RACA 83

Eunsol was pushed by Jaebeom until his whole body went limp in the bathroom, and since he could not walk on his own legs, he finally returned to the bedroom in Jaebeom’s arms.

“Get some rest.”

Jaebeom laid Eunsol carefully on the bed and gave him a gentle kiss.

Eunsol was speechless at how calmly Jaebeom acted, not only giving the pain and the remedy but also carrying him all the way to bed himself.

He glared at the man’s back as it moved away through his blurry sight and muttered.

“I told you to take it easy.”

He had moaned too much, and even his voice had turned hoarse.

Hearing how his voice sounded to his own ears made Eunsol’s eyes tremble slightly.

It was already the second time today.

All his strength had drained away, and he did not even have the power left to move a finger.

He wondered how much time had passed.

It had been around five when they came out of the bathroom, so it seemed like it was time to get ready.

“It’s not even six yet. You have plenty of time to nap and wake up.”

Jaebeom seemed to notice the resentment rising in Eunsol’s eyes and spoke.

His soothing hand moved softly enough to make Eunsol’s eyelids close on their own.

Even without his words, Eunsol’s stamina had reached its limit, and he was already drowsy.

“Make sure to wake me later. It must not pass midnight.”

Even in his fading consciousness, Eunsol drew out his last bit of strength and spoke.

“All right. I’ll wake you at eight. Sleep well.”

When Jaebeom fixed the time, Eunsol finally relaxed completely and fell asleep.

Within ten seconds, his breathing became calm. Soon the gentle scent of an omega’s pheromones began to spread through the air.

Jaebeom looked at his sleeping face, brushed his disheveled hair aside, and straightened his collar quietly.

He could not easily shake off the hesitation lingering at his fingertips and withdrew his hand only after a long time.

‘I went too far today.’

Now it was time to let him rest.

Jaebeom got up quietly and left the room for the living room.

There, Kwak Sang was already standing beside Bulgom.

Both men stood with their hands clasped behind their backs.

“I’m sorry, hyung. I failed to keep a mark on Lee Daebak’s side.”

“Where is Lee Daebak?”

“He was confirmed moving after a call from President Kim.”

“Ha…”

Jaebeom’s brow twitched.

He wanted to rush out right then and deal with both of them completely. But he could not do that now. If he stirred up more trouble, unwanted attention could fall on Eunsol.

That was the one thing he had to prevent.

“I’ll order someone to handle Lee Daebak.”

“No. Leave him.”

Jaebeom cut him off.

“If we move too soon, it’ll only get messier. It’s better to let President Kim take care of it himself.”

Since he had already given a warning directly, President Kim would have realized it. There was no need to step in further.

“Understood.”

Realizing that his repeated mistakes had forced the boss to step in personally, Kwak Sang lowered his head. He had always taken pride in carrying out his assignments perfectly, so this failure made him especially ashamed.

“It’s not your fault. Who could’ve known President Kim would act like this today?”

Jaebeom spoke calmly.

In truth, he himself bore some responsibility, since he had never made it clear what Eunsol meant to him.

“Set up a meeting with President Kim.”

“Yes, understood.”

When Kwak Sang stepped back, Jaebeom was briefly lost in thoughts.

He already knew that President Kim had long been obsessed with dominant omegas.

The man was an alpha supremacist who believed that the rare superior gene must be preserved.

If he had learned of Eunsol’s existence through Lee Daebak, that alone would have been enough to make him interested. But what he did today went far beyond that line.

It proved how lightly President Kim regarded him.

“I guess I’ve been too quiet lately.”

His organization had once been in the moneylending business.

Now it had changed its signboard to a savings bank, and every business ran within legal boundaries.

That change had been what Jaebeom wanted, and it was the result of choosing people over the organization.

From the beginning, he had not been someone who fit well with a world that reeked of blood.

And since he had regained his memories, he felt even less reason to cause new problems.

“I can’t let them climb over me.”

He did not care how others judged him, but he could never allow anyone to treat him lightly.

The environment he had lived in and the methods he had built for himself had always been that way.

This time would be no exception.

Jaebeom would never allow anyone to threaten or harm Eunsol, and if it did happen, he would not leave it alone.

“I’ll schedule it for tomorrow.”

Kwak Sang saw Jaebeom nod slowly and started to step back silently.

