At the End of That Memory - Chapter 2

“Did you see their faces?”

Tsk, I heard him snorting. Doing things without knowing what was happening and making people angry without being aware of your surroundings. Chief Kim answered curtly even after hearing his brainwashing words.

“Yes, I did.”

What should I do? It was easy to change the subject with how easily Minjae’s mood swung, however Chief Kim wasn’t someone to forget what he was ordered. Needlessly meticulous handling of work always got in the way at times like this.

“…It’s a pity.”

I opened my mouth as I fastened the button  on my vest one by one. Minjae, who was expressing his anger while I was in the middle of it, glared at me fiercely. Minjae’s head grew thorns, and the twisted mouth was coldly warped.

“Why? What is a pity?”

According to my experience, Minjae tends to ignite more whenever I express my dissenting opinion. He would probably fire them no matter whether I side with the employees or not.

I was moderately indifferent so that I wouldn’t irk Minjae any further. Yes, it was important to feel sorry for the person of whom I only knew the face of.

“No, the employee was quite polite earlier so it was comfortable.”

“… ”

It was Chief Kim who responded unexpectedly. Slightly narrowing his brows, he turned his head and chuckled. Fortunately, Minjae didn’t notice, but his eyebrows twitched with a scrunched face.

“He looks very chatty, but…?”

“You know how it is. I don’t necessarily rub my elbows with everyone.”

Shrugging my shoulders, I fastened the last button. As I brushed off the hem of my vest, Minjae widened his eyes slightly. His mouth, which had been gaping, flinched.

“It’s annoying to talk to people…”

It was a half-factual excuse. I was able to adapt well and left, so new people and new surroundings were annoying and cumbersome. As if Minjae was unaware of this fact, he crossed his leg in the opposite direction and clicked his tongue.

“A bastard with no social skills…Are you still the director of the headquarters?”

I didn’t have to answer anything. With a light smile, Minjae seemed to be completely satisfied. Knock-knock he moved his legs and raised his head as if he had made up his mind.

“Chief Kim, leave them alone.”

Minjae bestowed great kindness. At least that was he thought.

“Jeong Sejin, you are so incompetent that even I am embarrassed.”

In the mirror, Chief Kim turned his head. ‘Yes, I understand,’ he replied with his mouth, while his eyes were fixed at me. Suddenly. It was so odd.

“Anyway, what brings you here?”

Now was the time to change the subject. Director Kim approached me with a jacket of the same color as the vest I was wearing. As he pushed my arm inside the sleeves, Minjae crumpled his face.

“I heard you were getting married?”

I just raised my eyes and looked at Minjae. Minjae, who was arrogantly leaning on the sofa, wrinkled the back of his nose.

“Really?”

Didn’t he know?

“You came all the way here to ask that…”

“Fuck, I’m asking whether it’s for real.”

Minjae shouted and untied his crossed legs. He spread his thighs wide and placed his arms over his knees. Tap,Tap, the shoes hitting the floor seemed a bit nervous.

“Yeah, I am.”

I grabbed the collar of my jacket and tied the front neatly. Director Kim straightened the back of my crumpled collar. It was said that it was a new fabric, and the feeling of it wrapped around his body was not too bad.

“That’s why I’m doing this even after paying my annual leave.”

Minjae, still a student, had no right to get involved in the business of the Haeshin Group. Originally, he was attending a college abroad, and he was under the guise of a leave of absence and spending his vacation in Korea. He might not have known about my marriage, but it was strange that he came all the way here just to confirm it.

“It’s not a big deal. It’s all business.”

“…Business?”

Min-jae asked while he stamped his feet. The sound of his teeth grinding was eerie.

“You’re insane.”

Minjae jumped up and approached me with aggression. His eyes were about the same level as mine, so it wasn’t too threatening. Minjae grabbed my shoulder and stretched out his words as if sarcastic.

“Business? Did you say business now?”

“Hey, get a grip. You’re being sold off. Now you are saying it’s all business?”

As the distance got closer, the scent became thicker. Judging from the fact that he forgot the perfume he always wore, it seems that he came running in a hurry.

“What is he, an Alpha? Ah, are you giving birth to someone special? Or those old hags want some taste of an Omega like you?”

I wasn’t sure about the former, but it was definitely not the latter. Kwon Yido was thirty-two years old, only three years older than me. Whether he was curious about an Omega like me, I wasn’t aware by then.

“Just give up, fuck. Stop embarrassing the family and tell that father of yours that you can’t do it.”

Minjae went back to the sofa as if his berating was over. He muttered something that could be barely heard.

“Someone who can’t even act as an Omega is getting married…”

I could feel Chief Kim’s gaze. Contrary to his concerns, this was not decided in a day or two.

“Did you come here to talk about this?”

