OMS 71

[A few months ago, the financial world was abuzz with news of Kim Jun-han’s divorce—the eldest son of the Daesan Group. This morning, rumors of his new relationship surfaced. The other party was revealed to be Jung Sun-woo, the youngest child of Chairman Jung Nam-su of the Young-hwa Group. Daesan Group released a statement dismissing these claims as groundless speculation. Public reactions varied, with some questioning if it’s too soon for a remarriage, though most comments suggested they would make a good match. Meanwhile, at the Young-hwa Group…]

As Kim Jun-han was heading out after preparing for work, he encountered Kim Tae-han watching TV on the sofa. The news was continuously covering the rumored relationship between Daesan Group’s eldest son and Young-hwa Group’s youngest. When Kim Jun-han turned off the TV with the remote, Kim Tae-han gave him a skeptical look.

“Congratulations. You made the front page of all four major newspapers. The photos came out well.”

He tossed a newspaper onto the table. Kim Jun-han’s gaze fixed on it.

“You two really look good together. I absolutely support this marriage. The future sister-in-law is quite beautiful. He’s a Dominant Omega, right? Chairman Jung dotes on him so much. Imagine how generous he’ll be. He’s the perfect match for my ambitious brother.”

“Stop talking nonsense and get to work. What kind of team leader shows up later than me?”

“Ah, you didn’t know? I’m on vacation starting today. So don’t worry about my attendance.”

Just as Kim Jun-han sighed and was about to turn to go downstairs, he heard Kim Tae-han speak up again from behind him.

“I’m curious about something, re you still looking for Lee Hee-soo?”

Kim Jun-han turned to look at Kim Tae-han. After Lee Hee-soo disappeared, they had blocked the airports, only to later discover he had smuggled himself out. It was unimaginable. He had momentarily forgotten that they weren’t dealing with Lee Hee-soo, but Park Dong-sik. They knew he had arrived in Japan, but after that, there was no trace of him anywhere.

“Let’s be honest. This is what you’re really curious about, right? Whether Hee-soo really terminated the pregnancy or not. Worried he might use the child to hold you back later? Don’t worry. If that happens, I’ll just claim it as mine. You won’t suffer any consequences.”

Knowing it was meant to provoke him, Kim Jun-han sneered. 

“Do as you please. But I wonder if the child would accept you. You’ve already been rejected once, haven’t you?” 

Kim Tae-han’s face contorted, and Kim Jun-han turned away with an indifferent expression and went down the stairs.

As he opened the door to step outside, a spring breeze swept in. The garden’s grass had grown green by now, and the fountain was operating, spraying water. Winter had passed, and it was unmistakably spring now. Secretary Choi, who had been enjoying the spring air outside the car, smiled brightly upon seeing Kim Jun-han.

“Good morning, CEO.”

Kim Jun-han got into the back seat without responding, and Secretary Choi instinctively knew he wasn’t in a good mood today. At times like this, it’s best to keep quiet throughout the journey.

“Any news about Lee Hee-soo’s whereabouts?”

“Ah.” Secretary Choi bit his lower lip.

“I’m sorry…We’ve checked all smuggling routes and immigration records, but there’s not even a trace. Circumstances suggest he’s definitely in Japan, but we can’t catch any leads. Even our people there are stumped. I never dreamed Hee-soo would be so good at running away.”

Kim Jun-han agreed with Secretary Choi. They had underestimated their opponent right from the start. Park Dong-sik had lived a rough life. His job had been tracking down people who stole money from loan offices and ran away, so he must have some expertise.

“What about Hee-soo’s mother?”

“He hasn’t had any contact either. He’s actually demanding that we find him. He came to the company several times, but we turned him away.”

Kim Jun-han silently turned his gaze outside the car window. The car passed through a street lined with cherry trees in full bloom. He knew his grandfather had put great effort into creating this road before he passed away. As the wind blew and flower petals fell, Kim Jun-han wondered, Could I find him before this season ends…?

Then he became curious about something. Why am I so desperate to find Hee-soo? To confirm if he terminated the pregnancy? To reprimand him for disappearing without a word? Or…

Feeling stifled, he opened the window, letting in the warm spring breeze. Kim Jun-han closed his eyes. It seemed he needed more time to sort out his thoughts.

***

Kim Tae-han entered the bedroom where Lee Hee-soo had stayed. Even after five months, everything remained exactly as he had left it. This time, he opened the dressing room door. His clothes were still there too. At this point, he wondered if Kim Jun-han had ever really intended to divorce him.

