By Zephyria Seo Jeong-won decided to meet Kwon Tae-hee again on Monday, a week after his visit to the hospital.
Seo Jeong-won went to the flower shop early in the morning. He had been too exhausted on Sunday night and had gone inside, leaving everything in disarray, so there was a lot to clean up.
The floor was a mess. Soil that had fallen during repotting was scattered untidily across the floor.
He sighed, wondering when he would ever get it all cleaned up.
He fed the ornamental—no, actually, the fish in the small fish tank that he had brought in because he was lonely—on the table he used as a counter, and decided on the order in which to clean up. The colorful tropical fish moved actively, following the food.
“Where should I start? I can’t organize the flowerpots until I sweep the floor, right? Yeah, I think so too. I’m just too lazy.”
He picked up the broom that was leaning against one side of the wall and swept the aisle meticulously. He went around checking the condition of the Sedum palmeri that he had brought in this time in small quantities.
They said succulents were hard to kill, but even though he was taking care of them with all his heart, they were dying just fine. Was it sensitive to temperature? Or maybe he just didn’t have the knack for it.
He had taken over the flower shop by accident, so he didn’t really know how to grow plants properly, except for repotting.
Fortunately, among his aunt’s belongings, there was a notebook that contained some information about plants, so he was running the place on his own, struggling with that.
It contained everything from how much water to give and how to adjust the temperature of the flower shop, to knowledge of how to revive even plants and trees that looked dead.
The only thing that wasn’t organized was the part about money, so for several months, overdue bills arrived every month like an event.
He had been raised by his aunt, but he wasn’t her biological child, so it was difficult to check her debts. He only found out later that he had taken over the flower shop by force.
With this much loan, it was right to consider the flower shop owned by the bank.
“It’s too rural, so it’s hard to find a transferee.”
It had been months since he put it up for sale, but not a single person had come to see the flower shop. Seo Jeong-won said a word every time he passed the small fish tank.
“I told you I met my brother. I don’t know because I only saw him sleeping, but he doesn’t seem to have changed much from before.”
When he tapped the glass wall with his finger, the fish gathered, thinking he was giving them food.
“I wish he would wake up. I want to ask him if he’s been doing well.”
“I wish that too.”
A low voice echoed from behind him. The man had appeared without a sound.
Seo Jeong-won trembled and straightened his body. He was so surprised that he couldn’t even speak. His heart ached a little. He could feel a tingling sensation.
A worried voice followed his clutching at his chest.
“Are you okay?”
“I was just… surprised.”
“Your face has turned pale. Are you really okay?”
“…I’m okay. I’m just really surprised.”
Seo Jeong-won, who had been pressing down on his heart, bowed deeply to Kwon Tae-hee. He looked even more dashing today than he had at the hospital.
That day, the weather had been bad, so he seemed to have an gloomy atmosphere, but he looked different in the flower shop. He was radiant. Or was it dazzling?
The color of his eyes was quite light. His eyes, bathed in sunlight, were as pale as if brown paint had been dissolved in water. Even the comb-patterned iris inside the round rim was clearly visible.
Seo Jeong-won stared at him as if observing him, even though he knew it was rude. He was the executive director of a construction company, but maybe he was also an actor… or something.
“Shall we keep standing here?”
“Ah, no. I’m, I’m sorry. Would you like to sit here, this way?”
It seemed too precious to seat such a man at a rusty iron table, but there was no other choice. Seo Jeong-won’s cheeks flushed red as he continued.
“I only have instant coffee, would you like some?”
“No, thank you.”
Kwon Tae-hee politely refused. Seo Jeong-won then asked if he would like some water and moved. A paper cup filled with water was placed in front of him, making the refusal seem meaningless.
“The flower shop is quite big. More quaint than I thought.”
“Ah, this… this is a small one. The other ones are bigger and have more kinds of plants.”
“Is that so? I’ve never been to one, so I don’t know.”
Kwon Tae-hee, who had smiled faintly, took his eyes off the flower shop, which he wasn’t really interested in, and opened his briefcase.
As he moved his hand, his jet-black eyes followed his movements. He enjoyed the gaze and slowly took out a brown document envelope.
“I brought a copy of the contract I wrote with Gyu-won and a draft of the new contract we’ll be writing. Read it and let me know if there are any parts you want to modify or if there are any parts we need to talk about more. I’ll adjust everything.”
