A shallow wrinkle formed between Munbeom’s brows as he felt anxious about the passing time, even at this moment. Secretary Kang spoke very carefully to him as his expression hardened.
“What if the Executive Director called him directly? Yeonwoo would be very pleased, and it would be much faster to confirm what you mentioned.”
“…”
For a moment, it felt as if he’d been hit on the head with something blunt.
As Secretary Kang suggested, calling directly would save much more time than going through him. Why had he tried to handle such a simple matter in such a complicated way? But just the thought of contacting Yeonwoo directly made him tense.
Munbeom slipped his finger into his tie to loosen it slightly, said “Alright,” and ended the call. After several minutes of hesitation, his fingertips searched through recent call history, found the number, and pressed call.
Though it was nothing special, Munbeom took a deep breath as if nervous, and his expression immediately hardened.
“The number you have dialed is not in service…”
As he listened to the automated message that followed, Munbeom raised his head while clutching his phone.
* * *
At 5 PM on Friday, Yeonwoo was sitting in a private room at a restaurant he had never visited before.
Only a glass of water sat on the spacious table. Though his throat was dry from nervousness, Yeonwoo didn’t take even a sip of the water in front of him. He just sat in the chair, looking blank.
After moving into Jonghoon’s house, Yeonwoo spent an entire day doing nothing, then the next morning followed a bustling Jonghoon to buy new clothes and shoes. Throughout the process of going to a salon, having strange things applied to his face, and getting his hair done, Jonghoon was busy on his own. He would go outside to make calls, then come back next to the stylist and give unsolicited advice, saying things like “that doesn’t seem to suit him.” To anyone watching, he appeared to be trying his best to make his merchandise look more attractive.
Even though he was being completely transformed from head to toe against his will, Yeonwoo remained silent. It wasn’t because of his father who was receiving treatment at the transferred hospital. It was just that when he opened his eyes that morning and saw Jonghoon making a racket in the kitchen, claiming to be making soup, his mind became calm.
Although the new matchmaking meeting was uncomfortable and unpleasant, Yeonwoo obediently followed Jonghoon’s instructions. It was probably because of the bean sprout soup, almost like plain water, that he had eaten that morning. For a very brief moment, Yeonwoo wondered if this was what it would have been like if he had grown up as Jonghoon’s child in a normal way.
He didn’t think it would have been like the families he saw in dramas. Even if they had lived together, someone like Jonghoon would probably have used him for business funds somehow.
After finishing his hair and makeup, the stylist tactfully said something to please Jonghoon. She said his son was very handsome, and asked if she could take just one picture if it was okay. She wanted to include it in promotional materials for salon customers, promising not to use it for any other purpose, and offering a 30% discount in return.
Initially indifferent, Jonghoon seemed to perk up at the mention of a discount. Just as he was about to agree, Yeonwoo cut in and rejected the offer, walking out first. Behind him, complaints poured out about his rudeness and how his temperament needed fixing, but he paid no attention.
He didn’t want his appearance, made up for a matchmaking meeting, to be recorded. Although it might look good to them, Yeonwoo didn’t feel the same.
However, when they arrived, there was nobody there. Thirty minutes passed after Yeonwoo arrived in the room, but no one appeared. When a server came in to check, he felt too embarrassed to lift his lowered head while sitting alone.
Then, a familiar voice was heard not far away. Intermittently, phrases like “You misunderstand,” “You’re saying strange things there,” “No, that’s not it,” were repeated several times, and then Jonghoon entered.
His forced smile froze as soon as he saw Yeonwoo looking back. While on the phone, Jonghoon was cursing Yeonwoo with his eyes. Though Yeonwoo wondered why he was acting that way, he soon found out.
“That’s a misunderstanding on your part. My son is still young. He doesn’t want to get married, so I forced him to come, and that’s why he lied. What experience? He’s completely pure. You liked him when you saw his photo, didn’t you? His skin glows even without anything applied. When we went to the salon today, they offered to do everything for free if they could just take his picture, but I refused. He’ll be called ‘madam’ when he enters your household, so his photos shouldn’t be circulating just anywhere.”
