AOA 42

Now that I was no longer expected to take part in the conversation, I let out a quiet sigh of relief. It seemed I’d made it through unscathed.

I had no idea what Baek Jinseok was really thinking, but he certainly looked pleased, and that was enough.

Dinner was relatively cheerful. Though Baek Jaehan and Baek Sujin would usually bare their teeth and snarl at each other the moment they met, they were on their best behavior in front of Baek Jinseok.

They exchanged meaningful barbs, scratched at each other’s pride, and tossed out subtle provocations, but that was as far as it went. No shouting, no anger.

Meanwhile, I quietly emptied every last grain from my rice bowl. I had a feeling it wouldn’t digest well again, but I wasn’t worried, I had brought digestive pills just in case. One had to use their brain to survive.

“Father, now that it’s a new year, I think it’s time we found a new partner for Yeongseop.”

It was when dinner was nearly over and the table talk had turned casual that Im Songyeon suddenly brought up Baek Yeongseop.

It had been just over a year since he lost his wife. Talk of remarriage wasn’t entirely out of place.

But as far as I remembered, that didn’t happen until summer of the following year. With the recall incident disrupting the group, any serious marriage discussions were only taken up again once the weather had cooled.

Was it because I presented as an omega earlier than expected?

I had a vague idea of what was going on. Baek Jaehan was actively trying to keep Baek Mugyeong in check. He had even gone so far as to recommend me, who hadn’t even presented yet, as a potential marriage candidate, and then administered suppressants to delay my secondary gender manifestation.

So when I presented anyway, right after the honeymoon, it must’ve driven him mad. And if by some chance I gave birth to a male alpha child, Baek Jinseok might hand over DS Motors to Baek Mugyeong, which only made it worse.

No matter how I looked at it, it seemed like they were trying to push Baek Yeongseop into a remarriage much earlier than in the previous timeline, all to undermine Baek Mugyeong.

The timing made it worse, I had just recently overheard that Im Songyoon was considering Choi Jaeha as a marriage partner for Baek Yeongseop.

Before the regression, someone else had been involved in marriage talks with Yeongseop. But due to the butterfly effect of my early presentation, several details had changed slightly. If Baek Yeongseop and Choi Jaeha really ended up married, I might collapse from the sheer stress.

I needed to tell Choi Jaeha firmly not to go through with it. That guy was absolute trash.

Just then, Baek Jinseok set down his teacup and spoke firmly.

“It’s still too early.”

“Father…”

“It’s only been a year. Wait a little longer.”

“But… Yes, understood.”

Im Songyoon started to protest but closed her mouth. Baek Jinseok was effectively the king of the Baek household. Opposing his decisions was not tolerated. If Im Songyoon had insisted, she would’ve faced harsh consequences.

This only proved that Baek Mugyeong’s divorce really was in Jinseok’s hands.

But now that I had already presented as an omega, he probably wouldn’t allow a divorce so easily. Staying in a sham marriage with Baek Mugyeong might be the best option.

And then, eventually… we could divorce.

I comforted myself, don’t panic. It would happen, just not yet.

“Minchae, you received a wedding gift from Father, didn’t you? Did you get anything good with it? I’m curious.”

Trying to lighten the mood, Baek Sujin turned the conversation to me. I’d expected this and wasn’t flustered.

Before the regression, I’d said I hadn’t spent any of it, but this time was different.

“I bought stocks.”

“Stocks? Really? Which ones? Don’t tell me—Motors?”

Baek Sujin reacted with clear surprise. Baek Jaehan and Im Songyoon were the same. Even Baek Mugyeong looked at me with wide eyes.

“Um… not Motors. I’d like to keep which ones a secret, Aunt.”

“What?”

“You’re not supposed to share that kind of thing openly.”

“Who says? Mugyeong?”

“No, not him…”

“Sure he didn’t. Sounds just like him though. Keep your holdings hidden. Smart thinking.”

She gave me an odd sort of compliment. I didn’t bother to correct her by saying I’d learned it online.

Before the regression, I knew nothing about stocks. I’d had to dig through all sorts of resources to learn how to invest, read charts, and understand the terminology.

One of the most basic rules was never revealing your portfolio. That’s why I’d said what I did, but I hadn’t expected it to be misinterpreted like this.

