By Zephyria 
Whether it’s my Omega father or Kwon Yi-kang, they’re both the same when it comes to leaving out important parts of the story. It’s not that they’re specifically hiding it, but they don’t step forward to explain it either. It’s a problem you can figure out if you take an interest, but they just don’t want to say it with their own mouths.
While I felt sorry for Kwon Yi-kang, who must have been lonely despite having everything, it’s also kind of cute to think of him keeping his mouth shut because he didn’t want his flaws to be exposed.
“Are you… really okay?”
“Yes, I’m really fine. Otherwise, why would I have brought him here saying I’m getting married?”
“Perhaps you’ve been caught in a weakness, or you’re being blackmailed…”
It’s great to have a vivid imagination, but he’s taking it too far. I looked at Father with cold eyes, unable to even manage a smile.
“With my personality?”
“That is true.”
I had no way of knowing if this immediate agreement was meant in a good way.
“Anyway, for that reason, I’ll be staying at Kwon Yi-kang’s house for a while. I’ll come back home to pack some clothes and things, so please don’t worry.”
“Try not to offend the Hospital Director too much. You’re twenty now, so you’re an adult.”
“Right. I’m an adult now. The Hospital Director is upset because he won’t acknowledge that.”
I’m not blaming others just for the sake of it; it really wasn’t my fault, but rather the Alpha father’s. Why must a child obey their parents without defying them? If one thinks it’s unfair, they should be able to rebel. It’s not like I’ve committed a mortal sin, so blaming only the child is too much.
“Is it too much to hope that you’ll behave quietly?”
“I want to behave quietly too. As long as I’m not provoked, I have a personality that’s quieter than anyone else’s.”
The expression on Father’s face as he looked at me was similar to someone who had just eaten a bowl of overly salty soup. I couldn’t understand why he looked like that, nor did I want to.
“But if I stay quiet, I’ll end up being dragged away to marry some guy I’ve never even seen. This isn’t a matter where I can just stay quiet, is it?”
I made an excuse that I had my own reasons, and perhaps it was surprisingly logical, as Father simply nodded without further comment.
“Anyway, I’ll assume that Father isn’t opposing this.”
“It’s not as if I’m particularly in favor of it either.”
“Well, as long as you don’t tell me to get lost openly like Alpha Father does, it’s fine. It means you don’t really care either way.”
It could be that he’s that uninterested, or he might think that a background like Kwon Yi-kang’s isn’t bad. Either way, the fact that one opposition had decreased was helpful in its own way.
“When do you plan to come back?”
“First, I’ll meet Kwon Yi-kang’s father again, and if it seems okay to come back after seeing the situation, I will. Otherwise, I’ll hold out, and if it seems hopeless, I’ll just set up a home or we’ll have a wedding between ourselves. Actually, I’m not in a hurry to get married, so just living together isn’t bad.”
“Avoid letting bad rumors spread.”
“They’re people who have nothing to do with me anyway. People who love badmouthing others will find a flaw no matter what you do. Life is tiring if you worry about that.”
“You certainly live life easily.”
“It’s a one-time life, so I should live it easily. Is there any need to live it the hard way?”
Of course, this is my second life. Because I lived too harshly in my first life, I didn’t want to live that way anymore. It’s not that I intend to just run wild, but isn’t it more beneficial to live as comfortably as possible?
If someone has to live a hard life, I hope it’s someone else and not me. It’s an extremely selfish thought, but since this is a life I gained for free, who’s going to say anything if I act selfishly with a thick skin? It was also a form of compensation for the life of Min Jae-hee, who had lived so difficultly.
“Still, since Father is worried, I’ll talk to Kwon Yi-kang so that rumors don’t spread.”
“Do that.”
I turned away without seeing even half of the paintings in the exhibition. My lost sense of artistry showed no sign of returning, so no matter how many paintings or works of art I looked at, I felt no particular inspiration.
∞ ∞ ∞
The first things I packed, as expected, were the gold bars. I carefully put the gold bars I had bought one by one into my bag, added the gold toad Kwon Yi-kang had given me, found and packed the car keys, and took my bankbooks. Then, a document envelope I had kept in the drawer caught my fingertips.
“…I’m sorry.”
I couldn’t get my revenge. That bastard died too early.
If heaven and hell exist, that bastard must have gone to hell. But if such things don’t exist and we’re just under the same sky, let’s do the revenge ourselves. Leave enough for me to avenge when I meet you after death.
