MM 112

The more Yu-young listened to Sun-hyung, the more the words he wanted to throw at him began to fade away. Yu-young couldn’t say anything at all.

Sun-hyubg wasn’t asking Yu-young for a clarification of rights or wrongs. If he had, Yu-young would have had something to say. He could have asked why Sun-hyung, like a rat, stole the black box from Do-won’s car and eavesdropped on someone else’s conversation. He could have questioned why he was speaking to him without informing Do-won, even though it wasn’t just his scheme. Yu-young could have pressed him on all of that.

But the real issue was that Sun-hyung was now mentioning Do-won’s well-being.

“Right now, Do-won is resisting inheriting KS Construction, but ultimately, the only person who will take that position is Do-won. His father obviously believes that’s the case.”

“…Isn’t that his father’s will, not his?”

Yu-young barely managed to respond, but his voice sounded weak even to himself. Sun-hyung laughed out loud at his words.

“Are you joking? Will? Do you live in a flower garden, Yu-young?”

“…What did you say?”

Yu-young glared at Sun-hyung, but Sun-hyung stared back without backing down.

“Do you really think it makes sense for Do-won to give up everything he’s supposed to inherit and be a mere team leader in your company?”

“That’s because the team leader wants to…”

“So how long do you think Do-won will want that? Do you really believe that his defiance during his youth will last forever?”

Yu-young was once again at a loss for words. Taking advantage of his momentary hesitation, Sun-hyung aggressively continued.

“Think about it objectively. Between inheriting KS Construction’s president position and being a team leader at your company, which one do you think fits Do-won better?”

“…”

“Seeing as you can’t answer, I guess you already know the answer. The job he’s doing right now will be temporary, and his father thinks that way too.”

Sun-hyung ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

“Since his mother passed, his father has been especially fond of and reliant on Do-won. The expectations he has for him are huge. But, Yu-young, do you really want to be the reason that the only blood relatives, a father and son, end up falling out over such childish antics you two have been pulling? Really?”

This time, Yu-young had nothing to say. He had heard a brief account of Do-won’s past through him before, but he had never considered their father-son relationship or the possible repercussions.

It made sense. Do-won had been a complete stranger to him until recently. But now that Do-won was no longer a stranger, Yu-young couldn’t just let Sun-hyung’s words slide.

He didn’t want to see Do-won clash with his only blood relative, his father. Especially if it was because of him.

Though it was Do-won who had suggested the contract marriage in the first place, Yu-young didn’t have the heart or the will to argue about the responsibility now. What mattered was the threat Sun-hyung was handing him.

“What will you do?”

In front of Sun-hyung, who was smiling leisurely, Yu-young couldn’t find any words. He could only clench his empty fist, his face full of confusion, as he sat there silently.

Sun-hyung didn’t rush him. As the shadow on Yu-young’s face grew darker, his smile only deepened. For a while, silence lingered over the table, and then Sun-hyung spoke again, slowly.

“I’ll give you a few days to think about it. If you’re going to pull something like this with Do-won, you can’t be a fool. If you really have no feelings for Do-won, then my threat might sound like nothing. You wouldn’t care if he cuts ties with his father.”

“…”

“But whatever feelings you have for Do-won, don’t kid yourself. He can’t truly love an omega like you. He must have had a purpose in meeting you, and once that purpose is gone, he won’t want to stay with you.”

The chair scraped heavily as it was pushed back. The first person to stand up was Sun-hyung, and his face bore a cruel, calm smile.

“Oh, and you didn’t tell Do-won we met today, right? If he finds out, I’ll be sure to tell his parents. So, think carefully about what you’re doing.”

With that, Sun-hyung wrapped up the conversation and leisurely walked toward the exit of the shop. The sound of his neat footsteps echoed in Yu-young’s ears for a while before fading away.

…

[Team leader, I’ve arrived home safely. I’m tired today, so I’ll sleep first.]

Beep, the sound of the door closing and locking, and with that, Yu-young removed his shoes. He sent the message he had written in the elevator to Do-won and immediately entered his room.

Soon, his phone started ringing, but Yu-young didn’t pick up. He felt like if he heard Do-won’s voice now, all the emotions he had been holding back would spill over.

