By Zephyria 
The final dessert plate was placed in front of In-ho. It was a cake with lavish decorations, specially crafted to commemorate Chairman Seo’s birthday.
In-ho stared blankly at the dessert plate sprinkled with gold flakes, and once again, he picked up his wine glass instead of the fork. He hadn’t touched a single bite of the course meal that had been served over the span of two hours. He simply emptied the wine beside him slowly.
Sitting in a lofty posture, he responded to Chairman Seo’s questions with short, clipped answers. Even then, Chairman Seo smiled as if proud, praising In-ho. When In-ho thanked the waiter for refilling his glass without being asked, the Chairman expressed satisfaction, saying he had a naturally upright character. He seemed poised to praise In-ho even if he had smoked right there.
“I’ll be leaving now.”
Placing his napkin on the table, In-ho stood up. He no longer felt like drinking. He ignored Chairman Seo’s suggestion to at least have some dessert. He didn’t offer a single word of birthday congratulations.
Jang Eun-young called his name, but he left the room without looking back. At his rude behavior, his siblings sighed or clicked their tongues softly. Chairman Seo, who had been delighted by In-ho’s attendance, set down his fork with a stiff expression.
Upon leaving the room, In-ho headed straight for the restroom.
Despite having eaten nothing, he felt nauseous. His condition was even worse due to the gloomy weather.
In the furthest stall of the restroom, he vomited nothing but alcohol and gastric juices. Since there was nothing in his stomach, purging was easy. He had drunk only alcohol knowing this would happen.
“You don’t seem to be feeling well.”
As In-ho opened the restroom door, Seo Seung-won, who was washing his hands at the sink, asked as if he had been waiting. He was In-ho’s eldest brother.
“If you’re in bad shape, why not just stay holed up at home? Why come out and make us both uncomfortable?”
His aura was the complete opposite of Seo Tae-wan’s fiery temperament. He maintained a calm and precise attitude in everything. Accordingly, he was a calculating individual who moved only for his own gain.
Rubbing his forehead as he walked out, In-ho ignored him and headed for the exit. As if used to the reaction, Seo Seung-won nonchalantly pulled a hand towel and spoke again.
“Was it Jeong Haon?”
He calmly grabbed hold of In-ho’s ankle in a cold tone.
“That friend didn’t look to be in very good condition either.”
Seo Seung-won observed In-ho’s reaction through the mirror.
In-ho didn’t show any noticeable reaction to the mention of Haon. He simply stopped walking and turned his head toward him. His attitude suggested he had expected this to some extent.
“How about the two of you go abroad and live comfortably? While getting treatment.”
Seo Seung-won took a step toward In-ho. He was nearly as tall as In-ho, but because of a constitution that didn’t easily put on fat or muscle, his frame didn’t look large. This was due to the characteristics of his manifestation as a Dominant Omega.
“There’s no reason to keep living in Korea. I’ll help you with everything.”
Click, the sharp sound of dress shoes echoed a palm’s width closer. He subtly scanned In-ho’s body, which revealed him to be a Dominant Alpha, while suppressing a bitter feeling in his gut.
Even as he aged, the bitter jealousy regarding their traits did not fade. If anything, it only deepened.
“I know you’re not interested in managing the company. Stop giving your mother false hope, and live comfortably abroad with your Omega.”
With his hands shoved in his trouser pockets, Seo Seung-won lightly tilted his chin up. It seemed he could absolutely not tolerate looking up at In-ho, who was taller than him.
“I’ll provide everything so you can settle anywhere. Don’t worry about anything else.”
It was evident from his slight expressions and movements that he was conscious of In-ho. He coveted the position of the next head of Hansung Group more than anyone. In truth, there was no one more suitable. If it weren’t for Chairman Seo’s pathological obsession with traits, the position would have naturally been given to him.
In-ho silently stared at Seo Seung-won, who was rambling with uncharacteristic fervor to persuade him. He looked down at him without a word of response, as if he were someone who couldn’t understand a word of the conversation.
“You seem quite desperate, brother.”
After rattling Seo Seung-won’s nerves with a long silence, he threw out a short remark. At In-ho’s low voice, Seo Seung-won’s stiff facial features distorted slightly.
“If you want me to stay still, don’t cross the line.”
After whispering those final words, In-ho stared intently at Seo Seung-won with pitch-black eyes. Even as a child, while wasting away amidst violence and neglect, he used to look at his brother with those same eyes.
