AOA 15

It was the afternoon of the second day after arriving in Cebu. I was heading toward the hotel building to drink coffee someone else had brewed, when I accidentally caught sight of a newlywed couple kissing behind a large palm tree and quickly turned my head away. The polite thing to do in situations like that was to pretend you hadn’t seen anything.

As I walked away briskly, another couple in matching outfits came toward me, their arms around each other’s waists, practically cheek to cheek. I swiftly passed them as well.

Cebu was a famous vacation and honeymoon destination. Especially for Korean newlyweds. It wasn’t unusual to see couples glued to each other, so I wasn’t surprised.

The problem was that all their affectionate displays were stirring memories from before the regression.

I’d had a girlfriend in high school, but the most we ever did was hold hands. After my father died and my mother fell ill, I didn’t have the energy to care about dating. Later, I was too busy making money to be in a relationship.

Because of that, I married Baek Mugyeong with no experience whatsoever in that area. And although we’d agreed to live without interfering in each other’s lives, it wasn’t like I ever considered cheating either. I didn’t have much desire in that regard.

My first and only sexual experience had been with Baek Mugyeong, during my omega manifestation. Maybe it was because of the shock of manifesting, but my memory of it was fragmented. Still, the breath-stealing sensation of pleasure was burned vividly into my body. Just recalling it made me feel strange.

Even now, despite technically having no experience, my body tingled in response. At first, it made me feel pathetic, but instead of getting depressed, I decided to take it as proof that my body was healthy.

I forced down the rising heat with a brisk rub of my face. Stretching and pulling myself together, I headed to the café in the hotel lobby.

After ordering an iced latte, I scanned the lobby for an empty seat, and spotted Baek Mugyeong’s back.

Surprisingly, he wasn’t alone. Sitting across from him was a man. A familiar face with cat-like eyes and dimples when he smiled.

It was Choi Jaeha.

I recognized him instantly. Choi Jaeha was the youngest son of the chairman of Taeyang Shipping, an omega who had a one-sided love for Baek Mugyeong. He used to burn with jealousy toward me, claiming he should have been the one to marry Baek Mugyeong.

There had been some harassment, but it was brief. Choi Jaeha was emotional but generally cheerful. Once I started to lose my grip due to the drug side effects, he began treating me like a sidekick. There were even rumors that the first and second matched. All things considered, we had a fairly decent relationship until the day I died. In hindsight, I think he felt sorry for me.

But I never expected he had come all the way to our honeymoon destination. Before the regression, I barely left the bungalow, so I must’ve avoided running into him.

Baek Mugyeong had always found Choi Jaeha’s advances bothersome. More accurately, he completely ignored them.

Once, when Choi Jaeha was drunk, he’d wailed about his misfortunes. He’d asked if he was that ugly, and Baek Mugyeong had snapped back, calling him someone who “couldn’t eat what’s served.”

Knowing all this, I had absolutely no interest in what the two of them were talking about now. I didn’t even want to imagine what might be said if I inserted myself into that situation.

At this point, I wasn’t close with Choi Jaeha yet. If I ran into him now, he might very well throw water on me like he did before the regression.

“Hey! You!”

I had just picked up my iced latte and was trying to walk quickly in the opposite direction when a loud voice echoed across the room. I didn’t have to turn around to know it was Choi Jaeha shouting at me.

“You! Stop right there!”

When I looked back, there he was, practically running toward me. Even Baek Mugyeong standing in his way did nothing to stop him.

In a flash, Choi Jaeha stood before me, narrowing his eyes. He was glaring furiously, but his features were cute enough that it didn’t feel threatening, a secret I’d never tell him, of course.

“You’re the guy who married Mugyeong hyung?”

Choi Jaeha launched into a fight from the start. Just like before the regression, his first meeting with me was unbelievably rude.

“Who are you?”

“You’re a beta, right?”

“I haven’t manifested yet. But really, who are you?”

I asked not Choi Jaeha, but Baek Mugyeong standing beside me. At this point in time, I didn’t know who Choi Jaeha was. So it made sense to ask Baek Mugyeong for an introduction.

“Choi Jaeha—hey!”

