AOA 81

If it’s anything like Jeong Guhyeon’s personality, he’d easily do the same thing in America. So the best way to get through to my sharp-witted biological father was to emphasize the risk that lay ahead. No matter how precious the eldest son might be, we had to avoid drawing Baek Jinseok’s ire and risking problems for the business.

It looked like he was only just realizing that now. His angry expression froze in an instant.

“Father. The chairman is a terrifying man.”

Before the regression, I would’ve kept my mouth shut and stayed still. I would’ve done exactly as my father told me, kneeling before Baek Jinseok and begging for forgiveness.

But the future had changed, and money had given me courage. Words I’d kept buried inside flowed out easily.

It looked like a fox borrowing a tiger’s authority. It was clumsy, sure, but this was the best I could do right now.

“You think I don’t know that?”

Having been struck right where it hurt, my father didn’t agree, but lashed out in anger instead. Then he quickly started nagging me to have a child, asking why there was still no news even though we’d been married for almost half a year.

“I don’t know either.”

“What?”

“It’s not happening, so what am I supposed to do?”

Backed by the mighty power of money, I deliberately snapped back.

Honestly, I’d thought Baek Jinseok would tell us to get a divorce. I’d been hoping, just in case. But that hope had gone unfulfilled, leaving a bitter taste behind.

The last thing I wanted was to hear more nonsense in a situation like this. I glanced over at Baek Mugyeong, who was standing a distance away, waiting.

“Baek Mugyeong is waiting. I’ll be going.”

Without waiting for a response, I gave a polite bow and walked off.

*

Disappointment settled into a sigh. On the ride home, I stared out the window and let out silent sighs.

Baek Mugyeong, sitting next to me, glanced over now and then, but I pretended not to notice. My mood was rotten.

Ever since the regression, I’d constantly been planning how to change the future, especially how to get out from under my father’s control after the divorce.

Now that I no longer had to worry about my brother’s medical expenses, cutting off all contact and disappearing overseas wasn’t a bad idea. And if I made a deal by holding something over my father, I wouldn’t have to worry about being pursued.

Freedom had been right in front of me, then slipped away. The letdown drained me completely.

Baek Jinseok’s obsession with bloodlines was overwhelming. So I couldn’t understand why, when there were so many other omegas out there, he insisted on maintaining this marriage, even at the risk of it. I never expected him to bring up a great-grandchild as a condition, either.

Just like before the regression, the issue now was also a child.

Earlier, I’d bluffed to my biological father, saying, “It’s not happening, so what can I do?” But now that an alpha son had become Jeong Guhyeon’s lifeline, my father’s interference would only grow worse.

Just imagining that made my head ache.

I sighed. Then I cursed internally. Then I tried to calm myself down by staring at the numbers on my stock app. Before long, we arrived at the house.

After I got out, the bodyguards followed and surrounded the area.

I didn’t wait for Baek Mugyeong to get out before walking through the front gate. Thankfully, the guards didn’t come inside the house.

“Can we talk for a moment?”

I turned around at his voice.

It was a late afternoon in April. It had been a while since I’d seen Baek Mugyeong outside during the day.

Standing in the lush green garden, he looked like he’d stepped out of a magazine. I was in a terrible mood, but that handsome face made me feel just a little better.

“What is it?”

When I asked, he gestured with his chin toward one side of the garden, signaling me to follow. I walked after him.

“Jeong Minchae.”

“Yes.”

“Do you really think divorce is the best option?”

I was in a bad mood and wanted to snap back, What does that have to do with you? But the bit of reason I had left told me not to say something I’d regret.

Just because I was unhappy didn’t mean I should take it out on Baek Mugyeong. That would’ve been foolish.

“Yes.”

I met Baek Mugyeong’s eyes and replied firmly. I really wanted the divorce. Only then could I live without seeing my father.

“Has married life been awful?”

The unexpected question made my eyes go wide. My startled thoughts scattered.

There hadn’t been much to call a married life between us. We held a wedding, filed the marriage registration, and showed up at each other’s family events once. That was it.

We had separate rooms. We’d had sex just three times. We’d never once eaten together at home. There were times I didn’t see Baek Mugyeong’s face for over a week because he left early and came home late.

