By Zephyria 
Joo Min-hyeok, who had always been confident and handled everything with a sly demeanor, fell silent. Throughout my shouting, his eyes were the only things shaking. I couldn’t tell if he actually understood what I was saying or if he was just pretending to listen while thinking of something else.
But I didn’t particularly care what he was thinking. What mattered wasn’t Joo Min-hyeok’s thoughts, but mine. The fact that I no longer wanted to be entangled with him. That was the most important thing. After pouring it all out, I felt a sense of relief and my senses returned. Surely he won’t have me arrested just for speaking informally, right?
“……I was overcome with emotion and committed a rudeness. It is all because of Your Majesty, so please forgive me generously.”
Having some pride, I made sure to emphasize that the reason I became emotional was his fault. In my heart, I didn’t want to apologize or do anything of the sort, but I had to at least go through the motions so I’d have an excuse later.
“Forget it. That’s not what’s important. What’s important is… I mean.”
Joo Min-hyeok paid no attention to my formal, insincere apology. He frowned, appearing to hesitate as he tried to say something—a look that didn’t suit him. From his faltering gestures and the way he couldn’t keep his hands still, I could tell he was quite anxious.
“…If I ask for just one chance, is that also being selfish?”
These were words I truly did not want to hear. Asking for a chance was absolutely absurd. Especially while pleading with such a pitiful expression. That was foul play. If he had insisted and pressed me as usual, I would have felt more at ease. Well, not that it would change anything.
If I fell for that look, I would be used again and hurt again. Next time, I wouldn’t be able to pull myself together. It was better to block and prevent it entirely so that wouldn’t happen. All of this was for my own sake. I couldn’t trust anything about Joo Min-hyeok. Absolutely nothing….
“Yes. That is a very selfish request, so I refuse. I simply cannot understand Your Majesty’s heart. Why you are so obsessed with me…. Honestly, it wasn’t even love, was it? If you’re doing this because you can’t forget a few months of pleasure, I’m sure there’s an Omega who is a better match for you.”
“…What? A match? Then you think I—!”
“Then what was it? It’s certain that it wasn’t love. Because no one would make the person they love this ragged. Since I’m from a family that’s a thorn in your side, weren’t you just planning to use me moderately and then dispose of me all at once?”
“No. I wasn’t! I’ve told you repeatedly that it really wasn’t like that! I never had such thoughts or intentions. I never intended to throw you away, really!”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying I can’t believe. So now, stop thinking only of your own feelings and consider my position. Well, if you were the type of person to do that, things wouldn’t have ended up like this, but couldn’t you at least pretend to try?”
I was certain that if I stayed with Joo Min-hyeok, old emotions would surge up unexpectedly and I would not be happy. I would be anxious the entire time, and the only way I could be completely healed was to sever ties not only with Joo Min-hyeok but with the Imperial Family as well.
“I believe I’ve delivered my opinion clearly, so please move quickly. If it’s inconvenient, I will prepare the documents myself.”
I nailed it down firmly so he couldn’t spout more nonsense about wanting another chance or refusing a divorce. I did not avoid his gaze. I used to love those eyes directed at me—so much so that I would tremble when we locked eyes. Since you were the one who shook that to its core, Joo Min-hyeok, I hope you can handle it. After averting his gaze and staring into space for a moment, Joo Min-hyeok spoke.
“…Fine. I’ll prepare them, so you don’t have to worry about that.”
Why are you acting like the victim? Why show me that side of yourself? To an outsider, he looked so despondent that I would seem like the perpetrator. To look so drained, without a hint of color in his face…. My head throbbed at his defeated appearance. I’d rather he be confident like when he blew the door off its hinges, or shameless like when he smiled with madness, saying he had finally found me.
I wondered why that arrogant demeanor had vanished without a trace. No. Forget it. This could all be part of Joo Min-hyeok’s plan, so I mustn’t be swayed any further. I cannot be fooled by that pitiful look. I knew better than anyone that he was more thorough and cunning than anyone else.
Having said everything I needed to, I turned my back on him coldly and walked away. He undoubtedly stood there watching me until I was out of sight. It’s hard for you to come all this way too, Joo Min-hyeok. So I hope you stop seeking out hardship and save yourself the trouble of coming here.
