PIA 36

Before going into his grandmother’s room, Ji-an absentmindedly fiddled his rumpled clothes. As he puffed up his cheeks and let out a big sigh, Yoon Ok-hee patted his shoulder.

“Mom. Before we go in, let me tell you in advance. Hee-seo hyung… I mean, the baby in my stomach was created with JM’s Director Jeong Hee-seo, and I came to inform you that we’re not getting married. Please don’t collapse today, I wanted to let you know beforehand.”

Yoon Ok-hee’s comforting hand stopped abruptly. Her expression stiffened oddly, and her eyes darted around. She, too, knows what it was like to be depicted as a disproportionately fragile woman in this world. She wondered how her mother-in-law would react to Ji-an becoming involved with that family.

“If Grandma suddenly grabs a golf club, Mom, please stop her a bit. Got it? I really can’t stand that golf club.”

Yoon Ok-hee gave Ji-an a puzzled look, as if wondering what nonsense he was spouting. The mother depicted in his brother’s drama was such a soft character. It once again struck Ji-an how different she was from the mother he knew and the mother his brother knew.

Ji-an took a deep breath and opened his grandmother’s door without knocking.

Kang Boon-nam’s room was exactly as Ji-an had imagined. The room was adorned with bright red blankets embroidered with golden patterns and various gold ornaments displayed as if in an exhibition. The context was similar to Grandma’s room in reality, just with a higher level of wealth. Therefore, Ji-an could roughly anticipate her actions and words.

“Grandma! Please use words!”

Ji-an swiftly evaded the flying acupressure stick and knelt down. Then this time, an ashtray flew out. He did not expect this.

There was a cracking sound from his forehead. Stars danced before his eyes, and Yun Ok-hee’s cry echoed in his ears.

There was something dripping down, so Ji-an traced it with his hand and it turned out to be blood.

Ah… F*ck… this crappy makjang drama is such a piece of shit.

Even though he had been the punching bag of the household in his original world, he had never been hit and bled by Grandma before. Well, there had been times when he nearly bled. Angry, Ji-an squinted his eyes.

“Why! Why are you doing this before I even say anything? Seriously!”

“Mother! Jeong Hee-seo! It’s Director Jeong’s child!”

Yoon Ok-hee shouted,  blocking the space between the enraged Kang Boon-nam and Ji-an.

“What?”

Through Yun Ok-hee’s shoulder, Ji-an glared at Kang Boon-nam with a face full of dissatisfaction. Pressing his wound firmly with the handkerchief he held, he suddenly felt the presence of Butler Ahn, who was standing outside the door, came up to him and offered his hand.

“Ah damn it…”

Maybe it was the sight of blood, but all his pent-up emotions burst forth.

“Don’t you hear well? I said it’s Hee-seo hyung’s child!”

“Why didn’t you say that earlier? Last time, you said it wasn’t!”

“Grandma didn’t even give me a chance to speak and just threw it at me! And with this kind of reaction, of course, I kept it hidden!”

“Did you know about it, Daughter-in-law?”

“Ah, why are you trying to blame Mom?”

Blaming her daughter-in-law was Kang Boon-nam’s specialty. Ji-an shouted and fought back. Even in this possessed world, she was still his mother. Even though she had never given him a warm embrace in his original world, she was still his one and only mother.

Moreover, she was the affectionate mother Ji-an had always longed for. The sight of Grandma tormenting her ignited a fire within Ji-an.

As Ji-an nervously pressed his forehead and stared at Grandma, Butler Ahn gently tousled his hair.

“You probably don’t need stitches. It seems like just a slight tear, but there’s a lot of bleeding here.”

Perhaps it was because of the sight of blood or Jeong Hee-seo’s name, but the overheated atmosphere calmed down in an instant. Kang Boon-nam pursed her wrinkled lips and rolled her eyes, but when she made eye contact with Ji-an, she asked as if she had been waiting.

“Are you sure that this is JM’s representative child? Did their household confirm it too?”

“I knew my grandmother would say that first. The baby issue is between Hee-seo hyung and me, and it’s our decision to make. Don’t blow it out of proportion as a family matter. I came here today to nail this down. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come.”

“How can you talk about excluding the family when you should be getting married?”

“Because we’re not getting married.”

For a moment, Kang Boon-nam’s eyes became angry and murderous. Still, with Jeong Hee-seo as a shield, no ashtrays or other objects flew in this time. That alone was a significant improvement.

“Heeseo and I both have our own lives and the right to think about them. This is not an environment in which this child cannot grow up just because he lacks a father.”

“Has this house’s wealth been yours? Your mother and father achieved this.”