That might’ve been awful for some people, but not for me. It was an arranged marriage, and we’d agreed beforehand not to interfere in each other’s lives.

“There’s nothing awful or good about it. We haven’t done anything. And we agreed to this arrangement before we got married.”

“If you divorce, you’ll have to return to the family that abused you. You still want the divorce?”

His voice was calm. His expression unchanged. But the words themselves were what mattered.

My heart dropped with a cold thud. A flash of panic ran through me.

The truth was, there was nothing to be exposed, because it was already obvious.

On the surface, my biological father looked like the perfect guardian. He proudly flaunted my marriage to Baek Mugyeong, Baek Jinseok’s grandson and executive director of DS Motors, to everyone. He showered me with expensive clothes and accessories to show off how much he “cared.”

He dressed me up well, but Baek Mugyeong had already investigated me. He probably knew how I was raised and why I married him. Just looking at Jeong Guhyeon’s attitude was enough to guess how I was treated.

You could chalk it up to a bad relationship. After all, not every family is happy. Or maybe I was the outsider, the one who didn’t belong. That’s common too.

But hearing the word “abuse” come out of Baek Mugyeong’s mouth, that was different.

I bit down hard on my lip. Maybe he’d heard me crying for help in my sleep.

My biological father didn’t just discriminate, he abused. He treated people like objects and used my brother’s life as a bargaining chip without hesitation.

Since the regression, I hadn’t stayed powerless. I’d made plans to run the moment the divorce was finalized. I ignored my father’s nonsense and let it pass through one ear and out the other.

But no matter how determined I was, I wasn’t immune to cruel words. And the trauma of being murdered by Jeong Guhyeon still clung to me like dark sludge in the corners of my heart.

I didn’t think Baek Mugyeong could see right through that. The realization left me humiliated and hollow.

Being tossed around like some neighborhood punching bag, even at my age, wounded my pride. And hearing it said aloud by Baek Mugyeong shattered the composure I’d worked so hard to maintain.

“That’s…”

“When exposed to abuse, people become easily helpless.”

“This has nothing to do with you, Mr. Baek. Please stay out of it.”

People get flustered when someone hits a nerve. I knew I had to stay calm, but it wasn’t easy.

A sharp retort burst out before I could stop myself.

“Jeong Minchae.”

I hated the way he said my name, like scolding a misbehaving child. Yes, I was younger than him. And yes, I was being emotional.

But once my emotions flared, I couldn’t rein them in.

“You know we can’t get divorced right now anyway.”

“I’m worried about your safety.”

“I said don’t concern yourself. And as we agreed before, I’m not going to have a child. That means Jeong Guhyeon can never come back to Korea. I’ll be going in first.”

I blurted out whatever came to mind, gave Baek Mugyeong a short bow, and headed for the house.

“Jeong Minchae.”

He stepped in front of me.

“Move.”

“Running away won’t solve anything.”

“Ha, shit. If we keep talking, I’m seriously going to start cursing.”

Baek Mugyeong had a knack for hitting people where it hurt. Avoiding him was the right choice. There was no way I could have a rational conversation in this state.

I walked past him again. This time, he didn’t stop me.

I headed straight to the bedroom on the second floor. Even after I shut the door and was finally alone, my tangled emotions didn’t settle.

It was disappointing that I couldn’t get the divorce this time, but that was all. I was confident I could wait until Baek Mugyeong left for the US.

But the fact that he brought up the abuse I’d suffered from my family, that hurt too much.

I didn’t like feeling pitied. It made me feel pathetic. It bruised my pride.

“Haa… damn.”

I stood there, frozen, my face hot like a freshly steamed bun. I rubbed my cheeks with both hands.

I knew. This was just misdirected anger. I should’ve acknowledged it and let it go, but I overreacted.

It was stupid. Embarrassing enough to make me want to kick the blankets in shame.

“Ugh.”

The regret came too late. There was no taking it back. When I saw Baek Mugyeong again, I’d have to apologize for snapping at him and end things properly.

The sooner I apologized, the better, but now wasn’t the time. My emotions hadn’t calmed down yet. I didn’t even have the courage to look him in the eye.

So I chose to avoid him. I lay down on the bed.

For the next few hours, I didn’t want to do anything at all.