PSS Ch 3
by soapa“No, that’s not it. It’s strange that he always sleeps at home except for that one day.”
“That’s right, that’s right.”
It was an unexpected story. It hadn’t even been a week since I arrived at this house, but I had never seen Managing Director Jang Taejin stay out overnight. I was such a light sleeper that I would wake up even at the slightest sound from the garden beyond the curtained window. Sometimes he arrived home at 1 a.m., and other times at 4 a.m. But the time he left was always the same. 6 a.m. I thought it would be better not to come home at all if he was just going to come home in the early morning and leave again so early, but I had no idea he was originally someone who compulsively returned home.
“Then why doesn’t the Managing Director get married? There must be a line of good Omega families around him.”
“Isn’t it because his standards are so high? Good family. Smart. Capable. On top of that, he’s handsome with a good-looking face. He’s even a dominant Alpha, so what kind of Omega would catch his eye?”
They giggled. I was quietly walking, unnecessarily holding my breath, and before I knew it, I arrived in front of my room.
“But, who is that Omega? You know, the young Omega on the first floor.”
However, as soon as I heard them talking about me, I couldn’t easily open the door. Even though I’m not the type to enjoy gossip, I couldn’t help but be drawn in when it became about me.
“I don’t know. I need to hear something about it.”
“Didn’t Secretary Yeo tell you anything? Nothing at all?”
“Nope. That’s what I’m saying. Just that we should treat him with care.”
Another person joined the conversation between the two housekeepers.
“Oh, come on, it’s obvious. Aren’t they all that kind of relationship?”
“Even if that’s the case, he’s so young.”
“How old is he?”
“I heard he’s not even twenty yet.”
“Oh my. How scandalous!”
Listening to their conversation, which, like any gossip, was going in a completely different direction from the truth, I almost shouted that it wasn’t like that. Fortunately, another voice that followed immediately prevented me from doing so.
“No, it’s not like that.”
It was the housekeeper who worked in the kitchen. She, who had been cold to me, was defending me for some reason.
“It’s not?”
“No. I’ve been watching for the past few days, and the CEO doesn’t seem to care. The Omega doesn’t seem to be serving the CEO either.”
“Oh, come on. Even if that’s the case, an Omega living in an Alpha’s house must mean!”
“Well, even if it wasn’t that kind of atmosphere. He asked me if there was anything he could do to help. He said he came here to work.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Yeah. I don’t know the circumstances, but I think he came here for a different reason.”
Thanks to her firmly stating that it wasn’t some kind of scandalous affair, the other housekeepers’ interest seemed to fade quickly. They forgot about me and started talking about something else.
“Oh, right, right. Did you hear about Gardener Kim?”
“Huh? What story?”
Only after confirming that my story was no longer on their lips did I turn the doorknob and enter the room. A long sigh escaped my lips. “That kind of relationship…” Certainly, it was strange for an Omega to stay in an Alpha’s house without any relationship. Even I couldn’t understand this contract, so how much stranger would it seem to others?
It had been quite calm for a few days, but today my heart felt particularly unsettled. It was due to a mixture of what I had just heard and the sentiment of today being the last day of my teens. I never thought I’d spend the last day of my teens like this. I didn’t want to welcome adulthood while guarding an empty house with complete strangers I had never interacted with before.
But there was no other way. That was the reality I had to accept. There wasn’t even a call from my father with generic remarks like, “Are you doing okay where you’re staying?”, “Have a good end of the year and a happy new year.”
My chilled heart continued until the moment I went to bed. I had trouble sleeping just like the first day I arrived at this house. Now, time had passed midnight and was heading deep into the early morning. In this dark, quiet place where no one was around, I lonely welcomed the year of adulthood.
“Ha…”
Unable to fall asleep easily, I finally got out of bed. I thought it would be better to read a book rather than continuing to lie down like this. If I had known, I would have brought a few books to my room to read during the day… I was just as distraught then as I am now, so I couldn’t think of such a thing. I had no choice but to leave the room and head towards the study, trying to be as quiet as possible.
While heading to the study, I felt a strange sensation. It was a sense of unease I felt in the long hallway, which I always passed without a thought. I felt nauseous and my vision was blurry. As if I was going somewhere I shouldn’t, my steps hesitated.
Why am I like this? What’s the problem… I couldn’t easily shake off the anxiety that was gripping my entire body. Just as I was about to turn back, thinking that maybe I wasn’t feeling well…
“Gasp…!”
