#141

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Kwon Jung-hyun stopped abruptly in his tracks and narrowed his eyes.

He had been walking Crunch for a while at Lucas’s request. Thanks to Crunch, he had walked in a direction he didn’t usually take, and because of that, he ended up discovering something.

It was the only place in the neighborhood that could be called a downtown area. A place where shopping streets lined up side by side, with supermarkets, delis, and restaurants of all sizes.

Among them was a fairly decent French restaurant; since people’s tastes tend to be similar, it was always crowded with couples on dates.

And there, by the window of that very French restaurant, was a familiar face. It was Shin Ho-jae.

The table was narrow compared to his height, so his long thighs were almost touching the legs of the person opposite him, and his eyes sparkled as he listened intently to the other person’s words. That wasn’t the only thing that bothered Jung-hyun.

He wasn’t wearing his usual athletic gear, but was properly dressed in a shirt, trousers, and dress shoes. Just like someone who had come out on a formal date.

Woof!

When he didn’t move, Crunch looked up at him and barked once. Only then did Jung-hyun snap out of it and start walking again.

The other person was a very tall woman. She had a bronzed complexion that suited her well, perhaps due to some Latin blood, and she was wearing tailored trousers and a low-cut blouse. Contrary to her voluptuous appearance, her gaze felt very intellectual. In short, she was the kind of person anyone would find attractive.

And in the next moment, Jung-hyun had a strong intuition that she must be an Omega. A dominant one, at that.

To anyone, it looked like a date between a stunning Dominant Alpha and a Dominant Omega couple, but Jung-hyun could be certain that Shin Ho-jae wouldn’t meet a woman with such intentions.

At least, the Shin Ho-jae he knew wasn’t the type of person who could meet someone else with romantic feelings the very next day after saying he wanted to show a life they built together with a face dripping with honey.

Then, he slowly recalled Shin Ho-jae mentioning he had dinner plans with a scout.

Aha. So that woman was the person who had supported Shin Ho-jae while crossing the North American continent. As a result, Shin Ho-jae had successfully completed his contract with the first division league, so the two of them naturally deserved to celebrate.

Thinking about it belatedly, that restaurant served authentic French cuisine, which was rare in this area. Therefore, it naturally had a dress code. With the clothes Shin Ho-jae usually wore, entry itself would have been restricted.

Even though he had deduced all the reasons why the two were sitting in a French restaurant in fancy clothes on a weekend evening, it was difficult to shake off the simmering irritation. And Kwon Jung-hyun wasn’t stupid enough not to know what his emotion was.

Jealousy.

And it was a very multifaceted jealousy.

In the world of trait-bearers, the fact that his recessive trait belonged to a fairly low grade was something he only knew intellectually, but seeing the Dominant Omega sitting in front of Shin Ho-jae, he felt a fundamental sense of inferiority that non-trait-bearers could never understand.

“I feel…”

Like crap.

Having a trait after turning thirty and having to feel this way—there was no way he could feel good about it. If it felt like this just seeing them from afar, it would be worse if he actually faced them.

However, the reason Jung-hyun’s mood sank even further was something entirely different.

The fact that he had contributed absolutely nothing to Shin Ho-jae’s entry into the NHL. Ridiculously, that was the part that angered Jung-hyun the most.

The person drinking champagne to celebrate Shin Ho-jae’s contract in that seat should have been him, not that woman. If he were still the owner of the Blue Wolves, it definitely would have been. He would have been the one introducing Shin Ho-jae to NHL teams instead of Peter, and he would have been the one traveling through Canada and the US with Shin Ho-jae for meetings.

It was laughable. Since when had he been so ambitious about work? Besides, the fact that he had come to America to rest comfortably was a choice he had made himself. Around the time he left Korea, he had been exhausted in many ways and strongly hoped that Ho-ppang would stabilize.

But there was no longer a need for that. Thanks to someone, both Ho-ppang and he had now entered a state of complete stability. If so, wouldn’t this be enough of a break?

『Phew! Thank you so much. If you haven’t had dinner yet, would you like to eat together? It’s just me and Crunch today…』

『I’m sorry, Lucas. I just remembered something I need to do urgently.』

Jung-hyun went straight to Lucas’s house, let Crunch inside, and walked home quickly. A strange competitive spirit was boiling up from the depths of his gut.

After washing his hands and pouring a glass of water, he leaned back on the sofa and turned on his laptop. What he was curious about now was what he could do moving forward. First, Jung-hyun assessed the scale of the funds he could manage, including his real estate holdings and stock accounts.

