LM Chapter 8

After that encounter with Bae Taehoon at the convenience store, I didn’t run into him again. For one thing, Bae Taehoon completely ignored me when we met. With him keeping his mouth shut, there was no chance for problems to arise. But while there were no conflicts, his hatred toward me seemed to have grown even stronger.

The first time I saw him at school after the convenience store incident, his gaze was filled with deep resentment. His lips were all torn, probably from playing basketball, and he looked ridiculous with scabs on his mouth. Of course, since he didn’t bother me, I lightly ignored him.

Moreover, now I started to meet him less frequently. That’s because I deliberately kept some distance from Euiyun, who used to stick to him like we were one. It’s not that I pushed him away, I just kept the same kind of distance as with other friends. The first couple of times went well, but after it happened several times, Euiyun started to get suspicious.

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“Minha-ya, where do you want to eat lunch?”

“Ah, I’m fine. Go eat with the others.”

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When I answered casually after class ended, Euiyun, who was organizing his bag, stopped moving. Then he turned around with furrowed brows.

“You’re not going to eat?”

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“No, I already ate.”

“When? We had this class together.”

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When I thought about it, that was at 10 AM. I quickly made an excuse.

“I had a late breakfast.”

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“That was breakfast. If you don’t eat now, you won’t have time to eat later.”

“I’ll eat some snacks during break or something. I’m going first,” I tried to escape quickly by standing up, but a strong force grabbed my arm. I looked at Euiyun’s tightly gripping hand and was momentarily impressed. This guy’s been working out.

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“Did you gain some muscle? You’ve gotten stronger.”

“Huh? You can tell? Yeah, I gained a lot of muscle… Hey, damn it. Don’t change the subject.”

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“I’m not changing the subject, I’m just not hungry. Go eat with the others.”

“Then I won’t eat either.”

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“Suit yourself. But the muscle loss will be no joke.”

Flinch. While Euiyun hesitated, I freed myself from his grip and patted his arm.

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“You’re still growing, you should eat a lot.”

“Are you really not going to eat? Then watch me eat.”

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What am I, a mukbang viewer? Why should I? Euiyun seemed embarrassed after saying it too and sighed.

“It’s just that you keep distancing yourself lately.”

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“I have lots of friends.”

“That’s not it.” Euiyun sighed again and stared at me. “I’m just wondering if you’re avoiding me.”

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“What are you, the sun, that I’d avoid you?”

“Stop with the ancient jokes. I’m not kidding. I’m… wondering if maybe you noticed and…”

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Euiyun bit his lip and stopped talking. I had a feeling something uncomfortable was about to come out of his mouth. I tried to stop him, but unfortunately, or fortunately, someone’s loud voice drowned it out. The voice that naturally caught our ears immediately drew both my and Euiyun’s attention.

“Hey, you know that Omega who went into heat a few days ago? They took a leave of absence.”

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“Really? I heard that Omega went into heat even though they took suppressants. That means that Alpha’s pheromones must have been pretty strong, right? And they still haven’t caught the culprit?”

“They didn’t. Maybe they can’t catch the Alpha.”

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“Why?”

“If they could induce heat like that, it’s said to be a dominant Alpha. The Omega student was alone in the classroom. There were no witnesses.”

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“What do you mean no witnesses? There’s the Omega student who was attacked.”

The voice of the person who first shared the news became serious.

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“Apparently that student developed complications because they went into heat forcibly while on suppressants. When they woke up days later, they couldn’t remember anything.”

“My god, is that even possible?”

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“Apparently it’s not that rare. Usually when young Omegas who aren’t used to pheromones are exposed to them so intensely that it strains their body, they can lose their memories…”

I didn’t listen to the rest. As I quietly picked up my bag and left, I glanced to the side. Euiyun’s tightly closed lips probably matched my expression. Though neither of us said anything, we probably felt similar emotions. Thanks to that, we parted ways, forgetting our original argument.

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Afterwards, I started gradually distancing myself without letting Euiyun notice. Thanks to that, I rarely ran into Bae Taehoon as well. But apparently that didn’t solve all the problems.

Whether Bae Taehoon vented his unexpressed frustrations about me to his friends or not, I started feeling persistent stares directed at me afterward. And it wasn’t just from one or two people. More precisely, it was from a group. Later I learned they were dominant Alphas belonging to Alpha Six. In short, I was marked.

