AOA 147

Unfortunately, it was hard to reach Jeong Minchae that afternoon because there was a special schedule.

Baek Mugyeong was about to send a message saying he had another appointment, but he pressed the call button instead. After a few rings, Jeong Minchae answered with a bright voice.

– Mugyeong-ssi?

“Can you talk now?”

– Yes.

“Three o’clock doesn’t work. I have another appointment. Let’s talk now.”

– Really? Alright. Hold on a second.

He immediately sent video call request. When he pressed the button, Jeong Minchae’s face appeared on the screen. He had lost a lot of weight while lying unconscious in the hospital for over a month, but the flesh had slowly returned. His pretty face shone brightly with a smile.

– Can you see me well?

Whenever they did a video call, Jeong Minchae smiled and waved. The background showed he was outside, not indoors.

“I can see you well. Do you have a dinner appointment?”

– Yeah. My friends suddenly asked me to eat dinner, and it’d be awkward to skip it. A friend who takes classes with me suddenly has to go to Washington, so we decided to have a farewell dinner. It was decided just today.

Compared to his reading and writing, Jeong Minchae’s spoken English skill was relatively weak. So he had started attending a language academy in Los Angeles with his younger brother and his aunt.

He said it didn’t feel right to send only his underage brother, who was still a minor, and his aunt, who barely spoke English, so he joined too to learn something new.

Jeong Minchae was sociable and had made many friends at the academy. The farewell dinner was a normal social activity.

“Are you drinking?”

– Probably? There’s someone who likes drinking. Oh, but I’m not driving. It’s fine.

Baek Mugyeong wasn’t worried about drunk driving. He was more bothered by the thought of young men and women of similar age drinking together and things getting heated.

Jeong Minchae himself wasn’t aware of it, but he was a rather noticeable beauty. Since he wasn’t suffering anymore, the strange air he had when they first met had disappeared. He had turned into a lively and charming beauty.

Baek Mugyeong admitted that he was looking at him through rose-colored glasses. But the fact that Jeong Minchae was attractive and drew attention was objective truth.

Baek Mugyeong had put a new ring on Jeong Minchae’s left ring finger. It almost looked like a wedding ring. But there were plenty of Alphas who would still approach an Omega regardless of whether he was married or not.

Baek Mugyeong was sure that Jeong Minchae wouldn’t even glance at a typical Alpha, but even so, he disliked the idea of any Alpha approaching him at all.

If he followed his heart, he wanted to tell him not to drink and to go home. But he could make the rational judgment that he shouldn’t say that.

“I’ll contact you once during it. Don’t get drunk.”

– Of course. I won’t drink much. Oh right. Grandma said she wants to treat you to a meal sometime. She said she wants to see your face.

“If she invites me, I’ll go.”

– Really? Then I’ll tell Grandma.

Baek Mugyeong had already done some research on Jeong Minchae’s maternal family. His grandmother, Lee Miseon, was a successful businesswoman who had built a fortune in real estate in America.

She had retired long ago and no longer handled business matters. She was known to be bold in character but ruthless when it came to business. People said that no matter how close she was to someone, once she turned her back, she cut them off completely.

Baek Mugyeong knew that Jeong Minchae’s grandmother didn’t think well of him. He had heard from Park Soyeon that even before the divorce, she referred to him as her former grandson-in-law.

It was a significant matter for that Lee Miseon to offer a meal. It was hard to tell whether it meant she was acknowledging his relationship with Jeong Minchae or if she just wanted to see his face.

In any case, he had to attend this invitation no matter what. Even for adults, if a family strongly opposed the relationship, it would inevitably cause problems.

“I’ll be in America this time, so that’ll be a good time.”

– It’ll be during the Christmas season. Is that okay?

“No problem.”

After officially starting to date, Baek Mugyeong and Jeong Minchae contacted each other every day. And once or twice a month, they met by flying back and forth between Korea and America.

A round trip to Los Angeles took an entire day. Yet in the past three months, Baek Mugyeong had visited Jeong Minchae three times. Because the distance had grown, he had to put in that much more effort.

This time too, Baek Mugyeong had decided to go to America. He had already booked a five-day, three-night flight for the Christmas period. He could fit the meal with Jeong Minchae’s grandmother into that schedule.

Jeong Minchae said he understood and would tell his grandmother. Meanwhile, Baek Mugyeong operated his phone and sent a news link to Jeong Minchae through message.

“I just sent you a news link. Can you check it now?”

– Oh, I got it. ‘Raid on drug crime scene involving children of high-ranking officials.’ This one?

“Yes.”

