Tae-jin’s public image was actually better than Tae-yi’s—despite the fact that every business venture he touched went straight down the drain.
The contents of the envelope were already familiar to Tae-yi. He flipped through the papers—grand proposals for a resort project—without much interest, while Tae-jin sat across from him, watching.
“I started a new business while you were away. Looks like I won’t have trouble finding investors, either.”
The confidence in his voice carried an unspoken message: stay out of this one. He was staking his claim, securing his position. Tae-yi understood that perfectly. Not wanting to waste another second, he left the documents on the table and stood.
Glancing down at his watch, Tae-yi looked at Tae-jin and left him with a parting shot.
“Then you’d better hurry and secure those investors. Once Father dies, what exactly do you think they’re gonna invest in?”
With you sitting in the chairman’s seat?
Tae-yi walked out, the room thick with the stench of alcohol. The door slammed shut behind him. Tae-jin, who had been holding a forced smile through gritted teeth, finally exhaled a languid sigh and stared at the envelope on the table.
***
By the time Tae-yi finished humoring Tae-jin’s bullshit, it was well past dinnertime.
He was headed straight toward the room where Haram was staying, but paused when he noticed the TV was on in the living room.
There, sitting on the floor—not even the sofa—was a Sky Squirrel eating a large strawberry, watching the news with the fruit tucked against his side.
He must’ve heard the footsteps, because Haram turned his head and looked up.
“Chirp!”
Tae-yi!
Throwing both arms wide, he welcomed Tae-yi cheerfully. Tae-yi smiled at the sight and asked,
“Why are you sitting on the floor?”
“Chirp, chirp.”
Didn’t want the juice to leak out.
Haram pointed at the strawberry as he answered. Tae-yi seemed to get the gist and gave a small nod.
“You should eat dinner. Chief Yoon’s bringing it.”
Haram, still nibbling away at the strawberry with wet, munching noises, nodded energetically and turned back to the oversized TV.
Tae-yi, slightly irked that Haram’s attention had been stolen, sat beside him and looked at the screen.
[A family of wild boars has appeared on a farm, causing massive damage—]
Haram let out a deep sigh and lowered his head, unable to continue watching. Then, as if determined, he took a big bite out of the strawberry, cheeks puffing out dramatically.
But when the broadcast moved on to footage of a completely ruined sweet potato field, Haram finally stood up with a start. Pink juice stained his fur from the strawberry, and he stomped his back paws in frustration.
They barely made a sound, but the change in his usually calm demeanor made Tae-yi ask cautiously,
“You know the farmer?”
“Chirp, chirp…!”
No, not exactly…!
Then came the interview with the crying farm owner, and Haram completely lost it, hopping up and down in fury.
“Squeak, chirp!”
Bastards!
As a fellow farmer—and a fellow Beastfolk—he couldn’t view this as someone else’s problem. His own peanut fields had been raided countless times by raccoon families. Once they got a taste, they came back like clockwork every harvest season, and the damage was always massive.
When a particularly large wild boar appeared onscreen, Haram pointed aggressively with his forepaw and began squeaking angrily. Tae-yi didn’t understand the exact words, but he could tell they weren’t polite.
“…Calm down.”
The news had already moved on to another story, but Haram was still fuming and breathing heavily. Tae-yi spoke gently.
“Squeak.”
Okay…
Haram slowly settled down, nodding awkwardly. Tae-yi let out a quiet laugh. Seeing Da Haram actually get angry—it was surprisingly refreshing.
“Director.”
Chief Yoon stepped inside, both hands full of shopping bags. At the sound of the door, Haram bolted upstairs to his room.
When he returned, human again, the scent of food lured him toward the kitchen, where Tae-yi—still in a suit—was waiting. Chief Yoon, also still suited up, was arranging the packaged dishes neatly on the table.
Haram sat down across from Tae-yi and stole a glance at Chief Yoon, who was still busy setting up. Tae-yi, noticing the look, furrowed his brows slightly, then relaxed and asked,
“Korean set menu okay?”
“Yeah, it looks delicious.”
Haram smiled, then hesitated, his hands resting near the utensils. Finally, he looked up and said,
“I think I’m going to head home soon.”
