OMS 17

Park Dong-sik admired Lee Hee-soo’s face in the mirror.

“Hey, Lee Hee-soo. Were you some kind of femme fatale omega?”

How could everyone be so hung up on you? Even father and son from the same family. Ah, except for one. That bastard Kim Jun-han. Park Dong-sik shook his head, put on a coat, and walked outside. A car was waiting in front of the house, and Kim Yoon-ah quickly opened the door.

Once seated in the back, the car departed. Passing the main house, Park Dong-sik stared intently at the second floor where Chairman Kim stayed. His wife, Madam Song, seemed to have known about her husband’s misdeeds all along. While understanding why she was hostile toward Lee Hee-soo, it still felt unfair.

If she wanted to blame someone, she should have confronted her husband instead of tormenting her powerless daughter-in-law. Anyway, he disliked both of them. As these thoughts crossed his mind, the car left the forest.

“Where would you like to go?”

At Kim Yoon-ah’s question, Park Dong-sik took out his phone.

“Incheon. Let me give you the address.”

“Incheon?”

“Yeah. Near the beach where I fell in. I want to check it out.”

Kim Yoon-ah looked worriedly through the rearview mirror.

“Why there…?”

“I might remember something if I go.”

“Ah, I see!”

Yeah right. The only thing that might surface was a corpse. Lost memories couldn’t return if they were never mine to begin with. But maybe going there might provide some answers.

“By the way, what happened to my…I mean, Park Dong-sik’s body?”

“The funeral was postponed, and the body is in the morgue.”

“Did Park Chun-bae agree easily?”

“He readily accepted when we offered the amount you mentioned.”

That guy would do anything for money, so of course he did. But is it okay to keep the body in the morgue for so long? Will I find a way back by then? No, can I even go back? Park Dong-sik looked down at himself. A watch worth hundreds of thousands of dollars on his wrist, wearing luxury brand clothes. If he went back, such luxuries would be impossible…

“Are you feeling unwell? You look pale. Should we go to the hospital first?”

“No. Just lost in thought. But Yoon-ah.”

“Yes?”

“About Kim Tae-han. What exactly was his relationship with me?”

Kim Yoon-ah’s reflected face showed clear discomfort. As she hesitated, Park Dong-sik assured her it was okay. When encouraged to be honest since they were alone, Kim Yoon-ah explained everything.

“From what I know, they first met when Hee-soo was in college. Though they never officially dated, they were quite close. Later, when he found out his brother was her marriage prospect, he caused a scene at the first meeting. Because of that, everyone in both families knows.”

“And they still arranged the marriage despite knowing?”

“It’s awkward to say, but since Kim Tae-han had such a complicated personal life back then, nobody took it seriously. I think Hee-soo also took it lightly because of that.”

“What about after the marriage?”

“Pardon?”

“Did they sleep together?”

“…”

She couldn’t continue.

“They did. They did, didn’t they?”

Park Dong-sik leaned back against the seat and laughed mirthlessly. So this wasn’t the first time—they had slept together even before the memory loss? It was no wonder Kim Tae-han acted like he owned him. What a mess, really.

As they talked, the car arrived at the Incheon port. It was a relatively quiet harbor with few passersby and only some open shops. The car stopped, and Park Dong-sik got out to walk along the dock.

Where his car had been parked on the day of the accident now had a no-parking sign, and unlike that day, the waters were calm. Standing precariously at the edge looking down at the sea, Kim Yoon-ah followed.

“Who pulled me out that day?”

“You were found collapsed over there. The witness said there was no one around. It seemed you climbed out by yourself.”

Why couldn’t he remember anything? As if that memory had been cleanly cut away. Park Dong-sik lit a cigarette and took a deep drag. The hazy smoke scattered in the sea breeze. As he stared at the sea for a while, there was a commotion behind him.

His face hardened as he turned around. Several thugs were inside Manager Jang’s butcher shop, and shouting could be heard. Ah, of all days to come…

“It looks like there’s a fight. We should return to the car.”

Park Dong-sik silently walked toward the shop.

“Mr. Hee-soo!”

“Wait here. Don’t follow me.”

“But—”

“Don’t follow me.”

Worried about potential harm, Park Dong-sik made Kim Yoon-ah stay far back before entering the butcher shop. One thug was pinning Manager Jang down from behind, trying to force his fingerprint on documents on the table.

Since he hadn’t paid his debt, that was probably a physical rights waiver. Seeing his former colleagues after nearly ten days stirred mixed emotions, and there was a strange thrill in them not recognizing him at all.

