He hadn’t expected to end up going to the hospital with the burly man who’d dropped off his phone yesterday. Every time he saw the man’s rough, intimidating face, Haram couldn’t help but miss Chief Yoon—the one who’d left with Tae-yi.
During the drive, Haram didn’t say a single word, staring silently out the window the whole way. But as soon as the hospital building came into view in the distance, he hurriedly unbuckled his seatbelt. He just wanted to get out of that car as quickly as possible.
“Um… thank you for giving me a ride.”
His voice came out small and timid, almost swallowed by the sound of the engine. The man leaned forward, perhaps because he hadn’t heard him clearly, and Haram flinched backward in alarm. Only then did the man stop.
“I’ll go by myself!”
“I’ve been instructed to escort you.”
Despite Haram’s desperate insistence that he wanted to go alone, the man’s tone remained firm. His deep, gravelly voice echoed through the underground parking lot, making Haram swallow nervously. Gripping the phone tightly, he forced himself to speak.
“I know where Professor Yoon’s office is.”
“……”
“I can find it on my own.”
The man hesitated, clearly conflicted. Seeing that, Haram quickly added another line for good measure. Finally, the man nodded awkwardly and stepped back.
Clutching his tail flat against himself, Haram hurried out of the parking lot, his small frame retreating fast. Watching him go, the burly man took out his phone to report to Kang Tae-yi.
***
Having safely reached Professor Yoon’s office, Haram sat on the sofa, nibbling at the prepared snacks as he waited. Judging from the table, which held neatly arranged nuts and several documents, it didn’t seem like the professor had forgotten their appointment—just that he’d stepped out for a moment.
Hugging his curled tail to his chest, Haram slowly stroked along the grain. Maybe it was because Tae-yi had dried it for him yesterday, but the fur seemed extra smooth and glossy today. It hadn’t even been that long since they’d parted, yet he already found himself missing him—ridiculously so, even by his own standards.
Once the counseling session was over, and after killing a bit of time, Tae-yi would probably be waiting in the parking lot. He’d said he’d come around three, so that meant—just five more hours until he could see him again.
Click.
The sound of the door opening startled Haram mid-smile, and he jumped to his feet. The person entering wasn’t Professor Yoon—it was a man he didn’t recognize.
“Uh… who are you?”
He wasn’t the owner of the office, but the stranger didn’t look surprised to see him there, which only made Haram more uneasy.
Though Haram asked cautiously, the man didn’t respond—just stared at him, unblinking. Haram held his gaze, studying the man’s face in return.
A man in a suit, wearing glasses. His face looked oddly familiar.
“I didn’t know you were acquainted with Director Kang Tae-yi,” the man said finally. “But why have you ignored all of our offers?”
The moment he heard the man’s voice, the fog lifted from Haram’s memory. He was the one who had shown up in the countryside with that debt collector—the man who’d tried to pressure him into selling his land. Haram’s eyes widened briefly before narrowing into sharp suspicion.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about…”
Tae-yi’s name, coming from this man’s mouth, made his stomach twist with unease. The man observed Haram’s confused expression before speaking again.
“Chairman Kang Tae-jin would like to meet with you personally. When would be a convenient time?”
“Why would your chairman want to meet me…? No, I don’t want to. I don’t know how you even found me, but please leave.”
“So you really don’t know anything? You do realize Chairman Kang Tae-jin and Director Kang Tae-yi are brothers, right?”
“…What?”
The man smiled faintly, watching the shock ripple through Haram’s trembling eyes.
“Mr. Da Haram, please—give us a moment of your time.”
***
“What’s that for?”
Parked in front of Haram’s house, Tae-yi had followed Chief Yoon all the way to the blue-gated house at the edge of the village, only to see him preparing to open an umbrella for no apparent reason.
“To ward off salt.”
Chief Yoon grinned proudly, clearly satisfied with his readiness. Having already experienced firsthand the wrath of the land-rich grandmother, he wasn’t taking any chances this time. Tae-yi stared at him, unimpressed.
Irritated by that look, Chief Yoon began retelling, in great detail, the previous incident with the old woman. But Tae-yi just shook his head wearily—he’d already heard it a dozen times during the hour-and-a-half drive from Seoul.
“Just shut up and go in.”
Reluctantly, Chief Yoon pushed the creaky old gate open, his expression grim. The sound of the hinges scraped through the air, and there she was—the land-rich grandmother, peeling sweet potatoes.
