Eventually, Han Jinheon and Secretary Song had to step away for a moment. At Han Jinheon's words that there was no need to wait and he should head back first, Lawyer Park, who had been humming softly while preparing to leave, made eye contact with me and spoke.
"Oh! I saw your mother at our law firm a few days ago!"
"Uh... my mom? Why?"
"Seeing as she met briefly with our CEO and left, it seems she just stopped by for a short visit. Our CEO and your mother are close, you know?"
This was also new information. Being close with a law firm's CEO, sure. I tried to brush it off lightly, but something nagged at me. I hoped it was just a simple, friendly meeting. I hoped Lee Geumyoung wasn't plotting something involving me. Surely she wouldn't.
"Ah, Lawyer Park. Before you go, could you give me your business card?"
"My business card?"
Though he found the sudden request for a business card strange, Lawyer Park didn't seem to find it suspicious and quickly took one out for me. As I received the card, I needlessly brought up the conditions from the agreement we wrote earlier. I said that since all the numbers in my phone were going to be deleted, having it like this would be helpful.
Before putting the card in my pocket, I quickly read it. Darwin Law Firm. Lawyer Park Hyungsoo. Beta.
"By the way, Han Sol-ssi. Why are you speaking so formally to me?"
"Pardon? Ah, that's.... I'm in the middle of self-reflection. I'm re-evaluating my character...."
From Song Hyeon-oh to Kim Yujin, and now Park Hyungsoo. Every time I meet someone who knows Han Sol, I end up saying the same thing. Han Sol must have really spoken informally to everyone without distinction. At this point, I wonder if I should just start speaking informally to whomever I meet.
The reaction after pointing out my formal speech was the same. Park Hyungsoo, who said I could speak comfortably anytime, soon gave a polite bow and left the house.
Before long, Han Jinheon, reappearing with Secretary Song, approached me and said.
"Let's go out for dinner. We'll eat whatever you like, so think about it."
"Suddenly?"
There's nothing sweeter than the words 'let's go out.' I quickly broke into a wide grin.
***
The meal Han Sol suggested for dinner was something unexpected. It was a savory brisket and fermented soybean paste stew (Chadolbaegi Doenjang-jjigae) and a saltily seasoned rolled omelet (Gyeran-mari).
For his younger brother who wanted Korean food, Han Jinheon brought him to a high-end Korean restaurant he sometimes visited for private meetings with figures from the political and business worlds.
This place was not only famous for the exquisite dishes of a renowned Korean chef, but it also had plenty of rooms that could be reserved based on the number of people, allowing for a leisurely meal.
Han Jinheon had already reserved a room for just him and Han Sol and had pre-ordered a 2-person course along with the specific dishes Han Sol wanted.
Perhaps because of that, no sooner had we entered the room and sat down than the dishes began to come out one after another. Where did the guy who was singing the praises of brisket doenjang-jjigae before we arrived go?
Han Sol couldn't take his eyes off the beef tartare wrapped in gamtae seaweed and the soy-marinated raw crab that came out as side dishes.
Han Jinheon wondered if Han Sol was always a guy who enjoyed whatever he ate so much, feeling both intrigued and strangely proud. Treating someone who eats well to a meal was a rewarding thing.
"You're going to drool. Don't just stare, eat."
"Thank you for the food. What kind of luxury is this?"
"How is this luxury?"
Han Jinheon, urging him to stop talking nonsense and eat, picked up his own spoon first. However, he couldn't fully concentrate on his meal and found himself watching Han Sol eat.
First, Han Sol skillfully scraped the rice from the stone pot into a separate bowl. Then he poured water in to make scorched rice water (sungnyung). Following that, even before the brisket doenjang-jjigae he had wanted arrived, he devoured the side dishes on the table in the blink of an eye.
He wasn't starving, but his wide eyes darted around so much that anyone watching would misunderstand and think he had been starved for days.
When the brisket doenjang-jjigae and rolled omelet finally came out, Han Sol ordered another bowl of rice and kicked things into high gear. He wasn't being chased, so he could have eaten slowly, but he was busy shoveling food into his mouth as if he had some secret appointment.
"Actually, while living with you, hyung... I ate so much rich food that I really wanted to eat something comforting like this at least once."
It feels good to eat like this. Just a moment ago he was stuffing his mouth until his cheeks puffed out, and now he suddenly stopped to say something he wasn't even asked.
Han Jinheon turned his gaze away and started eating. While it was fascinating to watch Han Sol eat, he had no intention of staring. It seemed his stare was making him uncomfortable, causing him to stop eating.
Having already finished all his rice and even the sungnyung, Han Sol hesitated for a moment before speaking up.
"I have something to tell you."
"Are you going to tell me who you like?"
"Excuse me. A person shouldn't be so persistent."
"What is it? As long as it's not something that will make you choke on your food, you can say whatever you want."
Han Jinheon was indifferent. He gave his permission without bothering to look at him. Han Sol poked at an innocent cabbage kimchi leaf with his chopsticks as he began to speak. His voice was quite cautious.
"It's about my mom.... I heard from Lawyer Park earlier that she came to the law firm."
"Your mother?"