I glanced at Baek Mugyeong. His surprised expression had already vanished, replaced with his usual stoic face.

Relieved by his indifference, I let out a small sigh inwardly.

“So it’s all stocks? You didn’t buy anything else? You must’ve wanted to, right?”

Baek Sujin seemed genuinely interested. Maybe she was intrigued that I’d gone with stocks.

“I didn’t buy anything else.”

“Wow, you’re not like most kids these days. Right, Father? Even Unhyeon kept pestering me to raise his allowance once he entered college. He kept buying watches, one after another. Boys and their watches, I tell you. So I told him to earn his own money if he wanted more, and he started a small business with friends. He actually managed to buy one. I’ve never seen a kid like him.”

Of course, the conversation ended with her bragging about her son. Meanwhile, the dishes were cleared away and dessert was brought out, sujeonggwa (Korean traditional cinnamon punch.) and walnut snacks.

“Minchae, do you drink sujeonggwa? You might not be used to it if you lived overseas for a long time.”

As in the previous timeline, Baek Sujin asked if I could drink sujeonggwa.

“I can.”

“Kids these days don’t like it much. Our Yujin won’t even touch it.”

Baek Yujin was her youngest son. So far, the conversation mirrored the one I’d heard before the regression. I waited for what came next.

“Do you drink tea? Any favorite kinds?”

This time, it was Im Songyoon who cut in. I didn’t know why she suddenly joined the conversation. Maybe she didn’t like Baek Sujin dominating it.

Before the regression, I’d made a mistake here. My biological father had once scolded me for lacking the cultural polish expected of the upper class and made me study etiquette, including tea.

I had learned it all in a rush, and my answers had been clumsy. Everyone probably noticed. Im Songyoon had smirked and let it slide then, but once summer passed and she began actively tormenting me, this answer had come back to haunt me.

During a large gathering, I’d been humiliated over my shallow knowledge of tea.

I hadn’t felt the full sting of it at the time, I wasn’t in my right mind, but now, remembering it, I was burning with rage.

So this time, I would answer properly.

“I don’t know much about tea.”

I spoke cheerfully and truthfully. Acting serious at a time like this would be unwise. I had already learned from experience that pretending to know something only revealed your ignorance.

“Really? Don’t they drink tea in Canada?”

“I just don’t like it very much.”

“Is that so?”

“I only drank iced Americanos. Even in winter.”

Almost everyone here probably knew I hadn’t really studied abroad in Canada. But as long as Baek Jinseok didn’t say anything, Im Songyoon wouldn’t be able to bring it up either.

When I answered calmly, she laughed lightly and said kids these days do love their iced americanos, smoothly glossing over it.

Meanwhile, the household staff began serving the snacks. I kept my eyes on them closely. I’d once spilled sujeonggwa before the regression.

I was prepared to react quickly if needed, but the moment came too fast for me to do anything.

“Oh—”

Once again, sujeonggwa spilled in my direction, landing on my thigh.

It was quite warm. My winter suit pants were thick, but I still felt the heat spreading.

“Oh my, I’m so sorry. That was my mistake.”

The middle-aged maid apologized with an awkward expression. But I had seen it. I saw her delay pulling her finger back from under the cup.

There were over ten employees working in Baek Jinseok’s mansion, excluding the security staff. Most had been here for years and were reliable in both identity and competence.

It was hard to believe this was just a clumsy accident.

I instinctively looked at Im Songyoon. She looked surprised, but her eyes were smiling.

Oh, come on.

I barely held back a curse and a sigh. After gaining some life experience, I’d come to realize that some people needed to torment others to feel superior. Still, for someone her age, this kind of pettiness was just pathetic.

“Are you okay?”

Im Songyoon asked kindly, her expression faintly concerned.

“It’s just a little hot. My hands are sticky though… I’ll go wash up.”

I stood up from my seat. The sujeonggwa had splashed on both my pants and my hands. Even if I wiped it off with a napkin, it would still feel sticky, it was better to wash properly.

Before the regression, I had also stepped out to wash my hands but had taken a wrong turn and couldn’t find the bathroom immediately. The house was so big, I got lost.

And then, I was falsely accused of entering the female staff changing room.

Though the misunderstanding was cleared quickly, the harsh criticism I had received still made me feel furious to this day.