Suddenly, a strong scent enveloped me. My vision blurred, and my body swayed. The scent, piercing my lungs at once, paralyzed my whole body. My legs trembled as if I was about to collapse at any moment.
It was him. He was there. While I was tossing and turning, I couldn’t feel any presence, but somehow he was there. I felt as if I was about to lose consciousness from the dense scent that was much stronger than usual, tightening around my body.
I reached out and grabbed the wall to barely support myself. I gasped for air, my chest heaving. I have to go back… I have to get away from this scent… But my feet wouldn’t move.
“Ha… ha…”
My vision turned white, as if a thick fog had set in. I kept gasping for air, enduring the difficult time. As if the pheromones I had felt before were just a joke, a dangerous and intense scent swirled towards me.
“…”
His scent overflowed and stirred my body. As if possessed, my body moved on its own. Like a lie, I moved towards the scent, following it. It wasn’t my will. My instincts were moving, guided by the scent. The increasingly strong scent called me, and my insignificant body, surrendering to it, reached the study before I knew it.
Click. I fearlessly grabbed the doorknob and turned it. A scent like hell rushed at me through the opened crack.
“Ah…”
In the darkness, a large figure greeted me. In the spacious room, lit only by moonlight, he was curled up like a wounded beast. His appearance, different from usual, was deeply imprinted in my vision.
Holding my breath, I approached him. The closer I got, the more I felt his pain. His suffering and anguish were transmitted to me through his pheromones.
Approaching him, I reached out my hand without realizing it. Like seeing a wounded animal, I wanted to reach out and caress him. I wanted to stroke him, hug him. I don’t know what possessed me. Whether it was his scent or the sight of him in pain.
My hand touched his cheek. My hand rested on his hot face.
“…!”
In an instant, my hand was grabbed. He, who had been sitting on the sofa with his head down, sharply caught my hand. He glared at me with sharp eyes, as if he would kill me. A rough force gripped my wrist.
“…M-Managing Director.”
My blurry vision cleared at once.
“L-Let go of this. It hurts, it hurts.”
I struggled to pull my hand out of his grip. However, the more I struggled, the tighter his grip became. Just having my hand held by someone else brought me unbearable pain.
“Managing Director, I’m sorry. So please, that hand, hand… Sob.”
His scent, even stronger at the closer distance, filled my lungs. I gasped for breath as if I was about to cry. His stillness instilled an even greater fear in me.
“…”
Like a large beast stretching in the darkness, he raised his upper body. Deep, quiet eyes were hidden behind his eyelids. A languid gaze turned towards me. A low voice spread across the room like fog.
“What are you doing here, Mr. Lim Jaegyeong?”
His stiff tone felt much colder than his usual voice.
“I just, came to the study to get a book… I felt the scent… I mean, I felt the Managing Director’s pheromones, so… I didn’t mean anything else. Really.”
Only after spitting out my answer in a hurry did I realize how ridiculous my words were. I didn’t even know what I was talking about. My head was a mess.
“Managing Director…”
I was struggling with my trapped hand. Now, tears were welling up in my eyes. The hand he was holding hurt, and I hated myself for doing such a crazy thing. I was fully aware of how futile my actions were, so I wanted him to let me go.
His contemptuous gaze was terrifying. I just wanted to get away from him.
“Managing Director… Sob!”
He pulled my captured hand closer. My insignificant body was helplessly sucked into his arms. I landed on his lap in an instant. Completely captured by his broad chest.
I looked up at him. My heart was pounding like it would explode as I met his gaze up close.
“…!”
It was in a moment. He suddenly covered my slightly parted lips.
Lips as aggressive and rough as his scent mercilessly swallowed mine.
“Gasp!”
He opened my lips, and a hot tongue penetrated inside. The slippery, soft flesh that was invading me ransacked my mouth and entangled my tongue.
My tongue was helplessly caught in the movement of his thick, long tongue. Completely pressed together, I was being dominated by him. He wrapped around my tongue as if dancing, caressing and sucking it in. My tongue was completely pressed down by his, being rubbed roughly. He would gently stroke it, then press and suck, and rub it again. I was completely losing my mind to his insistent movements.
His thick arms wrapped around my waist. He let go of my captured wrist and grabbed my head instead. He trapped me so I couldn’t move and pushed our lips together even harder.
