I understood Chairwoman Baek’s concerns. She’d hoped I would just have the baby and gracefully disappear, but now that a romance was suddenly happening, she was probably worried that we might even elope out of love.
“…What does that mean? That it’s just Sahyun’s one-sided delusion?”
“Yes. Exactly that. I… don’t have even the slightest romantic feelings for the Chairwoman’s son. It’s closer to a situation where I see him like a younger brother.”
The reason I was flatly denying it was partly because Baek Sahyun and I were in a limited-term relationship of 100 days, but also because I still hadn’t fully grasped Baek Sahyun’s heart.
And truthfully… even my own heart wasn’t cleanly sorted out. Whether the heart-fluttering I occasionally felt thanks to Baek Sahyun was really a result caused solely by fear.
Chairwoman Baek stroked her chin once, then nodded as if there was nothing to be done about it.
“…If that’s what you say, I have nothing more to say. When the person involved says it’s not the case, well.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“But, as a mother, it does make me feel sorry that it was just my son’s one-sided love?”
As she lifted the syringe toward the back, the secretary standing behind swiftly took it from her with nimble movements. Only then could I let out a sigh of relief.
Chairwoman Baek dabbed at the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief. Her attitude seemed so peaceful it was hard to believe she was the person who had just threatened me with a needle moments ago. At her kind suggestion to finish the remaining food, I hesitantly put the sashimi in my mouth.
Until the plate was completely empty, Chairwoman Baek didn’t say anything. Then, after confirming that I had quietly put down my chopsticks, she merely instructed them to bring tea and Japanese-style desserts.
“Enjoy what’s left comfortably. If you want more, you can order that too.”
As she spoke, she stood up from her seat. The secretary followed suit and draped a coat over her shoulders. Judging by the whispered report she was receiving, it seemed she had another schedule lined up. When I stood up awkwardly to see her off, Chairwoman Baek gestured for me to sit back down. Then she muttered some cryptic words.
“One-sided love is something you have to experience at least once in your life anyway. Because it becomes tremendous nourishment for life.”
“Pardon?”
“Because you can naturally realize that in order to obtain what you want, you need a clear plan and vision. It’s also related to one’s branding issues. You practice in advance how to appeal yourself positively and attract the other person.”
Her warmly smiling face now made me feel chills. Unable to find an appropriate response and fumbling, Chairwoman Baek readily offered her farewell.
“See you next time, Heejae-kun. We’ll discuss the drug matter next time.”
Only after the sliding door closed with a rattle could I finally release the breath I’d been holding.
“Haah…. The Baeks are seriously no joke.”
❖ ❖ ❖
Chairwoman Baek really did contact me the next morning. The method was delivery.
*You seemed afraid of needles, so I replaced them with pills. Think of them as medicine that relaxes your body in preparation for the trait transformation. Just take one pill a day and that’s enough.*
As I read the contents of the letter that arrived with the wrapped box, the back of my neck was getting stiff. She truly was a meticulous person. To advance the plan so immediately like this….
Seeing the dozen or so pill bottles laid out neatly made me sigh involuntarily. So this is how it ends up, Jang Woohyun. There was a supplementary explanation saying not to worry since it wasn’t an ‘omega manifestation agent’ at least, but either way, it was still preparation for getting to that stage.
“So, if I take this and the manifestation agent while receiving a pheromone shower, I become an omega, right?”
I stared blankly at the white exterior of the pill bottle, predicting the future to come. Clutching a belly swollen as big as Namsan Mountain…, no, never mind. Just imagining it made beads of sweat form on my back.
*P.S. It’s fine to play around with my son, but don’t just make him lovesick. He’s a kid with a weak mind, so I don’t know when or where his screws might come loose.*
It was then that I discovered the postscript written at the bottom of the letter. Not knowing when or where his screws might come loose—Chairwoman Baek must not know her son very well. Baek Sahyun was a bastard whose screws were already loose anytime, anywhere. So there was no need to worry about that now.
“What are you doing?”
Just then, Baek Sahyun, who had opened the bathroom door and walked out, asked.
“Huh? Uh…, just nothing.”
For some reason feeling caught red-handed, I hurriedly shoved the box under the bed. At that nimble response, Baek Sahyun smiled broadly while patting his hair dry with a towel.
“Did you buy a dirty magazine behind my back?”
