RACA 37

“Let’s go!”

Jaebeom seemed deep in thought before staring at Lee Eunsol as he rose from his seat. Then, spotting the litter scattered around the area, he furrowed his brow.

“Lee Eunsol.”

“Yes?”

Eunsol, who had been heading toward the exit, turned his head to look down at him. Meeting his innocent gaze that seemed to ask why, Jaebeom opened his mouth but hesitated.

His eyes drifted to Eunsol’s belly. Though it wasn’t noticeable yet, there was a child inside.

‘Well, the doctor did say to be careful in the early stages.’

Trash? I’ll just clean it up myself. Changing his mind, Jaebeom waved his hand dismissively.

“It’s dark out. Watch your step. You’ll trip and fall.”

“No, I’m not a kid or anything…”

“Oh?”

At first, he’d pretended to be scared, but now he was openly pouting like that. He knew Jaebeom wouldn’t say anything, so he acted like that.

“Ah!”

Then Eunsol spotted the trash Jaebeom was holding and gasped. Only then did he seem to realize what he’d missed.

“Give that to me. I’ll throw it away.”

Even if his mind was elsewhere, getting up without cleaning up after himself? That was a fail as a cultured citizen.

“Forget it. Just watch where you’re walking. You’ll get scolded if you trip.”

Eunsol glared at Jaebeom, who spoke to him like a child, but this time nodded obediently. He knew he wasn’t worrying about his body so much as being considerate for the baby.

‘He’s just mean.’

If only he could say things nicely. He knew it was better to just accept it than expect that from Pyo Jaebeom.

Grumbling inwardly, Eunsol carefully scanned his surroundings as he walked. As Pyo Jaebeom said, one must be cautious during early pregnancy.

•••

After that day, Eunsol explored various ways to help Pyo Jaebeom regain his memory, but none yielded any results.

Regardless of his intentions, as he increasingly watched movies with Pyo Jaebeom, went for occasional walks, and shared various hobbies with him, he began to attract Bulgom’s suspicion.

“The CEO seems to be in a very good mood lately. It’s all thanks to you, sister-in-law!”

Bulgom hummed cheerfully as he placed stir-fried squid and pork belly on the table. Eunsol immediately corrected the mistaken title he’d slipped back into.

“It’s not sister-in-law, it’s Eunsol, Bulgom-ssi. And why is the CEO in such a good mood?”

What on earth made him think that? The guy who teased him constantly, nitpicked everything he suggested, and treated him like a child, how could he possibly look happy?

“He comes home every single night! He hasn’t stayed out overnight once.”

Bulgom wouldn’t budge from his stance.

“Wasn’t that always the case?”

Why would he sleep outside when he has his own home? Eunsol glanced around his surroundings with renewed curiosity. This apartment, now so familiar it felt like home, belonged unequivocally to Pyo Jaebeom.

“Yes. Sometimes he’d sleep at the office, or stay overnight at a nearby hotel.”

“Why?”

“He said it was too spacious and he couldn’t adjust.”

Then why on earth did he buy such a huge apartment? As if reading the question in Eunsol’s expression, Bulgom placed a bowl heaped with rice in front of him and continued.

“This place was arranged by the Chairman, and to begin with, hyung-nim didn’t want to accept it.”

“Chairman Jang? But what do you mean he didn’t want it?”

“Because it was given for use as a newlywed home.”

“Ah.”

Thanks to his concise explanation, Eunsol understood immediately. If anything, it made his even more curious about this Chairman Jang.

Chairman Jang seemed to want Pyo Jaebeom to marry and have children. While that might feel like pressure, he also wondered if it stemmed from a desire for him to find stability.

‘I suppose I’d like to meet him sometime.’

Even as he thought this, Eunsol assumed he wouldn’t encounter the chairman anytime soon.

But he never imagined he’d learn firsthand that life rarely unfolds as planned.

“Hm… Hmm… Hmm.”

An elderly gentleman holding a cane blocked Eunsol’s path as he walked. He looked up, puzzled, wondering who he was.

He squinted one eye as if he was winking, then slowly scanned Eunsol from head to toe. His gaze seemed appraising, but not unpleasant. If anything, his comical expression reminded him of a certain hamburger franchise’s mascot.

