By Zephyria Song Hae-seop, hearing Kwon Tae-hee’s irrelevant words, unconsciously wore a disgusted expression.
“Where did you say it was? The West Sea?”
“No, the East Sea. A small port town.”
“Ah, a port.”
Not far from Seoul, with good scenery.
A nearby university hospital, a suitable place to monitor.
Someone to be his eyes and ears, a place where Seo Jeong-won could relax his guard.
A place where strangers wouldn’t arouse suspicion even if they were around.
“Is there a suitable place to stay?”
“…Well, my uncle runs a bed and breakfast there. There are quite a few empty houses in the village, so it shouldn’t be difficult to find a place to stay… If you’re worried, I can have him stay at my uncle’s bed and breakfast.”
“What is your uncle’s type?”
“…Beta. Ah, no. Was it Alpha?”
Kwon Tae-hee refused firmly, as if there was nothing more to consider. He couldn’t send Seo Jeong-won to a man whose type he didn’t even know for sure.
“It seems difficult for Jeong-won to live with someone.”
“Huh? No…”
If he sent Seo Jeong-won to his hometown, Song Hae-seop was naturally planning to have him stay at his uncle’s bed and breakfast. Even though it was a small fishing village, the scenery was good and fish were caught well, so there were quite a few fishing customers and travelers. The bed and breakfast was booming all year round.
Moreover, his uncle’s easygoing and friendly personality, not to mention his excellent cooking skills, was perfect for Seo Jeong-won right now. What could be more important to a pregnant woman than meals? He had seen him up close and knew that he lacked the ability to make healthy food for himself.
“What about other places?”
At the words that flowed out like a sigh, Song Hae-seop roughly grasped what he wanted. The place where Seo Jeong-won would stay shouldn’t be close to the village. Also, he seemed to dislike having too many people around. There shouldn’t be anyone, Alpha or Beta, who would see Seo Jeong-won as a potential partner… Song Hae-seop opened his mouth to confirm if his thoughts were correct.
“Well, I need to check if it’s still vacant… My uncle and the village chief built a small pool villa following the trend, but they couldn’t get a business permit, so it’s been empty.”
“…”
“They only built one unit, emphasizing a private space… Anyway, we call it a pool villa, even though there’s no pool.”
Song Hae-seop’s eyes darted around, busy checking Kwon Tae-hee’s expression at the end of each sentence.
“The interior is clean and it’s the newest building in the village, so there shouldn’t be any problems using it if we clean it up. I’ll check right away, just a moment.”
That place was really a place that came to mind suddenly. A pension that had been abandoned… The trace of digging the ground to make a pool behind the building wasn’t very nice to look at, but there would be no problem using it for residential purposes. Even if there was a problem, he had a strange belief that Kwon Tae-hee would solve it. It would only take a few days to fix that small building.
“I’ll call now.”
Since he was helping in every way, he should ask Kwon Tae-hee to get a business permit for that place later. It wouldn’t be difficult for him. Song Hae-seop hummed a little tune and went out of the cafe. He glared at the car Kwon Tae-hee had come in for no reason and found his uncle’s number and pressed the call button.
Before the ringing tone could continue a few times, a thunderous voice came over. Song Hae-seop smiled and replied to his uncle, who said he thought he was dead, that he almost was. After a short, everyday conversation, when he brought up the main point, his uncle poured out a torrent of complaints, saying that he got angry just thinking about it, and then told him that it was still empty.
“I’m going to use that place. Not for long, just for a few months. No, I’m not going to use it. A younger friend… Anyway, can I use it?”
Song Hae-seop tapped the floor with the toe of his sneakers as he answered. He occasionally looked up at the sky and smiled.
“I’ll pay, of course. Is the bed and breakfast business not doing well these days? Why are you so obsessed with money? Okay. No, I’m going with you too. Okay. Yeah, I’ll call you before I go. I’ll explain later. I’m busy. I’ll hang up.”
Song Hae-seop ignored the loud voice coming from the receiver and ended the call. He stroked his chin and went back into the cafe, where he immediately saw Kwon Tae-hee sitting in a posture that hadn’t changed at all. As soon as Song Hae-seop hurried to sit across from him, he opened his mouth.
