The towering walls hadn’t changed at all from what I remembered as a child. Back when I first came here, those gray walls were terrifying. I remember being afraid that if I entered, I’d never be able to leave again.

In the end, my fears turned out to be only half right. At first, I lived a life that was little different from imprisonment, but in the end, I was kicked out. The idea that I’d spend my whole life behind this fence... thankfully, that didn’t come true.

“Director.”

Mr. Kim, who was standing beside me, cautiously spoke.

“Are you all right?”

At that, I finally managed to tear my gaze away from the top of the wall.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

It was the main house. The one with Father, Mother, Minjae, and Seoyoung. The house I had lived in since I was a child, and the one I walked out of at twenty because I was forced to.

“Let’s go in.”

'You’ll need to visit the main house soon.'

Since hearing that from Mr. Kim, I must’ve imagined a hundred different scenarios. Why was Father calling me? Did Minjae cause some sort of trouble? Was it because Kwon Yido had decided to return me, saying I was no longer needed?

But instead, Mr. Kim had spoken with barely concealed reluctance.

'He said... to have a family meal together.'

It was absurd. So absurd it was almost embarrassing. A family meal. There was no reason to invite me to something like that. I wasn’t even included in what Father would call “family.”

'...He seemed to have something to say.'

Of course. There was a purpose. It just wasn’t something Mr. Kim was meant to relay.

That was why I found myself here, returning to the main house for the first time in a long while. When I told Kwon Yido I’d be away briefly, he responded without much concern.

“I’ll take you.”

How could someone so busy make time like that? And obviously, it wouldn’t be him driving—it would be his driver.

“No, Mr. Kim is coming to pick me up.”

I must’ve imagined the shift in his expression. That flicker of unpleasantness—it disappeared in the blink of an eye.

“I’ll be staying overnight, so tell Mr. Lee Taeseong to take the day off. The welfare situation’s abysmal anyway.”

I’d said it like a joke. Ideally, I would’ve returned the same day, but I couldn’t completely rule out the possibility that Minjae would try to keep me there. Better to resolve everything in one go than to make two trips.

At that, Kwon Yido let out a laugh, amused, and offered an extremely simple solution.

“Then I’ll just pay him his welfare in cash.”

And so, I wore a suit for the first time in a long while. It had been prepared in the dressing room—how they knew my exact size, I couldn’t guess, but it fit perfectly. A shirt, a tie, and a jacket. It almost felt like I’d gone back to my days as director.

“Young master, you’re here?”

Past the grand gate, beyond the well-manicured garden, was the house entrance. It wasn’t as large as Kwon Yido’s place, but it was by no means small. I smiled warmly at the old woman who’d come out to greet me at the door.

“It’s been a while, Housekeeper Moon.”

Wearing her usual full skirt, she was the one who’d raised me in my busy parents’ place—Minjae and Seoyoung too. Back when every other servant ignored me, she was the one who secretly brought me food. We hadn’t been in touch since I left the house. It had been years since I’d seen her.

“Oh my, your married life must be going well. You look so healthy!”

“Haha... maybe it’s all the good food over there.”

I bent slightly so she could touch my face. She was older now—her fingers were coarse as they gently turned my head from side to side, just like she used to when I was a child. But the moment another voice called out from behind, she quickly pulled away.

“Sejin?”

It was my mother. Her long hair was elegantly pinned up, and her form-fitting dress didn’t have a single wrinkle. She was always like that—a peacock of a woman who loved to dress up.

“You must be tired from the trip. The chairman is in the study, so go greet him.”

My relationship with Mother had always been ambiguous. If someone asked whether we got along poorly, I’d say no. But if asked whether we were close, I wouldn’t be able to answer. Despite living together for over ten years, I could count on one hand how many real conversations we’d had.

“I’ll go. Mr. Kim, just give that to them.”

I nodded toward Mr. Kim and stepped into the house. From behind, Mr. Kim handed the shopping bag he was holding to one of the nearby staff. It was a gift from Kwon Yido, something he insisted I bring home.

“It’s wine. Should be fine at room temperature. Mr. Kwon said it’s for the meal.”

Just by the look of it, the wine was probably expensive. It had come from the cellar in his house. Collecting alcohol seemed to be a hobby—his spacious wine cellar had shelves by country, year, and type. It was a breathtaking sight, but not as shocking as when he handed me this particular bottle.

