TGT 4

At the same time, Kwon Tae-hee laid a trap that the young Beta wouldn’t notice.One flimsy enough that Seo Jeong-won, driven to a dead end, would walk into the place that would devour him, begging to be saved.

“…What? What do you mean?”

“It means that if Jeong-won-ssi continuously receives my pheromones, you might also have the possibility of manifesting. So I was thinking, how about this?”

Seo Jeong-won’s shoulders trembled at the low voice. His anxiously wavering gaze couldn’t look directly at Kwon Tae-hee and wandered in the air.

“How about we both try for about a year? For me too, this kind of thing…I mean, receiving a child in exchange for compensation—is an extremely private matter that shouldn’t be known outside.”

It’s also troublesome to bring in another Omega. Swallowing the latter part, Kwon Tae-hee wore a fabricated smile.

“I’ll give you regular pheromone showers, and if you manifest because of that… if you become able to fulfill the contract, I’ll cover all expenses so that Seo Gyu-won’s ventilator can be maintained for as long as you want.”

“…And if I don’t manifest?”

The black eyes trembled. This was clearly a proposal that should be rejected outright. Such things were certainly not sensible.

Baby, manifestation—both were topics he had never considered in his life. Moreover, even if not currently, this man was his brother’s former fiancé.

He was not someone with whom anything could be smoothly settled. Yet, he felt conflicted, as if standing at a crossroads.

“Even if you don’t manifest, I’ll do as you wish. I’ll pay you for your efforts to work with me. If you want Seo Gyu-won’s ventilator maintained, I’ll do that, and if you want it removed… that too.”

“Why… I don’t understand why you’re making this proposal to me.”

“I want this matter resolved as quietly as possible. As I said, it shouldn’t be known externally, and… finding a partner with aligned interests isn’t easy either.”

A partner with aligned interests. In other words, a partner who desperately wants something. Seo Jeong-won, who desperately wants Seo Gyu-won’s ventilator maintained. Kwon Tae-hee’s smile became much softer.

“Seo Gyu-won was a dominant Omega. As you know, he manifested after becoming an adult. You two are brothers. I believe in the possibility.”

“Still, that’s absurd. I’ll just… pretend I didn’t hear it. I’ll do whatever it takes for my brother.”

Seo Jeong-won shook his head. Manifestation? Impossible. An absurd proposal.

“I don’t know if that’s the best choice for your brother, but it’s regrettable.”

Kwon Tae-hee said with a regretful expression as he stood up. He didn’t try to persuade Seo Jeong-won or urge him to reconsider.

His final words were simply to contact him anytime if help was needed. As if he had no further business here, he got up and left.

The seasons changed. It was 8 months later when Seo Jeong-won contacted him again. Quite a long time. He thought it might take three or four months to meet again, but he had endured for over half a year.

But sadly, it hadn’t even taken two months for his curiosity to cool.

“Your face looks quite worn out.”

“…Does it?”

His face had become smaller, and his eyes, having endured harsh trials, had deepened.

Is he thinner than before? Even in the season when the rainy season had ended and the heat was at its peak, his skin remained so white it was almost pale.

The arm revealed beneath the shabby short sleeve was thin. He wondered if there were any muscles at all. The small hands clasped together on his thighs trembled slightly. His nervousness was clearly visible.

The dry lips with their rough surface quivered and then firmly closed. Seo Jeong-won rubbed his reddish eyes as if he had been crying and let out a faint sigh.

With each movement, he emitted the light scent of fabric softener and the grass smell from the flower shop. His beautiful face, caked with fatigue, though worn, still left an impression of fairness and beauty. Enough for forgotten emotions to quickly bloom again.

“…I’m sorry for contacting you suddenly. You must be busy… Thank you for making time.”

Since withdrawing his interest, he hadn’t been curious about Seo Jeong-won. He hadn’t checked the regular reports about him sent through the secretariat for a long time.

Only after receiving the contact that he was coming did he become curious about how Seo Jeong-won had been doing all this time.

According to the briefly summarized documents accumulated during this period, he was miserably failing every day. His living conditions were even more impoverished than expected.

“How is your brother? Has he improved?”

Though it was a question, the tone was so dull that one could tell he wasn’t really curious.

Seo Jeong-won was quickly consumed by the anxiety he had felt all the way here.