Whenever that happened, Seo Seung-won would frown as if he had seen a bug and walk past In-ho. When In-ho called him ‘Seung-won hyung,’ he would bluntly tell him not to let his name cross his lips.
Even now, he glared at In-ho with a similar expression and left. Unlike when they were young, he wasn’t ignoring him, but avoiding him.
In-ho did not leave the sink until Seo Seung-won disappeared from sight. Only after confirming there was no sign of him returning did he slowly turn on the faucet and wash his hands.
While massaging his neck with hands washed in cold water, he suddenly rummaged through his pocket.
“…….”
He took out the sea otter-shaped origami Haon had given him and gazed at it. Since the paper was dark gray on the front and white on the back, it reminded him even more of a sea otter. Consequently, his thoughts of Haon grew.
I wonder what Haon is doing.
He took out his phone, which was so quiet it was almost disappointing, intending to send Haon a text. But before he could, a cautious voice drifted in from the restroom entrance.
“Hyung, are you okay…?”
The child, hiding behind the wall and showing only half his face, was Jang Eun-young’s second son. He was the infant Jang Eun-young always carried preciously in her arms back when In-ho was in the midst of trying to give up on life.
“What did Seung-won hyung say? Was he angry?”
He was small and frail compared to others his age. His face, which still looked childish, resembled Jang Eun-young as much as In-ho did, but his frame was thin and looked weak.
Seo Ju-han, Chairman Seo’s last child and Jang Eun-young’s hope, had gone through a childhood similar to In-ho’s. It was a past that had already ended for In-ho, but unfortunately, it was not for him.
Growing slower than his peers, Seo Ju-han had not even manifested his trait yet. This meant there was no sign at all that he would manifest as a Dominant Alpha.
“Why didn’t you eat anything? Are you sick?”
He was walking the same path of thorns that In-ho had trodden, but his personality was completely different.
If the young In-ho had been a quiet child whose thoughts were inscrutable, Seo Ju-han was a child desperate to reveal himself. The way he persistently struck up conversations while still reading the room was also very different.
“Hyung, why are your eyes red? Did you cry?”
Ju-han looked up at In-ho, unable to hide his surprised expression. He seemed unable to believe that In-ho had cried.
“Hyung, wait a second.”
As In-ho tried to leave, ignoring him, Ju-han timidly spread his arms to block the way.
“It’s just….”
After hesitating as if he had something to say, he whispered so the sound wouldn’t carry outside.
“Mom is really angry.”
As he delivered the news, he swallowed hard with a tense expression. It seemed Jang Eun-young was waiting for In-ho outside the restroom.
“Should I go and tell her you’re sick?”
Ju-han asked with sincerity, his eyes wide. Though he hadn’t yet shed his childishness, his eyes were quite sharp. In his eyes lay a faint competitive spirit that had not yet risen. It was something the young In-ho never had.
In-ho did not push away the younger brother blocking his path. He simply looked at the small, pallid face for a moment.
Beneath the sharp eyes lay a faded bruise. Looking closely, it seemed the bruise had been covered with makeup. There was also a scar under the eye, as if it had been scratched by something sharp.
After silently taking this in, In-ho eventually walked past his brother.
As he stepped out of the restroom, as expected, Jang Eun-young was waiting for him, emanating a strong scent of perfume. The wide hallway had already become filled with her lavish and artificial fragrance.
“You find it amusing to humiliate me, don’t you?”
Jang Eun-young glared at In-ho as he walked out leisurely, as if she wanted to kill him. Seeing her release one hand from her crossed arms to touch her forehead and take a deep breath, it seemed she was trying to suppress her anger in her own way.
“Is it that difficult to pretend to eat in front of your father?”
She was infuriated seeing In-ho sip only alcohol without glancing at the food. It wasn’t just any day; it was an important occasion celebrating his father’s birthday. If he attended such a precious event, he should at least make the effort to pick up the utensils for the sake of etiquette.
“How old are you, that you’re still acting like a child?”
“I wonder who was the one who begged me to just show my face.”
In-ho tilted his head, drawing out the end of his sentence sarcastically. He was quite satisfied to see Jang Eun-young’s face flushing red, a color that couldn’t be hidden even by thick makeup.
“That’s why you shouldn’t have called me. Did you think I’d be grinning and flattering Father?”