People say that they are anxious to be a part of a special trait. I had never been grateful for my traits. As my father said, ‘an incompetent Omega’, or as Minjae said, I couldn’t function properly as an Omega. To me, being an Omega was just another factor that his family would demean me to.

“Do you think I came here to see you?”

A blunt voice stuck in my ears. It’s always been like that, but today it felt particularly harsh.

“Sorry, but the date has already been set.”

No wedding date has been set, but we just talked about it. If we talked about the situation in detail, nothing would change much anyway.

“Besides, I’m getting engaged right away next Saturday.”

“Who doesn’t know that? You can cancel that!”

If I told my father to cancel the prospect, I would hear the sound of a file at the family register. Canceling an appointment with a Seonho group was impossible without creating havoc.

“The other person must be the president of a small and medium-sized business, so what’s the point of an engagement ceremony? Chief Kim! Please cancel his Saturday schedule right now.”

Minjae gave an order to Chief Kim in an annoyed tone. He must have thought he would listen to him, but unfortunately, his hopes were crumbled at once.

“That’s impossible, Sir.”

“…I beg your pardon?”

Minjae’s eyes widened. In disbelief, his eyes widened violently. Chief Kim shook his head with a rather calm face.

“Director Jung’s prospective fiance is from the Seonho group.”

It was a word that reminded him of reality, just like it did to me. There was no need to lash out since backbiting about such companies was basically taboo.

“A unilateral cancellation on our part is difficult.”

Minjae would know. He understood how much nonsense he spouted. So that was why he must have kept his mouth shut with such a contemplative face.

“It’s a matter of trust between companies.”

I looked in the mirror and straightened his clothes. It was an ivory suit that was closer to white than pearl. I would have to make the handkerchief a colored one. With that thought in mind, I looked at Minjae with a peripheral glance.

“You can’t ruin it because of me.”

Min-jae lowered his head with a disappointed face. The annoyance from earlier was gone, and he was only biting his lips. How long would he be like that? With an uncharacteristically serious face, he slowly raised his eyelids.

“So, you’re going to live with your legs spread to an Alpha bastard you don’t even know?”

“Sir!”

Chief Kim shouted with a surprised face. Even in my opinion, I thought this remark crossed the line a bit. The surge of reality made me unknowingly annoyed.

“Well, I don’t know. Will I spread my legs or open my mouth?”

The air was freezing cold. Min-jae, as well as Chief Kim, who was trying to stop him, turned his head. Obviously, I didn’t mean to say that. Contrary to my will, my lips moved on their own.

“Well, in the end, I’ll open both of them, but…”

Minjae’s words were generally not wrong. It is right that I was being sold, and what they would probably ask for was a child who would be born with a special trait. It was clear that if I married Kwon Yido, I would have to support him like a stallion every night.

“All’s well that ends well. When else would I have the chance to play my role as an Omega?”

Minjae’s face turned red. My voice trembled when I said that. Seeing the veins standing on his neck, I felt like if I said one more word, he would explode.

“…I’m kidding.”

So I picked up after myself before it was too late. I didn’t know what kind of reaction you expected from me, but for me this was the best. Chief Kim, and Minjae. Why were they so provoked?

“Why are you so serious? I’m just saying.”

“I’ve come this far…Would you like to wear a suit too? I would like to tailor a suit for my brother before I get married..”

I pretended to be friendly for no reason. When I asked him to choose something, Minjae clenched his fists with a reddened face. I thought he would spit out curse words at any moment, but surprisingly, he responded calmly.

“Fuck…Hyung, you…”

Of course, there was a lot of harsh backbiting.

“What would you choose for me with those beggar eyes of yours? Your clothes don’t even suit you.”

“Really?”

I turned my head and looked at my reflection in the mirror. Even though it was a fitting suit, the size was just right. The shoulder line was just off and the vertical seams were neat. Everything seemed pretty organized. Was white color that burdensome?

“Uh, Fuck, let’s see. A dark, dull color like this is perfect for you.”

At the same time, what Minjae pointed out was an ordinary suit that came out as ready-to-wear. It was something the staff didn’t even pay attention to, and the fabric was different from what I was wearing. Even if someone stole one of them, you wouldn’t notice it unless someone counted it.

“That’s your level.”

The robe I was wearing felt foreign. The clothes hanging in a row looked at me waiting to be worn someday. No, but I was glad I was wrapped in something expensive now.

“Then why don’t you wear one of those?”

Chief Kim frowned. For someone with a high level of discernment, such a mass-produced product would not be noticed. Even if he had an expression that asked why, he couldn’t explicitly ask that question.

“Chief Kim. Please ask them to fix the clothes I chose today. They should be able to use the measurements you took before.”

“…Are you really going to wear that outfit too?”

“Of course. Do you think I’m kidding?”