I could feel his hot body temperature as our breaths mingled. The scent intensified, melting my whole body. My eyes fluttered, and his long eyelashes tickled my skin. His tongue touched the entrance of my throat, as if wanting something deeper.
“Mmm, mm…”
A moan escaped between our connected lips. Having allowed an Alpha to kiss me for the first time in my life, I was so out of my mind that I couldn’t even think about what was happening. He roughly played with my tongue and then soothed it gently. It was hot and sweet like melted chocolate.
In my dim consciousness, I swallowed his saliva. As his essence flowed down my throat through my tongue, my body trembled slightly. His saliva mixed with mine. He also sucked on my saliva and moved his tongue around. The busy movements of our two intertwined tongues created a lewd sound that echoed in the room.
“Ugh!”
He lifted me up while holding me. My body was instantly thrown onto the table. His large body covered me as if to swallow me whole. Our momentarily separated lips met again.
He sucked on my lips with all his might. He bit my lower lip with his teeth, swallowed deeply, and then sucked on my upper lip again. He licked the saliva that flowed from the corner of my mouth with the tip of his tongue. He placed his hand on my face as if caressing something precious and gently stroked my cheek.
He licked my parted lips and penetrated my mouth again. While our tongues rubbed against each other, he buried his long fingers in my hair. Like his tongue ravaging my mouth, his fingers rummaged through my hair. His thick lips felt soft against mine. His sweet saliva, along with his suffocating scent, drenched me.
As if his scent was swallowing me whole, he swallowed everything within me. Through our connected lips, I felt like I had given everything to him. Even amidst the chaos, his rough breathing was clear. My body was sprawled on the table, accepting him.
“Ha… ha… ha…”
Finally, our lips parted. His hot breath poured down, covering my face. His tongue, which had been moving gently, now transformed into that of a beast, licking all over my face. Movements like marking prey drenched my body.
From the moment our lips touched, from the moment his tongue invaded me, my body was getting wet. I was completely stretched out on the table, and he was licking me as if he would devour me to the bone. With one hand on the table and his body leaning deeply, he moved his tongue along my neck. My neck and collarbone, exposed above my pajamas, became wet with his saliva.
I gasped and thrashed my body, my breath hot and ragged. His movements became more sensual, his touch stickier. When his hand brushed against my pajamas, blood rushed to my head through my veins. The skin being toyed with by his fingertips grew so hot it felt like it would burn, tingling as if electrocuted.
My closed eyes snapped open.
“W-Wait…!”
My previously white vision cleared, and my faint rationality returned. I struggled to pull my body away from his grasp and pushed against him.
“D-Don’t! Managing Director!”
No matter how much I struggled, his large body wouldn’t budge. He pressed his lips against mine again. The sound of flesh being sucked filled the room. He pressed down on my violently shaking shoulder with one hand.
Suppressed by him and unable to do anything, I raised both hands and hit his shoulders. My body wouldn’t move, as if a huge rock was pressing down on me. Tears welled up in the corners of my eyes. My mouth, occupied by him, felt numb, and my tongue felt like it would be ripped out.
“Haaah…!”
Just when my captured body seemed to loosen a bit, Managing Director Jang Taejin lifted his face. While I was catching my breath, he buried his lips in my neck without hesitation. My skin was mercilessly sucked into his mouth. Feeling a sharp pain, I sobbed in a dying voice. His lips were too rough, and I had no strength left in my body.
“Please… Please… Stop. Managing Director…”
Only after I almost begged him did his lips stop. In the room engulfed in darkness, he slowly raised his head. My body, completely ravaged under his beastly assault, was a mess. Tears welled up in my eyes from sadness, and I covered them with my arm.
“Ha.”
A heavy breath stopped, followed by a gasp. Managing Director Jang Taejin removed his arm that was pressing down on my body. Only after he completely lifted himself could I find freedom. My sobbing shoulders shook on the table.
“What are you doing, Mr. Lim Jaegyeong?”
An icy voice pierced my eardrums sharply.
“I asked you what you’re doing.”
I wiped away the tears in my eyes and lowered my arm. I barely managed to steady my trembling body and got off the table. He was looking down at me with a murderous gaze, as if he would kill me.
“Managing Director…”
A scent as murderous as his gaze rushed towards me, freezing my body.
“I… I didn’t intend to do this with you, Managing Director. I’m sorry.”