“I don’t even expect that. I’m saying just keep the basics, the basics!”
Eventually, Jang Eun-young raised her voice, the veins in her neck standing out. Standing between the two, Ju-han bit his lip, checking to see if there were any ears around to hear.
“Mom… Hyung’s stomach isn’t feeling well today. Please don’t be angry.”
“You stay quiet.”
Jang Eun-young’s sharp gaze shifted not to In-ho, but to the youngest. She no longer cherished the youngest as she once had.
“In-ho.”
Quickly softening her voice, Jang Eun-young put on a forced smile. She didn’t even try to make it look natural. By showing her twitching corners of her mouth, she made it obvious that she was smiling for his sake.
“Your father only looked at you today as well. He told me he was worried you looked thin.”
Was he supposed to be moved by those words? Tilting his head diagonally, In-ho couldn’t suppress a laugh.
“Son.”
Seeing In-ho openly mocking her, Jang Eun-young clenched her fist and took a step forward. The click of her shoes stimulated In-ho’s sensitized nerves.
“You’ve played around enough. What else is left?”
She tried to coax In-ho in a tone one would use to soothe a child. Seeing her do this again after being quiet for the past few years, the situation was clear.
“You’re not going to live like this for the rest of your life, are you? Right?”
Ju-han, standing behind Jang Eun-young, entered In-ho’s field of vision.
He had a small, thin body with no sign of manifesting as a Dominant Alpha. He was consciously trying to keep his posture straight, but his shoulders slumped out of habit. He was doing it even now.
At that familiar sight, a dry, scoffing laugh wouldn’t stop escaping In-ho.
How is it that my mother never changes? In-ho thought as he stared at the rambling red lips.
“How many times do I have to tell you that you just need to sit in your seat? Just take over the company and pretend to work. Mom will take care of the rest.”
Jang Eun-young treated the youngest as if he didn’t exist. It was the same during the meal. For a long time, her gaze had been fixed solely on Chairman Seo and In-ho. The youngest, perhaps accustomed to that cold attitude, didn’t even seem disappointed. He was simply intimidated.
“If you keep going like this, you won’t be able to protect the things you want to protect.”
Jang Eun-young’s voice pierced through In-ho’s skin softly. It was a statement with a chilling warning embedded within.
Knowing exactly what she was trying to leverage, In-ho maintained an even deeper smile.
It was a smile that meant: No matter what you babble, I am no longer affected by it in the slightest. Along with mockery.
“Why don’t you just have another child?”
Lowering his eyes, In-ho looked down at Jang Eun-young’s short skirt.
She only wore clothes that showcased the slender legs Chairman Seo liked. The skirt, whose fabric and color were tailored to Chairman Seo’s taste, was getting shorter as the years passed.
“Why. Are you running out of strength now?”
Taking a step closer to Jang Eun-young, In-ho whispered something in her ear. It was a voice so low that the youngest standing right behind couldn’t hear it.
Slap—!
Having heard the filthy words pouring into her ear, Jang Eun-young finally struck In-ho’s cheek.
“Mom!”
Horrified, Ju-han stepped between Jang Eun-young and In-ho, checking to see if anyone was watching.
“W-we’re outside right now. Please calm down.”
With a frightened face, Ju-han reached out to Jang Eun-young and then looked back at his brother. He couldn’t even bring himself to ask if he was okay; he only looked up at his brother, whose cheek had turned bright red.
“Hyung… should I get you some ice, an ice pack?”
Perhaps scratched by Jang Eun-young’s ring, there was a wound on In-ho’s white cheek. It was a similar shape to the wound under Ju-han’s eye.
“Don’t lay a hand on the child.”
In-ho warned Jang Eun-young, who was catching her breath. Then, he left a word for his brother, who looked pale in front of him.
“And you, don’t just stand there and take the hits.”
“…….”
“Do something. Don’t let her treat you carelessly.”
The words were spoken with an indifferent expression and voice. However, as Ju-han took them to heart, his eyes instantly welled up.
Leaving Jang Eun-young and Ju-han behind, In-ho escaped the stifling hallway.
Ju-han called out ‘Hyung’ with a sobbing voice from behind, but he didn’t look back.
The sun had not yet set.
Staring out the window where raindrops were beginning to form, In-ho sent a text to Haon. Telling him he was leaving now.
“…….”
However, even after In-ho’s driver started the car and left the building, no reply came back.