By Zephyria 
“How did you find out?”
“Don’t you watch the news? There’s an article. Well, rumors had already been spreading in these circles before that.”
“…Rumors?”
“Yeah, that Ji Su-eun is in a fake engagement with you and actually has someone else, and that person is an Omega. Wow—”
Jeong-min quickly pulled out his phone and searched for the article. In a corner of the entertainment news, there was a gossip piece with a photo. A photo of Ji Su-eun leaving a hotel with the other person. Of course, the other person was mosaicked, but since Jeong-min had met that Omega before, there was no way he wouldn’t recognize them.
Why is this… how….
“Hey, get a grip. Your own value will drop at this rate. Behave yourself.”
Young-min said he was afraid Jeong-min would be lumped in with the scandal, but Jeong-min was more worried about Su-han and Su-eun. Jeong-min quickly took one of the cars at home and drove to Su-han’s house. He kept calling on the way, but as expected, there was no answer. Jeong-min stopped the car on the side of the road and slammed the steering wheel.
“Dammit….”
He worried about the two siblings who must be struggling. He wanted to be by their side. But it only frustrated him that he could do nothing right now.
Jeong-min prayed to the God who had always ignored him, deciding to be fooled one more time. He prayed that He would please protect and shield the two of them. That they wouldn’t be in too much pain…. But he knew. God would not hear this prayer, because the one praying did not believe in God.
✽✽✽
Another hellish week passed. He thought it would die down over time, but the small article spread to a large online community, and eventually, the situation blew up.
People who supported love between the same traits were a minority; the internet was dominated by hate posts and trashy comments filled with disgust. The posts were painful just to read the titles of. Neither Su-han nor Su-eun came to the hospital, and news arrived through a representative that Su-eun was quitting the hospital.
It was only natural, as the rumors about Su-eun had already spread throughout the hospital.
Whispers of ‘How could an Omega… with another Omega…’ permeated the entire hospital, and Jeong-min felt like he was suffocating.
“Doctor Shin. Hang in there.”
“That’s right. You’ll meet a good Omega.”
“Seriously, what a nuisance this is for Doctor Shin.”
Naturally, looks of pity and sympathy poured onto Jeong-min. Strictly speaking, he was an accomplice, and he hated being put in the position of the victim. Eventually, Jeong-min couldn’t take it anymore, told them he would take a few days off, and shut himself in his house.
And after another day passed, a guest visited Jeong-min’s family home. It was none other than Su-eun’s mother. Jeong-min approached her gladly, but she apologized to Jeong-min and his mother with a face pale with shock.
“I truly have no words to offer.”
“Do you think this is a problem that can be solved with an apology?”
As expected, Jeong-min’s mother pressed Su-eun’s mother with a sharp, biting voice.
“Mother, please calm down.”
“Do I look like I’m in a position to be calm right now?”
“Please…. This is my matter, so I will handle the conversation.”
Jeong-min asked Young-min to take their mother away and spoke with Su-eun’s mother outside.
“The reason I came all this way is….”
She let out a deep sigh.
“I wondered if you could somehow forgive Su-eun…. But seeing your mother’s reaction, it seems it will be difficult….”
At her words, Jeong-min thought, ‘I was wrong.’ He had thought that even if there was no contact… no news is good news, so perhaps things were being resolved well. He had tried to think positively that they were handling it with less heartache, but he was wrong.
“Still, Jeong-min… I’m begging you, our Su-eun…. Can’t you take Su-eun back? That child is currently possessed by something….”
Jeong-min could not give any answer to her words.
“Please, Jeong-min.”
“I want to talk to Hyung… Su-han Hyung. Where is he now?”
At Jeong-min’s words, her face brightened. She probably took it as a positive signal.
“He’s at home now. Just a moment.”
She quickly made a call. After saying a few words, she soon handed the phone to him. Jeong-min took the phone and swallowed hard. It had been a long time since they spoke.
“Hello…?”
─ Ah… Jeong-min.
A tired voice. But that voice sounded so sad and sorrowful. Jeong-min gripped the phone tightly, as if he were holding Ji Su-han himself.