“I talked to my uncle, and he said we can use it. That…”
He trailed off, then carefully lowered his voice, looking at Kwon Tae-hee’s expression as if he was reading his mind.
“If Tae-hee has a place in mind, please let me know. I have to tell Jeong-won, so he doesn’t suspect anything…”
Does he dislike it? Even the pretense he was putting on is gone, so I have no idea what he wants.
“We’re moving next week, so tell him in advance. And I’m going to assign someone to Jeong-won. Someone who is moderately easygoing, a former head nurse who knows a lot about pregnant Omegas, can respond quickly in emergency situations, and is also an excellent cook.”
“…Pardon?”
“Song Hae-seop can introduce her to Jeong-won. Decide on a title so he doesn’t suspect you’re close.”
“Ah, ah. Yes! Yes, of course. As someone very close to me… Yes. I’ll find a suitable title.”
Song Hae-seop listened to him with a blank expression and then nodded.
“Is there anything I need to prepare separately, or tell you in advance?”
“You said uncle, right? Keep his mouth shut and warn him to avoid contact with other people as much as possible. The more people involved in this plan, the more sloppy it becomes. If that happens, even if he’s easygoing, he’ll notice something strange.”
Song Hae-seop nodded, realizing what Kwon Tae-hee was worried about. Actually, he didn’t know if he understood correctly, but anyway, it seemed like he wanted to completely isolate Seo Jeong-won, but since he couldn’t, he would keep only the minimum number of people by his side and watch him.
“…So.”
“…”
“You wish there was no one by Jeong-won’s side, but since that’s not possible, you’re going to leave one person to monitor his every move, is that what you’re saying?”
Song Hae-seop deliberately used bold words. At those words, Kwon Tae-hee chuckled softly and nodded.
“That’s right.”
“Pardon? Ah…”
“I wish he was isolated and lonely. I wish he had no money, no people around him, no food, and even severe morning sickness, so he couldn’t do anything on his own.”
His clean face was instantly filled with fatigue. He continued in a slightly cynical voice.
“I don’t think he’ll come looking for me even if I do that. So I changed my mind because I thought it would be much better to watch him live a stable life. Even if he left me, if he lives a stable life thanks to my favor, it still means he’s mine.”
Song Hae-seop felt a chill down his spine at the more sinister and dark interior than he had expected. He seemed to want to put everything about Seo Jeong-won in the palm of his hand and control it. From the small things like what he eats to the big things like where he stays and who he keeps by his side.
He’s crazier than I imagined. Wouldn’t a loveless marriage be better? Even if it’s love, that level of obsession seems disgusting. I think I know why Seo Jeong-won ran away in horror. Whether I think about it simply or seriously, it’s clear that Kwon Tae-hee is strange, so I can’t even manage my expression properly.
“Well… I see.”
Song Hae-seop couldn’t even think of a proper answer, so he finished the conversation with vague words. He wanted to get up, but Kwon Tae-hee didn’t show any signs of getting up, so he just glanced around.
“If you don’t have anything else to say… can I get up first?”
“Don’t you go for walks?”
What is he talking about? Did the words come out wrong? Logically speaking, he’s in a position to run away and hide, so he wouldn’t go for walks.
“Well, Jeong-won’s situation right now…”
“Bring him out.”
Song Hae-seop seemed flustered and only moved his lips, then nodded.
“Jeong-won said he was feeling stuffy anyway, so that’s good. It seems strange to go out during the day, but it’ll be okay at night.”
Song Hae-seop rattled on about things that Kwon Tae-hee didn’t even ask about.
“As you saw earlier, he wears a mask and a hat to cover his face as much as possible when he goes out. Still… I’ll coax him and bring him out. Yes, I think I can do it.”
“Let me know the place and time. Did I say thank you?”
“No, you didn’t.”
“Actually, I was worried that Song Hae-seop would change his mind or act stupid, but I’m surprised that you’re being much more helpful than I expected. Thank you.”
The situation where he had no choice but to smile even at words that didn’t sound like praise or thanks was deplorable. Song Hae-seop nodded, clearly realizing what it felt like to be angry.