"Stay here for now."
Ian's mother's friend, Lee Yena, opened the front door for them. Through the doorway, Ian could see the neat, well-kept interior of a studio apartment.
"This was the only place I had available on such short notice."
When Yena apologized, Ian's mother shook her head. Ian bowed and thanked her again.
"I thought about putting you up in a hotel, but there are some complications... Ian, could I have a word?"
Yena trailed off and gave him a look, indicating that she wanted to speak to him privately. She led him into the hallway and let out a long sigh.
"I think you need to know what's going on."
She frowned before continuing.
"A hotel would be more comfortable for your mother, but my hands were tied. If anyone finds out I'm helping you, they'll start putting pressure on us, too."
She explained that the apartment wasn't registered in her name. It belonged to her husband's younger brother.
"Have you done something to get on the wrong side of Sanha Group? They've sent official notices to just about everyone with any influence in business or politics. They say Sanha Group intends to cut ties with anyone doing business with Haemyeong Industries while it's caught up in this scandal. But when I looked into it, I found out that people acting on the vice chairman's orders had gone so far as to warn some of your acquaintances directly."
At the mention of Sanha Group's vice chairman—Kang Yunhui—Ian quietly caught his breath.
Now he understood why his former classmates had been avoiding even his calls. Yunhui had been working behind the scenes.
And I still thought of him as my friend...
Was there no longer any room for friendship between them because of Yunhui's arranged marriage to Yudam? Or was it because Ian hadn't given him a definite answer about breaking up with Yudam?
His feelings were a tangled mess. Betrayal and disappointment mingled with a bitterness he couldn't explain, leaving him unable to speak.
"I know you're the one having the hardest time right now. But please, take good care of your mother. You know as well as I do what could happen if she collapses again."
Yena couldn't afford to disregard Sanha Group's influence, either, but she and Ian's mother had been friends for forty years. That was why she was finding ways to help them, even if she had to do it indirectly.
"Thank you for telling me."
Ian bowed to her. Yena watched him silently for a moment, then heaved another sigh and patted his shoulder. Saying she had something to attend to, she took her leave.
The apartment was actually quite spacious. It had a separate bedroom, and all the furniture and appliances were included.
"You take the bedroom, Mom."
After checking that there was a bed, Ian carried his mother's belongings inside.
"What about you?"
His mother's expression grew troubled when she saw that there was only one bed.
"I'll sleep in the living room. There's a sofa."
"How can you sleep on a sofa?"
Her face crumpled as though she were about to cry. She had grown up in comfort herself, and the thought of her only son having to endure hardship clearly upset her.
"What's wrong with a sofa? Besides, this one looks pretty nice. It's really sturdy."
He deliberately sat down and bounced up and down on it. Apparently, the sight amused his mother, because a faint smile appeared on her face.
Seeing her smile, even a little, helped put him at ease.
"Ah, I'm starving."
It was already past dinnertime, but he wasn't particularly hungry.
He could go without eating, but his mother needed to take her medication, which meant she had to eat properly.
"What would you like?"
He opened a food delivery app as he asked.
"We could cook something..."
"Next time. We don't have anything to cook with today."
Alarmed by the suggestion, Ian managed a smile and used the lack of ingredients as an excuse. Fortunately, his mother didn't insist.
As they browsed the delivery app and discussed what to order, Ian noticed her occasionally raising a hand to press against her chest.
Does it hurt?
The question rose to the tip of his tongue, but he barely managed to swallow it. He understood why she was refusing to go back to the hospital.
He needed to find a job first.
Once he had a stable income, his mother would surely agree to resume treatment.
But was there anywhere Sanha Group's influence couldn't reach?
Now that he knew Yunhui was openly pressuring the people around him to prevent them from offering him any help, the situation seemed even more hopeless.
As if dealing with my relatives at Haemyeong Industries wasn't already enough...
While he was lost in thought, his phone rang.
The delivery app disappeared, replaced by an incoming call from Yudam's number.
A thousand thoughts raced through his mind.
But he couldn't bring himself to ignore Yudam's call. He drew a long breath and answered.
"Hel—"
[It's me.]
Instead of Yudam's voice, he heard a woman's cold tone.
