By Zephyria The loan shark chuckled, telling him to contact them anytime if he changed his mind.
As thugs began frequenting the flower shop, the occasional customers stopped coming altogether.
Now, the flower shop barely made any profit. It couldn’t even earn a few hundred thousand won each month.
The hospital notified him that if payments continued to be delayed, it would be difficult for Hyung to remain hospitalized.
Despite his pleas for understanding, they said they would proceed with forced discharge if the hospital bills weren’t paid.
Eventually, he closed the flower shop. Seo Jeong-won went to the labor agency to earn money for the hospital bills. He did whatever work was available.
Earning a daily wage was more profitable than replacing a few plants or pots at the flower shop.
However, the distance between his home and the hospital was too great, making it impossible for him to check on Hyung every day. Commuting took up half the day.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t considered moving hospitals. In fact, the first thing he looked into was transferring Hyung to another hospital.
But from where he lived to nearby regions, no hospital would accept a patient in a coma.
If that was the case, he had to find a caregiver somehow, but it wasn’t easy. A caregiver from the next room, taking pity on his situation, would occasionally change Hyung’s urine bag and diaper, and adjust his position to prevent bedsores.
Seo Jeong-won felt like bowing to him every time he saw him. He expressed his gratitude with a small amount of money, but it was such a small amount that he felt sorry even offering it.
On weekends, most labor agencies were closed, so he had no choice but to stay at the flower shop. On those days, the loan sharks didn’t come to the flower shop to disrupt business, making it easier to sell.
However, even with the slight improvement, he couldn’t cover the fixed costs. He would close the flower shop early and go to the hospital late at night.
Every time he saw Hyung lying still, Seo Jeong-won regretted refusing that offer that day. Every time bedsores increased on Seo Gyu-won’s once clean back, he felt overwhelmed with guilt.
It took eight months to decide to contact Kwon Tae-hee again. But judging by his current reaction, it was hopeless.
Had he found someone else? Well, meeting someone who was already an Omega was a much better choice than developing a Beta. It was easier to get what he wanted. He was only realizing that now.
It was definitely an abnormal proposal when he first heard it, but now he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to do it.
“…Hah.”
He didn’t even know how much time had passed as he sat on the sofa, lost in a chain of random thoughts.
He frowned at the bitter taste of blood after biting his nails. Just then, the door opened. Seo Jeong-won abruptly lifted his head, which had been deeply bowed.
“I was waiting for you. I thought you’d left since the meeting ran long.”
If he couldn’t finish talking to him now, it would be difficult to find time again. Tomorrow, he had to go to the job the labor agency had introduced him to, and he had to open the flower shop on the weekend.
Even if there were no customers, opening it would earn him at least ten thousand won. And he had to go to the hospital whenever he had time.
“Would you like some tea?”
“No, thank you.”
“Okay. Then, shall we continue the conversation we were having earlier? I asked if that offer was still valid.”
Seo Jeong-won looked surprised at the direct question, but soon nodded.
“Is that what you came here thinking?”
“…You said that back then, so I….”
“That was then. Eight months ago.”
Could there be temperature in a voice? A faint chill ran down his spine at the cool, sharp words. His face flushed at the resolute voice that pointed out reality.
He had been sitting there with the unilateral belief that the offer would still be valid. He couldn’t lift his head in shame. His neck felt hot. His vision was blurred, and everything he saw looked red.
“So, I….”
“Seo Jeong-won.”
“No one else offered to help me, only Executive Director… only you, Executive Director.”
It seemed impolite to call him ‘that person,’ and it wasn’t like they were close enough to call him ‘Tae-hee.’
Seo Jeong-won, barely uttering the title written on the business card he had left behind, stood up.
“I’m sorry for the inconvenience. I’m sorry for taking up your time when you’re busy… I’m sorry.”
If he was embarrassed any more, he felt like he would burst into tears. The reddish color that had stained his white neck was as pretty as if it had been dyed with flower water. Even in his disheveled state, he was captivating, really.
“Sit down. We haven’t finished talking yet.”
