Chapter 113
*
Today was the day of an advertisement shooting. Not wanting to make mistakes like before, whenever Cheong-yeon had an advertising schedule, he obsessively clung to the printed materials detailing the product and concept, memorizing them like a script.
“Oppa, I think we’ll have to wait a bit longer.”
Min Hye-rin approached Cheong-yeon, who was sitting in a waiting room chair after completing makeup and hair styling.
“How much longer?”
“I’m not sure. They said the stickers on the background set in the back came off. They’re trying to stick them back on first, and if that doesn’t work, they’ll bring new ones. Should be resolved within thirty minutes, I think?”
Even while answering the question, Hye-rin’s body never rested as she busily checked whether there were any fuzz or wrinkles on the outfit Cheong-yeon would wear today.
Cheong-yeon looked at her with concerned eyes.
“By the way, you haven’t eaten lunch yet, right?”
“I can eat later!”
“Earlier, the manager and hair stylist brought lunch boxes. Go eat now.”
“When will you eat, Oppa?”
“Since my stomach is bloated, I’m planning to eat after the shoot is over. At least you should eat first, Hye-rin. We don’t even know what time we’ll finish.”
As Cheong-yeon persuaded her, Hye-rin’s closed lips stretched horizontally. It was her habit whenever she had a dilemma.
“Hmm. Then I’ll eat quickly and come back. Please call me right away if you need anything.”
“Okay. Enjoy your meal.”
Shortly after checking all the clothes, Hye-rin left the waiting room with light steps, and Cheong-yeon resumed reading the shooting script.
However, before he could finish reading one page, his concentration was broken. A call was coming in from an unknown number.
“Who could it be?”
Thinking it might be spam, he considered hanging up, but for some reason, the last digits of the number on the screen seemed familiar.
Given that Grandmother, who had recently returned from the United States, had also contacted him with a new number, this could also be a call from someone he knew.
After hesitating, Cheong-yeon answered the phone.
“Hello?”
—Cheong-yeon. It’s been a while?
“Excuse me? …I’m sorry, but who is this?”
A strangely familiar voice that he seemed to have heard somewhere flowed in through his ear.
—You divorced Do-heon and already forgot my voice? That’s a bit disappointing.
“Ah.”
Moon Hee-jin.
The owner of the voice suddenly came to mind at her characteristic sarcastic tone. Do-heon’s cousin and the CEO of Hwamyeong Department Store.
Cheong-yeon’s hand, which was about to turn the script page, paused.
—So, do you remember now?
“What business do you have calling me?”
Cheong-yeon asked back in a sharp voice. He tensed his throat to prevent his voice from trembling without realizing it, but it was difficult to gauge how it actually sounded.
As soon as he realized the caller was Moon Hee-jin, her contemptuous gaze and tone from before, as well as the sight of her in the hospital room, quickly flashed through his mind.
‘Oh, I didn’t know. Do-heon, are you okay? To hear that Cheong-yeon is infertile, it’s frightening.’
‘Why did you marry a mediocre Recessive Omega without a proper family background? Especially one who failed as a singer or whatever…’
These traumatic memories instantly disturbed Cheong-yeon’s peace.
The memory of Moon Hee-jin’s eyes lighting up with cruel curiosity and interest upon hearing about his infertility was still vivid.
Though he wanted to pretend he was fine, just hearing Hee-jin’s voice made his heart pound so hard it felt like it would burst, making it difficult even to breathe properly.
—You ask why I contacted you? Are you really asking because you don’t know? I didn’t think so, but you’re more brazen than I expected.
“So what exactly are you…”
—Cheong-yeon. Our family gathering isn’t a class reunion. How could you think of coming after getting divorced?
Ah. So that was the reason.
Understanding why Moon Hee-jin had called, Cheong-yeon tried to choose an appropriate response. The atmosphere demanded some kind of excuse, but his lips wouldn’t readily part.
—Are you really coming?
“…”
Following that, the sound of her clicking her tongue was heard. Even though she wasn’t actually beside him, Cheong-yeon habitually hunched his shoulders.
—You have no shame. Why are you still clinging to Do-heon even after the divorce?
“That’s.”
His mind was in chaos. Even if he had known from the start that the caller was her, she would have been a difficult person to deal with, but the unexpected contact added to his embarrassment.
Cheong-yeon had always feared Do-heon’s family members. Their attitude of distrust, the implicit blame as if he had ruined Do-heon’s life, and their contemptuous glances.
Cheong-yeon was always anxious, captivated by the thought that their words might one day become reality. And he was afraid that this would eventually make Do-heon hate him.