Even though I was the one who was violated, I apologized to him, filled with fear. This was the first time something like this had happened, so I had no idea how to react. I just thought I would apologize and leave the room, and that would be the end of it. I naively believed that he would understand if I behaved that way.
“Mr. Lim Jaegyeong.”
However, Managing Director Jang Taejin’s following words made me realize that it was just a delusion.
“Are you trying to play games with me?”
His voice sounded as if he was suppressing his anger. He was truly angry. I could feel it in his voice and in his scent.
“You are the one who dared to set foot in this house, Mr. Lim Jaegyeong.”
“But… that was only…”
“Even if you’re young, you wouldn’t be completely ignorant.”
“…”
“When an Omega sneaks into a dominant Alpha’s house, I assumed they were prepared for the consequences.”
I looked up at the Alpha who stood before me without a hint of wavering. In the room bathed in the deep blue light of dawn, his scent poured out indiscriminately, as if to swallow me whole.
“I apologize. I didn’t mean for it to be like that. That is, I never thought I would have that kind of relationship with you, Managing Director…”
“Hey, Mr. Lim Jaegyeong.”
He forcefully turned my face, which kept trying to avoid his gaze.
“You came here because you wanted something.”
“…”
“If you want to give that up, get out of this room right now.”
His low, penetrating voice squeezed my heart.
I never imagined that he would demand this kind of relationship from me. Even though I thought it might seem strange for an Omega to live in an Alpha’s house, I never thought that he would want this kind of relationship with me.
At that moment, I realized how foolish I had been. How stupid I was to think so simply that I just had to do what he wanted.
I became desperate. No matter how low I had fallen, I couldn’t offer him my body. I didn’t want to be reduced to a prostitute because of this.
“Mr. Lim Jaegyeong. Why do you think your father sent you here?”
His voice pierced through my complicated thoughts. His terrifyingly calm, low voice scratched at my chest.
“Why do you think your father sent a young, pretty Omega to me?”
A young, pretty Omega. Young… pretty…
His words created ripples in my still heart. I blankly repeated the words he had uttered. No matter how much I pondered, no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t understand what he meant.
“What does that even…”
“Haven’t you thought about it? The reason why your father sent you to me?”
“It was to save the company…”
A sneer flickered across his face.
“What can Mr. Lim Jaegyeong do?”
“…”
“What can a young Omega who’s not even twenty do?”
My mind became tangled in a complicated mess. A confusion greater than when I was under Managing Director Jang Taejin, receiving his kiss, shook me.
“Are you that naive? Naive enough to think that your father sent you to my house for work?”
A bitter smile appeared on Managing Director Jang Taejin’s lips. He sneered at me, one corner of his mouth lifted.
In that smile, I felt endless despair. I was completely exposed, laid bare before him. I was a dish served on a well-set table, and he was the diner with a fork and knife in his hands. I was defenseless, my shame completely revealed. He cruelly mocked me in that state. As if he would tear out my heart at any moment, flashing his infinitely sharp teeth.
Slap.
I slapped his hand away from me. He didn’t panic or get angry. He simply stared at me with a sneer.
I don’t know what happened after that. I just ran out of the house, running down the steep hill in my pajamas without even putting on a coat. I caught a passing taxi, and when I came to my senses, I was in front of my house.
Hot tears streamed down my cheeks. Looking at the house enveloped in the stillness of dawn, with not a single light on, I blankly shed tears.
The dawn that had swallowed the night was slowly brightening. Even though my heart was still sunk at the bottom of a deep pond, submerged in sorrow.
⋆.˚🦋₊ ⊹
Slap.
The sharp sound of skin hitting skin pierced the air. I didn’t even try to compose my turned face, simply placing my hand on my cheek where I’d been hit. Perhaps because of the shock, I strangely felt no pain. Only a ringing in my ears.
“Useless brat!”
My father slapped me as soon as I ran out of Managing Director Jang Taejin’s house in the early morning. He seemed to have no regard for my appearance, in pajamas with missing buttons, and wearing only slippers because I hadn’t even properly put on my shoes.
I clutched my ruined pajamas. Even after entering the house, my chilled skin showed no sign of warming up. I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror behind my father. The red marks on my neck and collarbone were distinct. There’s no way my father wouldn’t know what this meant… Yet, my father was angry at me.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?! Are you trying to ruin our family?!”
