TL | Chapter 30 | Regret?

“Just being good at fighting isn’t enough!” someone shouted, still unconvinced.

“Go check with Milo at the shooting range, then. He already saw the scores last week,” Leo replied, referencing the shooting session Seowon had done last week.

“None of you can top his score,” Leo added, leaving everyone disgruntled but unable to argue further.

“So, does that mean we’re getting a new Captain?” Asher, who was still sitting on the floor, asked.

“Originally, the Captain was…” Leo started, but Seowon interrupted.

“No.”

From the brief exchange, Seowon could guess who their previous Captain had been: likely “Ha Seowon.” Whether it was because of his skill or a personal connection to Iden, it seemed that Ha Seonwon had been the team’s Captain. If he’d joined Luciano right after graduating to stay close to Iden, it made sense.

But there was no way he could take over the team now. He’d do everything he could to protect Iden, but he wasn’t interested in the workings of the security team.

“All I need to do is protect Iden. I’m here to work with you to keep him safe, not to lead the security team.”

When he stated his position clearly, Leo’s expression stiffened as he studied him. It seemed he hadn’t expected Seowon to respond this way.

“The team members won’t find it easy to trust me,” Seowon said calmly.

To them, he was simply a lookalike—a stand-in that Iden had found. It made sense that the people charged with protecting Iden wouldn’t fully trust him, especially if he caused divisions within their ranks.

“Just tell me what I need to do,” Seowon reiterated. Leo sighed and reluctantly nodded.

“Follow me.”

He motioned toward the office-like area at the back. As Seowon walked past, he could feel the eyes of the guards on him. Even after proving his skills, their faces were still full of skepticism.

“You’ll have to excuse them. They really liked Mr. Ha,” Leo said, explaining the team’s attitude. His comment made it clear that they didn’t see Seowon as the original Ha Seowon. But it was the truth, so he didn’t mind.

“Things will change over time.”

“I don’t care.”

Seowon had no interest in being recognized as “Ha Seowon” by them. As long as he could keep Iden safe without discomfort, that was all that mattered.

However, Leo stopped abruptly and looked at him closely. Thinking he might have made a misstep, Seowon stopped and met his gaze. Leo offered a faint smile.

“You’ve said that before. Back then, Mr. Ha casually answered that he didn’t care either.”

“Oh…”

“That’s why I’m saying this now. In time, they’ll accept you, just like they did back then. You’ve already shown them.”

Whether Leo meant the brief skirmishes with two of their members earlier or something that the original “Ha Seowon” had shown them before, Seowon wasn’t sure.

Two days later, Seowon received a message from Jian, asking if he had time to meet around the end of the workday. Iden seemed busy, probably due to the auction scheduled for tomorrow. Though the workday was over, he remained stuck in his office.

“He probably won’t leave until after 10 tonight,” Min said, glancing at the clock.

“He’s been catching up on a lot of work,” Min added with a forced smile, almost as if to imply, “thanks to Mr. Ha Seowon.”

“I’ll just be out for a bit,” Seowon said.

“Where to…?”

Seowon hadn’t left Iden’s side whenever he was in the office, except when he occasionally stepped away to review tomorrow’s security plans with the rest of the team.

“Jian’s coming by. I’ll meet her in the lobby, so I’ll be back soon.”

He had briefly considered making an excuse, but he decided against it. Since he’d been spending time gathering intel on Iden’s surroundings through the security team, he figured they were already aware he’d been meeting Jian. Besides, the equipment he’d received for security had not only tracking capabilities but also a listening function. If Iden wanted, he could have easily known what Jian and Seowon were discussing.

If Iden hadn’t objected, it wasn’t because he didn’t know; it was because he was letting it happen. This reassured Seowon that he had no intention of stopping him from meeting Jian.

“If that’s the case, you could invite Ms. Choi Jian up here. We’ve got a meeting room free,” Min suggested, showing no surprise, making it clear he already knew. Meeting in the lobby wasn’t necessary, so Seowon agreed and sent Jian a message.

