“All right. So, are you finally going to tell me when the two of you became so close?”
“Close? Who with whom?”
After finishing his conversation with Eun Woo, Ju Heon was walking his grandfather out when the old man suddenly hit him with a loaded question. Whether Ju Heon genuinely didn’t understand or was simply pretending to be oblivious, he answered calmly with another question. Chairman Cha glanced at his grandson before turning his gaze forward and letting out a laugh.
“Who else could I possibly mean? You and Eun Woo, of course. You the very same boy who found my face disgusting that you won’t even look your own grandfather yet when it comes to Eun Woo? What was that? I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. You seemed to completely forget that your old grandfather was standing behind you because you were so engrossed in your conversation.”
“…I’ll admit I forgot you were behind me, but I’ve never called you ‘disgusting.’ Why would you put it like that…?”
“You said looking at my face made you uncomfortable. Do you really think I wouldn’t understand what you meant? I can’t even remember the last time my own grandson looked me straight in the eye.”
“You’re looking at me right now.”
“You little brat. Is that what you call looking? I’m sneaking glances at you, that’s what I’m doing! You’re the same kid who would throw up in front of me just because I happened to smile with my teeth showing!”
“I still feel bad about that, but it wasn’t something I could control. Anyway, if you have something to say, just say it.”
Watching Ju Heon grumble without even bothering to turn around, the Chairman let out a weary sigh as though he had finally admitted defeat.
“I’m your grandfather, the one who raised you like precious gold, and I can’t even sit across from you for a conversation or share a meal with you. Yet with Eun Woo, you’re suddenly so talkative? The boy wasn’t even wearing a mask, and not only did you stare at his face the entire time, you even helped him up and gave him water. Of course I’m curious.”
So that was what his grandfather had been getting at all this time as they walked down the hallway.
Ju Heon understood perfectly well that the old man was probing him. He also knew that nothing concerning Eun Woo could possibly escape his grandfather’s notice. From the moment the contract had been signed, Eun Woo had almost certainly been under the Chairman’s watch. For someone who had wanted this contract more than anyone, every detail would have been reported to him—who Eun Woo met, where he went, and what he did.
And if the Chairman was asking about it now, there had to be another motive behind it. Perhaps he was hoping there was something deeper developing between the two of them.
That was impossible, of course, but Ju Heon understood why his grandfather might hope for it. The fact that he treated Eun Woo so differently from everyone else had to be shocking. Even Ju Heon himself was surprised.
The problem was that he still didn’t know why, so there was no way he could give his grandfather a definite answer. And he certainly couldn’t give him the answer he was hoping to hear.
“All right. Forget everything else. I thought you were simply doing your best because you knew how important this contract was, but I didn’t expect you to get this invested.”
“Invested? It’s not that. You heard what the doctor said about Baek Eun Woo’s condition. Because of my negligence, he nearly died. How could I just stand there and do nothing? I was the one who dragged someone completely unrelated into this contract, got him pregnant when he was still too young, and put him in danger. Of course I feel responsible.”
“So that’s why you asked him to live with you? Just because you’re responsible for him?”
“That’s only natural…”
“Every time I see the two of you together, you’re the only one who looks fully prepared for battle. Normally, it’s the exact opposite. You’re someone who has spent your entire life avoiding others because you find their appearance unbearable, yet with Eun Woo, nothing about him seems to bother you.”
Ju Heon stopped in his tracks at his grandfather’s pointed words.
“Of course, there’s nothing lacking about his figure or his appearance as an omega. But there are plenty of more beautiful omegas out there. I’m simply wondering why it’s only that boy.”
“Haah… Grandpa, please.”
“I’m asking because I’m curious. I want to know what you’re thinking and what’s going on in your head. I want to know what it takes for you to overcome all those barriers. But you and I both know this isn’t something you can overcome through sheer effort. Someone who can barely drink tea with his own family without feeling sick—why is Eun Woo the only exception?”
The directness of his grandfather’s question left Ju Heon speechless.
The truth was, he didn’t know either.
He could only vaguely guess that perhaps it had something to do with pheromones. And somewhere along the way, without even realizing it, he had stopped questioning it. He no longer cared why or how. Only now did he realize that he had simply stopped wondering about the exception himself.
Perhaps that meant he should finally find out.
One of the reasons he had decided to live with Eun Woo was precisely because he wanted an answer. He wanted to take care of Eun Woo, but he also wanted to understand why he had no aversion to him.
“…One look at your face tells me you don’t know either.”
“If you already figured that out, why don’t you go find out for yourself?”
“I’m already up to my neck in work, and now you’re ordering me around? And do you even realize how complicated this is?”
Still grumbling about being given another task by his grandson, the Chairman continued walking before asking in a more serious tone.
“Do you even understand what it means for an alpha and an omega to live under the same roof? From what I can tell, that boy doesn’t seem to understand what living with an alpha means either. You’re both grown men, yet you behave like a pair of fools. Are you two idiots?”
Ju Heon remained silent, listening to his grandfather’s mixture of scolding and concern.