As if not satisfied with slapping me once, my father continued to swing his arm. My stepmother, awakened by the sharp sounds accompanying his curses, emerged from her room, adjusting her nightgown.
“How did you even get in there?! Why did you run away?! What were you thinking?!”
She glared at me with an annoyed look and stood beside my father.
“What’s going on at this hour?”
She grumbled as if she was annoyed at being woken up because of me.
“Honey. Why is he here? He should be at Managing Director Jang Taejin’s house, so why…”
My stepmother, pretending to be clueless and asking casually even though she roughly guessed what had happened, made my father pound his chest in frustration. With awkward and exaggerated gestures, like an unknown actor performing in a small theater, he made my stepmother exclaim in surprise.
“Oh my! Don’t tell me, you…! You ran away from that house? At this hour? From Managing Director Jang Taejin’s house?”
I bit my lip, turning my head away. My father’s hand flew at me again, and I simply endured his blows.
“Honey. Calm down. Even if it’s the middle of the night, he must have had his reasons for coming out. Judging by his appearance, I think I can roughly guess…”
“I don’t think this is going to work. To make this kid come to his senses!”
Perhaps because he couldn’t hit me anymore with his frail and withered body, my father stumbled towards somewhere. In the still-dark living room, he found something and grasped it in his hand. A long, silver rod glinted in the darkness of dawn. He stood before me, holding the chillingly long and thin rod.
“I trusted you as my son and sent you there!”
The thin silver rod, a golf club, swung through the air and struck my thigh in an instant. My thigh buckled from the impact, and I staggered helplessly. Against my will, my body collapsed onto the floor. Forced to my knees by the brutal violence, I swallowed the pain.
“What’s the reason? There’s a limit to screwing things up! What’s the reason you ran away from that house?!”
My father’s roar echoed through the house.
“Aren’t you going to answer?”
I had already shed enough tears before entering this house. Perhaps because of that, my eyes were dry. It felt like all my emotions had disappeared. Or maybe my emotions had evaporated due to my father’s predictable behavior.
“I couldn’t help it.”
“What…?”
“Managing Director Jang Taejin tried to rape me, so I couldn’t help it.”
My father made an unreadable expression. He seemed a bit bewildered, perhaps also embarrassed.
“What are you talking about? Rape?”
“Father…”
“How is that rape? It’s a natural thing.”
I stared blankly at my father. Words more shocking and unacceptable than those from Managing Director Jang Taejin poured out of my father’s mouth.
“Isn’t that why you went into that house? Knowing that Managing Director Jang Taejin would do that. You agreed to it, so why are you talking about rape now?”
I slowly blinked. I wondered if this was a dream.
But unfortunately, the person in front of me was indeed my father, and this humiliating talk I was hearing was indeed coming from his mouth.
“I… I never agreed.”
“You never agreed?”
“I never agreed to Managing Director Jang Taejin… to him touching my body.”
“Then, what do you think made Managing Director Jang Taejin take you into his house? Did you really think he was going to make you do housework? Did you think he accepted our collaboration proposal just to make you do housework?”
I closed my mouth. I had no words left to answer my father.
“You idiot!”
Clang. The golf club slipped from my father’s hand and rolled across the floor with a loud noise.
“Even if you’re an idiot, how can you be so clueless?!”
Consumed by rage, my father yelled, having even thrown the golf club. My stepmother, who had been looking at me with a sneer, began to deliberately provoke him.
“I couldn’t believe it, but how can someone his age be so clueless? And what does he think his body is? Someone like Managing Director Jang Taejin extends his hand, and you should gratefully accept it. And why run all the way back here? He really can’t do anything right.”
This situation, defying common sense, no longer surprised me. My father, who was angry because his son ran away from being raped, and my stepmother, who asked if I shouldn’t be grateful to the person who tried to rape me. The fact that these people were my family. Everything.
“So, what are you going to do now? Now that you’ve run away like that, Managing Director Jang Taejin won’t take you back.”
Should I have accepted it? I just didn’t know anything. Should I have gratefully accepted him touching my body and kissing me without my consent? As the two people in front of me said, was it my fault for running away from that house?
“Tell me, what are you going to do now?”
No. Even if I could turn back time, I would have pushed Managing Director Jang Taejin’s hand away just the same.
“I will not go back to that house.”
“Wha… What?”
“I will never go back to that house.”
“Y-y-you, you brat!”
