Chapter 10: Blackmail Tastes Better with Wine

“What are you doing? No appetite again today?”

Seeing Go Ha-jin staring blankly at the food for a long time, Chae Woo-seok voiced his curiosity. Only then did Go Ha-jin take a deep breath and come back to his senses.

Really, this was just a business relationship, so what on earth had he been thinking about? On top of that, the other party already knew his identity completely… no, almost completely. There was no reason for him to harbor any other feelings.

“No. I’ll eat.”

Because he’d been adjusting to Chae Woo-seok’s schedule, it was rather late for dinner. Already hungry, Go Ha-jin shook off his stray thoughts and focused on the food prepared in front of him. Maybe because he no longer had to keep up pretenses, the food tasted even better than before.

The meat seemed to melt softly in his mouth, and even the asparagus garnish and the separate fish dish were excellent.

“…So all of that was an act too…”

Perhaps because they had ordered so much, it took quite a while to finish the meal. Only when the plates were almost empty did Chae Woo-seok finally speak. He sounded somewhat hollow, almost dumbfounded.

“…What do you mean?”

“Last time, you only ate about this much.”

He raised his hand and pinched his thumb and index finger close together. He was talking about how Go Ha-jin hadn’t even finished half his steak the last time.

“Oh come on, when have I ever eaten that little? You’re joking.”

“Hah… fine. Still, at least you don’t seem completely lacking in table manners.”

Was that… a compliment or not?

The deep sigh sounded like an insult, but saying he wasn’t entirely lacking in manners sounded like praise. It left a strangely bad taste.

Still, even Go Ha-jin had to admit he’d eaten a bit… excessively. He was stuffed to the brim, and every plate on the table looked as if it had already been washed clean.

“…I don’t usually eat this much, but dinner was late today, right? And since your taste is so refined, everything you choose is just-”

“That’s enough. It’s better than not eating.”

‘…Bastard. He didn’t even bother listening to the hastily made excuse.’

At Chae Woo-seok’s gesture, the staff approached and cleared the table, leaving only the wine glasses. Seeing him pull his body closer to the table, his joking demeanor fading, it was clear he intended to return to business.

“We should be more careful about meeting outside from now on.”

“Yeah. There’s nothing good about showing people the two of us together in advance.”

“Quick to understand. I like that.”

According to his plan, Chae Woo-seok and Go Ha-jin were supposed to be complete strangers at this point, at least in everyone else’s eyes. Including Chae Woo-seok’s family.

“But no matter how I think about it, your father is too much.”

“I know. That’s why we’ll have to make full use of your strengths.”

“Hah… I was originally told you were the target. How am I supposed to seduce a middle-aged omega?”

He understood the plan in theory, but after actually meeting Lee Ah-seong today, it didn’t sit well with him. He was definitely an omega, yet somehow it felt like standing in front of an alpha. And on top of that, he’d never once targeted an omega before.

“What kind of con artist is so picky?”

“Well! …That’s because there’s no compensation, you know….”

At the word “con artist,” Go Ha-jin’s voice rose before quickly dropping again. It wasn’t wrong, but it wasn’t a pleasant term to hear when you were the con artist in question. And since Chae Woo-seok had brought it up, Go Ha-jin slipped in the words he’d prepared after meeting Lee Ah-seong today.

“Compensation?”

“When you think about it, this isn’t some small job. It’s the SHS Group we’re dealing with.”

“That’s true.”

“But there’s nothing in it for me.”

Objectively, his current life was satisfying. He lived in Ritz Forest, a place he’d never even dared imagine, and drove a car worth hundreds of millions.

But this was only a temporary stay in this world, none of it was truly his. If Chae Woo-seok changed his mind, he could lose everything at any moment.

“What you gain… is something very big.”

“What is it?”

He hid his anticipation as best he could. Surely, a man who devised such a massive plan would pay an equally fitting price.

“Your life.”

“…What?”

“You keep forgetting. If there’s anything more precious than that, tell me. I’ll consider it.”

‘…Yeah. Definitely a bastard.’

Chae Woo-seok said it with a needless, pretty smile. He’d dressed it up in polite words, but in the end it was no different from a threat: do as you’re told if you want to live.

It was no different from the condition he’d offered when he caught him trying to escape last time. Since this wasn’t just a simple marriage anymore, Go Ha-jin had tried to add a few extra conditions, but unsurprisingly, it hadn’t worked.

“One of our affiliates owns a newspaper and a broadcasting station.”

“I know. Tabloid fabrication- no, I mean, anyway.”

Out of nowhere, Chae Woo-seok brought it up. He was talking about a newspaper known for its provocative headlines and a general programming channel old people liked to watch. Given his line of work, Go Ha-jin was familiar with them too.

“What do you think would happen if your face were on them day and night? For about a year.”

“…”

“You’ve got a pretty face, so it’d grab attention easily. How about a title like ‘the omega con artist of the century’?”

“…I’ll do it. I’ll do it….”

He admitted it. Chae Woo-seok had a natural talent, one befitting a Korean chaebol: the talent for blackmail. That hit Go Ha-jin right at his weakest point.