"Yeah. He said it seems she only saw the CEO and left, but I'm worried."
"Worried about what?"
"Well, she plotted things before, and now she knows I'm unmanifested.... She didn't seek legal advice about me, did she? I took money from her too."
As I observed Han Sol's face while taking a sip of water, he looked terrified by his own imagination. It seemed he was more scared that the fact he took money would become a problem than the fact he was unmanifested.
Han Sol was particularly like that. He might not care about what Han Dongshik thought, but he was incredibly sensitive to his mother's moods. The problem was that he still went ahead and caused all sorts of trouble.
"You know how conscious your mother is of what others think. She might openly plot against us, but she won't do it in front of others. Especially not in front of people related to Father or the company."
“……”
"I expect she met him just as she usually does, but if you're anxious, I'll look into it. Don't worry and finish your meal."
Despite the calm reassurance, Han Sol's expression remained dark. Seeing his face still clouded with worry, Han Jinheon recalled a chance encounter he hadn't deliberately revealed to Han Sol.
A few days after Lee Geumyoung had attempted to forcibly hospitalize Han Sol, Han Jinheon had stopped by the HANQ Electronics headquarters and, on his way out, ran into her. She was visiting to have lunch with Chairman Han. It was the first time they had seen each other since that day at the hospital.
To Han Jinheon, that was who Lee Geumyoung was. She was his father's mistress whom he had come to know before his own mother, Ryu Seonhwa, passed away, and then, not even half a year after his mother's death, she became his stepmother.
Since Ryu Seonhwa had graciously accepted Lee Geumyoung first, he tried to follow his mother's wishes. With Han Sol, who was ten years younger, also in the picture, he tried his best not to hold any animosity.
However, Lee Geumyoung was shameless. She frequently tried to erase the traces of the main wife who had accepted her and her son with a generous heart, and each time, she clashed with Han Jinheon.
When Chairman Han was present, she was incredibly affectionate, but when they were alone, Lee Geumyoung would openly show her aversion to Han Jinheon.
The same was true for Han Jinheon. Although it was hard to read his emotions due to his generally stoic face, he would let his dark eyes coolly settle, revealing that he did not welcome her. There was no way their relationship could be good.
That day, in the suffocating silence, it was Lee Geumyoung who first brought up the topic of Han Sol.
'Is our Sol doing well?'
'He's doing well, thanks to that incident.'
At the sarcasm delivered in a flat tone, Lee Geumyoung bit her lip. She hated this attitude of Han Jinheon's the most. His lack of reaction, no matter how much she tried to provoke him, stirred a sense of humiliation in her.
Moreover, it would be a different story if that day's plan had succeeded. But it was thwarted by Han Jinheon, who had somehow found out about the hospital one step ahead of her. That alone had wounded her pride beyond words.
Just recalling that day made her emotions churn. Suppressing a momentary surge of anger, Lee Geumyoung spoke with forced composure.
'Send him back to the main house. I don't see why our precious first son needs to go through such trouble to keep Sol with him, it doesn't suit you.'
'I am overwhelmed by your precious regard.'
'I'm not trying to play with words. You know he's unmanifested, right? Do you think it's right to keep him by your side, an Alpha who hasn't even imprinted?'
'Is there a reason I can't?'
It was a sly, informal remark, as if he were talking to himself. Lee Geumyoung suppressed another surge of anger and asked. She had something to test this Alpha with.
'Why? Are you planning to manifest him yourself?'
Han Jinheon looked down at Lee Geumyoung with a meaningful gaze. Growing confident as the Alpha fell silent, she continued.
'You told the Chairman you would make Han Sol a new person, didn't you? I wondered who you were to say such a thing, but now that I think about it, there's a reason, isn't there?'
'And even if that's true, is that a problem?'
'What?'
'I'm asking if it's a problem for you, the one who tried to lock her son in that kind of facility.'
Han Jinheon took a step closer with an unreadable face and asked again. As the Alpha's presence was asserted, Lee Geumyoung's confidence quickly crumbled. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she shot him a sharp glare and issued a pointless warning.
'Why wouldn't it be a problem? All I have to do is tell the Chairman that you're plotting something strange. Do you think he'll just stand by?'
'He will stand by. Because you would never be the first to say anything about what I do to Sol.'
'......'
'Because for you, all that matters is that your son manifests. Am I wrong?'
'......'
'And if you plant that suspicion in Father's mind, will he come after me? Or will he come after your promiscuous son? If you have any pity for your son, you should stay quiet.'
Even though it was unfair, Lee Geumyoung couldn't refute Han Jinheon's words. As he pointed out, all that mattered to Lee Geumyoung was that the unmanifested Han Sol manifest and become an Omega immediately.
She didn't care who the partner was, to the point that she had tried to lock him in that hospital to force his manifestation. Even if she was displeased that it was Han Jinheon.
Furthermore, just as Han Jinheon said, if she misspoke, it was obvious that only Han Sol would be hunted down.
Han Dongshik had a basic trust in Han Jinheon, and that trust was considerably deeper compared to his trust in Han Sol. It was not something the mother and son who had joined the family late could dare to break.
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