AOA 160

“Let’s wash together.”

“I don’t want to.”

“You refused so readily. Aren’t you disappointed that we left what we were doing earlier unfinished?”

“I don’t feel any regret. You’re going to see it through to the end anyway.”

“I won’t do it.”

“I don’t believe it.”

“To think that there is so much misunderstanding and distrust between us.”

Although a conversation about a lack of trust had taken place, Jeong Minchae did not pull his hand away from Baek Mugyeong. Based on past experience, Baek Mugyeong knew this was a positive sign. Holding his hand, he leaned in to find Jeong Minchae’s lips. As he gave him a kiss, Jeong Minchae asked in a voice full of suspicion.

“You really won’t go all the way?”

“Of course.”

“I’m being fooled again.”

“I’ll keep my promise.”

Baek Mugyeong was determined to keep his promise. Of course, the situation would be different if Jeong Minchae begged him to do it. Naturally, he would get slapped on the back a few times. But he was convinced that he would forgive him as long as it didn’t interfere with tomorrow’s sightseeing.

Baek Mugyeong planned an evil plot and put it into action.

❖ ❖ ❖

Lee Miseon, Park Soyeon, Choi Jieun, and Lee Sejun did not doubt in the slightest Baek Mugyeong’s explanation that Choi Jaeha was the cause of Jeong Minchae’s sighs. When he subtly added the truth that they likely fought over stocks, everyone nodded in understanding, saying that it could be possible.

Baek Mugyeong asked them to pretend not to know, saying that the two would soon reconcile. Instead, he reassured them by promising to keep a tight eye on matters related to stocks.

The rest of the trip went smoothly.

Incidents and accidents occurred all at once on the penultimate day. And they all happened in the morning. It started with Lee Sejun dropping his cell phone and it shattering. Park Soyeon spilled cola on her pants, Lee Miseon’s glasses frame broke, and Choi Jieun lost her gold ring. The climax was when Jeong Minchae bit into a rock while eating the chocolate cake served for lunch dessert.

As bad luck piled up, everyone agreed to cancel the afternoon schedule. They quickly returned to the hotel as soon as they finished lunch. They decided to have dinner at the hotel restaurant and went their separate ways.

Park Soyeon chose to rest in her room instead of swimming, which she did almost every day. Lee Miseon and Choi Jieun also skipped the sauna. Lee Sejun held a tablet instead of his phone, then put it down and picked up a book.

“Let’s go get a snack.”

Jeong Minchae insisted that if misfortune was going to strike, they should at least go eat something sweet. He also argued that it would be a waste to spend the last day of the trip in the hotel room. Feeling sorry for Jeong Minchae, who had bitten into a stone during lunch dessert, the others headed to the lounge on the top floor of the hotel.

Baek Mugyeong and the others sat around a table piled high with snacks on a three-tiered tray. This time, Jeong Minchae did not chew on a stone, and Park Soyeon did not spill any drink on her pants. Lee Miseon’s spare glasses were also still intact.

Everyone kept talking to Baek Mugyeong while enjoying their snacks and being careful.

“Are the scones safe?”

“Yes, they’re fine.”

“The sandwiches make me nervous.”

“I won’t eat the sandwiches.”

“If an unfortunate incident happens to Mugyeong-hyung too, would that be considered warding off bad luck?”

“I’ll do that.”

“It’s all just a coincidence.”

“I think so too, Auntie.”

“Mugyeong, don’t worry. You might bite a stone or spill coffee, but it’s nothing serious.”

“Nothing might happen.”

Baek Mugyeong replied nonchalantly while eating snacks and drinking tea. Baek Mugyeong usually did not believe in superstitions or jinxes. He thought that just because he rolled a die five times and got a 6 on all of them, there was no guarantee that he would get a 6 again on the sixth roll. Like Jeong Minchae said, he believed that even if bad luck struck, he would simply chew on a rock or spill some coffee and be done with it.

However, Baek Mugyeong’s misfortune had already struck a long time ago. And that was before Lee Sejun dropped his cell phone.

Baek Mugyeong received a call from Jake while having breakfast at the hotel. The capable Jake figured out what Baek Mugyeong had requested. Although customer information was a company’s greatest asset, it wasn’t that there was no way around it. Jake was exceptionally skilled in that regard.

Not long after, several names popped up. The first was the name of a Korean-American, Michael Choi. The last was a Korean investment firm called Ilam Investment.

Baek Mugyeong had never heard of Michael Choi or Ilam Investment before. After pondering for a while who they might be, he realized something.

Like a typical chaebol, Baek Jaehan had several shell companies to create slush funds. And most of them had English names.

Ilam was Baek Jinseok’s preference, not Baek Jaehan’s. Baek Jinseok used to arrange the characters of his nickname, Cheongam, one by one.

Everything fit perfectly even if Baek Jinseok’s name were substituted for Baek Jaehan. Before the regression, he was the kind of person who would have been more than capable of ruining Today Dream just to keep his grandson in Korea, a grandson who had no intention of giving him an alpha grandson even if he married reluctantly. And he likely intended to inform Baek Yeongseop of this to provoke the anger of his unmotivated grandson.

When Baek Mugyeong reached the conclusion after a brief deduction that the person trying to buy shares in Today Dream might be his grandfather rather than his uncle, he was filled with rage. Because he had never trusted him, he didn’t feel betrayed. Instead, he was seething with loathing.

