AOA 131

After his wife passed away, Baek Yeongseop lived with his parents. But he spent more nights away from home than he did at home.

He lived in hotels or private villas purchased under the company’s name for more than half the year. If Jake was right, the original footage was most likely at the villa.

He might have even taken it to Tongyeong. It was a risky move, but Baek Yeongseop was entirely capable of it.

Baek Mugyeong relayed this information to Jake. After some brief small talk, they ended the call.

Staring at the phone screen, now pitch black, for a long while, Baek Mugyeong let out a sigh. If Baek Yeongseop’s horrific crimes were properly exposed, even a third-generation chaebol heir would be finished. He might end up confined to some foreign mental hospital, like that sixth cousin who crashed Baek Jinseok’s birthday banquet.

Even if he couldn’t seize control of Daesong Group, Baek Mugyeong had poured immense effort into avenging himself against Baek Jaehan and Baek Yeongseop. But the results were disappointing.

His mood was sour. Instead of burning with passion, he felt drained, wanting to abandon everything. If he could just let go of this obsession with revenge and flee to America, he’d finally find peace.

“Escape, huh…”

Baek Mugyeong murmured quietly. It wasn’t like him to turn away simply because he hadn’t found solid evidence.

He knew exactly why he felt unsettled. But Baek Mugyeong didn’t want to recall that name.

So he grabbed his phone and stood up. He didn’t particularly want to check the video Jake had sent.

*

Standing before the door to the 23rd-floor room, Baek Mugyeong deliberately took a deep breath. Hesitating before opening the door had become a habit. The memory of Jeong Minchae waiting inside last weekend was too vivid.

More precisely, his stomach churned at the sight of him pleading, oblivious to the vivid red handprints on him cheeks. And then he’d burst into heartbreaking sobs.

Recalling Jeong Minchae once more, Baek Mugyeong frowned and stepped inside. Fortunately, the room was completely empty.

But the familiar scene brought back that day’s memories vividly.

Baek Mugyeong crossed the living room toward the bedroom. He roughly tossed off his clothes, frowning.

He couldn’t bring himself to change rooms just because of Jeong Minchae, so he endured for several days. But as his nerves grew frayed, everything began to grate on him.

After shedding his jacket and tie, he began unbuttoning his shirt when the phone tossed on the bed vibrated repeatedly. It wasn’t a call. A barrage of messages. Face-down, the sender remained hidden.

Wondering if it was urgent work, he picked up the phone. Over ten messages had piled up in seconds, all from Choi Jaeha.

[Choi Jaeha: Hyung]

[Choi Jaeha: You know about tomorrow’s charity bazaar, right?]

[Choi Jaeha: Be there by 1 PM]

[Choi Jaeha: We gotta do what we gotta do]

[Choi Jaeha: Minchae’ll get blamed if you’re not there]

[Choi Jaeha: You know how gossip spreads]

[Choi Jaeha: Keep your word even if you break up]

[Choi Jaeha: Don’t be a petty man]

[Choi Jaeha: Tomorrow at 1 PM]

[Choi Jaeha: At least show your face]

[Choi Jaeha: You must]

Even though they were just short messages, Baek Mugyeong frowned as if Choi Jaeha’s nagging was echoing right beside his ear.

He didn’t know how much Jeong Minchae had told Choi Jaeha. A few days ago, Choi Jaeha had come personally to ask if they were getting divorced. When he said yes, he spat out an ominous prophecy that he’d regret it, then turned and left.

Beyond sharing the common trait of being Omegas, the two differed in personality and taste. Yet they remained close like old friends.

It was true they’d known each other for a long time. Even before the regression, they’d been fairly close. That probably influenced things.

Recalling how Jeong Minchae had handled Choi Jaeha’s rude behavior during their honeymoon without anger, letting it slide with flexibility, made it almost certain.

He didn’t like that. Especially how Jeong Minchae leaned on Choi Jaeha without hesitation.

Even he knew it was petty jealousy. So he pretended not to notice, but that feeling lingered even now, after declaring he would divorce Jeong Minchae.

“Ha.”

A hollow laugh escaped his lips. While it’s true the human heart doesn’t always follow reason, this was too much.

He noticed immediately that Jeong Minchae had changed after the regression. The man who’d hung his head like a wilting flower now lifted his chin, his eyes burning.

He’d dismissed it as coincidence. His Omega manifestation during their honeymoon was something that hadn’t happened before the regression.