Just as Baek Mugyeong exhaled and began to say his name, cold latte spilled all over my face. Choi Jaeha had snatched the cup from my hand and dumped it on me.

I wasn’t that surprised, I had more or less expected this. What impressed me more was the speed and boldness with which he grabbed the cup from my hand.

“Ugly freak! You stole hyung?!”

“Stop it!”

Baek Mugyeong shouted on my behalf. I could feel the eyes of everyone in the hotel lobby, watching the scene unfold like a dramatic love triangle. This needed to be resolved fast.

“Why’d you marry someone so ugly?! I’m way better-loo—ack! What are you doing?!”

I grabbed the cup out of Choi Jaeha’s hand and hugged him tight. Then I rubbed my wet face and body all over him, not caring whether he screamed or not, before stepping back.

“You—you’re crazy!”

“Mr. Choi Jaeha. Now you’re the ugly one.”

His crisp, white shirt was now drenched and stained with coffee. The result of my very thorough contact.

After being something like a friend to Choi Jaeha for over a year, I knew his personality well enough. He would never appear in front of others looking disheveled. Especially not in front of Baek Mugyeong. He always wanted to seem perfect. The coffee stains on his shirt would be unbearable.

Sure enough, Choi Jaeha’s face went pale.

“Hyung! I-I’ll go change! You just wait!”

Shouting to the end, he turned and ran off. With the drama over, the onlookers quickly lost interest. A hotel staff member appeared, holding a towel.

I placed the cup I’d been holding back on the café counter and took the towel, wiping down my face and body. Even my sandals were wet, so walking through the lobby would’ve been inconsiderate. I thanked the hotel staff and stepped outside through the café terrace. I had to go around the building to reach the bungalow, but I had no choice.

“Are you all right?”

Baek Mugyeong had followed behind me, looking genuinely apologetic.

“I’m fine. It wasn’t hot coffee. But… who is he?”

I held back a joke about whether he was a boyfriend, figuring it might sour the mood. Baek Mugyeong wasn’t someone who appreciated that kind of humor.

“His name is Choi Jaeha. Youngest son of Taeyang Shipping.”

“You ran into him by chance?”

I asked with a tone implying I knew better. Baek Mugyeong’s brow furrowed, then relaxed.

“No. He followed me here.”

“He followed you? All the way here?”

“This might sound strange, but… he’s obsessed with me.”

“A stalker?”

Baek Mugyeong phrased it very mildly, but I went straight to the point. What else do you call someone who follows you to your honeymoon?

“Something like that. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

He let out a sigh and offered a solution. But Choi Jaeha was persistent, he’d cause more trouble again and again. Still, I nodded, since this wasn’t the time to bring that up.

“Understood. But, I know this might sound strange too, but… wouldn’t Choi Jaeha be a more suitable marriage partner than me?”

A question that had suddenly popped into my head came out. I’d thought something similar before the regression but had forgotten it due to the drug side effects.

Taeyang Shipping wasn’t on Dae Song Group’s level, but it was still a promising company. As an omega who had manifested and was his family’s cherished youngest, Choi Jaeha was a decent match.

And he was the one actively pursuing Baek Mugyeong. Even if Baek Jaehan didn’t want his son to marry into a strong in-law family, if Baek Mugyeong had insisted on marrying Choi Jaeha, he couldn’t have stopped it.

This question tied directly into why Baek Mugyeong married me. Choi Jaeha, while a bit eccentric, was bright and devoted, an objectively fine marriage partner.

I tossed the question casually, but no answer came right away. When I glanced over, Baek Mugyeong was wearing a strange expression.

“There were circumstances between the families.”

“I see.”

Chaebol families were always sensitive about these things. People in the know might already be aware, but I was an outsider. I couldn’t press Baek Mugyeong for details. I figured I’d ask again, once I was clear-headed and had become something like a friend to Choi Jaeha again.

We soon reached the entrance to the bungalow. This seemed like a good place to part ways, so I spoke first.

“I’ll head in now.”

“I’m sorry. As I said earlier, you won’t run into Choi Jaeha again.”

“It’s not your fault, Baek Mugyeong-ssi. No need to apologize.”

“It happened because of me. And I should’ve stopped him from attacking you.”