#70
Only after an official who had come to greet her and Han Jinheon had left did Lee Geumyeong touch the earring hidden within her well-styled hair and ask.
“Since you and I both know that Han Sol is unmanifested, we’re on the same side, aren’t we? So tell me honestly. Are you planning to make my son manifest?”
“……”
“I heard that the injection is a manifestation shot. Are you giving him injections and getting an Alpha from somewhere to provide pheromones? If it’s something like that, you making Han Sol manifest doesn’t seem so outrageous, you know?”
It was a plausible guess. Lee Geumyeong was almost certain. Han Jinheon looked at her with a cold gaze and scoffed. He didn’t care that there were people and cameras around.
“If your intention is to make him manifest, shouldn’t you share it with me? If you’re the only one who plans to profit from Han Sol….”
“What profit would I gain from Han Sol? I have no such intentions.”
“You say that, but one never knows. Considering the things you’re plotting behind the scenes.”
The things I’m plotting behind the scenes. He muttered the words softly, frowning slightly as he sighed. How could her thought process flow this way? A few months ago, he might have said, ‘like mother, like son,’ but things were different now. The son was changing, but only the mother remained the same.
Lee Geumyeong, seeming to take his silence as affirmation, didn’t stop talking. She looked thrilled just imagining a future that hadn’t even arrived yet.
“There’s a lot to be gained even if Han Sol becomes an Omega. He used to like that actor Kim Gyuyeong, the son of Suseong Group, right? He caused all sorts of trouble because he liked that Alpha.”
“……”
“It’s a shame in many ways. If only he had been an Omega, that kid would have been in my son’s grasp.”
At her hasty conclusion that Han Sol would have ended up with Kim Gyuyeong if only he were an Omega, Han Jinheon felt a wave of heat crawl up his neck. Unable to ignore the tingling sensation, he raised a hand to his forehead. He rubbed his temples before leaning down towards Lee Geumyeong and whispering in a voice only she could hear.
“Is your confidence in your son that great? Or do you treat everyone else like idiots? Why would Suseong Group be so desperate…. hah.”
He trailed off, unwilling to belittle Han Sol just to criticize Lee Geumyeong.
But looking at it truly objectively, even just because of the accidents Han Sol had caused and his resulting troublemaker image, Suseong Group would never have accepted Han Sol.
It wasn’t just Suseong Group; other corporations would be the same. Unless his partner was someone who genuinely loved Han Sol himself and would become a breakwater to block all the incoming waves, it was obvious that any family, let alone a corporation, would object.
Han Jinheon noticed Lee Geumyeong was about to say something and beat her to it. He didn't want to hear any more from her. She would only spout more worthless talk about Han Sol’s trait.
“I dare to warn you, You will only be able to see your son when you are prepared to accept him as a Beta. Only when you kill that filthy greed will you be able to see your son’s face.”
Lee Geumyeong’s eyes grew fierce. She swallowed nervously, intimidated by his chilling pupils that looked at her as if she were an insect and his voice, which was heavily laced with cold anger.
“I’m saying you’d be better off forgetting he’s unmanifested. Because I have not the slightest intention of handing over a son to a mother who would try to turn him into an Omega just to suck out his liver or kidneys.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Who do you think you are…!”
“And I’ve heard something as well. That you’ve been frequenting Darwin Law Firm.”
He had looked into it through Secretary Song after hearing about it from Han Sol.
Since she couldn't use HANQ’s legal team for every little thing, Darwin was the law firm she kept by her side. Darwin had shown a fantastic defense on the legal front every time Han Sol got into trouble. Among them, lawyer Park Hyungsoo had a high success rate, even though he was criticized by the public for chasing after money without distinguishing right from wrong.
In any case, Lee Geumyeong had been consistently visiting Darwin Law Firm from November until now. While he knew she had a personal connection with its representative, the sudden increase in the frequency of her visits was enough to make one suspect she was plotting something.
“……”
Lee Geumyeong neither confirmed nor denied it, simply staring straight ahead. Her silence was a form of passive complicity, yet it was a clear answer. Han Jinheon glanced at her slender neck as she repeatedly swallowed, then let a sneer form on his lips.
“To me, Han Sol is not your son, but my family. So don’t stir up trouble and live quietly. Or just pretend you don’t have a son.”
Isn’t it ridiculous in the first place? When Han Sol was out causing all that trouble, she lived in genuine shame, telling him never to say he was a HANQ son or her son. And now this. All this time, she’d been grating on his nerves to make him fit her mold rather than guiding him correctly.
Lest others see, Han Jinheon closed his eyes and opened them again, dimming the intensity in his gaze. He made a considerable effort to calm the fleeting anger. At times like this, he really needed Secretary Song. He knew how to cut in when things were about to get dangerous.