He hadn’t thought it strange that he’d installed a home camera in the dressing room, or that he often wore the bracelet he’d given him, or that he’d chosen paintings by veteran artists.

His suspicions began to sprout because of Jeong Minchae’s actions at Baek Jinseok’s birthday banquet. Jeong Minchae had preemptively prevented every incident that occurred that day.

Discovering the broken chandelier wire could be dismissed as coincidence. But advising a body search of Baek Gyeongbin was definitely puzzling. Considering how Jeong Minchae usually kept a low profile, it seemed suspicious.

Small doubts gradually grew. Events previously brushed aside began to appear in a new light.

So he confronted Jeong Minchae directly.

“Are you reliving your life?”

He desperately hoped he would deny it. He longed for him to widen his eyes in confusion, demanding, “What are you talking about?”

But Jeong Minchae couldn’t hide his confusion and bewilderment as he nodded in affirmation. Yet his sparkling eyes brimmed with anticipation.

Baek Mugyeong had been preparing for this eventuality. Even so, he couldn’t contain the rage surging within him.

Today Dream was something he’d built entirely on his own strength, without any family connections. And Baek Yeongseop had snatched it away.

Because of Jeong Minchae.

That night, he finally understood why Jeong Minchae had looked so clueless. He hadn’t realized what he’d done, blinded by the drug’s side effects.

He tried to rationalize it: bad luck, not his fault. Losing Today Dream happened before the regression; now he held it firmly. But the seething resentment wouldn’t subside.

He liked Jeong Minchae. He was drawn to the Jeong Minchae who tried to shake off gloom and sorrow, who occasionally made people laugh with his odd words and actions.

That’s why he planned a future with him. It was possible because he believed Jeong Minchae was a different person than before the regression.

But when he learned Jeong Minchae had also regressed, he couldn’t face him.

Days of agonizing brought only more confusion. He steeled himself to stand before him, but he still harbored resentment.

He wanted to scream that he made him lose everything. Simultaneously, he was overwhelmed by the urge to grab him by the collar and kiss him.

Being entangled with Jeong Minchae always drained his self-control. Losing control was the thing he despised most, yet he was helplessly swept away.

When he was infatuated with him, even being swayed felt welcome. But now it had become hateful.

This time, instead of pushing Jeong Minchae away, he chose divorce. He believed that if he didn’t see his face, the hatred and anger would fade. There was no other way.

He expected Baek Jinseok wouldn’t grant it easily. But he never imagined he’d bring up his psychiatric counseling history right then.

Both Korea and the US strictly keep patient counseling records confidential. It was clearly Baek Jaehan who uncovered it and tattled to Grandfather.

And it must have been Jeong Minchae who passed the information to Baek Jaehan.

Besides his therapist in the US, Jeong Minchae was the only one who knew about his compulsions. He’d inadvertently exposed his symptoms in the basement machine room and in the elevator.

This time, disappointment outweighed anger. He could only conclude that the divorce had brought out his true colors.

Faced with Jeong Minchae’s shameless claim of still knowing nothing, he turned away immediately. Though everything was in shambles, he believed no lingering attachment would remain.

Yet the deep heartbreak lasted scarcely hours. When he recognized the red marks on Jeong Minchae’s cheek as handprints, he nearly lost his mind. When Jeong Minchae knelt, pleading for time, whether aware of his own state or not, his mind went cold.

She instinctively knew Jeong Su-chan was the one who left the handprint on Minchae’s cheek. And that he was pressuring her over the divorce.

He was furious with Jeong Suchan, who dared lay a hand on what was his. Simultaneously, he loathed his own wavering resolve before Minchae’s desperate pleas.

Determined not to be swayed by Jeong Minchae again, he forced himself to be cold. He stormed out of the room, leaving him alone, but couldn’t bring himself to press the elevator button. He turned back to the room to confirm exactly who had hit Jeong Minchae’s cheek.

Jeong Minchae lay face down on the floor, unaware anyone had entered. At first, he wondered why he was like that, but when he saw his tear-streaked face as he lifted his head, he was momentarily stunned.

No matter how much he wiped away the tears, his swollen, red cheek and lashes still clung to wetness.

He had to admit it. No matter how angry or disappointed he felt, human emotions couldn’t be severed so cleanly.

He clenched his fists so tightly to suppress the urge to stroke his tear-streaked cheeks and kiss his lips.

He left Jeong Minchae behind and stepped out of the cabin, but the turmoil in his heart refused to settle.