“W-Wait a minute! Are you going to fire Secretary Jeong?!”
An innocent person can't suffer because of me. That innocent and naive secretary can't lose his job.
My eyes wide, I grabbed onto Han Jinheon's trouser leg. Like a pitiful protagonist, I earnestly begged him not to do it so abruptly.
Getting a job is so hard! He's going to lose his job just for helping someone like me!
“Seeing as you also called him innocent, Hyung, you know it too! That Secretary Jeong is genuinely an innocent person!”
“……”
"That's why he couldn't refuse my request and dropped me off at the cafe! He must have felt awkward even when I put the muffler on him, but because I'm your brother…! Because it's me, he just went along with it!”
Mhm. That's right, of course.
I even chimed in agreeing with my own words, trying to lighten the mood somehow, but Han Jinheon's face just crumpled further. Like before, a vein was even throbbing near his temple.
He opened his lips, which had been pressed into a thin line.
"It's astounding enough that you're defending someone else right now, but you personally wrapped a muffler around him?"
"..."
His face showed he didn't understand. Han Jinheon, with twisted eyebrows, bent down towards me. As his face came intimately close, dominating my vision, I unconsciously pursed my lips tightly, showing my tension.
"Secretary Jeong is from the secretarial office and will be your legs for the time being. Behave yourself properly.”
What's so outrageous about putting a muffler on someone that he has to say all that? Pushing aside my desire to grumble, I nodded my head.
“Uh, okay….”
“You're good at answering. I told you not to be promiscuous, and now you're trying all sorts of new tricks.”
It was a new trick for me too. It was my first time trying to seduce a man by wrapping a muffler around his neck. Of course, my neck feeling stuffy was also part of it.
Anyway, since Han Jinheon told me not to do it, I should just agree for now and play along. If it means I can find peace for my mind and body, I'm willing to go along with him.
“Hyung, you don't seem like such a good person either….”
Han Jinheon turned his back. Staring only at his retreating feet, I pulled the muffler closer and muttered.
From what I've seen, if Han Sol was hot-tempered mean, Han Jinheon was cold-hearted mean. The hot kind is just more conspicuous and obvious than the cold kind, so it seems more hidden.
Let's make an assumption. What if Secretary Jeong Seongwoo was really cold? What if it was a situation where I absolutely had to put the muffler on him? Even then, should I not have put the muffler on him? Is he saying I shouldn't show such kindness?
“Hyung, am I supposed to stay like this…?”
My leg cramped up. Han Jinheon looked at me groaning and the corners of his mouth lifted.
It seemed like he found it commendable that I was watching his expression, which felt embarrassing, but it also felt like he was sneering, which was annoying. All in all, it was a very strange feeling. But I let it slide. Even if he was sneering, he's handsome.
“Come here.”
Wondering where he was going, I saw Han Jinheon settle onto the sofa and pat the spot next to him roughly.
Does he think I'll just come if he calls? While grumbling inwardly, I awkwardly got up and approached the sofa. The cramp hadn't eased yet, so when I reached the sofa, I practically collapsed onto it.
Lost in the much softer feeling compared to the floor, I made a pointless vow. I would never again enjoy such ambiguous freedom.
“Ah!”
Something suddenly came to mind. My eyes flew open and I sat up.
“Hyung, you know my money disappeared, right?! Did you take it?! Did you suspend my cards too?!”
“Yeah.”
I suspected it, and it was true. I found the culprit. I thought Han Jinheon merely knew about it, but he was the one who took the money and suspended the cards.
Unlike me, who deliberately glared fiercely while asking, Han Jinheon was nonchalant yet compliant. Doesn't he feel guilty for touching someone else's money? I glared at him resentfully and continued to ask.
“When!! Why?!”
“A week ago. Father's orders.”
“Orders…? Father?”
“It wasn't your money in the first place; it was Father's money. It's not like Father has been lenient about money for just a day or two.”
“……”
"It seems he found it displeasing that his son, who squandered money by causing trouble, was living lavishly in Jeju Island.”
“……”
“Or perhaps, since you're by my side, he means for you to live off my money.”
I collapsed right there. I tugged repeatedly at the innocent muffler. If Han Jinheon had done it himself, I might have been able to recover some of it, but if it was Chairman Han's order, that's a different story.
How could I ask for money from someone who wants to get rid of me immediately? Especially when I've pathetically hidden behind Han Jinheon, refusing to go to America or attend the blind date.
So this is how my affluent life ends. For a brief moment, I got to experience the wealth befitting a chaebol son. I was happy possessing vast wealth. Now that happiness is gone, tears are actually welling up.
Han Jinheon looked at me despairing beside him with a somewhat unenthusiastic expression.
"What's with the sad face?"