She heaved a deep sigh the moment she saw Chief Yoon bow politely as he entered. Then, spotting Tae-yi behind him, her face immediately darkened.
“Where’s Haram?”
“He’s with me. Doing well.”
Tae-yi answered calmly, but her frown only deepened.
“You two know each other?” Chief Yoon whispered, puzzled. Tae-yi gave a small nod.
“You said you were just friends… That was a lie, wasn’t it?”
Did he say that last time? He’d lied so often he couldn’t even remember anymore.
Instead of answering, Tae-yi smiled faintly and crossed the empty yard to stand in front of her.
“I heard you met with representatives from the construction company.”
“So you are one of them, huh? I knew it. Ever since you showed up, this village hasn’t had a moment’s peace.”
“That’s not true.”
That accusation stung a bit. But the distrust in her eyes was impossible to deflect. Tae-yi only hoped that when the truth finally came out, Haram’s eyes wouldn’t look like that.
“It’s a misunderstanding,” he said sincerely. “I’m against the resort project too. I came here to help.”
His polite smile disappeared, replaced by an earnest expression—but the grandmother didn’t seem convinced.
“I don’t know how you tricked that naive boy, but you’d better bring him back right now. Or I’ll report you.”
With that sharp warning, she turned her gaze away and resumed peeling the sweet potatoes, her knife scraping rhythmically against the skin.
“Told you she wouldn’t listen…” Chief Yoon muttered behind him, moving closer to whisper.
“I don’t want to see this village change either,” Tae-yi continued, his voice low but firm. “I want Da Haram to keep farming peanuts here, happily. I’ll make sure the resort project is withdrawn. You have my word.”
Chief Yoon’s horrified gasp echoed behind him, but Tae-yi only kept his eyes on the old woman.
“…And how exactly do you plan to help?”
Though her tone was gruff, it had softened a little. Tae-yi smiled faintly and replied.
“Sell me the land. I’ll become the owner for now and deal with all the troublemakers myself. Once it’s all over, I’ll sell it back to you for cheap.”
“You don’t have to sell it back for cheap,” Chief Yoon mumbled under his breath, disgruntled. “You could just sell it for the proper price…”
But Tae-yi ignored him again.
It was terrifying, really—how love could make a person this way. The brilliant businessman Kang Tae-yi, willing to take a loss without hesitation. Chief Yoon shook his head in disbelief and sighed heavily from the corner of the yard.
“You talk like a con man. Either that, or you’re just a fool.”
“Then I’d rather be a fool.”
The grandmother let out a dry laugh at his cheeky reply and gave him a slow once-over, her eyes lingering on his neatly pressed suit.
“And Haram’s doing alright? Does he know how old you are?”
“Yes. I told him.”
Well—at least he’d told that truth.
“…I don’t know what that innocent boy saw in you to follow you around like that, but don’t you dare hurt him.”
She raised her knife in warning, the sweet potato still in her other hand. Chief Yoon flinched at the sight, but Tae-yi only smiled faintly.
“Either sit down and tell me everything without hiding a thing, or get out of my yard.”
At her blunt ultimatum, Tae-yi immediately sat down on the wooden porch, legs relaxed. He planned to tell her everything—no lies, no omissions. He told himself this would be good practice for when he finally confessed the truth to Da Haram later.
“Where should I start?”
“Stop smiling like a snake and talk.”
So this was what had lured Haram away, she thought bitterly. The naive little squirrel had been swept up by a smooth-talking snake. Poor thing.
The longer her grumbling went on, the wider Tae-yi’s smile grew.
***
His vision blurred through a flood of tears. No matter how many times he wiped at them with his gray cardigan sleeve—now soaked through—the tears just wouldn’t stop.
Sniffling and trembling, Haram stepped into the elevator, ignoring the stares of passersby as he continued to cry.
“Da Haram?”
“Hh—hic…”
At the sound of the familiar voice, Haram’s head snapped up. Standing there by the elevator was Da In-ho. Seeing him, Haram completely broke down, sobbing harder. Alarmed, In-ho quickly led him toward a quiet stairwell.
“What happened? Wait—did something manifest again? Are they saying you’re an Alpha now?!”
But Haram couldn’t stop crying long enough to respond. He just kept hiccupping and gasping for breath until, after a long while, he finally managed to stammer out a few words through the tears.