Hmm. Jung-hyun’s expression was quite serious as he scrolled down. After a moment, he picked up his phone and entered a number he had memorized. The signal continued for a long time.

This damn bastard had a habit of not answering unknown numbers. Eventually, after hanging up once and calling back, he was able to hear a voice laced with irritation.

─Who is this?

『Peter. It’s me. Tell me more about the part where you said individuals can invest in NHL teams.』

─What…? Crazy. Is this really you, Hue?

『And did you say you’re in Korea now? Are you staying with the Blue Wolves next season? Don’t they need investors?』

─Is that even a question? Of course they do! After what happened to MJ Sports, now… No, do you seriously not know about that yet?

『What “that”?』

─…About your brother.

Jung-hyun’s eyes narrowed. It didn’t sound like he was just talking. Peter’s voice was unusually serious. While on the phone, Jung-hyun opened a portal site on his laptop.

Unless he searched for it himself, there was no way news about the investigation into Myeong-jeong would reach him. He was halfway across the globe, and Shin Ho-jae was the only person who knew he was Myeong-jeong’s Kwon Jung-hyun.

“…….”

The finger scrolling down stopped abruptly. It was because he had found a certain article headline.

[Breaking News] Former Korea Air Vice President Kwon Ki-hyuk Dies in Traffic Accident

Jung-hyun’s pupils gradually sank deeper as he skimmed the contents of the article.

Ten days ago, the identity of a person who died in a traffic accident on a road in Gangnam was confirmed to be the former Vice President of Korea Air. Because the perpetrator was the biological mother of the missing Kim In-jung, and because she had struck the victim several times even after the first accident and failed to call an ambulance immediately, intentionality was suspected. She soon admitted it was a planned crime, causing a huge stir.

In the photo, she looked like an ordinary middle-aged woman seen anywhere, with short permed hair, a faded red jumper, and short brown trousers.

Experts predicted she would be sentenced to life imprisonment, the maximum legal penalty, but in her face, held high and proud before the press, not a single trace of regret could be found. Public opinion was also pouring out favorable reactions, calling it “justice served” and a “refreshing conclusion.”

No one sympathized with Kwon Ki-hyuk. This was because it had been revealed in detail that just before he died in the accident, he had struck his wife’s back of the head with a weapon and set fire to the house, and had damaged six vehicles parked in an officetel in Gangnam.

His wife, Jeon So-hyun, was fortunately rushed to the hospital by firefighters who arrived just in time, and she is said to be recovering after waking up following a long surgery. Upon waking, Jeon So-hyun and her family filed lawsuits worth billions against Kwon Ki-hyuk and the Myeong-jeong Group, and all of that burden now fell upon Kwon Myung-chul, rather than the now-deceased Kwon Ki-hyuk.

Jung-hyun hung up the phone with Peter and went outside. He did so because he couldn’t just sit still at home. The neighborhood, lined with detached houses, was quiet. Walking slowly, Jung-hyun became lost in thought.

Kwon Ki-hyuk was dead. He no longer existed in this world.

Could it be said that Kwon Jung-hyun bore no responsibility for Kwon Ki-hyuk’s death? The answer was no. But if asked if he felt a sense of responsibility because of it, the answer to that was also no.

He thought it was a death truly fitting for him. To be avenged by the mother of the victim he had driven to death.

“Haha….”

A dry laugh escaped him. He thought he would only feel relieved, but for some reason, his mouth tasted bitter. Perhaps it was because it didn’t feel real yet.

It wasn’t hard to imagine the feelings of an aging mother who watched the murder suspicions against her son be dismissed. She must have thought about how a man who she was certain killed her son was living luxuriously without paying for his crimes. That was true to some extent.

The various allegations Jung-hyun had helped uncover, such as stock price manipulation and unfair trading, might have held him back, but only for a moment. He would have received a performative punishment for the public and then made a comeback as if nothing had happened. Those born with power on their backs know exactly how to handle crises, large or small.

The image of the elderly woman shouting, ‘Since the police I trusted arbitrarily forgave the crime of killing my son, I had no choice but to judge him myself,’ remained in his memory for a long time.

Naturally, his thoughts reached his mother, who would still be at Myeong-jeong. Jung-hyun lifted the phone in his hand. The device recognized the movement, lit up the screen, and waited for the next command. But since Jung-hyun did nothing, the screen turned black again.

Myeong-jeong must be a disaster right now. Since the only heir had died, the father’s grief must be indescribable. That would affect the mother as well. He had her number memorized even without saving it. He could call right now and ask if everything was okay, but…

Jung-hyun fiddled with the phone for a long time before ending his short outing. It felt like a night where sleep would not come easily.

142 – PUCK DROP