Chapter 20
The wind and rain were so strong that the windows rattled. Every time thunder struck, Eunsol had to curl up and tremble.
No matter how much he begged, saying he was scared, asking to be saved, pleading to be let out, there was no one to respond.
After that, Eunsol made every effort not to call Yoo Hye-jin “Mom.” His father and brother didn’t scold him for calling them “Dad” or “Brother.”
But Yoo Hye-jin couldn’t stand Eunsol calling her “Mom.” Eunsol was proof that her husband had betrayed her.
Every time they made eye contact, softly wrapped insults were driven into Eunsol’s ears. Sometimes, when Eunsol unknowingly uttered the word “Mom,” he received a punishment befitting that.
She wanted to erase Eunsol from the world if possible. She had covertly assisted in sending Eunsol away to someone much older, as if selling him.
It was unbelievable that such a person was now asking him to call her “Mom.” It felt like a large thorn was lodged in his throat.
He was already at an age where he didn’t need a mother’s attention.
“Eunsol. Hurry up.”
At Yoo Hye-jin’s repeated urging, Eunsol’s lips trembled. The memories of his childhood that came to mind made it difficult for him to speak.
But between hesitation and fear, fear was greater. Eunsol gritted his teeth and opened his trembling lips.
“Uh, Mom…”
“Stop.”
Finally, Kang Ye-ryeong stepped in, unable to bear it any longer. She naturally pushed Eunsol behind her and coldly glared at Yoo Hye-jin.
Kang Ye-ryeong had never been intimidated by anyone. Her grandfather was a gangster who dominated a region.
From her father’s generation, they had gone legitimate. Her grandfather and father doted on their only daughter. Even her older brothers didn’t treat Kang Ye-ryeong lightly, despite her being the youngest.
Behind her back, people called her a gangster’s daughter, but in front of her, they trembled.
After marrying Hyun-oh’s father, it was even more so. Her husband’s status was like wings attached to her back.
Even after the divorce, her position was still solid. Now that Hyun-oh was mentioned as the next chairman, it was more so than ever.
Eunsol didn’t understand everything, but he felt so frustrated that his chest might burst.
But seeing Eunsol being mistreated by someone else in front of him, his last strand of reason snapped.
“Everyone, get out.”
Kang Ye-ryeong took off the mask she had been wearing and kicked out everyone still in the room.
There might be CCTV installed, but it could be erased after the matter was settled.
“Hey.”
“What did you just say…”
Yoo Hye-jin blinked her large eyes. She seemed to be checking if what she had just heard was an auditory hallucination.
The oppressive atmosphere she had been exerting on Eunsol was completely gone, suppressed by Kang Ye-ryeong.
“Already got earwax buildup? Instead of spending all your money on your face, go to the hospital and get your ears cleaned out.”
With each word Kang Ye-ryeong spoke, she poked Yoo Hye-jin’s smooth cheek with her sharp nails.
It was a threatening action that could leave a scratch on her face with just a little force. Yoo Hye-jin’s face turned pale.
It was the first time in her life she had heard such coarse words and experienced violence. By the time Kang Ye-ryeong finished speaking, her hand was heading towards Yoo Hye-jin’s earlobe, where a diamond earring was embedded.
It seemed like Kang Ye-ryeong was about to pull the earring out of her earlobe. Yoo Hye-jin froze, unable to even breathe properly.
Finally, Eunsol’s brother, Lee Joo-young, who had been silent, stepped forward.
“By now, our mother should understand what you’re saying.”
It had been a long time since he had heard his brother’s voice. Eunsol clenched his fist until his palm was marked. The voice with a good resonance was as smooth as silk, unlike Eunsol’s heart, which was in tatters.
“Mother, please sit here.”
With Lee Joo-young’s help, Yoo Hye-jin, who had come to her senses, bit her lips until her lipstick was erased. She had never been so humiliated.
She felt as insulted as she had on the day her husband brought Eunsol home. No matter how much she clenched her fists, her emotions only boiled.
“Calm down.”
The lips that were about to say a word were sealed shut by her son’s gaze. She could treat Eunsol however she wanted, but if she did the same to Kang Ye-ryeong, she would have to face the consequences.
The gaze that reminded her of the cold reality made Yoo Hye-jin suppress her anger, leaving only a wound on her poor lips.
