By Zephyria 
When he woke up in the morning, Young-min had already gone back home. In the long-awaited quiet, Jeong-min had breakfast with his parents. Jeong-min was touched by the spread prepared for breakfast. In the past, he had taken this food and these side dishes for granted, but now they felt unfamiliar.
“Eat this too, okay?”
His mother was busy pushing the delicious meat side dishes toward Jeong-min. He said it was fine because he felt sorry for his father, but even his father placed a piece of delicious galbi on Jeong-min’s plate.
The two of them had felt very lonely after Young-min got married and moved out. Since Young-min was more affectionate than Jeong-min, he was likely the more beloved child to the parents. Seeing how lonely they were, Jeong-min decided not to move out and instead stay by their side. He felt that if he were gone too, the two of them would be truly lonely, even if they would never show it outwardly.
“Jeong-min.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Seeing your older brothers all get married and have children is such a wonderful thing. Seeing those fellows, who I thought would never mature, change after having children makes me think of you. I know you’re very busy these days, and I know it’s early. Still, you should settle down soon too. Look at that fellow Young-min. Hasn’t he matured a bit since getting married?”
Jeong-min didn’t think that was the case for Young-min at all, but he nodded at his father’s words. His mother hit his father’s side, seemingly displeased that he brought up such a topic during mealtime, but Jeong-min didn’t mind. He knew this conversation would come up eventually. It had only been delayed because Jeong-min had insisted on becoming a doctor.
His older brothers had already finished their engagements and marriages in their early twenties, and because Jeong-min’s conditions were good, love calls were likely pouring in from various places.
“Jeong-min, it’s not urgent, so think about it slowly.”
His mother told Jeong-min while gauging his reaction. She must have agonized a lot before bringing this up.
“Yes, I understand.”
When Jeong-min gave a positive response, his parents were delighted.
“I will attend the anniversary celebration this time.”
That would be the conclusion. Soon, Jeong-min’s father would retire, and the eldest brother would succeed him. The anniversary celebration was when that would be announced, and at that time, every influential person in Korea would gather. And there, a scene of ‘selection’—though not officially—would unfold. Families eyeing Shin Jeong-min, the last ‘unmarried’ Alpha of the Shin family, would line up.
“You’ve thought well.”
“Yes, there will surely be an Omega who fits your heart. Mom and Dad will look hard.”
“Yes. I’ll leave it to you two.”
Jeong-min continued to eat while smiling.
Anyway, he had erased all love and romance over the past few years. It didn’t suit him. He was destined to be this way from the moment he was chosen as an Alpha. He thought that he had suffered so much because he had rejected that fate, and he quickly closed the box of memories. He didn’t want to bring back those memories. Because if he did, he felt he might deny his own existence….
✽✽✽
After ending a single day of honey-sweet rest, the hospital he returned to was still busy and chaotic. The reasons Jeong-min was able to endure it were, first, that the work suited his aptitude more than expected, and second, that there was no harassment from his seniors.
Because of his naturally easygoing personality and skill at flattering others, he had reached a level where he wasn’t ignored by his seniors; however, since he wasn’t particularly pampered by them either, there was no reason for his peers or juniors to be jealous. Getting along with everyone, meeting people, and doing his job well—Jeong-min was living a reasonably satisfying life.
“Hey, Shin Jeong-min, come here.”
While organizing the charts of his assigned patients, Jeong-min quickly ran toward the voice of a senior calling from afar.
“Yes, Sunbae.”
Around the senior were two other seniors.
“Were you the son of the Shinseong Foundation?”
“Pardon?”
“Why are you pretending not to know? The article came out like this.”
Seeing the newspaper fluttering, Jeong-min looked at the senior with an even more confused expression. After asking for permission, he took the newspaper and saw an article announcing the anniversary of the Shinseong Foundation, along with a small family tree, and naturally, Jeong-min’s name was on it. To start a conversation just because the name and age matched, without even a photo—what impressive deductive reasoning. Jeong-min clicked his tongue inwardly.
