AOA 4

Baek Jaehan did not want Baek Mugyeong to gain power through marriage with a well-connected family.

So when the chairman of the Daesong Group asked him to look into a marriage partner for Baek Mugyeong, he found me.

My background was nothing special, just a modest mid-sized company, and my biological father’s declining business certainly wouldn’t have caught the chairman’s eye.

But the Jeong family bloodline had one special trait.

Direct-line omegas were guaranteed to give birth to alphas and omegas, specifically, with a very high probability, to male alphas.

It was an anachronistic ability, but it was also the reason my biological father held his head high and took pride in the family.

To the Daesong Group chairman, who preferred male alphas, it was an attractive condition.

The fact that I hadn’t manifested as an omega yet wasn’t an issue. According to hospital tests, I had a 91% chance of manifesting as one.

They said the reason I hadn’t manifested yet, despite my age, was because I’d barely had any contact with alphas.

Once the chairman gave his approval, the vice-chairman moved swiftly.

Even for the vice-chairman, who didn’t want Baek Mugyeong to expand his power through marriage, my circumstances were acceptable.

Given the scale of my biological father’s business, it wouldn’t pose any threat to Daesong Group’s succession.

If this marriage went through, my biological father stood to gain a lot from the chairman and vice-chairman of Daesong Group—business cooperation, financial support, and more.

Of course, he’d blow it all later, but it was reason enough for him to track down the omega son he’d lost in childhood.

In that sense, today’s meeting wasn’t a date, it was an interview.

The qualifications were simple. As long as I wasn’t a fool, I’d pass.

I couldn’t do anything reckless here and ruin this marriage.

Without my biological father’s help, I needed money to treat my younger sibling, and right now, I had absolutely nothing.

If I married Baek Mugyeong, I’d get money.

So this marriage had to happen.

That was the conclusion I’d reached after racking my brain before coming here.

Anyway, I had two years before I would manifest as an omega.

In that time, I planned to avoid getting pregnant and get divorced.

Before I returned to the past, I wanted more than anything to get revenge on my biological father, my stepmother, and my half-brother.

I’d thought that if I manifested as an omega and gave birth to a male alpha that the Daesong Group chairman wanted, I’d have the power to take revenge.

But now I knew what a foolish plan that was.

The best option was to stay as far away from those people as possible.

“Mr. Jeong Minchae. You don’t like the food? You’ve barely touched it, hmm?”

“It’s just that I’m nervous, since this is a formal meeting.”

The meat on the plate the waiter took away hadn’t even been reduced by a quarter.

Just like last time, I was trying to eat as little as possible in case I got indigestion.

On the surface, Baek Jaehan acted like a hearty, affable man, but in truth, he was petty and arrogant.

He behaved as though everyone were beneath him.

So I knew that if I honestly said I was nervous because it was a serious meeting, he wouldn’t be offended.

Sure enough, Baek Jaehan laughed heartily.

“Hahaha. Of course it’s a serious meeting. Blind dates should be between young people, so they can get to know each other. We should make ourselves scarce.”

“A great idea, Vice Chairman.”

When Baek Jaehan stood up with a laugh, my biological father followed him.

It seemed they wouldn’t be staying for dessert.

I stood quickly to see them off, and behind me, Baek Mugyeong slowly rose to his feet.

“This is a gift from me. Since you’re about to be married, it’s good to get to know each other’s tastes ahead of time. Better if you manifest soon, right?”

With that cryptic remark, Baek Jaehan placed a black, square piece of paper in front of Baek Mugyeong.

Then he gave Baek Mugyeong a few friendly pats on the shoulder and walked out, chuckling good-naturedly.

I quietly looked at Baek Mugyeong, who sat across from me.

In the past, I hadn’t understood what Baek Jaehan meant.

But now that I’d been through this moment before, I knew it was a crude form of harassment.

Inside that black square was a hotel keycard.

Baek Jaehan’s intention in giving it, telling us to get to know each other’s “tastes”, was obvious.

He was confirming that not only I, but also his own nephew Baek Mugyeong, were nothing more than breeding tools.

As I stared silently, Baek Mugyeong looked back at me.

It didn’t feel suffocating this time.

But watching this calm, emotionless man stirred a tangled feeling in me.

Before the regression, my marriage with Baek Mugyeong had been nothing but dry.

We never did anything remotely couple-like.

There had never been any sexual contact before I manifested as an omega.