He had tried not to be swayed by situations that made him feel like he didn’t belong and treated him like a fool. But in their eyes, he was just a stubborn Recessive Omega who persisted by flailing his limbs.
—Hello? Why aren’t you answering?
“…”
Cheong-yeon quietly stared at the script in his hand.
The heavy emotions that had been pooled for a long time still shook Cheong-yeon, but he was not the same person as before.
He was no longer an insignificant spouse who was a flaw to Do-heon, nor was he a clueless Recessive Omega who had entered the JT Group family without knowing his place.
He had been divorced from Do-heon for a long time and was no longer afraid of receiving his hatred. It didn’t matter anymore if Do-heon detested him.
So his family members meant even less to him.
Cheong-yeon repeated this fact like a mantra.
“That’s my personal business, so you don’t need to concern yourself with it.”
Cheong-yeon retorted in the calmest voice possible. Even to his own ears, it sounded quite convincing, without a trace of nervousness.
—What? ‘You’? Did you just call me ‘you’? I’m so shocked…
“Then what should I call you? We’re not even on terms to use formal titles at this point.”
Before Moon Hee-jin could respond, Cheong-yeon quickly added.
“And I said I’d attend the dinner because Grandmother invited me. If you don’t like it, talk to Grandmother. Don’t question me about it.”
—Hahaha. Look at how this one talks. Hey, Cheong-yeon. Has becoming somewhat known as an actor thanks to Do-heon’s support made you lose sight of everything?
At those words, Cheong-yeon’s brow automatically furrowed.
So Moon Hee-jin knew too. That Do-heon was sponsoring him.
—I never knew Do-heon was such a compassionate kid. No matter how pitiful an ex-husband is, being a Recessive Omega in poor circumstances, I didn’t expect him to help so devotedly.
“What does that have to do with the dinner gathering? If you dislike me attending so much, please tell Grandmother, as I said.”
—How shameless. He probably hasn’t experienced how clingy your type can be, so he can’t assess the situation. I guess he’s tempted by the leftovers he missed. You weren’t such a fool that you couldn’t distinguish when to insert yourself and when not to.
“…”
Moon Hee-jin’s words weren’t entirely wrong. Just like his uncle and Hyung, he too was nothing more than an infinitely shameless person. After all, he had grabbed the line Do-heon threw when he was in a muddy situation and had come this far.
But he didn’t want to hear those words from Moon Hee-jin.
—Let’s just end this cleanly. You know this isn’t a place you should dare to show up. Even without you stirring things up, our family is already overwhelmed with just Do-heon, whose origins we don’t even know properly.
The naturally dismissive comment about Do-heon instantly caused anger to rise up through Cheong-yeon’s throat.
Knowing how much most of his family members, including Moon Hee-jin, secretly despised Do-heon made him even angrier.
“Whether it’s a place for me or not will be decided by Grandmother and Do-heon. I received an invitation, so is there any reason I should refuse from my side?”
—Oh my… Did you just sound like Moon Do-heon? I guess being a couple, his disagreeable speech pattern has rubbed off on you.
“Anyway, I’ll consider this call as if I never received it. I’ll see you at the dinner soon.”
Cheong-yeon greeted her nonchalantly.
In truth, he should have said he wouldn’t go, and he originally had no intention of attending the family gathering, but Moon Hee-jin’s approach made him change his mind.
If he agreed here and then really didn’t go, it would seem like he was running away because he was scared of Moon Hee-jin.
—You’re still going to come after all I’ve said? Do you even know what kind of gathering this is?
“Of course. I know very well. That’s why I definitely want to go.”
…What kind of gathering is it? Wasn’t it just a dinner?
Although he had pretended to know everything just because he didn’t want to lose the psychological battle, a flood of question marks popped up in his head at Moon Hee-jin’s words, which were more enigmatic than usual.
At that moment, he heard Moon Hee-jin snort.
—You never know what’s inside a person until you see it. With what nerve? I’m someone who learned not to judge people based on academic background, origin, or traits.
And yet you treated me like that despite having learned that?
Cheong-yeon distorted his lips as if he found it absurd.
—But you’re proving to me that the prejudices spread throughout the world are true. You’re so thick-skinned. Do you think the popularity you gained by begging Do-heon is really yours? After divorcing, are you suddenly regretting what you’ve lost and trying to extract more?
Listening to her consistently pretending to care for Do-heon was utterly disgusting. If anything, she had ulterior motives and wasn’t really concerned about him.
“What if I do regret it and want to extract more? Is that not allowed?”
Though he knew he should stop here, his twisted emotions made entirely different words jump out of his mouth.
“Come to think of it, I deeply regret divorcing without taking a penny. So, although it’s a bit late, I’m thinking of ruthlessly taking everything I can get now.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
