“...Then excuse me.”

With no choice, I sat across from him. The perceptive chef placed a meal before me, gave me a subtle nod, then withdrew. The neatly prepared food was warm rice and bulgogi.

Kwon Yido glanced at the plate set before me. In front of him, unlike mine, were well-toasted bread, eggs, and salad. The difference in menu caught my attention, but he didn’t seem inclined to comment.

“....”

“....”

Only the clink of utensils broke the silence. The atmosphere was so awkward it weighed on my chest like a swallowed stone. No matter how I tried to ignore it, his presence was overwhelming. Throughout the meal, I couldn’t help but be conscious of him.

“I’ve been meaning to say this...”

Halfway through the food, Yido set down his utensils and spoke. When I looked up, his eyes narrowed slightly as he studied me. His well-shaped lips moved slowly.

“There’s no need to act like you’ve seen a ghost every time you run into me.”

“....”

That was unexpected. Was that why he’d told me to sit? While I was wondering, he tilted his head.

“Unless you’re trying to stage some kind of protest.”

A protest? Did I even have the right to do such a thing?

“Sorry. If it looked that way...”

“No.”

“....”

“It didn’t look that way.”

For a moment, I almost lost control of my expression. Then what does he want from me? A sense of absurdity washed over me. Yido’s eyes carried a flicker of displeasure as he added,

“But it still bothers me.”

“...I’m sorry.”

It didn’t feel like I had done anything wrong. But even if that were true, there was nothing else I could do. If he said it displeased him, then I would have to be careful not to do it again.

“....”

Yet even after my apology, he didn’t relax his expression. He looked as if he were about to say something, then clicked his tongue briefly and turned his head away. Soon he rose from his seat, and I reflexively offered a farewell.

“Please have a safe day.”

His gaze lingered briefly on my face. He didn’t answer, but there was plenty in his eyes. Then he turned away, and the short meal ended there.

I thought for sure my stomach would be upset, but surprisingly, even on the way to work it felt calm. As always, the driver and Mr. Kim came to collect me, and I sat in the back seat while Mr. Kim reviewed the day’s schedule. Other than an internal meeting in the morning, it was nothing too busy.

“And...”

After finishing the briefing, Mr. Kim hesitated. He still had something to say. I turned toward him, and what he said was completely unexpected.

“You’ll need to visit the main house soon.”

“....”

The main house? My heart sank like a stone. Father rarely summoned me there. Even when he ordered me to marry, it hadn’t been at the house but in the chairman’s office.

Had Minjae caused trouble? Or had Yido finally decided to send me back? While only bad possibilities filled my mind, Mr. Kim explained reluctantly.

“He said the family should... have a meal together.”

“...A meal?”

“Yes. And since you’ll be there, he said you should stay the night.”

That was even more surprising. There was no reason to include me in a family meal. When Father said “family,” I was never part of that word.

As expected, the next words confirmed I hadn’t been mistaken.

“...It seemed he had something to say.”

“Ah.”

Of course. There was always a purpose. It just wasn’t something to be delivered through Mr. Kim’s mouth.

“Is it urgent?”

“No, he said to come at your convenience.”

Surprisingly lenient, for him. Normally, he demanded I come immediately, regardless of circumstance. Perhaps Yido’s marriage had eased his mind.

“Tell him I’ll come next week.”

“Yes. I’ll suggest the weekend.”

Should I tell Yido? He had said I didn’t need to report my daily life, but if I stayed away overnight, I probably should. Even if he didn’t know whether I was home or not, disappearing without a word was different.

“I’ll come pick you up that day.”

“All right. Thank you.”

Maybe... he would ask how married life was. Or whether there were plans for children yet. Most likely, it would begin with the former and lead into the latter.

Whatever it was, I only hoped it would pass quietly. At the very least, that it wouldn’t make my life any worse. That was all I could wish for.

***

The days passed busily. During that time, I ended up sharing several breakfasts with Kwon Yido. Not by design—he simply happened to be at the table each time I went down. Since he had told me not to act as if I were avoiding him, I could only sit and eat.

And Minjae called me often. Always for pointless reasons (“The fuck, you get married and can’t even show your face?”), usually slurred with drink. The problem was that almost every time Minjae called, Yido happened to be nearby.

'Why drink wine when you can’t even hold your liquor...'

It was because the calls came around his commute time. I took them on my way upstairs, thinking no one would be around. Of course, I hadn’t expected Yido to be standing at the second-floor landing.

'Father will worry, so hurry and—'

My forced smile almost froze. Even the softened tone I’d barely managed to maintain nearly broke. Seeing him there, I almost stumbled down the stairs.

'...Hurry, you should go home.'

I finished the call somehow, but Yido just stood there, watching me. As if telling me not to mind him and go on. But then Minjae shouted through the phone, his voice carrying clearly.

'....'

It was mostly childish whining. Cursing, accusing me of worrying about him for nothing. His voice was half-sobbing, full of leftover attachments and frustration with nowhere to go.

'...Minjae, I’m busy. I’ll call you later.'

I ended the call quickly, but Yido passed me without a word. Still, similar things happened several more times, and each time he gave me that look—a mix of distaste and contempt.

It was painfully awkward. He knew Minjae’s feelings, and he knew I knew. Seeing me soothe Minjae’s tantrums could only be unpleasant.

In any case, time passed, and before I knew it, the promised day arrived. At the appointed hour, I left Yido’s house in the car Mr. Kim drove. Rain was forecast for the afternoon, but the sky was still clear.

'The main house?'

When I told him, Yido didn’t react coldly as before. His face still showed disinterest, but he checked his watch, as if calculating dates. Tapping the glass with his finger, he murmured,

'That’s the day before my business trip.'

