Chapter 98: A Choice Between Love and Freedom

Normally, Go Ha-jin would have listened to his reason.

He would have lied if he had to, said whatever was necessary to get through the moment first.

But this time, he did not want to do that.

He had always lived a life where he worried alone and solved crises by himself. But lately, had he not realized that might not always be the right answer? Maybe if he and Chae Woo-seok put their heads together, they might find a better solution, a real way out of this.

And part of him was curious.

How would Woo-seok react to this?

How serious was he about maintaining this marriage?

Did he feel anything similar to what Ha-jin felt?

“Ha… If I can’t make you the successor, they’ll divorce us.”

“f*ck…”

Woo-seok ran a hand roughly through his hair.

It felt like he had been cornered with no way out. He hated being forced into a choice. To him, it felt no different from being told to cut away something that had become precious.

“Was one of the reasons you married me because you didn’t want to inherit the company?”

In a way, Woo-seok’s reaction was answer enough.

With his usual personality, he should have made up his mind immediately. The company or Ha-jin. The fact that he was even hesitating—should Ha-jin take that as hope, or feel bitter that it was something worth hesitating over?

“…Yeah. That was part of it.”

“I figured. A marriage like this would have been perfect. Even if we divorced later, it would still leave a stain.”

Not just that. If Ha-jin’s real identity came to light, the damage would be significant enough. Or if people found out they had conspired in a fraudulent marriage. Any one of those things would be enough to knock Woo-seok out of the succession race.

“That doesn’t mean I want a divorce right now, so don’t jump to conclusions.”

Woo-seok meant that sincerely.

The marriage might have begun as a contract forced by coercion, but he had no complaints about their life together now. If anything, there were more days he was satisfied than dissatisfied.

But Ha-jin heard those words differently.

To him, they meant he was still useful.

That the time Woo-seok had decided on for divorce had not arrived yet.

For some reason, that twisted something inside him.

No matter how he looked at it, Woo-seok’s reasons for maintaining this marriage felt different from his own.

“Don’t feel pressured. Just think about it.”

He realized he had been greedy.

He had become so consumed by his feelings for Woo-seok that he had desperately clung to this marriage.

Ha-jin was the kind of person who desired many things, but he was not foolish enough to keep chasing something he believed was impossible. Once he saw no chance, he was good at finding the next best option.

“I’m fine either way. This marriage was because you needed me in the first place. Well… we were never planning to spend our whole lives together anyway.”

Like this.

Saying words he did not mean.

Hypnotizing himself into believing they were true.

Forcing himself to ignore the ache in his chest.

He should not have said that.

He should have simply told Woo-seok that his father had said something and that the decision was his.

Why had he spoken as if he were pouring out all his feelings?

Ha-jin regretted it with every step he took.

After telling Woo-seok, Choose whatever you want. That’s the kind of relationship we have anyway, Woo-seok had left without another word.

He had gone out and never come back.

Unable to stay in the apartment, Ha-jin had come outside to clear his head.

“Ugh…”

Why was his mouth so loose?

Why could he not hold back for once?

Why had he not softened the words?

But they had already been spoken.

He could not take them back.

And if he was being honest, they had not been entirely false.

He had needed to sort out his feelings for Woo-seok somehow.

“I’ve lost my mind…”

Walking faster, he grabbed handfuls of his own hair.

Looking back, it was insane.

It had been a contract marriage he entered because of threats.

And somehow, he had fallen for the man who had threatened him.

Was this Stockholm syndrome?

How had he developed feelings in a situation like that?

At least one thing was fortunate.

It was not too late.

If he had realized his feelings much later, things might have been different.

But now, he thought he could still let go.

He still got irritated whenever he looked at Woo-seok, didn’t he?

If he simply stopped trying to love him from now on…

If he stopped clinging so desperately to this marriage…

Then it would be fine.

Probably.

Repeating those thoughts like a spell, he walked for a long time before he realized he had wandered toward Chae Jun-seok and Tae Seol’s house again.

It was in the opposite direction from his apartment, so this was where he always ended up if he walked long enough.

Normally, the gloomy forest path leading to their house was unsettling even in broad daylight.

Today, he had not noticed.

Crash!

A sharp shattering sound echoed faintly through the trees.

It seemed to come from Jun-seok’s house.

After a brief hesitation, Ha-jin headed that way.

He did not want to get involved in their affairs if he could help it.

But today, he could not ignore it completely.

Even as he approached carefully, no further sounds came from inside.

The curtains were drawn over every window, making it impossible to see anything.

He was about to turn back when the front door opened with a soft click, and Chae Jun-seok stepped outside.

“…Brother-in-law? What are you doing here at this hour?”

“Oh… I was just out for a walk. I thought I heard something break inside.”

Ha-jin answered honestly.

He did not want to be mistaken for spying on the house, and there was no need to invent a lie.

“Oh, Si-yeol knocked over a vase. It’s nothing serious.”

Jun-seok said it casually as he walked toward him.

“I see. I’m glad no one was hurt. I should head home.”

Feeling strangely uncomfortable as the distance between them narrowed, perhaps because of the darkness surrounding the house, Ha-jin turned away first.

“Brother-in-law.”

Just as he started to leave, Jun-seok caught up to him and draped his jacket over Ha-jin’s shoulders.

“Why don’t you ever dress warmly? You were just discharged from the hospital. You should be taking care of yourself.”

“…Thank you.”

Before he knew it, they were walking side by side.

Jun-seok matched his pace.

“Are you really okay? After everything that happened… and the miscarriage…”

His voice was so careful that Ha-jin began to think Jun-seok had misunderstood something.

The jacket.

Walking him through the dark path.

This really was the kind Jun-seok he had believed in.

“I was scared. But I’m okay now. After meeting him in person, that guy wasn’t really much.”

Not wanting to make him worry, Ha-jin exaggerated his tone and spoke lightly about the omega serial killer, as if it had all been insignificant.

“I don’t know if you heard, but he was an alpha. And he wasn’t even worth one punch from Woo-seok. So… I wasn’t really that scared.”

He should not have brought it up.

The memory returned again.

Woo-seok appearing in that moment of absolute despair.

His broad back.

The overwhelming sense that he would protect him.

The memory softened the end of his sentence.

“You’re really brave. Most people would have been terrified.”

At Jun-seok’s words, Ha-jin unconsciously slowed down for a moment.

Then he quickly resumed his normal pace.

His apartment was close now.

He could already see the building ahead.

Without realizing it, he began walking faster.

“Brave? Hardly. It’s already over, so what else can I do but move on? The miscarriage too.”

“I see.”

Jun-seok walked quietly for a moment.

“By the way, you and Woo-seok seem very close. I honestly thought the two of you weren’t.”

“Oh, please. We fought today too. I wish that man were even half as considerate as you, Brother. If I could, I’d replace my husband. Seriously. He’s a complete defective product.”

“Really?”

“…What?”

“If you really could, would you replace him with me?”

What was wrong with this man?

He was taking a joke completely seriously.

Woo-seok irritated him often, yes.

But Jun-seok?

Leaving everything else aside, this was exactly the kind of boring man he could never fall for.

Come to think of it, he and Tae Seol really were perfectly matched.

“I was joking! I meant our relationship isn’t exactly great!”

“Ah… That’s disappointing.”

…What did he just say?

Why did he actually look disappointed?

The unnecessary sincerity in his expression left Ha-jin speechless.

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