-“It’s just the flu.”
Jaekyung felt deeply relieved at the professor’s words. He had been worried that something might be wrong with his body, but thankfully, it was nothing serious.
-“I’ll give you an injection and prescribe you three days’ worth of medicine. Just make sure you eat before taking it.”
“Thank you.”
-“Is there anywhere else that hurts? Anything else bothering you?”
“No.”
The professor asked him various questions while looking at the monitor and typing.
Jaekyung glanced at the screen.
Most of it was filled with medical terminology he couldn’t understand, but he could recognize the Omega designation and the sign in front of it.
Recessive Omega.
Even after five years of hormone injections, he was still a recessive Omega.
“Thank you.”
-“Take good care of yourself, and make sure you contact me if anything happens. Understand?”
“Yes. Ah, Professor… please keep today’s visit a secret from my father.”
At Jaekyung’s request, the professor let out a deep sigh.
He knew roughly what the atmosphere was like in Jaekyung’s family, so he understood what that request meant. He nodded and told him he would keep it confidential.
Jaekyung thanked him once more, left the hospital, and stopped by a nearby pharmacy to have his prescription filled.
*
-“Please wait just a moment.”
As he waited for the friendly pharmacist to prepare his medicine, Jaekyung wandered around the pharmacy, looking at the various things on display.
Perhaps because of the injection, he was already feeling considerably better. It was almost as though he were trying to make up for the lack of activity over the past few days, unable to stand still for even a moment as he looked around.
Then he heard the little bell above the door jingle as someone entered.
Jaekyung instinctively looked over—and was startled.
“Ah…”
The person who had entered looked equally surprised.
-“Mr. Jaekyung.”
He was in his early forties, considerably older than Jaekyung, yet he had always greeted Jaekyung with the utmost respect and spoken to him formally.
Just as he was doing now.
“You don’t need to do that anymore, Mr. Oh.”
Secretary Oh Seunghwan was Han Taeseok’s secretary, and he had also been at his side since Taeseok was young.
Han Taeseok relied on and trusted Secretary Oh more than he did even the members of his own family.
But what was Secretary Oh doing here?
As far as Jaekyung knew, his home wasn’t anywhere near here. The headquarters wasn’t close by, either. This area shouldn’t have been anywhere within his usual radius of activity.
The fact that he was here meant…
And more than anything, Secretary Oh was the kind of person who never left Han Taeseok’s side except when Taeseok was asleep.
If that was the case…
“…Is Director Han outside?”
-“Ah… yes. He’s waiting in the car.”
Jaekyung glanced out through the pharmacy window.
Across the crosswalk was a familiar black sedan, its hazard lights blinking.
She was still at the hospital?
If so, that made sense. Ever since she had badly injured her leg after falling down the stairs at a state event two years ago, he would sometimes go pick her up.
In that case, Jaekyung really was terribly unlucky to have run into them like this.
-“Are you… sick?”
At Secretary Oh’s question, Jaekyung quickly waved his arms.
“No. I’m not sick.”
-“If you weren’t sick, you wouldn’t have any reason to come here.”
“That’s… true. Haha. I’m just coming down with a cold. Ah, but what about you, Secretary Oh? You left Director Han behind to come here. Are you feeling unwell?”
-“Ah, I came to buy something for fatigue recovery. I can’t ignore my age anymore.”
“Take good care of yourself. Make sure you take plenty of supplements, too.”
-“Yes. You take care of your health as well, Mr. Jaekyung.”
Jaekyung suddenly remembered the time Secretary Oh had spoken to him when Han Taeseok had gone into his study and Jaekyung had been sitting alone on the sofa, absentmindedly hugging a pillow.
He had gone all day without speaking to anyone and felt as though his vocal cords were drying up, so he had been grateful whenever Secretary Oh occasionally acknowledged his presence, like an oasis in the desert.
I guess time really does heal.
The fact that he could recall that memory now without feeling anything at all…
If things were already like this, could everything that had happened over the past five years eventually become nothing more than a memory?
Then again, it wasn’t as though there was much worth remembering.
-“Mr. Park Jaekyung, your medicine is ready.”
At the pharmacist’s voice, Jaekyung accepted the medicine as though he had been waiting for it and tucked it into his bag.
“Then I’ll be going. Ah, and… please keep this a secret from Director Han. The fact that you saw me.”
-“Understood.”
Jaekyung thanked him and hurried out of the pharmacy.
The moment he opened the door, he flinched at the sight of the sedan, which now seemed much closer. He needed to cross the street to catch a bus, but he couldn’t bring himself to cross that crosswalk. So he flagged down the first taxi that came near and got in. After telling the driver his destination, Jaekyung relaxed and leaned back against the seat. Then he glanced behind him.
It was gone.
The car he had seen so clearly just a few minutes ago was nowhere to be found.
