#54
“Of course I trust you, hyung…”
“You trust me, but you don’t think you can this time?”
“……”
“I said it before. That I feel sorry for you. Your hyung isn't idle enough to backstab a pitiful and pathetic guy, nor do I waste time on wicked things.”
“……”
“If you’re that distrustful and anxious, I’ll talk to her tomorrow. It seems Dr. Kim has annoyingly forgotten that you’re my half-brother.”
Han Jinheon removed the arm he had draped around my shoulder. Then he picked up his phone and sent a message to Kim Yujin.
After Han Jinheon put down his phone, I silently stared at his face as he pushed his bangs back and turned off the TV that had been acting as white noise.
I might have looked calm, but my insides were a mess. My head was tangled in an instant. Like Han Jinheon, I was also angry. I could feel my face turning red and blue without even checking.
It wasn't because he was angry at my words, nor was it because he had arbitrarily decided to talk to Kim Yujin and let me know. It was because of his words that he found me pitiful and his sympathetic attitude.
Of course he'd feel sorry for me. That's the only way he can see me. I know that, but I hate how it makes my already one-sided feelings with a predetermined end seem even more bleak. I don't want to look pitiful, at least not to Han Jinheon. It's the last shred of pride I can assert in front of the person I like.
It was about time he found my stare, watching him without doing anything, to be strange. The moment Han Jinheon looked at me, I called his name.
“Han Jinheon. Jinheon-ah!”
Han Jinheon furrowed his brow as his brother, who was ten years younger, called his name so casually. His eyes changed strangely, but it didn't feel negative.
I had planned to crash my lips against his as a warning to watch his mouth. To shut up those lips that I disliked so much. The plan succeeded thanks to Han Jinheon remaining still. My lips pressed firmly against Han Jinheon’s and then pulled away.
“Just stop with the pathetic talk already.”
Even though my parents hate me, even though I have to manifest as an Omega, I don't think of myself as pitiful, so why do you keep thinking I am? Don't think that way. I don't care about anyone else, but Han Jinheon, don't you dare see me like that.
Han Jinheon stared at me intently. Seeing him look dazed for some reason made my anger dissipate, it served him right. I let out a short chuckle and teased him.
“You look pretty shocked, huh? But now you know for sure, right? That you can’t avoid it if it comes without a warning.”
“……”
“That’s enough for today…”
It was too much to be with him any longer. Until Kim Yujin and Han Jinheon talked, I couldn't receive his pheromones, even if it meant breaking the terms of our contract.
With that thought, I looked for the bag of bungeoppang. I was going to put it in the fridge and go up to my room, but before I could even get up, Han Jinheon lightly pulled my wrist.
I was buried between the sofa and Han Jinheon in an instant. I had let my guard down. I thought for sure he wouldn't grab me this time, but as expected, this Alpha surpassed my predictions.
“I got a taste of my own medicine. Then I guess I’ll have to show you that you can’t avoid it even with a warning.”
“I already know that…”
“You might know when it comes to lips, but that’s not what I’m talking about. We should move on to the next step."
“……”
“I'm going to take off these pants tomorrow."
The Alpha, who had let out a light laugh, kissed me roughly, as if mocking my childish, stamp-like kiss from before.
***
It was when I was spending time on the computer in Han Jinheon’s study. I glanced at my phone at the sound of a vibration right next to me. It was a call from Kim Yujin.
'Did she talk to Han Jinheon?' Feeling a rush of urgency at the thought, I hurriedly answered the phone.
- Sol-ah. Is it a good time to talk?
“Yeah, it’s fine. What’s up?”
- I’ll get straight to the point. It’s about what I told you yesterday.
It turns out I was mistaken. I was under the misunderstanding that you two were full brothers. As your doctor, I have no excuse for making such a basic mistake. What I was talking about was conditional on cases where the mother is the same, or where both parents are the same, making them full-blooded siblings. Since you and Jinheon don't have the same mother, there shouldn't be a major problem. I'm sorry for the confusion. Make sure to take your medicine, and I’ll see you on Thursday for your injection.
She really did just state her business and hang up. I turned my eyes, which had been staring blankly at the screen, to the monitor, but nothing registered.
So, what does that mean? It’s okay even though we’re brothers?
***
Meanwhile, in the doctor’s office. Kim Yujin, who had hastily ended the call, stared blankly at Han Jinheon, who was sitting in front of her. Then, she took a gulp of cold water to try to clear her head, which was consumed by the unbelievable news.
Even after drinking half of it, her mind was still foggy. It felt so unreal it was like a lie, and whenever she tried to believe it, she was dumbfounded. Recalling the fact she had heard from Han Jinheon once more, she let out a hollow laugh and spoke.