The people at the hospital didn’t know about Jeong-min’s family. Jeong-min didn’t particularly want to reveal it either. The reason was that the Shinseong Foundation operated the largest general hospital in the country, and the chairperson of that hospital was Jeong-min’s sister-in-law.
His sister-in-law always told him to come to that hospital, but wanting to live a relatively ordinary life and preferring to be with his friends and peers, he refused and chose to go to a different hospital. He had stayed quiet all this time, but….
“Hey, why aren’t you saying anything?”
An Alpha and the son of the Shinseong Foundation. Moreover, since he had hidden it, Jeong-min thought that misunderstandings and contempt were inevitable. If he denied it at this timing, it was obvious they would dig deeper. There are no eternal lies; he worried that the day he was caught would lead to a situation where he couldn’t wiggle out.
He had a feeling the remaining internship period would become a bit difficult. It couldn’t be helped.
“Hey, Shin Jeong-min. Can’t you hear me?”
“Yes, Sunbae. That is correct.”
“It is?”
“Yes, but I have nothing to do with family affairs.”
“Oh my~ is that so? I get goosebumps just thinking about how much the Prince must have looked down on us until now.”
“Sunbae, I have never thought such a thing.”
The atmosphere turned cold. He wondered if he was experiencing the kind of bullying or ostracization he hadn’t faced during his school years, now that he was an adult.
“Then why did you come to this hospital instead of one run by the Shinseong Foundation? This bastard is actually fucking obnoxious.”
Another senior joined in to mock Jeong-min. Because Jeong-min was an Alpha, he was much larger and sturdier than they, who were Betas. For that reason, they couldn’t openly attack him, but they used their position as seniors to vent the anger and inferiority they had felt toward Jeong-min.
“What are you all doing here?”
At the sharp voice, not only Jeong-min but the other seniors were startled. Turning toward the voice, a resident from the Alpha department was standing there.
Seeing how surprised the other seniors were, he was clearly higher in rank than them. The doctor, who approached with an annoyed expression while brushing back his dark brown hair, was emitting an imposing Alpha pheromone, fitting for someone in charge of the Alpha department. Of course, the Beta seniors didn’t know, but Jeong-min could tell.
“Why don’t you all return to your respective posts now? This isn’t a time to be idling.”
“Yes, yes!”
The seniors scrambled away, and Jeong-min thanked the doctor. Looking up at the name tag, his name was ‘Ji Su-han.’
“Thank you, Dr. Ji Su-han.”
When Jeong-min smiled and expressed his gratitude again, Su-han sighed with a troubled expression.
“I didn’t expect to meet you like this….”
He muttered something, but Jeong-min couldn’t hear it.
“Pardon?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. Forget the greetings. No matter how much you show courtesy to your seniors, isn’t it unfair to be pushed around like that? If you’ve committed no sin, be confident.”
“Pardon? Ah, yes.”
He left first, and Jeong-min scratched his head, folded the newspaper that had fallen on the floor, and threw it in the nearby trash can. He realized he would have to live like a dead mouse for the time being.
With a deep sigh, Jeong-min trudged toward the ward where he had been paged.
✽✽✽
It was the day the king of the Shinseong Foundation changed.
And at the news that Shin Jeong-min, one of the sons of the Shinseong Foundation who had never officially appeared in public since becoming an adult, would attend, families with unmarried Omegas were in an uproar, dressing up and waiting for their selection.
However, Shin Jeong-min himself remained composed. He wasn’t nervous, nor was he overly dressed; he appeared at the hall in a modest look, which ironically captured their attention.
Though it wasn’t an expensive suit, his well-built physique, long legs, clean-cut features, and smooth eyes captured the hearts of the Omegas.
Though he wasn’t a Dominant Alpha, the faintly spreading Alpha pheromone felt cool and cozy, which was enough for unmarried Omegas to feel attracted. Moreover, since his profession had a bright future, there was nothing to criticize.
“Hello. I am Shin Jeong-min.”
Jeong-min greeted everyone who approached him kindly and introduced himself slowly. Every movement was careful and poised. Furthermore, there were no useless rumors. To be honest, it was no exaggeration to say he was the best in terms of appearance and character among all the second-generation heirs in the country.