By Zephyria Kwon Tae-hee couldn’t take his eyes off Seo Jeong-won as the situation was resolved and he left the scene. Even though he was already of a delicate nature, his terrified white face remained vividly in his mind. When he swayed and was supported by Song Hae-seop, his body twitched even though he knew he couldn’t reveal himself.
“Ha, I’m really going crazy.”
“If you delay any longer, you’ll be late for your afternoon schedule.”
“I know. Let’s go. And… summon Song Hae-seop as soon as he returns.”
Kwon Tae-hee, wrinkling his eyes in annoyance, let out a deep sigh. He had told him to keep him safe, but he even got caught up in a quarrel. The trust he didn’t have in the first place plummeted to the bottom. What if something happened to Seo Jeong-won because of his reckless behavior? Is he out of his mind?
He also didn’t like that he had to listen to such vulgar curses in front of a pregnant Omega. He planned to give him a stern warning when he returned. If he was alone, he wouldn’t care if he jumped into a physical fight or was unilaterally assaulted, but it was a different story with Seo Jeong-won.
“The surveillance?”
“It’s in place. I’m receiving real-time reports.”
“Report everything to me without fail.”
Kwon Tae-hee said, pressing down on his red, bloodshot eyes. He wanted to stick by Seo Jeong-won’s side and watch his every move, but he couldn’t. Since the selection of the construction company, he had been in continuous meetings with the business-related departments for weeks. He was now dividing his time, even sacrificing sleep, to work and protect Seo Jeong-won.
“What time did you say the press conference was?”
“3 o’clock.”
“Tight.”
Chief Jung silently nodded in agreement instead of answering, glancing at the time. Two hours to Seoul, 30 minutes to get to the conference venue, and 30 minutes to change into a pre-prepared suit and fix his hair. It seemed tight, as he said, but he wouldn’t be late.
Chief Jung turned his face to the left and nodded to the driver. As if that was a signal, the car’s speed gradually increased.
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The press conference proceeded in a smooth yet serious atmosphere. Kwon Tae-hee led the flow, even gently deflecting questions that could have been sharp and sensitive. As soon as he finished giving detailed answers about the increase in real estate value, relocation support, and compensation procedures, the moderator added an announcement that he would take one last question.
“I’m Kim Seong-shik from Media Daily. Are you aware of the rumors circulating in some media outlets that Executive Director Kwon is preparing to marry a male Omega? Is the rumor true, and also, is the other party someone who affects Taehwa Construction’s business synergy or mutual cooperation? Please answer.”
Kwon Tae-hee felt from the reporter’s attitude and tone that he was singling out Seo Jeong-won. He had been extremely careful not to expose his personal information so that no false rumors would spread about Seo Jeong-won, but he wondered where the story had leaked from. A bug-like reporter had latched on.
He knew that whether he answered or not, articles with sensational headlines would pour out. Moreover, since nothing had been resolved yet, he couldn’t embargo the information until the official wedding announcement.
Kwon Tae-hee stared intently at the reporter who had asked the question, as if engraving his face and name, then turned his smiling face back to the moderator and made eye contact.
“I regret to inform you that I cannot answer questions unrelated to this project, and with that, I will conclude the press conference. I would like to express my deep gratitude to all the distinguished guests who attended despite their busy schedules.”
Kwon Tae-hee politely bowed and left the hall with Chief Jung and the bodyguards. He immediately went up to the room and checked the articles. There were no articles related to the scandal among the breaking news yet, but they would start appearing soon.
“Find out where the rumors leaked from. Kim Seong-shik, was it? He seemed to know Jeong-won, so look into that as well.”
“Yes.”
Kwon Tae-hee, loosening his tie and sighing, wondered if it would be better to release enough information through an official press release to identify Seo Jeong-won. Marriage and childbirth cannot be hidden. That means he will have to be exposed to the media at some point. He was confused about when the right time would be.
He sat on the sofa and repeatedly drank cold bottled water, when Chief Jung hurriedly approached with a tablet.
“It seems a photo was taken in the waiting area of the obstetrics and gynecology clinic on the day you last had a checkup.”