It took him only a moment to recognize Yudam's mother.
"Hello."
His voice stiffened involuntarily.
She couldn't possibly be calling with good news. Was she going to tell him directly to stay away from Yudam?
Ian swallowed, wondering how he should respond, when he heard an irritated sigh.
[Come to the hospital.]
"The hospital...?"
His gaze naturally shifted toward his mother.
She had already been discharged, so he couldn't understand why Yudam's mother wanted him to come to the hospital.
[Yudam's been admitted.]
"What?"
Why had Yudam suddenly been hospitalized?
He'd seemed perfectly healthy the last time Ian saw him, only a short while ago.
[He cut his wrist.]
Her voice was so cold that Ian's mind went blank.
*
Ian stood motionless outside the hospital room bearing Yudam's name.
He had lost count of how many times he'd raised his hand to knock, only to lower it again.
The two burly bodyguards stationed outside the door kept glancing at him, but neither told him to hurry inside or ordered him to leave.
What was he supposed to say when he went in and saw Yudam?
He felt as though everything was his fault.
He hadn't been able to run away with Yudam, yet he hadn't been able to let him go completely, as Yunhui had demanded.
It seemed his indecision had led to the worst possible outcome.
Barely ten days had passed since his father's death.
He had been pretending to be fine because he didn't want to worry his mother, but he hadn't even begun to sort through his own emotions.
And now, before he had a chance to come to terms with anything, every part of his life was spiraling out of control.
Click.
At the sound of the door opening, he instinctively took a step back and raised his head.
Yudam's mother emerged from the room and regarded him with a frown.
"Why are you standing out here?"
Her voice was sharp.
"Don't tell me you thought I wouldn't let you in. I was the one who called you here. Why would I go to the trouble of inviting you and then refuse to let you see him?"
Every word was edged with hostility.
Ian kept his mouth shut and listened. No matter what he said, Yudam's mother would find something wrong with it.
Perhaps realizing how ridiculous it was to be getting angry at someone who wasn't even responding, she let out a short breath and stepped aside.
Then she gestured for him to enter.
Yudam was alone in the room.
He was sitting up in bed with the backrest raised. When he saw Ian, his face brightened.
Seeing him look so cheerful, despite what he'd done to his wrist, Ian felt the strength drain out of him.
"Why did you do that?"
At Ian's reproach, Yudam gave him a sheepish smile and held up his wrist.
"It was the only way I could get out of that house. I made enough of a fuss about dying that they even called you here."
Yudam was far more cheerful than Ian had expected.
But Ian felt anything but reassured as he looked at his wrist.
A large dressing covered the slender limb. There was no visible blood, probably because the wound had already been stitched up, but the sight of a dressing large enough to wrap around his entire wrist made Ian's stomach twist.
"Even so, you shouldn't have done something like this."
When Ian's expression showed no sign of softening, the smile finally disappeared from Yudam's face.
"Then what am I supposed to do? They're telling me to get engaged next week."
He puffed out his cheeks and complained, drawing a weary sigh from Ian.
"There's nothing I can do right now."
Ian answered honestly.
He was already struggling to deal with his mother's situation and everything else that had happened to him. Now, with Yudam having cut his wrist on top of it all, he felt as though his heart couldn't take much more.
"I know. I'm not asking you to do anything about it."
"Yudam."
"But what am I supposed to do when I hate the idea so much? Marry Kang Yunhui? How does that make any sense? They say it's just an engagement for now, but once we're engaged, the whole world will know about it. And then what? Am I supposed to let myself get swept along until I end up marrying him?"
"..."
"You know he doesn't like me. Does that bastard even think of us as friends? I'm already furious that he'd do this when he knows perfectly well what's going on between us. But do you know what he said when I asked him why he wanted to marry me? He said, 'What other reason do I need besides the fact that you're an omega from the Han family?'"
Yudam poured out his grievances as though he'd been holding them in for far too long.
Ian listened without saying a word.
Yunhui had said something similar to him.
Even then, Ian had found it difficult to believe.
Of all people, Yunhui was the one who regarded Yudam as nothing more than a tool for producing an heir.
It was hard to believe.