Perhaps I had heard him wrong because I was so nervous. His statement was so absurd that I could not even bring myself to feel angry. I was simply curious about what could possibly motivate someone to make such an outrageous request—to ask a person he was meeting for the first time to have a child for his grandson.
“…Your grandson’s child? I mean, aren’t you asking the two of us to meet or get married or something? Of course, that was just an example, but basically, are you asking me to give birth on his behalf? Why would you come looking for me to have a child for your grandson…?”
While I was still wondering whether I had understood him correctly, the Chairman looked at my face and let out a long sigh, covering his face with one hand.
—-“I know these sudden words must sound absurd, but I’m not senile. And I’m certainly not sexually harassing you. It’s just that I’m in such desperate need right now that I no longer have the luxury of worrying about propriety or beating around the bush.”
From the way he spoke, it seemed that he himself knew just how ridiculous his proposal sounded. Suddenly calling someone he had never even met before and saying, “Please have a child for my grandson.” How many people would actually think such words had come from a sane man?
——“You may not believe me, but I’m completely serious. What I want is… Have you ever heard of surrogacy? Surrogacy using both the egg and sperm from donors. I assume you know about it. It was legalized in our country quite some time ago.”
“…Surrogacy?”
I frowned and repeated the word. Surrogacy. Of course I knew about it. It would have been strange if I didn’t.
“Yes.”
“Of course I know. But why are you suddenly bringing up surrogacy?”
I asked because I was genuinely curious, but an uneasy feeling suddenly rose in my chest. I was beginning to have a vague idea why he had mentioned surrogacy immediately after telling me to have a child for his grandson. An absurd thought occurred to me, and I could not help but laugh in this situation.
——“I’m looking for someone to serve as a surrogate. My grandson, for personal reasons, has no interest in marriage, let alone dating. A thirty-two-year-old dominant alpha with a tall, muscular build acting like this is about to drive me insane.”
“Isn’t thirty-two still an age when someone might not want to get married?”
I gently chided the Chairman, thinking he was interfering far too much in his grandson’s personal life and causing trouble where there was none.
—-“…No. It’s not that.”
“So, for whatever reason, you’ve decided to find a surrogate, is that it?”
Seeing that I was speaking so bluntly instead of beating around the bush, the Chairman quickly nodded.
—-“Normally, a married couple would use both of their genes and have an omega or a healthy woman carry the child for them, but we’re not in that situation. The surrogate I’m looking for…”
…What?
“Wait! Chairman, are you saying you want to use my genes to have a child for your grandson? You mean when you said you wanted me to have a child, you meant… literally that?”
My voice rose as I became agitated, but the Chairman did not avoid the question. He simply nodded calmly. Because he admitted it so casually, I could not even bring myself to be angry.
Normally, surrogates did not use their own genetic material. Of course, that method did exist. It was still used in certain exceptional circumstances and was not illegal, but as far as I knew, the procedures and requirements were extremely complicated, so people generally did not choose it. So that was why he had kept emphasizing dominant omegas.
——“I’m ashamed to admit it, but yes. I don’t want to leave any loopholes that the people around us could use to criticize us. In case something happens, it would be safer if the personal information of the person who gives birth matches the child’s genetic information.”
It was certainly a deeply calculated plan. The surrogacy law the Chairman mentioned had probably been passed when I was still in elementary school. At the time, the reluctance among beta women and omegas to have children had reached its peak. More and more people were refusing to have children because they feared career interruptions and the physical changes that came with marriage and childbirth.
To address the problem, the government introduced various measures, including a surrogacy bill. It allowed all omegas and ordinary women, regardless of gender, to become surrogates. The law sparked countless controversies and protests at the time, but because the decline in the birth rate had become so severe, the government pushed ahead with its implementation.
It was a law that had already been adopted in many countries, and in a country that had followed behind, the birth rate and overall satisfaction had increased considerably. However, registering for surrogacy required going through extremely strict procedures. Even so, many couples and lovers still chose the method.
And there were more omegas willing to become surrogates than I had imagined. There were many reasons, but the biggest advantage was that their personal information could be kept completely confidential. In addition, people who had difficulty making a living because pheromone-related issues interfered with their work often volunteered for the program.
The greater the risks, the more generous the compensation. They were also provided with attentive care after giving birth, so there were still plenty of people who used the service. Even so, being asked to become a surrogate using my own genetic material felt somewhat ridiculous. Did he really think carrying someone else’s child was that easy?
—-“As an omega myself, I know this is not an easy decision, but please hear me out and consider the proposal, even if only a little.”
“Pregnancy and childbirth are difficult enough as they are. Having to carry the child of a complete stranger is even more frightening, to be honest. I find the very idea repulsive.”
—-“Of course. I completely understand. That’s precisely why I said this was a difficult favor to ask.”
“But even so, asking me to carry the child of someone whose face I haven’t even seen…”
—-“His face? Ah, he just returned to the country from our American branch. He’ll only start coming into the company next week, so you’ll probably run into him from time to time. Why don’t you look at him once and then decide? I’m very confident in my grandson’s looks.”
“…No, that’s not what I meant… Chairman, are you actually asking me to go through a heat cycle with your grandson?”
The thought suddenly occurred to me, and I opened my eyes wide and shouted. The Chairman hurriedly waved his hands, vehemently denying it.
—-“I’m not some despicable person who would force you to do something like that. We’ll use sperm that has already been stored at the hospital and perform artificial insemination.”
