# Chapter 16
***
The manager came back with the contract not the next day, but three days later. He arrived in the evening, and didn’t even look for his usual meal or snack sets, just handed over a yellow envelope and then ran off claiming he was busy. Feeling uncomfortable with the manager’s behavior that suggested he had something to hide, Hwiseo immediately examined the contract and couldn’t believe his eyes. Reading the part that specified payment of 10 million won per release regardless of album earnings—whether single, mini, or full album—he realized this wasn’t a normal contract. But what was even more shocking was the contract duration.
“11 years? The contract is for 11 years?”
Below that, in very small print, it stated that for male Omegas, periods when activities were impossible due to pregnancy and childcare would not be included in the term.
“Is this insane?”
According to his internet research, the average contract period for rookie idols was between 5 and 7 years. Even if that wasn’t entirely accurate, this contract was still 4 to 6 years longer. Considering an idol’s activity lifespan, it was practically a lifetime commitment.
‘Is he stupid or just thoughtless?’
Hwiseo couldn’t understand what the man was thinking when he signed such a contract. Thinking about it, the CEO’s attitude toward Hwiseo hadn’t been normal either. He had been verbally abusive and willing to resort to violence. This wasn’t something he could figure out on his own. He needed to consult with someone smarter in his circle.
***
The baby loved evening bath time. You could tell just by looking at his expression. Je Wooseung made eye contact with the baby and responded affectionately with short phrases like “You like that? Really?” Even though he showered and was wiped clean every day, dirt still appeared from under his neck. When Hwiseo made a “tsk” sound from behind, Je Wooseung gave him a slight glare. Nevertheless, he washed the neck more thoroughly. When he gently rubbed the baby’s fingers, the baby burst into giggles.
“About the contract?”
“Yes, I signed with a company for an idol group called BLEN, but the contract period and profit distribution seem unfair.”
Wooseung asked without stopping his hands. Even after Hwiseo answered, he merely continued washing, lifting the clean baby from the water, wrapping him in a towel, and gently rocking him. Instead of asking further, he nodded toward the contract in Hwiseo’s hand and said:
“Put it on the desk in my study. I’ll review it and discuss it with you later.”
Hwiseo didn’t leave as Wooseung suggested, but stood with the contract held behind his back, watching the baby. His round eyes made it seem like he wouldn’t fall asleep soon. His plump face was flushed red from the warm bath. Hwiseo wanted to see more of his cuteness. Wooseung skillfully finished the after-bath routine and placed slightly cooled milk in the baby’s mouth. While doing so, he began unbuttoning his damp shirt one-handed.
When one arm was completely out, revealing bare skin, Hwiseo was startled. As Wooseung alternated holding the bottle while removing his other arm from the shirt, the muscles flowing from his shoulder to his arm rippled like waves. Wooseung dropped his damp shirt at Hwiseo’s feet and said:
“You should leave now. Or are you interested in my naked body?”
There was also the sound of a belt buckle being unfastened. Hwiseo jumped in place and said:
“Interested? No, how could you say that, even if your body is good, I wouldn’t be particularly interested, we’re both men after all. Men sometimes look at and touch other men’s good bodies out of envy… No, I’m sorry!”
Wooseung sighed as he watched the door that Hwiseo had hurriedly closed behind him. He hadn’t intended to take off his pants from the beginning. He removed his hand from his belt and picked up the discarded shirt, placing it in the laundry basket. He took the empty milk bottle from Woojoo and gently patted his back to help him burp while walking around the room. He recalled what the doctor had said on the day Hwiseo was discharged.
<The counselor you consulted suspects that Lee Hwiseo-nim might be experiencing more than simple memory loss.>
<What does that mean?>
<The patient doesn’t remember his identity or common sense knowledge. Since Dr. Park had previously conducted psychiatric counseling with Hwiseo-nim, he noticed some incongruities, though this is just a suspicion.>
Wooseung walked to his study with the baby in his arms. The baby gurgled and then threw up milk onto Wooseung’s bare skin. He wiped it off with the crab handkerchief he was holding and opened the study door. A single sheet of paper was neatly placed on the desk. Je Wooseung read the paper briefly and sighed.
