By Zephyria Seo Jeong-won hesitated before taking the money that Kwon Tae-hee had undoubtedly left for him. This wasn’t the time to be picky about his situation. Without a plan and without money, he was likely to be easily caught by Kwon Tae-hee and forced to return, just as Song Hae-seop had said.
“Good, you thought it through.”
“…Yes.”
“I’ll go down first, so pack your things and come out. I’ll bring the car around to the villa. And check if the smell is gone.”
Song Hae-seop patted Seo Jeong-won’s shoulder. The sigh Song Hae-seop let out as he left the entrance echoed in Seo Jeong-won’s ears. He didn’t say anything, but he seemed to think that Jeong-won was acting recklessly.
“Haa…”
How did things end up like this? Nothing ever goes right in his life. Left alone in the quiet space, he couldn’t help but have bad thoughts. In the end, there was no one he could call family, and things that weren’t his fault seemed to be holding him back, dragging him down endlessly…
“Ah.”
A small vibration rippled from his stomach. Awakened by Kwon Tae-hee’s Pheromone, the baby, who had been quiet, began to move. Seo Jeong-won slowly stroked his belly, which helped him shake off the emotions that were about to plunge him into depression.
“That’s right, you’re here. My family.”
Seo Jeong-won rubbed his hot eyes and decided to think positively. He was only twenty-two years old, even with a baby. There were definitely many things he could do. He had looked into it and found that there were decent policies in place for single Omegas, and when the baby got a little older, he could send it to daycare, so if he worked harder, he could somehow raise the baby.
“I… I’ll make sure to raise you well.”
Seo Jeong-won quietly muttered those words, asking for trust, and packed his outerwear into a small bag. It was old and worn, but thankfully clean since he had washed it. He also took out the bankbook he had hidden deep in the drawer and placed it at the bottom of the bag. It only had a few hundred thousand won, but it was better than nothing.
After checking to see if there was anything else he could take, he took off the clothes Song Hae-seop had lent him, neatly folded them, and put them in a shopping bag. Then, he changed into a hoodie and loose sweatpants. He didn’t forget to look around the room one last time before leaving.
As he was about to leave the bathroom with only a towel to cover his mouth and nose, Kwon Tae-hee’s clothes in the laundry basket next to the washing machine caught his eye. He inhaled the vibrating Pheromone deeply and hesitated. Should he take them, or leave them?
Unable to bring himself to leave, Seo Jeong-won’s eyes remained fixed on Kwon Tae-hee’s clothes in the laundry basket, and he moved as if possessed. Without realizing it, he took out the clothes, subtly checked the scent, and stuffed them into his bag.
He mumbled that he was taking them for the baby’s sake, an answer no one would ask, and fled the house.
Song Hae-seop’s car was parked right in front of the villa. As soon as Seo Jeong-won got into the passenger seat, the car immediately started. However, the alley was narrow and there were many illegally parked cars, so they couldn’t get out quickly and moved slowly.
“Did you pack everything?”
“Yes, I did.”
“How’s your stomach? Are you okay?”
Song Hae-seop asked, unable to close the window he had opened wide. Seo Jeong-won only nodded, feeling sorry for causing trouble. The Pheromone of Kwon Tae-hee had miraculously calmed his stomach. It was fortunate, embarrassing, and unfortunate all at the same time.
“What’s that? A towel?”
“Ah, I thought I might feel sick again in the car, so I brought it…”
“Well, yeah, you might. I’ll be as careful as possible. While I was waiting, I checked the market price for Tae-hee’s things, and they’re quite expensive. But I think it’s better to sell the jewelry separately than to sell everything as is, right? Anyway, I’ll let you know how much we can get in each case as soon as I find out.”
“…Thank you.”
Song Hae-seop glanced at Seo Jeong-won, who was shrinking and quietly thanking him, and asked if it was okay not to stop by the flower shop.
“Ah… the flower shop? Yes, I don’t think we need to go. There’s really nothing to take from there…”
“Wasn’t there a fish tank back then? With tropical fish?”
“That’s at Executive Director’s house now.”