“The fact that you and Sol aren't full brothers… I never dreamed you didn’t share a father either. You’re complete strangers?”
“Besides me, you’re now the only person who knows that Han Sol is not my father’s blood. So you’d be wise to keep your mouth shut.”
The fact that Han Jinheon and Han Sol were complete strangers with no blood ties.
Even though Kim Yujin was Han Sol’s attending physician, this was something she didn't need to know. So he had intended to hide it as much as possible, but he hadn't known she would make an issue of pheromones between brothers in relation to trait induction. Han Jinheon realized with a jolt that he had been too complacent, thinking only of his own convenience.
Persuading the worried Han Sol wasn’t the problem. Han Sol was careless and would easily be swayed if coaxed well. However, persuading Kim Yujin could be tricky. Although she seemed to do her job as a doctor haphazardly, she was someone who surprisingly adhered to basic principles and had a strong sense of duty. Moreover, no matter how insolent Han Sol acted, she was a woman who cherished him.
It would be difficult to deceive Kim Yujin carelessly. And as a result of their long-standing relationship, he was also confident that she was not a frivolous person who would run her mouth carelessly. Therefore, Han Jinheon was able to tell her the secret without much deliberation.
“Now that I hear you say it, I realize that Sol really doesn’t resemble your father… Did the slight resemblance to your stepmother help him avoid suspicion?”
“Something like that.”
If you looked closely, Lee Geumyeong and Han Sol didn't look alike either. There was a perception that he was beautiful and elegant like his mother, which made them seem similar, but Han Sol’s features did not resemble Lee Geumyeong’s. That’s how Han Jinheon saw it.
Kim Yujin crossed her legs and leaned forward. She was curious about more than just the fact that Han Sol wasn’t his brother.
“When did you find out?”
“Before my mother passed away.”
“You mean, your mother knew too?”
“She’s the one who told me.”
It was on a certain day when Ryu Seonhwa was hospitalized. The very day Han Jinheon had visited with a box of peaches because she had said she was craving them so badly, he had been told the secret about Han Sol. That Han Sol had a different father, and that Lee Geumyeong had deceived her way into the family. That his father knew as well, and only Lee Geumyeong foolishly thought she had deceived everyone.
A deep sense of longing settled in a corner of his heart as he recalled her smiling, asking him to give his father a hint that he knew everything later on, when they were all old and it was time to look back on their lives. She was such a foolish person. The most foolish person. She was a person who didn't even resent his father for the one-sided severance of their imprint.
“So you accepted Sol as your brother even though you knew? Were you okay with it?”
“What was there to be okay or not okay about? Han Sol was fifteen when he came to the main house, and I was only seventeen when I found out the truth. We were young. It’s pathetic to get angry at a kid in a school uniform.”
“Oh my? He's a grown-up now. It wasn’t because you didn’t see him as a rival since he had no possibility of manifesting as an Alpha?”
“Think whatever you want.”
If Han Jinheon had needed to be wary of someone, it was Lee Geumyeong, not Han Sol. He would have interfered with her, but his disposition wasn't cruel enough to be wary of a young kid who was already overwhelmed just by living under the eye of Han Dongsik, the man who had suddenly become his father. It would have also been a heartless thing to do to the child who had taken care of his deceased mother.
Still, if Han Sol had been someone who would manifest as an Alpha, he might have been a little wary. It wasn't that he disliked the person himself, but considering Han Sol’s character, intelligence, and attitude, he was too unreliable to be entrusted with a country-like group. Just as a ship sinks if you have the wrong captain, he probably would have stepped in once to prevent such a disaster.
Even now, if Han Sol were to step up and say he wanted to work, he was willing to keep him by his side and help. It would be beneficial for his future to know even a little about how the group operated, and he wouldn't be looked down upon by the Alpha he would meet later.
Kim Yujin, who had been observing Han Jinheon's face as he got lost in thought in front of her, knocked on the desk. At the cheerful sound, Han Jinheon’s gaze shifted to her. 'I don’t have time for this,' her nagging to focus made his eyebrows twitch.
“Han Sol doesn't suspect a thing?”
“Anyone can see he’s the legitimate second son of HANQ, would there be any reason to suspect?”
“Really? He doesn't even know he has a biological father? What about you? Did you look into it that far?”
“I did.”
“Is he alive? What does he do?”
“No comment. You’ll get hurt if you try to find out more.”
Han Jinheon warned in a deadpan tone.
'Ah, I could have found out more.' Kim Yujin lamented Han Jinheon, who had acted like he would tell her but ultimately didn't, and drained the rest of her Americano. She shouldn't be like this, but there was nothing as fun as other people’s family affairs. And a chaebol family was truly more exciting than a drama.
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