AOA 158

Baek Mugyeong turned his head to look at Jeong Minchae sitting next to him. He looked cute as he took a big bite of fried rice and chewed slowly.

I hope they don’t resemble me.

Baek Mugyeong felt an unfamiliar fear as he recalled that one-in-a-million possibility. The child might resemble Jeong Minchae, but they could also resemble him. It didn’t matter if the child was a beta, an alpha, or an omega. However, he hated the thought of the child resembling him.

Baek Mugyeong was unaware that he was counting his chickens before they hatch all by himself. He had even forgotten his past remarks that children were not essential to married life. While he was weighing the probabilities, Jeong Minchae gave him a glance. As their eyes met, he gestured for him to ask what was wrong.

Baek Mugyeong, who had been lost in thought, was flustered. But he calmly shook his head, saying it was nothing. He couldn’t bring himself to admit that he was worried about what to do if the child took after him. Rather than that, having a serious conversation about what Jeong Minchae’s concerns were was the priority.

Baek Mugyeong made up his mind.

❖ ❖ ❖

All the dihes were delicious. Just as Jeong Minchae had said, Lee Sejun stopped at tasting just a little bit of each. The group only got up from their seats after he had even drunk his digestive medicine.

As Jeong Minchae led the way out of the restaurant, Baek Mugyeong received a look of pressure. Encouraged to find out the cause of Jeong Minchae’s sighs at all costs, Baek Mugyeong nodded in acknowledgment.

Upon returning to the hotel, everyone went their separate ways. Lee Sejun said he needed a walk and went to the hotel gym. Jeong Minchae joined him. Park Soyeon went to the swimming pool, while Choi Jieun and Lee Miseon went to the sauna.

Baek Mugyeong answered Jake’s call. The content was quite serious.

–Just as you said, an investment firm contacted me. They said they would buy a stake.

“How much are they giving?”

–200,000 is quite generous, right? Raul got a call too. And Catherine, too.

“Hah. Who are they?”

–A place called Ask. They’re not scammers. They’re a somewhat known VC.

VC. Venture capital referred to firms that invest in early-stage companies. Baek Mugyeong had never heard the name Ask before, but he trusted Jake’s words.

An investment firm had approached him even before the regression. At that time, Jake was deceased, and the company was in turmoil. The co-founders and employees holding shares sold them off at rock-bottom prices. That was how Baek Yeongseop swallowed up the company.

Baek Yeongseop was currently in the midst of a murder trial. He heard that he was on high alert because the probability of a guilty verdict was high. It was said that his irritation had skyrocketed, causing him to drink heavily and cause disturbances. Baek Mugyeong wondered if he would even have the presence of mind to mobilize an investment firm to seize shares in that state.

Baek Mugyeong frowned as his thoughts ran wild. He had suspected it since before the regression, but the real identity could be Baek Jaehan, not Baek Yeongseop. It was he who had even found his history of psychiatric counseling. There were suspicions, but no evidence. Baek Mugyeong thought about what to do next.

“You recorded it, right?”

–Of course. You said you’d give me a bonus. Should I send the file right away?

In this industry, it was commonplace for the tables to turn overnight. Nevertheless, Today Dream, an AI security startup, was fairly promising. They were developing software to be installed on a global corporation’s communications satellite. Of course, they were still just one of many applicants, but once they were selected, their company value would skyrocket in an instant.

There were many investors looking to take over the promising startup. To prepare for the worst-case scenario, Baek Mugyeobg bought back the shares of his partners and employees at high prices or turned them into friendly stakes. He secured a 51% stake by securing various options, such as paying the difference if the company went public.

They promised those who did not sell their shares a bonus if they rejected the investment firm’s offer. They also did not forget to tell them to make sure to record the conversation.

“Do that. Tell Raul and Catherine that I will contact them individually. More importantly, can we get in touch with Ask? I want to know who singled out our company.”

–Why? Oh, come on, are you suspecting your uncle?

“Maybe.”

–So they really are trying to harass you. There are plenty of crazy bastards in the world, but this is seriously disgusting.

Baek Mugyeong was grateful that Jake was his friend. He felt good hearing the curses he had only wanted to say to himself out loud.

–Thanks for cursing on my behalf.

When he thanked him, Jake burst out laughing. He said it had been a really long time since he thanked him, and that as a thank you, he would look into inside information on Ask.

After chatting for a while, they ended the call. Looking down at his warm phone, Baek Mugyeong clicked his tongue. He had regressed and tried to change the future. As a result, many things had changed. Fortunately, they were for the better.

However, some misfortunes would happen exactly as predicted. Instead of contemplating the mysteries of fate, Baek Mugyeong calculated what he had to do.

The competition for the succession of the Daesong Group was decided. The two leading contenders, Baek Yeongseop and Baek Mugyeong, had fallen out of Baek Jinseok’s favor due to murder and mental issues, respectively.

Baek Jinseok had his grandson, Baek Woonhyeon, designated as his successor. Baek Mugyeong believed he could back out before completing the promised five years, but that was a misjudgment. Baek Jinseok insisted that a promise is a promise and refused to let him go.