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If I had been a normal Omega, I would have been scared in this situation, but back then I was a fearless amoeba. So I ignored them and forgot about them. I should have stayed wary, remembering how terrible dominant Alphas could be.

---

Third morning at the hotel. Since I had nowhere to be, I was planning to stay in this soft bed until late. After all, I couldn’t fall asleep until dawn because I was thinking about the past. I was no longer the fearless 20-year-old who endured attending classes, working part-time jobs, and working during the night.

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Now I needed to make up for my lack of sleep right away to get through the day properly. But an annoying ringtone disturbed me. Who could it be? When I picked up my phone, I saw that it was an unknown number. I was about to ignore it but checked the time and pressed the answer button. It was already 10 AM. The caller wouldn’t know they were waking me up.

“Hello?”

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[Is this Mr. Im Minha?]

The middle-aged woman’s voice sounded familiar. I soon realized who it was. It was Professor Hong’s lawyer who had contacted me yesterday.

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“Yes. Is something wrong?”

[I wanted to confirm if you’re still in Seoul. I remembered you saying you were going back down today since your trip ends today.]

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I recalled our conversation from yesterday when she asked me to stay until after the funeral. I hadn’t given a proper answer because I was a bit puzzled. She seemed to be calling to confirm. What could these belongings that need to be given to me be? I asked again while on the call.

“Why did Professor Hong leave something to me? I haven’t been in contact with Professor Hong all this time.”

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[You’ll understand when you receive them.]

She gave the same answer as yesterday and quickly added,

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[Also, absolutely do not come to the funeral home or even near it today. We asked dominant Alpha mourners to come today.]

“You know I’m an Omega?”

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[Professor Hong left some instructions about her funeral in advance. She was especially concerned about you, Mr. Im Minha.]

Why me? I was confused. Did she keep in contact with my grandfather? No, even if that were true, being close to my grandfather has nothing to do with me.

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[And if you need accommodation in Seoul, let me know. Professor Hong arranged a place for you to stay.]

“She left me a house?!”

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[Absolutely not. I mean she looked into a place you could rent. It’s an apartment owned by the foundation Professor Hong created.]

The lawyer calmly shattered my misunderstanding. But even if it was just a rental, I couldn’t understand why someone would prepare something so thoughtfully for me. Someone who never contacted me while alive. Well, I did receive contact once, more specifically about my grandfather. But even that wasn’t direct per se, just sending condolence money through a representative.

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[So please make sure to stay until after the funeral.]

The lawyer emphasized and added one more thing,

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[Also, it could be dangerous, so please don’t leave your accommodation until tomorrow if possible. If you have any schedules, we’ll send security guards for you.]

“What danger?”

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I asked, but she muttered something incomprehensible.

[They don’t know your identity yet, but it’s only a matter of time before everyone knows…]

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“What do you mean ‘they’? And my identity isn’t anything special?”

[Mr. Im Minha.]

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She called my name in a serious voice. I pressed the phone close to my ear tensely.

“Yes?”

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[I’m limited in what I can say regarding Professor Hong’s will. There’s another person receiving belongings from her, and there are some issues related to that person. That’s all I can tell you.]

What could these belongings be, and who is this person? Surely my life isn’t in danger because of that stuff… right? No, it can’t be. Professor Hong wouldn’t leave me something that important. Even thinking that way, I still couldn’t understand this situation at all.

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[I’ll explain in detail after the funeral. Remember, you absolutely must not go around alone.]

After that vague warning, she hung up, saying she was busy. I blankly stared at the disconnected phone, wondering if I was still half-asleep. But the call record on my phone confirmed it was real. I stared into space for a while, trying to recall if I had any past with Professor Hong that I couldn’t remember, but it was futile.

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Having no choice but to give up, I got out of bed. Let’s eat first. And when I went down to the lobby, thinking about going out to buy kimbap since it was too late for hotel breakfast, it happened. Once the floodgates of past connections open, they seem to come rushing in like waves.

In the lobby, there were long chairs in front of the large window where people could sit. Someone sitting there was angrily talking on the phone, their voice echoing through the lobby. I was about to ignore them and walk past when a familiar name caught my attention.

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“Don’t order me around, Oh Saebyeok.”

That’s when I properly turned to look at the person on the phone. There was some distance, but I could make out the face of the man in the black suit. He was one of the characters from the makjang story I heard at the funeral home yesterday. Bae Taehoon. He fiercely warned the person on the phone while frowning.

