AOA 159

“It’s not a surprise.”

“Really?”

“Not here, let’s go to the room.”

“Is it serious?”

“Depends on the situation.”

“Did Jeong Guhyeon get acquitted by any chance? I haven’t seen any news about that. Or did Chairman Baek tell you to remarry?”

The elevator stopped just as Jeong Minchae was mentioning the worst possible future. Seeing the doors open, Baek Mugyeong gestured and answered.

“It’s neither of them.”

“That’s a bit scary. Are there no hints?”

“It’s about the future.”

He led Jeong Minchae, who had a look on his face as if he didn’t know what to do anymore, into the room. As they sat facing each other on the living room sofa, he could see that Jeong Minchae was completely stiff.

“Please tell me now.”

“Do you have a concern?”

Baek Mugyeong asked directly. Because he had been so reserved with his words that he jumped to conclusions, misunderstandings piled up until he had committed an irreversible act. Repeating the same mistake was something only a fool would do.

“……A concern

Jeong Minchae answered a beat late, making a face that seemed to say, “How did you know that?” He had no talent for lying.

“Grandmother, your aunts, and even Sejun were all worried about you. They said you sighed a lot and was lost in thought.”

“Ah, that… it’s nothing.”

“Do you remember last night, when we were out for dinner, I said I hadn’t seriously thought about children? And that children aren’t absolutely necessary for a married life.”

“I remember. So what?”

“Minchae. Do you want to have a child?”

Baek Mugyeong took Jeong Minchae’s hand and asked politely. He wanted to know Jeong Minchae’s true feelings. He needed to be certain, especially regarding matters related to the future.

However, Jeong Minchae was not flustered like before. Instead, he tilted his head.

“A child? You mean a baby?”

“Yes.”

“Why…?”

“Isn’t that what you were worried about?”

“No, no. That’s not it.”

“Then what is it?”

Jeong Minchae wore a troubled expression and averted his gaze. At that obvious hesitation, Baek Mugyeong felt his heart sink. The Jeong Minchae Baek Mugyeong knew was by no means a foolish person. Although he was sometimes too honest, he was good at distinguishing between what should and should not be said. It felt as though he hadn’t failed to understand, but was deliberately avoiding the issue.

He was the only one unaware of the abnormality in Jeong Minchae that everyone else had noticed. It meant that Jeong Minchae had been pretending to be fine only in front of him. It was a very ominous sign.

“Jeong Minchae-ssi.”

“Don’t get angry.”

Baek Mugyeong, who had called Jeong Minchae by name as a warning, clicked his tongue inwardly at the unexpected answer. He didn’t want to realize in this way that an aggressive, interrogating tone was the worst thing for a relationship. But since he knew the problem, it was possible to solve it.

“…I’m sorry. My tone was rude. I’m not angry.”

Baek Mugyeong stood up, apologized, and sat down next to Jeong Minchae. In the meantime, Jeong Minchae spoke.

“When you lower your voice, Mugyeong, it sounds like you’re angry.”

“That’s hard to fix.”

“You’re usually cool, though.”

“So, do you want to have a child?”

“I said, no. I haven’t really thought deeply about having children, either. To be honest, having lived as a beta my whole life, the very idea that I can get pregnant feels strange. Oh, right. Back then–I mean, when I was pregnant a long time ago. I wasn’t in my right mind because of the medication, so I just thought, ‘Oh, so this is what pregnancy is like,’ but when I came to my senses, I felt dazed. I struggled a bit because I lacked a sense of reality. If I end up having a child, I’ll have no choice but to give birth, but right now, it’s fair to say I have no thoughts about it. To be precise, just that I’m a little scared.”

Jeong Minchae’s voice as he explained the past was nothing but cheerful. However, Baek Mugyeong could not agree and froze.

At that time, Baek Mugyeong had doubted Jeong Minchae’s pregnancy, but he had been unable to confirm its authenticity. Judging by Jeong Minchae’s reaction, it seemed to be true. It was not difficult to imagine what might have happened after his death. Baek Jinseok must have been delighted. It was obvious he would have promised to do anything for him as long as he gave birth to an alpha boy.

However, Jeong Minchae was murdered. Along with the child.

As that thought crossed his mind, he instinctively clenched his fists. He was furious that he couldn’t kill Jeong Guhyeon with his own hands. More importantly, he was angry at himself for acting so foolishly.

Baek Mugyeong suppressed his nausea. Right now, Jeong Minchae, who was right in front of him, was his priority. Jeong Minchae still had nightmares every now and then. He didn’t seem to want to talk about that time, so he didn’t ask his for details. It was just as difficult now. But when it came to the child, it seemed okay.

“You really don’t want to have a child?”

“Yes.”

“Then what were you worried about?”

“That is… um. Promise me you won’t get angry?”

“I promise.”

At this point, it was a sign that Jeong Minchae had caused a major incident. Baek Mugyeong asked, being careful not to put too much force into his voice.

“It’s nothing serious.”

“Okay.”