He was attending a Citigroup shareholder meeting as an outside director. He’d be gone about a week, so he told me to stay at the main house as long as I wanted. It sounded like permission, but really it meant 'Do as you like'.

'You’ll see your family after a while.'

“Yes... I suppose.”

Since when did he make small talk? The thought lasted only a second. Blinking slowly, his expression unchanged, he said,

'You’ll see your brother too.'

“....”

It felt deliberate. Shame swept over me, as if some hidden weakness had been exposed. Whether he knew or not, he changed the subject casually.

'I’ll give you a gift. At least that much courtesy is due a business partner.'

He handed me a bottle of wine worth over fifty million won. When I refused, saying it was too much, his reply was cutting.

'If you don’t like what’s excessive, you shouldn’t have accepted this marriage.'

He was right. The most excessive thing in my life was not the wine, but Yido himself. A bottle of wine worth tens of millions didn’t even compare.

'Tell them it came from that alpha bastard.'

Maybe the topic hadn’t really changed after all. He had claimed he didn’t care about Minjae, but perhaps it had bothered him. Otherwise those words wouldn’t have stung the way they did.

“We’ve arrived, Director.”

Lost in thought, I didn’t notice until the car pulled up to the gate. The gray walls were just as tall as they had seemed in childhood. Yido’s house was bigger, but this place felt far more suffocating.

“Are you all right?”

Mr. Kim’s voice came carefully. I tore my eyes from the wall’s top. Pretending calm, I said I was fine and stepped through the gates first.

“Young master, you’re here? Goodness, you’ve lost weight.”

The butler greeted me as I entered. My mother appeared soon after, telling me Father was in his study. I handed the wine to the staff and made my way there.

At the door, a twisting unease knotted my gut. Call it instinct—it told me what I was about to hear would not be good. But choice wasn’t mine, so I knocked.

“Father, it’s Jung Sejin.”

'Come in.'

The kindly tone sounded like a death sentence. Through the opened door I saw him practicing putting with a golf club. Taking a quiet breath, I wetted my lips. I had no idea what words I was about to hear, or what effect they would have on me.

“You asked for me.”

***

By evening, the rain began. From the pitch-black sky, water poured as if through a hole. I watched it until dinner, then left the main house immediately afterward.

“To the officetel, please.”

Mr. Kim turned the car without protest. He already knew I hadn’t cleared out the officetel. I stared blankly at the drizzle outside, until he asked gently, 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

“...Do you need more sleeping pills?”

“Ah.”

A low sound slipped out. He was right—the supply was nearly gone. I collected them in months-long prescriptions, but I always finished them much sooner.

“Yes. I forgot to mention it.”

“I’ll see to it soon.”

With that, silence returned. I watched the raindrops slide down the window, replaying Father’s words in my mind. Questions about progress, about children—and then, after all the humiliations, the real order.

'Bring me a file.'

There was no real choice. Only whether I would agree readily, or nod reluctantly.

'It’s not stealing. Just speeding things up.'

His words were sophistry. It was theft, betrayal—something that would make Yido furious if he learned of it.

'Think carefully. Do you think a divorce won’t happen if you refuse?'

“....”

'No, he’ll definitely throw you away.'

I couldn’t deny that. How long would Yido keep an omega he didn’t love? Once I had no more use, he would discard me.

'Family is all you can trust.'

Father who had raised me, or Yido whom I had only just begun to live with. The choice was obvious. We were strangers anyway; no matter what I did, he wouldn’t feel betrayed. At most, he’d think, So that useless omega caused trouble.

'...Does that bastard treat you well?'

As I sat in the lounge, Minjae returned home. With his hair dyed dark, he looked even more like Mother today. Seeing him, I forced the smile I’d been practicing so hard lately.

'He treats me well. He even gave me a gift for visiting home.'

Treats me well? We barely spoke at all. The sum of our conversations wouldn’t fill a single page—and most of those words were his ridicule.

'...So you’re satisfied? With that marriage?'

If I wasn’t, what other path did I have? Words from someone who knew nothing—those were the most cruel. He didn’t even know what that wine meant, or what my marriage was like.

'As expected, only my little brother worries for me.'

It was the only way I could deflect him. A convenient way to change the subject. Sure enough, Minjae left the lounge with a twisted expression.

“We’ve arrived.”

When the car stopped at the officetel, the rain still hadn’t let up. Mr. Kim parked in the outdoor lot, opened an umbrella, and held the back door for me.

“You shouldn’t get wet today.”

The firmness in his tone made me laugh faintly. No one knew better than him that I liked standing in the rain. Cruelly, he told me not to get wet, only to watch it. Of course, it was only worry for me.

“Young master, your complexion... I really don’t think it’s wise today.”

Even the butler had said something similar. Despite eating regularly, I must still have looked poor.

“You’ll catch the cold, not me.”

I stepped out and took the umbrella from his hand. He likely meant to walk me to the entrance, but I had no such intention.

“Go on. Thank you.”

Thankfully, Mr. Kim wasn’t the sort to push. With lingering eyes, he said he’d pick me up tomorrow, and stressed once more that I mustn’t get wet. Instead of answering, I only smiled.

The car drove off, leaving me alone in the lot. I let my hand fall slack, and the drizzle soaked me from head to toe.

“....”

The reason I liked standing in the rain was because it ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) felt like it washed away the heaviness inside. And because in the damp air, scents mixed—the smell of wet earth, fresh grass, the faint trace of trees.

At least it was late. If someone had seen me, they’d think I was insane. A young man in a neat suit, standing in a parking lot, letting himself be drenched. Even I thought it pathetic.

I stayed there a long time, until the cold seeped through me and Father’s words played on repeat. Until at last I admitted to myself that I could not disobey.

Perhaps that was why, the next morning when I woke in the officetel, it was inside a vicious fever.