He waited in the meeting room, and soon there was a knock. The door opened just a crack, and Jian poked her head in.

“Come in.”

Jian looked around the room, confirming they were alone, then stepped inside.

“Sorry to trouble you. It’s just hard for me to step out.”

Though he mainly wanted to avoid running into others, Jian seemed to interpret it differently, frowning slightly.

“So you’re basically stuck by his side every second? That’s intense.”

“It’s not that bad.”

“Oh, please. I’m sure it is.”

Seowon smiled slightly, not even bothering to argue.

“Here.”

Jian pulled a small paper envelope from her bag and handed it over.

“It took a while to confirm the old prescription records. I didn’t want to risk giving you something that could cause side effects.”

“…I’m impressed you managed to get it,” Seowon said, knowing it couldn’t have been easy with him listed as deceased.

“Nothing’s impossible,” she replied with a casual wave, dismissing his concern.

“Hope I’m not too late.”

It had already been about ten days since he’d asked her for this favor.

“Well…”

As he trailed off uncertainly, Jian, sensing the situation, frowned slightly but chose not to comment, simply sighing softly.

“I made it pretty strong, so don’t take more than one a day. Based on the prescription records, it’s been a while since you last took suppressants. I hope it still works for you; sometimes body chemistry can change.”

Nodding, Seowon thanked her. Opening the envelope, he found about five pills. They seemed too few, so he looked back at her.

“I didn’t make many since I’m not sure if they’ll work for you. Let me know if you notice any issues.”

Noticing his questioning look, Jian explained.

“It can’t have been easy for you to get your hands on those…”

Even as a researcher in a pharmaceutical company, it wasn’t exactly legal or safe for her to smuggle out medication. The thought of asking her for more was uncomfortable.

“If you’re worried about that, don’t be. ‘That person’ provided the ingredients.”

Seowon tilted his head, confused by her use of “that person.” Jian wordlessly gestured towards the meeting room door with her eyes.

“Iden?”

He asked, almost incredulously, and she nodded as if to say, “Who else?”

This was unexpected. He’d assumed that if Iden knew he was looking for suppressants, he’d try to stop him…

“I know I shouldn’t interfere, but… you two are seriously weird. I can’t understand why you need suppressants, and then he comes to me asking if I can regularly make them for you?”

Seowon had no idea that Iden had met with Jian or asked her to keep making suppressants for him. That was truly surprising.

“Do you regret it?”

Her question made him pause. He immediately understood what she was asking.

Do you regret the bond?

No. Not once—not even when he lost Iden—had he ever regretted forming that bond. It just felt like half his heart had been ripped out, making it impossible to go on.

But had Iden regretted it? If they hadn’t bonded, even if “Ha Seowon” died, Iden might have moved on with a new partner.

For the first time, he realized that the bond might have become a bothersome chain for Iden.

In the past few days, or rather, since the day he’d brought up the idea of Iden having a “partner,” they hadn’t had a real conversation. Though they left for work together, came home together, and shared the same space, they barely exchanged more than the bare minimum of words.

The first day, Seowon had sensed that Iden was angry, so he gave him space. Min had hoped he would talk it out with him, but Seowon hadn’t known what to say. In the end, they’d left things unresolved, and the air between them had been tense ever since.

“Did you two have a fight?”

Jian studied his face and cautiously asked. Was it really a fight? He wasn’t sure what fighting even meant; they had never had any arguments that led to hurt feelings before.

Jian must have noticed the conflict on his face. She sighed deeply and looked away.

“He came to me recently with a scouting offer. Said he’d triple my current salary.”

Her sudden comment made Seowon’s eyes widen.

“So… you’re thinking of coming here?”

“Do you even know what this place is…”

“I do. But you’re here too.”

She interrupted before he could finish.

“If you’re worried about me, you don’t have to be.”

Last time they’d met, she had been visibly disgusted by the mention of Luciano. For her to willingly want to come here made no sense.

“It’s not just because of you.”

But her answer didn’t convince him.

“They’re offering a lot of money.”

The excuse was unconvincing, and they both knew it.