Hearing these continuous lies without even a hint of shame, Yeonwoo stared at Jonghoon. While earnestly continuing the conversation with both hands holding the phone, Jonghoon seemed bothered by this and completely turned his back, repeatedly calling, “Boss, Boss.”
“Boss, you’re getting on in years, so you need a young omega to have a youngest child. Huh? No, sir. I haven’t sent the photo to anyone else… Why are you saying such things? Saying you need to check if he’s new? Please don’t. It’s not like we’ve known each other for a year or two…”
Suddenly, Jonghoon closed his mouth and removed the phone from his ear. Looking at the phone in his hand, he clicked his tongue as if astounded.
“This crazy bastard, trying to negotiate with me.”
After grinding his teeth in frustration, Jonghoon immediately glared at Yeonwoo. His face was filled with resentment, as if saying, “This happened because you said unnecessary things.” Regardless, Jonghoon’s words echoed in Yeonwoo’s ears.
Experience. Completely pure. Madam. Boss’s age. Check if new.
They say humans are creatures of adaptation; words that might have made him nauseous before now seemed to have no effect. It seems he’s now able to let them go in one ear and out the other. Yeonwoo held out his hand to Jonghoon.
“Let me make one call to the hospital.”
“No. How do I know you won’t do something strange?”
“Father is receiving intensive care. I just want to ask if his pheromone levels have gone up.”
“I said no. Until you properly attend this matchmaking meeting today, you won’t make a single call or check your father’s condition, understand?”
“…”
He’s probably acting this way because he thinks Yeonwoo might contact someone suspicious.
Understanding but finding it ridiculous that this person was being so cautious, Yeonwoo lowered his hand and sat up straight.
It seemed pointless to stay here any longer. Suddenly feeling tired, Yeonwoo was about to suggest they leave. But before he could say anything, the door suddenly opened.
Surprised, both Yeonwoo and Jonghoon turned around at the same time. Men with clearly unusual builds came rushing in and instantly surrounded the table. When Jonghoon, startled, tried to stand up, his shoulder was grabbed and he was forced back into his seat. Then, a man who lowered his head in front of Jonghoon spoke bluntly, “Brother.”
“Don’t you remember me? You don’t know who I am?”
“W-who… ah.”
Jonghoon, who had been holding his breath in surprise at the bulky men suddenly surrounding him, now seemed to remember as he looked at the man in front of him. The man, whose appearance couldn’t be described as pleasant by any stretch, smiled until his eyes nearly disappeared and patted Jonghoon’s shoulder. Each time, Jonghoon’s shoulder shook up and down excessively.
“The boss is smart. You recognized me right away. Then I’m sure you haven’t forgotten the money you borrowed from me. Right?”
“Y-yes, of course I remember. But I told you not to come looking for me like this…”
As soon as he courageously spoke up, the other man’s upturned lip corners immediately dropped. Without saying anything, he just stared, causing a frightened Jonghoon to quickly bow his head. The man’s head then moved to the side. Looking at Yeonwoo, who had been quiet all along, he exclaimed in admiration.
“He’s really pretty. I’ve seen quite a few dominant omegas, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen a face like this. And he’s young too… Good. I like it.”
Moving away from Jonghoon, the man leaned over the table and stared at Yeonwoo. His actions, gaze, and expressions were all excessive. When Yeonwoo’s expression hardened at the discomfort, the man shook his head saying, “Oh no,” and smiled.
“As an omega, you should act affectionately like one. Why are you trying to act dominant? Tsk, you’ll get punished by oppa for that. Well, I don’t particularly like it when they whine and act scared either, right?”
“…”
“But does our baby know who I am?”
The man knocked on the table and grinned.
“Baby, do you know what your father did to you?”
“…”
How could he not know? Jonghoon had borrowed a private loan under his name, and these people appeared to be the lenders.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
