By Zephyria 
The three of them boarded the elevator. Seo Yi-kyung had no idea where they were going.
In contrast to the first floor, the VIP ward corridor was relatively quiet. Following behind CEO Seo Young-hwan, Seo Yi-kyung walked while scanning his surroundings. He had thought they were simply moving away from the public corridor to have a conversation, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.
However, he soon grasped the situation upon seeing the name ‘Seo Dong-hu’ on a patient room door. There was even a sign that read ‘Authorized Personnel Only.’ He wondered if it was an emergency.
Seo Young-hwan opened the door and stepped inside first. Immediately, Seo Dong-hu’s scream rang out like a thunderclap. Seo Yi-kyung hesitated. Seo Young-hwan turned around.
“Why are you standing there? See with your own eyes exactly what you’ve done to your Hyung.”
“What the young master could have possibly done? What do you mean by that…”
Butler Do voiced his doubt tentatively toward the furious Seo Young-hwan. Seo Yi-kyung stepped inside.
On the hospital bed, Seo Dong-hu sat leaning against the headboard, both arms wrapped in bandages. Furthermore, his head was also bandaged.
Butler Do, who had entered behind Seo Yi-kyung, widened his eyes in shock. On that day, the one who had clearly been slapped a few times was Butler Do. Moreover, the young master had even gone to the hospital. Then what on earth was the eldest master’s current state?
The door closed behind the two of them.
“Just what did you say to Director Han?”
Seo Young-hwan asked in a voice brimming with rage. Seo Yi-kyung looked at Seo Dong-hu on the bed.
When Seo Yi-kyung remained silent, unable to open his mouth, Seo Dong-hu, unable to bear it, began to throw a tantrum. He kicked objects aside with a crash, climbed down from the bed, and thrust his bandaged arms upward. He looked as if he were about to strike Seo Yi-kyung.
“What are you going to do about these hands? How are you going to take responsibility if I can’t use my arms!”
Seo Young-hwan stopped Butler Do as he tried to step forward.
“You, leave us.”
“B-but the young master truly did nothing.”
Butler Do spoke urgently to the two of them.
“I was with him all day. Truly! Please believe me.”
Butler Do could say that he had stayed by Seo Yi-kyung’s side longer than anyone else that day.
Even after returning from the hospital, he had watched Seo Yi-kyung take his medicine and fall into a deep sleep before leaving the room. Since Director Han might have something to say if he saw him, Butler Do had hurried out before the Director finished work; that was the last time he had seen him.
And while Seo Yi-kyung thought he had slept until morning, perhaps that wasn’t the case.
“It’s not that I don’t believe you, so just leave.”
Butler Do replied quickly to Seo Young-hwan’s words. He struggled to resolve the tangled situation in a positive direction.
“I think there is some misunderstanding; it would be best to have a calm conversation. If you keep shouting, the young master will be frightened…”
If Butler Do left, there would be practically no one left in this room to help Seo Yi-kyung. Therefore, Butler Do tried to persuade them with all his might.
“Misunderstanding my foot! You’re talking about a misunderstanding even after seeing these hands?”
Seo Dong-hu swung his bandaged hand threateningly. Fearing he would slap him instantly, Butler Do instinctively squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them.
At that moment, Seo Yi-kyung, who had been listening in silence, spoke.
“Live as if you’re dead?”
Butler Do’s bewildered gaze shifted sideways. Seo Dong-hu’s hand, which had been about to strike Butler Do, froze in mid-air. Seo Yi-kyung looked at Seo Young-hwan and added.
“Is that something you say to someone who is about to get married?”
Throughout reading the original novel, Seo Yi-kyung had felt suffocated whenever he saw this father and son. The original ‘Seo Yi-kyung’ had simply listened to everything they said, even suffering in silence. Even though it was his father, he never showed any sign of discomfort.
Seo Yi-kyung looked back and forth between the two. They looked exactly alike, as if they had come from the same mold. He couldn’t find any part of his father in the face he had seen in the mirror. That was probably why he hadn’t recognized him immediately when they crossed paths in the hospital corridor.
“You…”
Seo Young-hwan raised a wrinkled finger. Seo Yi-kyung’s face, which had seemed almost excited a moment ago, had since turned cold.
“Where would I even have money? Why do you keep coming to me?”
The house where he slept, the clothes he wore, the car he traveled in—there was nothing that could be called Seo Yi-kyung’s. All he had were some old brushes that were useless now, unfinished canvases, and a wooden easel.
“I only went once!”
Seo Dong-hu interrupted. Seo Yi-kyung completely ignored him and stared at Seo Young-hwan.
“You’re the one who sold me to Seung-jae, Father.”
Butler Do’s mouth slowly fell open. Seo Dong-hu’s bandaged arm, which had been swinging threateningly until then, dropped down. The three of them were staring at Seo Young-hwan.