Baek Jinseok treated him as if he didn’t exist because he wasn’t an alpha. When he manifested as an alpha over time, he brought him to Korea to keep the eldest grandson in check. Then, when he found out that he had mental issues, he cast him aside again.

The fact that he was trying to hold onto him again now must mean he’s useful to him somewhere. Since he wouldn’t be persuaded by words, it was obvious he was trying to get rid of the place Baek Mugyeong had to return to.

The emotional turmoil was brief. Rather than that, he was wary of what Baek Jinseok would do next.

Baek Jinseok wasn’t the type to give up like this.

Baek Mugyeong, lost in thought, naturally glanced at Jeong Minchae sitting next to him. Right now, his biggest weakness was Jeong Minchae. And Baek Jinseok was someone who could identify that weakness and manipulate him at will.

Baek Mugyeong consciously stopped himself from furrowing his brow. He had never even imagined that Baek Jinseok would hold onto him, someone with mental issues. He had been waiting for the promised five years while seeing Minchae, but Baek Jinseok was trying to overturn the whole thing. In that case, all he had to do was overturn it first. It would be enough to tarnish Baek Jinseok’s reputation, just like he had done with Baek Yeongseop’s.

Although a solution had been found, he couldn’t help but feel restless. It was impossible to pull himself out of the mud until Baek Jinseok died. Even the slightest lapse in vigilance could put Jeong Minchae in danger.

Baek Mugyeong prevented his face from frowning once again. It was impolite to show discomfort when surrounded by others. The dessert was sweet. The topic of conversation had shifted to the mysterious cases each person had experienced and heard about.

The person with the best storytelling skills was Choi Jieun. The story about how she personally witnessed a drummer hitting his own head with a drumstick while a shaman was performing a ritual in a haunted house was so fascinating that Baek Mugyeong was completely captivated as well.

While they were chatting and devouring dessert, nothing happened to Baek Mugyeong.

“I thought I’d spill tea. That’s the safest.”

“Biting a stone is fine too.”

“Nothing happening is the best.”

“Hyungnim, be careful. You never know until past midnight tonight.”

“You overcome bad luck.”

As they rose from their seats, everyone encouraged Baek Mugyeong. Baek Mugyeong did not mention that unseen misfortune had befallen him. Instead, he smiled as if there were no problems. Then, he naturally checked his wristwatch. He was gauging the time, wondering if he should go for a walk nearby with Jeong Minchae since sunset was still a long way off.

“Huh?”

“What’s wrong?”

As Baek Mugyeong hesitated, Jeong Minchae grew curious.

“The watch is broken.”

“Really? Not just stopped? Let me see… it’s true.”

For some reason, the hands on his wristwatch had fallen off. Baek Mugyeong clicked his tongue inwardly at the unusual occurrence. Even if it was just a coincidence, when such happenings occurred one after another, it really felt like there was something going on.

The group, huddled together around Baek Mugyeong like meerkats, checked the watch in surprise.

“So, you couldn’t avoid it in the end.”

“As long as no one’s hurt.”.

“It seems expensive, but it can be repaired quickly, right?”

“Wow, that’s really fascinating. Is something big about to happen?”

“Seems so.

Jeong Minchae and Lee Sejun, who loved mysteries, chattered that it was a sign that something big was about to happen. On the other hand, the others said it was just a way to ward off bad luck. The five of them patted Baek Mugyeong on the shoulder and back to cheer him up.

Baek Mugyeong couldn’t help but smile. He couldn’t tell if it was a good omen or a way to ward off bad luck. But receiving such encouragement made him feel like everything would go well.

❖ ❖ ❖

The general consensus was that although bad luck had struck everyone at least once, they could not let one’s guard down. They decided to have dinner at the hotel restaurant and spend time separately.

Baek Mugyeong headed to the room with Jeong Minchae. They postponed the walk because Jeong Minchae said his feet hurt.

“Is something wrong?”

As soon as he entered the room, Jeong Minchae linked arms with him. Baek Mugyeong was confused by his action, which seemed to be trying to hold him still rather than an expression of affection.

“What’s wrong?”

“My grandmother said you were acting strange. She said you were forcing a smile like a fake con artist. I didn’t notice until lunchtime, but seeing you again this time, you were definitely in a down mood.”

Jeong Minchae continued his explanation as he led Baek Mugyeong into the living room. Even after sitting side by side on the sofa, he did not let go of his arm.

“So what is it? Did something go wrong with the stocks?”

Baek Mugyeong stifled a laugh as Jeong Minchae leaned his face in with sparkling eyes. He didn’t look like he would believe him even if he denied it.

He had been in a bad mood since the morning. However, since he was naturally expressionless, he didn’t think it would show. He even consciously tried not to frown. But apparently, Lee Miseon noticed it. It seemed that the wisdom of age was unavoidable.

Baek Mugyeong hesitated for a moment. Until now, he had not shared all information with Jeong Minchae. He hid what needed to be hidden and revealed only what needed to be revealed.

Jeong Minchae didn’t necessarily need to know that it was Baek Jinseok, not Baek Jaehan and his son Baek Yeongseop, who had stolen Today Dream before the regression. It wasn’t even confirmed yet that it was Baek Jinseok. Even without a lengthy explanation, he would understand if he simply said he was acting recklessly to get out of Baek Jinseok’s favor.