AOA 5

“Just so you know, this marriage has nothing to do with my own will.”

That, I remembered.

Baek Mugyeong had said the same thing during our honeymoon.

Since it was a political marriage neither of us wanted, he had drawn a line: let’s not interfere in each other’s lives.

And throughout our married life, he had stuck to those words.

“I feel the same way.”

I gave the same reply I had back then, only this time, I truly meant it.

Living like business partners, as expected from a strategic marriage, was welcome news.

Before the regression, I’d resolved to give birth to Baek Mugyeong’s child and then take revenge on my biological father and stepmother.

But when Baek Mugyeong said during our honeymoon that we should just act like a show-window couple, and then stuck to it with absolute precision, I gave up on that plan.

But now, things were different.

Baek Mugyeong didn’t continue with the usual line about staying out of each other’s lives.

Instead, he just furrowed his brow slightly and looked at me silently, as if something didn’t sit right with him.

A heavy silence settled between us, but I didn’t get anxious.

Even small differences could change the outcome.

If meeting him in the restroom earlier was one variable, then it was best to eliminate the others.

As we locked eyes in a silent standoff, at some point, Baek Mugyeong suddenly furrowed his brow and let out a long breath.

He seemed to have come to a conclusion.

“There won’t be a child.”

“……?”

“Even if you manifest as an omega.”

“Understood.”

“Weren’t you told that you’re supposed to bear a child?”

His low voice sounded threatening, and the slight curl of his lip made it seem like he was sneering.

Still, it was true, I didn’t want a child.

“That’s someone else’s expectation.”

Before the regression, I had gotten pregnant, but it never felt real.

That tiny life, only a few weeks along, would have died with me.

The memory of being killed so casually came rushing back, and I couldn’t breathe.

I wondered if I’d always been this sensitive.

I clenched my teeth, unwilling to appear weak.

During our two-year marriage, I had shown Baek Mugyeong far too many pitiful sides of myself.

Though those events hadn’t happened yet for the current him, they were vivid memories for me.

I would never show that kind of foolishness again.

“It’s good we’re on the same page, Jeong Minchae. Even if we get married, let’s live without interfering in each other’s business.”

“Yes. Anything else?”

Thankfully, the conversation circled back to what had happened during the honeymoon.

Now, Baek Mugyeong would say goodbye and leave the hotel room.

But contrary to my expectations, he stepped closer.

Too close.

It felt like a wall was suddenly closing in on me.

His large frame gave off a sense of pressure, but I didn’t step back.

Instead, I held my ground and met his gaze head-on.

Looking into his stern face, I felt a bit confused.

Before the regression, my thinking was impaired, but my memory hadn’t been erased.

And during our entire two-year marriage, he had never done anything like this.

“I don’t have sex with men.”

“……?”

I was startled by the sudden informality.

Baek Mugyeong had rarely spoken to me in such a casual tone.

“Even if they’re omegas.”

“As you know, I’m currently a beta.”

I didn’t say, But you’ve had sex with a male omega like me.

Because that hadn’t happened yet—not this time around.

Either way, I was going to divorce Baek Mugyeong before awakening as an omega.

So there would never be a reason for us to have sex again.

“I know. That’s why you’re fine right now.”

“……?”

It took me a second to understand what he meant.

He must have been releasing alpha pheromones right now.

But since I hadn’t manifested yet, I wasn’t affected by them.

I couldn’t smell or feel a thing.

Still, I remembered what it had been like to have sex with him before.

No, more precisely, I remembered the sensation.

That overwhelming pleasure I’d never experienced before hit me like a wave just from the memory, and goosebumps broke out along my arms and neck.

It wasn’t Baek Mugyeong’s pheromones, it was my own body reacting instinctively to that memory.

It felt like I might get hard.

Embarrassment, shame, confusion, and panic all burned my cheeks.

I couldn’t tell if I had gone pale or was burning red.

Frozen stiff, I couldn’t even avoid Baek Mugyeong’s gaze.

As I stood there, the man’s sharp expression softened just a little as he leaned in.

“You’re really confusing.”

I didn’t understand what he meant.

His face was so close I could feel his breath.

I missed the chance to back away, so all I could do was stare at him.

“What are you trying to do?”

“A kiss.”

