* * *
‘When you asked before, I only investigated basic personal information. So I only looked into matters related to Yeonwoo’s father and his relationship with Lee Jonghoon.’
He also found out that Yeonwoo was working part-time at a supermarket.
But that was only to check “when Yeonwoo had days off.” It would have been problematic if his boss wanted to meet Yeonwoo when he was scheduled to work.
Although Secretary Kang was one of Munbeom’s closest confidants, he couldn’t investigate matters beyond what his boss had directly instructed. Since Yeonwoo needed to maintain discreet meetings without external exposure, it was all the more necessary to operate within set boundaries.
Things might have been different if Yeonwoo had acted more cunning or crafty. If something had seemed suspicious or off, Munbeom might have ordered additional investigations. No, given Munbeom’s personality, he would have immediately ended the relationship if the other party had acted strangely.
During his time meeting with Munbeom, Yeonwoo never demanded or desired anything first. He would simply show up when Munbeom contacted him, spend time together, and then leave. He never boasted about or leaked information about meeting Munbeom. As if it were his own private secret, he didn’t tell anyone.
Because of this, Secretary Kang, who had initially been concerned, gradually relaxed.
Although Munbeom didn’t show it, it’s not easy for alphas to control their urges, including rut, with medication alone. Especially for someone like Ho Munbeom, an ultra-dominant alpha and the heir apparent of Ho Moon Group, there was no need to suppress those urges. If he wanted, he could change partners daily. So when Secretary Kang first started working with Munbeom, he thought he might need to pay extra attention to matters beyond work. He realized how mistaken he was within days.
Munbeom was such an incredible workaholic that it seemed almost excessive. Thanks to this, Ho Moon Group’s stock price, which had plummeted due to Chairman Ho Jaejung’s feigned illness, quickly recovered—but at the cost of grinding down those working beneath him. As a result, Secretary Kang eventually focused solely on managing and attending to work-related matters. Still, he sometimes privately wondered if it was alright for his boss to be without a partner.
Whether it was overstepping or not, it was a matter of concern when his boss was an ultra-dominant alpha and the future head of the company. Although unlikely, if Munbeom developed health issues due to unfulfilled desires, the repercussions would be far greater than those from Chairman Ho Jaejung’s feigned illness.
Sure enough, around a year after Munbeom returned to Korea and took charge of Ho Moon Group’s affairs, his nerves became increasingly on edge. Though he tried not to show it, working closely with him made certain things naturally noticeable.
Just as Secretary Kang was secretly searching what accidents could happen when ultra-dominant alphas became agitated, Yeonwoo appeared.
That day, he was worried in many ways because of an incident that had occurred since morning.
Munbeom had never been one to mind boundaries, so Secretary Kang was concerned he might act rudely toward his match. And indeed, his boss did make a mistake that day—though in a direction Secretary Kang hadn’t anticipated at all.
When he learned that Munbeom had spent the night with the match, his thoughts became complicated.
At first, he worried about rumors spreading, but that concern gradually faded with time. However, when Chairman Ho Jaejung intervened in the middle and Madam Heo Yeongran suddenly appeared, he wondered what on earth was happening. And Secretary Kang began to question whether his judgment had been wrong.
Then, as additional instructions came down from his boss, he realized his judgment about Yeonwoo had been completely wrong.
‘The day before Yeonwoo came to Seoul, Lee Jonghoon borrowed 3 billion won from loan shark Gu Dongseok. The collateral was 20% of the company shares and Lee Yeonwoo… The loan repayment date was set for half a year, with the illegal contract stipulating that if 1.5 billion won wasn’t repaid by then, Gu Dongseok could claim ownership of Yeonwoo.’
The reason Jonghoon had found Yeonwoo after twenty years and brought him to Seoul wasn’t for the match with Ho Munbeom. From the beginning, that meeting was merely for promoting the fact that he had a dominant omega son named Lee Yeonwoo. He had planned to use his young, beautiful child as a hostage to somehow secure business funds.
Just having a match with Ho Munbeom would have given some promotional effect. With that, he could approach people who would normally be difficult to talk to and show them Yeonwoo’s picture.
