By Zephyria 
“…….”
Seo Yi-kyung blinked. Butler Do started to intervene but stopped. It seemed as though the two of them knew each other.
“I see you’re still painting.”
He looked at the empty canvas.
“Who?”
Seo Yi-kyung tilted his head slightly. The man pointed to his own face with his index finger. His almond-shaped eyes flickered.
“Did you forget me? Seon-yu. We were in the same class in the first year of middle school. I’m hurt.”
He lowered the hat he was wearing. With sweat-soaked hair clinging to his forehead, Seon-yu leaned his head down as if to let Yi-kyung see him better.
A waft of hyacinth scent, mixed with the smell of sweat, rushed in. It was the scent of an Omega. Seo Yi-kyung let out a short groan. In the original novel he had read, the story began when Han Seung-jae and ‘Seo Yi-kyung’ got married. He repeated the name in his head. Seon-yu.
“Jin Seon-yu……”
However, it was Butler Do who murmured the name softly. It sounded like the name of someone he had heard about from Seo Yi-kyung upon entering middle school—someone who was good at painting. Butler Do did not finish his sentence.
“…….”
Even then, Seo Yi-kyung struggled to recall this strange man, but no one fitting the description came to mind. He just looked like someone he might have run into while exercising.
“Whew—I’m hot from running. Can I have some of this?”
Jin Seon-yu fanned himself with his palm and pointed to the glass of water Seo Yi-kyung was holding. Seo Yi-kyung turned his head to look at Butler Do. In response, Butler Do filled a new glass with water and offered it.
“You could have just given me the one you were drinking.”
Jin Seon-yu took the glass of water from Butler Do. “Thanks for the drink.” Seo Yi-kyung turned his gaze back to the empty canvas. He didn’t have the energy to spare for a person like this. He was entirely preoccupied with how to fill the canvas, which seemed to grow larger the more he looked at it.
After wetting his throat, Jin Seon-yu spoke.
“Well, I did transfer schools pretty early back then. Still, you asked me how to use oil paints.”
Seo Yi-kyung’s head snapped around from the canvas. Is he a painter? He stood up, watching Jin Seon-yu, who was glancing around the surroundings.
Maybe I can get some help.
Seo Yi-kyung was in no position to be picky right now. He felt like he would even buy a painting if he could. He scratched his forehead unconsciously.
“I’m in a slump, so I can’t seem to paint anything.”
“Want me to help you out, like back then?”
Seo Yi-kyung set the glass of water down on the bench. Then, he picked up the bag containing his art supplies.
“Can you paint it for me?”
“Paint it for you? What should I paint?”
Seo Yi-kyung turned his head and looked straight ahead. He took in the park stretching out beyond the empty canvas.
As Seo Yi-kyung stood before the canvas once more, Jin Seon-yu stepped closer. After glancing at the tools, he pulled the hat that had been hanging down his back over his head and tightened the strings with both hands, wrapping his face tightly. Meanwhile, he scanned the surroundings as if checking for something. As he pulled the strings tight, a phone peeked out from the pocket of his tracksuit.
Watching this, Seo Yi-kyung blinked. It didn’t look like he had been exercising; it looked as if he had been running away from something.
* * *
Myungjun Financial Group, Director’s Office.
“Please come in.”
When Secretary Park opened the door, two men who had been waiting entered. Compared to the middle-aged man who entered first, the person following him looked young, as if he had just turned twenty.
Although he was wearing a suit, the sleeve length was off, as if he had borrowed clothes that didn’t fit his size. Furthermore, the signs of nervousness were evident on his face. Since they were visiting to receive an investment, it was perhaps natural. Anyone coming to borrow money is bound to feel intimidated.
“Sit.”
Han Seung-jae, who had been sitting at his desk, moved. As he took the seat of honor on the sofa, the two men approached and sat on the long sofa.
An employee who entered afterward placed teacups in front of the three men. Rustle, rustle. The middle-aged man opened a large bag, took out some papers, and handed them to Secretary Park. Secretary Park passed them to Han Seung-jae.
Han Seung-jae took the documents indifferently. Then, he flipped past the first page, which bore a logo saying ‘Digital Innovation!’ with an unclear meaning.
Buzz—
Secretary Park took his phone out of his inner pocket. He glanced at Han Seung-jae, who was sitting in the seat of honor, and turned away.
