AOA 140

I made it obvious that I had heard everything they said. I worked my head and found the courage to looked at Baek Yeongseop. I was relieved because my voice did not tremble.

Baek Yeongseop wasn’t stupid. He showed a confused look for a moment and frowned a little late as he realized that I had basically called him an idiot too.

“Shit. The husband and wife are both acting crazy. Ha, I can’t cause a scene right now. I’ll see you later, alright?!”

Baek Yeongseop shouted and passed by me quickly and left. When he disappeared, only Baek Mugyeong and I were left in the room.

I had rushed in out of anger, but when I actually faced Baek Mugyeong, I was confused.

The man looked colder than usual. He seemed like he hadn’t slept well because shadows rested under his eyes. His face that used to look bright now looked worn.

The mood made it hard to talk, so I missed the timing to greet him after so long. But I could not turn back and leave either. While I looked at him nervously, Baek Mugyeong shrugged once and then spoke.

“I didn’t know you were in Korea.”

“Ah, yes.”

After the short exchange, silence fell. We didn’t avoid each other’s eyes, but a strange the atmosphere was awkward. It had been something that happened too often before, but now my legs twitched because I wanted to run away somewhere from Baek Mugyeong.

“When did you come to Korea?”

“Yesterday.”

“Did grandfather call you?”

“Yes.”

A conversation with only short answers would not continue, so if I wanted to end my connection with Baek Mugyeong, I only needed to keep it this way.

After a moment of hesitation, I opened my mouth first.

“I received the bracelet.”

“Yes.”

“I told you I got it through the lawyer. Should I stop doing that now?”

I did not ask him directly if it was over, and I asked in a roundabout way instead. The break in conversation clearly meant rejection. If that was true, then I had to stop hoping.

But Baek Mugyeong’s reaction was a bit intense. His brows furrowed as if he disliked something, and he clicked his tongue.

It felt like rejection, and I felt my heart dropping.

“First of all, I didn’t get any message from the lawyer that you contacted me.”

“…?”

“I never ignored you on purpose.”

“…Alright.”

He explained so desperately that I nodded in confusion. I never imagined that the lawyer had not told Baek Mugyeong.

“Oh my, my nephew’s husband is here. It’s been a while.”

Just when the atmosphere started turning awkward again, we heard Aunt Soyeon’s bright voice. Baek Mugyeong greeted her politely.

They talked like people who had not met for a long time, and their conversation was formal. Aunt Soyeon led most of it. She thanked Baek Mugyeong for visiting the hospital almost every day and said I probably woke up thanks to him. Then she told him not to come without notice next time and to set an appointment first. She even warned him that if the same thing happened again, she would call the police.

The last part was a threat, but Baek Mugyeong answered calmly that he understood. Their conversation ended there. Aunt Soyeon turned and said we should go.

I was waiting for the right moment to talk to Baek Mugyeong, and I panicked. I hesitated and couldn’t follow my aunt, and then Baek Mugyeong spoke first.

“I’ll contact you after I meet your grandfather.”

“Yes, I understand.”

I nodded quickly and moved. My steps out of the mansion felt lighter than ever.

Even though I knew I shouldn’t expect anything, I couldn’t stop hoping again. If the meaning of the bracelet had only been to say goodbye, then he would not have bothered to explain that the lawyer never passed on my message.

“Are you going to meet Executive Director Baek?”

While I was thinking about what to say when I met Baek Mugyeong, Aunt Soyeon, who sat next to me in the back seat, suddenly spoke.

“Ah… yes.”

“You know you have to get divorced, right? Once Chairman Baek decides, that can’t be changed.”

“I know. I’ll get divorced for sure.”

“Hmm, then that’s fine.”

Unlike my grandmother, Aunt Soyeon did not call Baek Mugyeong my ex-husband. Her response was slightly vague, but overall it felt like she wanted to wait and see.

Grandmother was the strict one. She said arranged marriages should never happen and disliked Baek Mugyeong’s very existence. When Baek Jinseok called me to Korea, she said he made everything complicated. She also told me again and again to make sure to sign the divorce papers properly while I was there.

Unlike Grandmother, who told me to meet a wonderful alpha in America and date freely, Aunt Soyeon was rather friendly toward Baek Mugyeong.

“Is it alright if I meet him?”

“You’re a grown adult. I can’t tell you what to do. It’ll sound like nagging anyway. Once you live far apart, your hearts will drift apart too, so just finish things well.”

Aunt Soyeon said a lot of things that sounded meaningful. What she said was true. If I settled in America, I would have no reason to meet Baek Mugyeong again. But I couldn’t calm down because I was too excited.

