AOA 70

When he looked over, Jeong Minchae waved his hand and covered his mouth with a napkin, signaling he was fine.

“You’re not even using the thing you’ve got, so what’s the point of getting hard? There’s only one bed, and I told them to get rid of the big sofa. You two are sleeping together.”

Only then did Baek Mugyeong understand Baek Jinseok’s scheme, and he furrowed his brow.

Back on New Year’s Day, he had declared to Baek Jinseok that he had no interest in DS Motors or having children, and that once the five years were up, he’d return to the U.S.

After that, Baek Jinseok softened his approach. He didn’t just send herbal medicine for Jeong Minchae to take. He quietly called Baek Mugyeong over and promised that if he fathered a male alpha child, he would give him whatever he wanted. He even offered to send him straight back to America and make sure he lived comfortably there, dangling the carrot of an easy exit.

Though Baek Mugyeong had said that marriage shouldn’t be forced, he wasn’t careless. He knew that if it was Baek Jinseok, he would stop at nothing to obtain an alpha great-grandson.

Now, three months later, being shoved into a suite after a round of talismans was a crude strategy, but it was also the most effective. If an alpha and omega were locked in a room together, it was nearly impossible for nothing to happen.

On the day of his blind date with Jeong Minchae, Baek Jaehan had also handed him a hotel key card. Of course, back then, Jeong Minchae wasn’t even known to be an omega, so it was half a joke. But still, both Baek Jaehan and Baek Jinseok seemed to think alike.

Truthfully, he wanted to stand up and walk out. But he had sold five years of his life to Baek Jinseok. Instead of groveling, he’d earned favor by playing a careful tug-of-war, but this was something he couldn’t refuse.

If Baek Jinseok made up his mind, he could destroy everything Baek Mugyeong had in an instant. For now, he was leaving Today Dream in America alone to keep things amicable, but if things soured, he could easily crush it with his vast resources.

More than anything, what concerned him was Jeong Minchae. If he fell out of Baek Jinseok’s favor, Minchae would suffer in many ways.

Im Songyoon would be the first to cause problems. She openly harassed Jeong Minchae. She had tried to put him down not only at the New Year’s dinner but also during the Lunar New Year. If Baek Jinseok began to blatantly ignore Minchae, it was obvious Im Songyoon would become vicious.

There weren’t many family or formal events where Jeong Minchae had to face Im Songyoon directly. But if she set her mind to it, it would only be a matter of time before she ruined his reputation.

“I’ll do as Grandfather says.”

Baek Mugyeong took the envelope containing the hotel card key. If refusal wasn’t an option, then agonizing over it was just foolish.

“Just so you know, if I lie next to Minchae and don’t get hard, there’s nothing I can do about that.”

“You impudent brat. I won’t meddle that far.”

“Yes, understood.”

With that last tug-of-war won, Baek Mugyeong looked over at Jeong Minchae seated beside him.

“Minchae, it’s not that you’re not attractive. I just don’t enjoy sex that much.”

It was the plain truth, without a shred of a lie. But the look in Jeong Minchae’s eyes seemed to call bullshit. Given everything that had happened, that was a reasonable reaction.

Still, Baek Mugyeong, who felt no guilt about this, maintained a perfectly calm expression as he looked back at Baek Jinseok. The older man looked at him as if to say, “Really?”

Baek Mugyeong had been told to do as he pleased, but he didn’t care. After all, he’d learned from his regression that being shameless was better than being stubborn when it came to standing his ground against Baek Jinseok.

Trying to deceive someone as sharp as Baek Jinseok, while also crushing Baek Jaehan and Baek Yeongseop, was no easy task. But Baek Mugyeong was determined to see it through.

After dinner, Baek Jinseok left first. He told them not to follow him to the lobby, and gave a not-so-subtle order to come to work late the next day.

After seeing him off as he vanished into the elevator with his bodyguards, Baek Mugyeong turned to Jeong Minchae. At that very moment, Minchae looked back, and their eyes met.

Those soft brown eyes silently asked, So, what now?

“Take the bed. I’ll figure something else out.”

“…Alright.”

Jeong Minchae furrowed his brow slightly, clearly displeased. Despite the awkward situation, Baek Mugyeong barely managed to suppress a smile.

As far as he’d observed, Jeong Minchae was quite expressive. It was something he hadn’t noticed before the regression. They’d rarely faced each other, and even when they did, he hadn’t paid attention to his expression. Minchae always seemed gloomy, head down, like he lacked confidence.