Seo Jeong-won carefully took the envelope in front of him. Even though he was given it to read, he felt like he was secretly stealing a peek. He checked the contents as soon as he took them out, glancing at Kwon Tae-hee, and the first thing he saw was the name ‘Seo Gyu-won’.
“I didn’t ask you what my brother was going to give you back then.”
“Ah, you didn’t.”
“So, um…”
Seo Jeong-won’s eyes widened as he slowly read through the contract. Ah, wait a minute. He frowned, his white face crumpling.
“This is…”
His trembling eyes went straight to Kwon Tae-hee. His jet-black pupils trembled helplessly. Kwon Tae-hee raised his eyebrows slightly, as if asking what was wrong.
“That’s right. What I was supposed to receive was a child.”
“I didn’t know it was this kind of thing…”
Most children in chaebol families had their arranged marriage partners decided from birth, but Kwon Tae-hee had never had such a thing from the beginning.
This was because his parents had different ideas, even though arranged marriages in the political and business world were not a choice but an essential strategy.
The couple, who had never felt any interest or excitement in each other throughout their lives due to a loveless marriage, sat young Kwon Tae-hee down and said that they did not want to pass on the evils of the chaebol family.
When Kwon Tae-hee reached marriageable age, his parents waited and set a condition for him to inherit the company.
To meet someone naturally through society, continue the relationship, and have a child in the natural course of events. This was the only condition that had to be met.
They wanted their child to meet someone they loved in an extremely ordinary way, unlike them, and build a family.
But his parents’ wishes were wrong from the start. Kwon Tae-hee didn’t want to waste his time, effort, or emotions on natural encounters or anything like that.
So he received a person through an Omega custom service center that specialized in this kind of thing.
For a few bucks, you could have an Omega whose past had been completely laundered and whose life had been designed to the client’s liking, and even an ideal first meeting set up, delivered to your doorstep.
Seo Gyu-won was the Omega who was delivered in that way.
He had no guilt about deceiving his parents from the beginning. He was only thinking about quickly finishing the troublesome procedure and inheriting the company.
“Wait, just a minute. I, I…”
“What’s Jeong-won’s trait?”
The low, subdued voice didn’t sound like a question, but it was definitely a question.
“I’m a Beta. Because I’m a Beta…”
“Ah, a Beta. Then… Seo Jeong-won can’t give me what Gyu-won promised either.”
“I’m, I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was this kind of thing. But… then, how did my brother…”
If he had known that this was a condition at the hospital, he wouldn’t have agreed.
But now, that thought didn’t occupy even a small piece of Seo Jeong-won’s mind. His mind was filled with a vague thought of what to do now.
“Since the younger brother, Jeong-won, can’t fulfill the contract either, you’ll have to remove the respirator or bear all the costs of continuing to maintain your brother’s life support. I brought it just in case.”
Seo Jeong-won’s mouth opened slightly as he lowered his gaze to the documents that were being handed over. He let out a small groan, as if embarrassed.
“This is a receipt for the hospital bill. This is the cost of nursing care.”
He got up from his seat as if he had no regrets.
“Even after seeing that, do you want your brother to keep the respirator?”
“Of course… I want my brother to keep the respirator.”
“I see. I know exactly what Jeong-won wants. I’ll tell the hospital that all future costs will be borne by the younger brother, Seo Jeong-won. If you ever need help, please contact me. I’ll help you with anything I can.”
Kwon Tae-hee took in the small frame trembling in front of him.
He looked at the business card next to the documents and predicted when he would be contacted. Would he come in about two months? He was sure that he would somehow endure it for a month, but it would be difficult from the second month.
It would be fun to watch what choice he would make, but that was about it.
A not-so-great curiosity about Seo Jeong-won’s appearance or the atmosphere he exuded.
“The hospital bill payment deadline must be met. Otherwise, you will be forced to leave the hospital.”
He smiled, hoping that the things that would drive his situation to the worst would be placed in front of Seo Jeong-won as if they had been waiting.
He hoped that cheap flyers offering loans would be well-placed in places where his clear eyes would often reach.
“But Seo Jeong-won, did you know that Betas who are exposed to Alpha pheromones for a long time can also manifest as Omegas?”