One Day, a Villain Fell into My Wardrobe Side Story 4

 Side Story 04

Set

“Air America flight AA675 to Korea is now boarding. Passengers please…”

Inside the bustling airport, some travelers looked excited about their upcoming trips abroad while others were thrilled to return to their homeland after a long time. Among the crowd, where everyone carried large luggage in both hands, there was one man who had come empty-handed.

“Hey, hey. Look over there. Isn’t that a celebrity?”

The man in an elegant suit finally took out the sunglasses he had kept in his inside pocket due to the constant stares he received whenever he walked. Once his distinctively noticeable odd eyes were covered, the stares decreased somewhat, but his tall stature and aura comparable to a celebrity seemed too much to conceal with just a pair of sunglasses.

He calmly headed toward the boarding gate, appearing unfazed by the stares from those suspecting him to be a celebrity. The line was already long with economy class passengers.

“Damn, he must be a celebrity. He’s going to first class.”

“Who is he? Have you seen him before? I can’t believe I’m seeing a celebrity all the way in America!”

“Ah, I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere… Who is he…”

The man’s flight, AA675 to Korea, was filled with the warm sound of Korean conversations. Just as he was about to board the first class section:

“Ah! It’s that man! Set Gorgon, wasn’t he one of the most influential people in their 30s according to Forbes?”

“Why do you know stuff like that?”

“I don’t go out of my way to follow it. But a face like that is impossible to forget once you’ve seen it.”

Set pretended not to hear the chatter from some Korean travelers. He knew if he made eye contact, they would undoubtedly approach him for conversation.

“And that alpha is quite famous. He married a Korean omega.”

“Oh, really? Even though he’s American?”

“Yeah, I saw their pictures briefly back then. Both of them were incredibly beautiful.”

Set’s ears twitched noticeably. Finally, he turned his head, slightly lifting his sunglasses, and made eye contact with those still gossiping about him. When they widened their eyes upon seeing Set, he raised an eyebrow and briefly nodded in greeting.

If they hadn’t mentioned his and Yeon Ji-ho’s wedding, Set would have pretended not to see them and left. But since they had even seen his wedding photos, Set quietly exchanged eye contact, hiding his inner pride.

The wedding between Yeon Ji-ho and Set that took place a few years ago was tremendously, exceedingly, very grand.

In fact, the two had no such intentions, but the reason their wedding became so large was entirely due to the Gorgon Knights. Since it was the first time all of them were participating in a ‘wedding,’ they invited absolutely everyone they knew.

Thanks to that, their wedding was attended by dozens of brawny men from a mercenary company, a noisy group of high school students in uniforms, and all the employees of Set’s company. Later, it was revealed that the three of them had heard that the more people at a wedding, the greater the meaning of congratulations, and so they had acted accordingly.

“Up until the wedding, it was truly happy…”

Set, seated according to the flight attendant’s guidance, muttered to himself with a deep sigh. Starting from the wedding, Set, who had become a newlywed, was genuinely enviably happy.

At that time, Set’s company had substance but wasn’t large in scale, so he wasn’t too busy. Having taken an extended vacation before and after the wedding and honeymoon schedule, he was able to be with Yeon Ji-ho 24 hours a day for several weeks.

The problem came after all that ended.

“…I guess it started from then.”

Apophis and Set succeeded with every investment they made, and soon Apophis, who found enjoyment in making money, became obsessed with growing the company. Set also initially found Apophis’s dedication admirable and increasingly focused on his own work.

Unlike the Asterra Empire, where the emperor owned everything and nobles exercised power by delegation, the thoroughly capitalist society of America gave Apophis something akin to wings. As a result, Set gradually became too busy to even look up.

Reflecting on the past, Set voiced his grievance for the first time.

“But I was never negligent.”

Set could assert this with absolute certainty, staking everything he had. Perhaps he might have been insufficient, but in his own way, he always tried his best not to neglect his family.

After they obtained American citizenship, which was relatively easier to acquire than Korean citizenship, Set had to continue staying in America. It was unavoidable, even for Isquis to attend a Korean high school safely.

Because of this, Set worked in New York during the day and repeatedly returned to Korea at night through the closet gate that Yeon Ji-ho opened. Far from finding it difficult, he even felt joy in immediately transitioning to childcare duty after work. After all, that peaceful daily life was exactly what Set had hoped for.

“…”

But it seemed those times weren’t just happy ones for Yeon Ji-ho. Set once again mulled over the conversation he had with Yeon Ji-ho this morning.