“How did you…”
One didn’t need to hear the rest of Seo Young-hwan’s words to know. He was asking how he had found out about that.
The original ‘Seo Yi-kyung’ was supposed to marry Han Seung-jae when he turned twenty. This had been decided since ‘Seo Yi-kyung’ manifested as an extreme dominant Omega at the age of seven. However, once ‘Seo Yi-kyung’ actually turned twenty, a different seed sprouted in Seo Young-hwan’s heart. An extreme dominant Omega was a trump card better kept in hand. He made all sorts of excuses to postpone the wedding in order to receive support from the Myeongjun Financial Group.
And Seo Young-hwan, who was ‘Seo Yi-kyung’s’ father and the CEO of Urim Construction, continued to use ‘Seo Yi-kyung’ as leverage to push unreasonable contracts with Han Seung-jae even after they married, securing investments under terms favorable to himself.
If it had been the original Han Seung-jae’s personality, he would have refused, but he accepted. In the original novel, his feelings weren’t revealed, so most had to guess, but regardless, they were to be married, and he likely gave him a certain level of courtesy befitting that relationship.
And the original ‘Seo Yi-kyung’ had been completely unaware of this fact.
No, there was someone who belatedly awakened him to that truth: the recessive Omega, Min Ra-hyeon. At that time, ‘Seo Yi-kyung’ was already exhausted to the limit. Seo Dong-hu, who visited him, was like that, and Seo Young-hwan, who appeared only when he needed something while claiming to be a father, was the same.
“Did Director Han tell you?”
Reproach was embedded in Seo Young-hwan’s tone. He was a man who loved to blame others for everything. If one hesitated even slightly, the responsibility was immediately shifted. Seo Yi-kyung spoke with confidence instead.
“Did you think I wouldn’t know?”
Seo Young-hwan’s wrinkled Adam’s apple bobbed. The conversations they had shared in the study flashed through his mind like a kaleidoscope. Perhaps he had heard it then. Seeing the look in Seo Young-hwan’s eyes as if he had a suspicion, Seo Yi-kyung added coldly.
“Don’t ever come looking for me again.”
Because the person you are looking for is no longer here.
* * *
Inside the fast-moving car, Butler Do observed the face of Seo Yi-kyung sitting beside him.
His face was extremely pale. According to the plan, he was supposed to receive treatment at the hospital and then go see some paintings, but it seemed the circumstances were not right for that now.
Butler Do thought about asking but tentatively pressed his lips together. This was because Seo Yi-kyung let out a long sigh.
The image of Seo Yi-kyung he had seen in the hospital room overlapped before his eyes. The frail young master he had known seemed like a completely different person. Yet, looking at those sunken, lonely eyes now, he knew it was the same person.
How much heartbreak must he have suffered while burying that matter in his heart. Butler Do’s face also turned gloomy. Was that why he had said it was useless to speak to his father?
“Young master…”
With the back door open, Butler Do called him cautiously. Only then did Seo Yi-kyung turn his head weakly and step out of the sedan. He entered the garden and turned slightly.
“Please go in first. I’ll go in after sitting for a bit.”
“In that case, I shall stay by your side…”
But Seo Yi-kyung shook his head.
“I want to be alone.”
“…”
Butler Do gazed blankly at Seo Yi-kyung’s receding back. If he had been able to refresh his mood by looking at paintings, he wouldn’t have looked so exhausted… Butler Do moved his feet, which felt heavy and reluctant to leave.
* * *
…Step, step.
Walking through the garden as if to soothe his cluttered mind, Seo Yi-kyung took a seat at an outdoor table. He placed his right hand, which was in a cast, on the table. Perhaps because he had vented his anger so fully, he felt more drained of energy than usual.
He thought he would feel relieved after shouting like that and saying the things the original had been unable to say. Instead, his chest felt heavy, as if a boulder had been placed there.
Moreover, the image of Seo Dong-hu in the hospital room lingered before his eyes. Was Han Seung-jae the one who made him that way?
Originally, there were no flaws in his behavior within the house. However, unlike his act of being a good person inside, he was practically arrogant and overbearing outside.
When reading the original, he had wondered when ‘Seo Yi-kyung’ would ever find out about this side of him. But he had never been caught until the end. He was truly meticulous. But now, he was revealing his true nature without hesitation.
He no longer pretended to be gentlemanly or a good person in front of him.
* * *
Late at night, Seo Yi-kyung tossed and turned in bed.
He felt his stomach through his pajamas. Perhaps because he hadn’t eaten dinner, he felt hungry. Contrary to his chaotic mind, his stomach was faithfully hungry. Somehow, his situation felt pitiful.
Just then, sensing the sound of the closed door opening, Seo Yi-kyung slowly turned his head. A long silhouette seemed to enter, and his figure was illuminated by the light spilling in from the garden. His black hair and sharp features became more pronounced.
“You’re not pretending to sleep today?”
A low voice echoed in his ears.