Chapter 28
“My brother really likes Athlete Seo Igeon.”
“It’s true. I’ve heard his name since we were kids. My brother and I watched all of Igeon’s matches.”
“That’s right. He would always show us Athlete Igeon’s form and his signature kicks as demonstrations, saying ‘Isn’t he amazing? Isn’t he a remarkable person?'”
“He always wanted to meet him. He said he would have no regrets if he could compete against him just once, but somehow they always missed each other. My brother was so disappointed each time.”
“Comforting him was quite a task.”
The twins nodded as they recalled the past. Somehow, after hearing this, Igeon felt sorry, and he also understood why the twins had been embarrassed.
“I’ll talk to your brother about it. Tell him to stop bothering you two because of me.”
“No, no. It’s also a moment my brother really enjoys… Aren’t you and Athlete Igeon almost always together these days?”
“Well… that’s true.”
What do you mean ‘almost’? We seem to be together 24 hours a day.
“So he’s been better lately. He’s also spending time away from us.”
“Ah, but what if my brother decides to move back home because of today’s incident?”
Jaewoo spoke as if he’d just remembered something, and Igeon was surprised. Han Taekyung might move back home? Of course, it would be impossible as a first-year student, but if Taekyung’s family were to put pressure on him, it didn’t seem entirely impossible. After all, how could anyone win against the NI Group?
“Well… that could happen, but I don’t think he would.”
“Can I ask why he was injured?”
Igeon cautiously asked the twins. Jaewoo shook his head.
“My brother wouldn’t want us to tell Athlete Igeon.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because he wouldn’t want to worry you.”
“Is it… a serious matter?”
“It could be. Or maybe not. But knowing Athlete Seo Igeon as I do, you would definitely worry.”
With Han Jaewoo’s smile, Igeon couldn’t ask further. It seemed like an issue he would have to wait for Han Taekyung to explain himself, so he gave up and chatted with the two about how Taekyung was doing at school while waiting for Taekyung to return. Somehow, the conversation outside seemed to be taking a long time.
â—†
Jaekyung and Taeseok, who had come outside with Taekyung, were worried about their son, whose face had turned pale.
“Taekyung. It’s okay.”
“Yes, it’s okay, son.”
The two tried to comfort their son, who had received a great shock, by caressing his cheeks and stroking his hands, but the shock didn’t seem to fade easily.
“It’s because of me.”
“Taekyung. It’s not because of you.”
“No, Father. This is because of me. Jaewoo was almost kidnapped.”
Taekyung spoke with trembling lips, as if in agony. The phone call that came to Han Taekyung… it was from someone assigned to protect Jaewoo.
‘Master Han Jaewoo was almost kidnapped.’
Surely the family knew this fact but would not have wanted to tell Taekyung. That’s why they had assigned someone for emergencies, and that’s how he received the news. Seeing that his fathers weren’t so surprised by his visit and had prepared people to receive him, it was clear that they knew he had assigned someone to protect Jaewoo.
The reason Jaewoo was targeted for kidnapping wasn’t because he was the second son of NI. It wasn’t for money, nor was it due to a grudge. The reason was only one: ‘Han Taekyung.’
Since childhood, apart from his poor health, Han Taekyung had nearly been kidnapped several times starting from his upper elementary school years. Or more precisely, after he manifested as a dominant alpha and became a government special subject due to the results of the manifestation test set by the government, many people began to target Han Taekyung. Until then, Han Taeseok and Park Jaekyung had been reluctant to expose Han Taekyung to the outside world. They occasionally posted photos when he was very young, but as the child grew, they deliberately avoided showing his face. It was a precaution, and the reason was simple: being the only heir to NI, they feared for his safety. However, what actually endangered the child was for a different reason, one that was enough to trouble Han Taeseok and Park Jaekyung. The two were shocked. The fact that their child would have to suffer for their entire life because of their mistake… and they despaired that it could never be undone.