‘Set, you’re going back to work from today, right?’

‘Yes, Ji-ho. …Why? Should I stay with you instead of going to work?’

‘No, you should go to work. Apophis has been complaining, I hear.’

With Yeon Ji-ho’s kind voice, Set reluctantly moved his feet and went to work. The problem was the phone call from Yeon Ji-ho right after he arrived at work.

‘Set! Can you watch Se-Seho right now?’

Hearing Yeon Ji-ho’s uncharacteristically trembling voice, Set rushed to Korea, forgetting even his surprise. Thanks to Yeon Ji-ho opening the closet to create a gate, it took less than 10 minutes to travel from New York to Korea.

‘Ji-ho! What’s wrong? …Ji-ho?’

The house he rushed to was eerily quiet. Set, unable to hide his anxiety, searched throughout the house, and the sound came from Seho’s room.

‘Waaaaaah…! Waa, wuuu, Mama!’

‘Bael? Bael, why are you alone here…’

‘Papa!’

Seho ran into Set’s arms as soon as he saw him. Seho would cry loudly whenever separated from Yeon Ji-ho, but being a loving child, he often came to his papa, Set, as well.

Set asked the crying Seho what had happened. But all that the three-year-old Seho could say was:

‘Mama, scary, hurt…’

‘…What?’

‘Mama, where? Papa, where’s Mama?’

‘Bael, scary? What do you mean?’

‘Yes, Mama, scary…’

Bael, who couldn’t yet properly form sentences, conveyed his thoughts using only words he knew, spaced apart. Set, who listened quietly to Bael’s words, came up with the one hypothesis that could be inferred from those words.

‘Bael, did Ji-ho… get angry?’

‘Angry. Angry? Mama got angry.’

‘…’

‘Huuuung, where’s Mama!’

Eventually, Bael burst into tears and clung to Set’s arms. Set, barely calming his startled heart, carried Bael out of the house. Outside, Yeon Ji-ho was conversing with pension guests.

‘…Ji-ho. Can we talk…’

‘Set, just a moment. Let me finish this conversation with these people.’

Yeon Ji-ho, whom Set expected to welcome him, was unusually cold today. Set immediately sensed that what Seho had told him was accurate.

Set sat on a bench next to the house, holding Seho, waiting for Yeon Ji-ho’s conversation to end. Eventually, as the people left, Yeon Ji-ho slowly walked toward Set.

‘Set.’

‘Yes, Ji-ho. What’s wrong?’

‘…I’m really sorry, but could you watch Seho just for today?’

‘What? Why?’

Of course, it was possible for Set, as the CEO, to take Seho to work, but such occasions were rare. Not only did Seho particularly like Yeon Ji-ho, but Yeon Ji-ho also thought it was better for the child to be at the pension with many things to play with rather than at the company where there was nothing for him to do.

‘Please don’t ask why.’

Yeon Ji-ho spoke with a decidedly firm face. Set immediately felt disappointed. He couldn’t believe that Yeon Ji-ho, the one he loved, had developed a secret from him.

‘…Why? You usually take good care of him.’

‘Usually? Set, do you perhaps think it’s natural for me to look after Seho all the time?’

‘…That’s not what I meant…’

‘Enough.’

Soon, Yeon Ji-ho coldly turned away. He left Set stranded in front of the reception office and went into the house. Set belatedly followed inside, carrying Seho.

‘Ji-ho. That’s not what I meant. I’m just curious why you’re suddenly acting like this…!’

‘Can’t you just do it without asking anything?’

Sharp words flowed from Yeon Ji-ho’s mouth. Set felt as if those words had pierced his heart like a dagger and gone straight through.

But despite those sharp words, far from being angry at Yeon Ji-ho, he became increasingly desperate. Now, he needed to understand why Yeon Ji-ho was acting this way, what exactly the problem was, before he could even breathe properly for the day.

‘Ji-ho. Let’s talk…’

‘I have nothing more to say, Set.’

At that moment, Yeon Ji-ho abruptly opened the door of the closet. It was an unusually urgent gesture.

‘Please don’t ask me anything.’

It was then that Yeon Ji-ho shoved Set’s shoulder forcefully. Caught off guard, Set couldn’t maintain his balance while still holding Seho, and finally fell into the closet.

‘Ji-ho, Ji-ho…! Ji-ho, wait a moment!’

That was the last thing he said to Yeon Ji-ho. And thus began the day of their first marital quarrel.

Author: Hyacinthus B

Hyacinthus