He said he would be leaving, patted Lee Geumyeong’s shoulder gently, and walked away. Feeling humiliated by him, Lee Geumyeong glared daggers at the Alpha’s back, grinding her teeth, even as her attendant approached and chattered about something.
“That arrogant Alpha bastard….”
He’s my son. Not your brother, my son. My property that I can do with as I please.
***
I received a call from Han Jinheon telling me he had arrived in front of the mansion and to come out.
The clothes in Han Sol’s suitcase were mostly painfully primary-colored or had such varied patterns they were dizzying. They were clothes with strong personalities, recognizable from a distance. From among them, I had chosen the most plain-looking one and gotten dressed up. I had also neatly combed my hair and diligently applied sunscreen.
I don’t think I even put this much effort in when I went on that blind date. And thank goodness for that. I had no idea Park Wonyoung would be such a loser.
However, a crisis that would render all this effort meaningless was scheduled. On Han Jinheon’s orders, I also had to bring along winter gear like a long padded jacket, a muffler, and a mask. He probably meant that I have to wear, wrap, and put on these things.
Just for today, I want to bear the cold. I want to look stylish in a jumper too. But it was easier to just give up and idiomatically think of these items as a part of my body.
With my hands full, I went outside. Han Jinheon, who had gotten out of the car and was standing there looking around at the gate and the wall, walked over to me as soon as he spotted me.
“It’s cold, you should have worn it before coming out.”
“I’m getting in the car right away anyway….”
I quickly scanned him from head to toe, noticing he looked particularly sharp today.
He was dressed no differently than when he goes to work. A minor difference was the inner shirt he wore under his jacket. Instead of a shirt, he wore a turtleneck for warmth, and he had also added a deeply hued coat, enhancing his own dignified image.
“Get in.”
Han Jinheon took the winter items from my hands. Then, he personally opened the passenger seat door for me, telling me to get in. I gratefully nodded at the unexpected courtesy and climbed inside. Why am I so nervous and my heart pounding?
While I fumbled with the seatbelt, the back door opened and the winter gear was placed inside. The back door closed again, and Han Jinheon walked over to the driver’s seat. As I heard and saw the whole situation unfold, I had to suppress the strange feeling that tickled my heart and the smile that threatened to bloom on my lips.
It’s like a date. It feels like Han Jinheon and I are going on a date!
“I think we can go to the department store first, then go eat.”
“Ah, yes. Sounds good.”
I nodded my head obediently.
When Han Jinheon had told me to name the places I wanted to go, I had mentioned three very common ones. An amusement park decorated to the nines with a Christmas theme, a department store, and a hotel restaurant and lounge bar that would have a great atmosphere in the evening.
With a rather dry attitude, Han Jinheon had said this to me when I showed enthusiasm, saying I wanted to go to all of them.
‘I said I’d grant your wish if you told me where you wanted to go, but you’re mistaken if you thought I’d take you to all of them. It’s not like this is your first Christmas.’
He said that then, crushing my spirit, but later he considered the possibility of each one.
The amusement park was a no-go because it would be too crowded. I admit it would be crowded since it’s a holiday and a special occasion, but to not go for that reason seemed silly, as that place is crowded every day. However, I immediately accepted when he said he would rent the entire park for me after closing time later. Even if it was an empty promise, just the words alone made my heart pound and gave me a thrilling taste of what money can do.
The department store was a pass. He said he was planning to take me there anyway. Eating at the hotel restaurant was also a pass. But the lounge bar was put on hold. He said let’s think about it over dinner, but his eyes already showed his lack of interest.
Honestly, if I were to rank the places I wanted to go, the lounge bar was number one. It’s not that I particularly like crowded places, but since it’s Christmas, I wanted to try going to one once, and I’ve never been to a bar with such a luxurious atmosphere.
Besides, I’ve never had any alcohol with Han Jinheon other than wine. I thought it might be nice to drink something other than wine together, outside of the house for a change.
Contrary to his appearance, Han Jinheon was quite wholesome. He avoided drinking alcohol other than wine as much as possible, and he didn't smoke at all. Unlike Han Sol, he wasn’t promiscuous and didn’t sleep with multiple Omegas. This was a point that I had found surprising even when I read the original novel.
'No drinking and no smoking. Is there a reason he stays away from Omegas too? Or is it just his personal lifestyle?'
“How was the event?”
I asked, slightly turning down the radio volume. Han Jinheon shrugged his shoulders lightly.
“Boring. Because the person who always shows up at those things to cause a scene wasn’t there.”
I was flustered when he looked at me at the word ‘person.’ I pointed to myself with my index finger.
'Surely you don’t mean me? No matter how bad Han Sol was, he wouldn’t ruin an event for sick children, would he? He wouldn’t. He wouldn’t. He wouldn’t….'
I didn’t have the confidence to deny it outright, so I quietly turned my head and grumbled.
Comments Box