Kwon Tae-hee confirmed the photo he was handed and took a long breath. Seo Jeong-won was looking down, so only his cheeks, the tip of his nose, and lips were barely visible, and he was also turning his head, so only his side was vaguely captured.
“A couple who visited the hospital took a photo to commemorate their pregnancy, and it seems that the two of you waiting in the back were also captured together. The photo was deleted a few hours later, but before it was deleted, Executive Director’s name was mentioned in the comments, and many people started sharing it.”
“So, it’s not a paparazzi photo, but a photo taken by a regular person that we happened to be in together.”
“That’s right. It seems that some reporters found out about it after it was reposted, but since the quality wasn’t clear and the faces weren’t clearly exposed, they didn’t write an article about it.”
“And then the reporter who attended today’s press conference asked a probing question.”
“That seems to be the case.”
Kwon Tae-hee, understanding the situation, nodded lightly. If the article wasn’t sensational, it wouldn’t be bad for the marriage rumors to spread. It might be a way to keep Seo Jeong-won tied down. It might be a reason for him to return.
“Are you sure Song Hae-seop had no contact with the reporter?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“Just let the articles be published. I’ve put a laptop and tablet in the house where Jeong-won is staying, so he’ll find out through some route.”
He quietly murmured with a weary look.
“Jeong-won should know who my marriage partner is.”
“I think it would be a good idea to receive and review the press releases in advance.”
Kwon Tae-hee shook his head. He didn’t have the luxury to check such things one by one. In addition to the ongoing project, he was also preparing for the year-end performance presentation and future business briefing. He needed more than one body, and it was better to spend time with Seo Jeong-won than to worry about reporters.
“If legal action is needed after the report, then we’ll review it with the legal team.”
“Yes, and I received the voice file from Song Hae-seop and forwarded it to you.”
“It’s nice to hear Seo Jeong-won’s voice, but I should warn him to be careful not to get caught.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Kwon Tae-hee manipulated his phone and immediately played the voice file. Seo Jeong-won’s voice, as if he was talking quietly right next to him, flowed out. In his unique, quiet, and gentle tone, he was talking about him.
He’s afraid that he’ll have to beg. He’s planning to raise the child together even if he doesn’t beg, but he doesn’t know why he’s so scared. He just needs to come back, but he’s stubbornly holding out in a faraway place for some reason.
“What kind of psychology is this?”
“……Yes?”
“I wish you would tell me like you did back then. You told me by comparing.”
“Ah.”
Chief Jung’s brow furrowed deeply as he listened to the end and then listened to the repeatedly playing voice together. Unlike him, Kwon Tae-hee’s expression didn’t change from beginning to end. He was more focused on Seo Jeong-won’s voice than the content.
“It seems that Seo Gyu-won is still an issue that Seo Jeong-won can’t ignore.”
“Ha.”
“……In my opinion, in order to re-establish the relationship with Seo Jeong-won, it would be best for you to honestly reveal what kind of relationship you had with Seo Gyu-won. The most problematic part seems to be whether there was any emotional exchange.”
“You’re telling me to tell him how sincere Seo Gyu-won was to me?”
Kwon Tae-hee smiled cynically. He didn’t want to reveal that much honestly. The moment Seo Jeong-won learned about Seo Gyu-won’s disgustingly blind feelings, it felt like a deeper and wider line would be drawn in front of his feet. One that he could never cross, no matter how much he wanted to.
“Seo Gyu-won was an emotionally immature person. He had an emotional deficiency, or something like that.”
“……”
“He was an Omega who would bear my child, so I just kept the minimum manners, but he was so lacking in all emotional aspects that he mistook it for affection.”
He slowly spoke out the image of Seo Gyu-won that remained in his memory. He was a unilateral man, to the point that even recalling him was unpleasant.
“He wasn’t smart either. You can see that from the fact that he threatened me with my life. If it were me, I would have taken a Heat inducer. Since he was a dominant Omega, it would have been easier to solve it with his body than to ask for emotions. I mean, seducing me and dragging me into bed.”
“Could it be that he fell in love with you at first sight? That’s why……”
“Chief Jung, aren’t you living too much in a fairy tale?”
“……I’m sorry. But since you said he was an immature person with emotional deficiencies, I thought maybe it was different from the beginning.”