∗ ∗ ∗
Min-hyeok crumpled the divorce papers in his hand and threw them. How many times had this been now…. If Sang-seon saw this, he would nag him a hundred times more. He had no choice but to prepare the divorce papers again. After calling someone to bring the documents back, Min-hyeok recalled Hae-joo screaming at him as if in a frenzy. What Hae-joo had poured out today were the truths he must have kept in his heart for a long time.
His shouting sounded like a desperate plea for survival. A scream saying that everything was agony when he was with me, so please let him go now. Having realized that meaning, Min-hyeok’s chest was repeatedly tightening and racing wildly.
He had intended to push forward shamelessly with a thick skin when he met Hae-joo, but suddenly he felt as if a wall had slammed down in front of him. He had intended to hold onto Hae-joo blindly. He had planned to find a way to take him back to the palace. He didn’t care if it was forced or not.
He had even considered using Kang Hyun-wook, whom he always kept by his side for such occasions, to keep him by his side somehow. But today, he realized that if he approached using that method, Hae-joo would be completely repelled. A fear that they might truly meet a catastrophic end washed over him.
Was there no good way? Was it impossible no matter what? It wasn’t even a problem if Hae-joo befriended another Alpha, smiled at him, and was happy. The biggest problem right now was that Hae-joo was rejecting the very human being known as Joo Min-hyeok. He had seen with his own eyes how Hae-joo rejected him with his entire body because he hated him so much.
It was a level of resistance entirely different from when he had clung to him asking for a divorce before leaving the palace. Since he couldn’t follow him around and pester him like he did back then, Min-hyeok was nearly driven mad.
Would it not have turned out like this if he had confessed everything and started things as the Queen Dowager suggested? If he had rushed to stop the Prime Minister when Hae-joo was being beaten, would things not have been this ruined? Meaningless regrets scrambled through his mind. Should he have watched over Hae-joo more? He didn’t know what to do.
“I should have rather not found him so early…. If he had kept avoiding me, we wouldn’t have reached this end.”
Even as he murmured, he knew that every word he uttered was nonsensical. Misunderstandings and emotions were intertwined and twisted—far too twisted. Could this even be untangled? The tangled emotions were such a mess that he didn’t know how to unravel them.
“I can’t just disappear again, and for now, I need to buy time somehow….”
Avoiding it wouldn’t solve anything. Now that he had faced the accumulated emotions of misunderstanding, he had to resolve them. But human emotions do not go as planned. On top of that, unexpected things happen. It would be great if things moved as he wanted, but if not, he had to find a way, yet his mind wouldn’t function.
“Your Majesty. I have brought the documents you requested.”
“…Come in.”
Just as he felt like his head might explode, he heard Hyun-wook’s voice. Entering the room, Hyun-wook placed the envelope in his hand on the desk and began clearing away the papers scattered across Min-hyeok’s desk.
“Leave it. Why bother with that.”
At his exhausted appearance, Hyun-wook gave an awkward smile. Hyun-wook’s expression also looked complicated as he looked at the crumpled divorce papers.
“…Pathetic, isn’t it. It ended up like this after all.”
Hyun-wook likely understood what he was talking about. Sang-seon must have told him what happened. Would Kang Hyun-wook laugh at him? Would he pity him? Or would he think it’s quite a sight, seeing how he had even clung to him? Whatever it was, it was a fact that his current state was ridiculous.
“In the past, in a previous life, Your Majesty. There was a time when Hae-joo’s mother came to find him.”
“Huh?”
Min-hyeok raised his head at Hyun-wook’s low whisper. A previous life. It was a term he had accepted, but it still felt alien.
“His mother?”
“She left home when Hae-joo and Seo-joo were young. Hae-joo—no, the user—loved his mother very much, just like other children. He refused to accept that his mother had left home. He struggled a lot. He had to comfort Seo-joo, who dreamed of her and looked for her every day….”
In his past life, Hae-joo had lived a life of struggle different from the current one. And at an even younger age. Min-hyeok looked at Hyun-wook without answering, waiting for the next words.
“Shortly after his father passed away, his mother once came to visit him at school. It was truly the first and last time. She wanted to see Hae-joo, but Hae-joo refused to meet her. He was very firm.”
Hyun-wook paused for a moment as if recalling the events of that day.
“He said he didn’t want to be hurt again. He said if he opened his heart again and got hurt, he wouldn’t be able to handle it. Saying that being betrayed by his mother once was enough, he didn’t give her any room at all.”
Min-hyeok realized why Hyun-wook brought up the events of the past life. These words were a story Hyun-wook was telling Min-hyeok, using Hae-joo’s mother as an analogy.