I said it in a playful way, but he immediately hardened his expression. ‘Do you think I’m kidding?’ It was clear that I tried to swallow my feelings while trying to say that. Of course, he knew that even with my face like that, he would have to follow my orders.

“The schedule after this…”

“I am not sure..”

I took off the jacket I was wearing and handed it to Chief Kim. I thought thatI should placate Minjae’s mood, but on the other hand, I also wondered if I had to do that. The sense of reality that surged again pushed out the enthusiasm that I had.

“Should I go home and sleep?”

Until the engagement day, I should at least pretend to manage your physical condition. My father even provided sleeping pills, so I had to get as much sleep as possible. Of course, even if I take a handful of sleeping pills, it would be difficult to get a good night’s sleep.

“I’ll call the car.”

Director Kim obediently agreed when I said I would rest even though he was quite taken aback. He looked at me and Minjae alternately with sour eyes. I inadvertently checked the time and hurriedly changed my mind.

“But first, let’s head to work.”

“…Is he possessed by a ghost or something? As if he would die if he didn’t work for a day.”

Minjae muttered in a whispering voice. He didn’t seem to understand that I wanted to work my best before I took my annual leave. Chief Kim also narrowed his brows, as if asking if it was necessary.

“You can rest for today.”

“No need.”

I didn’t hate taking a break, but the thought that crossed my mind blocked the urge. It was one week away. Even after the engagement ceremony, there would be plenty of vacation days.

Maybe.

“I think it would be better to do the handover in advance.”

I didn’t know if I would be able to rest for the rest of my life.

* * *

Jung Sejin, head of management planning at Haeshin Financial Group.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that the title on the plate was bestowed  by my father. From the day I became my father’s child. In the cold winter, from the day I wandered the streets stepping on the snow with my bare feet. From the day he brought me, who had no family, as the eldest son of Haeshin Group.

Twenty years have passed since then, and at the age of twenty-nine, I sat in the position of Head of  the Headquarters of Haeshin Group. I gained a lot compared to the beginning, I lost as much as I gained, and I was destined to lose what was left sooner or later. Well, it wasn’t mine from the beginning, so I didn’t have any regrets.

“We have arrived, Sir.”

Time passed quickly and it was the day before the engagement ceremony. In the meantime, I spent my busy days with no gaps in my schedule, and committed an atrocity that goes against my father’s plan. My father ordered Chief Kim to cancel all of my schedules, and instead filled the day with massages and skin care.

Thanks to that, the car smelled like the aroma that Minjae used to give off. The driver who was driving sniffed and asked if I had changed his perfume. However, even the herbal scent, which was said to calm the mind and body, could not solve the fatigue caused by long insomnia.

“Are you okay? You look very tired…”

The driver opened the door of his car and looked at my complexion anxiously. Not only the driver, but also the staff, and Chief Kim, everyone I met today looked at me with those eyes. It seemed that my complexion wasn’t that good, but there was only one answer I could give.

“I’m having a bit of trouble sleeping.”

Having said that, nine out of ten would withdraw their interest with a convinced look on their faces. Although only Chief Kim sent a sympathetic look, saying, “You are a human being too.” Fortunately, the driver nodded his head instead of asking anything else.

“I will come see you tomorrow.”

I gave him a passing glance and walked away with my back to him. With each step I took, heavy fatigue pressed down on my shoulders. Getting some sleep, though, shouldn’t be a problem at all. However, I couldn’t explain my situation in detail.

‘Sejin-ah.’

“… … .”

Ugh, I sighed and put the card key at the entrance of the building. The unnecessarily high apartment was the first place that I owned after  I became independent when I was 20 years old. The word independence implied how I was close to being kicked out halfway.

‘Sejin-ah.’

“…Stop calling me.”

Sejin-ah. No one calls me that except my father. I didn’t know why he pretended to be friendly when he called me like that. On top of that, if I didn’t answer, the way he called would change.

‘Jung Sejin.’

I closed my tired eyes and opened them again. I focused on the hum of the air-conditioner to erase my thoughts, but only the voice in my head became clearer. Sejin-ah. The voice that had been calling so suddenly changed into a very cold tone.

‘You have to act like a prostitute.’

Ding, the elevator door opened. I went inside and took out the medicine cabinet I had tucked inside my jacket. One, two, three, four pills left inside. It was a little ambiguous, but this was enough to sleep without waking up in the middle of the day.

“Ha…”

A visceral fear rode up from my toes. Insomnia was an ordinary thing, but being afraid to fall asleep was a different story. Even if I took sleeping pills, I couldn’t fall asleep, and it made me think about how I didn’t want to sleep. I could count on one hand the days I had slept well for the past few days.

Ugh, I heard the elevator slowly going upstairs. It took longer than expected to reach the highest floor. I wiped my face with one hand and vomited the cramped feeling up to my neck.

These days, every day I dream of being raped by a man I don’t even know.