AOA 114

I accepted the mug full of cocoa and headed to the second living room tucked in a corner on the first floor. Unlike the large living room meant for receiving guests, the space called the family room was small. The interior was also relatively cozy.

I sat in the corner of the sofa by the window with my knees drawn up and sipped the cocoa. As the warm, sweet cocoa went down, my head, which had felt foggy and heavy, slowly started to turn again.

Nightmares came without warning. When I felt gloomy after hearing my biological father’s nagging, I could be fine, but I sometimes had nightmares after finishing a day without incident.

My mental strength was decent, but when I dreamed of being murdered, my mood became a mess. I often fell into the ominous feeling that the same thing would happen again someday.

Even if I told myself no, it would not happen, the negative thoughts linked endlessly. No matter how much I struggled, I would never escape my biological father’s grasp. Even if I divorced Baek Mugyeong, I would be sold off again. Jeong Guhyeon would kill me.

“Ugh…”

At times like this, I had to numb my head with something sweet. Fortunately, the cocoa worked well today.

“Please have this. It’s prepared for guests. Since you have to eat breakfast, I only brought a little.”

The housekeeper who had been in the kitchen until just now smiled and held out a plate. On it were a few walnuts coated in caramel.

“Thank you.”

“By any chance, was there anything lacking in this week’s cleaning or laundry? I did it the usual way, but I was worried. Was it all right?”

Kim Juhyeon, the weekday helper, had quit. To be exact, she was caught stealing my wedding gift and was fired. Because of that, Oh Huisuk, the weekend helper, had been handling both weekday and weekend work for a while. We needed to find someone new to replace Kim Juhyeon, but Baek Mugyeong was being picky. That was why she was struggling.

Compared to the sociable Kim Juhyeon, Oh Huisuk was the quiet type. She was good at cooking and thorough in her work, but she was cautious about everything.

I told Oh Huisuk it was fine and to keep doing it the same way. Then she smiled and went back to the kitchen.

Once I was alone again, I set down the mug and popped a walnut into my mouth. Since I had just had cocoa, the caramel’s sweetness didn’t stand out much. But the crunchy taste was pleasant.

Last weekend, Baek Mugyeong had told me that Kim Juhyeon would no longer be coming to work. As expected, Kim Juhyeon had tried to excuse herself by claiming I had given her the wedding gift to sell. But apparently, it also came out that she had stolen jewelry from Im Songyoon and other employees before.

As befitted a chaebol family, the matter was quietly resolved. Nothing was done in my name or in Im Songyoon’s. Other employees would take the lead in pressing charges.

According to Baek Mugyeong, she would not get a prison sentence, but she would not be able to work in this field again. No rich person would hire someone with a theft record.

She would also have to pay a heavy price through a civil suit. It was the downfall of a petty thief. Thinking back on what happened before regression, I wished she had been ruined completely, but now this was just right.

The ill-fated ties from before regression were being dealt with one by one. Jeong Guhyeon, Baek Yeongseop, Kim Juhyeon, and so on. I was almost no longer swayed by my biological father and stepmother. So I should have felt excited and happy, but strangely I felt anxious.

Since only good things kept happening, it felt like I was dreaming, not living reality.

“Tch.”

Digging into worries like this was foolish, so I deliberately pinched the back of my hand hard. It felt the pain.

It definitely was not a dream.

“Are you already up?”

Startled, I turned my head to the side and saw Baek Mugyeong in pajamas. I had been distracted, so I hadn’t noticed him approaching.

“Oh, you’re here?”

“Did you have a nightmare?”

Baek Mugyeong was sharp. Since I had been caught having nightmares a few times, it was awkward to deny it.

“I just woke up early.”

“Do you have something you’re worried about?”

“No. I’m fine.”

Of course, I always had worries, but they were things I had to resolve in the long term. Other than that, there was almost nothing to stress about.

Right now, what worried me more was the symptom of being constantly distracted by Baek Mugyeong’s looks.

Since we had decided to get to know each other, the time we spent together had increased. Eating breakfast or dinner together was basic. Sometimes we made plans and went out to eat or shop.

Last Friday, we even attended a classical concert. Baek Mugyeong had said the Berlin Philharmonic was performing in Korea and suggested going together.

Classical concerts weren’t my taste, but I accepted Baek Mugyeong’s invitation.

Since the program was filled with famous pieces, I could enjoy it fairly well. At the end, though, I had to strain my eyes to stay awake.

