AOA 139

I kept thinking about how I never told Baek Mugyeong that I liked him. I should have asked him what the bracelet meant, and I should have told him to apologize.

In the end, what I wanted was to see him again.

“Ah.”

I set the bracelet down and rubbed my face. The feelings that never died out burned like embers. They rekindled and died again and again, and that made my mind restless.

I grabbed my phone from beside the bed and impulsively opened the messenger app.

[Me: I received the brac…]

I stopped typing before I finished writing “I received the bracelet.” I remembered that Baek Mugyeong had blocked my number. I had changed my number before leaving for America, but there was no way to know if he still had me blocked. I threw the phone aside and lay down on the bed.

“I don’t care.”

I let out a sigh and closed my eyes. I had never learned or experienced how to handle a situation like this, so I was lost.

Even so, I couldn’t keep avoiding him forever. Sooner or later, I had to face him directly.

“…But not now.”

I needed time to prepare myself before meeting Baek Mugyeong. I stayed in bed for a long time, then put the bracelet away in a drawer and lay back down.

There was still plenty of time.

*

A week later, I sat under the fierce summer sunlight of the Seoul sky.

“The old man does whatever he wants.”

Aunt Soyeon grumbled in the passenger seat of the car driving through the city. She had reason to. Baek Jinseok had set the meeting without asking, and that had thrown off her schedule.

Officially, I was in America for rest. I had cut ties with my biological father, and since I was about to divorce, I contacted Baek Jinseok’s secretary right before boarding the plane and said I was going to my grandmother’s house in America. I added that it was for recuperation. It was a one-sided notice, but Baek Jinseok never responded.

About a month later, he reached out. He said I must have rested enough, so we should meet.

I honestly thought the divorce would go through by lawyer. A mutual divorce only needed signed papers.

But since he went so far as to call me back to Korea, it was clear he had a reason. Maybe he didn’t intend to allow the divorce, or maybe he just wanted to make trouble.

Aunt Soyeon called him a mean old man who liked to train people like dogs. She said making someone come and go on command was the easiest way to show power.

I agreed with her. But I couldn’t refuse Baek Jinseok’s summons, he was the chairman of one of the top three conglomerates in Korea. If I wanted a peaceful life, I couldn’t afford to fall out of his favor.

I had planned to come alone, but Aunt Soyeon refused to let me. She adjusted her own schedule to accompany me, saying we couldn’t know how my biological father might act. Like before, we hired several bodyguards to escort me from the airport. Even at the hotel, they stayed close through the night.

Now, on the way to meet Baek Jinseok, the guards moved with us. Eight people felt excessive, but being cautious was better than being sorry.

“He could’ve just sent the divorce papers, but he had to make it a whole event. Minchae, don’t worry too much. Chairman Baek is strict about formalities, so the divorce will go through.”

“Yes.”

I nodded at Aunt Soyeon’s words. Our goal was clear. We would meet Baek Jinseok, settle everything, and return to America quickly.

Like she said, I wasn’t worried about the divorce. I knew Baek Jinseok wouldn’t try to keep me.

What filled my mind instead was Baek Mugyeong.

Knowing Baek Jinseok’s personality, it was possible he had called Mugyeong to the mansion as well. I didn’t know what I would do if I saw him.

Since my number was blocked, the only way to contact him was through my lawyer. After hesitating several times, I asked the lawyer to tell him I had received the bracelet. I didn’t know what I would do if Mugyeong actually called me. I had been nervous for days.

But he never responded.

I felt embarrassed for acting impulsively. Then I felt drained, more from disappointment than shame.

I thought I would never see Baek Mugyeong again.

Then strange news came from Korea. Choi Jaeha told me my biological father’s company was under tax investigation. He also said my biological father’s scholarship foundation had appeared on the national news for embezzlement.

I was shocked and searched online, and what he said was true. The foundation was under police investigation for embezzlement, and the company was being audited for taxes.

As soon as I saw that, I thought of Baek Mugyeong. He had investigated not only Jung Guhyeon’s drug crimes but also my biological father’s corruption.

He had kept the documents to reveal later, but I didn’t think it would make much difference. Even if someone reported it to the police or the media, my biological father had the power to bury it. In my past life, there had been internal whistleblowers too, but it had all gone silent.

