* * *
Lee Munho had been working for 10 years as a VIP manager at Ho Moon Hospital.
Despite priding himself on experiencing all sorts of things while working in such a specialized place, this was the first time he’d felt so tense. Of course, his tension didn’t change anything. Occasionally there would be major disturbances, strange people would appear, or as now, men in black suits and sunglasses would guard the corridors and hospital rooms—he would simply convince himself that it had nothing to do with him.
No matter what happened, they wouldn’t be harmed. This was because he knew those intimidating men existed to protect not only the admitted individuals but also the medical staff working there.
Things seen and heard here had to be immediately forgotten. But the newcomer, who had been assigned to this floor for less than a year, seemed to find that difficult. Annoyed by the glances being cast around, Lee Munho stood beside her and quietly warned without moving his lips.
“Stop snooping around unnecessarily and just do your job. Make one mistake with registration and you’re out immediately.”
“…I’m sorry.”
The panic-stricken nurse bowed her head, organized her charts, and quietly slipped away.
She had been doing well until now, but seemed to have developed curiosity due to the tense atmosphere that had persisted for days. If she wanted to continue working here, she’d need to get rid of that damned curiosity as quickly as possible.
That’s why Lee Munho was also trying to quickly forget the woman who had tried to escape the hospital room this morning after pulling out all her IVs, only to be dragged back in. He tried to forget how she had asked if they knew who she was, mentioning a name that any Korean would recognize, and shouting, “I’m that guy’s mother! I gave birth to him!”
Judging by her condition alone, she didn’t need to be hospitalized. But this was a place that could be used when necessary, even if one wasn’t strictly a patient.
Suddenly, there was a commotion in the corridor. Knowing what this meant from years of experience, Lee Munho tactfully vacated his position. A moment later, the elevator doors at the end of the corridor opened, and a man stepped out. It was Ho Munbeom.
The head of security, who had received word that Munbeom was coming, greeted him with, “Have you arrived, sir?” After looking at him without answering and scanning the corridor, Munbeom felt a subtle sense of unease. With a foreboding feeling, he quickly walked toward the hospital room located furthest from the elevator, in the most secluded part of the floor. Upon opening the door and entering, Munbeom saw an empty bed and looked at the elderly man standing by the window.
“…”
He stiffened his expression, walked into the hospital room, and stood beside Ho Jaejung. As if he had been waiting, Ho Jaejung glanced at Munbeom and clicked his tongue.
“This heartless fellow. What on earth did he inherit to be like this?”
The answer could be found with just a slight turn of the head, without having to look far.
Though perhaps slightly different from Heo Yeongran, who had countless times attempted one-sided imprinting on her son to protect her power and status, judging by how he had put her on a plane without anyone knowing while she had yet to complete her treatment simply because she was bothersome, one could guess where Munbeom’s disposition came from.
Whatever it was that displeased him so much, Chairman Ho Jaejung continued to click his tongue. Then, turning his head toward the window, he let out a deep sigh and spoke roughly.
“Did you handle it well to avoid unnecessary noise?”
“There won’t be any gossip. I’ve taken care of everything.”
Even if rumors were to emerge, he was confident he could silence them immediately.
If Heo Yeongran had lived a slightly more decent life, such a quick handling would have been difficult. But since she had so many enemies everywhere, people willing to cooperate appeared even before Munbeom could bring it up. The most prominent example was Heo Yeongran’s family home. Afraid of falling out of Munbeom’s favor, they were the first to propose a solution.
Heo Yeongran would be sent to a very distant place, not America, and be admitted to a hospital. Spending time under 24-hour surveillance and in a place where even phone calls would be difficult, perhaps her temperament would be somewhat tamed. Or she might go even more insane.
Either way, it didn’t matter much, and he didn’t want to worry about it. Munbeom looked up at the cloudy sky.
“Is all this really necessary?”
A shallow wrinkle formed between Munbeom’s previously calm brows.
Thinking that his grandfather was in no position to say such things, he looked at him.
“Who was it that forced my mother into exile and prevented her from approaching me for 10 years, let alone entering the country?”