“…Yeah, I did. So don’t look at it without my permission.”
When I joked around, the guy shrugged and perched on the edge of the bed. Then he whistled to call me over, and when I walked up to him step by step, he grabbed both my hands and shook them like a child. These childlike skinship gestures had increased noticeably lately. Seeing how he kept maintaining this kind of skinship, it seemed to be Baek Sahyun’s preference. I was worried whether he was trying to receive compensation for his lost childhood in this way.
“Why don’t you dry your hair first?”
When I brushed his wet hair upward, Baek Sahyun smiled cheerfully. The warmth transmitted from his grasped hands was a little… burdensome. The extreme fondness showing on his brightly smiling face made me feel burdened.
Actually, there was no way to know about Baek Sahyun’s feelings. It did seem like the guy had feelings for me, but it was difficult to gauge to what extent.
Honestly, I sometimes suspected whether this bastard just liked me with the mindset of playing with a toy. Playing house with an attachment toy—maybe it was nothing more or less than that.
But this case would actually be better. If the guy had deep affection for me, the plans to have a baby and cut ties would crumble. I was worried that when that time came, Baek Sahyun’s words would change and if he didn’t agree to cutting ties, it would become quite troublesome.
“Ah. Woohyun-ah. It hurts.”
At some point I had been pulling Baek Sahyun’s hair from behind, and the guy made a tearful face.
When I jumped in surprise and tidied his disheveled hair, Baek Sahyun hugged my waist tightly.
“Won’t you dry my hair?”
“If you pay me a high wage, I’ll dry it.”
“Mmm. Can’t I give you something other than money?”
Baek Sahyun, who had been giggling with his face buried in my stomach, lifted his face. His playful eyes curved once more into crescents as they looked at me. He was smiling so much with his eyes that you couldn’t even see his pupils—it was a face that made the viewer involuntarily smile along.
Baek Sahyun, who had grasped my hand over his, slowly pulled it toward his robe.
“I’ll try paying with my body. You like my body, don’t you?”
At those words, I was horrified and pushed the guy away. My mind became hazy for a moment at his seductress-like movements. Whenever Baek Sahyun made these ridiculous seductions, my heart would sink.
Ignoring the guy whose eyes had widened, I checked the wall clock.
I’d heard there was some event called an International Conference or something, and even if we got in the car and left now, it looked like we could arrive just barely in time.
Last night, Chairwoman Baek’s secretary had called me.
[*Young Master Sahyun has been too frequently late to events these days. Heejae-ssi, please give him a hint. Tell him to avoid being late as much as possible.*]
“Ah, is that so. I’ll firmly tell him.”
[*If both of you cause disruptions to large and small schedules like this, it won’t be good for either of you. Young Master Sahyun already has a poor image within the group, with his qualifications being questioned, so if problems start being raised in earnest, Chairwoman Baek will be the first to find a solution.*]
“Y-yes…, is that so.”
[*For example, a solution might come up like calling Young Master and Heejae-ssi to the main house and starting surveillance. Living with your parents-in-law won’t exactly be easy.*]
It was shortly after meeting with Chairwoman Baek alone. I knew that Baek Sahyun was receiving successor training, but realizing that the repercussions could spread to me as well made my anxiety grow.
“You have a meeting you need to attend today, right? Hurry up and dry your hair and get dressed. If you’re late, it’ll just damage your image again.”
It was when I was shaking his motionless shoulders to hurry him. My upper body tilted downward by overwhelming force. Before I could react, Baek Sahyun started kissing me at a swift speed. My body was already completely buried in the bed.
“Ngh…! Hey!”
I tried to forcibly block his charging lips, but it was useless. Tension was building throughout my body to handle the mixing breaths. Baek Sahyun soon began gently ravaging my tongue. When I barely managed to push the guy away, holding onto my collapsing reason, a handsome face came into view.
“Even now it’s not too late, so let’s scrap the pregnancy and everything, Woohyun-ah.”
Unlike his disheveled voice, the guy spoke while sending me a clear gaze. It was remarkably similar to that gaze I’d seen from Chairwoman Baek.
“If you get pregnant just because you have no choice due to the contract…, only the child to be born will suffer.”
“……”
“Besides, if they find out they were born that way, they’ll resent you.”
It seemed Baek Sahyun’s capriciousness had flared up.