“Alphas and omegas are naturally drawn to each other through pheromones. Why do you think there are separate schools for alphas and omegas during adolescence? Because no one knows what might happen if the two sexes are kept in the same space. They’re separated from the beginning to prevent chaos when heat and rut cycles hit. And yet an alpha has the nerve to suggest living with an omega? Not just any omega, either. A dominant alpha and a dominant omega!”
Ju Heon had considered his grandfather’s concerns before. But he had never experienced rut simply from seeing an omega. His rut cycles weren’t regular, and whenever one did occur, he could control it completely with suppressants.
His grandfather certainly knew that.
Countless omegas had surrounded him. There had been blind dates, confessions, and every other kind of romantic approach imaginable. All of them had ended in complete failure, and the reason had always been Ju Heon himself.
He felt no excitement whatsoever. His mind didn’t stir in the slightest.
So his grandfather’s concern now was clearly unnecessary.
Whatever had happened before would happen the same way with Baek Eun Woo.
Ju Heon had already concluded that his lack of disgust was simply a temporary phenomenon caused by Eun Woo carrying his child.
“Don’t you know that pregnant omegas release a defensive pheromone? It’s basic knowledge taught in elementary school that alphas can’t sense the pheromones of a pregnant omega.”
“That only applies to alphas who have nothing to do with that omega. For the alpha who actually got him pregnant, it’s even stronger. Don’t you know that, you idiot? Honestly…”
“…That…”
Ju Heon genuinely hadn’t considered that possibility.
Because he assumed nothing would happen, he hadn’t bothered to think about it. When he suggested they live together, he had completely overlooked that aspect.
“I bet you never even thought about it. You’re so ignorant about these things. Tsk.”
“I’m not ignorant. It’s because nothing like that will ever happen. Don’t you know what I’m like?”
“How could I not? Remember when I arranged for you to meet the granddaughter of the Daegang Group chairman? You took one look at her, threw up, and ran away.”
“…That was because she was eating so messily. She had whipped cream all over her mouth. I held it in as long as I could before I finally lost it. Anyway, you know me well enough, so there’s no need to worry. My decision hasn’t changed. What matters isn’t pheromones. We need to save him first.”
Faced with Ju Heon’s unwavering determination, the Chairman could only stare at him with exhausted eyes before falling silent.
“All right. Do whatever you want. Whatever is meant to happen will happen. In any case, the fact that you’re finally willing to open yourself up to living with someone is a good sign. I thought you’d leave home and spend the rest of your life alone.”
Ju Heon couldn’t tell whether that was praise, criticism, or simply concern from the bottom of his grandfather’s heart.
The Chairman left him with those words before slowly making his way toward the car.
Ju Heon stood there for a long while, watching his grandfather’s retreating back.
……….
The several-day conference at Chaseong Hospital had finally come to an end.
Gyu Min and his colleagues were leaving the conference room, chatting animatedly among themselves. When they heard that the next session would be held at a hotel instead of the hospital, the doctors immediately began speculating about the sudden change of venue. Follow the newest chapters on NovelPing.
No one had received a satisfactory explanation. The hospital had simply given a vague response about internal arrangements.
Just as they were wondering about it, Gyu Min noticed a commotion ahead.
Several doctors who had already left the room were whispering among themselves while looking in the same direction. Gyu Min approached one of his colleagues.
“What’s going on? Did some actor or idol come here? Why does everyone look so tense?”
“Not an idol. Someone much harder to meet than that!”
Harder to meet than an idol?
Puzzled, Gyu Min followed his colleague’s gaze.
An elderly man with silver hair was walking beside a younger man, followed by a group of people who looked like bodyguards keeping a respectful distance.
The older man looked strangely familiar, like someone Gyu Min had seen countless times in the media and on the news.
When recognition finally struck, his eyes widened.
No wonder everyone was making such a fuss.
It was the Chairman of the Chaseong Group, a man who held virtually unrivaled power in the business world.
“Wait, isn’t that Chairman Chaseong?”
“That’s right. Pretty incredible, huh?”
For the head of a major conglomerate, Gyu Min was surprised to see the Chairman traveling with such a small entourage. Perhaps he had come because the hospital was part of the Chaseong Group’s network.
Then the younger man walking beside the Chairman turned his head.
Gyu Min’s eyes widened even further.
“Wait… that man…”
It was definitely the man who had been beside Eun Woo when they met again after so long.
He was still wearing a mask, just as he had been that day, and he radiated the same overwhelming presence. Gyu Min could never forget those cold, distinctive eyes.
He was the man who had openly treated him with contempt, casually spraying disinfectant as though Gyu Min were something filthy and leaving him humiliated beyond words.
It had been the first time anyone had ever treated him that way, and it had taken him several days to get over it.
Why was someone that rude here with Chairman Cha Seong?
Gyu Min was completely bewildered.
“Wow. I usually only see him in the newspapers. It’s strange seeing him in person.”
“Who?”
“The Chairman?”
“No, the guy next to him. His grandson. He’s the director of the Chaseong Group. He’s the strongest candidate to take over the group someday. Actually, I should say he’s practically guaranteed to be the successor.”
“…What?”
Gyu Min reacted sharply to the shocking revelation that had just come from his colleague’s mouth.