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“If you talk like that one more time, I might crush you. Watch your mouth, you bastard.”

I couldn’t hear what Saebyeok said, but it must have been a satisfactory response because his voice softened.

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“How can I be okay when Mirae looks like it’s falling apart? That’s why I’m camping out at the hotel since morning. …Haah, I don’t know whether he’ll meet me or not either…”

As he looked up with a sigh, he noticed me and stopped talking. Bae Taehoon’s gaze fixed on me.

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“I’m hanging up.”

He quickly ended the call and stood up, approaching me. But interestingly, he didn’t look particularly surprised. He must have heard about meeting me from Saebyeok. Aside from surprise, what emotion would Bae Taehoon feel towards me? In my memory, his gaze was filled with displeasure until the end. Even after 8 years, I didn’t think much would change, but surprisingly, it had.

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“Im Minha.”

Thinking that I’ve been hearing my name quite often yesterday and today, I stared into his tense eyes. Yes, Bae Taehoon was looking at me as if dealing with a difficult opponent. But his question was impolite.

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“Why are you here?”

“Why are you speaking informally?”

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It was partly a protest against his rudeness, but half of it was a joke. But Bae Taehoon’s eyes wavered. He was more surprised than I expected and didn’t know what to do.

“Uh, you don’t know who I am? We went to the same university. I dated Euiyun, so we met a few times.”

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“I know.”

Only then did Bae Taehoon make an ‘ah’ sound as if understanding something.

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“Right, you must hate me after what happened.”

“What happened?”

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At my question, Bae Taehoon avoided my gaze and shook his head.

“Never mind. But really, why are you here?”

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Now that I no longer felt like joking, I answered quickly.

“I’m staying here.”

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“You’re not here to meet someone?”

“I don’t know anyone here.”

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Then Bae Taehoon’s expression changed strangely.

“You don’t? Then it’s a coincidence…”

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What? I waited for an explanation, but there was none. As if trying to hide his confusion, he suddenly rubbed his face with his hands.

“Im Minha, let me ask one favor.”

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“I’ll pass.”

He lowered his hands, revealing a surprised face.

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“It’s nothing difficult. I just want to talk when you have time, that’s all.”

“That’s very difficult for me. You’re a dominant Alpha.”

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He froze and moved his lips as if to say something, then closed them. Then, as if having made up his mind, he said,

“I’ll take suppressants. There are strong ones for dominant Alphas. The effect only lasts a day, but it should be enough for a brief talk. If you’re worried, I’ll take another pill.”

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I’d heard of suppressants for Alphas too. While there were many types of suppressants for Omegas, there was only one kind for Alphas, and even that had side effects like headaches and vomiting, so hardly any Alphas took them.

Ironically, while Omega suppressants have side effects too, new drugs that minimize those side effects keep coming out.

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Meanwhile, it seems Alpha suppressants are not developed anymore, as no new ones are being released. As if they can’t take away Alphas’ enjoyment of releasing pheromones and subduing others with them. Whatever the case, I hadn’t expected such an active response to what I’d said as an excuse to refuse. This time I was the one surprised. I also wondered what he could possibly want to talk about to go this far.

“Then wait. I’ll come back after eating.”

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When I headed towards the door to go out, amusingly, Bae Taehoon followed. What the…? When I turned around, he smiled awkwardly.

“I’m hungry too.”

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Just go eat by yourself then. The harsh rejection I was about to make couldn’t come out after hearing his small complaint.

“I haven’t eaten since last night. Something came up at home… haah.”

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Come to think of it, his face did look haggard and his hair was a bit disheveled. Of course, it wasn’t any of my business, but at that moment I thought of Euiyun. He was still someone Euiyun had liked. So I silently went to a soybean sprout soup restaurant near the hotel, and didn’t stop him when he followed. While waiting for the food, I took out a spoon, but he just sat there blankly.

“Could you get me some water?”

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“Ah, yes.”

He got up quickly, startled. Seeing that behavior reminded me of what Euiyun had said about his boyfriend being an innocent guy who didn’t know much about the ways of the world. It was a side I hadn’t seen during college.

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Time is strange. As time passes and situations change, people change too. Just as Saebyeok had become someone unfamiliar to me, Bae Taehoon, now free of all hostility, had transformed into someone easier to deal with.

