“Was I bad?”
“No well, for a first time it wasn’t bad, about that much.”
Taesung blushed in embarrassment and averted his eyes. He didn’t know why only he felt so ashamed. Doesn’t that bastard Jaeha have any sense of shame?
“Don’t you want to do it again?”
“It’s, it’s not that much, you bastard.”
“Why? Because I’m not really an omega?”
“Omega or whatever, practice is over so now go find someone else and do it for real.”
“If I’m an omega, can I do it with you again, hyung?”
“I’m never doing it again.”
“Because I rushed too much?”
“Not for that reason—hey! Kiss someone you like, you bastard!”
“Then hyung doesn’t like me so you don’t want to kiss?”
“Right. Now you finally understand.”
Jaeha rested his forehead on Taesung’s shoulder and hugged him tightly. It was hot. It was bothersome. But to pull Jaeha off—his shoulders that had drooped sullenly bothered him strangely, so Taesung pretended not to notice and just fiddled with his phone with one hand.
“I wish I were an omega.”
Jaeha muttered after a long while.
Of course, Jaeha’s situation was different from Taesung’s. He was the grandson Chairman Hyun Hongwon cherished—even if he were an omega, who would dare to covet him carelessly? Rather, he’d meet a carefully selected alpha with a good family, good personality, and ability that Hyun Hongwon picked out, and live better than anyone.
But still.
Still, he didn’t like it.
Chairman Hyun Hongwon was too old to protect Jaeha to the end, and Jang Hyeokjin was near Jaeha.
He didn’t like even the slightest possibility that Jaeha might experience the same things Taesung had gone through.
“No.”
So he said it sharply. Jaeha raised his head as if surprised.
“Hope you’re not an omega.”
Fortunately, Jaeha was an alpha, and that kiss with him was the first and last.
Considering Chairman Hyun Hongwon passed away much earlier than expected, it was heavenly luck for Jaeha.
If he’d been an omega, Jang Hyeokjin wouldn’t have just given the order to ‘dispose’ of him.
Taesung stood like a jangseung in front of Wonin Construction’s president’s office, glaring at the firmly closed door for a long time. He’d heard that Jang Hyeokjin was inside signing a sponsorship agreement with some charity organization. If that dog bastard just didn’t do dog shit, things would be much more peaceful, but Jang Hyeokjin was contributing to the world by spending money instead of using the simplest method.
“Yes, President. Thank you always. Please visit the facility again sometime. The kids were so happy when you came last time. They said it was their first time seeing such a wonderful person in real life. Haha.”
The charity organization employee’s voice was excited, as if they were leaving with satisfactory results. Jang Hyeokjin wore a benevolent smile that made you wonder how such an expression could come from that face as he saw them off.
The moment he discovered Taesung waiting in front of the president’s office door, Jang Hyeokjin’s lips, which had been raised high, sank completely.
Director Yoon, who had been following behind holding a tablet PC with the agreement, keenly read the situation and quickly approached the charity organization employees. Then she drove them to the elevator, spouting obvious words about how the president had urgent business afterward.
Jang Hyeokjin turned back into the president’s office without even telling him to come in. Taesung also tried to take a step forward. But while he’d been waiting, his feet wouldn’t move easily, as if the soles of his shoes had stuck to the floor.
Should I just go back?
Taesung swallowed his dry saliva. Perhaps this was his last chance. While rationalizing to himself that he’d just been needlessly swayed by Director Yoon’s silver tongue, if he rambled on about the Icheon site and then backed away and ran, nothing would happen.
No, it’s not that nothing would happen.
The fact that Taesung had to deal with Jaeha wouldn’t change.
Right after Jaeha disappeared three years ago, Taesung had met him in front of his house on the hill in Bongcheon-dong. Jaeha was sitting astride a sleek black motorcycle, looking up at Taesung’s house. Even knowing he had to run over and catch him right away to survive, Taesung’s feet wouldn’t move then either, and he ran back to the convenience store as if escaping. And with trembling hands, he lit a cigarette. Only after burning through two or three did the motorcycle engine sound in the distance. Coming down the steep hill, Jaeha, wearing a black helmet, turned his head. Jaeha’s eyes were visible beyond the helmet visor. Looking at Taesung with indifferent eyes that weren’t angry or contemptuous, just seemed to say ‘So you were that kind of guy,’ he disappeared like that.
He didn’t know why Jaeha’s eyes from that time came to mind at this moment.
He’d thought the source of the guilt that had been tormenting Taesung all this time was his debt to Chairman Hyun Hongwon.
