AOA 19

At first, my sibling told me to upload more photos, but when I didn’t reply for a whole day, they started sending worried DMs every hour or two, asking if something had happened.

I racked my brain desperately and replied that I had dropped my phone in the ocean and couldn’t contact them, that I was sorry. As I waited nervously, a reply came from my sibling within seconds.

Seeing their message, asking if my phone was okay and saying they’d been so shocked when they couldn’t reach me, warmed a corner of my heart.

After becoming Jeong Minchae, I’d spent almost half a year practically imprisoned. All the relationships I’d built over my life had been shattered. That was why being able to exchange normal DMs with my sibling was such a precious moment.

I sent a few photos of the food I’d taken at the cafeteria and continued our conversation through DMs. Meanwhile, I tried hard to completely forget about the sex with Baek Mugyeong.

***

On Saturday afternoon, after returning from the honeymoon, I headed to the newlywed house in Seongbuk-gu with Baek Mugyeong.

The detached house, surrounded by high walls with one basement floor and two above ground, had been provided directly by the chairman of Daesong Group for Baek Mugyeong. The red brick building was familiar, it was the same house I’d lived in before the regression.

“This way, please.”

After getting out of the car driven by the chauffeur, I followed Baek Mugyeong’s lead. Beyond the black gate was a well-maintained garden.

The interior of the house looked like something out of a concept home in an interior design magazine. The furniture, in shades of brown, black, and gray, was minimal, and there were hardly any decorations.

I wasn’t surprised since I had experienced it all before the regression. Baek Mugyeong was the type to pursue efficiency. He disliked unnecessary items taking up space, and that philosophy was reflected in the décor.

In that sense, our tastes actually aligned. If nothing else, I’d always liked the interior of the house, both now and in the past.

Looking around the familiar interior gave me a strange feeling. My last memory here was hearing the news of Baek Mugyeong’s death. And just before that, he had lashed out at me for some unknown reason.

Remembering things that no one else knew made it hard to breathe again, but it wasn’t as bad as at the matchmaking meeting. I clenched my fists and held on.

“Oh my, Executive Director, you’re back?”

As I took a deep breath, a high-pitched voice came from the kitchen. A housekeeper appeared with a wide smile.

“You must be the madam, right? It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Kim Juhyun. I’ll be managing the household here. I’ll explain more later, but someone else will come on weekends. You can just call me ‘ajumma’ or ‘Juhyun-ssi.’”

Kim Juhyun greeted me warmly. She was short, plump, and had a pleasant, trustworthy smile.

But I instinctively became wary of her. Memories of what she’d done came rushing back.

Before the regression, it had also been Kim Juhyun who handled all the chores in the large newlywed home. Since Baek Mugyeong was constantly away, we rarely saw each other. On the other hand, I spent nearly all weekdays with Kim Juhyun, the live-in housekeeper. It was natural that we became close, she was sociable and cheerful.

But once the drug side effects messed up my mind, she showed her true colors. Instead of telling me to go to the hospital when I wasn’t acting like myself, she egged me on and exploited me, conning me out of all sorts of things. Eventually, she even stole expensive items, including my wedding gifts.

That wasn’t all. She was also the decisive reason I became estranged from my sibling. When they came all the way here to see me, she lied and said I didn’t want to see them, driving them away.

Honestly, I’d forgotten about Kim Juhyun’s existence until now. But seeing her face brought everything back in a flood.

I’d been a fool and a pushover before the regression, but I wasn’t anymore. I wouldn’t let myself get taken advantage of again, but regardless, I still didn’t like her.

Thankfully, I still had enough rationality to hide it. I returned her greeting politely.

“Hello. I look forward to working with you.”

“Hehe, same here. You must be hungry. Since you’ve just returned from overseas, how about some kimchi stew?”

She told us to come to the dining room around 7 p.m. for dinner and then stepped away. As I pondered how I might eventually fire her, Baek Mugyeong continued to show me around the house.

The first floor contained the living room, kitchen, dining room, and study. The second floor held the more private spaces, including the bedroom.

“Mr. Jeong Minchae, you’ll use this room. Your belongings should have mostly arrived.”