Then Jaebeom called to him.

“When Eunsol wakes up later, eat dinner before you go.”

“No.”

“Eat before you go.”

Kwak Sang faltered for a moment and glanced toward Bulgom. He started to feel nervous, wondering if he had made another mistake.

“It’s the boss’s birthday today, and the madam said there’ll be a party. Wouldn’t it be better for everyone to join?”

“The boss’s birthday party? Ah… then that call from Chairman Jang earlier was about that?”

At Kwak Sang’s words, Jaebeom frowned.

“Chairman Jang called you too?”

“Yes. He called to confirm the boss’s schedule for today. He said he wanted to have dinner together. Didn’t you get the call?”

He did.

Before leaving for work, the man had persistently asked him to have a meal together.

It seemed that he had checked Jaebeom’s schedule through Kwak Sang first, then called afterward.

If that had happened, Kwak Sang should have reported it earlier.

But the fact that he hadn’t said a word until now meant that Chairman Jang’s secretary must have told him to keep it quiet.

Lately, Jaebeom had been bothered by the subtle, unintended movements happening around him.

“I’m sorry, boss. I didn’t realize about that part…”

“It’s fine. Just eat before you go.”

Knowing Eunsol’s nature, Jaebeom was sure he wouldn’t be satisfied with a birthday party that only had him there.

Since Kwak Sang was already here, it would be better for all three of them to join.

He would have preferred to spend time alone with Eunsol, but he decided to show leniency to his subordinate, who had been dispirited by repeated mistakes.

And Jaebeom’s guess was correct.

“It’s been a while since we met! Since you’re here, let’s eat together. It’s Jaebeom-ssi’s birthday today, so I was planning a party. This works perfectly.”

Even though he looked exhausted, Kwak Sang was speechless as he looked at the excited Eunsol.

What shocked him most was the way Eunsol had just addressed his boss.

‘Jaebeom-ssi?’

He called his boss by name, even dropping the family name. He couldn’t imagine what had happened while he was away from the house.

“You two seem very close now.”

As he watched Jaebeom wrap an arm naturally around Eunsol’s waist and walk gently toward the kitchen, Bulgom stepped beside him and spoke quietly.

Kwak Sang still stood frozen, unable to close his mouth.

“What in the world happened?”

“There was a day when I went out briefly, and they grew closer after that. Then yesterday, it looked like they even changed how they addressed each other.”

“You don’t know what caused it?”

“I’m not sure.”

The two looked at each other awkwardly and tilted their heads at the same time.

As two betas with almost no dating experience, they couldn’t even imagine how that gap had been closed.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you coming?”

Jaebeom called them from the kitchen. They no longer had time to think about the situation.

Both hurried toward the kitchen.

Dinner had already been prepared by Bulgom, and Eunsol, his face still showing that he had just woken up, was taking a cake from the refrigerator and placing it carefully on the dining table.

Seeing that sight, Kwak Sang took a silent breath.

Even the peaceful scene felt moving.

To be honest, when Jaebeom had first gone against Chairman Jang and advertised online that he is looking for an omega, Kwak Sang had thought it was just another whim.

Even when the omega entered this house, he had never imagined those two would one day sit side by side at the same table, creating a warm atmosphere. It was an unexpected change.

“Sit. Eunsol says he’s hungry. Let’s eat.”

“Why are you acting so dull? At least light the candles and sing the song!”

“All right.”

When Kwak Sang saw Jaebeom’s eyes filled with warmth, he realized this was exactly what he had hoped for.

He and Bulgom took their seats as directed.

Lighting the candles was Eunsol’s part.

“I’ll turn off the lights!”

Quick to read the mood, Bulgom stood and switched them off.

At that moment, Eunsol began singing the birthday song in a bright, lively voice.

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you!”

Then he looked back at the two men, looking a little shy about singing alone.

Jaebeom caught it and gave them a look that asked what they were doing, so Kwak Sang and Bulgom clapped awkwardly and joined the song.

“Now blow the candles!”

When the song ended, Eunsol looked at Jaebeom with shining eyes.

But Jaebeom was looking at Eunsol’s face, not the candles.

“Phew…”

When Eunsol felt Jaebeom’s warm breath on his face while blowing out the candles, he suddenly kissed his lips.