“I don’t want to be sold like that. I don’t want to sell my body for money.”
“You, you brat!”
My father grabbed me by the collar. My body was shaken violently as he grabbed and shook my already ruined pajamas.
“How dare you say such things! Do you think you’re so great? You only care about your own pride, without knowing what’s happening to our family?”
This wasn’t about pride. If I could save our family by selling my pride, I would gladly throw it away.
But selling my body… that was different. I wasn’t a dirty prostitute, nor an Alpha’s plaything. Even if I could save the company, our family, by doing such a thing, it was something I couldn’t accept. I wanted to uphold the last shred of dignity as a human being. Even if I was driven to the edge of a cliff, I couldn’t abandon even this.
“Can’t you answer?”
“I don’t want to.”
“…”
“I don’t want to. I won’t do it. No, I can’t. I will never sell my body for money.”
Slap. My father slapped me again. And then he beat me mercilessly. He slapped my face, and as if that wasn’t enough, he threw me to the floor and kicked me. His rage was transmitted directly through the tips of his shoes. I curled up, clutching my stomach. Cough, cough. A cough burst out, and saliva dribbled from my mouth.
During the endless beating, I lay prostrate on the floor, as still as a mouse. My father didn’t stop, continuing to hit me. My already weakened body broke down in an instant. I lost consciousness under the relentless onslaught of violence.
⋆.˚🦋₊ ⊹
After running away from Managing Director Jang Taejin’s house, I was bedridden for several days. Bruises and wounds from my father’s beating were all over my body, and my face was grotesquely swollen. No one took care of me. The house was in complete chaos. JN had completely canceled the collaboration.
The day after I ran away from his house, Managing Director Jang Taejin sent my belongings to our house and immediately terminated the collaboration contract. At first, my father tried to drag me to Managing Director Jang Taejin to apologize, but he gave up after seeing my battered face. My father had no choice but to go to JN headquarters alone. Of course, Managing Director Jang Taejin refused to see him. My father returned home that day and took his frustration out on me again.
More articles poured out than when the collaboration was first signed. As a result, financial institutions demanded repayment of debts as if they had been waiting for it. Our house and my father’s company were driven into a corner in an instant. We had neither the means nor the ability to repay them. The sliver of hope we had clung to was shattered because of me, and there were no alternatives.
People who had personally lent money to my father came to our house every day. Hounded by creditors, my family abandoned the house. I learned of their escape from the housekeeper. There were no calls, texts, not even a note left behind. I was clearly registered in the family register with them, yet I had to hear about their departure from a complete stranger.
“I’m sorry, Jaegyeong. I can’t stay here any longer, I’m too scared. I don’t think I’ll even get paid for the work I’ve done.”
The housekeeper said to me as I came downstairs to eat. She was waiting for me in the living room with a large suitcase.
“It’s okay. I understand.”
At least she said goodbye to me. She had been working for our family since before my mother passed away, so she had been with me for more than half of my life.
“Oh dear. What about Jaegyeong’s face? Such a pretty face, how could it be…”
“It’s alright. Hurry and go. Before the creditors come back.”
“I’m sorry. I feel bad leaving you alone, Jaegyeong.”
“I’m really okay. So don’t worry and go.”
Her words were sincere. Her face was filled with pity. I saw her off to the front gate. The suitcase of the woman who had worked in our house for so long was lighter than I expected.
“I’ll… I’ll try to do something about your back pay.”
“No, what are you talking about? You don’t have any money, Jaegyeong.”
“…”
“It’s okay. I’ve worked in this house for a long time, so I can understand.”
Click. I opened the front door for her and faced her. She looked at me with pity until the very end, her eyes finally welling up with tears.
“If only your mother were still alive…”
I looked at her with a blank expression as she wiped her eyes. I had hoped that she wouldn’t mention that, at least. It was already hard enough to bear, and I didn’t want to hear about my mother on top of everything else.
“You should go now.”
I said my final goodbye coldly. The housekeeper nodded and finally walked out the gate. After watching her walk down the alley, I closed the gate. Thump, thump. I dragged my listless body towards the empty house.
Click.
After closing the front door, I stood there blankly. Thanks to the housekeeper, who had been dutiful until yesterday, the house was spotless even after the creditors had ransacked it. But I couldn’t guarantee it would stay this way. I doubted I could manage this house alone while dealing with the creditors who came every day. No, it would definitely be difficult.
