TIN 12

The overnight stay in the unfamiliar place was quite cozy, much more than I expected. I slept well just covered by a newspaper on the street, so I was in no position to be picky about the sleeping quarters, and strictly speaking, it wasn’t even an ‘unfamiliar place.’ I closed my eyes, and when I opened them again, it was already morning. As soon as I finished washing up, the housekeeper I hadn’t seen before called for me.

Walking down the stairs to the first floor, there were rows of chandeliers hanging in the center of the mansion, adorned with gold filigree and diamonds. The size was incredibly huge, but given the spaciousness of the place and the height of the ceilings, it didn’t seem out of place.

Selling just one of those jewels could feed me for the rest of my life. While having that unrealizable thought, my gaze drifted and landed on a painting on the wall. My steps, which had been slowing down, came to a complete halt in front of the wall.

“…”

I could almost hear the sound of the wind. I could feel the scorching sun, the glittering ripples, the crashing waves, and the briny scent mixed with the humid air.

The sunset over the sea shimmered in a golden hue. The painting of the sea that filled the wall captured the magic of the dying day perfectly. The overwhelming size of the painting, a landscape confined within the canvas, evoked a nostalgia I thought I had forgotten.

It was a form of longing. In a way, it was a sense of stability, and in another way, it was a thirst. My chest was so constricted that I couldn’t tell if it was from emotion or sorrow.

“Why aren’t you coming?”

The familiar voice that pulled me back to reality came from behind. Turning my head with a dazed expression, I saw Joo Do-hwa approaching me, accompanied by Henry. He was wearing a suit like yesterday, but this time his tie was loosened.

“Standing there… Wow.”

He mumbled something and then openly exclaimed in admiration after taking a look at my face. I wondered why, and the scathing remark that followed explained the reason.

“You look even worse than before.”

“…”

I reflexively touched my cheek. As expected, the face that the boss had struck was even more serious a day later. Not only were there splotchy bruises, but it was also so swollen that my features were barely recognizable. There were even scabs on my lips, so it couldn’t be said that it was just a harmless sight.

“Henry, I told you to fix him up properly.”

“I’m sorry.”

Henry, standing behind, apologized neatly. He didn’t have any clever solutions, but he didn’t look particularly upset either. Seeing a slight bewilderment behind his stern expression, it seems my condition was more serious than expected. He might have thought he should have applied the medicine more gently.

“With a face like this, I won’t be able to do anything.”

Joo Do-hwa chuckled amusedly. Certainly, with a face like this, any desires he might have had would be extinguished. I wasn’t embarrassed about it, and I even felt fortunate to have an unintentional grace period.

“You’re a beta, you can’t get better in a day?”

Even an Alpha or Omega couldn’t do that. Instead of making a fuss, I just discreetly averted my gaze. Joo Do-hwa didn’t seem to be expecting an answer either, as he took a step closer and stood beside me.

“Do you like this painting?”

His lifeless gaze examined the vast sea. With his hands in his pockets and his head tilted, he didn’t seem to have even a speck of interest in the painting.

“Or do you like the sea?”

“Uh… I like it.”

The reason I hesitated for a moment was because that was a question Joo Do-hwa had asked me before. I never expected to hear it again, and I wasn’t sure if I should answer that I really liked it in this situation.

But it seemed my answer didn’t satisfy him, as he chuckled and looked at me intently.

“‘I like it’?”

“…I like it.”

Ah, so this was the start of speaking informally. I quickly changed my response, and he smiled contentedly. It was a childish behavior, but I wasn’t in a position to point that out.

“Well, a lot of people do like the sea.”

Joo Do-hwa was right. The romance of the sea was something everyone in this era possessed. After all, there was even a store named Ocean’s, so that said it all.

“But I’m not really into this kind of thing.”

“…”

I slightly furrowed my brow. It was because of the one-liner that came out of his mouth. He didn’t like the sea? I think he used to like it when he was young.

Whether he was talking about the painting or the sea, personal preferences are none of my business. But if it’s the latter, it’s not something the heir of the 4HAE Group should say. If the person who monopolized the sea routes doesn’t like the sea, it would be an unfair story for others to hear.

“Maybe it’s because…”

“…”

“You already have it. That’s probably why.”

That person really said something strange. As soon as I raised my tone a bit, I immediately received a cold stare. It might be fortunate that I retracted the expression right away.

“It could be. Usually, once you have it, the interest fades.”

