TL | Chapter 20 | The Suspicious Man

“I’d like to refuse.”

No matter how much money he offered, Jian wanted as little involvement as possible. Getting tangled up with the mafia was bound to twist her life in ways she couldn’t predict.

“Doesn’t really matter to me,” Iden replied calmly. “To be honest, I don’t want Seowon enduring his heat cycle with suppressants either.”

Jian clenched her teeth at his nonchalant implication—it sounded like he was saying he’d rather just hold him instead. Even with a Marked Partner, unwanted intimacy was nothing more than giving in to pheromones. And for some reason, Seowon currently wanted to keep his distance from Iden.

Ha Seowon, what’s really going on here? Why are both of you acting so strangely?

“Haa…”

She sighed deeply. This man understood Seowon’s feelings all too well, which was why he was making this half-threatening request to her. And he clearly knew she cared about Seowon’s well-being.

“But I have a condition.”

Iden nodded as if inviting her to go on.

“I get to contact and meet Seowon whenever I want—without your supervision.”

At her demand, the corner of Iden’s mouth lifted slightly.

“Fine by me.”

The ease of his response made her feel like she’d just walked into a trap, but the answer was out before she could second-guess. She’d regret it later if she had to, but first, she’d check on Seowon’s safety.

Haneum Memorial Park. Seowon parked the bike at the entrance, removed his helmet, and looked inside. A pathway lined with trees stretched toward a white building in the distance, casting enough shadow that it felt dim even in the middle of the day.

The feeling was strange before he even stepped in. Inside, there was an urn bearing his own remains, although it wasn’t truly him.

Min couldn’t understand why he felt the need to confirm it. Iden probably would’ve been equally disturbed if he’d known. Still, Seowon wanted to see it with his own eyes.

Finding the spot Min had mentioned was easy. It was in the best place, with the most favorable location—Iden must have chosen it himself.

Standing in front of the urn with his own ashes, he took a deep breath. Slowly lifting his gaze, he saw a photo of himself on the urn. The Ha Seowon in the picture smiled brightly, as if being shot by the mafia was unimaginable.

Seeing it with his own eyes brought an indescribable feeling. Who would’ve thought he’d end up gazing at his own death like a stranger? In that moment, Iden’s face overlapped the image. Just recently, he had stood here, looking at this urn, not with his face, but with his.

“If you were alive, would I never have come here?”

He asked himself, though he knew there would be no answer. If this world’s Ha Seowon had lived… would he still have ended up in this world? Would he have advised Ha Seowon to save Iden, even if it meant he might die in his place?

He probably would have. He thought it would be better to die himself than to lose him. So, the Ha Seowon in the photo would never regret it.

“Even if you could speak to me, you’d probably say the same thing.”

He swallowed his bitterness as he stared at the photo.

“But are you really okay with it? Dying like this… means you can never be by his side again. And beyond that…”

Right now, Iden was equating him with the dead Ha Seowon. No matter how much he tried to draw a line, his body also reacted to his pheromones, and ultimately, he had even let him hold him. The dead couldn’t protest that.

Was it really okay? Could he accept that Iden was fixated on him because he was also Ha Seowon? Was that really all right?

Thinking about it, he wasn’t even sure if he was questioning the dead Ha Seowon or the Iden he had lost. Either way, no answer would come. The guilt and remorse he felt for having his heart wavered toward someone so much like his lost lover wouldn’t go away.

“Maybe I came here because I wanted to apologize to you.”

He didn’t feel sorry just to his dead lover. He felt sorry to this world’s Ha Seowon, too. After all, this Iden was not his, but his.

If I were you, would I hate me? Or would I be glad someone else came to fill the void I couldn’t?

Someone to fill in… The thought was anything but comforting.

Suddenly, the lights in the memorial hall flickered and went out. Light from the windows kept the room from getting dark, but the sudden blackout was unsettling. As he turned to leave, he sensed someone approaching. Whoever it was, it wouldn’t be good for them to see him here, looking just like the person in the photo. He quickly hid behind a nearby urn.

At first, he thought it might be a staff member. But the person’s movements seemed suspicious. A dark figure paused at the entrance of the hall, scanning the surroundings, then moved directly to where Seowon had been standing moments before. The man, wearing leather gloves, smashed the glass protecting the urn.

Crash! The sound of breaking glass made him flinch. Holding his breath, he clenched his teeth to avoid making any noise. Carefully, he peeked out to observe the man’s actions.

After sweeping away the shattered glass, he reached into the urn. He heard a click as he opened the lid, grabbing a handful of something and putting it into a prepared envelope. Then, after another cautious look around, he left the memorial hall.

Only when the footsteps had faded completely did Seowon come out from behind the urn. Returning to where Ha Seowon’s urn had been, he saw the lid open and white powder scattered around. The man had taken Ha Seowon’s ashes.

Looking up, he noticed that the CCTV in the hall was also off, not just the lights. He must have cut the power, not for the lights, but to stop the cameras.

Who would do such a thing, and for what purpose? What could anyone possibly want with Ha Seowon’s ashes…? His mind was full of questions, but he had no clue who might be behind it.

“Seowon is at the memorial park.”

Min reported to Iden, who had just returned to his car after meeting with Choi Jian. He’d been tracking Seowon’s location on his laptop, per Iden’s instructions before they entered the café.

Iden had expected Seowon wouldn’t stay at home quietly. He even knew that Seowon had asked Min about Ha Seowon’s ashes. He wasn’t surprised he’d go to confirm it with his own eyes.

“It seems he’s not alone at the memorial park.”

Iden’s eyes narrowed at the follow-up report. Min showed him the CCTV footage from the memorial park. Expecting Seowon might visit, he had hacked into the security system to monitor the urn holding Ha Seowon’s ashes.

Just as the CCTV captured Seowon standing before the urn, the screen went black. Iden frowned, and Min explained that it looked like someone had infiltrated the park and cut off all power. The blackout affected not only the hall Seowon was in but the entire park’s CCTV system.

“What about Ha Seowon?”

If someone had broken into the memorial park, was Seowon in danger?

“I contacted the person we assigned to watch Seowon, and they confirmed hearing glass shattering inside the hall. Shortly after, a suspicious man exited. Just as they were about to check inside, Seowon also came out and is now on his way back. Based on his route, he seems to be returning to the mansion.”

Iden had placed someone at a discreet distance to watch over him without being noticed. Hearing that Seowon was safe allowed him to relax slightly.

“Do we know who broke into the park?”

“We’re still investigating. No CCTV footage captured the person’s face.”

“What was the reason for the break-in?”

“It appears they took Ha Seowon’s ashes.”

Iden fell into thought.

They stole Ha Seowon’s ashes? There had to be a reason; no one would steal ashes without purpose. What could someone possibly intend to do with them?

“They wanted confirmation.”

Min blinked in confusion. “Pardon?”

A slight smile curled at the corner of Iden’s mouth.

“There are likely rumors going around that Ha Seowon came back to life.”

Min murmured in realization. Someone had wanted to verify whether Ha Seowon was truly dead or if the one rumored to have returned was indeed Ha Seowon.

The reason was obvious. If Ha Seowon was alive, targeting him would be far easier than confronting Iden directly.

At last, the enemy lurking in the shadows had begun to make a move. This was exactly what Iden had anticipated, planned, and hoped for.