“You just said you don’t sleep with men.”

“I know.”

Despite saying that, Baek Mugyeong closed the distance even more.

His soft lips brushed against mine.

I had been so sure it would stop there, but when he actually kissed me, my mind went blank.

Like I’d been burned, I pushed him away and stumbled back.

“What the hell was that?”

I rubbed my lips furiously with the back of my hand, on edge.

Baek Mugyeong’s face looked even more twisted than before.

If he hated it so much, why kiss me?

I wanted to shout that aloud, but the words wouldn’t come.

Instead, I just glared at him.

“Ha… seriously…”

Baek Mugyeong let out a baffled sigh, as if he couldn’t believe this.

I was the one who wanted to sigh.

“Baek Mugyeong.”

“I apologize. I’m sorry, Jeong Minchae. That was inappropriate.”

His apology came quickly, but it seemed like he had no intention of explaining himself.

I was used to Baek Mugyeong acting arrogant.

Calling it a political marriage was generous, it was basically a transaction.

And this marriage had been unilaterally pushed forward by the Daesong Group’s vice-chairman, Baek Mugyeong’s rival.

Baek Mugyeong was a third-generation chaebol of one of Korea’s top three conglomerates, and held a key position in its automotive division.

It was understandable that he wouldn’t want to face a marriage partner he didn’t even like.

But he was the one who initiated the kiss.

Right after boldly declaring he didn’t sleep with men, that made no sense.

“You’re not going to explain anything?”

When I pressed him, Baek Mugyeong made a strange expression.

Probably disbelief.

For someone usually so indifferent, he was showing a surprising range of emotions today.

“I tried to live up to the vice-chairman’s expectations. Clearly, I failed. You can go home and say just that.”

“What…?”

I didn’t understand what he meant at first.

He must have noticed, because he explained further.

“I suppose I was unclear. You’re aware the vice-chairman gave us this place as a ‘gift,’ correct?”

“Yes.”

“I thought I’d give it a try, just in case. As expected, it didn’t work.”

I wanted to ask him what kind of bullshit that was.

Throwing yourself at someone without any warning was practically criminal.

But I held my tongue.

This engagement already put me at a disadvantage, and since we were bound to get married anyway, I couldn’t argue if he said “Well, I thought it might be okay.”

Either way, it was a convenient excuse.

Before the regression, I’d been scolded relentlessly for sleeping alone at the hotel.

They’d said I was too stiff, too unlikable, and that I should’ve tried harder to please someone when I was marrying above my station.

If I said I tried to be pleasant but Baek Mugyeong said he wasn’t into men, that should be enough.

Sexual orientation wasn’t something you could just change at will.

Maybe if I were an omega, but for now, I was still a beta.

“So, is that the end of it?”

“No. We still have to sleep here. Both of us. We can’t just toss aside a gift the vice-chairman prepared with such care. But don’t worry. I won’t lay a finger on you.”

“There’s no need for that. I’ll leave.”

I figured I could kill time somewhere outside and head home later.

Even if I got an earful for it, I didn’t care.

No matter what I did, my biological father never liked it.

But now I had an excuse: Baek Mugyeong wasn’t into men.

That was enough.

“I’ll see you again.”

The next time I’d meet Baek Mugyeong would be for wedding photos before the ceremony.

I bowed and turned to leave, but he stepped in front of me.

“You didn’t understand me. You have to be my accomplice.”

“I’ll just say I got kicked out.”

“I don’t plan to be the bad guy. You can use the bedroom. I suggest locking the door, for your peace of mind.”

“I…”

I was about to say it was fine, when Baek Mugyeong suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me.

Practically dragged, I was led into the bedroom.

“For my privacy, I’d like you to make a sound before coming out. I’ll do the same. Now get some rest. I’ll take you home in the morning.”

Baek Mugyeong quickly said what he had to, then closed the bedroom door and left.

Everything had happened so fast that I could only stare at the door in a daze.

“…What the hell?”

This hadn’t happened before the regression.

Back then, Baek Mugyeong had dropped me off at the hotel and left.

Even during the honeymoon, we agreed to ignore each other and stayed in separate rooms.

There was no such thing as “accomplices.”

And now, just because we’d first met in a restroom… everything had changed.