By Zephyria 
“Sister-in-law. I see you here. Who is the person next to you?”
“This is my mother. Mom, this is our youngest brother-in-law.”
As she gestured toward the distant Kwon Yi-kang and whispered slightly into the middle-aged woman’s ear, it seemed she was roughly explaining whose child Kwon Yi-kang was and what my relationship was to him.
“Ah, so you’re the in-law. Hello.”
“Hello. It looks like you came to get rings.”
“Yes, we’re just about to leave.”
“Young Master, what about the rings? If you haven’t picked any, shall I help you choose?”
Why is she acting so close? I don’t think we were ever that close. I don’t know at what point my sister-in-law’s internal sense of intimacy increased.
“I already bought them.”
When I showed her my ringed hand, my sister-in-law gasped in admiration.
“Our wedding rings were from that brand too. I guess this is a new product. It’s pretty. But isn’t it a bit early to get wedding rings? They might even become useless.”
I didn’t know her exact intention, but I could sufficiently feel that it wasn’t a good one. The smile plastered on her face was off-putting, and the tone of her probing words dragged out, indicating a hidden meaning.
“Why would they become useless?”
“Your father is opposing it so much. Since you left home, he’s been furious, saying he’ll strike you from the family register and all that.”
“People can say whatever they want. Next time he says something like that, tell him to think carefully before he acts. Because the one who will end up with a headache will be Father. He’s already like this; who knows what I’ll do if he actually strikes me from the register.”
There’s nothing I’d lose by being struck from the family register. What have I ever gained from being associated with that family? I even gave back the credit card the Alpha father gave me. If being struck from the register meant the noisy harassment would disappear, I’d actually be thankful.
“Would he actually strike you from the register? It’s just that I think marriage will be difficult. Young Master, please come home quickly before bad rumors start circulating. If word gets out that you’re cohabiting, it’s only the Omega’s reputation that suffers.”
“I think there’d be no rumors if the family members just kept their mouths shut. Seeing as you’re talking about this in such an open space, it seems the in-law already knows. Well, the rumors are already out, then.”
It seems my sister-in-law has been running around spreading rumors. What’s with her worrying about bad rumors while spreading them with her own mouth? She’s truly an incomprehensible person.
“Oh my, what rumors am I spreading? I was just consulting my mother because I was worried. It’s because there’s no one at home to look after you that you’re acting this way. I wonder why an Omega is running around doing outside work. The family should have educated their child properly. Right, Mom?”
“My goodness. This is the first time I’ve been told to my face that I lacked home education.”
“Young Master!”
“Yes, sister-in-law. Instead of worrying about me, why don’t you relearn your conversational etiquette? Just because someone speaks submissively doesn’t mean they’re cultured and polite. Is speaking with the clear intention of mocking someone the result of a good education?”
“Oh, Young Master. How can you speak like that?”
“I can say things much worse than this, but I’m holding back because the in-law is here. I can’t believe I’m hearing such garbage. When I eventually go home, I’ll tell them that you’ve been worrying all over the neighborhood because of my flawed home education. I wonder if the hospital director will like that.”
“Young Master!”
I snorted at the sound of her calling me while glaring sharply.
“And this isn’t a wedding ring. I’m preparing the wedding rings carefully since we have time, so he just asked to get couple rings for now, so I bought them.”
“Are you trying to brag about having a lot of money? No one dates an Alpha like that. You two really are two of a kind.”
“Do you have an inferiority complex? Who said anything about bragging about money? I was just clearing up your misunderstanding, sister-in-law. And what’s wrong with Kwon Yi-kang? Even an Alpha like him wouldn’t date someone like you. He dates me because I’m me. On top of an inferiority complex, you have a strange streak of narcissism.”
“What’s wrong?”
Kwon Yi-kang, who had approached with a small shopping bag in hand—having finished the payment and received the case—asked. In the midst of the strange confrontation, he narrowed his eyes and looked at the sister-in-law and the in-law standing opposite.
“Our sister-in-law says she’s been telling the whole neighborhood about her worries for me.”
“Worries for you?”
“Yeah. That I ran away from home and am cohabiting. That it’s because I lacked home education.”
As I tattle like a child, Kwon Yi-kang let out a low hum. The sister-in-law and the in-law, whose complexions had soured from the moment Kwon Yi-kang approached, avoided his eyes and turned their bodies away.
“Sister-in-law, are you finished talking? You’re about to leave without even saying goodbye. I guess that’s how you were educated?”
“Next time, let’s do it next time. Please come home soon.”
She’s such a polite person when others are around. Having no desire to keep her any longer, I gave a vague “Yes, sure” and pulled Kwon Yi-kang’s hand.
“Anyway, she’s a ridiculous person.”
“Should I go say something to her?”
