I sent a late reply.
Why?
Then a firm response arrived.
If father says don’t meet, then don’t meet.
If his biological father Nam Hyungman was contacting him in such a hurry, it naturally made him wary.
However, it was also difficult to casually refuse a proposal from the head of a corporation as large as K Group. I had expressed refusal indirectly several times, but like a wily old fox, she ignored it and somehow managed to set an appointment date.
“Heejae-gun. Do you like alcohol?”
“Pardon?”
“I’ll order the wine I like. Have a glass.”
It’s unclear whether Chairman Baek really has marked me as breeding stock. If such a proposal went to a poor college student like Chae Eunwoo, it would make logical sense regardless of right or wrong, but isn’t Nam Heejae the youngest son of a fairly promising company? What good would come from messing with him?
“Is Chairman Nam doing well?”
“Ah, yes. He’s doing well and healthy.”
Chairman Baek fiddled with the stem of her wine glass. After a brief silence, she slowly opened her mouth.
“Hmm…, were you friends with our Sahyun since you were students? I think I’ve seen your face occasionally.”
I swallowed hard from the tension. I answered while pretending to be calm.
“Yes, Chairman. We’ve been friends since we were students…, and we’re getting along well, helping each other.”
“That’s fortunate. You seem to have a good personality, Heejae-gun. Our Sahyun, he’s a bit strange, isn’t he?”
“S-strange? Not at all.”
I denied it because I had an ominous feeling, but Chairman Baek drank her wine without asking again. After swallowing and savoring the wine’s aroma, she said calmly,
“You must have had a hard time. Being next to that child. I did too. You don’t know how much I lost because of Sahyun.”
The Chairman showed a forlorn smile. Her downcast eyelashes looked exactly like someone else’s. She began to recite with sorrowful eyes.
“As you’ve probably heard the rumors, Sahyun is an illegitimate child.”
“……”
“I had no choice but to bring him in and seat him because of the family’s resentment. There were circumstances. If I didn’t have a child, my position would be shaken.”
Her eyebrows twitched as if the memories of the wounded past were painful. To suddenly reveal her private life without warning—I had no idea how to react.
However, Chairman Baek continued speaking without caring. It was a conversation close to a monologue.
“Even I was in no state to think clearly, but I still tried to embrace him. It’s not a situation the child created, so what could I do.”
It was a tone tinged with resentment and resignation. I couldn’t help but recall the gossip I had read recently. The story that illegitimate child Baek Sahyun had an inappropriate relationship with his stepmother, ultimately destroying the family.
I felt strange. It wasn’t that I was disappointed in Baek Sahyun, nor did I pity the bastard. I just felt I wasn’t qualified to judge anything after hearing this story.
I gathered courage and said,
“I’m sorry, but, Chairman. This doesn’t seem like a story for me to hear.”
“Sahyun knows how to act somewhat normal when he’s next to you, Heejae-gun. So I felt it. Ah, it’s Heejae-gun. Do you get what I mean?”
However, Chairman Baek’s manner of speaking was relentless. Her shoulders, which had been drooping weakly, suddenly straightened. It was an attitude as if she had finished the preamble and was preparing for serious negotiations.
What? So what, she wants me to take responsibility? To become breeding stock or whatever? From what I heard from Chae Eunwoo, they manifest alphas or betas into omegas—is she trying to drag me into that?
As I gulped down cold water to quell my boiling insides, suddenly a small commotion could be heard from the restaurant entrance.
The face of Chairman Baek in front of me gradually cooled. The eye shape I had thought was gentle looked extremely sharp. I couldn’t contain my curiosity and turned around.
At the same time, a figure that had already approached nearby covered my shoulder.
“Why are you having a meal without including me? How disappointing.”
A refreshing perfume smell hit me. It was Baek Sahyun. I could feel the bastard panting slightly. His white shirt’s appearance was also disheveled as if it had been hit by wind. It was clear he had rushed here in a hurry.
“Hey. Baek Sahyun. How did you…”
“I said I would arrange the meal myself…, I believe I said that. Isn’t that right, Chairman?”
Baek Sahyun smiled coldly and glared at his own mother. The Chairman narrowed her eyes thinly and dabbed at her mouth with a handkerchief. It was still a leisurely gesture. Baek Sahyun snapped.
“What if you start going senile already?”
His words and actions were rough as if he wanted to damage the other party. I could feel his grumbling breath through our touching arms. Only after wiping her mouth and neatly arranging even the tableware did Chairman Baek Seonghee open her mouth.
“Fine. Take him. Don’t cause a scene outside.”
It was after her pupils had frighteningly cooled.