Even before seeing this paper, it wasn’t difficult to guess how heavy and difficult the entertainment industry life had been for Lee Hwiseo. Though he had never clearly stated his opinion, Wooseung vaguely knew what he wanted. He had been relieved when his popularity declined due to marriage. If he could distance himself from public attention and naturally retire, that would have been the best outcome he desired.
<We think he might have deliberately removed unbearable memories from his consciousness, like a defense mechanism causing dissociation.>
Did he want to escape from all this? Wooseung put down the paper and looked at Woojoo yawning in his arms. His mouth, opened in a perfect circle, was red like a baby tomato.
<Usually, people just become somewhat absent-minded and don’t remember well. They don’t dramatically change personalities like Hwiseo-nim has. Rather, apart from the memory loss, they said it’s a positive change. Of course, they couldn’t tell the patient that it’s fortunate he lost his memories.>
He had changed so much that one might suspect he was a different person. According to the household staff, he came downstairs to see Woojoo several times a day at minimum, called the helpers “Yeosa-nim,” and helped with household chores. He even heard that Hwiseo went jogging early the other morning.
For Wooseung, the exact diagnosis of Lee Hwiseo’s condition wasn’t important. The issue was the changes arising from his transformation. Coming to him with a contract for consultation—previously, he would have entered into a reckless marriage with an unfamiliar Alpha like himself rather than consult those around him.
Since childhood, Wooseung had preferred clear achievements. It had been that way with studies and sports, and as an adult, with work. Everything else quickly bored him. Human relationships in particular, despite being something he dealt with daily, required tremendous energy for mundane matters that he found tedious and annoying. So Wooseung absolutely hated this kind of thing. It was truly bothersome and troublesome. Je Wooseung looked at the sleeping Woojoo, lightly kissed his forehead, and picked up his phone.
***
After worrying all night, Hwiseo felt he needed to speak clearly about this matter, so he woke up at dawn. Since 6 AM, he had been monitoring the first floor activity. Je Wooseung usually left for work at 7 AM, and before leaving, he would sit on the living room sofa to feed the baby milk.
<Or are you interested in my naked body?>
Even though they were a contractual couple, and despite claiming their relationship wasn’t based on affection, they were still married and had a child. The evidence was right there, drinking milk on Je Wooseung’s knee.
“I have something to say about yesterday.”
Wooseung greeted Hwiseo, who unusually appeared before him in the morning, with “Good morning.”
“Oh, yes. Good morning.”
Hwiseo sat awkwardly on the opposite sofa and fidgeted with his left ear. The sound of eager milk-drinking filled the silent space like a radio. Breaking this peaceful silence required courage.
“About yesterday. I mean, not about the contract. That’s important too, but not urgent. What I want to say is, yesterday you asked if I was interested in your body.”
When Je Wooseung, watching Hwiseo struggle to start speaking, asked if it was about the contract, he hurriedly waved both hands saying that wasn’t it.
“I was worried you might misunderstand. I’m just another man, and you know how men sometimes stare enviously at nice bodies, even among other men. You do have a good physique. But I don’t want you to misunderstand.”
“What shouldn’t I misunderstand?”
“That I might have some kind of interest in you, Je Wooseung-ssi. I mean, I have interest in you as a person. But not sexually. I’m not denying that such relationships can exist between men! But I don’t think I’m the kind of person who can do that.”
“Not the kind of person who can? Lee Hwiseo-ssi, your boyfriend was Ko Sangwoo, a male Beta.”
“You knew about that?”
Hwiseo felt a pang of regret. He shouldn’t have pretended to know Ko Sangwoo. He bit his lip in dismay. It didn’t make sense that he couldn’t remember being married or even having a son, yet he remembered Ko Sangwoo. And at the same time, he claimed he wasn’t sexually interested in men. Hwiseo’s heart pounded like a child caught in a lie.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