“Sigh…”
I let out a deep sigh and headed to the kitchen. I ate the food and side dishes that the housekeeper had carefully prepared until the day she left, filling my empty stomach. This was the last of it. Now, there was no one left in this house to take care of me. I had to take care of myself.
I swallowed the rice, drier than sand, and was about to wash and put away the empty dishes. Ding-dong. The doorbell on the wall pad in the living room rang loudly. Maybe the creditors were already back. My hands trembled. Even though they were ordinary people you could see anywhere, they were terrifying when they swarmed in, throwing and breaking things in the house.
Clutching my pounding heart, I approached the wall pad. On the screen, several men in black suits were visible. I had never seen them before. Their atmosphere was very different from the creditors.
“Who is it?”
I asked, pressing the talk button.
— Is this Mr. Lim Junsu’s residence?
“Who are you?”
— We’re from the Central District Court. A court order has been issued to seize the house and belongings of Mr. Lim Junsu due to his debt. Please cooperate.
Fear gripped me. I didn’t understand what this meant, nor did I grasp the situation. Seizing the house and belongings… Did that mean our house was being foreclosed? Because of the debts my father couldn’t repay?
— Please open the door. We can enforce entry if you refuse. It would be in your best interest to cooperate.
At the man’s stiff, businesslike voice, I pressed the door open button with trembling hands. As soon as the door opened, they rushed inside. The men all wore identification cards on their chests. One of them, who looked the oldest, approached me and held out a piece of paper.
“Please confirm this.”
The thin, light paper contained a brief summary of the court’s seizure order. As I stared at it blankly, the man turned away from me and gave instructions to the rest of his group.
“Let’s begin.”
They pulled out a bundle of red stickers from their pockets. And they began to stick them all over our house. A scene I had only seen in dramas was unfolding before my very eyes. They quickly and skillfully took control of the house.
Red stickers were attached to the large television in the living room, the sofa, the TV stand, and even the rug underneath. They also attached stickers in the master bedroom, the kitchen, and my and my sibling’s rooms. I watched as the house was painted red. Like scattered rose petals, red papers were everywhere.
They completely ransacked our house and then gathered in the living room, as if they had finished their work. After the man who had given the instructions looked around the house one last time, they left without a second thought.
“…”
After they were gone, I looked at the desolate house. The seizure stickers, plastered all over the already empty and chilly house, made it look even more eerie. I never imagined this would happen to me. I never dreamed that because of me, the house and everything in it would be auctioned off.
This harsh situation, created by my worthless conviction, washed over me like a giant wave. Struggling in the wave, I tried to find a solution, but there was nothing I could do. Maybe I really was useless, as my father had said. An Omega, barely an adult, just twenty years old. A stupid and foolish Omega who had ruined his family and clung to a worthless conviction.
Finally, I realized my place.
After the house and its contents were seized, I learned a lot. Seizure of movable property. The process of the house and everything in it being auctioned off. Fortunately, I could still use the items with seizure stickers until they were auctioned.
Perhaps I had been given the time until I was kicked out of the house. Just as my family had left to find a way to survive, I was given time to find a way to survive before I was kicked out of here. I only had about 200,000 won. I found that it wasn’t even enough to get into a small goshiwon. For the time being, I could manage meals with the food left in the house, but once the house was auctioned off, there would be no solution. I had to find a place to live immediately.
“Sigh…”
I clutched my head. Where else could I, a newly minted adult, live besides my home? If I had money, it would be a different story, but all I had was 200,000 won.
Even if I found a job right away, there was no guarantee I would get paid immediately. There was no way there would be part-time jobs that paid daily in this day and age. Since I was an Omega, they wouldn’t even accept me at construction sites or anything like that.
A sigh escaped my lips in despair. The fact that there was nothing I could do kept leading me to despair.
Buzz.
I had been sitting on the sofa with my head in my hands for a long time when I suddenly felt my phone vibrating on the table. I lifted my bloodshot eyes and looked at the phone. For a fleeting moment, I wondered if it might be my father, but as if mocking me, my friend’s name appeared on the screen.
I hadn’t contacted this friend since the start of vacation, so it was strange to suddenly receive a call. Maybe they had seen the news about my family online and were calling to check on me.
After a long hesitation, I picked up the phone.
“Hello.”
—Hey, Lim Jaegyeong. Are you okay?
As expected, he had called after hearing the news about my family.
