Chapter 32
It was a good thing that the heat cycle ended in just one day thanks to Do-heon, but that one comment caused my light mood to plummet straight to the bottom.
Cheong-yeon realized that the sense of intimacy and passionate emotions he had felt while having sex with him just the day before were all an illusion. This was who Moon Do-heon truly was.
From the beginning, from the day Do-heon had demanded a divorce, he had thought of Cheong-yeon as acting like a child. Or perhaps after getting divorced, he found it wasn’t so easy to find another Omega who was as obedient and lived as quietly and unobtrusively as Cheong-yeon.
“Who decides whether it’s childish behavior or not?”
“Look at yourself. What if another Alpha had found you yesterday instead of me?”
“I would have slept with that Alpha.”
Do-heon’s gaze fell on the kiss mark on Cheong-yeon’s neck.
“And you’d be fine with that?”
He asked with a voice showing no emotion whatsoever.
“Is there a reason why it’s okay with you but not with another Alpha?”
“Am I the same as some other guy?”
“What’s the difference?”
“…”
“Why do you want to live with me again if I’m so unsatisfactory to you?”
*An infertile, half-baked Omega at that.*
He swallowed the latter words.
Thinking back, although he believed he’d gotten much better, his heart still ached when he recalled the day he first received the infertility diagnosis at the hospital. That sense of despair had never fully washed away.
“I still find you unsatisfactory.”
Do-heon tilted his chin up and spoke arrogantly, as if looking at a defective product.
“At the same time, I worry about you. Is that wrong?”
“…”
*Is it normal to want to remarry because you’re worried?*
Cheong-yeon found it difficult to understand Do-heon’s thought process. Not just now, but throughout their entire marriage. That was why he didn’t want to return to this house.
He had felt that something was different about Do-heon recently, but no—Do-heon was still the same, and it had all been Cheong-yeon’s imagination.
“I don’t want to.”
“Tell me. What is it that you dislike so much? Living with me couldn’t have been a loss for you at least.”
Do-heon completely failed to understand Cheong-yeon’s situation. He calculated only in terms of material gain, without any consideration for the emotional pressure and loneliness Cheong-yeon had felt while living in this house.
Cheong-yeon swallowed a sigh. Listing everything from start to finish would only waste his breath.
But Do-heon stared directly at Cheong-yeon, as if determined to hear an answer. He seemed prepared to wait however many minutes it took.
“I dislike your indifferent personality… and the way you disregard me.”
“When have I ever disregarded you?”
“You’re doing it right now. You think I’m living in a decaying house with decaying furniture, wearing clothes that need mending, and acting childishly.”
As he spoke, his emotions intensified. Looking back, every word and action Do-heon had directed at him was truly irritating. Like he was dealing with a runaway child.
“You probably thought my jeans were decaying too. For your information, that’s the design—they’re not actually torn.”
“I never said your pants were decaying.”
“You talk nonsense without even knowing what fashion is.”
Feeling increasingly suffocated, Cheong-yeon laughed hollowly.
“Wow, I just realized you haven’t changed at all.”
Though, how could he have changed when it hadn’t been that long since the divorce?
Why was Do-heon asking him to return to this suffocating house when he still thought of Cheong-yeon as immature and inexperienced? Especially now that Cheong-yeon couldn’t even bear children. The question kept coming back to the same point.
The first reason that came to mind was Do-heon’s sense of guilt toward Cheong-yeon’s uncle. His uncle had been Do-heon’s bodyguard and lost his life in a traffic accident in America, and because of that, Do-heon felt a tremendous responsibility toward Cheong-yeon.
Additionally, Cheong-yeon had spent three years adjusting his entire life to accommodate Do-heon, which must have been convenient.
“Should I have changed?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
He wouldn’t change even if asked to anyway.
Besides, someone as busy as Do-heon would find it difficult to invest time in meeting someone new. From clothing preferences to speech patterns, lifestyle habits, hobbies, and schedules—Cheong-yeon had completely submitted himself to Do-heon’s ways. Do-heon probably found it a pity to lose someone like that.
*The more I think about it, the more pathetic it seems.* For three years, he had desperately tried to like Do-heon and to be liked by him, but he hadn’t gained even a speck of Do-heon’s heart. Perhaps he should take comfort in being evaluated as a reasonably useful zealous Omega?
The longer these thoughts continued, the more bitter his feelings became. Cheong-yeon ate a few spoonfuls of rice before abruptly standing up and heading for the wine rack.