When Han Taekyung was born, he was virtually born dying. Han Taeseok went to Germany to save his son, and there, he transplanted his alpha pheromone gland, giving his alpha nature to the child. The only reason was the hope that the child would inherit the dominant alpha’s recovery ability and strong physique and survive. After several surgeries and a long treatment period, thankfully, Taekyung survived and was able to see the light of the world. Han Taeseok could never forget the sight of the child who had been lying motionless like a doll with closed eyes in an incubator for a year, finally opening his eyes, moving his hands and feet, and smiling brightly at him. And Park Jaekyung could never forget the moment when the child, whom he thought was dead, safely nestled in his arms, smiling and calling him daddy. They had hoped for a lifetime of happiness. But Han Taekyung’s health deteriorated rapidly again.
The cause could be simply identified. The alpha nature of Han Taeseok that had been transplanted conflicted with the alpha nature that Han Taekyung should have originally possessed. As a result, the child had to endure a lot of pain. They wanted to perform a risky surgery to remove the transplanted alpha nature, but it had already integrated with the child, potentially endangering his life, so they couldn’t do that either. The child gradually withered from pain and suffering. He had just started to get healthier and smile, but even that was fading away like a dream.
‘Daddy. I’m so scared. I feel like I’m going to become a monster. I don’t want to be a monster.’
The child cried every day saying this. Jaekyung hugged the child and cried.
‘You will never become a monster. How can you become a monster when you’re so beautiful and kind? So don’t say such things. Daddy will protect you. I will definitely protect you. No one can take our Taekyung away. No one can hurt you. So please, baby. Stay by Daddy’s side. Please…’
His daddies struggled. Every day, Han Taeseok drank alcohol, came to the sleeping Taekyung, hugged him, and whispered apologies while crying.
‘If only I could save you, I would die. Taekyung. God, please save our Taekyung and take me instead. I am the sinner.’
Seeing his suffering fathers, Taekyung tried to pretend he was okay. He tried to pretend he was fine, but the pain grew, and the monster inside him grew as well. He hoped his fathers would fight with him, but thinking it would cause them more pain, he thought he had to overcome this alone. And when he began that battle alone, he met Seo Igeon.
After that day, believing in Seo Igeon’s promise to fight alongside him, he tried to become stronger. He made a lot of effort to kill the monster and had to fight a lot to stand on his own. As he grew up, even knowing that Seo Igeon couldn’t fight with him, he tried to defeat his illness by clinging to that one promise as if it were his lifeline, but he couldn’t win. Eventually, the doctor told Taekyung:
‘Don’t try to defeat it. Think of it as a companion you must carry with you for life. Taekyung. Accept and embrace it. Don’t push it away. If you do, you’ll suffer more.’
That seemed right. What would happen if he accepted this monster? If it completely assimilated and became one with him, would he feel a bit more comfortable? Could he live a normal life? With only that hope, from around the age of 10, Taekyung tried to accept both his own alpha nature and the external alpha nature simultaneously. It required a lot of mental and physical strength. And no one could help him in this battle. Whenever he struggled alone in agony, he watched videos of Seo Igeon. Watching Seo Igeon grow stronger, he thought he should become stronger too. Because only then could they fight together. Even knowing there was no possibility, he endured, clinging to that small chance.
And when he was in fifth grade, he completely merged the two alpha natures. Thanks to this, his body stabilized, and all pain and suffering completely disappeared. He thought it was the end. He thought everything would be okay now, that his fathers and siblings wouldn’t have to suffer looking at him anymore.
But that was a vain hope. Because there was a side effect.
‘Student Han Taekyung has stronger pheromones than other dominant alphas. And there’s also a slightly unusual mutated gene. We don’t know how this gene will affect Student Han Taekyung and his children in the future.’
Mutant alpha. It was the modifier attached to him, the only one in the world. The government tried to hide this fact by calling Taekyung a dominant alpha, but high-ranking government officials already knew. That Han Taekyung was a mutant. Though he was an utterly ordinary human, his alpha nature was so unique and superior that it was unknown what influence it would have on the future. And from then on, Han Taekyung was placed under special management. Globally. The only successful alpha nature transplant recipient—a dominant alpha at that—and an alpha who had become a mutant as a result.
Of course, upon hearing this news, his fathers once again blamed themselves and suffered. For the sake of those two, there was only one thing Taekyung could say.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
