MIM 50

“Jae-seung really takes after Chairman Ma. It’s a blessing, a blessing!”

While the laughter continued, Jae-seung was thinking. Since Chairman Ma was mentioned, should he steer the conversation in that direction? Pondering what to say, Jae-seung decided to throw out a somewhat eccentric joke.

“Sometimes I miss my father, but I guess I can just look in the mirror.”

“Hahaha! Is that so?”

Though clearly aware that Jae-seung didn’t mean physical resemblance, the man just laughed without further comment. He gestured as he took out a cigarette from his pocket, and a servant following behind rushed forward to light it. The former police chief, without even asking for permission, stood for a moment leisurely smoking, then began walking towards the mansion with his hand on Jae-seung’s shoulder.

Immediately noticing the man’s limping gait, Jae-seung gently supported his waist, causing the man to chuckle with a phlegmy laugh.

“As you can see, I have difficulty moving, so I need some help. That’s why I brought a few kids who help me at home. They don’t have invitations, but can I bring them in?”

The man’s two servants bowed deeply to Jae-seung in greeting. Unfortunately, both were omegas. Jae-seung quickly assessed the situation.

He hadn’t invited any omegas, worried that he might be affected since he wasn’t yet skilled at controlling his pheromones. Did the man intentionally bring them? To test an incomplete alpha?

“Of course.”

For now, there was no choice but to let them in. As soon as Jae-seung gave permission, they followed quietly with their hands clasped. The man lowered his voice as he exhaled cigarette smoke.

“The directors were worried, but seeing you today, I think there’s no need for concern. Between us, your brother doesn’t take after your father at all. Isn’t it telling that he’s still hiding in a mental hospital?”

“…Hiding?”

Not immediately understanding the term “hiding,” Jae-seung inadvertently asked for clarification. Facing Jae-seung, who was staring with wide eyes, the man feigned surprise.

“Didn’t you know? That guy’s perfectly sane but he’s holed up in there.”

“But why—”

“You shouldn’t be asking ‘why,’ but ‘who’ is behind it.”

“Still a long way to go.” Leaving this comment mixed with laughter, the man removed his hand from Jae-seung’s shoulder and found a table to sit at. As several guests who had just arrived began to gather in the reception room, he was soon surrounded by many people, his head no longer visible.

His brother, who was said to be receiving treatment in a mental hospital due to the shock of their father’s death, was actually hiding there from “someone.” Someone who could threaten his life. If it was someone everyone feared, only one person came to mind.

Just then, a message came from that very person. Jae-seung quickly checked the message as soon as he saw the name on his phone.

Don’t have too much fun

Happy birthday

6:24 PM

Happy birthday. Just five words, but they made his stomach churn. Perhaps because he had just heard terrifying things about this person, his heart pounded anxiously.

Get a grip. Jae-seung grabbed a glass of champagne from a table he was about to pass and downed it in one go. There were many eyes on him and no time to waste. He nodded greetings to everyone he met while scanning for the next person to approach.

A singer began performing on the small stage that had been set up. The mellow jazz melody, not too loud for conversation, sweetly captured people’s attention. Jae-seung’s gaze, as he seamlessly blended into the crowd, caught on a red dress.

It was the airline vice president’s daughter. Jae-seung had taken note of her because her tone on social media was frank to the point of being somewhat caustic. She seemed neither young enough to be ignorant of the cruel research details, nor likely to choose her words as carefully as the police chief.

The woman’s cheeks were flushed as she gazed at her favorite celebrity. Jae-seung approached her with his lips curved in the most friendly manner possible. Noticing Jae-seung gradually coming closer, the woman blinked her large eyes that seemed about to overflow. Though a bit flustered, she didn’t seem displeased.

“Hello?”

Jae-seung greeted her with a broad smile. It was much easier to approach her now that he had abandoned any thoughts of becoming friends. The less expectation he had, the clearer his purpose of extracting the desired information, the easier it became.

The woman looked Jae-seung up and down as he approached, her mouth slightly open. Her eyes, filled with awe and curiosity, had a similar gleam to someone watching a singer from afar.

“Ah… hello.”

“Thanks for coming to the party. It’s a bit noisy here, shall we move over there?”

The woman followed Jae-seung’s friendly gesture as if drawn by a magnet. The noise was just an excuse; he wanted to separate her from his acquaintances. It would be difficult to freely discuss the experiment with friends around.

Jae-seung stopped in front of a large painting near the entrance of the reception room. He turned around with a smile.

“This is the first time I’m having such a big party this year.”

“Indeed. Happy birthday! I thought you were very sick until now, but I guess rumors can’t be trusted.”

The woman who blurted out her first words without hesitation briefly introduced herself. Jae-seung, already familiar with the information, let it go in one ear and out the other while forcing a smile.

“Sick? Not at all. As you can see, my transformation is almost complete, so I’m in good condition.”

As Jae-seung casually brought up the transformation, the woman observed him with bright eyes. As expected, far from being surprised by the mention of transformation, her eyes sparkled with curiosity. Jae-seung ran his hand through his hair, showing off his toned arm, encouraging the woman who seemed about to speak.

“In fact, I think I’m getting better and better. Stronger, faster reflexes.”

“It shows. Did you build those muscles through exercise? Or did you just take the drug and end up like that?”

The woman took the bait immediately. Jae-seung loosened his tie, pretending to think while deliberately stalling. Her gleaming eyes scrutinized him.

“Well, I’ve been exercising consistently from rehabilitation to sports these days, but even when I was bedridden for a long time, I didn’t lose much muscle.”

“That’s amazing. If people could become like you, there’d be a truckload of folks willing to take that drug.”

“That’s true, but it’s not easy to become like me.”

There was a sting in his casually thrown words. Although it reminded of the test subjects who didn’t survive except for Jae-seung, the woman didn’t seem embarrassed. Instead, she called over a passing employee and took a glass of champagne.

“Right. Still, it’s a shame. My father believed the transformation drug would be profitable. Not just for Alphas, but there were many infertile Betas who wanted to become Omegas. If they had continued, there might have been more cases like you…”

She clicked her tongue as she trailed off.

“Sacrifices are inevitable for technological progress. I heard they paid much more than any ordinary clinical trial, despite the risks. That’s why people from Mangwol District flocked in, right? Maybe that was the problem. People from there are said to have weak stomachs from poor nutrition.”

“…”

“How about Shin-woo? Does he eat well?”

The moment Shin-woo was brought up, Jae-seung fell silent. He should have dug deeper now that the topic had come up, but his mind went blank. As images suggesting ‘Shin-woo who could have been a test subject’ began to flood in, he couldn’t think of anything else.

Shin-woo’s image overlapped with the photo of Ye-wook’s brother. Inflamed skin. Dilated pupils. A face contorted in terrible pain. Vomiting as if his stomach was being ripped apart, spitting out bile until his throat was raw…

Wait. That didn’t seem like the photo Ye-wook had shown him.

As the fragmented images faded, his senses slowly returned. As soon as he regained his reason, anger surged. His heart raced, not knowing why he was so enraged. As Jae-seung remained silent for a while, the woman sighed and muttered.

“If they had administered the drug to Shin-woo, maybe your father wouldn’t have…”

Her slow speech was abruptly cut off. Over Jae-seung’s shoulder, the woman’s eyes froze in horror at something she saw.

The reception room was becoming strangely quiet. The sound of people’s conversations diminished, and the music became more prominent. Sensing the real-time change in atmosphere, Jae-seung turned around.

Where everyone’s attention was focused, two men in jet-black suits, like mourning clothes, were standing. A short man and a giant man. That bizarre combination was eerily familiar.