“Have you ever tried bean sprout hangover soup?”

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I asked wondering if he might not have, being from a wealthy family, but he nodded.

“Yeah, before. With my brother.”

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I stopped midway through lifting my water cup. Wasn’t he an only child? Noticing my expression, he gave a bitter smile.

“I have many siblings. My mother kept trying to get the child she wanted, like picking a prize from a vending machine. I know of at least four, but there might be more. No, there definitely are more. But they were all deemed useless and abandoned right after birth.”

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My hand holding the water cup completely froze. Having suddenly heard a secret about the Mirae family, I thought, Wait a minute, should I be hearing this? But Bae Taehoon, not noticing my wavering eyes, continued to spill his secrets.

“Want to know what’s funny? Except for one of them, none know that their biological mother is the chairwoman of Mirae. They were thoroughly abandoned. So I’ve only met and contacted one brother.”

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I recalled the face that I’d occasionally seen on TV. She was a woman with striking eyes that seemed to embody what strength meant. Like most powerful women, she didn’t wear makeup and didn’t pay much attention to clothes.

True to her nickname as the ‘Cold Gambler’, she rarely smiled. And yet she made and discarded children like pressing buttons on a vending machine. It gave me chills. Though Bae Taehoon spoke of it casually, his voice was subdued.

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“Since I was the child of her official spouse, I was kept, but she probably wanted to get rid of me long ago too. Sometimes I envied my abandoned brother.”

I ended up putting down the water without drinking it. I had nothing to say. I really hate this kind of atmosphere, but I couldn’t just ignore the dejected person across from me. The kitchen was already preparing our food on trays. Eating soybean sprout soup in this atmosphere would probably give me indigestion. So I offered a word of advice mixed with comfort.

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“That’s rich talk.”

Instead of getting angry and leaving, which would have been best, Bae Taehoon just laughed emptily.

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“I did grow up wealthy. I’m just a fool who talks about wanting to leave but doesn’t have the courage to leave on my own.”

Again, I couldn’t get used to this. Not only was his hatred toward me gone, but he seemed like someone who had given up and let everything go. Just then, his phone rang. Bae Taehoon glanced at it and pressed end.

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“But maybe being a fool is better now. Even though the ship is sinking, everyone ignores it and instead of trying to escape, they only try to move forward faster. The sinking is right in front of us but they won’t acknowledge it. They’re under the delusion that the only person who can stop the sinking might change their mind. They think they just need to persuade that person. Ha, those idiots, that person was the one who made the ship sink in the first place.”

His words were mocking, but his voice sounded self-deprecating. He didn’t say what the sinking ship was, but it seemed related to the Mirae Group. After all, since last night, Saebyeok had been ordering Mirae Group employees around like servants, giving some kind of orders.

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But I wasn’t curious about what the situation was at all. Whatever it was, it was probably not good, and it felt uncomfortable for an outsider like me to hear about it. So I tried to change the subject by pointing at the bowl.

“You said you were hungry. Eat.”

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Instead, he put down his spoon and stared at me intently. Of course, I tried to ignore him and eat. I was quite hungry after all. But I heard his quiet, whispered question.

“Should I also struggle until the end to keep the ship from sinking? Even though I know it’s futile, since I’m on the ship, should I do like the others?”

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I wanted to be the one asking questions. No, why would you ask such serious things to an ex’s friend whom you haven’t seen in 8 years and weren’t even close to? That’s what I wanted to point out first, but Bae Taehoon looked tired and desperate. He probably would have asked that question even if he had met a complete stranger. I just happened to be unlucky enough to run into him at this hour. But I couldn’t respond lightly either. I swallowed a sigh and breathed in the aroma of the soybean sprout soup I couldn’t eat.

“Is that what you want to do?”

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“I don’t know. I don’t know what I should do now.”

How would I know? When I don’t even know the exact situation. Of course, I absolutely didn’t want to hear the exact situation. Instead, I knew what should be taken care of first in such cases.

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“Why don’t you put on a life jacket first?”

“…”

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“You said the ship is sinking soon, right? If it’s hard to escape now, at least wear a life jacket. You need to survive first.”

At my advice, Bae Taehoon gave a smile that could have been either laughter or crying.

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“Will that person let me live?”

Weren’t we just talking about a sinking ship? Did the genre change?