After the concert, we went to a wine bar. That too was a place chosen by Baek Mugyeong.

Since my regression, I had not drunk alcohol, so I only wet my lips with wine. But the atmosphere was quite good, and I was able to talk a lot with Baek Mugyeong.

Even in the suitably dim interior, Baek Mugyeong’s looks did not fade. On the contrary, with a slight shadow cast over him, the contrast of light and dark stood out, giving off a shaded charm that felt like it could pull me in. For a moment, I was so dazed that I lost my words.

I even seriously wondered if I had always been this weak to handsome men.

Now, Baek Mugyeong, dressed in pajamas, had neither aura nor darkness. But he was still a handsome man. Even though he had just woken up, he looked neat.

I consciously ran my hand through my hair. Sometimes when I woke up, my hair would stick up, and Baek Mugyeong always happened to catch it. From the feel of it, it seemed my hair was fine today.

“I know it isn’t true, but when you look at me with such a pretty face, I want to believe it.”

“……?”

My thoughts froze at the sudden attack. I wondered if he was teasing me, and also questioned whether I looked pretty in his eyes.

I quietly looked at Baek Mugyeong, implying I needed an explanation. But the man said nothing and sat down beside me.

Just then, Oh Huisuk appeared and asked if Baek Mugyeong needed something to drink. He told her he was fine and sent her away.

We were alone again, but he did not bother to speak. Silence was familiar, so I quietly sipped cocoa.

It stung.

Maybe it was self-consciousness, but I could feel Baek Mugyeong’s gaze piercing into my right cheek. I could not completely ignore it, so I sneaked a glance at him.

As expected, Baek Mugyeong was watching me, and he seemed to have something to say. When I signaled with my eyes, asking what it was, he smiled faintly.

“May I seduce you?”

“Kof. Kof. …What?”

Thankfully, I had already swallowed the cocoa, so I managed not to spit it out. But I still had to cough a few times.

I barely caught my breath and looked at Baek Mugyeong. There was still a smile on his face.

“I meant exactly what I said.”

“Now?”

“Do you dislike it?”

“It’s morning.”

Outside the window, the sky had long since turned bluish bright. The sun had not fully risen yet, but it was clearly early morning.

“You can do it in the morning too.”

He was right. It could be done in the morning. Whatever vague resistance I felt melted away as I looked at Baek Mugyeong’s handsome face.

“It can be done, but…”

While I hesitated, Baek Mugyeong’s pheromones spread faintly. It was the pheromone of an Alpha seducing an Omega.

Wet wood, soil, and musk. Like a light perfume, the pheromones were very subtle. But because I had already had sex with Baek Mugyeong several times, my body tensed in reflex.

Since becoming an Omega, Baek Mugyeong’s pheromones were the only ones that had come close as seduction. Not only my face, but even my lower body heated up slightly.

“Just once.”

Still holding the mug, I blinked, and then laughed.

It had not been long since we started having sex every Friday, but a pattern had formed. On Fridays, we went all out, and on the other days, we kept it moderate.

But I did not believe the ‘only once.’ This cunning man had a record of pushing me into asking for more myself.

I narrowed my eyes and glared at Baek Mugyeong.

“I don’t believe you.”

“It’s true. Don’t you also have an appointment this afternoon?”

With Baek Mugyeong’s calm explanation, I finally remembered that today was Baek Jinseok’s birthday. If we had sex as much as he wanted, I would not be able to attend the party.

Honestly, my heart was already leaning toward yes. If I had really disliked morning sex, I should have gotten up and moved away immediately. Now it was a situation where I had to admit I was accepting Baek Mugyeong’s ploy.

“I’m letting it slide even though I know.”

I grumbled on purpose. But seeing Baek Mugyeong smile even more broadly than before made me feel like giving in even more.

The moment I decided there was no need to drag it out, I set down the mug and stood up.

“I’ll brush my teeth first. I drank cocoa.”

If we kissed and there was a strange smell, that would be a problem, so brushing came first. It was basic manners. But Baek Mugyeong stood up as well and blocked my way.

“It’s fine.”

“But… it’ll smell.”

“It won’t.”

“No way.”

Just as I was about to say it was impossible, Baek Mugyeong’s face came close. In the blink of an eye, his lips brushed mine and pulled away. While my face flushed hot and I stiffened, a tongue briefly slipped between my parted lips and then withdrew.

Startled, I quickly backed away. This time my face was burning.

“It only tastes sweet.”

“What, why are you doing this?”

“I only checked.”