“Who was that Alpha…?”
Jae-kyung asked, his body trembling. The fear from that moment suddenly came rushing back.
An Alpha he didn’t even know had grabbed him and triggered his heat cycle. And considering what the man had said, it had clearly been deliberate. He had unmistakably targeted Jae-kyung on purpose.
In all but name, it had been no different from an attempted rape.
-“We don’t know yet. I heard they’re investigating. But that isn’t the problem.”
That isn’t the problem? Then what is?
-“Things like this are going to happen all the time from now on.”
“What…?”
-“What do you think the position you’ve taken is? It’s a position that will draw envy, resentment, and jealousy from everyone around you. And you’re the person closest to Han Tae-seok. They’ll do whatever they can to find a flaw in you.”
-“What happened yesterday won’t make the news, but in this world, people will probably talk about it for a long time. And until you imprint with him, they won’t acknowledge you as Han Tae-seok’s legitimate partner. They’ll ignore you, trample over you, and never let you establish yourself properly in this world.”
-“Who do you think caused what happened yesterday? Everyone except your family and NI would probably be considered a suspect.”
“I don’t understand.”
-“Then you still don’t understand this world. I assume you’re not about to tell me that everyone is the same just because they’re all human? There are invisible hierarchies here, and words without a blade are weapons that can still cut people to pieces…”
Director Ji rose from her seat.
-“I hope you’ve learned something from what happened this time. And for the time being, make sure you don’t expose yourself to the outside world. Don’t even come out to the gallery. Stay at home and don’t go anywhere for about a month.”
“But…”
-“I absolutely hate having NI Group’s private affairs becoming the subject of gossip. If the Chairman finds out, he’ll be absolutely furious. Consider yourself fortunate that this ends with me. If the Chairman were to hear about it as well, your family would suffer serious consequences.”
Jaekyung could say no more. He pressed his lips tightly together and nodded.
-“I’ve suppressed your heat cycle with an injection for now. Since you went into heat from another alpha’s pheromones, not the Han family’s, there’s no intention of imprinting or having you mate with anyone. It’s unpleasant. Take good care of yourself. Make sure there’s no more trouble.”
Having said everything she needed to say, Director Ji straightened her back and turned away.
-“And I’ll say this one more time: it would be best for you to get imprinted as soon as possible. The moment people realize you haven’t been imprinted, plenty of omegas will probably set their sights on Taeseok.”
With a warning that maintaining her position was a skill in itself, Director Ji left the room.
The moment she was gone, Jaekyung looked down at his two hands, which were trembling uncontrollably. He felt a chill run through his body, along with the emptiness and fear of being left alone in a city shrouded in fog.
Right now, he didn’t want to be alone.
But there was no one around to hold him, no one he could reach out to and embrace.
Alone…
He had to endure all of this by himself.
He had tried not to cry because it felt as though crying would mean losing. But in the end, a single tear slipped down his cheek.
Anyone… I don’t care who. Please…
Please stay by my side.
Hold me.
Stroke my hair… and tell me that everything is going to be okay.
Please…
******
“Ugh…”
Jaekyung blinked a couple of times and let out a breath as he stared up at a ceiling that felt unfamiliar yet strangely familiar. It had already been a month since he moved, but the ceiling of his new home still felt foreign.
He got up and rubbed his bleary eyes, only to notice a tear clinging to the back of his hand. He sighed.
When did I even dream about that?…
“Phew…”
He got up and went into the kitchen, taking a sip of water. Maybe it was because he had drunk cold water immediately after waking up? His brain seemed to throb, and he frowned for a moment as he waited for the sensation to subside.
The pounding eventually stopped, but there was still a dull ache on one side of his head, so he ended up taking a painkiller before eating breakfast.
I really need to get proper sleep.
Jaekyung turned around and looked toward the living room. The room was a mess, covered with printed reproductions of paintings spread out everywhere.
While working on the gallery’s interior, Jaekyung had been meeting with unknown, relatively obscure painters. He couldn’t very well meet them without knowing anything about the paintings they had created, so he had been studying them diligently and trying to understand the meaning behind their work in his own way. He also made an effort to learn about their lives, their painting styles, what materials they used, and what particular techniques or subjects they specialized in.
Come to think of it, Director Ji really was an incredible person.
Despite holding such a high position, with dozens of people working under her, she personally oversaw the entire enormous gallery. She had an extensive knowledge of art and managed everything herself, carefully looking after every painting that came into the gallery as though it were her own child.
She also possessed considerable financial knowledge and was acquainted with famous CEOs overseas. Every now and then, Jaekyung had even seen the Chairman of NI seek her advice on various matters.
She had never once acted as though she could afford to relax simply because she held that position.
That was something Jaekyung could respect.
After taking the medicine, his headache gradually eased. While looking over the profile of a painter he had been researching yesterday, Jaekyung made himself a salad and cooked some cream of corn soup.
Lee Se-chan, the artist… When were we supposed to meet again?
Jaekyung checked his phone schedule.
“Hmm?”
While checking his schedule, he accidentally swiped the wrong way and jumped ahead to a month later. There was a single heart symbol marked on that date.