“At that time, it was dangerous. I thought if she couldn’t come to her senses and did strange things to you again, you would be even more wary of people, and then you wouldn’t even be able to have a proper relationship! It was obvious you wouldn’t get married, let alone give me grandchildren!!”
“…”
Had she remained nearby, Heo Yeongran would not have given up and would have continued trying to do foolish things to Munbeom. That was something Munbeom was also aware of, but what about all those words that followed? Marriage, grandchildren—words he had heard so tiresomely that he couldn’t even laugh anymore.
Thinking about it, he hadn’t properly expressed himself before. Perhaps this was the opportunity to make it clear. Just as Munbeom opened his mouth, Ho Jaejung glared at his grandson.
“What, are you going to say you won’t get married? That you won’t give me any grandchildren? That you have no intention of staying in the country long and are going to start wrapping things up to leave?”
“You know so well.”
At Munbeom’s retort, Ho Jaejung snorted.
“As if you really would. How could you leave that small, pale-faced omega behind?”
He knew his grandfather was deliberately mentioning Yeonwoo to get under his skin.
Despite knowing this, Munbeom couldn’t ignore it and turned toward his grandfather, looking down at him oppressively.
“I don’t know why you suddenly summoned Yeonwoo, but since you said nothing afterward, I thought it was over. So why are you suddenly bringing him up?”
Yeonwoo had nothing to do with his grandfather or with his mother who was no longer in the country. There was no need for him to be entangled with them in any way. He was just someone who was seeing Munbeom, nothing more. So there was no need for Yeonwoo’s name to be brought up arbitrarily like this. And he didn’t need to be caught up in some strange situation or be put in danger.
Chairman Ho Jaejung let out a hollow laugh at Munbeom’s face as he looked down at him.
“Look at your face right now. Do you really not know why I called that boy without your knowledge?”
“…”
“Do you not know, or are you pretending not to know?”
Seeing Munbeom just showing his displeasure in response to the question, Chairman Ho Jaejung thumped his chest with his fist. Then he examined every corner of Munbeom’s face as if searching for something. As if having realized something, he put his hand to his forehead and let out a groan.
He didn’t know what trick his grandfather was trying to pull now.
As Ho Jaejung came closer, Munbeom leaned his head back and checked the time.
No matter how much they tried to keep it quiet, it would eventually be known that Heo Yeongran had had an accident and was hospitalized. He had come here to leave a trace that he had visited out of concern for her, at least on the surface, in preparation for that time. He had also planned to see her face and upset her a bit, but thanks to his grandfather’s preemptive action, he was spared the trouble.
Honestly, Munbeom hadn’t intended to go this far.
But once she became aware of Yeonwoo’s existence, it was an unavoidable choice. While Heo Yeongran’s presence wasn’t a major threat to Munbeom now, Lee Yeonwoo was different.
Heo Yeongran learning of Yeonwoo’s existence had been a coincidence.
The caretaker couple at the Gangwon Province villa were very naive people who lived in a place cut off from outside contact. They didn’t know how to lie or make things up, and were people who diligently did only what they were supposed to do.
Heo Yeongran had cleverly exploited that. The caretaker’s wife would have been very pleased with Heo Yeongran’s call after a dozen or so years and asked about her well-being, and honestly told her who Munbeom had recently visited the Gangwon Province villa with.
Yeonwoo’s existence being exposed like that was unexpected. He had never imagined that once Heo Yeongran became aware of Yeonwoo, she would immediately try to contact him. Why had she sought out Yeonwoo? And why was his grandfather looking at him as if he were half-crazy?
Suddenly, Munbeom recalled Yeonwoo, who couldn’t look at him directly and kept his head lowered. Feeling a subtle discomfort, he was about to speak when Chairman Ho Jaejung spoke first.
“I think I’ve been mistaken all along. I thought your discomfort with people, with omegas, was because of what your mother did. It wouldn’t have worked anyway since you’re extremely dominant, but it was something you experienced at such a young age that it would have been shocking and disgusting. Still, I thought you’d be okay once you grew up and became an adult. I thought that when the time was right, you’d meet someone, develop a deep relationship, and naturally form a family.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