—I saw the news. Your house… Ha. Never mind. No, what happened? Why didn’t you contact me? You should have told me if something like this happened.
I couldn’t say anything. I hadn’t thought we were close enough to contact each other immediately after experiencing something like this, but he was worried about me and had reached out. I wasn’t happy about this kindness. It felt uncomfortable and awkward. I wasn’t used to receiving favors from others. I didn’t know how to respond.
—Lim Jaegyeong. Are you listening?
“Yeah, I’m listening.”
—Are you really okay? Are you sure you’re okay?
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
I forced myself to answer in a calm voice. It was a cold response, considering he was showering me with worry and concern despite this having nothing to do with him. He continued talking, unconcerned by my shameless and unkind attitude. The innocence of someone born into wealth and raised without worries dripped from his words.
—Ha. Reading that article made me so anxious. If I feel this way, how must you be feeling? I was worried you weren’t eating, especially since you’re already so thin. But, are you really okay? Really? Is there anything I can do to help? You know my dad’s capable. I’ll ask him, so tell me if you need anything.
At that moment, what came to mind were the various businesses his father ran. I was this kind of person. The kind who, while listening to a friend’s worried inquiries, thought about his father’s businesses…
“Nam Gichul.”
—Huh, huh?
“I have a favor to ask.”
—Uh, what is it? Tell me, tell me.
I was a terribly selfish and calculating person.
⋆.˚🦋₊ ⊹
Nam Gichul’s father owned several restaurant franchises. Not only restaurants, but also bakery brands and various food businesses. Among them, Epicure wasn’t just another franchise, but an independently operated restaurant. It was a place Nam Gichul’s father had ambitiously prepared to showcase the essence of French dining in Korea.
In this upscale restaurant, located in the most expensive area in Korea, Nam Gichul greeted me warmly. He, whom I was meeting for the first time since the start of vacation, now had snow-white silver hair.
“Hey. Long time no see. Why haven’t you been in touch? I missed you so much I almost died.”
Joking around and calling himself my older brother, he casually put his arm around my shoulder.
“You changed your hair?”
“Yeah. I’m starting university, so I need to dress up a bit. How is it? Does it suit me?”
“It suits you.”
I spoke without much enthusiasm, but it wasn’t entirely a lie. Even if it wasn’t silver, any color would have suited him. He was famous throughout the school as a handsome Alpha.
“So, how’s your house? Your father. Is he alright?”
“Yeah, he’s fine.”
I was also curious about my father’s well-being. He hadn’t contacted me once, even with the family in this state.
“That’s a relief. I was so worried… Oh, right. My dad said he wanted to see you. He said he’s going to forget your face. You know how my dad is, right? He’s adored you since we were kids.”
Yeah, that’s right.
I felt a bitter pang and kept quiet. Nam Gichul glanced at me and sighed softly.
“Anyway, come over to our house sometime. I’m serious.”
“Okay. I will.”
Only after hearing my answer did he smile, seemingly relieved. He led me past the reception to the center of the hall. A man in a black suit greeted me. His neat appearance suited the upscale restaurant perfectly.
“Hello. The owner told me about you. I’m Park Seongeon, the hall manager.”
His gentle yet subtly friendly tone naturally made me feel good. In contrast, a gloomy and dark voice flowed from my lips.
“Hello, I’m Lim Jaegyeong.”
The manager smiled brightly at me. It was a business smile. Nam Gichul, who was staring at me awkwardly greeting him, let out a hearty laugh that echoed through the hall.
“Ah, hyung. He’s like this. He’s shy… Please take good care of him. He’s my best friend, so you have to treat him well, okay?”
“Of course. I will.”
Nam Gichul even added a request to treat me well while just getting me a part-time job. The manager might find the parachuted part-timer annoying, but he replied with a kind smile. I couldn’t tell if it was fake or genuine. Even if I knew, it wouldn’t make much difference to my work.
“Then, come this way. I’ll show you around the restaurant.”
The manager gestured for me to follow and turned around. As I quietly watched his retreating figure, Nam Gichul whispered to me.
“This place pays the best. It’s a high-end restaurant, so the customers will be decent. That hyung is close to me, so he’ll treat you well. If there’s anything you don’t like, let me know.”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
He pulled his face away, which he had brought close to mine. He removed his arm from my shoulder and stepped back.
“But are you really okay with this? Do you need anything else?”