What’s this?
He tapped it, and the words “Happy Day” appeared.
I never put this here…
No matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn’t remember making the note. It didn’t seem to be some officially designated national holiday, either.
If he couldn’t remember adding it recently, then it must have been marked before his divorce…
He had no idea when he had written it, but had he really thought there would be a happy day while he was living in that house?
Jaekyung tilted his head, unable to understand his own actions from the past.
Had I originally planned to get divorced around this time?
No… I didn’t… The divorce was…
“Hmm…”
He rested his chin on his hand and stared at the mark for several minutes, but still couldn’t figure it out.
Leaving it there bothered him, so he tried to press the delete button. But his hand wouldn’t bring itself to do it.
It was such a simple thing. All he had to do was tap the button.
No.
There was only about a month left now. He would wait and see what happy thing happened on that day.
Who knows…? Maybe I’ll meet a good alpha and finally experience a real relationship… Maybe he’ll hold me tight.
No. More importantly, maybe the gallery will have some good news.
Thinking that made Jaekyung feel better.
That day…
The day in his dream had been bleak. On that day, when he had cried alone while wrapping his arms around himself, he had seen no future ahead of him.
But now, he could see so many possible futures.
Surely, there would be futures he couldn’t even imagine yet.
Jaekyung went back to eating his salad, cheerfully sketching out his future little by little.
*******
-“Executive Director.”
At the voice calling his name, Han Taeseok blinked. The indistinct voice gradually became clearer, and light came into view. Secretary Oh was looking at him with concern.
-“Are you all right?”
“Ah…”
He rubbed the corners of his eyes and sat upright. Apparently, he had fallen asleep in the car for a while.
-“We’ve arrived.”
Three in the morning…
An hour when some people would already be fast asleep.
And the house in front of him had lost its owner. It had been sleeping too, all this time.
-“You seem to have been pushing yourself too hard lately.”
“I’m fine. Go home and get some rest.”
-“What time should I come back?”
“Seven.”
-“…Yes, sir.”
After sending Secretary Oh away first, Han Taeseok slowly entered the house.
Only the bare minimum of lights had been left on, but the garden and even the entranceway made it obvious that no one lived there anymore.
A house no different from a haunted one.
When he entered after keying in the door code, a breeze far colder, heavier, and sadder than the chill outside greeted Han Taeseok.
An empty house.
The only thing left behind was the traces that he had once been there.
One by one, Han Taeseok took off the tie that constricted his throat, the jacket weighing down his shoulders, and the shirt that made his chest feel stifled, letting each piece fall to the floor. Then he opened the bedroom door, thick with fog, trudged inside, and collapsed onto the bed.
Just then, an alert came through on the phone in his pocket, notifying him that his schedule had been updated.
Looking it over, it seemed they had pushed back his meetings and other appointments by an hour.
He had only himself to blame. There was no reason for him to be worrying about this so much.
Han Taeseok gave a hollow little laugh and buried his face in the pillow that had lost its owner.
Then, as though he had suddenly remembered something, he picked up the phone he had placed face down and scanned his schedule again.
He cautiously swiped the screen once with his finger.
The calendar for the following month appeared.
“The 21st, Happy Day.”
The day he couldn’t bring himself to delete.
Han Taeseok let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes.
*********
Director Ji had told Jaekyung to lie low for a month. But in practical terms, Jaekyung’s period of keeping a low profile had continued ever since he got married. The only difference was whether or not he went to the gallery.
If going to the gallery wasn’t considered part of keeping a low profile, then it wasn’t until a full three months had passed that his self-imposed hiatus finally ended. Until then, Jaekyung had gone nowhere except home and the library.
When he finally returned to work at the gallery, he could feel the employees whispering among themselves as they looked at him. He knew the rumors had reached their ears too, but he didn’t pay much attention to them.
If the rumors had been lies, he might have felt wronged. But what could he possibly say to people who were talking about something that was, in fact, true?
Besides, they never openly talked about him to his face, so it didn’t bother him.
Occasionally, however, when one of the wealthy wives who frequented the gallery—or some heir from this world who was completely sheltered from reality—came by, they would openly sneer at Jaekyung.
But perhaps thanks to Director Ji’s training, Jaekyung had grown accustomed to that level of ridicule. He could simply ignore it with an expressionless face.
Another couple of months passed like that.
Eventually, Director Ji began taking Jaekyung along to meals with the wives of powerful figures in the financial world.
Director Ji told him that it was good to meet lots of people and build up a network of connections. At the same time, however, she instructed him to simply sit quietly at the table.
He wasn’t to join in on any conversation.
He was only to listen.
In other words, she wanted him to behave like a well-trained pet that did exactly as it was told.
At a traditional Korean restaurant in Hannam-dong, they met with the three wives of CEOs from major banks.
The three women sat across from Jaekyung, while Jaekyung and Director Ji sat side by side, quietly listening to them.
Director Ji listened to every word they said with a pleasant, amiable smile, responding appropriately to each remark.
Given their respective positions, Director Ji should technically have been the one in the stronger position. Yet she was the one behaving humbly, repeatedly inclining her head and carefully catering to the women’s moods.