For a con artist, having his face exposed was the one thing he had to avoid at all costs. The moment he became famous, his career would be over. Sure, he could plan a different game after that, but it wasn’t something he wanted right now.

“You catch on quick. I like that. I’ve got something I’m curious about too.”

Total failure. He’d tried to squeeze out at least a little extra, but Chae Woo-seok clearly had no intention of giving anything. Feeling burned inside, Go Ha-jin downed his wine.

“What is it?”

“You should speak nicely. You’re about to become my omega.”

“…What are you curious about, Woo-seok? Please, go ahead.”

“Don’t be sarcastic. That can really get you killed.”

Was that knife from before in his inside pocket right now? The urge surged to split that smug, pretty mouth wide open. Chae Woo-seok’s attitude, as if testing his patience, still refused to become familiar.

“Anyway, what is it?”

“How is it that you’ve got no criminal record at all? At least rumors should exist.”

Listening to his pure curiosity, Go Ha-jin took a sip of wine. He didn’t even like wine that much. He preferred mixing soju and beer and downing it in one go. After swallowing the unpleasant drink, he spoke.

“There are more shady people in this country than you’d think.”

“Shady people?”

“People with money they can’t report losing to a scam. People with reputations who can’t admit they were scammed. Those are the targets.”

“…People like me, then.”

Exactly. People like Chae Woo-seok would never report being scammed by Go Ha-jin. They’d become objects of ridicule, and the money he took from them was, to them, practically negligible. On top of that, there was rarely clear-cut evidence that it was outright fraud.

Sometimes he used the status of a lover, other times partnerships, investments, real estate, stocks, countless methods. He never targeted the poor. People with nothing to lose would go to any lengths to get their money back.

“So if you got the chance, you could scam me too.”

“No way.”

Maybe “resignation” was the right word. Even to Go Ha-jin, who’d lived a fake life his entire existence, Chae Woo-seok was like a mountain he couldn’t climb.

After his failed escape, a very real fear of dying became his shackle. And imagining his face plastered across the media day and night killed any thought of doing something against him. All he could do was hope this would end quickly.

“Still, I should give you some motivation to work.”

Chae Woo-seok slipped a hand into his jacket. Go Ha-jin reflexively leaned back. He’d experienced it once already, there was only one thing that could come out of there: a sharp blade.

“…What is that?”

But what Chae Woo-seok pulled out was unexpected.

“Do con artists these days not know what a credit card is?”

“Of course I do. But why are you taking it out?”

He tossed a card onto the table. The gesture was as arrogant as ever, so Go Ha-jin just crossed his arms and watched.

“Oh, you don’t want it? It was for you.”

As if reacting to Go Ha-jin’s crooked response, Chae Woo-seok reached to take the card back. The moment he did, Go Ha-jin lunged forward at lightning speed, grabbing it before Chae Woo-seok’s hand could reach it.

“…You’re quick.”

“I-I got dizzy and just lay down for a second.”

As if nothing had happened, Go Ha-jin sat up straight, card in hand. It was a bit embarrassing how desperate he must have looked, but considering the other party was Chae Woo-seok, he figured it didn’t matter.

“Buy whatever you need with that. You really do have a solid identity, Go Ha-jin.”

“It’s in my name?”

“If you used my card, people would get suspicious.”

He glanced down at the card under the table. It was a platinum card with an annual fee exceeding ten million won.

“Um… uh…”

“Why?”

Uncharacteristically cautious, Go Ha-jin spoke. Seeing that, Chae Woo-seok felt like laughing. The sharp, catlike attitude from moments ago was gone, his eyes now sparkled with naked curiosity, like a puppy. Surprisingly cute, for a con artist.

“What’s the limit…?”

He felt like he’d learned another way to handle Go Ha-jin. He wasn’t sure what suspicions he’d had before, but threats about killing him worked pretty well, and now he saw an even simpler method. Money. An easy way to tame that arrogant con artist with his overflowing wealth.

“Depends on how you do.”

“Pardon?”

“Right now, maybe about a hundred a month. No, fifty would be better.”

Those long-lashed eyes blinked rapidly. Whether it was because he’d stopped pretending or because that was his true nature, Go Ha-jin’s thoughts felt surprisingly easy to read. It was like he could hear the gears turning in his head across the table.

“When I think about it, I think I can handle your father pretty well. Just because I haven’t done it before doesn’t mean I can’t, right? And I’ve got a natural talent for this kind of thing, so you don’t have to worry. No, I’ll definitely succeed.”

Chae Woo-seok thought he might try raising this bastard. Watching him cling to the card with shining eyes, acting cute, felt like looking at a puppy he’d never had. He couldn’t help but smile.

“Good boy. Just succeed. I’ll give you whatever you want.”

He leaned closer and impulsively reached out, grabbing Go Ha-jin’s hand. But seeing Go Ha-jin’s face stiffen instantly, he withdrew his hand.

“I just mean I’ll let you live with all your limbs intact. Don’t misunderstand.”

He added the unnecessary explanation.