“Forget it. Just don’t be with other Omegas.”
“Why?”
“Because I’ll get jealous.”
It’s natural for people to talk and mingle, but I still hate the sight of him standing side-by-side with another member of the opposite sex. And I hate the sight of another Omega avoiding Kwon Yi-kang even more.
“Let’s eat lunch before going back.”
“I think you should go back to your company.”
“I have to eat lunch.”
He’s just living his corporate life however he pleases. He was a man who strictly adhered to commuting hours in the beginning. I guess this is why they say love is scary. A person has completely changed.
“Since we bought the rings, you can’t overspend from now on.”
“Right. Still, let’s eat lunch first. I’ll drop you off and then go to the office.”
“I can just take a taxi.”
“I can’t let you. Get in.”
For various reasons, Kwon Yi-kang’s lunch breaks were becoming longer.
∞ ∞ ∞
—Did you go to get engagement gifts?
Hearing those first words, I had to wonder if the sister-in-law and Father were on such good terms that she would immediately relay today’s events to him.
“Not engagement gifts, just couple rings. We didn’t have anything to wear together, so we bought them for now.”
—I’m glad it wasn’t that. Engagement gifts aren’t something to be rushed. You have to look into them carefully. Let’s go together later.
I got out of bed and checked the time. It was past seven, approaching eight. Kwon Yi-kang, who had arbitrarily extended his lunch break, had finished work a bit late. I teased him about whether he treated his company like a playground, but it seemed he still did his job properly.
“Were the two of you on such good terms that she’d tell him immediately?”
—Do you think she spoke with good intentions? Because of that, it was brought up during a meal, and your father raised his voice again.
“That’s probably exactly what she wanted. If you don’t want things to get noisy, start by shutting the sister-in-law’s mouth. It seems she’s already told the in-laws and is spreading rumors everywhere.”
—I will pass the word to the hospital director.
It doesn’t really matter if he doesn’t. No matter how the rumors spread, they are people who have nothing to do with me. What do they care how I live? Whether my reputation gets better or worse, they aren’t the ones who will live with me.
“How is the atmosphere at home?”
—It’s not good.
I left the bedroom and poured myself a glass of cold water. My body shuddered at the cold sensation sliding down my esophagus.
“They’re surprisingly quiet.”
—The house is like walking on thin ice.
“I thought they’d come and drag me back immediately.”
Of course, I had no intention of being dragged back quietly.
What I found truly difficult to understand was why Kwon Yi-kang’s parents had been so compliant, forced to break up and unable to even visit.
I’ll give it to Kwon Yi-kang’s mother—she was an Omega, a woman, and pregnant, so it was hard for her to resist. But even if Kwon Yi-kang’s father was a gangster with no money or connections, he must have had strength. If he had brought all his subordinates, there’s no way he couldn’t have smashed a single gate of that house; why did he just let himself be pressed down?
If it were me, I would have reported it to the police first and contacted newspapers and broadcasting stations. Rumors? I don’t care about that. So what if some bad rumors spread? I’m the victim anyway. If they’re afraid of rumors, the Alpha father would just keep a low profile on his own.
Ah, is that why the Alpha father isn’t taking any action right now? Because he’s realized I’m the type to run wild without thinking? Is he quietly calculating the timing?
―It’s not something to laugh about. I’m not fond of you staying away like this. I hate the stifling atmosphere at home, too. We have to settle this one way or another.
When I burst out laughing at the image of my Alpha father walking on eggshells around me, my Omega father scolded me. Since there was no way he knew what I was thinking, I quietly apologized, saying, “I’m sorry.”
“But emotions are too heated right now.”
Of course, the one whose emotions are heated is the Alpha father, not me. I couldn’t be any more peaceful.
“I’ll go back and talk to him once he cools down a bit.”
―That sounds like you’re just saying you’ll come back to grate on his nerves once he’s calmed down.
“Has Father finally figured out my pattern?”
―Stop joking.
“Yes, yes. Anyway, I have to go tell Kwon Yi-kang’s father that we’re getting married, so let’s talk after that.”
―It seems the concept of ‘permission’ doesn’t exist in your head.
“Marriage is something the couple does because they like each other; it’s not something you do after getting someone’s permission.”
It would be nice to marry with the parents’ permission and blessing, but it’s not as if one can’t marry just because they oppose it. Moreover, there is nothing more selfish than opposing a marriage not because of the couple’s issues, but because of a bad blood between the parents.
They might ask if I’m going to cut ties with my parents and live without seeing my family, but they aren’t my family anyway. Even if this is Cha Soo-kyung’s body, I have no memories of a past with them, nor have I felt any familial affection since becoming Cha Soo-kyung. If asked that, my answer would be an immediate “yes.”