By Zephyria 
After Hae-joo fled and Min-hyeok had roughly settled the situation, he visited Hae-joo’s Imperial Pavilion a few days later. He remained there for a long time. The pavilion, which had been closed off to prevent any investigation or human touch, was a mess. Looking at the state of the pavilion, which had become nearly a ruin, one could tell how urgent the situation had been at the time.
As Min-hyeok looked around, a deep sigh escaped his lips. Why had things turned out like this? It was simply devastating that things had unfolded regardless of his intentions. Wanting to deny this reality, Min-hyeok closed his eyes tightly and stood motionless.
Hae-joo had been here until just a short while ago, but he had vanished so suddenly that it didn’t even feel real. Min-hyeok looked around the pavilion as if searching for traces of Hae-joo, and then he spotted a familiar doll. It was a doll he couldn’t possibly mistake. Min-hyeok had personally commissioned it and placed it in Hae-joo’s hands.
The cat doll that Hae-joo had held onto until the very end. It was a doll that Hae-joo had poured affection into from the moment it was gifted until the end. He had cherished and hugged it while sleeping and while passing the time in boredom. All while unaware that a camera had been planted by Min-hyeok within those beautiful two eyes.
As Min-hyeok met the piercingly blue eyes of the doll, his own eyes filled with remorse. Through the eyes of this doll, Min-hyeok had seen Hae-joo and come to know him. At first, he had planted it for surveillance, wanting to learn anything about the Prime Minister, but as time passed, his interest in Cha Hae-joo himself grew, and he observed him from behind the doll’s eyes.
There were many unfamiliar sides to him that Min-hyeok had never known. He loved seeing Hae-joo happy while hugging the doll he had gifted. Because that sight was so pleasing, he wanted to see other sides of him as well. Thus, Min-hyeok watched Hae-joo’s daily life. Before he knew it, the guilt he felt when he first turned on the camera vanished, replaced by the anticipation of seeing new sides of Hae-joo.
And finally, he came to understand the identity of the strange distance he felt from Hae-joo. The identity of that odd strangeness, difficult to put into words, that he had felt from the Hae-joo he had watched for so long. The moment he discovered the reason for the unpleasant emotional exchange flowing between Hae-joo and Hyun-wook, Min-hyeok was shocked to the point that his daily life became uncomfortable.
A past life? Even his friend’s younger brother… He couldn’t believe that a connection from a past life had carried over into this one, continuing their bond. He wanted to deny it. Yet, the belief in how poignant the narrative between the two was was also immense. Min-hyeok was anxious that the object of that tenacious emotion was Kang Hyun-wook and not himself.
With the single word “past life,” everything about Hae-joo that had been full of questions fit together perfectly, like a completed puzzle, leading to the conclusion that there was no lie in their story. It also made sense why Hae-joo’s personality had flipped like the palm of a hand.
Min-hyeok remembered a conversation he had with Hae-joo on the day he had been tearing through Hae-joo’s pavilion. When he asked if there was anything Hae-joo was hiding from him, the look on Hae-joo’s face was one of awkwardness. Only then did he realize what that expression of awkwardness meant. Soon after, Hae-joo, looking determined, promised that he would definitely tell him one day.
He didn’t know for sure if the story Hae-joo promised was the story of the past life he suspected or something else, but Min-hyeok decided to wait for Hae-joo’s promise. No matter how long it took, he resolved to trust him and wait for the right time. Min-hyeok trusted Hae-joo. However, he had failed to give Hae-joo that same trust. He wanted nothing more than to turn back time. It was just as he was about to leave Hae-joo’s room in such a bleak, hopeless state.
While glancing around Hae-joo’s room one last time out of lingering attachment, something caught Min-hyeok’s eye. A small side table placed by the bedroom window that Hae-joo had cherished. On top of it, he discovered a document. It was a document Min-hyeok had seen before. It was the divorce papers that Min-hyeok had reluctantly handed to Hae-joo.
Upon confirming the divorce papers, Min-hyeok quickly picked them up to check. They were definitely the divorce papers stamped with Hae-joo’s seal. The seal had been pressed very accurately and neatly. Had he received this as planned, Min-hyeok would have submitted it to the Imperial lawyer to proceed with the divorce process. Since their statuses were different from ordinary people, the divorce would have proceeded smoothly through the representing lawyer without them having to move personally.
Since it was the first divorce in the Imperial family, he expected it to take some time due to the many points of agreement and adjustments. Min-hyeok had planned to drag out the time as much as possible, considering various situations and the divorce adjustment period, to change Hae-joo’s mind.
However, things got twisted, and Hae-joo ended up fleeing. The party who drafted the document had disappeared without being able to hand it over. He had discovered this by chance; he had never actually received the divorce papers from Hae-joo.
“I never received the divorce papers from Hae-joo, nor did I even get to see them. If I hadn’t seen this, I wouldn’t even know if Hae-joo agreed to the documents. If divorce papers without a signature of consent don’t exist, the divorce can’t proceed.”
Even if they had agreed, how would the divorce proceed without the documents drafted by the party involved? Of course, there was the option of a trial, but Min-hyeok had no intention of going to trial. Whether it was a mediated divorce or a litigated trial, Min-hyeok had no desire to take any action regarding the divorce. This was something that proceeded because Hae-joo wanted it; Min-hyeok had never wanted a divorce in the first place.