“How can I not be sad...? All my money disappeared at once.... My heart feels completely empty.... I wonder what kind of person I am....”
“You're overreacting. It doesn't matter if you don't have it. What do you need money for?”
This Alpha is talking nonsense, completely out of touch with reality. When you have money, you don't find reasons to spend it, but strangely, when you don't have money, things you need money for always come up. It's miserable being broke.
“Hyung takes care of most things for you. If there's something you need, I buy it for you.”
“Still, having money on hand versus not having it changes your entire mindset about living….”
"Someone who's never even worked is so greedy for money, tsk."
That only applies to Han Sol. It doesn't apply to me, who is inside. While Han Sol might not have worked, there's no job I haven't done. I was so proud of myself for taking on all sorts of difficult jobs to earn money with my meager qualifications, eventually getting a job at a small company.
Whatever, if he's going to be that cynical, there's nothing I can't do. Now that Chairman Han has taken the money anyway, living an affluent life has become an unattainable dream. I crawled across the sofa closer to Han Jinheon.
“Then I'll work. Let me go out.”
Han Jinheon gazed steadily at my face for a moment, then got up. Ignoring my plea for an answer, he went up the stairs and soon reappeared with his wallet. What he took out of his wallet was a card. A card that seemed to shine just by looking at it.
"That was careless of me. You need to have money with you. Here, take this card."
"Jinheon hyung-nim.... Actually, I've always respected you, hyung-nim.”
To me, hyung-nim is a role model and a great man.
I approached Han Jinheon and politely held out both hands. It meant, 'Give me the card.' I was even tapping my feet impatiently, waiting for the moment the card would be placed in my hand, but Han Jinheon cruelly performed a magic trick where the card disappeared.
After putting the card away, what he placed on my hand was his own hand. He then pulled my wrist, drawing me close, and then held my waist so I couldn't move away. Startled by the sudden skinship, my eyes flew wide open like lanterns.
“I'm not just giving it to you; there's a condition.”
“Of course, there is.”
What's the condition? I didn't feel like giving up, so I decided to hear him out first. If the condition is okay, I might accept it. Honestly, I don't want to work. I want to live off someone else's money.
“You have to take medicine and receive pheromones every day.”
"Taking medicine and receiving pheromones.... You mean, could it be... th-the thing you mentioned before....”
There was no mention of an injection, so I was momentarily confused. Han Jinheon was bringing up inducing my manifestation. In other words, he was indirectly saying that if I wanted this card, I had to become an Omega.
“If you don't like the card, I'll give you cash.”
“……”
“If you feel guilty, just eat well and sleep well. If you listen to Hyung well and impress me, I'll even give you a bonus.”
My conscience, which desires unearned income, couldn't possibly feel guilty. If I had my way, I'd agree immediately, but my lips feel heavy. They're firmly locked. The price for all of this is a change in my trait. It's not something that can be resolved by him acting smooth as if it's no big deal.
I squeezed my eyes shut and pushed against Han Jinheon's chest. Having escaped his embrace, I collapsed onto the sofa again.
“I'll think about it….”
I can't hastily change my gender just because I'm desperate for money. The reason I couldn't cleanly say no, even knowing this, was because my greed for money wouldn't subside.
I made a miserable face in the helpless situation. Even trying harder to make myself look pitiful, hoping he would take pity on me, was useless.
Han Jinheon told me to do as I pleased and put the card back in his wallet. Then, he leisurely headed towards the wine display behind the home bar and asked.
"Want some wine?"
"Yeah, just one glass..."
Han Jinheon preferred wine, but I didn't. I couldn't drink more than one glass. Every wine he gave me tasted awfully bad. This was a problem with my taste buds. I also disliked soju. If I had to drink alcohol, I only stuck to beer, which I could drink without much trouble.
Han Sol seemed to drink well, so it would be awkward to suddenly not drink at all. So I was just going along for one glass. It was fortunate that Han Jinheon didn't ask for more than that.
While Han Jinheon was preparing it, I was recalling our conversation and a question suddenly arose, so I called out to him. You know, Hyung.
"You said you felt sorry for me… but if you're giving me money just to turn me into an omega, wouldn't it be better to just let me be sold off to anyone? That’s what crossed my mind…"
According to what I read in the novel, Han Jinheon saw his younger brother as a troublemaker, and Han Sol often called his older brother a stubborn old man and ignored him. But despite their attitudes, are they still brothers who share half their blood?
I didn't read Han Sol's parts carefully, so I don't know about their brotherly bond. Or perhaps, because I didn't have siblings before I was possessed, I don't understand brotherly love.
“Well.”
What's with that ambiguous 'Well'? He's not even thinking properly about what I said. I looked up at Han Jinheon, who approached me as I lay sprawled out and handed me a glass, and muttered.
“It's strange, really….”
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