“Hey, Sahyun-ah! Sahyun-ah!”
Baek Sahyun roughly grabbed me and dragged me into the car. While I got into the passenger seat as if pushed and fastened my seatbelt, Baek Sahyun was quietly holding the steering wheel and catching his breath. He seemed to be calming his anger.
“What’s wrong? Huh? Is it because I had a meal with your mother?”
Seeing his disheveled clothes and hair, I somehow felt sorry for the bastard. For a kid who had always been relaxed and carefree to rush up so urgently. The weight of the anxiety nestled inside seemed considerable.
“I shouldn’t have met her but I met her on my own, right?”
“Jang Woohyun.”
“I was wrong. I didn’t know you’d hate it this much.”
I offered a sincere apology. Unlike before when I had forced an apology out of fear, this was different. I was truly sorry to the bastard. For recklessly digging into his family affairs, and for reading that malicious article.
“But we didn’t really talk about anything. Really.”
“Jang Woohyun!”
“Even if she said something, I’m stupid, aren’t I? I don’t understand.”
I spoke slowly as if to comfort him. I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what the bastard was anxious about, but it was certain he extremely disliked the situation where I had conversed with Baek Seonghee. Then it would be better to pretend I didn’t hear anything. Honestly speaking, I wasn’t very curious about the truth of the gossip either.
Baek Sahyun suddenly asked,
“Did you go out because she said she’d buy you food?”
“Huh?”
“Did you eagerly go out wagging your tail because she said she’d buy you something expensive?”
I was momentarily speechless at the serious tone. But no matter how much I thought about it, it was a completely absurd question.
“You crazy bastard. Do you think I’m a thoughtless pig?”
What is this, a statement that completely makes me out to be a glutton? I was dumbfounded. Just what kind of existence am I in Baek Sahyun’s head?
“You are thoughtless, though.”
I was hit right on the mark by the firm answer. This bastard? But there was no room for rebuttal. I smacked my lips bitterly.
“I don’t know for sure, but the Chairman, it seems she wants me to take responsibility for you.”
“……”
“But does that even make sense? What good is there for me? Same for you.”
I asked the bastard carefully. When there was no answer, I added,
“I have absolutely, absolutely no intention of doing that, so don’t worry.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I really hate it. Just imagining it gives me chills, haha. To take responsibility for you. I’d rather grow old and die alone for life.”
“Ah. Is that why you’re so upright that you fell for me?”
Baek Sahyun laughed as if it was absurd and leaned his face toward me. I was flabbergasted.
“What are you suddenly talking about? When did I fall for—”
Wasn’t it him who fell for me? Didn’t he make a fuss saying he liked it? Saying it was fun? When I coldly retorted, Baek Sahyun cornered me with a cynical attitude.
“Even when I act like shit, you come wagging your tail if I just loosen up a bit. You. That’s what falling for someone is.”
“Hey. What kind of bullshit logic is that?”
“You think you wouldn’t do that with Baek Seonghee? Keep your delusions to a reasonable degree, Woohyun-ah. You’re not that principled a type.”
As soon as I heard Baek Sahyun’s words, bile rose from my stomach.
“This bastard’s words have been getting harsh since earlier?”
When I shot back sharply, Baek Sahyun nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders. His face was like ‘did I say anything wrong?’ Ugh. Anger spread like wildfire. I ground my teeth and asked,
“What do you hate so much? That the Chairman talked about family matters regarding you?”
“When did you say you didn’t hear anything?”
Damn it. I had tried my best to pretend not to know, but above me who was running, there was Baek Sahyun flying around like a fucking genius.
“Think whatever the fuck you want.”
I flopped my body against the seat and came out with a ‘do your worst’ attitude. It was then that I heard a deflating sound. When I urgently raised my body, I saw Baek Sahyun trembling while bowing his head. Is he sick somewhere? When I stretched out both hands and carefully lifted the bastard’s face, I saw eyes full of laughter.
Son of a bitch. He was fucking laughing again.
Drained of energy, I roughly let go. From the recoil, Baek Sahyun’s head shook greatly. As if even that was funny, Baek Sahyun let out giggles. I thought a screw had come loose, but this wasn’t the first or second time.
I confessed.
“Hey. Yeah. Honestly speaking bluntly, I heard all kinds of stories.”
“Mm.”
“Illegitimate child and whatnot.”
Since it’s come to this anyway, I might as well figure out the truth. Baek Sahyun looked at me and asked,
“Anything else?”
“…What?”
“Didn’t you hear any other stories besides illegitimate child?”
The bastard’s eyes were gleaming with a strange anticipation.
“For example…, that I had an affair with my stepmother or something.”