“Who are you? Who’s this?”

One of the thugs approached Park Dong-sik. Ugh. Manager Jang turned around with his battered face. They really did a number on him. Those bastards. He was still their former colleague, but it looked like they had shown no mercy to the poor man.

Park Dong-sik walked over and picked up the paper on the table. As expected, it was a physical rights waiver. One of the men nearby slapped Park Dong-sik’s shoulder. Though it wasn’t hard, this weak body staggered. Ah, shit…so embarrassing.

“Hey, pretty lady. What’s your deal? Why are you nosing around here? Better leave before you get hurt, hm?”

Park Dong-sik pulled out an envelope. It was the funeral money Kim Jun-han had left. When he casually took out high-value checks, the onlookers were stunned speechless. Park Dong-sik threw exactly 50 million won on the table. Everyone exchanged incredulous looks as Park Dong-sik lit a cigarette.

“With interest until today, it’s 49.5 million won, right? Use the remaining 500,000 for your team dinner. Must be tough working your asses off under Moon Ho-cheol.”

While everyone stood dumbfounded, Young-tae, the relatively smart one, stepped forward.

“What? You know our boss?”

“Don’t want it? Should I take it back?”

When he reached to retrieve it, they quickly grabbed the money. Seeing their suspicious looks about possible counterfeit checks, he loudly offered to wire the money instead. After all, he wasn’t Park Dong-sik but Lee Hee-soo with loads of money in his account. The kind of person who could spend 100 million won like pocket change.

“The documents?”

They all looked at each other hesitantly.

“Give me the documents, you bastards.”

One of them fumbled to pull out the papers. He snatched them, kept the proof of payment, and tore up the rest. The gathered thugs seemed intimidated by his demeanor and became polite.

“But w-who are you?”

“Me? Manager Jang’s sponsor.”

Their expressions were priceless. Why would someone like him be interested in a paunchy, unremarkable middle-aged man? Regardless, Park Dong-sik looked over each of them in turn.

“Why just three of you? Wasn’t there another one?”

They all looked surprised.

“H-How do you know that? Are you a cop?”

“Cop my ass. Just answer the question. I even gave you money. Do I really need to explain who I am?”

“…”

“There was another guy besides you lot. Tall, good-looking one.”

Young-tae spoke up again.

“He died. Drowned.”

“Was there a funeral?”

“That’s what I heard…”

“But you didn’t go?”

“Look, I don’t know how you know Dong-sik, but for guys like us, dying anywhere anytime isn’t strange. Besides, why risk getting caught up in something? The boss was already pissed about some crazy person stirring things up at the office.”

He grumbled that he couldn’t understand why the guy had to drown like an idiot. He could have at least hidden the ledger. Because he died with the ledger in his car, they were all put in a difficult position. There was no trace of sympathy or mourning on their faces.

Was I like that too? Did others see me the same way?

While lost in bitter thoughts, they began leaving the shop one by one.

“Thanks anyway. You saved our Manager Jang’s kidneys.”

“Manager Jang! Call us if you need money again! Always welcome!”

As soon as they disappeared, Manager Jang staggered to the sofa and collapsed. His face was bloody, and he reeked of alcohol. Watching him struggling to breathe with his eyes closed, Park Dong-sik let out a long sigh.

“You troublesome man.”

Though his injuries weren’t severe, he was too drunk to be coherent. Park Dong-sik folded the payment document, stuffed it in Manager Jang’s clothes, and patted his chest.

“I must be crazy. Why did I pay your debt?”

As he turned to leave, a voice called out.

“Dong-sik-ah…”

A chill ran down her neck.

He quickly turned and shook Manager Jang’s shoulders.

“Manager, what did you just call me?”

He opened his bleary eyes and asked, “Who are you?” Park Dong-sik’s tense expression crumbled. Manager Jang fell asleep snoring, and Park Dong-sik went to a mirror, checked his face, and laughed dejectedly.

“Of course.”

It couldn’t change that easily. While lost in thoughts, Park Dong-sik stood there for quite a while. Then, remembering Kim Yoon-ah waiting outside, he collected himself and moved to leave. Before heading out, he turned to the soundly sleeping Manager Jang and said goodbye.

“Thanks. For coming to my funeral.”

“…”

“Take care of yourself.”

Leaving the shop, he noticed the worn sofa. The memory of coming here demanding money felt like a distant past. As soon as he stepped outside, a salty wind hit his face. He felt like he might cry. For the first time, it really hit her that he might never be able to go back.