“...You’re giving me this?”

“Yes. You don’t like wine?”

It was a bottle worth over fifty million won. The price wasn’t even the issue—it was so rare you couldn’t find it even if you wanted to. I could tell just from the label and the numbers printed on it.

“It’s just a family meal... this feels like too much.”

“Too much?”

He shook his head firmly, as if that was nonsense. Then he added, half-joking and half-serious:

“The most excessive thing in that house is you, Mr. Jung.”

Knock, knock.

“Father, it’s Jung Sejin.”

Come in.

His voice came from behind the heavy wooden door. As I cautiously opened it, I saw him not at his desk, but standing on the right side of the study. He was holding a golf club, apparently in the middle of putting practice.

“You called for me.”

“Yes.”

The head of the golf club tapped the ball. It rolled across the floor and just barely missed the hole. Clicking his tongue, Father spoke without even glancing at me.

“How’s that guy?”

Straight to the point. He returned the ball to its place and shifted his shoulders into position.

“You getting along with him?”

“...More or less.”

He’d called him “Mr. Kwon” so politely before, but now he was just “that guy.” It was clear he hadn’t liked him from the start, but now his voice was dripping with hostility.

“We’re doing okay.”

Tap. This time, the ball rolled straight into the hole. Satisfied, Father finally smiled and slung the club over his shoulder.

“No kid yet?”

“...”

My gaze slowly dropped. That was probably what he’d wanted to ask from the very beginning. Should I be grateful he asked about our relationship first, or disappointed he didn’t bother checking in more?

“We haven’t talked about it much.”

“Huh.”

He exhaled loudly, clearly annoyed. His brows knit tightly together as he tapped his shoulder with the club and walked over to his desk.

“I waited until after your heat cycle to call you over...”

I straightened my back and clenched my lips shut. I was standing perfectly upright, yet I felt like I was sinking through the floor. My shoulders began to sag, and without meaning to, my head drooped.

“Not even that yet?”

“...If you mean that.”

“Click your tongue and you still don’t get it.”

He scowled and began rummaging through the cluttered desk, searching for something.

“Even if the wedding’s not official yet, you two live together—should’ve gone that far by now.”

At last, I understood what “that” was supposed to mean. In short: had I had sex with Kwon Yido?

“Father.”

“Answer me.”

Still facing away from me, he kept flipping through the papers. Stacking some, setting others aside. He had no intention of even looking at me as we talked.

“Mr. Kwon... said he didn’t want me to get pregnant before the paperwork was finalized.”

He had told me, “I don’t want that from you, Mr. Jung.” Even when my heat cycle came, he hadn’t moved. It seemed he had no interest in having a child with me. But Father wanted one. Their intentions were clearly opposed.

“...What?”

Father turned around in shock, documents still in hand. His wide eyes practically shouted, What did you just say? I clenched my fists and replied as calmly as I could.

“I brought up the subject of children, and he said he didn’t want that...”

“He said that?”

His sharp, glaring eyes bore into me. If I didn’t answer correctly, I was sure he’d explode.

“Yes. Mr. Kwon said it.”

“...”

A suffocating silence fell over the study. I lowered my gaze and waited for his response as Father ground his teeth.

“That bastard...”

Why was he this angry? What could he possibly gain from me bearing Kwon Yido’s child?

“So what, Sejin—you just said okay?”

“...Yes.”

“You idiot!”

He roared and threw the golf club to the floor. It snapped in half and clattered noisily. He strode over and grabbed my shoulders with both hands.

“It’s not about what that bastard wants! You have to get pregnant no matter what. Understand?”

His bulging eyes were filled with desperation. It was an extreme overreaction—something felt off.

“...That’s not something I can control.”

“Why not?! Don’t you omegas feel sexual desire from pheromones? You’re a dominant omega—”

He cut himself off, probably remembering I didn’t have any pheromones. He grit his teeth again with a loud gnash.

“Defective thing.”

“...”

I bit the inside of my cheek. What I’d meant by “not something I can control” had nothing to do with pheromones. I tried to speak, but he snapped irritably.

“Then you should’ve at least done something during your heat! You’re a dominant omega—how can you not seduce even one alpha?”