He opened the door to the master bedroom and showed it to me. Like before the regression, he was telling me to use the master suite, which had a small adjoining sitting room. I asked the same question I had back then.

“What about you, Mr. Baek Mugyeong?”

“I’ll be using the room next to the study.”

“I see.”

Using separate rooms was the result of an agreement to not interfere in each other’s lives. In this regard, Baek Mugyeong was thorough.

If we each returned to our rooms after this greeting and ate a quiet dinner, that would be the end of our first day in the newlywed house. Before the regression, Baek Mugyeong had never entered the master bedroom, not even once.

But unexpectedly, he motioned for me to go inside. Confused, I stepped in, and he followed, closing the door behind him.

“I won’t interfere with what you do in here, Mr. Jeong Minchae. Just don’t bring outsiders into the house. Even if they’re family.”

“By family, you mean…?”

“Your parents and older brother. I won’t tolerate violence in my home. Your uncle and aunt won’t be visiting either, so just keep that in mind.”

“Yes. Understood.”

I answered immediately. Before the regression, my biological father and stepmother had taken great interest in my married life. My father got annoyed that I hadn’t slept with Baek Mugyeong because I hadn’t manifested as an omega. My stepmother would pop in to nag and meddle, even once replacing the furniture because she thought the interior was too gloomy.

Because of the drug side effects, I’d turned into a yes-man and couldn’t stop her. A few days later, when Baek Mugyeong returned from a business trip and saw the white-toned living room furniture, he frowned, had it all thrown out, and banned her from entering again. That had been six months into the marriage.

Jeong Guhyeon had really done something big. It had been embarrassing when Baek Mugyeong saw me getting beaten, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Considering how Jeong Guhyeon had taken my wedding watch and then never returned it, it was justice well served.

Seriously, I’d been such a massive pushover.

Even if it was because of the drugs, it was shameful that I’d lived like a public doormat. Fortunately, no one remembered that anymore. I wouldn’t be on the receiving end of Baek Mugyeong’s pathetic gaze ever again.

“Do you remember what I said when we first met at the hotel?”

“You said we shouldn’t interfere in each other’s business.”

“Let me say it again: I don’t have sex with men. What happened in Cebu wasn’t my intention, and it won’t happen again.”

“That was an accident.”

I later heard from the hotel staff that when I manifested as an omega, my pheromones spread so wildly that alphas staying nearby were loitering outside my bungalow. In the end, the hotel had contacted my registered companion, Baek Mugyeong, to wake me and give me medicine.

According to the doctor, I’d likely seduced alphas instinctively through pheromones due to manifestation shock. Though it wasn’t confirmed, it was plausible that this caused Baek Mugyeong to go into rut.

Having sex with Baek Mugyeong had been an accident, an overlap of misfortune and coincidence. I swore to myself that I would never again miss a single dose of my medication.

They said it was crucial for omegas to take their daily pheromone stabilizer. In Cebu, I had received only the most basic type, enough for three days, so I needed to visit a hospital soon.

“I hope that resolve doesn’t change.”

“Of course it won’t…”

“Things that were impossible before your manifestation are now possible. You know very well just how much is at stake here, Mr. Jeong Minchae. This is a warning. Don’t do anything foolish.”

His chilling warning made me frown. It was absurd that he thought I might get greedy and try to have his child for personal gain. I was searching for the right words to refute him, but Baek Mugyeong simply told me to rest and walked out.

Left alone, I stared at the closed door for a long time before swallowing a sigh. I hadn’t said a word. Like an idiot.

Whenever I got flustered, my mouth felt like it was glued shut, and I froze. Still, I should’ve at least told him that would never happen, that he had no right to assume that about me.

I clenched my fists, angry at being mistaken for someone obsessed with profit. All I wanted was to get divorced when the time came.

But I didn’t have the guts to confront him about it just yet. In the end, I decided to leave it for another day and slowly looked around the bedroom.

Everything was almost the same as before the regression. The familiarity made me wonder if this was reality or a dream. Maybe I hadn’t been murdered, maybe this was just a very long dream.