Chapter 136
To restore Tae-geon’s vision after he regained consciousness, the top medical staff of Taeryeong Group worked tirelessly day and night. Just as stem cell-derived artificial eye cultivation was completed, and eye transplant surgery was imminent, the critical cause of blindness was revealed.
It was discovered that excessive intraocular pressure during ruts, not accident-related damage, was causing optic nerve damage. This led to the cancellation of the surgery, and a decision was made about Tae-geon’s fate, as he was beyond repair. Having lost his usefulness, Tae-geon was abandoned in this ghost-like mansion.
Ju-on instinctively sensed that Han Hyeon-woo was Tae-geon’s imprinting partner.
While others assumed Tae-geon’s jubilant cries of being alive were directed at his own survival, Ju-on thought differently.
Though he couldn’t fully understand Tae-geon’s reasons for letting Hyeon-woo go, one thing was clear: The Choi Tae-geon he knew wasn’t someone who could give up on Hyeon-woo as long as he was alive.
Reaching the conclusion that Tae-geon must have maintained some connection with Hyeon-woo, Ju-on began to suspect that Tae-geon’s strange jubilation might have been about Hyeon-woo.
Fortunately, the black box from the recovered sedan was successfully forensically restored, revealing the accident was an intentional crime. However, when they found the truck driver who had driven Tae-geon off the cliff, he was already dead for some unknown reason.
At this point, Ju-on began to feel something wasn’t right about Tae-geon’s accident. It also didn’t help that Taeryeong, which could manipulate any situation to their liking even by fabricating evidence, started showing a lukewarm attitude towards Tae-geon’s accident at some point.
Then, when he heard the news that the tax exemption for suppressants, which had lost momentum and was fizzling out, had ultimately fallen through, Ju-on was certain.
“Does this make any sense?! Completely scrapped?! Unless they’re all in cahoots with those bastards who did this to you! How could they all, as if planned…”
Ju-on, who was stomping his feet while informing Tae-geon of the facts, stopped mid-sentence. He frowned fiercely at Tae-geon, who was sitting without the slightest emotional response, as if he had known this would happen.
“…What, don’t tell me…”
“……”
“Really…?”
“……”
“Hyung, did you know? Did you know all of this?! Did you let this happen knowing it would turn out like this…?”
Ju-on, with a dumbfounded expression, shook Tae-geon’s shoulders and ranted.
“Why?! Just why?!”
That Choi Tae-geon who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals? That Choi Tae-geon who would mercilessly punish and eliminate any obstacles in his path? Is this really the same person?!
Don’t be ridiculous!
“What kind of pathetic act are you putting on now, so unlike you! Cut it out!!”
Ju-on shouted angrily.
“Why aren’t you doing anything?! Why the hell are you just taking this lying down?!”
As Ju-on glared at the unresponsive Tae-geon, he squinted his eyes, feeling strange. He sensed an odd purposefulness from Tae-geon, who had chosen to curl up in the darkness, holding his breath. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Tae-geon was hiding something tightly in his embrace. As if protecting it from the outside world.
Ju-on shook his head. It was nonsense. Tae-geon had neither a reason nor a subject to protect now, with Hyeon-woo gone.
“Let’s get revenge, okay? Let’s find all those bastards who did this to you and take revenge! Is it because you can’t see? You can get an eye transplant, can’t you? It’s not like you don’t have money, and all the best medical staff, facilities, and equipment are yours. What’s the big deal if you get it once a month to match your rut? Whether it works or not, shouldn’t you at least try something?!”
As Ju-on gritted his teeth at Tae-geon, who was limply shaking in his grip, a scene flashed through his mind like lightning.
The image of Tae-geon staggering helplessly, drenched in cold sweat.
When had I seen Tae-geon hyung looking so powerless? As Ju-on searched his memories, he gasped.
Hyeon-woo’s heat cycle…!
The image of Tae-geon staggering weakly, his body glistening with cold sweat. The memory of when he had looked like this, with unfocused eyes as if he’d lost his mind, came back clearly.
It was the day when Hyeon-woo, staying at his officetel, went into heat cycle, and Tae-geon, babbling nonsense with a dazed face about needing to bring an alpha, received a punch to the face from Ju-on. His appearance then somewhat resembled how he looked now.
A chill ran down Ju-on’s spine.
…Could it have been a rut…?
Is it possible to control pheromones to that extent with an imprinting partner right in front of you?
He could never forget it. The sense of defeat felt at the most basic level of instinct. Tae-geon’s monstrous control as he adjusted the intensity of his pheromones in sync with Hyeon-woo’s breathing, driving him to climax.