Come to think of it, even in his childhood, Joo Do-hwa was a child who easily got bored. Even when playing with toys, he would easily neglect them, get excited about finding an interesting game, and then quickly get bored again.

But there wasn’t a painting like this when I came here before. Even though he doesn’t like it, why did he hang it up?

“But why did you hang up the ocean picture?”

“I didn’t hang it up to look at it.”

Joo Do-hwa replied indifferently to my cautious question. It seems it was either given as a gift or it was just a kind of decoration.

“Anyway, come follow me first, and we’ll look at the painting later. You’re the first one who’s hesitating after I called you.”

It didn’t feel like he was scolding me. He turned around nonchalantly, as if it didn’t matter to him. The way he called me ‘hyung’ didn’t seem like he was giving me proper respect or trying to scold me.

Joo Do-hwa took me to a dining room with a spacious table. The space could easily accommodate eight people, but only two place settings were prepared.

“Sit there.”

I sat down in the seat across from Joo Do-hwa, as he gestured. I didn’t expect to have a meal together, but it seems he prepared food for me as well.

Soon, the chef brought out the food, and Joo Do-hwa drank from a glass of water and commanded, “Eat.”

“…I’ll eat well.”

The seaweed soup, rice, and various side dishes were precious foods that I rarely got to see at Oceans. At Oceans, we ate leftover dishes from customers or ingredients past their expiration date, so it had been a long time since I had a properly prepared meal.

Without even thinking of refusing, I picked up the spoon, and without further ado, started scooping up the rice first. The side dishes were inconvenient to eat with a fork, but I had no complaints about the utensils provided.

But as I filled my stomach, I noticed something strange.

“And Director…”

“Do-hwa.”

As I carefully started to speak, Joo Do-hwa replied without even looking at me. It wasn’t as if I’d forgotten his name. I’d just forgotten his earlier request to address him by it. Since it was my mistake, I corrected myself.

“Do-hwa, aren’t you going to eat?”

“Ah.”

He abruptly put down the chopsticks on the table. Now that I thought about it, maybe he had assumed I couldn’t use chopsticks, which was why he had prepared a fork for me. However, my real concern was that despite Joo Dohwa’s obvious familiarity with chopsticks, he hadn’t touched his food at all.

“I usually don’t eat breakfast.”

“…”

Then why bother setting the table?

I swallowed the question that was rising in my throat. Unlike my half-empty plate, Joo Do-hwa’s plate in front of him was still full of food. I couldn’t understand why he made two portions despite having no intention of eating.

“The people who’ve been here before always liked it when I gave them food…”

Joo Do-hwa narrowed his eyes, as if my reaction was strange. People who’ve been here before? Even before I could ask, he carefully scrutinized my face and leaned his chin on his left hand on the table.

“Hyung, you’re so expressionless that I can’t tell if you like it or not. Is it delicious?”

“Of course… it’s delicious.”

Even if it wasn’t, I would be grateful in this situation. I’m eating so much of this food that I usually can’t, and it’s warm and nutritious, so if I didn’t like it, that would be even stranger.

“Then eat a lot. Don’t worry about me.”

Saying that, Joo Do-hwa pushed his plate towards me, telling me to eat his portion as well. It was a very kind gesture, but that made the uncomfortable feeling even deeper.

“…I want to ask you something.”

“Go ahead, ask anything.”

He nodded readily, his eyes crinkling in a friendly smile. It seemed like he would answer whatever I asked cheerfully.

“The reason you took me from Oceans…”

How should I put it? The blunt wording was the end of my deliberation.

“You didn’t take me here to have s3x, did you?”

At first, I thought maybe he took some time because my face was a mess. But if that was the case, there was no need to feed me so well. The 4HAE Group isn’t a charity organization, and Joo Do-hwa doesn’t seem to have that kind of altruistic spirit.

“No, that’s not it.”

But Joo Do-hwa just gave a slight smile, as if it was an obvious thing to say. As I blinked in bewilderment, he pointed at me with his index finger.

“You’re a Beta, right?”

I couldn’t positively affirm or deny it. Words stuck in my throat, leaving me unable to respond. Joo Do-hwa continued without waiting for my answer.

“Why would I sleep with a useless Beta? There are so many Omegas out there who are willing to spread their legs. I don’t need to use lube and loosen them…”

I could practically hear the word hanging in the silence: “annoying.”