The five years would end next summer. Since he talked about it whenever he had the chance, there was no one who didn’t know that Baek Mugyeong would be leaving for the U.S. next year. Everyone regarded him as a third-generation chaebol heir who had lost his connections.

Nevertheless, Baek Jaehan seemed suspicious. Seeing him step forward like this even while on trial for instigating the destruction of evidence in a murder case, he was certainly persistent. Since Baek Yeongseop had been sentenced to 12 years in the first trial, perhaps he was just taking his anger out on anyone.

Baek Mugyeong knew Baek Jaehan’s weakness and possessed evidence. However, the scale was large, so he had to be careful. Recently, Baek Jinseok had been focusing on managing the risks of the Daesong Group. Above all, he was hell-bent on finding out who was behind creating this turmoil.

The Daesong Group strategy team frantically investigated the surprise release of footage regarding the murder that occurred at the last charity concert. They identified two security personnel from the company that installed the stage as suspects, but were unable to find out who they were.

The personal details submitted by the suspects, who were day laborers, belonged to homeless people. The strategy team eventually tracked down the homeless people whose identity had been stolen, but it was not the actual suspects.

The pursuit ended there. The police scoured the street CCTVs to track the suspects’ movements but ultimately failed to identify them. Baek Mugyeong knew nothing about them either. He had simply handed over a large sum of money to Jake, who claimed to have hired a professional.

In any case, he had to be careful when facing a venomous snake.

Unable to come up with a good solution, Baek Mugyeong stopped thinking. Right now, Jeong Minchae was the priority, not Baek Jaehan. Throughout the evening, Jeong Minchae did not sigh or get lost in his own thoughts. He focused on the conversation and simply smiled.

Seeing him hide it so desperately made him even more worried.

❖ ❖ ❖

Baek Mugyeong made up his mind and went to the gym. Lee Sejun and Jeong Minchae were walking side by side on the treadmill.

Baek Mugyeong stayed by the two of them without using the equipment. The large hotel gym was pleasant, and there were quite a few people using it. Baek Mugyeong quickly noticed that several alphas were keeping an eye on Jeong Minchae. The alphas, who had been constantly looking for an opportunity, openly expressed their disappointment.

Baek Mugyeong frowned. This made him feel the urge to lock his pretty, cute, and beautiful lover away where no one could see him. He hated the stares.

With a cold expression, Baek Mugyeong kept a watchful eye on his surroundings as if he had become a bodyguard. It was about 30 minutes later that Lee Sejun and Jeong Minchae stepped off the machines.

It was free time after dinner. They walked Lee Sejun to his room and checked where the rest of the group were and what they were doing. Choi Jieun and Lee Miseon had already left the sauna and were resting in their room.

Finally, they moved to see if Park Soyeon was at the swimming pool. The elevator went down to the basement where the pool was located. In the meantime, they had a brief conversation, and Jeong Minchae spoke when he suddenly remembered something.

“By the way, why did you do that earlier?”

“What do you mean?”

“At the gym. You were glaring around. Was there something strange?”

“I was looking around because I was worried you might wear out.”

Jeong Minchae gave him a look that demanded an explanation. When Baek Mugyeong stared back, Jeong Minchae finally seemed to realize and widened his eyes. Seeing Minchae’s delayed reaction, Baek Mugyeong bitterly smiled. Jeong Minchae tended not to notice what was going on unless he was directly exposed to pheromones.

In the early stages of manifestation, he felt nothing even after coming into direct contact with an alpha’s pheromones. Typically, dominant omegas were not easily affected by the pheromones of ordinary alphas. Jeong Minchae, however, was particularly extreme. Suspecting there might be something wrong, he underwent special testing, which revealed a high level of desensitization.

Baek Mugyeong could not suppress the smile on his face when the doctor explained that he only reacts to the pheromones of an Alpha he is attracted to. He was overjoyed because it was proof that Jeong Minchae had taken a liking to him from the very beginning.

On the other hand, Jeong Minchae looked confused and clarified that it wasn’t like that. When asked if it was his body, not his head, that was happy, his face turned red.

Just recalling happy memories brought a smile to his face.

“You don’t wear out just because people look at you.”

“It wears out.”

“What wears out?”

“My patience.”

Jeong Minchae laughed n, probably thinking it was a joke. But Baek Mugyeong was serious. He had long understood why incidents of alphas fighting over omegas were so commonplace.

In the meantime, they arrived at the second basement level where the swimming pool was located. Park Soyeon was still swimming. Hearing that she would stay a little longer, they retraced their steps to return to their room. Jeong Minchae, who had been admiring how cool Park Soyeon looked while swimming, said that he would try learning to swim when he returned to Los Angeles.

“Since you have good motor skills, you’ll learn quickly.”

“I guess so, right? I should ask my younger sibling to come along. Oh, right. I completely forgot. Are you doing something behind my back? You were exchanging intense glances at the restaurant earlier.”

Baek Mugyeong flinched at the unexpected question. They had communicated only through their eyes without saying a word, but it seemed Jeong Minchae had noticed.

“You figured it out?”

“Of course. It was so obvious. No matter how clueless I am, there’s no way I wouldn’t notice. Is it really a surprise? Should I pretend I didn’t know?”