But the Jeong Minchae he’d met after regressing was different.

At first, he couldn’t hide his nerves. He hardly spoke and always looked stiff. That much was still true, but his expressions had changed. He often conveyed his thoughts silently through his gaze. Sometimes, he even cursed at him with just his eyes.

Baek Mugyeong had no idea why Minchae furrowed his brow just now. But it was clear that he didn’t like the situation.

“When Grandfather comes at you this hard, it’s best to back off a little.”

“Alright.”

“Nothing’s going to happen. Let’s not expect anything.”

“I’m not expecting anything.”

He knew it was an unnecessary warning. All Jeong Minchae wanted was a divorce. He had no ambition to become the lady of DS Motors by bearing a child.

Baek Mugyeong wondered why he’d even picked a fight. It didn’t take him long to conclude that it was because he wanted to see Minchae snap back at him.

His flustered moment was brief. Since yesterday, he’d found himself thinking about Jeong Minchae whenever he had a free moment. Especially last night, Minchae’s bare body lingered in his mind so vividly, he had to take a cold shower.

Baek Mugyeong couldn’t deny he was physically attracted to Minchae. He chalked it up to alpha instinct. But he hated how he was swept away by desire, regardless of reason.

What was ridiculous was that, despite his messy thoughts, his eyes stayed fixed on Minchae’s head. Realizing what he was doing, he clicked his tongue, just as Minchae glanced at him.

“Let’s go.”

At those words, Baek Mugyeong quietly drew a breath. Acting as if nothing was wrong, he got on the elevator and pressed the button for the 35th floor, where the suite was.

There was no one else in the elevator.

“That thing you got earlier, that was a talisman, wasn’t it?”

As soon as the doors closed, Minchae asked.

“Probably. Do you not like talismans?”

“No, I’m just curious.”

Baek Jinseok was deeply into the occult. Choosing Jeong Minchae as his grandson-in-law despite Minchae not even manifesting as an omega at the time wasn’t just because of his family background.

Baek Sujin had said there was also a shaman he regularly consulted. According to her, the shaman had said Jeong Minchae would eventually manifest as an omega and bear him a fine alpha great-grandson.

The moment he was hit by that truck, Baek Mugyeong had realized it. Minchae must’ve had a child. That’s why I became a bigger threat. That’s why I was killed.

In reflecting on his death, he had started to wonder, what had happened to Minchae and the child after he died?

But he didn’t ponder it for long. That life was already over. There was no way to know the past. All he could do now was live this one.

He glanced sideways at Minchae and answered.

“Just carry it with you.”

“Alright. Huh…?”

They were in the middle of that brief exchange when the elevator lights suddenly went out. Almost immediately, The elevator came to an abrupt stop with a menacing noise.

“It stopped. I think it’s broken.”

Minchae’s startled voice rang out in the dark. Baek Mugyeong didn’t respond.

The emergency lights had come on, so they could still make out vague shapes inside the elevator. But Baek Mugyeong had frozen completely.

His parents had died in a helicopter crash. He’d been a child when it happened, and he’d been on board with them.

The crash had occurred deep in the mountains of Gangwon-do, and it took a long time for rescuers to arrive. Baek Mugyeong, the sole survivor, had spent a night huddled among the corpses of his parents and the pilots.

It had left him with a trauma. He hated small, dark, quiet spaces, and when trapped in them, he suffered from stress-induced episodes.

It wasn’t bad enough to require medication, but even after long therapy and counseling, the symptoms remained.

He hadn’t had major trouble so far. There were many dark spaces, and many small ones, but rarely both at once. When he had events scheduled in unfamiliar places, he made sure to avoid such environments.

He’d been trapped in a broken elevator once before, but that time, the lights had stayed on, and it had been crowded.

Now, the situation was the complete opposite. The emergency light cast only a faint orange glow, enough to show their silhouettes. It was small, it was dark, and only Jeong Minchae was with him.

Memories of the past came flooding back. His chest tightened. Panic clung to him like tar, and his heart pounded erratically.

“Mr. Baek Mugyeong?”

“…Yes.”

His response came a beat too late, as if from far away.

“I saw on TV once, you’re not supposed to try to force the doors open in a situation like this. Just a second. I’ll hold your hand.”

Just like back when they were trapped in the basement room, Minchae reached out and firmly grasped his hand. That warm, soft touch pulled Baek Mugyeong’s drifting mind back to reality.

There was someone here. Someone else besides him.