Seo Jeong-won was a little surprised by Song Hae-seop’s memory. And he was embarrassed. He seemed to lack responsibility, even though he had no plan. Song Hae-seop, who had turned on the emergency lights to check for vehicles entering the alley before merging onto the road, paused for a moment, but he soon smiled awkwardly and nodded.
¸.•¨•¸.•¨•¸.•¨•¸
At the same time, Chief Jung’s phone vibrated in the passenger seat of a car speeding down the highway. The name of the head of the security team was on the screen. Chief Jung pressed the call button without hesitation.
“Yes, this is Jeong Dae-un.”
Kwon Tae-hee, who had been looking out the window, glanced at him at the low voice. As he stared at the cheek that was faintly visible between the headrests, Chief Jung finished the call after a brief exchange and turned around.
“Executive Director.”
“Yes.”
“I received a call from the security team. Apparently… Seo Jeong-won is traveling in a white car.”
“Seo Jeong-won?”
At the surprised voice, Chief Jung calmly relayed the information he had received.
“They said they could see his face clearly because the window was wide open. A man was driving… They are checking the car’s license plate and will report back to you soon.”
“What about the driver’s appearance?”
“Excuse me? Ah, they didn’t get a good look, but they said he had a rather handsome face.”
Kwon Tae-hee frantically searched his memory. Who was the handsome man Seo Jeong-won would be with? No matter how much he searched his narrow social circle, there was no handsome man. Most of his friends were Betas, and he didn’t even visit Kang Da-hyun, who was an Alpha.
“Could it possibly be Song Hae-seop?”
“They don’t know each other’s contact information. They haven’t met separately since the summer.”
Kwon Tae-hee’s expression crumpled as he realized that Jeong-won was with someone he didn’t even know properly. Was being by his side worse than asking for help from someone he didn’t even know?
“Above all, there’s no reason for Song Hae-seop to help Jeong-won.”
Kwon Tae-hee was certain that it couldn’t be him. He had cooperated willingly when they broke up, but he knew that Seo Jeong-won had taken his place. It was more like him to contact him and tell him that he had Seo Jeong-won, rather than helping him escape.
“They reported that they were following him. Should I tell them to bring him back right away?”
“Wait, wait a minute. Let me think…”
Kwon Tae-hee, unable to shake off his confused and hardened expression, sighed deeply. This doesn’t make sense. He muttered quietly and sighed again. In this state, bringing Seo Jeong-won back would only deepen the emotional rift.
“First…”
“…”
“Put people around him and find out who he’s with… and report where he’s going and what he’s doing on an hourly basis.”
Kwon Tae-hee gritted his teeth. In truth, he wanted to bring Seo Jeong-won back right away. Then, he wanted to make the man who had given him such paltry help pay the price. And he wanted to show that to Seo Jeong-won. So that he would never think of running away from him again.
But he barely managed to hold back, fearing that Seo Jeong-won wouldn’t be able to stay by his side with a sound mind if he did that.
“Are you sure that’s okay?”
“…There’s no other way, is there? Even if we go to catch him now, he doesn’t seem like he’ll cooperate willingly. More than that, it’s amazing that Jeong-won is with someone I don’t know.”
“Maybe that’s why he thought you would find him a little… later.”
At the calm voice, Kwon Tae-hee realized something and sighed softly.
“I’m surprised that he thought that far ahead. It’s… it’s amazing.”
“…”
“Chief Jung may not know this, but we were quite close. We seemed affectionate. Both me and Seo Jeong-won.”
At the quiet murmur, Chief Jung’s expression hardened for a moment before he lowered his head. He wasn’t in a position to advise, as he hadn’t been watching from the sidelines, so he could only remain silent.
“He needs to keep getting Pheromone showers. Is it because he’s young? He’s really reckless.”
Seo Jeong-won needed his Pheromone. If he didn’t get Pheromone showers in the mid-term, he could experience pregnancy-induced Pheromone shock or, in severe cases, premature birth. He had definitely heard it with him, so what on earth was he thinking?
“I need to meet that man before Jeong-won. I wonder if he’s someone who can be persuaded or threatened.”
He wanted to find the reason before bringing him back to his side. He was angry about this impulsive behavior, of course, but he would try to understand it before confronting him. Seo Jeong-won was still young, and he was older, so he was confident that he could reason with him.