There were no mistakes or flaws in Tae-geon’s control that day. That’s why Ju-on hadn’t even suspected Tae-geon might be in rut.
How long had he been enduring all of this alone? How could he have decided to let Hyeon-woo go in the midst of this?
Even knowing his eyes would end up like this.
Even knowing full well that without Hyeon-woo, his own world would cease to exist.
Ju-on glanced at Hyeon-woo sitting in the passenger seat. Now, facing Hyeon-woo, Ju-on was certain that his guess wasn’t far from the truth.
‘Both my parents passed away in a car accident, and it’s been about 4 years since I returned to Korea. Our investment immigration failed.’
Hyeon-woo’s voice echoed in his mind.
4 years. Ju-on’s mind raced. It meant that the accidents involving Hyeon-woo’s parents and Tae-geon happened around the same time. As he pondered a hypothesis, Ju-on suddenly startled.
Perhaps Tae-geon had known about the accident that claimed Hyeon-woo’s parents. And he must have believed that Hyeon-woo was also at the accident scene.
Before he could confirm the truth, he himself was injured, and upon regaining consciousness during his rut, he realized Hyeon-woo had survived. In that context, Tae-geon’s strange behavior in the hospital bed made a bit more sense.
The reason Tae-geon hadn’t gone mad yet, despite being trapped in this bizarre mansion where even sane people could lose their minds, enduring the physical agony of monthly ruts.
It was because of Han Hyeon-woo’s existence.
He must be enduring this terrible hell, relying on that one sign he felt once a month of Hyeon-woo’s living, breathing existence somewhere in the world.
Having vaguely grasped Tae-geon’s circumstances, Ju-on’s face crumpled in dismay.
Seeing Hyeon-woo’s pale face looking incredulous, it was clear he wasn’t accepting any of what Ju-on had said. Thinking that no matter what else he said, it wouldn’t properly reach Hyeon-woo’s confused ears, Ju-on’s phone in his pocket began to vibrate.
Checking the caller, Ju-on hurriedly answered with a flustered hand.
“Hello.”
“Hello, this is Okhee. Are you still on the mansion grounds? We didn’t see your car leaving at the entrance, so I was worried if something had happened.”
“Ah, I’m sorry. Maybe it’s because I pulled an all-nighter yesterday. As soon as I sat in the driver’s seat, drowsiness overwhelmed me, and I thought I’d just catch a quick nap in the car. I didn’t realize it had gotten this late.”
Ju-on made up an excuse. He knew the mansion’s security was strict, but not to this extent. Composing himself, he continued.
“I’m about to leave now.”
“I understand. I’ll let them know you’re leaving soon. Drive safely.”
“Yes, thank you.”
After ending the call, Ju-on opened the glove compartment and took out a notepad and pen from the corner. He wrote down a number and handed it to Hyeon-woo.
“When you’re ready to hear more, contact me then. You won’t believe anything I say right now anyway.”
“……”
“Get out.”
*
It had already been two weeks since parting with Ju-on like that.
His mind felt like it was boiling over, unable to fully process the shocking information that had flooded in haphazardly. For days, he was out of his mind, barely able to think straight. It took over a week for his clouded mind to clear and for him to sort out all his thoughts.
However, he hadn’t fully accepted everything Ju-on had said. There were still many questions. He had a lot he wanted to ask. Ju-on seemed to know this too. That’s why he had left a memo with his phone number, telling Hyeon-woo to contact him when he was ready, before leaving.
The idea that Tae-geon, an extremely dominant alpha, would imprint on an omega, and on him of all people.
A cynical smile crossed Hyeon-woo’s face. It still didn’t make sense no matter how he thought about it. The revealed truth about the East Wing was shocking enough, but this even more implausible story left him dumbfounded.
His last moment with Tae-geon was still vivid.
With just one sentence about spitting out gum that had lost its flavor, he had put an end to their relationship of over a decade. The cruel smile twisting one corner of his mouth was clear in his mind.
‘Stop overthinking useless details and decide. Will you take it or not.’
‘This is a favor I’m granting because we were once friends.’
Barely enduring the dizziness and his heart pounding with anger, Hyeon-woo had accepted the vial Tae-geon offered.
The reason he couldn’t ultimately refuse Tae-geon’s favor, even as it thoroughly trampled him, was because he wanted to escape, even if it meant enduring such treatment.
The fact that Tae-geon’s pheromones were dissolving in his blood, stirring his entire body, was unbearably horrifying. He wasn’t in a position to be picky. He threw away both pride and shame. If he could just escape, if he could just completely wash away all traces of Tae-geon imprinted on him, he was prepared to endure anything, and so he downed the vial in his hand in one gulp.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