– No way, is this related to Jeong Guhyeon?

Jeong Minchae’s eyes and mouth turned round inside the phone screen.

“That’s right. He’ll have a rough time for a while.”

– Wow. How did you even do that? No, wait, I have to go now. Tell me later, later.

Baek Mugyeong smiled at Jeong Minchae’s reaction that was fiercer than he had expected. He told Jeong Minchae that he would explain tomorrow, and he ended the call. After he pressed the end button, he looked down at his phone for a while and swallowed a bitter smile.

“There’s no need for him to know everything.”

He wasn’t avenging Jeong Minchae out of pride or the desire to show off. He simply wanted to do it.

Baek Mugyeong knew that being able to sit across from Jeong Minchae and talk with him and laugh with him was already a miracle.

The fact that he had died once and was now living life again was something beyond understanding. He couldn’t even guess what kind of force made it possible.

Because Baek Mugyeong was a realist, he decided not to search for the cause but to make the most of what he had. Knowing the future was an incredible power. He had saved a friend, protected his company, and vowed revenge.

But the one thing that hadn’t gone as he wanted was Jeong Minchae.

He had never expected that his heart would move toward him. And above all, he had never expected that the grudge that burned him red inside had been nothing more than a misunderstanding.

It had been an irreparable foolish act to accuse Jeong Minchae without checking the truth. The fact that Jeong Minchae had only told him to get lost and called him a bastard had been an extremely decent response.

He had believed that no matter what he did, it would be impossible to forgive him. He had honestly thought it would end without ever seeing Jeong Minchae again.

But Jeong Minchae had understood that it could happen if there was a misunderstanding. To be exact, he had exploded in anger, and then he had calmed down quickly.

Baek Mugyeong had felt it before, but Jeong Minchae’s boiling point was very high. He didn’t get angry easily, and when he did, it didn’t last long.

He had even said himself that spending energy on negative thoughts was too tiring. It was the kind of personality that made him an easy target for exploitation.

Either way, thanks to that, Baek Mugyeong had gained another chance.

Baek Mugyeong was a man who knew how to be grateful for a miracle. That was why he decided to take revenge in Jeong Minchae’s place.

He had especially made up his mind to end Jeong Guhyeon.

Even if he was caught for drugs, a first-time offender usually received a suspended sentence. The trial might drag on for a long time, but the verdict was hard to influence.

However, anything could happen during the trial period. If Jeong Guhyeon had touched ecstasy, then he wouldn’t recover fully through drug treatment alone. The more stress he faced, the harder it would be for him to resist the urge for drugs.

The more he relied on drugs, the faster he would collapse. And then an unfortunate incident like an overdose could happen.

Of course, Baek Mugyeong had no intention of just waiting for a natural accident to occur.

He didn’t have personal connections in that kind of world, but Lee Miseon and Park Soyeon were different. Among those who had once worked under the loan shark king, a few had survived quietly for a long time.

Lee Miseon and Park Soyeon hadn’t just watched when Jeong Suchan’s family tormented and tried to kill Jeong Minchae. The reason Jeong Guhyeon had been caught in the recent drug crackdown was because they had moved their old connections in Korea. They were also planning to play a part in making sure Jeong Guhyeon faced an unfortunate accident.

No one would question an accident that happened to a drug offender like Jeong Guhyeon. Everyone would just click their tongues and say it served him right, and then they would forget.

There was no need for Jeong Minchae to know any of this.

That was something Park Soyeon agreed with as well. They only told Jeong Minchae to wait. So he only needed to know that Jeong Guhyeon had ruined himself because of drugs.

“There are plenty of good things besides that too.”

His revenge had only a few hours left. The preparations were perfect, and all that remained was to act.

The Cheongam Charity Concert would turn into a mess, but there was no other event like this one.

Baek Mugyeong imagined the chaos that would soon unfold. Baek Yeongseop might run away with a terrified face. There might even be a brawl.

Watching it all directly with his own eyes would be the surest form of revenge.

*

The Cheongam Charity Concert, which invited famous artists every year, was always popular. Whenever ticket sales opened, all the seats sold out within minutes.

The art center, one of the three largest in Korea, was crowded with people. Because the entire family of Baek Jinseok, the chairman of the Daesong Group, attended, people from every social class came as well.

After the charity performance ended, Baek Mugyeong went to the banquet hall where the party was being held and looked around slowly. The art center, decorated according to Baek Jinseok’s taste, looked like an old European theater. The long chandeliers were luxurious, and the railings and pillars were all antique in style.

Everyone who stood at the center of today’s event was there.