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“Well, wear a bulletproof vest too then.”

Unlike my confusion, Bae Taehoon let out a sighing laugh as if he had reached some realization.

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“Right, I need to live. Since no one thinks about me, I should at least look after myself.”

Then he suddenly started eating the soybean sprout soup. Looking at him reminded me of something. It was something Euiyun had said about him once. Probably after calling him an innocent idiot. I jokingly asked why he was dating such an idiot, but Euiyun’s answer was unexpectedly serious.

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‘Because I feel like I need to be there for him.’

Of course, being thoughtless at the time, I asked,

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‘Why? Is he afraid of bugs? Did he ask you to catch¹ them?’

Looking at it now, it clearly wasn’t about catching bugs. Of course, 8 years have passed. Even though I now understood the true meaning of what Euiyun said, there was no need to care about Bae Taehoon or whether he could catch bugs or not. Everyone has their own circumstances, so there’s no need to feel sorry for them. But I couldn’t take it lightly.

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After watching him eat earnestly for a moment, I too started eating quickly. Finally able to focus on the meal, I even forgot that such an awkward person was sitting across from me. But just as I was almost finished eating, the staring gaze started to bother me. Bae Taehoon, who had finished eating before me, was silently watching me. Aren’t all modern people addicted to their phones? Why isn’t he looking at his?

“Do you have something to say?”

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“Aren’t you curious about my brother?”

What’s with this sudden question? I chewed the crunchy bean sprouts and swallowed.

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“Not really. It’s not like I know him.”

“…What if you did know him?”

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“Is he famous?”

Heh. He laughed lightly again and said,

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“You’re just like they say – no prejudices and no interest in others. I can see why you got that nickname.”

“Nickname?”

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“They call you Amoeba, right?”

Bang! I put down my chopsticks with a loud noise.

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“Should I show you what it looks like when I’m full of prejudice?”

Though I didn’t mean to intimidate him, I had at least hoped to appear strong, but Bae Taehoon was still laughing. He did show the courtesy of covering his mouth with his water cup. Why does he laugh so easily? Ah, maybe he always laughed easily and I just didn’t know. Whenever I see these unknown sides of someone, I can’t help but think of my grandfather.

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‘Humans are complex. Someone who pours out anger over trivial things might one day let go of their anger over trivial things too. So, there’s no more arrogant judgment than thinking you know someone completely. You should just accept that people can change at any time. Of course, there are also plenty of assholes who never change.’

Bae Taehoon used to be an asshole to me, but now he seems like just a kid. A kid who wants to brag about his brother.

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“The fund my brother manages has recently become as famous as Mirae. After tomorrow, it will probably be the most famous in the world.”

“Really?”

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What does it matter to me if someone else’s brother is famous? At my casual response, Bae Taehoon looked at me with strange eyes.

“It’s been in the news every day lately, you don’t know?”

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“No. I don’t really watch the news.”

After answering, I quickly added, worried I might be called an amoeba again,

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“I’ve just been too busy with work lately to keep up.”

“That’s good.”

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I thought he might be mocking me, but hearing his next words, that wasn’t the case.

“People who know about Mirae’s recent situation don’t want to face me. They either secretly rejoice or pity me.”

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By this point, I felt like I should look up Mirae Group as soon as I left the soybean sprout soup restaurant. What’s going on exactly? It’s not like Mirae gambled away all their money or anything. As I was thinking while finishing my meal, a question came.

“Where are you going now?”

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I stopped my hand that was reaching for the water cup. It could be a simple question, but somehow it gave me a bad feeling.

“We should each go to our own destinations.”

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“I’m asking where your destination is.”

“Why are you asking?”

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“So I can go with you.”

His answer came easily, as if we were close friends who usually hung out together. Again, the person in front of me is my friend’s ex whom I haven’t seen in 8 years. I put down the water cup I hadn’t even drunk from, finding this ridiculous.

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“What do you mean you’re coming with me? And why are you following me?”

“You told me to wear a life jacket and a bulletproof vest. To do that, I need to create an unexpected destination to kill time. And it could be dangerous for you to go alone. No, you absolutely shouldn’t go alone. You shouldn’t even leave the hotel until tomorrow if possible.”

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His advice resembled the lawyer’s, and I found myself staring at him.

“Why would I be in danger?”

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He seemed about to say something, his lips moving slightly, but then appeared to change his mind and avoided my gaze.