Was he actually regretting it?
Not going to Jaeha then. His cowardly self standing nailed in front of the convenience store, just wasting cigarettes.
Only then could Taesung finally move his feet. Though he couldn’t completely shake off the feeling of his feet sticking stickily to the floor, at least he could enter the president’s office.
Jang Hyeokjin glared at Taesung with a frown as usual. But soon, as if realizing Taesung’s expression was different from usual, he withdrew the anger that had risen on his face.
“What’s the matter?”
He asked in a much softer voice. Before readily opening his mouth, Taesung stared down at the ‘Kkotbat Nursery’ brochure placed on the table.
Was it just a place selected for image management purposes?
Or had he developed a taste for raising dog bastards who would even pretend to die at his orders, crazed with the desire to be recognized after being abandoned so many times?
“Han Taesung. What’s the matter, I said.”
Jang Hyeokjin’s patience wasn’t very long. At the growling voice, Taesung raised his head. After checking the firmly closed door and taking a breath, he opened his mouth.
“What happens if I quit this job?”
“Why. Don’t you want to work with Yeonggang Steel?”
“Not the Icheon job. Dealing with Jaeha—wasn’t the condition for me to become independent anyway? But if I say I’ll just give that up so I won’t do it…”
The expression disappeared from Jang Hyeokjin’s face. He looked at Taesung with inorganic eyes and slowly approached. As if with each step he was telling Taesung, ‘Cancel it even now. Then I’ll pretend I didn’t hear.’
But Taesung deliberately ignored the opportunity Jang Hyeokjin gave him, unlike his usual self. When he approached right in front of his nose, Taesung habitually put both hands behind his back and took the at-ease position. It was just an ingrained behavior.
“Why. Did the chairman appear in your dreams or something?”
“No.”
“Then why are you suddenly acting up, Taesung?”
“There are plenty of people to assign the job to even without me. Like you said, President, I don’t know if Hansae will work properly even if it becomes independent from Wonin…”
“Are you worried I won’t throw you any crumbs if you become independent? That wasn’t the condition, was it, Taesung?”
Jang Hyeokjin grabbed Taesung’s chin forcefully. Taesung didn’t avoid his eyes even while swallowing his dry saliva.
“Why, now that you’ve gotten a bit older, do you feel relieved you won’t sell?”
“…I wasn’t sold to begin with.”
“Taesung. Until now, I’ve used you nicely because you were still firm. Do you need to experience directly what kind of bastards pick up old goods to understand?”
Before the complaint ‘that was using me nicely, you fucker?’ could rise up, cold sweat broke out. Because he’d seen enough of what kind of crazy things humans who’d been ruined by this work did, Jang Hyeokjin’s threat didn’t sound like just words.
“Or do you miss those days?”
The hand gripping his chin pulled down Taesung’s turtleneck. He directly confirmed the bruise mark that had settled from red blood and now had a blackish tint.
“Did you do it with Hyun Jaeha?”
For a moment, Taesung’s eyes trembled. Jang Hyeokjin saw that clearly too.
“Who would with such a blood clot…”
“Slut bastard. I told you to deal with him and you’re offering yourself to him?”
“No. Fuck, does he think everyone in the world is a pervert like him?”
A thwack sound rang in his ears. While Taesung gritted his teeth and tried to come to his senses from the feeling of his brain shaking, this time a kick flew with his knee. Taesung helplessly fell to his knees on the spot. A strong grip grabbed his hair and forcibly made him raise his head.
“I treat you nicely so you can’t come to your senses. Taesung, do you even know how much I’ve considered you all this time?”
“Consideration? A bastard who says he considered me brought Han Yongwoo to me, to do that, that fucking shit?”
“What is Han Yongwoo to you?”
He was at a loss for words. Because it was absurd.
“Taesung. Just what is Han Yongwoo to you? Is that bastard your father, your teacher? Or is he even your workplace superior? You just freeloaded at that house for a bit and then left, that’s all. Yeah, well, if I’d known you were an omega, I wouldn’t have thrown you away so emptily like that. That old man ate three Viagra pills trying to fuck you.”
“Fucking bastard, fuck, you fucking…”
Jang Hyeokjin burst out laughing “haha” and this time slapped Taesung’s cheek with his palm. Continuously, until Taesung lowered his gaze, more than ten times.
Only after one cheek swelled up and his lips were completely split and bloody did Taesung drop his gaze. Tears—whether from pain or resentment—flowed down, tearing through his wounds.