Furthermore, he hadn’t hesitated to issue a rebuttal to the scandal with the Young-hwa Group’s youngest. Chairman Kim seemed privately disappointed as well. Though he said it was for Kim Jun-han and the company’s sake, it looked like he truly didn’t want Lee Hee-soo to reconcile with Kim Jun-han. The more he thought about it, the more repulsive and nauseating the old man seemed.

Leaving the dressing room, Kim Tae-han lay face down on the bed, burying his face in the pillow and taking a deep breath. Instead of Lee Hee-soo’s pheromone scent, only the smell of sun-dried laundry remained.

“Damn it…”

Where could Lee Hee-soo have gone? They could track him taking a boat to Japan, but there was no sign of him after that. At this point, he wondered if both he and Kim Jun-han were just kicking at empty air.

No, come to think of it, there was one more person. Besides us two, someone else who would desperately search for Hee-soo.

As Kim Tae-han pondered, he searched through Lee Hee-soo’s bedroom drawers. It should be in here…Opening the second drawer, he found several medicine packets. Among them, he located his previous psychiatric medications. After examining them, he selected several sleeping pills and went downstairs.

In the kitchen, he hummed a tune while grinding the sleeping pills into powder. A cleaning staff member who discovered him smiled.

“Young master, what are you doing?”

“I have trouble swallowing pills, so I’m grinding them to take them.”

The staff member didn’t seem to think much of it. Kim Tae-han put the finely ground pills in a small plastic bag and tucked it into his pocket. Then he headed to the main house. Walking down the corridor, the scent of spring wafted through the transparent glass windows.

Upon arriving at the main house, staff members were busy cleaning and changing indoor decorations. Kim Tae-han brewed two cups of coffee and carried them on a tray toward the stairs. He was particularly lucky today as even Butler Yoon wasn’t around.

Reaching the second floor, as soon as he rounded the pillar, Kim Tae-han took out the bag from his pocket. After dissolving the powdered sleeping pills in the coffee and stirring them, he walked to the study. Knock knock. He opened the door to find Chairman Kim ending a call upon seeing his son.

“I’ll call you back later.”

Chairman Kim walked to the sofa.

“You didn’t go to work?”

“I took a vacation.”

“How long have you been working to take a vacation already? Your brother hasn’t taken a single day off until now, tsk.”

His disapproval was evident. Chairman Kim had always been like this. Since childhood, he had favored and been proud of Kim Jun-han more. It was also one of the reasons he hadn’t particularly opposed when Kim Tae-han said he wanted to be a film director. It was obvious he had intended to pass the company to Kim Jun-han anyway.

Then, as if suddenly senile, he readily agreed to Kim Tae-han’s request, and after recovering from a heart attack, he couldn’t remember anything. Fortunately, he didn’t reverse his decision.

Kim Tae-han smiled superficially while moving the teacup toward Chairman Kim.

“Please drink.”

Chairman Kim unsuspectingly took the cup and drank.

“So, how’s the company? Is it manageable?”

“It’s fun. I’ve got good team members, and the work is more enjoyable than I expected.”

“Don’t disgrace your brother. You need to help him well. Understand?”

“Don’t worry.”

As they continued chatting while drinking, Chairman Kim’s eyelids grew increasingly heavy. Drowsy, he dropped his head several times and mumbled to himself.

“Why am I…so sleepy…?”

“Are you very tired?”

“…”

“Father?”

Chairman Kim tilted slightly to the side and remained motionless. Kim Tae-han, who had been quietly observing, put down his teacup and got up to his feet.

“Father has good judgment, but apparently poor taste. I put in so much of the drug, yet he didn’t notice at all.”

He patted Chairman Kim’s shoulder. 

“Don’t worry. I won’t push you this time. I’ll leave once I find what I’m curious about.” 

He poured the remaining coffee out the window and rinsed the cup thoroughly with water to eliminate evidence. Then he smoothly pulled out Chairman Kim’s mobile phone from his pocket. As he scrolled through messages and call logs, his eyes suddenly lit up.

[The person looks similar to who you’re looking for. I’ll look into it further and contact you.]

It was a message from two days ago. Kim Tae-han tilted his head as he carefully examined the photo. The background was a mart, with someone wearing a mask and hat standing there. Though vaguely similar to Lee Hee-soo, the face was completely covered and the photo was taken from far away, making it difficult to distinguish.

Kim Tae-han clicked his tongue and pocketed Chairman Kim’s phone.

Then he grinned at the now sleeping form of Chairman Kim.

“Thank you, Father. If I play my cards right, I might find him first?”