“I can’t say right now. But you only need to be careful until tomorrow.”

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This too was similar to what the lawyer had said. By this point, I really started to wonder if Professor Hong’s belongings were really important. What if someone after her stuff was targeting me? No way. It’s not like they’re gold bars… Are they gold bars?!

Suddenly my heart started racing. When I heard it from the lawyer, I thought it was nothing, but with Bae Taehoon saying the same thing, I couldn’t help but take it seriously.

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“Do you know Professor Hong?”

“I just met her once or twice.”

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“Professor Hong’s inheritance… must be quite substantial?”

“Substantial? It must be enormous. She was a famous female dominant Alpha with no mate or children.”

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Bae Taehoon answered casually, but I was too serious to notice his reaction. My delusion spread like a vast field, wondering: What if Professor Hong had liked my grandfather? And that’s why she wanted to leave his inheritance to me, his grandson? My delusion was about to turn my ordinary grandfather into an Omega when I heard another question.

“Where are you going?”

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Unable to answer, I looked at him with troubled eyes. First of all, I had nowhere to go. I had no appointments today. However, perhaps misunderstanding my silence, he tried to appeal to himself.

“I’m a dominant Alpha, I can protect you. Plus, I’m still from Mirae.”

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“I can protect myself.”

At my answer, he immediately apologized as if realizing his mistake.

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“Right, of course you would. Sorry. Omegas aren’t just beings that need protection.”

His words were somewhat unexpected. Taking suppressants without hesitation, and apologizing about Omegas like this. Of course, this should be normal, but Bae Taehoon was a dominant Alpha from a powerful family. His cautious attitude toward Omegas was puzzling. At the end of my thoughts, I recalled Euiyun, who had been his boyfriend. so I unconsciously asked a question.

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“Why did you cheat on Euiyun?”

He hesitated and then sighed. After turning his gaze to the window and staying silent for a moment, he quietly asked back.

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“Would you believe me if I said I did it for Euiyun?”

“I wouldn’t.”

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He smiled again and summarized his answer in one sentence.

“I did it because I’m just an asshole.”

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“…”

“So, where are you headed to?”

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Ah, come on. I can’t say I have nothing to do now, really. I stood up and left the store with my troubled thoughts. Then I saw a convenience store in my line of sight. *Come to think of it, how is the store manager doing? Should I go visit him?*As I was deciding on my goal, Bae Taehoon, who had followed me, spoke with curiosity.

“But you really don’t ask more questions. Just like Euiyun said.”

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“What did Euiyun say?”

“That he felt hurt.”

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What? When I stopped walking, Taehoon Bae looked down at me.

“You don’t pry into others’ business, but you also don’t share your own. That’s why everyone was so shocked when you disappeared. No one even knew where your hometown was, so they couldn’t even go look for you. Was there really no one at school you could open up to?”

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Well, it wasn’t that I had none. I looked back at the convenience store and recalled that one person. There was one person I had shared my story with.

---

“Ryeok-ah, you’re going home for the weekend?”

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The manager asked shortly before Chuseok. This holiday included a weekend, and although I couldn’t go during weekdays because of my part-time job, I was planning to visit for two days on the weekend.

“Yes. I’ve already bought the tickets.”

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“Can’t you get a refund?”

I finally stopped what I was doing and turned to look at the manager.

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“How could I refund tickets that were so hard to get? Unless I’m crazy.”

“You might go crazy… For example…”

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For example, what?

“Go crazy for money.”

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My intention to dismiss his nonsense with a snort softened slightly. When it came to money, I could go a little crazy. And then I finally noticed the anxiety shown on the manager’s face.

“Did the weekend part-timer bail?”

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“…They quit.”

“Then you should fill in, manager.”

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The manager suddenly made his lips into an ‘S’ shape and pretended to be pitiful.

“Ryeok-ah, it’s my first holiday after getting married.”

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“I thought you’ve been married for years.”

“We officially registered our marriage this year.”

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So what, I almost blurted out. But since he was the one paying me, I held back and just gave him a deprecating look. The manager held up two fingers.

“Double. I’ll pay double the hourly wage!”

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“…”

“Ah, I said double! Take the money with power! Grab it firmly, huh?!”

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While I was slightly tempted by the money, now that he mentioned ‘power,’ it was obvious that word would be repeated at least ten more times from his mouth. I quickly started negotiating.