“Jaeha told me he had some good information, so I bought some stocks. But they cut in half. Oh, that’s okay. I didn’t invest much money, and since it went up and then dropped, I didn’t really lose much. It’s true. I was just debating whether or not to sell them. Jaeha says it’s a long-term investment and tells me to keep holding onto them. But I can’t let it drop again…”

Jeong Minchae’s voice grew faster and softer. Baek Mugyeong was left speechless at the sight of him nervously glancing around, unable to finish his sentence.

To think the cause of his worry wasn’t a child, but the stock market. A market downturn was indeed enough to darken his complexion and make him sigh. However, it wasn’t something his family needed to worry about.

He was so anxious, wondering if he had shocked Jeong Minchae over a child. So he made every effort to prepare, but it turned out to be because of stocks. No, actually, it was a good thing. Compared to a child, losing money in the stock market was nothing.

“Just think of it as money you don’t have and forget about it.”

“Aren’t you going to ask how much I lost?”

“You didn’t invest your entire fortune, did you?”

“Of course.”

“Then that’s fine. Even if you lose money, it’s not hard to recover.”

Honestly, it didn’t matter if it was his entire fortune. There was still plenty of useful information. Recovering the money would be quick.

“It’s really not much. Ten million won. It’s a company that just went public.……”

“I’ll give you some useful information.”

“…Thank you.”

Jeong Minchae, who had puffed up at the mention of ten million won, soon answered with his shoulders slumped dejectedly. He seemed to feel wronged in some way. However, Baek Mugyeong did not try to comfort Jeong Minchae.

“As far as I remember, there are only a few months left. You shouldn’t invest directly after that.”

“All right.”

“Promise me that you will consult me about stocks, if nothing else.”

“I promise.”

Stocks were dangerous. Direct investment, in particular, was easy to get swept away by. Futures trading was no different from gambling, and addiction was common. Like himself, Jeong Minchae also made money through stocks using his future memories. Twice, in fact. Since he had good returns, he was able to keep investing just in case.

With that, the stock market was settled for now. All that remained was the child.

“I’ll say just one more thing.”

“Do I have to keep getting scolded?”

Jeong Minchae sulked. It seemed as though the warnings about the dangers of stocks sounded like nagging to him. But this time, it wasn’t about stocks.

“I think I’ve said this before, but I had no intention of getting married. Because I’m not the type of person to start a family with someone.”

“I don’t think that’s the case.”

“It’s true I have a difficult personality. I’m picky and stubborn. My voice is also forceful, just like before. To be honest, I don’t have the confidence to be a good father. Just being a good boyfriend is overwhelming enough.”

“Me too.”

Baek Mugyeong slowly conveyed his thoughts. Humans were creatures who communicated and maintained relationships through conversation. This was the first time they had discussed the topic of children. Although it turned out that Jeong Minchae’s concern was stocks rather than children, he intended to properly resolve the matter rather than letting it fizzle out.

“Pregnancy and childbirth for male omegas are very difficult. Childbirth, in particular, is dangerous.”

“I know that, too.”

“I don’t want you to be in danger.”

“Honestly, it is scary.”

Jeong Minchae agreed with a serious expression. It was known that the probability of a male omega getting pregnant was much lower than average, and conversely, childbirth was much more dangerous. There was no room for compromise when it came to matters of life and death.

“So, regarding children, I will do exactly as you want.”

“You said you weren’t confident?”

“I’ve changed my mind. I’ve come to the realization that while children aren’t absolutely necessary for a marriage, it wouldn’t matter if we had them. What do you think?”

“I’m not sure. It’s so sudden.”

“I’m not saying you have to decide right now. It’s okay to take your time.”

Baek Mugyeong carefully chose his words. He also adjusted his tone so as not to pressure Jeong Minchae. There was no problem with taking his time and thinking slowly about plans for the future. When he emphasized this, Jeong Minchae furrowed his brow slightly. Then, he opened his mouth.

“As I said before, I don’t really have any thoughts about it right now. I want to have a long-term relationship with Mugyeong. And as for children… I’m not sure.”

“That’s enough.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Baek Mugyeong, who had anticipated the worst, answered firmly. This was more than enough.

“Hey, can you keep it a secret that I was worrying about stocks? I’m embarrassed.”

“I’ll say it’s because of children.”

“I think they would worry even more about that. Just tell them I had a fight with Jaeha. If you say we couldn’t make up, they will just accept it.”

“Okay.”

There was no one in Jeong Minchae’s family who didn’t know Choi Jaeha. Choi Jaeha, who visited Los Angeles last winter and spring, made a strong impression on Jeong Minchae’s family. Accompanied not only by Jeong Minchae but also by Lee Sejun, they went to Universal Studios and rented a yacht to have fun.

Their grandmothers were high school classmates and had remained in touch to this day. Perhaps because of this, Lee Miseon was fond of Choi Jaeha, who had a cheerful personality. If Jeong Minchae had manifested as an alpha, she might have even considered making him her son-in-law.

Anyway, if he said that he fought with Choi Jaeha, everyone would understand.

“Is that all? I’m going to go wash up.”

“Huh? What is it?”

Baek Mugyeong grabbed Jeong Minchae’s hand as he tried to get up from his seat.