“Eunsol, why did you do that? Your mother was just happy to see you after a long time.”
Lee Joo-young, who had somehow calmed Yoo Hye-jin, turned his head towards Eunsol. Eunsol’s face, which he was seeing after a long time, was more gaunt than the last time he saw him.
Realizing this fact made him feel good. If he had known that Han Hyun-oh would enter that hotel room, the seat Eunsol was in now would have been his.
Since childhood, Eunsol had been too lucky. From being saved by his father, who he should have considered his real father, to the future where he would become the mistress of the TH Group.
Everything was too much for Eunsol.
He didn’t know how much his stomach had ached. But the Eunsol he faced now was so emaciated that he could see his bones.
Even the face that had been somewhat decent was pale and withered.
It was laughable that he had obtained a background that anyone would envy, yet he trembled at a single word from Yoo Hye-jin. It was also laughable that he couldn’t even retort to his words.
As a smile twisted on his face, which resembled Yoo Hye-jin’s innocent face, he spoke.
“Mother and son, huh? Did you forget what I just said to your mother? You said you understood. Maybe you need to get your ears cleaned out too.”
Kang Ye-ryeong brushed her bangs up. Her small face was full of irritation. She didn’t slap her cheek or anything. She just gently stroked it.
She didn’t even curse. Kang Ye-ryeong had only used polite words, but Yoo Hye-jin was so shocked that she trembled.
Just as her frustration was about to subside, her son interfered.
“Perhaps you might have become my mother-in-law. How could I possibly take your words lightly?”
But Lee Joo-young was a stronger opponent than Kang Ye-ryeong had thought. Unlike Yoo Hye-jin, who had lost her composure at just a few words, he even smiled with his eyes narrowed.
“It’s not too late even now. Eunsol’s personality is a bit frustrating. Isn’t it better for someone like you, who can communicate well, to be part of my family?”
It was true that Eunsol’s personality was frustrating. But Kang Ye-ryeong disliked people with black hearts more than those who were frustrating.
“A guy like you wouldn’t have been able to register your marriage. But since he’s going to live with my son, do you think I would have just sat back?”
“No, what’s wrong with our guy…”
Yoo Hye-jin, who had been sitting, suddenly stood up. Her son, Lee Joo-young, who had a high pheromone level like her, was her pride and joy.
When her flawless son was attacked, she was more angry than when Kang Ye-ryeong had threatened her.
“He’s of low caliber, so he can’t even raise a child properly. Unless another child is brought in, your family line will definitely be cut off.”
Yoo Hye-jin trampled on the helpless Eunsol. From the moment the shouting started, Eunsol, who had been trembling anxiously, bowed his head.
“I didn’t know that a prestigious family would accept a low-grade omega. I understand that the former chairman has grown children and not much time left, but isn’t it in Chairman Han’s best interest to see a child as soon as possible?”
The more Yoo Hye-jin spoke, the closer Eunsol’s forehead got to the floor. It was the truth. Omega males had a harder time getting pregnant than beta or omega females.
Moreover, Eunsol had low pheromone levels. Even if he had countless nights with Hyun-oh, it was difficult for him to conceive, but Hyun-oh was now angry and didn’t even come home.
Even the contract they had signed together came to mind, making his head go blank. He realized that he was in a position where he could be discarded at any time.
If he got divorced, Eunsol would have nowhere to go. He couldn’t imagine his father taking him back.
He thought of his father, who would raise his hand to him, asking how he had managed to get divorced.
The thought of putting Kang Ye-ryeong in a difficult situation because of him made him unable to breathe.
“Ugh, uh, ugh…”
“Hey, what’s wrong with you?”
At Yoo Hye-jin’s words, Kang Ye-ryeong, who had completely lost her mind, was about to show her true colors when she heard a sound from behind.
Eunsol was clutching his chest and collapsing to the floor.
Originally pale, he had turned blue and was gasping for breath. It was clearly not a normal sight, so Kang Ye-ryeong hurriedly approached Eunsol.
“Hng, ugh…”
“Can’t you breathe? Where does it hurt?”
She had to have seen someone with these symptoms before to know how to administer first aid. As Kang Ye-ryeong tried to somehow make Eunsol breathe by patting his back, the door opened, and a tall man walked in towards the inside.
After scanning the room, his gaze stopped at Eunsol, who was on the verge of fainting.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