“Pay for my ticket cost too.”

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“You can get a refund for that, can’t you?”

“I should be compensated for the effort and time spent booking.”

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The manager thought for a moment. At this point, I should pretend to back out.

“If you don’t want to…”

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“Fine! I’ll pay it.”

I was about to smile at the manager’s decision, but his next words made me freeze.

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“Thanks. Just work 12 hours each day for two days on the weekend.”

…Excuse me? How many hours per day?

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***

The person who was most pleased about me not going home for Chuseok was Euiyun. But he was also the one who got most angry when he found out I would be working during that time.

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“You’re working? Hey, can’t you take just one day off? I can stay in Korea this holiday using homework as an excuse.”

Euiyun’s family went abroad every holiday, he said. It was their tradition. But how sad would his parents be if they knew their son was trying to skip out now that he’d grown up? I immediately clicked my tongue.

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“Such an unfilial son.”

“Ah shit, I’m not… It’s not that bad, right? And now that I’m older, they should go on romantic trips together. Why do they always have to drag their kids along? They’re my parents, but sometimes they’re annoyi…”

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Euiyun stopped mid-sentence and carefully looked at my expression. I deliberately pretended not to notice and changed the subject.

“I can’t skip. I agreed to receive double pay.”

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“I’ll give you triple.”

Assuming it was obviously a joke, I clasped my hands like a beggar and said, “Oh my, would you, boss?” But Euiyun made the proposal seriously.

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“I’m not joking. Just hang out with me for one day.”

“We already hang out every day at school.”

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“Ah, this is different. At school, we attend classes and don’t spend time completely together.”

I hesitated for a moment. Should I brush it off with a joke like usual, or should I draw a clear line? Since Euiyun was a good friend to me, I wanted to end it with the former whenever possible. But then I saw someone through the window. It was Bae Taehoon. He seemed to be coming to pick up Euiyun after his class ended.

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“Euiyun-ah.”

I called my friend and chose my words.

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“I have to spend my time outside of school earning a living. I can’t accept money to hang out with a friend. Unless I was hired to be a fake friend.”

“Ah, Minha-ya. I just…”

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I stood up, leaving Euiyun who was looking troubled. As a final attempt to lighten the mood, I playfully hit his shoulder.

“And be more filial to your parents.”

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I thought it would end well there, but Euiyun grabbed my wrist. He grabbed it quite painfully, and I think I slightly frowned. Euiyun didn’t loosen his grip and looked straight at me.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up money like that. But I really want to spend time with you. Actually, I have something to tell you.”

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In that moment, my intuition spoke. I shouldn’t hear these words. For a split second, confusion, fear, and regret filled my head. But hesitating here would be even worse. So I instinctively decided to preempt.

“What is it? Are you trying to confess?”

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“…Huh?”

“Ah, I understand. I am quite handsome, aren’t I? Plus, my charm is overwhelming. This face with its perfect harmony is pleasant just to look at, and you probably find yourself laughing at home remembering my jokes. It’s okay, everyone’s like that. There’s no one who hasn’t fallen for me among those who’ve met and gotten close to me. Falling for my charm is inevitable.”

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“What?”

“So about that confession… Well, I’ll listen to it. But don’t get your hopes up, my friend. My standards are quite high.”

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I patted his shoulder while consoling him in advance. Euiyun’s face slowly contorted. Then he suddenly pushed my arm away and jumped up from his seat.

“You psycho… Who’s confessing?!”

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“Then why is your face red? Your heart goes badump-badump just looking at me, right? I know everything, man. Everyone’s like that.”

The more I bragged, the higher Euiyun’s distress rose. Finally, he screamed while pulling at his hair.

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“Fuck, Im Minha, you’re really annoying!”

Fortunately, someone appeared to take care of Euiyun’s mood. When Bae Taehoon appeared at the classroom entrance with a look of confusion, Euiyun ran to him as if he’d been waiting. Then, grabbing Taehoon’s arm, he shouted at me triumphantly.

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“Hey, I have a boyfriend, you know?!”

Then he dragged away the confused Taehoon while fuming. I turned around, feeling satisfied that I had handled it well, but I belatedly noticed the shocked stares of the few classmates who were still in the classroom. I had preserved our friendship but my reputation had plummeted in an instant. Well, it’s fine. It wasn’t a particularly special reputation anyway.

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