Usually, when Do-won worked late, Yu-young would relax in the living room, waiting to greet him before going to sleep. But today, he had gone straight to his room for this reason.

The phone that had been ringing continuously finally stopped after a while. Soon, a message was sent.

[You didn’t pick up. Are you washing up? You called earlier, is something wrong?]

Yu-young stood there for a moment, staring down at his phone, before moving his fingers to reply. He explained that he had set the phone to silent, so he hadn’t received it, and that he was too tired and would wash up and go to sleep. He assured Do-won there was nothing to worry about.

[Alright. I wanted to hear your voice. Then, have a good sleep.]

In this complicated situation, just one message from Do-won made Yu-young’s heart flutter. Yet, tonight felt overwhelmingly frustrating. With a sigh, Yu-young threw his phone down carelessly and entered the bathroom, turning on the hot water.

He stood there dazed, letting the hot water pour over him, and thought. He really shouldn’t have started something like unrequited love.

It felt like a distant memory when his mind had been rational. The feeling of liking someone clouded his vision and dulled his judgment.

If it had been the old him, he would have rushed to Do-won as soon as he heard such a threat, told him everything, and then calmly brainstormed with him. Or maybe he would have considered on his own how to resolve the issue. The relationship between Do-won and his father wasn’t really something for him to concern himself with. It was just a hiccup during the contract period, so he could either come up with another plan or break the contract.

Of course, thinking about the disappointment his parents would feel if this turned into a problem, it wasn’t exactly a small loss. Given the scale of what had been started, it was something he should have been prepared for from the start. But right now, what bothered Yu-young the most wasn’t that.

What would Do-won say if he found out about this? Yu-young didn’t want to think about it, but in the worst-case scenario, Do-won might say the contract was now invalid and suggest they go their separate ways.

That was the one thing Yu-young couldn’t bear. Just imagining it made tears well up. If that happened, there was only one other option that came to mind.

What if he confessed his feelings to Do-won and suggested that they become real lovers instead of continuing the fake marriage?

‘…What would Do-won say?’

A heavy sigh escaped him. Of course, that option was the first to come to mind, but the strongest emotion that followed was fear.

‘Wouldn’t it be better to do something like exchanging rings with someone you truly love?’

That was the person who had always drawn a clear line with him. Even if it meant facing an angry father and a confrontation, Do-won would still say that he couldn’t have a genuine relationship with Yu-young. That would be the end of their relationship.

Do-won could probably do that. No, he was likely to do so. Despite being kind and gentle enough to shake Yu-young’s heart and leave him confused, it was possible that his actions were merely out of consideration for their contract-based marriage.

Once the contract ended, Do-won wouldn’t have any reason to treat Yu-young that way anymore. Would they then return to being just a team leader and a team member, as if nothing had happened?

Instead of gently touching Yu-young’s face every morning, they would exchange words with dry tones like before. Instead of having warm home-cooked meals together every evening, they would probably just eat lunch in the company cafeteria together.

“…Haha.”

A weak laugh escaped Yu-young. Even he thought he was being foolish, but now it was hard for him to imagine Do-won giving him orders as casually as he used to.

No, maybe even that would be impossible. They had lived together under the pretense of being a couple. Even if Do-won could easily go back to how things were, Yu-young didn’t think he could. He couldn’t imagine working with him in the same team, seeing his face every day.

It would be impossible to return to being just an ordinary boss and subordinate. Do-won had become too special to him. And he also wanted to remain special to Do-won.

If the bonds they had built together, whether through work or life, started to disappear one by one—if their life together, from their work accomplishments to their cozy home life, was reduced to just a fleeting moment, a silly episode they started because they didn’t want to get married, and they had to walk different paths…

A sound of despair escaped him. Surprised, Yu-young took a deep breath and realized his eyes were already welling up with tears. The saltiness of his tears mixed with the hot water, making his eyes sting. As he breathed in with a heavy chest, he wiped his tear-streaked eyelids with the back of his hand.

It was foolish. He was being so helpless and lost in his thoughts.

Even though he knew it was just a silly, imagined scenario that hadn’t happened yet, the sorrow wouldn’t stop. It was so absurd, but now, the thought of a life without Do-won was too painful to even consider.