“The nurses and the caregiver say that my brother’s face has brightened. His hands are… warm, they say. And… even to me, his complexion looks better. He’s really improved.”

Lies. He heard the caregiver quit as soon as the care fees started to be overdue. Besides, how much could the complexion of a patient who was as good as dead have improved?

Nevertheless, Kwon Tae-hee calmly listened to the story about Seo Gyu-won told in a voice mixed with a metallic tone. Occasionally, he nodded as if in agreement.

“That’s fortunate.”

“…”

“Did you come to tell me this good news?”

Seo Jeong-won’s expression hardened at the cold voice. He became anxious watching Kwon Tae-hee check the time by fiddling with his wrist.

His heart raced, feeling like he might be told to leave as soon as his business was done.

“No, that’s not it, I mean, why I’m here, I…”

“I have a meeting in about 10 minutes. I’m not sure when it will end, but if it’s urgent, do you want to wait? Or shall we meet again later?”

Kwon Tae-hee stood up. As he watched him put on his hanging jacket, Seo Jeong-won, who had also stood up, revealed the purpose of his visit.

“It’s urgent, yes it’s urgent. So… that proposal from back then. The pheromones to me… that, I was wondering if it’s still valid.”

Moisture reflected in the eyes where desperation had thickly pooled. If pushed away a little more harshly, it seemed he would immediately burst into tears.

“Didn’t you think it might be too late while coming all the way here?”

“…”

“I don’t think I can spare more time for Seo Jeong-won right now. Wait or leave, do whatever is convenient for you.”

Kwon Tae-hee tested Seo Jeong-won as if probing him. Looking up at him with eyes that seemed about to cry, Seo Jeong-won nodded. With a trembling voice, he said he would wait if that was alright.

“Very well, then. Wait here.”

Leaving the office, Kwon Tae-hee moved with Director Jung who was waiting outside the door. He subtly asked how to see off the guest remaining in the executive director’s office.

“He says he’ll wait until the meeting is over.”

“Should I have some tea brought to him?”

“No, that won’t be necessary. Director Jung, just make sure the office CCTV is recording.”

Kwon Tae-hee adjusted his tie knot as he boarded the elevator he had called in advance. Throughout his way to the meeting room, he repeatedly recalled the brief conversation with Seo Jeong-won.

Asking if that proposal was still valid with a face full of fear.

He’s as innocent as he looks, with a touch of naivety. If he had come within those two months when curiosity and patience remained, it would have been perfect, but not now.

In a world full of substitutes who could replace Seo Gyu-won, only Seo Jeong-won seemed unaware of this fact.

Kwon Tae-hee, given the situation, now wanted to train Seo Jeong-won and make him even more desperate. Now that he held the knife by the handle, he intended to wield it as he pleased.

Left alone in the empty office, Seo Jeong-won kept recalling Kwon Tae-hee’s voice asking if he thought it might be too late. His words seemed right.

More than half a year had passed since that proposal. During that time, his financial situation had worsened daily.

The bank said additional loans weren’t possible since he had already taken out a loan when acquiring the flower shop, so his only option was private financing.

It took less than three months for him to dial the number written on stickers spread throughout the hospital—in the lounge, along the low stone walls of the walking paths, and in the external restrooms.

He took out a loan from a private lender using the flower shop as collateral. The interest rate far exceeded the legal rate, but he had no other option if he couldn’t borrow money here.

With the money he received after they deducted the advance interest, he paid the hospital bills first. In just a few months, tens of millions of won that he had never even touched disappeared like a lie.

The private loans he eventually took out grew faster than a snowball rolling down a snowy mountain. The money that seemed like it would give him breathing room instead choked his breath completely.

Even paying the monthly interest was burdensome. The caregiver quit immediately after the payment of care fees began to be delayed.

“Ha…”

Hospital bills, bank loans, and private loans all began to fall behind in repayment. When neither the principal nor the interest was deposited on the set date, the private lenders initially called politely.

It took less than a month for them to visit the flower shop. They smashed everything. Their form of address also changed from “sir” to “fucking dog bastard.”

Later, they even subtly suggested organ trafficking. Saying that since he had two kidneys, he could live fine without one. They also insulted him, suggesting that if he was reluctant to sell his own, he should cut out and sell his brother’s.

‘It’s not like your brother is going to run a marathon anywhere. Would he even know if one was removed?’