PO 43

Woojeong, who had been tossing in his sleep, furrowed his brow. His whole body ached, and he groaned as he barely managed to turn over.

The first thing that entered his sight was the bright light fixed on the ceiling. In a scenery that wasn’t familiar, Woojeong quietly looked around the room.

The light that came through the transparent window faintly illuminated the space that was as wide as a hotel room. The layout of the room and the furniture inside were unusual, but he could tell that this place was a hospital.

Woojeong quietly sat up. When he followed the IV line connected to the back of his hand with his eyes, he saw Han Jaegang sitting on a chair beside the bed.

He was in a shirt, and he sat with his arms crossed and his eyes closed. He looked asleep.

As Woojeong quietly watched him, his foggy mind started to clear little by little. Woojeong, who remembered what had happened after he returned home, brought his hand to his head. It was wrapped in bandages.

<Woojeong-ah. Lee Woojeong. Open your eyes.>

All of a sudden, Han Jaegang’s voice, who had called him when he was collapse, came to his mind. Strangely, more than the painful situation at that time, his appearance and his voice remained clearer in his memory.

He thought maybe Han Jaegang might come. Woojeong, who had only ever known how to endure alone, for the first time relied on someone.

Even when his mind had been clouded, when he realized that he had really come, the relief he felt couldn’t be put into words.

Woojeong quietly turned to face Han Jaegang. The first time they met, he had only been frightening. When he had appeared as Lee Doyoung’s blind date and approached him, Woojeong had only wanted to run away.

But he opened a door to a new world for Woojeong. He showed through actions, not words, that he could rely on someone and lean on them.

When Woojeong felt the corners of his eyes grow hot, he bit his lips, and at that moment Han Jaegang quietly opened his eyes. Even when he saw Woojeong awake, he didn’t look very surprised.

“…How’s your body?”

Han Jaegang asked in a husky voice as he reached his hand toward Woojeong’s head. His large hand carefully touched the bandages wrapped around his forehead, then he lightly brushed down Woojeong’s cheek.

“I’m fine.”

“How’s your mood?”

“…It’s good.”

“That’s a relief.”

Han Jaegang let out a small laugh, he found the calm conversation that didn’t fit the situation ridiculous. Woojeong couldn’t take his eyes off his smiling face.

Woojeong placed his hand on top of Han Jaegang’s hand that was lying on the bed. He casually turned his hand over and clasped Woojeong’s hand.

“Do you need anything?”

…His heart felt strange. As he listened to his gentle voice, it hurt a little and trembled, so Woojeong couldn’t say anything.

•••

The wedding hall of S Hotel.

The large crystal chandelier on the high ceiling glimmered as if it were sprinkled with gold dust. The whole hall was dimly lit, and the lights were concentrated only on the central virgin road and the stage, so that the guests’ eyes would naturally rest on the bride and groom, the main figures of the event.

Sitting with his friends at a guest table, Lee Doyoung had a bored look on his face the whole time, he didn’t look like someone who had come to give congratulations.

Lee Doyoung too once dreamed of a wedding here. After he met Han Jaegang, he believed that dream would naturally become reality. …Until the incident with Woojeong happened.

He let out a deep sigh, raised his wine glass, and emptied it. One of the friends sitting across from him started to say something, then stopped, and shifted his eyes to behind Lee Doyoung.

“Lee Doyoung-ssi, we meet here.”

Lee Doyoung heard the familiar voice coming from behind him, his eyes widened in surprise. When he hesitantly turned his head, as expected, Han Jaegang was standing there.

“Hello, I’m Han Jaegang.”

Standing with his hand resting on the back of a chair, he greeted Lee Doyoung’s friends sitting at the table.

The friends, who had only heard of Han Jaegang by word of mouth, had eyes with sparkling curiosity when they saw him in person. Before Lee Doyoung could stop them, they had Han Jaegang sit in the empty seat and began talking to him one after another.

“I’m Kim Seoyeon.”

“Nice to meet you. I once exchanged greetings with President Kim of Geonoh Trading.” Even though they should have been meeting for the first time, Han Jaegang handled it naturally as if he knew exactly who the people at the table were. Because of that, the atmosphere at the table was friendly, but Lee Doyoung couldn’t relax.

“Did you come as a guest?”

“Yes. The groom is my junior from college.”