Had I dreamed it?
No.
There was nothing between that man and him—not even enough for him to have dreamed something like that. Feeling inexplicably unsettled, Jaekyung watched the people passing by outside the window and tried to think about something else.
**
Since the two largest corporations representing South Korea were celebrating such a momentous occasion, it was only natural that the wedding—intended to be seen by the public—would be grand and extravagant. An outdoor wedding was held at a traditional Korean-style hotel in Incheon operated by NI Company. From a wreath sent by the President to congratulatory flower arrangements from business partners around the world, as well as from Korea’s most prominent corporations and various companies, the path leading into the venue was literally a road of flowers. The families of NI Company and the Jaewang Group were busy greeting guests, while their staff were equally frantic guiding people to their seats. This time, the media had also been granted access. An enormous number of reporters and television crews had gathered in one place, filling the venue with noise and the constant clicking of camera shutters.
Everyone was caught up in the excitement, enjoying the festive atmosphere.
The only person who didn’t seem to be enjoying the celebration was Jaekyung, the star of the day himself. He sat blankly in the prepared waiting room, staring at his reflection in the mirror. He had gotten up at four in the morning, washed, received a massage, and then had his hair and makeup done. He was now dressed in the white ceremonial attire chosen by NI, with a pink flower pinned to his chest.
The day had finally come.
His wedding day…
And yet, strangely enough, the groom still hadn’t arrived at the wedding venue.
The waiting room where he sat alone was a shared space where both Omegas and Alphas waited for their ceremonies.
“Am I really going to end up getting married by myself?”
Wouldn’t that be hilarious?
Jaekyung muttered to himself, then let out a small laugh at the realization that it actually wasn’t impossible.
He hadn’t heard from Han Taeseok even once since the press conference.
He had waited for about a week. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
By the tenth day, he had gradually given up hope.
After a month passed, he had assumed the wedding had been called off.
But apparently, it hadn’t.
“Jaekyung.”
Jaekyung spoke to his reflection in the mirror.
“Why are you doing this?”
…..If you’re going to run away, now is the time. It’s not too late…….
He felt as though he were about to cry.
The future he hadn’t even experienced yet was already visible before him, and the thought of it began tearing at his heart.
Just then, the door opened, and Han Taeseok walked in.
Startled, Jaekyung sprang to his feet.
But Taeseok didn’t even look at him. He immediately followed the instructions of the people who had come in behind him, taking off his clothes and changing into his ceremonial attire. They fixed his hair and touched up his makeup.
In just ten minutes, he was ready for the wedding.
He stood in front of the mirror, adjusting his clothes. He glanced at Jaekyung once, gave him a slight nod in greeting, then asked the man who appeared to be his secretary about his schedule before walking out.
-“Hello, Mr. Jaekyung.”
“Oh, yes… hello.”
The man who had been going over Taeseok’s schedule with him moments earlier had gone outside with him. A few minutes later, he returned and greeted Jaekyung.
-“I’m Oh Seunghwan, Director Han’s secretary. Starting today, I’ll be accompanying you as well.”
Ah, so he was his secretary.
“Ah, I look forward to working with you.”
-“The ceremony will begin in ten minutes. It would be best if you started getting ready. I’ll have someone come in to give you one final check.”
“Yes, understood.”
-“And I think there are a few things you should know about how the wedding ceremony will proceed, so let me explain.”
Secretary Oh handed Jaekyung a sheet of a paper. It contained a detailed wedding ceremony cue sheet.
Looking at it, Jaekyung realized that the press conference had probably been this man’s work as well. Like someone about to put on a performance, Secretary Oh went through the entire cue sheet and explained what Jaekyung would need to do. It was so complicated, with so many things he had to do, that Jaekyung could hardly tell whether this was a wedding ceremony…
Or simply a show.
-“If there’s anything you’re unsure about during the ceremony, please look at me, and I’ll assist you.”
“…Can’t I ask Director Han?”
No matter how he thought about it, asking the person standing right beside him seemed much faster and easier than trying to summon someone from a distance with nothing but a look.
-“You may ask Director Han as well. However, he’ll have people he needs to meet throughout the ceremony, and he’ll be busy, so please call for me whenever possible.”
In other words, don’t bother him.
Jaekyung understood.
He nodded.
-“Is there anything else you’d like to know?”
“…Um, are we going on a honeymoon? I haven’t heard anything about it.”
-“Ah, there won’t be a honeymoon. Director Han is extremely busy and wasn’t able to take any time off. As soon as the ceremony is over, I’ll have you escorted to the house prepared for you in Cheongdam.”
Was that a good thing? Or not?
The fact that he wasn’t even disappointed meant he hadn’t been expecting anything in the first place.
Am I slowly getting used to their way of life and the way they do things?
Jaekyung gave a bitter smile.