He could feel Do-heon’s gaze on his back, but Cheong-yeon didn’t care. He took out the most expensive-looking bottle and a glass, and brought them back to the dining room.
“Wine at this hour?”
“Yes.”
Do-heon narrowed his eyes, clearly displeased with Cheong-yeon’s behavior.
Cheong-yeon calmly used the opener to remove the cork. Then, right in front of Do-heon, he pointedly filled the glass to the brim with the red wine.
“Eat first, then drink.”
“No, I want to drink now.”
“It’ll upset your stomach.”
“It’s my stomach, isn’t it?”
“Yoo Cheong-yeon.”
Cheong-yeon hastily gulped down several mouthfuls of wine. The deeply aged wine with its complex aroma traveled down his throat, finally calming his bubbling emotions somewhat.
“Director, why do you think I would still listen to someone who always disrespects me?”
Cheong-yeon deliberately used the title “Director” multiple times, knowing full well that Do-heon disliked it.
Do-heon’s gaze remained fixed on Cheong-yeon. With his sharp eyes as an accompaniment, Cheong-yeon emptied the nearly overflowing glass of wine while sitting.
“Ahh. That’s it.”
After drinking only cheap beer for so long, having the familiar house wine again coated his tongue pleasantly. Money really does make things better.
As Cheong-yeon prepared to pour more wine, Do-heon pushed the glass away.
“If you dislike being disrespected, then behave properly so you won’t be disrespected.”
“No. We’re not in any kind of relationship anymore, so I’m going to act however I want. Why should I listen to a stranger?”
Cheong-yeon defiantly pulled the glass back in front of him and filled it with wine.
“This is ridiculous.”
“Then kick me out of the house.”
Cheong-yeon provoked him, knowing full well that given Do-heon’s personality, there was no way he would do that.
Even if Cheong-yeon pretended to be crazy and made a scene, Do-heon wasn’t the type to send him away alone when his heat cycle hadn’t completely ended. After living together for three years, Cheong-yeon could predict that much.
“That’s nonsense.”
As expected, his response was predictable. Cheong-yeon snickered at his indignant tone.
In the past, he’d been so focused on reading the mood that he thought he didn’t know much about Do-heon. But now it seemed that wasn’t entirely true.
“Just say if you don’t want to see me like this. I’ll drink just this much and leave.”
“You’re not leaving this house until your heat cycle is completely over and you’re sober. Remember that.”
Do-heon warned him with a tone that brooked no argument.
“…But Director, aren’t you busy?”
After quietly listening to the stream of scolding, Cheong-yeon took another sip of wine, rested his chin on the table, and stared intently at Do-heon.
“No. As you recall, I normally leave on Sundays too. I remember being so busy I couldn’t even watch a movie with you… But today you seem to have nothing to do, seeing as you’re still at home at this hour. Just curious.”
“I’m working from home.”
Do-heon answered while glaring at the wine glass that hadn’t left Cheong-yeon’s hand.
“Working from homeee…?”
According to Secretary Shim, Do-heon was someone who barely slept, so it was already surprising that he worked on Sundays. But learning that working from home had been an option all along shocked Cheong-yeon even more.
Honestly, it was absurd. If he could work from home, why hadn’t he ever watched a movie with Cheong-yeon?
If he could take vacations and work remotely, why had he pretended to be so busy during their entire three years together?
“Wow, the world has really improved. The Director of JT Electronics even works from home now…”
Feeling a surge of emotion, Cheong-yeon refilled his empty glass to the brim with wine.
“Put away the wine and glass now.”
Unable to tolerate it any longer, Do-heon told an employee to clear the table. Cheong-yeon tightly gripped the wine bottle with both hands and pulled it toward himself.
“I’m still drinking, why would you take it?”
The buzz was just starting to feel good.
Do-heon truly didn’t seem to be planning to go to the company, as he remained seated at the table long after he would have normally left. In the past, without such a drawn-out exchange, he would have gone to his study or left for work long ago.
A short while later, an employee entered the dining room to clear away the wine as Do-heon had instructed. Fearing the alcohol would be taken away, Cheong-yeon tightly clutched both the bottle and glass in his hands.
“Are you that bothered by me having a drink? I’m already in a bad mood and my waist hurts terribly, so I just want to numb the pain with this.”
When Cheong-yeon became stubborn, the employee looked flustered and glanced back and forth between them.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