“I see. Doyoung, why didn’t you say that Han Jaegang-ssi was coming? Did you hide it on purpose to brag?”

“No. I wasn’t supposed to be able to come here, but I suddenly attended, so Lee Doyoung-ssi didn’t know that I was coming here.”

When Han Jaegang answered instead, Lee Doyoung gave an awkward smile. He had no way of knowing about his attendance at the wedding from the start. His contact with Han Jaegang had been completely cut off. No matter how many times he called, he never picked up, and now it seemed that he had even blocked him.

“But don’t you two have good news? It’s been quite a while since you met, right?”

“Hey. What are you suddenly saying?”

Flustered, Lee Doyoung tried to stop his friend’s mouth. The moment when he had been slapped by him came to mind, and his back went cold. Far from any good news, he was only afraid because he couldn’t figure out the reason why Han Jaegang suddenly came to him.

Should he make an excuse that he had urgent business and just leave first. Lee Doyoung rolled his eyes here and there as he thought of a way to slip out naturally. At that moment, Han Jaegang opened his mouth in a calm voice.

“There might be good news. I’m not young anymore, and it’s time I should start making plans for the future.”

Han Jaegang rested his chin on his hand and looked at Lee Doyoung. At that action, the others sitting at the table naturally turned their eyes to Lee Doyoung.

“In fact… I’m only waiting for the other person to make up his mind. Because I want to do anything the way he wants.”

Today, more flawless and impressive than usual, Han Jaegang didn’t lose his composure even among many omegas. His voice, his way of speaking, every small movement of his drew people’s attention.

“It’s all thanks to Lee Doyoung-ssi.”

“Oh my.”

“That’s so romantic. Doyoung-ah, I’m really jealous.”

The friends fussed and sent looks mixed with envy at Lee Doyoung. He forced an awkward smile as he tried to hide his anxiety.

He couldn’t guess why Han Jaegang suddenly said such things. Their relationship had been completely ruined, and there was no expectation left anymore. He wrapped an arm around Lee Doyoung’s shoulder and continued to speak.

“In fact, I was a person who was insensitive to emotions, but thanks to Lee Doyoung-ssi I met someone… I realized that even I could feel emotions. So I should be the one to feel grateful.”

At that moment, silence fell over the table. On the stage where the wedding was proceeding, a famous singer was singing a congratulatory song, but no one turned their eyes that way.

The looks of the friends who exchanged glances with each other subtly changed. There were even those who tried hard to hold back their laughter. In the attention focused on him, Lee Doyoung sat blankly.

He thought of himself bragging that he would soon marry Han Jaegang, and he only wanted to die. With a tender voice he had never once used to speak to Lee Doyoung, Han Jaegang asked.

“As thanks, I’ll give a generous congratulatory gift at your wedding. By the way, how is your mother?”

“Jaegang-ssi. Please stop now and get up…”

“That day, I heard the news that your mother was badly hurt. They said she was very drunk.”

At those words, Lee Doyoung grimaced, he recalled what had happened not long ago.

That day was the day when a presentation under the theme ‘A Sustainable Brand Built Together by Family’ was held.

Following his maternal grandfather, the whole family attended the presentation, which was a formal gathering where many businesspeople, famous politicians, and local dignitaries came together.

As speeches from key figures continued and the atmosphere ripened, commotion arose in a corner of the banquet hall.

People’s eyes all turned that way at once. There, where everyone’s attention focused, stood Kang Eonju, staggering drunk.

“Lee Doyoung-ssi must have been very shocked. From the way I see that your grandfather immediately admitted her to a psychiatric hospital the next day, he must have been very angry too. Well… from your grandfather’s position, it was an extremely important occasion, and since that commotion happened, it must have been a choice he couldn’t avoid.”

After the day when Han Jaegang had come, Kang Eonju had continued to soothe her bitter feelings with strong alcohol. After she had fought with her father and Lee Iljun, her routine had become almost to get drunk, cause disturbances, and then fall asleep.

Her father had warned her not to drink alcohol at the presentation, but already deep in severe alcohol dependence, she was in a state she couldn’t control herself.

She had drunk so much that no one knew when she had started, and she was so intoxicated that she couldn’t even stand properly, and at that moment she ended up grabbing a local congressman and picking a quarrel with him.

“Alcohol addiction is only a chronic illness, so there’s nothing to feel ashamed of. If she receives good treatment, she will recover soon.”