“Hyung…. Can we meet for a moment?”
And that night, he was able to meet Su-han. Seeing him drinking a glass of alcohol in a small bar, looking so small and exhausted, Jeong-min hugged him from behind. Only after feeling Jeong-min’s pheromones did Su-han feel he could breathe again.
“Jeong-min.”
“Yeah.”
“Our Su-eun… what should we do…?”
“Hyung….”
“…We…… what do we do now…?”
Su-han asked Jeong-min two of the questions he had been asking the wall for the past few days. Jeong-min simply hugged Su-han in silence.
✽✽✽
In truth, Su-eun had been slowly preparing to leave. Both Jeong-min and Su-han were helping with the process, and she planned to leave completely after this heat cycle. Having already bought a house in the country she would reside in and dreaming of a happy future, she was said to be currently suffering from mutism.
At Su-eun’s request, Su-han had hidden the partner Omega, but Su-eun was said to be trembling with anxiety every day, fearing that the Omega might come to harm. Furthermore, Ji Su-han’s family was searching for that Omega. That Omega’s family had already been ruined. Since they had known each other from the start, the family had cut off all means of livelihood out of a sense of betrayal. Because of that, Su-eun was even more wounded and distressed.
And Su-han, who truly loved both of them, was also suffering, though not as much as they were.
“How… how did it end up like this?”
“Someone said they saw the two of you leaving the hotel. And they sent the photos to the house.”
“What? Blackmail…? It didn’t start with the articles?”
“Yeah, it didn’t. The photos came first. But there was no blackmail or anything. Just the photos…. That alone caused a riot in my house…… but I never imagined they would blow it up in the media.”
“Who on earth….”
“I’m looking for who it is. If I find them, I’ll kill them.”
Jeong-min’s hand covered Su-han’s hand, which was trembling as he held his glass. Only then did Su-han feel the trembling stop and leaned his body against Jeong-min’s shoulder.
“I heard your mother went to see you and asked you to take Su-eun back somehow….”
“Yes, today.”
“Actually… I also had the absurd thought of asking you for such a favor…. But if that happened, your life… Su-eun’s life… and my life would all become a mess. Besides, even if she is my sister…. the mere thought of you marrying her is horrific.”
“You’re saying that in this situation?”
As Jeong-min laughed in disbelief, Su-han finally let the corners of his mouth curl up slightly.
“I’m really glad it’s you. If we had dragged someone else into this… it probably would have been even worse. Yeah…. I’m glad it’s you… and I’m grateful it’s you. Jeong-min.”
“If you know that, then cheer up. What’s with this look? Where did the always-confident Ji Su-han go?”
“If not now, when else would I ever lean on you?”
“Honestly….”
Jeong-min patted his shoulder, telling him to lean as much as he wanted. Then Su-han smiled and leaned on Jeong-min’s shoulder.
When one glass was emptied and refilled, Su-han, who had been silent for a long time, let out a deep sigh.
“Both you and I have families, so we have to care about how people see us, and we can’t escape the grip of our elders.”
“…….”
“Because we only care about the eyes of the outside world, we don’t even realize we’re strangling our own children….”
“…So what are you going to do? Will Su-eun-ssi just…?”
If left as is, it was obvious she would be forced to marry any Alpha, even if it wasn’t Jeong-min. That was one of the absolute worst outcomes, and he didn’t want to see or hear of it.
“…I plan to send her away somehow next week. Preparations are already underway.”
“…Tell me if there’s anything I can do to help. I’ll help.”
“Jeong-min.”
“Yeah.”
“Because of Su-eun’s situation, my mother is also rushing my marriage. She intends to tie me up with any Omega and send me off, without the need for an engagement.”
The movement of Jeong-min, who had been swirling his glass, stopped.
“And I can’t send Su-eun alone. She’s in a very dangerous state right now.”
“…Hyung….”
“Let’s go together.”
“Hyung.”
“I can’t give up on you. I can’t leave you behind. Jeong-min, so let’s go together. Let’s live together. Please….”
At that moment, he felt the stopped hourglass flip over. The moment of choice had arrived. And sooner than expected….