After having been hurt so badly by someone in the past, I had no desire whatsoever to think about having children or getting married. But no one knew what the future held. If I met a partner someday, I did not want to do anything that would betray them.
“Chairman, you barely know anything about me. Isn’t it incredibly reckless to do all this simply because I’m a dominant omega?”
Despite the somewhat disrespectful way I spoke, the Chairman did not appear angry. He looked at me for a moment before beginning to reveal information far beyond anything I had expected.
—“Baek Eun Woo. Twenty-three years old. You attended Cheong Hwa Arts High School before transferring to a regular high school. You are currently on leave from the Department of English Language at Hankuk University. When you were in high school, your house caught fire. Your father died, and your mother was left in critical condition. From then on, your life became difficult. You stayed at a friend’s house for a while before moving into a tiny goshiwon room. When your mother’s health deteriorated, you took a leave of absence from school to start this job. You’ve had a hard life for someone so young.”
How ridiculous. So he had already investigated everything about me?
“…Did you investigate me behind my back?”
—“I needed to know to some extent. I apologize if that makes you uncomfortable.”
His explanation was brief and straightforward, but every piece of information was accurate. From my father’s death, to the fact that I had stayed at Kang Gyu Ho’s house before moving into a goshiwon, even my current leave of absence—it was all correct. I had no idea when he had conducted the investigation or how he had moved so quickly.
—-“I only looked into the basics, so I don’t know the deeper things you keep to yourself. But I know your mother’s health is still poor. That’s why you have to work other jobs even on weekends. If you accept my proposal, I can resolve all of those problems at once.”
“How exactly are you planning to resolve all of them at once?”
—-“I mean I will provide the things you needs most. I’ll cover all of your mother’s medical expenses. Upon signing the contract, I’ll provide you with an apartment, and a substantial deposit. Depending on the child’s traits later, there will be additional bonuses. Most importantly, your health. I will make sure your body fully recovers and will not neglect your care. Postpartum care is a given. In addition, I will provide whatever medical services you need.”
Frankly speaking, this was an extraordinarily generous proposal. There was legally mandated compensation cap for surrogacy. But this offer far exceeded it, and the Chairman’s expression did not look like that of someone who was lying.
Still, I was not foolish enough to believe that there was such a thing as a free meal in this world. Kindness from a stranger was poison in disguise. There had to be a reason he was making such a generous offer. Surely it was because he wanted a child carrying the genes of a dominant omega like me.
“Chairman, I’ve heard that conglomerate families often have political marriages with one another. Why would you overlook so many suitable matches and come looking for me?”
Of course, the people involved would know the reason better than anyone, and there had to be a reason behind their choice. But now that I had heard this much, I was genuinely curious. If he was supposedly so tall and perfectly built, could there be some serious defect I didn’t know about?
The Chairman shook his head in response to my suspicious gaze.
—-“Do you really think I don’t know that? I’ve tried countless times. I don’t even know how many times! But every single one ended in failure. My grandson is a little… eccentric. No, saying eccentric doesn’t quite cover it. He’s extremely strange.”
“Strange?”
—-“…He thinks people are filthy.”
“What?”
..What did he mean, people were what?….
While I blinked at him in confusion, the Chairman let out another deep sigh.
*******
The executive director, who had originally planned to start working the following week, suddenly made an unannounced visit to the office. At his unexpected appearance, the secretaries hurriedly put on their masks and straightened their clothes. However, they could not hide the uneasiness on their faces.
Everyone held their breath as they watched the director run his finger along the display cabinet. Only after he confirmed that there was not a speck of dust on his fingertip did he look satisfied, allowing everyone to breathe again.
Cha Ju Heon, who was supposed to begin working there the following week, meticulously inspected every corner of the office. Then, when he noticed a line marked on the floor several steps away from the desk, the corners of his lips lifted slightly.
After checking the line, Ju Heon walked toward the desk and sat in the chair. He then stepped back behind the line and checked whether the distance between the two sides was appropriate.
——“I’m very satisfied. This way, I won’t have to worry about getting sprayed with someone’s saliva. And I won’t have to see the pores on their faces.”
While he was inspecting the office, there was a knock on the door, and a secretary entered. The secretary was neatly dressed, wearing a mask and gloves, and kept his distance from his superior as he bowed.
__“Ah, Secretary Lee. I’ve caused everyone some trouble, haven’t I? I only stopped by for a moment after receiving a summons from my grandfather.”
~~~“Not at all, Director. Are you satisfied with the office?”
___“Yes. But please place some additional hand sanitizer here and over there.”
He pointed to the table in front of the sofa and the bookshelf as he gave his instructions, then turned to look at the secretary.
___“And have you explained the rules that must be followed by anyone who wants to work as my secretary? If anyone finds them inconvenient, they can request a transfer to another department. I have no objection. Otherwise, I’ll assume that everyone agrees to them.”
~~~“Yes, Director. Perfume is allowed, but it must not be too strong. Though a strong perfume scent is still better than the smell of body sweat. Everyone must maintain cleanliness at all times, and cigarette odor is strictly prohibited. Washing only your bangs is prohibited. Proper dental, hand, and skincare are mandatory. When speaking directly with the Director, masks and sanitary gloves must be worn. We’ve also been informed that eating snacks is only permitted in the break room.”
___“Please add that secretaries will also receive an additional hygiene-management allowance.”
With that, Cha Ju Heon gave a satisfied smile before turning his head toward the window.