There was no greater disgrace. Dressed in an elegant gown, Kang Eonju rushed at people, created a disturbance, and screamed abusively. When she tried to shake off Lee Iljun, who was restraining her, she lost her balance, fell, and cut her arm on broken glass.

Bodyguards rushed in and hauled her away. Watching that sight right next to her, Lee Doyoung trembled with shame he had never felt in his life.

“If you feel uncomfortable at the hospital where she is admitted now, tell me. I can check if there’s a vacancy at the rehabilitation clinic operated by Hansae.”

He finally felt like he knew why Han Jaegang had come. It seemed he intended to shame him openly at a place like this so that he wouldn’t be able to lift his face again.

At the sight of his friends sneaking glances and whispering repeatedly, Lee Doyoung wanted to storm out immediately, but he forced himself to remain calm and answered with feigned composure.

“…No, it’s fine.”

“Is that so? Then it can’t be helped.”

Han Jaegang gave a splendid smile and pushed his chair back slightly. Was he finally leaving? Just as Lee Doyoung felt relief, he drew out a document from the inner pocket of his jacket and quietly placed it in front of Lee Doyoung.

“I nearly forgot the reason I came looking for you. We made it clear to the police that we intend to press charges and requested severe punishment. Since the weapon that Lee Doyoung-ssi swung injured the head, the medical report gave quite a long recovery period.”

Lee Doyoung, who couldn’t clearly understand what he meant, unfolded the folded paper with a blank face. In the middle of the document marked as a medical certificate, the name Lee Woojeong was written clearly.

“The crime of aggravated assault isn’t a crime that can be dropped at the victim’s will. Even if the victim doesn’t want punishment, the investigation continues. You will certainly pay for your crime.”

Han Jaegang made it clear that he intended to hold Lee Doyoung fully accountable for the injury he caused to Woojeong. With a smile on his face, he patted Lee Doyoung’s shoulder.

“If you submit a sincere letter of reflection or a petition, it might be considered for leniency, so prepare well. Next time we might meet in court.”

Lee Doyoung grabbed Han Jaegang’s arm in haste as he got up from his seat. With Lee Iljun gone from the house and Kang Eonju locked in a mental hospital, he felt lost and afraid, not knowing what he should do.

“Jae, Jaegang-ssi, …I’m sorry. I was wrong.” Still clutching his arm, he begged forgiveness in a trembling voice. He had no time to even worry about the eyes around them now.

Han Jaegang, who had worn a smile until just before, wiped it off completely and looked down at him with a cold face.

“Shouldn’t you apologize to the person who deserves it?”

As if dirt had touched him, Han Jaegang pulled his arm free and brushed off his sleeve, then turned away without hesitation.

The car carrying Han Jaegang out of the hotel moved out of the crowded district and entered the road. Sitting in the passenger seat, Joo Yeongmo let out a breath and sneaked a glance at him to read his face.

They had already settled that they wouldn’t attend the wedding today. He wondered why Han Jaegang had suddenly changed his mind, but the moment he entered the wedding hall, Joo Yeongmo understood the reason.

Lee Doyoung was sitting among the guests. No one knew how he got the information, but Han Jaegang knew the movements of Lee Woojeong’s family more precisely than anyone.

The matter of making Kang Eonju drink excessively and cause an incident at the presentation last weekend, and the complete ruin of the Philippine subsidiary contract that Lee Iljun had been pushing, all had gone through his hands.

“There was contact from President Kang’s side. They said they will sign the house contract.”

“Proceed. Tell them to move out everything from the house within a week.”

“Isn’t that too rushed?”

“It’s not our concern.”

Han Jaegang went to Lee Doyoung’s grandfather and conveyed his demands clearly.

No one knew what words passed between the two, but in the current situation Han Jaegang held many cards, so the other side couldn’t have refused.

In the end, in less than a day, a reply came that they would vacate the house where Lee Woojeong had lived. Han Jaegang intended to drive Lee Woojeong’s family out of that house completely.

Joo Yeongmo felt that this was far from the end. So much so that now there was no one who could stop Han Jaegang. When he decided and moved, there was nothing he couldn’t resolve.

“Where is Lee Woojeong now?”

“He is meeting a friend.”

After checking the time, Han Jaegang silently picked up his tablet and reopened the materials he had been looking over before going to the wedding hall.

“Head there.”

“Yes, understood.”