Following that, as Han Seung-jae looked over the financial report, the middle-aged man began to lay out the investment explanation without hesitation.
“Our digital business focuses on digital transformation based on AI big data, logistics system efficiency, and eco-friendly energy.”
Secretary Park stepped out of the room while answering a call from the driver. Behind him, Han Seung-jae closed the financial report he had been reading without hesitation.
“I think this is enough.”
Secretary Park’s gaze flickered backward. It hadn’t been long since the teacups were placed before the two men. In just about five minutes, Han Seung-jae had finished his judgment, and his expression showed absolutely no intention of investing. Secretary Park noticed this immediately, but he couldn’t ignore the driver’s voice over the phone.
“……The park?”
Secretary Park muttered and closed the door to the Director’s Office behind him. The employee standing by the door stood up and asked if he needed help. Secretary Park waved his hand and instructed him to sit. Secretary Park turned slightly to look at the door of the Director’s Office, finished the call, and entered again.
“Director Han, it is time for your meeting.”
Secretary Park attempted to usher the people sitting there out, as he had done before. In the meantime, the financial report Han Seung-jae had closed was now sprawled across the table. Secretary Park skillfully gathered the documents and added,
“Thank you for your hard work. We will be in touch.”
“I still have more to say to Director Han. I haven’t mentioned the most important matter yet.”
The middle-aged man reached into his bag. He hurriedly pulled out more papers labeled ‘Big Data.’ Han Seung-jae, who had been leaning back on the sofa watching the situation, tilted his large frame crookedly.
“If it was that important, you should have shown it to me first.”
“Pardon?”
The man looked bewildered. Secretary Park, holding the gathered documents, stood in a formal posture. It was a familiar sight, like a scene he had seen many times.
“But, I don’t think I need to hear any more.”
Han Seung-jae flicked his finger. It was essentially a sign to leave now. His gaze suggested that they were no longer worth dealing with.
However, the middle-aged man looked at Han Seung-jae, his lips trembling as if he had much more to say. Since this was a meeting that had been painstakingly arranged after months of waiting, his face was thick with lingering attachment. If he returned like this, there was a high probability he would never see Director Han again. Perhaps he would never be granted another meeting.
Seeing the man who wouldn’t budge, Secretary Park, who quickly judged the situation, turned and headed for the door. This wasn’t a place where one could linger indefinitely just because they refused to leave. Some people were even dragged out. Then, the voice of the middle-aged man sounded from behind.
“Would you… would you like to see the gift I’ve prepared?”
Whether he had heard it from somewhere, the middle-aged man’s voice became faster than before. At the same time, Secretary Park, who was about to grab the doorknob, looked back. Han Seung-jae said nothing. He was simply staring at the man with cold eyes.
In truth, Han Seung-jae did not refuse gifts. Give and take. He invested when it was worth giving, and he accepted when it was worth receiving. The shelves and bookcases in his office were lined with ceramics and ornaments he had received over time. Was the abstract painting hanging on the wall not proof of that?
However, Secretary Park had a slightly bewildered look in his eyes. Usually, when bringing in items like paintings or orchids, they would be in the person’s arms or by their side. Because they were precious items, some people clung to them tightly. Thus, it was natural for them to be visible to Secretary Park, but he hadn’t seen anything of the sort.
“What are you doing?”
The middle-aged man urged the man around twenty years old beside him. The young man had been keeping his head low and his lips tightly shut, remaining motionless.
“This is my son. He’s just turned twenty, but he’s still a child. Still, he does whatever he’s told quite well.”
“And?”
Han Seung-jae cut him off, as if telling him to stop beating around the bush and get straight to the point.
“He is an Omega.”
The middle-aged man’s eyes gleamed. He ruthlessly pulled his son’s arm and sat him down in front of Han Seung-jae. The body that had been dragged forward touched Han Seung-jae’s knees. It looked as if he were being offered as a tribute.
“What do you think, Director Han? About granting my son an unforgettable experience.”
The middle-aged man patted his son’s back. He urged him to quickly release his pheromones and show them to Han Seung-jae. As if pushed, the Omega’s pheromones, which seemed to seduce an Alpha, flowed from the young man’s body.
Secretary Park, with his back to the door, keenly observed Han Seung-jae’s eyes as they gradually changed. The gaze looking down was heartless, the expression was indifferent, and the set of his mouth was cold.
Because of the Omega’s pheromones rising from his feet, the air inside the office changed distinctly.