At the sharp voice, Seo Jeong-won reluctantly sat back down.
“Did you come innocently, or were you trying to pretend to be innocent?”
“It’s not like that. You said you would help, that I could contact you if there was anything you could do… I wondered if that offer was still valid, and… I had nowhere else to ask for help, so I thought of Executive Director….”
The situation had changed. Kwon Tae-hee had brought in an Omega to replace Seo Gyu-won. Seo Jeong-won had come too late, and he didn’t have the same interest as before.
He wondered what it would be like to ruin him with his own hands, but judging by his current financial situation, he would naturally fall apart even if he didn’t interfere.
After erasing all the reasons he should accept Seo Jeong-won, all that remained was amusement.
How much would he entertain him? Would he live up to his expectations? Was he worth giving a chance? He was suspicious because he seemed too young and innocent.
Nevertheless, his appearance, which was still full of his preferences, moved his heart.
The way he exuded a unique melancholy even on a clear day, the innocent eyes that were heavily laden with fatigue, the skin that was so white it was almost pale.
Even the moment misfortune befell him, his appearance was like a newly blooming flower.
As expected, he liked his face. The corners of his eyes drooped like a puppy, but in some ways, he looked like a rain-soaked cat.
“Neither is really my type, but I would have fallen for either, as I am now.”
After finishing his words, Kwon Tae-hee handed Seo Jeong-won the document envelope he had brought in. He thought it had nothing to do with him because the company logo was printed on the top, but it wasn’t.
“Read it. The contents will be different from before.”
“….”
“Let’s put out the urgent fires first. Is there anything you need to resolve quickly?”
Kwon Tae-hee had checked the debt-related documents he received in less than an hour to see how much he owed, but he didn’t bother pretending to know first.
“You came here to get that help, didn’t you? Don’t bother with unnecessary pride.”
His chapped lips were slightly bitten by his neat teeth before being released. A shrunken voice came out.
“…I have about 60 million in debt. I borrowed money from… loan sharks. They said I couldn’t get a bank loan.”
“I’ll check. I’ll pay off Seo Jeong-won’s debt. Think of it as a down payment.”
“…Thank you, I’ll pay you back. I’ll definitely pay you back.”
“Do as you please.”
It was amusing how he was trying to maintain his pride even though he had come looking for help because he had no money or ability to repay. It was only a negligible amount of money to him, but there was no reason to stop him if he said he would repay it.
“You recklessly took out a loan from loan sharks. If you had come to me before borrowing money from them, the situation would have been better, but I guess you didn’t think of me then.”
At the time, he thought he could handle it on his own. Foolishly, he thought it was a debt he could repay quickly if he worked hard.
“Seo Jeong-won.”
“…Yes?”
“If you say you can’t do it later, then everything we were going to agree on will be forced upon you. We shouldn’t have that happen. It would be unpleasant for both of us.”
“That won’t, that won’t happen.”
Seo Jeong-won answered as if he were grabbing at a rotten rope. His gaze, which had been on Kwon Tae-hee, dropped to the table.
He moved his trembling hands to open the envelope. The contract that had been one page back then had increased to two pages.
“Most of the changed content is about Seo Jeong-won matching my demands.”
“…Ah, yes.”
The contents of the contract at that time were simple, and all the clauses were considerate of Seo Jeong-won.
It was along the lines of Kwon Tae-hee visiting the flower shop one or two days a week and giving him a Pheromone shower for a certain amount of time.
But all of that had been erased from the contract he received again. All the clauses were tailored to Kwon Tae-hee.
From now on, Seo Jeong-won would visit Kwon Tae-hee’s residence on the day he designated each week, spend time with him, and receive a Pheromone shower through close sexual contact with him. He also had to follow any demands Kwon Tae-hee made, even if they weren’t written in the contract.
“…It says that all sexual acts are included….”
“Can’t you do it?”
Kwon Tae-hee continued speaking with an indifferent expression.
“Seo Jeong-won wasted nearly two years because you hesitated. What could have ended with just a Pheromone shower, you stubbornly made it involve sex.”