AOA 23

After marrying Baek Mugyeong, my daily schedule was simple. I worked as an intern at the art gallery for five hours, took English conversation lessons at the academy, and then came home.

Since I’d already lived through this once, nothing felt particularly different.

Being quietly excluded while working at the gallery was just like before the regression. No one went out of their way to speak to me kindly. Even the senior assigned to the seat next to mine didn’t look after me much.

Most of my tasks involved sitting in front of a laptop, drafting the event plan assigned by my stepmother. Occasionally, I was given small errands, but I was never asked to do anything physically demanding or menial. No one invited me to lunch either, so I always ate alone.

Before the regression, it had been quite lonely, but this time, I found myself enjoying the situation in my own way. I let the gossip behind my back go in one ear and out the other.

Eventually, the rumor that I was a mistress’ child would begin spreading among the gallery staff and beyond. But as long as they didn’t go out of their way to harass me, being quietly excluded wasn’t such a big deal.

Clocking in at 10 a.m. and leaving at 3 p.m. in a warm office was extremely comfortable.

There wasn’t much change in the English conversation class either, aside from the fact that my teacher’s attitude shifted a little after I manifested as an omega.

“Did you get tested after your manifestation? The stabilizers that work best vary depending on your pheromone levels. Especially if you’re recessive or dominant, the dosage is completely different.”

This was just before our Friday lesson started.

Though Lee Jeongwook and I rarely had personal contact, we would usually engage in small talk when we met face-to-face, about the weather, my clothes or shoes, what I ate for lunch, things like that.

Now that I’d manifested as an omega, topics related to that had been added to the mix. It wasn’t anything major, just things like how each alpha or omega has a unique scent, or that once someone is imprinted, they can’t sense pheromones from others.

Most of it was information I had already read in a brochure from the health center. I already knew that dosage changed based on whether you were recessive, dominant, or true-blooded.

“I knew that already.”

“Really? Then are you dominant? Or recessive? True-blooded?”

“Dominant.”

The blood test I took on Monday had returned yesterday. The stabilizers I was prescribed that day were the standard kind, but I’d since gotten a new prescription for the dominant type.

Among those who’ve manifested, individuals are classified as dominant, true-blooded, or recessive depending on their pheromone levels. It’s said that the strength of their sexual appeal varies by those levels, but there’s still wide variation case by case, so it’s not fully understood.

What stood out was that dominant omegas were more likely to produce children with similar traits. Male dominant omegas also had lower risk when it came to pregnancy and childbirth.

Dominant alphas were a bit different. Unlike omegas, alphas could use pheromones to pressure one another, with dominants usually having the upper hand. Omegas, by contrast, had no such influence on each other.

All of this was information I only knew intellectually, so even if I was dominant, it didn’t feel real. What bothered me more was that before the regression, I had been true-blooded, but now I had manifested as dominant.

Even if the butterfly effect had caused the future to shift slightly, the fact that I’d changed from true-blooded to dominant seemed strange. So I asked the doctor, who was a friend of my father. He explained that if someone’s pheromone level is on the borderline between two classifications, it can shift. That reassured me.

In truth, there was nothing particularly good about being dominant.

After hearing the results early, my biological father had called me. In an unusually gentle tone, he said now I just had to produce a strong, healthy son. I can’t express how irritated I was.

“I see. A dominant omega, huh? That’s pretty rare.”

“Is it?”

“I’m fairly well connected, but you’re only the second dominant omega I’ve met. Hmm… being dominant comes with its own problems. If you ever have questions, feel free to ask me. I’ll look into it for you.”

“Okay.”

Lee Jeongwook’s strangely familiar tone felt off. Both before and after the regression, he had never once offered to look into anything not related to class.

It felt like a favor with strings attached. Still, I figured it was fine as long as I never called him.

That ended our small talk. The lesson itself proceeded as usual. Since we didn’t bring up anything about manifestation again, I quickly forgot about thinking it was weird.

I left the academy and returned home a little before 7 p.m.

Because the house was a remodeled older property, the underground parking garage wasn’t connected to the interior. As I was exiting through the side door after parking, another car pulled up in front of the main gate.