If they showed interest, he would naturally find out if they knew of any alphas of marriageable age. Rather than young, capable alphas, he probably preferred alphas with some defect or problem. That would make an abnormal marriage more feasible.
Even if the alpha had defects, a pure and young dominant omega like Yeonwoo could alleviate concerns about having children. There were plenty of nouveau riche who would be attracted to such an enticing proposal. Upon investigation, it turned out Yeonwoo was already being promoted in this manner in various places, and had even had a match with some small to medium business owner who had been enticed.
‘The child of the other family became paraplegic due to a drunk driving accident and requires a 24-hour caregiver, unable to even properly relieve themselves alone. Their personality is also quite poor; no caregiver has lasted more than two weeks due to violence and verbal abuse. Some caregivers and employers were even gathering to file a lawsuit. And it seems Lee Jonghoon was trying to push forward with the marriage between Lee Yeonwoo and that family. Under the condition of receiving 1 billion won and some land in the provinces.’
‘So.’
‘Excuse me?’
‘So, how was it resolved?’
‘It doesn’t seem to have gone well. It appears that Lee Jonghoon didn’t give up and continued looking around elsewhere, but that didn’t work out either…’
Secretary Kang’s voice gradually grew quieter until he naturally closed his mouth. He could clearly sense his boss’s displeasure through the phone.
Yeonwoo’s situation was pitiful enough that even strangers would sympathize.
Yeonwoo was young, quiet, and pretty. It seemed he had struggled for a long time living alone with his omega father, only for his birth father, who appeared after twenty years, to try to exploit him in this way. Secretary Kang knew there were families worse than strangers, but he hadn’t wanted to learn about it like this…
Lost in heavy thoughts, Secretary Kang checked the name that appeared on his phone and answered immediately.
Currently, he was inside a penthouse with an area that would be difficult to find anywhere in Seoul.
He knew his boss was staying here, but this was his first time entering. He had heard that despite its hundreds of millions of won price tag, the competition was fierce for this relatively new building, and he could see why. Not only was the view spectacular, but the furniture made with top-quality materials and the sophisticated interior design were eye-popping. Thinking that people like himself wouldn’t be able to relax comfortably in such a place, Secretary Kang, who had been standing and waiting in the living room (which was as large as his entire home) for an hour, looked toward the inside. He couldn’t see the corridor direction well from here, but he still couldn’t take his eyes away.
This was because Munbeom, Yeonwoo, and Hwayoung were there.
Wrapped in Munbeom’s large top, Yeonwoo did not look well. Had he been seriously injured or harmed somewhere? Secretary Kang’s expression was grave, wondering if this disaster had occurred because he had been late despite hurrying as much as possible after receiving Munbeom’s instructions.
Yeonwoo was lying on his side in bed.
Even unconscious, he kept trying to curl up and pull the blanket over himself. Each time, Munbeom would hold his shoulders and arms, and now he looked up. After checking the IV drip attached to the head of the bed, he next checked the needle inserted into Yeonwoo’s left arm.
Looking at Yeonwoo’s face, it was pale. Not only that, but his breathing was still rough, and beads of sweat had formed on his forehead. Adding to this, the pheromones filling the room made Munbeom turn his head.
Hwayoung, seated on a chair on the opposite side, was checking Yeonwoo’s pheromone concentration with the blood drawn earlier. She had checked it before and after administering medication, but the results didn’t seem satisfactory, judging by her hardened expression.
After tapping the testing device she had brought several times, Hwayoung looked at Munbeom.
Munbeom’s expression, sitting almost right next to the curled-up Yeonwoo, was completely different from usual. Swallowing a sigh at the seemingly wary look, Hwayoung pointed behind them.
“Let’s step outside and talk.”
At those words, Munbeom checked Yeonwoo’s complexion again.
Confirming that his breathing had deepened since earlier, Munbeom slowly rose. Hwayoung also gathered her things and went out into the corridor. Looking back after going out first, she saw Munbeom checking the inside until the door closed.
She had thought it was just her mood, but Munbeom was definitely acting more sensitive than usual. Feeling as if the person seemed somehow different, Hwayoung flinched and narrowed her shoulders when Munbeom’s gaze turned to her. Then she showed him the test results from earlier. Yeonwoo’s pheromone concentration had significantly exceeded the danger level of 300.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
