung waved his hand.
“Don’t worry. It’s not what you’re thinking.”
“Yes. I asked to let me help.”
“Why?”
“I’ve been looking for a chance to repay a debt.”
A debt. Secretary Cha was someone I was seeing for the first time in my life, I swear.
“Kim Eorin-nim, no, CEO-nim probably doesn’t know me. It’s been nearly 10 years since I received help.”
“But I wasn’t even in Korea back then……”
“CEO-nim, you were donating to the orphanage back then just like now. Asking them to use it as support funds for children leaving the orphanage. My younger sister was also at the orphanage then. I had just entered society at that time, so I was overwhelmed just sustaining myself, and I was at a loss for how my sister and I could live together. But CEO-nim’s help reached me and my sister, and I was able to not be separated from my sister again. It’s probably the day I cried the most in my life.”
Secretary Cha grinned.
“I’ve been waiting years to say this. I was truly grateful. If it weren’t for CEO-nim’s help, my sister and I would have continued living crushed by life.”
Was what I had been doing something to be thanked for? I had always thought that way. Right after going to Belgium, I sent all the money I could use right away to orphanages in Korea, and it was the same after that. Except for the amount and period being set, it was both obsessive and impulsive at the same time. However, when I received thank-you contacts for donations by phone or email, I couldn’t shake off the discomfort. It was packaged as a good deed for others, but in reality it was nothing more than resolving the guilt and regret I felt toward Chiwon. But did I deserve to be thanked?
When I avoided Secretary Cha’s gaze, the secretary reached out and firmly grasped my wrist. Secretary Cha, who was only three or four years older than me, nevertheless said again with a very mature face.
“CEO-nim, you’ve been doing things worthy of thanks for nearly 10 years. You shouldn’t make a face like you’re committing a sin.”
“But……”
“I know.”
“……”
“It’ll be okay from now on. I’ll help you. Let me stay by your side.”
“I raised Inhwan too. He’ll be a huge help. I told you that you’re the second ruthless bastard I’ve seen in my life, right? The first was him.”
“You really worked me to death.”
To Secretary Cha, who laughed heartily, I couldn’t give any answer. In the end, Secretary Cha came to me. And as Dabin hyung said, Secretary Cha was truly a helpful person.
Secretary Cha knew my circumstances. As it turned out, the ‘acquaintance of an acquaintance’ that Dawon-ssi had mentioned seemed to be Secretary Cha’s younger sister. Secretary Cha repeatedly apologized, saying she was really sorry, that when Dawon-ssi showed interest in that direction, she didn’t know things would flow this way. Whether the words ‘I’ll repay the debt’ were sincere, the secretary really ran around day and night. It was thanks to the secretary that it took less than a year to establish the company.
The time was approaching. The day to meet Chiwon was just around the corner. However, I was increasingly tormented by anxiety. My complexion died day by day to the point that Jiwon, who was only four years old now, asked me if I was sick somewhere.
“CEO-nim.”
It was when I was sitting in front of the desk rubbing my chest that seemed to have turned pitch black. The secretary, who had been repeating looking at me for a week as if having something to say, called me.
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry. I took the liberty of finding Chiwon-ssi’s whereabouts.”
The moment I heard those words, my thoughts stopped. Whether seeing my lips tremble, the secretary shook his head.
“I understand your feelings, CEO-nim. You must feel you’re not fully prepared yet. I won’t say anything else. Until you say you want to hear it.”
“……”
“Just this one thing…… please know. They said that after Chiwon-ssi left the orphanage and the person who was taking care of him passed away, he’s been alone all this time until now.”
My heart thumped. Pity mixed with joy and began to mess up my entire head.
You were lonely all along too. While that made my chest ache with sorry and upset feelings, on the other hand, there was me immersed in ecstasy.
“……I’m shameless trash for being happy at those words, aren’t I?”
“Mm, then there are two shameless pieces of trash here. Let’s see, there’s probably one far away in the Woosung headquarters president’s office too.”
When I laughed a little at those words, the secretary made a bright face.
“We can’t get by with just one garbage truck, can we?”
“Stop it.”
Secretary Cha excitedly continued joking while shaking his phone. I shook my head with a deeply smiling face.
Love becomes a habit. For me, longing was the same way.
I longed for Chiwon out of habit. I became used to imagining Chiwon who wasn’t by my side and uttering unanswered calls. I became so used to it that I didn’t even know how to treat Chiwon when we actually met.
And anxiety and nervousness also became habits. With love and anxiety mixed together, I felt like there was no longer any place for sunlight in my love.
Would you be disgusted by these sticky and dark emotions?
I found Chiwon not long after turning twenty-nine. Twenty-nine. Exactly 11 years had passed since we parted. It was truly a long time. After hesitating and hesitating, I sent a text to Chanhyeong with the feeling of kicking my own butt.
Chanhyeong had occasionally contacted me after becoming an adult. [I’m waiting.] The fact that I wasn’t the only one searching for Chiwon was quite comforting, more than I thought. And when I texted Chanhyeong [I’m going to meet him tomorrow], Chanhyeong immediately sent me his home address. It must mean to bring him here. Only after the situation became truly unavoidable could I at least pretend to fall asleep.
[CEO-nim, I’m bringing him now.]