This time, though, things were spreading fast. What should have been a short news brief grew as it connected to a national scholarship fraud case.

Something about it felt wrong. This wasn’t coincidence. Someone was directing it.

At this point, the most likely person to hold and use my biological father’s weakness was Baek Jaehan. The arranged marriage he had invested in had fallen apart, so it made sense for him to lash out on my biological father.

But I couldn’t rule out Baek Mugyeong. The corruption now being exposed matched exactly what he had uncovered.

If it was Baek Mugyeong, why did he do that?

The question stuck in my mind. Once the divorce was done, everything between him and my biological father would be over, so there was no reason for him to stir up trouble. Their relationship had been bad, but not bad enough for this.

I almost convinced myself that maybe Baek Mugyeong was taking revenge for me, but I stopped before it went any further. Expecting anything from him felt foolish and embarrassing.

When I imagined seeing Baek Mugyeong again, my heart tightened so much it almost hurt. I clenched my hand into a fist on my thigh. I didn’t want to look clumsy in front of him. I reminded myself that I had to act like nothing was wrong.

Fortunately, my fear didn’t come true. Baek Mugyeong wasn’t at Baek Jinseok’s mansion. I was relieved and disappointed at the same time. But I couldn’t stay lost in that state for long. I was already inside the tiger’s den, and if I wanted to live, I had to stay alert.

*

The meeting with Baek Jinseok ended much faster than I expected. He asked briefly how I had been, and then said that before the year ended, he would settle my marriage with Baek Mugyeong.

It was what I expected, so I wasn’t surprised. I only answered quietly that I understood.

He said he liked that I was quick to understand and added that he found the situation unfortunate.

That was the end of it.

I couldn’t tell whether calling me all the way here to say something that could have been done through a lawyer was his idea of courtesy, or if Aunt Soyeon was right and it was his way of training people like dogs.

But I decided to be satisfied that he agreed to the divorce without conditions.

Aunt Soyeon said she had something to discuss privately with him, so I left the study alone.

I didn’t know how long their talk would take, and I couldn’t stand waiting outside his personal study, so I went quietly toward the sitting room on the first floor.

As I came down the stairs and turned the corner of the hall, I heard an unexpected voice.

“The butler said your omega is here. Then why are you here?”

Even without seeing his face, I knew who it was. It was Baek Yeongseop.

It was a weekday afternoon. I couldn’t guess why Baek Yeongseop, who had been sent away to Tongyeong, was here.

“I don’t know either.”

He wasn’t talking to me. He was talking to Baek Mugyeong. The shock made me stop in place.

“You’re getting divorced?”

“Yes.”

“Why? Because you’re useless? Or because you both are?”

“That’s an inappropriate remark.”

“Why? You both are useless. You’re mentally unstable, and your omega has pheromone issues, right? Or do you want to deny it?”

Because it was summer, the door to the sitting room was wide open, and I heard every word clearly. He wasn’t even talking to me, but the things he said made my head burn. I couldn’t believe a person could speak like that to someone’s face.

I gritted my teeth and moved toward the sitting room. Even if I appeared, Baek Yeongseop was the kind of person who wouldn’t stop talking, but I couldn’t leave Baek Mugyeong alone with him.

“The alpha hazard also relates to psychological factors.”

Baek Mugyeong’s voice resounded through Baek Yeongseop’s mocking laughter. I was about to step inside but stopped again. Baek Yeongseop stopped laughing too.

“What?”

“What you just said is like spitting in your own face. More than once.”

Baek Mugyeong said it with a calm face. The words hit harder because they were true.

From where I stood, I could see only Baek Yeongseop’s back, but even then, I could tell his shoulders were shaking.

“You bastard. You’re getting arrogant.”

“You didn’t know? You should get a proper explanation from a doctor.”

Baek Mugyeong knew how to hurt people with words. Baek Yeongseop didn’t attack him. He cursed, called him insane, and turned to leave.

Because I stood right at the doorway, we faced each other. When he saw me, he flinched.

“What the hell? Why are you here?”

“I just met with the chairman.”

“Really? You must be disappointed then. You almost got to suck more out of our family.”

“I think it’s just something that can’t be helped, since I’m useless.”