“I trust Mom won’t turn her back on me.”

Even if it was just empty words, Ji-an couldn’t bring himself to say he would earn and raise the child.

“…And Hee-seo hyung agreed to take responsibility for the expenses of raising a child.”

“Is it all about money?”

“It’s all about money.”

Ji-an was confident because he had grown up like that. As long as you have money, a child would naturally grow up well. He had grown up like that. Instead of counting the days, he remembered the day he met his mom for the first time, other than the allowance that was on his desk every morning. His mother gave birth to him with little sympathy, and she raised him well into adulthood with only money and no warm maternal love.

So Ji-an thought he’d do the same. Besides, he has grown up quite well and is eating well and living well. Money is also love.

Kang Boon-nam chuckled as he looked at Ji-an’s dissatisfied expression.

“Do you think life is that simple? When you get older, you will realize that the world has eyes. A child needs a stable family environment to grow up well.”

“Be honest. Grandma, it’s not like that’s important to you either. You don’t care how the child grows up.”

The more Ji-an talked to Kang Boon-nam, the more his heart sank. He wondered if it would have been better to just follow the original plan and have a misscarriage? As the voice said, had he been too nonchalant about giving birth to a baby, treating it like someone else’s business? He wondered if he was being arrogant to think that he could protect a life.

Ji-an always thought it would be solved once he disappeared, but was it right to bring a child burdened with the bomb named Kang Boon-nam into the world and pass it on to Jeong Hee-seo?

What was the driving force behind his sense of responsibility?

“I’ve been through it for about a fortnight, and Hee-seo hyung is a really… remarkable person. Smart, upright… And since he agrees with me… I believe I’m right about this.”

He’s quick-witted, smart, and handsome. Even the existence of Kang Boon-nam would be within his calculations. Ji-an decided to trust that he had considered and anticipated everything.

He stated he would accept responsibility for his actions, regardless of whether he was under the influence of drugs. The fact remained that he had part of the responsibility for the child’s birth… 

As Ji-an continued to rationalize his thoughts, he suddenly felt disgusted with himself. He was reaching the end of his self-justification.

Ji-an let out a long, tired sigh.

“Anyway, my thoughts remain the same, and I have no intention of changing them. I understand how far Grandma’s ambitions extend, but…”

“You useless fool, can’t even find the right words.”

“I understand what Grandma’s words and the honor of the family mean. I know, but it’s me who’s going to bear the child. I’m the parent, so…”

Ji-an frowned at the word ‘parents’ without realizing it.

“Anyway, please understand that. I’ll make sure there’s no disgrace to the family.”

Like the day he came here silently, Ji-an knew they would manage things like his disappearance or death due to illness. Isn’t being a conglomerate heir and wealthy part of the concept? He was just utilizing it.

With that said, Ji-an suddenly sat up.

“Where are you going, just as I haven’t finished speaking yet.”

“I’ve said all I have to say. If Grandma wants to fight, she needs to think carefully. Because Jeong Hee-seo hyung is on my side.”

“This… damned brat.”

“Listen to me well, please be careful. In the future…-“

Ji-an was about to turn around but added one more thing.

“It’s beyond Grandma’s capabilities now. Accept it and let go of your regrets towards me.”

“Do you think I’ll let you do as you please?”

“You may not, but you won’t be able to act freely because of Hee-seo hyung.”

You have to clap your hands together to make a sound. Jeong Hee-seo was his strong ally. Ji-an threatened her not to even argue with him anymore.

He had said this much, so he probably couldn’t reach out now. She probably wouldn’t step forward anymore either. Kang Boon-nam’s bewildered expression clearly indicated that.

‘Seo Ji-an’, a recessive Omega who had been exuding twisted desires throughout his life, seemed embarrassed to see that he was moving in a different direction than him.

After gaining some confidence, Ji-an turned around and escaped from Kang Boon-nam’s room.

Ji-an was about to go straight to his room, but he was held back by Butler Ahn and his mother, who followed after him. Seeing the worried look in Yoon Ok-hee’s eyes, Ji-an finally let go of the handkerchief he had been pressing to his forehead. The clean handkerchief that belonged to Jeong Hee-seo was now stained with blood.

“Oh, I’ll have to buy a new one… Mom, do you know which brand this is?”

“It’s not the handkerchief that’s the problem right now. Come here quickly and sit down. Let me apply some medicine.”

The slightly torn spot where it had been pressed tightly was already sticking together. It was more tiring to stop Yoon Ok-hee, who was making a fuss on calling a doctor immediately rather than dealing with the wound itself.