“Yes, Chairman.”
Chief Secretary Kim gave no answer to Jaehyeok’s question either. He simply began reading slowly through the same document he had handed to Jaehyeok.
“Kwon Jaehyeok hereby gives the following assurances, and seeks legal validity by having them notarized.”
Jaehyeok looked back and forth between Chairman Kwon and the document in his hand. Chief Secretary Kim continued reading, unbothered by Jaehyeok’s sharp gaze.
“First, I, Kwon Jaehyeok, acknowledge that with regard to succession of management rights at Hangang Group, my right to succession shall be recognized only in the event that I marry and have a direct lineal heir, in accordance with internal group regulations and family decisions.”
“Chief Secretary Kim.”
“Second, I hereby affirm that should I fail to meet the above conditions, I will make no claim to management succession rights at Hangang Group. Third, this affidavit has been written of my own free will, and shall carry legal effect upon signing.”
Having finished reading everything written on the document, Chief Secretary Kim placed it into an envelope and approached Chairman Kwon. He helped the Chairman settle comfortably into the sofa. Only then did Jaehyeok grasp the full weight of the situation, and he sat down across from his grandfather, letting out his disbelief.
“Grandfather, this is absurd. How can marriage possibly affect management succession rights? The chairmanship is a position that is, by all rights, determined by ability.”
Jaehyeok had anticipated that his grandfather, who had been pressuring him about marriage lately, would make some kind of move — but he had never in his wildest dreams imagined he would play such a strong hand this quickly.
“If you won’t marry, then at least bring me a child.”
“Grandfather.”
“Quiet. You insist on doing as you please and refusing to marry — so I’ll do as I please too. I built this company, and if I say I’ll give it to whoever I like, who are you to say otherwise?”
“Grandfather!”
“Chief Secretary Kim, take this away. The noise is giving me a headache. Actually, no. I’ll be the one to leave.”
Chairman Kwon took Chief Secretary Kim’s arm for support and walked out of the office. Jaehyeok stood there in silent disbelief, sinking into thought.
I might not become Chairman?
Ever since he had presented as an extreme dominant alpha, the assumption that Jaehyeok would rise to the chairmanship had never once been shaken. Having never questioned that future for even a moment, Jaehyeok let out a hollow laugh at the sheer absurdity of it.
The truth was, Jaehyeok didn’t dislike omegas themselves — it was their pheromones he found repulsive. Even the most distinguished physicians in the world had been unable to offer a medical explanation for it. They had only speculated that the aversion likely stemmed from a psychological impact rooted in some shock in his childhood.
“Ah…… what am I supposed to do.”
Jaehyeok dropped into the chair behind his desk and let out a long sigh.
“Marriage and a child…….”
The mere thought of holding an omega who emitted repulsive pheromones was enough to make Jaehyeok’s spine crawl with revulsion. And at that very moment — the memory surfaced. For the first time in his life, he thought of the omega whose pheromones he had not found repulsive.
“Yun Haneul.”
Haneul had been abducted by the trafficking ring while trying to apply as a surrogate. Which meant he was in desperate enough need of money to go that far. Jaehyeok thought that if he played his cards right with Haneul — given his circumstances — he could find a way through the predicament he was currently facing.
And his pheromones weren’t repulsive either.
Jaehyeok, who had always had an extreme aversion to omega pheromones, was satisfied by that fact alone — that the scent hadn’t been unpleasant. But Haneul’s pheromones hadn’t merely been “not unpleasant.” For the first time, Jaehyeok had found himself thinking they were actually good. When he thought of Haneul, the heart that had been hammering with anxiety seemed to gradually settle. Just as Jaehyeok was about to call for his secretary, someone knocked carefully on the office door.
“It’s Team Leader Go.”
“Come in.”
Go Hyeonjae entered the office without a word, a thick stack of documents in hand. Jaehyeok moved from the window to the desk and spoke.
“So — the investigation?”
“I’ve completed a general overview of everything on Yun Haneul.”
Go Hyeonjae answered dutifully, though his face carried a faint air of puzzlement. Jaehyeok took the documents from him with a slight nod and ran his eyes down the pages. Go Hyeonjae immediately launched into his report.
“Yun Haneul, twenty years old, is currently enrolled in the Mathematics Education department at Hanguk University.”
“Hm…… he’s attending Hanguk University, and he was going to apply as a surrogate?”
“That…… will make more sense once you turn to the next page.”
“Go on.”
Jaehyeok kept his gaze fixed on the documents and prompted Go Hyeonjae to continue.
“Haneul’s parents passed away when he was seventeen. They had left behind considerable assets at the time, but he is now living with his younger sister in a semi-basement rental room.”
“Why?”
“It seems someone called an uncle took nearly all of it.”
“Hm…….”
The words “semi-basement rental room” drew Jaehyeok’s brows together. Go Hyeonjae couldn’t tell why Jaehyeok’s mood had suddenly shifted, but pressed on. He went through the part-time jobs Haneul was currently working one by one, and added the situation regarding his younger sister’s incurable illness. Only then did Jaehyeok fully understand why Haneul had tried to apply as a surrogate.
“By any chance, are you perhaps thinking of sponsoring a student in financial need…….”
“…….”
Go Hyeonjae cautiously probed at Jaehyeok’s intentions, but he had sunk into deep thought and gave no reply.
“You can go.”
Go Hyeonjae had to leave the office in the end, still unable to make out what Jaehyeok had in mind. Jaehyeok, meanwhile, closed both eyes and tapped the surface of the desk rhythmically with his index finger. In the vast office wrapped in quiet stillness, that compulsive sound rang out clearly.
An omega……
Jaehyeok thought back to the first time he had seen Haneul.
The long, pale nape of his neck exposed as he buried his face in his knees. The thin, trembling shoulders shaking with fear. They had stirred something deep within Jaehyeok — a desire that had been sleeping in the very depths of his unconscious. The face Haneul had lifted to look at him had been more than enough to hold his gaze. And on top of all that, the faint sweetness of those pheromones hadn’t been unpleasant. No — if anything, the scent had left him feeling distinctly better.
And on top of that, a Hanguk University student.
Haneul fit nearly every condition Jaehyeok had wanted. Like a man who had finally solved a long-standing problem, a faint smile spread across Jaehyeok’s lips. Just then, an alert went off as the schedule for the following week updated in the bottom right corner of his monitor.
[Hanguk University Alumni Invited Lecture]
Jaehyeok rose slowly from his seat and murmured quietly.
“I’ve found him. An omega who will marry me and give me a child.”
The last exam of the first semester was finally over. Haneul stood in front of the College of Education building, visibly anxious, waiting for someone for quite some time.
“Haneul.”
“Jeonghun, hello.”
Haneul jogged over to Jeonghun and gave a polite bow. Jeonghun ruffled his neatly kept hair and handed him a canned coffee he’d bought from the campus store.
“Are all your exams done?”
“Yes — I finished my last one, so now I just have the alumni lecture left.”
“So anyway, why did you want to see me?”
“Ah…….”
Jeonghun got straight to the point, and Haneul hesitated, struggling to find the words.
“Come on, let’s sit down first.”
“Sure.”
The two sat down across from each other on the bench in front of the building. Haneul wavered for a moment, and Jeonghun waited patiently for him to speak.
“Ah…… I heard you’re not taking the teaching certification exam and are going into tutoring academy work instead — I had something I wanted to ask about that.”
“So you’ve gotten interested in the tutoring side too, Haneul.”