To be fair, I’d never tried to seduce him. Even if I had, it wouldn’t matter if Kwon Yido didn’t want it.

For an omega to get pregnant, the alpha has to knot. They have to stay deep inside long enough to fill them up. And knotting is entirely the alpha’s choice.

“Finalized paperwork,” he says... He won’t even let you announce the engagement, and he talks about paperwork?”

“...He won’t let us announce it?”

When I asked, Father let go of my shoulders. It wasn’t a hard push, but I staggered slightly. As I straightened, he glared at me with a grave expression.

“Seonho’s blocking all the articles.”

It wasn’t strange. We hadn’t planned a public announcement for a while. But that wasn’t how Father saw it—his angry voice followed.

“You know how fast rumors spread in this industry, right? There should’ve been talk already, but both the media and insiders are silent. Why do you think Seonho is controlling it this tightly, huh?”

“...”

“He has no intention of marrying you. You’re just a hostage to him. That damned snake...”

Now I understood why Father was obsessed with a child. He wanted a link—something that would tie Haesin and Seonho together. Since we weren’t even publicly acknowledged yet, he believed a child would serve that purpose.

“...Does Seonho even need anything from Haesin?”

But there were still too many things I didn’t understand. Like why this marriage was even arranged in the first place.

What did Kwon Yido gain by marrying me?

“That’s the problem—you don’t know!”

Father shouted and began pacing the study. Circling the same spot over and over, like he was about to burst.

“Nothing in this world is free! He doesn’t want the inheritance or the money, so what use does he have for an omega like you?”

A valid question. It was the same thing that always lingered in my mind after talking to Kwon Yido. The difference was that Father’s fear was far larger than mine.

“We should’ve figured it out when it was just an engagement...” 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Most of his muttering was blaming his own carelessness or calling Kwon Yido deceitful. The way he spoke, it was as if Kwon Yido had lured him into a villainous, one-sided contract.

“Father.”

So I finally asked the one question I didn’t want to ask. The thing I didn’t want to confirm with my own {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} eyes, even though I knew this whole arrangement was transactional.

“What did Mr. Kwon offer you?”

I really was a product that had been bought. A business tool. A bargaining chip for Father.

I didn’t want to know my own price. How cheap I’d been sold for, what terms had been discussed, how long they’d haggled—I didn’t want to hear any of it.

“Seonho Electronics’ security system.”

But Father answered casually, like it was no big deal. He even stood still for a moment, his eyes gleaming with greed.

“They said if we gave them one of our company’s omegas, they’d grant us rights to the system for our app. And... the rest isn’t any of your business.”

“Our company’s omega.”

Should I be grateful he at least said “our”?

“But it’s been days and we’ve heard nothing. Whenever I try to contact them, they ignore me with excuses about being busy...”

“...Was there no contract?”

It was a faint hope. Business always leaves a paper trail. But Father’s face turned pale as he exhaled sharply.

“That conniving bastard gave us investment funds instead. He said a contract could be risky if leaked, so we should just treat the funds as a substitute. His words sounded so polished, I believed him completely—and now look.”

He must’ve made a verbal agreement, trusting only Kwon Yido’s words. A reckless move, uncharacteristic of Father—but with someone like Kwon Yido, it made sense. That pressure, that alternating trust and menace... he must’ve been pushed to the edge.

Still, something about this feels... wrong.

“Do you know how many marriage proposals came in during that time? There were plenty of other decent options—even if not as good as Seonho. Rejecting them all ruined our reputation.”

I could understand his anxiety. The timing had been perfect—if we lost this, we’d never get another chance. Still, high risk came with high cost. That was just how it worked.

“If that guy ends up discarding you...”

“...”

That last part chilled me to the core. My mind instantly conjured the image of him tossing me aside. His cold gaze, his biting voice.

“I shouldn’t have trusted someone like you.”

“Sejin.”

I flinched and looked up. I hadn’t even realized my eyes were locked on the floor. Blinking blankly, I saw Father approach again, gripping my shoulders.

“You remember I said this is your last chance, right?”

A bad feeling settled over me. Like I’d heard the next part before—like I already knew what those greedy eyes were about to say.

“Do what I say.”

His voice was low, but it left no room for choice. Spoken in that indulgent tone, as if I had no option but to nod along.

“Bring me one file.”