We used separate bedrooms, and only attended family functions together.

Thanks to the medication that dulled my mind, I hadn’t even been curious about what Baek Mugyeong thought or felt.

I simply accepted everything at face value.

Now, I had my full faculties, but I still couldn’t tell what Baek Mugyeong was thinking, because he didn’t show a hint of emotion.

Still, I could guess that he wouldn’t be pleased with the current situation.

“Please, have a seat.”

“Yes.”

After a short silence, Baek Mugyeong spoke first again.

He picked up the keycard as he sat back down.

“Let’s have dessert and head out. Is that all right?”

“Yes. That’s fine.”

I gave a small nod, waiting for him to say more.

But that was the end of the conversation.

Huh?

I looked at Baek Mugyeong in confusion.

Before the regression, I clearly remembered him explaining what was inside that black piece of paper Baek Jaehan had given him and what he was going to do with it.

But now, his lips were sealed tight.

“May I ask what the Vice Chairman gave you?”

I finally mustered the courage to ask.

Baek Mugyeong’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

“A hotel keycard.”

In the past, Baek Mugyeong had said I could rest at the hotel while he stayed elsewhere.

But this time, that was all he said.

“That’s the gift?”

“Yes.”

Baek Mugyeong seemed entirely unwilling to explain what he planned to do.

I hesitated, wondering if I should ask what he was going to do with it, but just then the waiter arrived with dessert.

“Please enjoy.”

As before the regression, I ate the ice cream in silence.

The situation was strange, but I wasn’t worried.

After all, nothing had happened in that way during our two years of marriage.

Relieved, I brought a spoonful of ice cream to my mouth.

Knowing the future came with many advantages.

One of them was the ability to stay calm when re-experiencing something you’d already been through.

Riding in Baek Mugyeong’s car to HW Hotel was exactly the same as before the regression.

The air between us was heavy with silence, since we hadn’t exchanged a single word, and the traffic delay made the trip take longer, just like before.

Despite the oppressive silence, I was unfazed.

Back then, it had felt like sitting on pins and needles.

Now, my mind was busy working out how I could safely and quietly divorce Baek Mugyeong.

I didn’t even have time to feel uncomfortable.

What Baek Mugyeong thought about divorce was an important issue.

But I knew next to nothing about him.

The same went for his views on marriage.

Before the regression, we hadn’t done a single thing that ordinary couples did.

And even though I had barely been in my right mind, Baek Mugyeong had never once brought up the word “divorce.”

Maybe we simply never had the chance to talk face to face, so he hadn’t realized something was off about me.

While I was deep in thought, the car arrived at the hotel.

I waited for Baek Mugyeong to hand me the keycard.

But instead, he unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car.

Puzzled, I watched him walk around to the passenger side and open the door.

“Let’s go.”

“Sorry?”

“We’ve arrived at the hotel.”

Of course we had, so getting out made sense.

The sound of the seatbelt release snapped me out of my daze.

Hurriedly, I grabbed the hand he offered and stepped out.

The valet took the car without missing a beat.

I was confused.

Before the regression, Baek Mugyeong had dropped me off and left.

Why was he doing this now?

The only thing that had gone differently was meeting Baek Mugyeong in the restroom.

And in such a disheveled state, clutching the sink.

Could that alone have changed his behavior?

I couldn’t believe it.

“Let’s go.”

“Um… Do you have business here?”

“Yes. I do.”

Baek Mugyeong was so firm, I was dumbfounded.

As far as I remembered, the hotel room was nothing special.

“What do you need to do?”

“There’s something I need to confirm before we get married.”

With him saying that much, I couldn’t bring myself to refuse, not when curiosity was eating me alive.

I followed Baek Mugyeong.

We didn’t check in.

We crossed the spacious lobby and took the elevator.

Even on the way up to the 27th floor—where Baek Jaehan had reserved the room—there wasn’t a single word of conversation.

The suite was just as well-decorated as I remembered.

In the middle of the large living room was a cheerful bouquet and a box of chocolates, but neither of us gave them a glance.

“What is it you want to confirm?”

I asked as I stood in a suitable spot, not wanting to drag things out.

I’d never done something like this before, so it took a tremendous amount of courage.

I was so nervous, my hands were trembling and it felt like my heart might leap out of my mouth.

Baek Mugyeong, a few steps ahead, turned around.

His eyes, as they met mine, were sharp.