I put the folded document envelope into the bag as well. I packed valuables that could be turned into money inconspicuously, then dragged over a large suitcase and packed the underwear and outer clothes I’d need immediately.
Winter had passed and summer would be coming soon, so fortunately, there was no need to pack thick jumpers or padding. I could endure the chilly weather with one coat, which greatly reduced the amount of items I had to pack.
If I’m short on anything, I can buy it with a card, and even if the card is suspended, I have Kwon Yi-kang. If I tell Kwon Yi-kang’s father that I’ll marry him and my card gets cut off, then I’ll just sell the gold bars.
Even though I packed the minimum from the clothes hanging in the wardrobe, the suitcase filled up quickly. I stuffed accessories in the gaps and struggled to press down the bulging suitcase to close the zipper.
I slung the bag over my shoulder, stood the large suitcase up, and pulled out the handle. I called Kwon Yi-kang on my phone and dragged the suitcase out of the room.
—Hello.
“Where are you?”
—Almost there. I think I’ll arrive in about twenty minutes.
“Your house? Or my house?”
—Your house. I left work early to take you home.
Isn’t this just leaving early, not leaving work? It seems like he’s just skipping out now regardless of his monthly leave.
I had contacted him saying I’d stop by home for a bit, and it seemed he had departed immediately after receiving the call. Even if I were to be caught, I had no intention of staying locked up obediently, but I contacted him just in case, and it seems Kwon Yi-kang was anxious too.
“I’ve packed all my things. I’m about to head out.”
—Take your time. I’ll contact you when I arrive, so come out then.
“I’ll just go out and wait.”
—If the luggage is heavy, just leave it. I’ll go up and carry it down for you. Don’t overdo it by coming down the stairs.
“It’s not that heavy.”
—See you in a bit.
“Yeah.”
I put the phone in my pocket and stepped onto the stairs. The suitcase I was dragging made a heavy, thumping sound as it rattled. Was I going to break the wheels? Startled, I carried the suitcase down a few steps before deciding to just give up on the wheels.
“Young Master? Where are you going?”
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one startled by the rattling sound of the suitcase; Chief Cha, who was standing at the end of the stairs, asked as he looked at me.
“I’m leaving the house.”
“…What?”
“Running away from home.”
At my bright response, Chief Cha’s expression became ambiguous. His face was one where it was hard to tell if he should take it as a joke or as a serious statement.
“I just received word that the Hospital Director has departed. He likely has something to say to you, so wouldn’t it be better to wait and see him before leaving?”
“I don’t think it’ll be very good. When did the contact come? I think I need to leave quickly before Father arrives.”
Was he just waiting for me to come home? Why did he suddenly contact me saying he was leaving work at this hour?
I gripped the suitcase handle tightly and crossed the living room. I heard Chief Cha’s worried voice calling me “Young Master,” but I pretended not to hear and put on my shoes.
When I opened the front door and stepped out, unlike when I entered, there were bodyguards guarding the door. Since the people I’d only seen occasionally glancing around the house or near the annex were now guarding the door, I had an inexplicably bad feeling.
Pretending not to notice, I dragged my suitcase toward the garden stairs when my hand, which was pulling the suitcase, was suddenly grabbed.
“…What is it?”
“Young Master, would you please wait inside until the Hospital Director arrives?”
“I don’t want to.”
“The Hospital Director requested that you wait inside.”
“I said I don’t want to.”
I pushed away the hand trying to take the suitcase and slowly sidestepped. I took out the phone from my pocket and started recording a video as if to show them.
“I’m recording from now on. I’ll report to the police that I’m being confined. Just try touching me. I’ll add assault to the charges.”
At my warning, the bodyguards’ brows furrowed.
“Young Master, please don’t do this and go back inside.”
“I said I don’t want to. I’m saying I want to leave, so why do you keep telling me to go back inside? Are you trying to violate my free will right now?”
Wow, damn. I used a difficult word. ‘Free will.’
Admiring my own words, I spoke once more toward the phone.
“Police officers, you are witnessing a scene where my free will is being violated. These people are attempting to restrain and confine me. Please look closely and make sure to catch them. If I cannot be contacted later or go missing, please make sure to charge these people with murder.”
Of course, it wouldn’t go as far as murder, but a bluff is best when it’s big. I turned the phone and captured the faces of the surrounding bodyguards one by one on camera. Whenever the phone pointed their way, the bodyguards slightly turned their heads or stepped back.
Wielding the phone like a weapon, I dragged my suitcase and slowly headed toward the stairs. The people surrounding me were still there, but they didn’t rashly approach and grab me.