There weren’t many people who would show up at this time without calling first. I opened the gate on a hunch and saw a familiar black sedan.

Was it Baek Mugyeong’s car?

Sure enough, Baek Mugyeong stepped out. It was November and already after sunset. Still, the streetlight allowed us to see each other clearly.

“You’re home early.”

It felt too heartless to ignore him when our eyes met, so I greeted him first. I hadn’t seen Baek Mugyeong since that night we crossed paths in the kitchen.

He left early in the morning and came home late at night. He had done the same before the regression, so I hadn’t paid it any mind. What surprised me was running into him here.

“Yes.”

Baek Mugyeong only gave a small nod and stood at a moderate distance, not moving, as if waiting for something, just staring at me.

“Baek Mugyeong?”

“Please go in first.”

The streetlight wasn’t very bright, but I could just barely see that he was frowning. It felt like he didn’t want to walk in together.

Baek Mugyeong was consistent in his behavior. He was always telling me, silently or otherwise, to keep my distance.

If I wanted to build any trust with him, I’d have to start with things like this. Only then would I be able to suggest a divorce a year from now.

I gave a slight bow and quickly headed inside. After changing into comfortable clothes, I went to the dining room.

“The director said he’ll be dining in his study.”

Kim Juhyun, who was preparing dinner, relayed Baek Mugyeong’s message. I vaguely remembered it being the same before the regression.

“Let him eat as he wishes.”

“Oh my. You’re newlyweds, but you’re eating separately? Why don’t you go to him and ask to eat together, hmm?”

“No, it’s fine.”

“Men like him respond best to gentle coaxing. You probably don’t know that yet, Madam. Should I bring the food to him for you?”

Kim Juhyun kept encouraging me to go see Baek Mugyeong. She had previously worked at Baek Jinseok’s home. It was obvious she wanted me to get close to Baek Mugyeong quickly and get pregnant.

Just like before the regression, I declined. Back then, I had no interest in getting closer to him, and now I didn’t want to provoke him.

“Not today, maybe later.”

“Don’t be like that. You need to do things like this if you want to grow close.”

“I said no. Do I have to say it a third time?”

When I answered firmly, Kim Juhyun finally shut her mouth. Even if I had married ‘up,’ her behavior was still overstepping.

It would take a little longer for something to happen that would warrant kicking her out. Until then, I’d have to act like the picky superior.

After finishing dinner alone with a hardened expression, I returned to the bedroom. I spent some time researching things on my laptop.

I stared at the organizational chart of the Jeong Ihong Education Foundation displayed on the screen. The foundation, established by my biological father’s grandfather—my great-grandfather—was now controlled entirely by the Jeong family. And, of course, my father was at its center.

Marrying Baek Mugyeong had allowed me to secure seed money. With my knowledge of the future, I could multiply that amount several times over within six months.

Next, I needed leverage against my biological father.

Since I had two years’ worth of memories from before the regression, I knew his weaknesses. One of them could be used to corner him even without hard evidence.

As long as I could divorce Baek Mugyeong, everything would go smoothly.

At first, cutting ties with my biological father had seemed like enough. But as time passed, the urge for revenge grew stronger and stronger.

I wanted to destroy everything he had. Or more precisely, I couldn’t stand the thought of Jeong Guhyeon, the one meant to inherit it all, living comfortably.

I kept wondering how I could get back at Jeong Guhyeon.

That half-brother of mine had done all sorts of horrible things like the scumbag he was. Later on, the police even came to the house because of drugs. But he had already fled to the U.S., and the investigation quietly faded away.

Honestly, I wanted the police to bust him in the act of using drugs. But even if he was caught red-handed, with my father’s influence, the worst he’d get would be probation.

“Hm.”

No matter how long I racked my brain, I couldn’t come up with a good plan. In the end, I closed the laptop and got ready for bed.

After showering and changing into pajamas, I had just sat on the edge of the bed when suddenly, the lights went out, plunging the room into darkness.

“Huh?”

Startled, I looked around. I pulled the curtain aside and peeked outside. The orange glow of the streetlights still lit the road, and the neighboring house’s windows were bright.