Vrrrrrrrrr…..
“Hmm…”
Thinking it was just his alarm, Jaekyung tapped the dismiss button several times. But when the ringing continued, he reluctantly opened his eyes and glanced sleepily at his phone screen—only to jolt awake in surprise.
Mom was displayed on the caller ID.
Jaekyung immediately sat up in bed and checked the time on his phone.
It was 1 p.m.
He quickly drank a glass of water and cleared his throat. The call still hadn’t ended.
She must be really worried.
Determined not to make his mother worry any longer, Jaekyung quickly answered.
“Hello?”
[Jaekyung.]
His mother’s gentle voice called his name with a relieved sigh.
[Do you know how worried I was? I thought something had happened to you.]
“I’m sorry. I was listening to music and reading, so I didn’t hear my phone.”
[Are you sure? You’re not sick or anything, are you?]
“No. I’m perfectly healthy. Don’t worry.”
[You keep saying that, but it’s been a month since I’ve even seen your face. I need to see you today. Where’s your place?]
Ah… So this day had finally come.
“My place is still a mess…”
[It’s been ages since you moved. Then I’ll come with the housekeeper. We can clean the place up too…]
“No, Mom. Why should I make her go through all that because of me? Let’s just meet somewhere outside. I’ll invite you over once I’ve gotten the place in order.”
[Jaekyung.]
“Yes? Mom, please.”
[…All right.]
Jaekyung had a feeling that if he didn’t let her see him today, she might even hire someone to track down his address. So he quickly offered a compromise.
They agreed to meet at a tea shop in Gangnam that his mother liked. After ending the call, Jaekyung checked the time again.
It was already 1:05 p.m.
Oh my God. How long did I sleep?
He had gone straight to bed at seven in the morning after finishing his shift without even taking a shower, and had slept until now.
I guess I really can’t fool my age anymore…
He couldn’t pull all-nighters the way he had in his twenties.
It had been three weeks since he started working, and he still hadn’t gotten used to the schedule. His body was growing more and more exhausted.
Even on his one day off each week, he didn’t go anywhere. He simply slept all day.
As his body grew tired, so did his mind. He had begun having more and more gloomy thoughts.
But perhaps getting out today would be good for him too.
With a groan, Jaekyung got up.
He stepped into the tiny bathroom, barely half a pyeong in size, and stripped off his clothes before stepping under the shower. As the water ran over him, he looked at his haggard reflection in the mirror.
For the first week after starting his overnight convenience-store job, he had managed reasonably well. Why was he suddenly finding it so exhausting now…?
Still, it wasn’t as though he hated the job. If he could just keep his mind in the right place, he thought he might even enjoy it more. After his shower, Jaekyung poured a handful of supplements into his mouth, along with his pheromone and heat-cycle suppressants.
“Maybe it’s conditioning.”
Jaekyung gave a bitter smile as he packed his medication into his bag.
“Watch your conduct.”
He had heard those words countless times over the past five years.
The phrase carried a multitude of implications. And even now, after the divorce, it still applied to him. So this was probably why they insisted he maintain the imprint. Even after the divorce, simply because he had once belonged to that family, he was still being monitored and managed.
“Don’t think about it.”
As his mood threatened to sink again, Jaekyung quickly shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts from his mind. He hadn’t seen his mother in so long that he wanted to show her that he was doing well. So he went to a salon to have his hair styled, bought some new clothes, dressed himself properly—something befitting the eldest son of Jaewang Group—and headed to their meeting place.
“Mom.”
—“Jaekyung!”
His mother had been sitting elegantly in a private room, reading a book. The moment she saw him, she sprang to her feet, pulled him into her arms, then cupped his cheeks and examined him from every angle.
—“Let me see. My poor boy… You’ve lost so much weight. Look at those dark circles under your eyes. What am I going to do with you?”
“No, I’m fine. I’m doing well. The dark circles are just because I’ve been staying up late reading.”
Staying up all night reading had been one of Jaekyung’s habits when he was younger. He hadn’t read much lately, but as a teenager, he had gone through more than ten books a week.
His mother nodded, took her son’s hand firmly in hers, and guided him back into his seat. Jaekyung ordered some tea. Even after it arrived, sending curls of hot steam into the air, his mother continued to gaze at his face with concern, gently stroking his hand.
—“Are you really doing okay?”
“Of course. Don’t worry about me.”
—“You’re not thinking of coming back home?”
“I guess I’m enjoying myself because I’m finally free again… I’m having fun, Mom. I want to enjoy being single for a little longer, and then I’ll come home.”
—“All right. If that’s what you’ve decided, then do that.”
She didn’t fully know just how suffocating life had been for Jaekyung with that family, but from the rumors she had heard and the way her son behaved, she had a vague idea. That was why she couldn’t bring herself to tell him what he should or shouldn’t do anymore.