I would meet Baek Mugyeong soon.

*

No one knows what can happen in life.

I thought that while I looked at Baek Mugyeong sitting across from me, wearing a tailored suit that fit his large build perfectly.

Just three hours ago, I had planned to see only Baek Jinseok and go straight back to America. I never imagined I would not only meet Baek Mugyeong again but also sit down and talk with him alone.

To be exact, it was not completely alone.

Aunt Soyeon did not oppose me meeting Baek Mugyeong, but she insisted that we should not be alone together in an enclosed place.

So the meeting took place at a cafe in the lobby on the first floor of the hotel. Aunt Soyeon sat two tables behind us drinking coffee, and across the room, two pairs of bodyguards took seats.

That clearly meant they were watching us. But since the tables were far apart and music was playing, I did not worry too much.

“How is life in America? You look a lot better.”

“Yes, I’ve been well. Mugyeong-ssi, you look like you haven’t slept. Are you sick?”

While we exchanged greetings we had not said earlier, I honestly spoke without meaning to. Just like before, the area under his eyes looked a bit sunken.

He also seemed thinner.

When I looked at him calmly, his suit that should have fit him perfectly looked a little loose. I felt worried that he might be unwell.

“I’m not sick, but it’s true that I haven’t been sleeping much.”

I knew what that felt like. After fighting with Baek Mugyeong, I had not slept either, and my condition had fallen apart.

It felt like something bad had happened to Baek Mugyeong.

“Is it because Baek Yeongseop’s been bothering you?”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s strange that he’s in Seoul when he should be in Tongyeong. It’s a weekday, not even the weekend. And the way he talked earlier too.”

As I spoke, I started to think the situation might actually be serious.

Baek Jinseok had brought Baek Mugyeong back from America to make Baek Yeongseop feel threatened. But Baek Yeongseop caused the Alpha Hazard and fell out of Baek Jinseok’s favor. After it became known that Baek Mugyeong had obsessive-compulsive traits, Baek Jinseok started to see him as a liability and excluded him

The reason Baek Jinseok called both Baek Mugyeong and Baek Yeongseop today was obvious. He wanted to make them compete. And both Baek Jaehan and Baek Yeongseop were the kind of people who would try to eliminate any rival. If Baek Yeongseop had returned from Tongyeong, the pressure on Baek Mugyeong would be extreme.

“I haven’t lost sleep because of Baek Yeongseop.”

“I see. Hmm… I started over, and I’ve achieved what I wanted. How about you?”

There were many things I wanted to say to Baek Mugyeong, but somehow only unplanned topics came out of my mouth.

Living the same life again after going back in time was a miracle. What usually only happened in movies, dramas, or novels had happened to both of us, and it felt like some kind of special sign.

But I did not think there was any grand mission behind it. I was just an ordinary person, and there was a limit to what I could do.

I had not dreamed of bloody revenge. Instead, I used my memories of the future to fulfill modest wishes. As a result, I had protected my family, cut ties with my biological father, and was now about to finalize my divorce.

There had been ups and downs, but I had achieved everything I wanted.

Then what about Baek Mugyeong?

There had been many suspicions surrounding the truck accident he suffered. I wondered if he knew about that.

“At the end… that accident had a lot of suspicious parts. Do you know about it? No, never mind, pretend you didn’t hear that. It’s too sensitive. I’m sorry. I crossed the line.”

It felt like I was saying anything without thinking, so I immediately apologized. It was not something to ask when trust between us was already broken.

“I know, and I’m preparing for it.”

Even though I had clearly spoken out of turn, Baek Mugyeong did not look offended and answered calmly.

With his personality, he would make sure to take proper revenge.

During our short marriage, Baek Mugyeong had helped me in many ways without showing it. So I wanted to be someone who could help him too.

“I don’t know what you’re planning, but if there’s anything I can do, tell me. I know a bit about Baek Yeongseop at least. I mean it.”

Baek Yeongseop was the kind who talked endlessly. He would call me and rant about everyone or brag about himself. Since I wasn’t in my right mind back then, he must have thought I was easy to talk to and said whatever came to his head.

Most of it was useless. He said Baek Jaehan’s slush fund was hidden in some bank in Indonesia, but he didn’t know how to prove it.

But I did know that Baek Yeongseop had a private villa in Yangpyeong and that a safe was hidden there. I also knew the location of the safe and the password.

He had said there were lots of good things inside it. I didn’t know what those things were, but I hoped they would help Baek Mugyeong.