“Right, your name is Lee Eunsol?”

When his name finally popped out of his mouth, Eunsol wondered who he could possibly be. Just then, the stern-looking man standing beside the elderly gentleman spoke up.

“What are you doing? The Chairman is asking you a question!”

More than the man’s harsh tone, the title “Chairman” caught his attention. A certain person recently addressed that way flashed through Eunsol’s mind.

‘Chairman? Could it be that Chairman I know?’

He glanced over, and the old man’s lips curled into a smile. Somehow, it resembled the smile he’d seen on Pyo Jaebeom’s face.

“That’s right. Who are you?”

“Heh heh, you recognized me right away. I’m Pyo Jaebeom’s foster father, Chairman Jang, his benefactor.”

Even setting aside the fact he was his foster father, the way he boldly called himself his benefactor made Eunsol feel that though they shared no blood, the two men were remarkably alike.

And he introduce himself as Chairman Jang, using his title instead of his name?

‘He’s not some game NPC.’

Perhaps because Eunsol didn’t bother hiding his unease, the middle-aged man beside Chairman Jang was about to speak with a displeased expression.

“Your expression is refreshingly honest. I like that.”

Chairman Jang chuckled heartily, tapping his cane lightly on the floor. His demeanor conveyed neither threat nor displeasure, leaving Eunsol wondering what he was actually after.

“Do you have some time? Then let’s grab a refreshing cup of tea.”

Since he was someone he’d wanted to meet someday, Eunsol gladly nodded.

Eunsol didn’t know much about the gangster Pyo Jaebeom. Just that he had captivating good looks, held the title of a savings bank CEO, and appeared smooth-talking on the surface but was quite cold-blooded inside.

Consequently, he had almost no information about the people around him. He only knew that Bulgom he’d lived with for over a month was named Kookcheol, and that Kwak Sang was Pyo Jaebeom’s right-hand man.

‘I’ve only heard about Chairman Jang by name.’

The figure Eunsol imagined possessed piercing eyes and a commanding presence, a charismatic leader who instantly overwhelmed others. The quintessential dominant alpha.

And why wouldn’t he be?

A gangster boss who commands someone like Pyo Jaebeom would need that kind of forceful aura.

“Hmmm…. Hmmm…….”

But the elderly gentleman before him, sipping tea while scrutinizing him from head to toe, bore no resemblance to Eunsol’s expectations.

He wore a light gray summer jacket over a thin short-sleeved polo shirt, paired with leather sandals over dress pants. A luxury watch worth millions sparkled on his wrist.

His overall look was effortlessly put-together, comfortable but subtly exuding sophistication. He didn’t quite fit the image of a chairman…

‘More like a real estate tycoon.’

In other words, rather than an intimidating presence, he gave off a friendly yet potentially tricky vibe.

“Why are you staring like that?”

“Huh?”

“I may be handsome, but I’m not some unscrupulous scoundrel who’d seduce an with an omega who has a partner.”

Eunsol’s jaw dropped at the unexpected remark.

How could he possibly misinterpret his gaze like that?

Pyo Jaebeom’s somewhat eccentric way of thinking seemed to have been learned from Chairman Jang.

Before he could misunderstand further, Eunsol quickly shook his head.

“No, that’s not it. When the CEO mentioned Chairman Jang, I was curious about what kind of person he is. Now that I’m meeting him in person, it’s just a bit surprising.”

“You mean Pyo Jaebeom? Heh heh, if he told you about me… Given his personality, I doubt he said anything nice!”

Chairman Jang chuckled playfully, certain that was exactly what happened. Even in that moment, he reminded Eunsol of Pyo Jaebeom.

Though he was his foster father, living together for so long seemed to have naturally blurred their differences.

‘Between parent and children…’

His grandmother came to mind. Considering his own relationship with his grandmother, Chairman Jang didn’t seem the type to make Pyo Jaebeom do something terrible.

Though Eunsol hadn’t lived long, someone with such a warm, hamburger-mascot-like appearance simply couldn’t be the cold-blooded, ruthless person who stopped at nothing to achieve their goals.

‘Then why did he say those things and cause this mess?’