A smile spread across Min-hyeok’s face, the corners of his mouth curling up. Although Hae-joo was not by his side, they could remain husband and wife, at least legally. Furthermore, once Hae-joo realized the divorce hadn’t gone through, he would be the one to move first. Whether he came looking for him or filed a lawsuit, he would take some form of action.
Then, even if Min-hyeok didn’t go looking for him, he would be able to find out Hae-joo’s location. To meet Hae-joo, to make him come to him, he must not divorce no matter what. Until a moment ago, he felt as if he had fallen into a darkness with no exit. But now, a faint light had begun to appear before him.
Thus, he discovered a precarious string that still connected him to Hae-joo. So, he clung to it with everything he had. Since Hae-joo had gone through so much trouble to flee, he decided to let him enjoy that time for a while. Min-hyeok had his own feelings of resentment, and since Hae-joo had no choice but to return anyway, he figured he should let him enjoy his life as a fugitive comfortably until then. Yes, he believed the day they would meet again would not be far off.
“…But who the hell did I think would be out of contact for over five damn years? I thought it would be a few months at most. Is he just dull or what? With that personality, there’s no way he’d ignore it knowing the facts.”
Min-hyeok, lost in old memories, muttered irritably. While Min-hyeok walked deep in thought, they left the prison and headed toward the waiting car.
“Your Majesty. You know where the Grand Imperial Concubine is, so why are you just watching? You figured out his residence long ago.”
“Then what, should I storm in and drag him back?”
“It’s not that, but rather why you are only observing. Why does the user not know that the divorce was never finalized…”
Listening to Hyun-wook’s words, which were close to a monologue, Min-hyeok let out a short, hollow laugh.
“Because he doesn’t know, he doesn’t come looking, given his personality. Hae-joo has no reason to pull any official documents for financial matters. Did you forget who Cha Hae-joo’s father is? All of Hae-joo’s current capital comes from Cha Tae-jin.”
Everything Hae-joo and Han-bin currently enjoy comes from Cha Tae-jin’s immense wealth. Fearing that they would be exposed to Min-hyeok the moment they accessed their accounts, the two would not have refused Cha Tae-jin’s help. Min-hyeok didn’t bother stopping it either.
He didn’t want to see Hae-joo, who left the palace empty-handed, suffering from financial hardship and living miserably, nor did he want him to live that way. That was the reason he left Cha Tae-jin alone without pressuring him. So that Hae-joo could spend money freely. And as a result, a situation arose where Hae-joo didn’t even know if he was divorced or not.
“But how can he be this clueless? Should I make him buy a house in his own name so he has to pull a resident registration transcript? Then he’d contact me immediately.”
In any case, the civil servants on the island, except for a few city officials, were Imperial officials personally dispatched by Min-hyeok. Of course, no one knew that. As soon as he figured out that Hae-joo had settled his residence on that island after a long journey, Min-hyeok placed them there. And until now, they had been Min-hyeok’s eyes, monitoring the movements of Hae-joo and Han-bin. It was also Min-hyeok who wiped out the seed of young Alphas on the island.
The next thing Min-hyeok did after dispatching the officials was to send all the Alphas on the island away. He relocated them off the island under very favorable conditions, and thanks to that, the island became a clean zone where not a single Omega, let alone an Alpha, remained—only middle-aged Betas and elderly people.
Of course, there were a few of Min-hyeok’s people here as well, but there would be no way to know that. Consequently, this island became a very good environment for Hae-joo, an Omega, to stay in. An island where one couldn’t even catch a glimpse of an Alpha. Rather than continuing to run away, it was more reassuring to stay quietly on an island without Alphas.
He had heard Hae-joo say something once. That he wanted to buy a pretty country house and live with someone who told him he was beautiful. Unfortunately, that dream would not come true. Setting aside the fact that Hae-joo hadn’t divorced him, everyone around him was just elderly people. Even if there were an Alpha, he wouldn’t let it be. Only an innocent Alpha would end up being executed.
“I should start moving soon. But is Han Hee-sung still refusing treatment for the scar on his cheek? This really makes me concerned.”
With a face that looked like a headache just thinking about it, Min-hyeok asked about Hee-sung’s current status. Sang-seon nodded while opening the car door for him.
“Yes, since the initial treatment was handled well, the scar is not severe. When I visited recently and recommended treatment again, he said it was some kind of token? A mark? Anyway, he said it was an important mark, so I shouldn’t touch it.”
For a moment, Min-hyeok’s expression turned stern as if he had heard something horrific, and Hyun-wook shook his head and closed his eyes.
“…What kind of crazy talk is that? Did Cha Han-bin get some kind of leverage over that lunatic? Why does he keep clinging to the ankles of a perfectly sane person? He’s already a pitiful person whose life is exhausted enough as it is.”
As expected, the things Han Hee-sung did were always unpredictable and insane. Anyway, it seemed it was time for Hae-joo to know as well. That the two of them were still husband and wife. Since the topic had come up, he decided to start moving in earnest.