His voice was calm, but it caught Tae-yi off guard. After a beat, he asked why, and Haram answered with a serious expression.
“It’s almost time to harvest the peanuts… and our week’s almost up, too.”
Everything had been chaotic ever since his Omega manifestation, but he’d always intended to return to his quiet life of farming. Whether he was a Beta or an Omega didn’t matter—so long as he kept quiet and lived peacefully, things would be fine.
Tae-yi studied him in silence, then spoke.
“But you still don’t know your designation for sure. You haven’t even registered it yet. You should stay a little longer.”
Haram hesitated before replying softly.
“I’m just worried about my peanut field…”
“Then let’s go check on it.”
“What? I mean… yeah, I guess we could…”
Tae-yi, as if it were obvious, turned to Chief Yoon and said,
“Chief Yoon will look after the peanut field.”
Right as Chief Yoon was about to place the soy sauce in front of Haram, his hand froze in midair.
Haram, noticing the wobbling dish, calmly took it and gave Chief Yoon a polite nod.
“I really should go myself. I can’t ask you to do that.”
The panic in Chief Yoon’s eyes slowly settled, but just as quickly flared again at Tae-yi’s next words.
“Chief Yoon grew up in the countryside too. He’s familiar with farm work.”
“For real?”
Startled by the unexpected statement, Haram looked up at Chief Yoon with wide, innocent eyes. Chief Yoon, caught in that pure gaze, gave a stiff nod.
He had, in fact, only ever spent a few months at his mother’s vineyard as a child. No idea how the story had gotten so twisted, but there was no correcting it now.
Tae-yi glanced at the resigned Chief Yoon before returning his gaze to Haram.
“He knows how to tell weeds from crops.”
Tae-yi smiled as he said it, and Haram mirrored it with a bright grin—he understood the meaning behind those words.
“Anyone can do that.”
Well… anyone except the city guy sitting across from him.
Haram had a hard time not laughing, remembering the time Tae-yi had pulled up young peanut sprouts thinking they were weeds.
“…I’ll be heading out now.”
Chief Yoon, who had missed his chance to quietly slip away, stood awkwardly between the smiling Alpha and Omega before retreating to the front door.
“Oh—bye!”
Still wearing the same smile he’d shown Tae-yi, Haram waved cheerfully.
Once the door closed and the sound faded, Haram picked up his spoon. Tae-yi, as if he’d been waiting, placed a side dish on Haram’s plate.
“I’ll send Chief Yoon down there sometime this week.”
Watching Haram accept the side dish without even a hint of embarrassment now, Tae-yi smiled with satisfaction.
Haram took a bite of the mushroom wrapped in thin beef, dipped in soy sauce, and quickly swallowed before replying.
“But still, I can’t let him do that… He’s busy, and…”
“I’ll clear his schedule.”
Tae-yi’s calm voice left no room for protest, and before Haram could say anything else, Tae-yi dropped another prized side dish on his plate.
Haram didn’t even have time to argue—he immediately scooped up the glossy chestnuts with his spoon and closed his eyes in bliss as the soft texture and rich flavor spread across his tongue.
After savoring it for a moment, he licked his lips and started to speak again.
“Still, I really should—”
Before he could finish, Tae-yi placed an entire dish in front of him—one Haram would definitely like.
“This restaurant’s known for this.”
A lie, of course. It wasn’t even the kind of dish that would usually stand out. But for Da Haram, it was different.
A salad topped with fresh blueberries, tomatoes, and a generous sprinkle of nuts. Haram let out a small sound of wonder, his eyes wide.
Seeing that, Tae-yi pushed the dish closer.
“Try it.”
Haram gave in to the gentle coaxing and took a heaping spoonful. The moment he tasted it, his brows furrowed and he nodded.
“It deserves the reputation.”
“Eat as much as you want.”
Having successfully steered the conversation elsewhere, Tae-yi watched with quiet satisfaction as Haram cleared his rice bowl and then focused entirely on the fruit salad.
When he finally polished it off—down to the smallest nut—and looked up, he found Tae-yi still smiling quietly at him, chopsticks untouched.
Startled, Haram blinked and asked carefully,