—“Jaekyung.”
“Yes?”
She gently stroked the back of her son’s hand as she asked,
—“Have you… heard from your husband?”
She still didn’t know why the two of them had divorced. All Jaekyung had told her was that he was getting a divorce. But she had never pressed him for an explanation. What happened between a married couple was something only the couple themselves could know, and since Jaekyung and Taeseok hadn’t married for love in the first place, there could have been countless reasons for their separation. Perhaps it was better for Jaekyung if she didn’t ask.
At his mother’s question, Jaekyung gave a faint, almost sheepish smile.
“Of course.”
He had been telling that lie for over five years. What difference would it make to tell it a few more times?
-“Really?”
“Yes. You know how well he always took care of me. He just… said that even though we’re not husband and wife anymore, he still wants us to get along as friends. We’re doing fine.”
-“I see. That’s a relief.”
The truth rose to Jaekyung’s throat, desperate to be let out, but he forced it back down.
If he told his mother everything now—everything about Taeseok and his family, how he had been treated, what his life had really been like—she might be so devastated that she would collapse. She might even blame herself and spend the rest of her days regretting that she hadn’t protected him.
Jaekyung didn’t want to see his mother like that.
This pain, this sadness, this suffocating feeling… he could bear it all himself.
“Don’t worry about me.”
—“All right. You’ll do just fine, Jaekyung.”
****************************
… I thought so too. I thought that if I worked hard enough and did everything right, everything would turn out fine. That’s what I believed…..
—“Does Director Han… take good care of you?”
After they finished breakfast, she handed her son his bag as he was putting on his shoes to leave for work. She asked the question carefully.
Jaekyung hesitated, unsure how to answer, and looked into his mother’s eyes. Her face was filled with worry. If he told her the truth, she would probably burst into tears and beat her chest in anguish. She would blame herself for being unable to do anything for him. She had spoken so confidently about what a kind man he was, so why…
Jaekyung smiled.
“Of course.”
It was the first lie he had ever told simply to reassure his mother.
Back then, he had no idea that he would keep telling that lie for nearly six years.
—“Really? How?”
She seemed relieved, but apparently still couldn’t quite believe him. She wanted to know the details. Jaekyung deliberately straightened his clothes and answered in an unhurried voice.
“I get texts and phone calls, too.”
He had never received a single one.
“Oh, you know how I’ve been going to the gallery lately. For the past four days, he’s come by every day to ask if I’m doing all right and whether I’m managing okay. He even comforts me.”
“That busy man comes by every day?”
“Yes. So I told him he doesn’t have to come anymore.”
—-“Good. That’s how it should be. Oh, Jaekyung… I’m so relieved. See? I told you. Director Han is a good man.”
“I get texts and phone calls, too.”
He had never received a single one.
“Oh, you know how I’ve been going to the gallery lately. For the past four days, he’s come by every day to ask if I’m doing all right and whether I’m managing okay. He even comforts me.”
—“That busy man comes by every day?”
“Yes. So I told him he doesn’t have to come anymore.”
—“Good. That’s how it should be. Oh, Jaekyung… I’m so relieved. See? I told you. Director Han is a good man.”
“Yes. I think he is.”
—“The announcement of your marriage is going out today, so just do as your father said earlier. If people make a fuss, close your ears and pretend you don’t hear anything.”
“Yes.”
Just as he had told her yesterday, today was finally the day their marriage would be announced.
“Then I’ll be off.”
—-“Take care.”
Perhaps because he was nervous, Jaekyung kept fighting back the sour taste rising in his throat. Still, he smiled as he left the house.
The article would go live at 10 a.m. It was only 7 a.m. now.
In the quiet office, Jaekyung began organizing things by himself, trying to gather his thoughts.
Today was Jaekyung’s final day at the company.
His subordinates had no idea why he was resigning. They would probably find out today…
At first, they had kept their distance because they thought Jaekyung was the ultimate example of a nepotistic hire. The only people who approached him were those hungry for power or those with ulterior motives.
Jaekyung had ignored those opportunists and cut them off himself. Instead, he was the one who reached out to the ordinary employees who had never tried to curry favor with him. He led by example, worked hard alongside them, tackled problems together, and shared in their successes.
After a year of that, they had grown so close that the employees would even joke that working for a company run by Jaekyung wasn’t so bad after all.
So when he suddenly announced that he was leaving, they all seemed genuinely shocked.
They had firmly believed that Jaekyung would one day inherit Jaewang Group.
They had asked him countless times why he was quitting, but he couldn’t tell them the truth. His marriage contract contained a clause prohibiting either side from revealing the marriage until the official announcement was made.
All he could do was vaguely tell them that it was for personal reasons.
Then, an hour after everyone arrived at work, the news about Jaekyung’s marriage to Han Taeseok of NI Company broke.
One by one, they stared at Jaekyung in complete shock.