Chapter 12: Trash, But Useable

“Uh…? You’re the person I saw at the gallery before, right…?”

Lee Ah-seong frowned slightly as he looked at the omega who was acting pleased to see him. He had an intense dislike for vague expressions in any kind of conversation. To approach someone who visited several galleries a week with such an ambiguous tone, how irritating.

Without hiding his displeasure, he examined the other’s face more closely. It definitely wasn’t unfamiliar. A face that lingered in memory, even though it shouldn’t have.

“I think we briefly met in front of the Monet painting…”

The young omega sprang up from his seat and bent at the waist in greeting. Only then did Ah-seong remember clearly. The man he had met a few days ago at the Monet special exhibition.

The omega who had been looking at the painting from the same perspective as him. A kid who had given him the impression of being a little different from “kids these days.”

“And what brings you here?”

Even if he remembered the face, it didn’t suddenly make him happy to see it. Making such a fuss over a fleeting encounter was just ridiculous.

“I was introduced by the manager at Seol Gallery…?”

Only then did Lee Ah-seong realize that this man was the person he had an appointment with today. A rare sense of bewilderment washed over him. This was completely unexpected.

“Duché…?”

“Yes, that’s right! I asked Seol Gallery to sell it.”

It had been a few days earlier. Seol Gallery had contacted Ah-seong urgently. It was the director who knew his taste in art inside and out. He had made a big deal, saying a piece Ah-seong would definitely like had come in.

Normally, the director was prone to exaggerated reactions over trivial matters, so Ah-seong hadn’t expected much. But when he heard what the piece was, even he couldn’t help but be interested. The final work of the genius artist Duché, who had died young.

“…Sit down first.”

Even as he gestured to the seat, it was hard to believe. Too young, far too young.

The face looked too youthful for someone who owned Duché’s work, and doubt crossed his mind. Still, at a glance, the man did seem quite wealthy.

He dressed modestly on the surface, but none of his items were from cheap brands, and there was an unmistakable air of refinement he couldn’t hide.

“You like Monet, and it seems our tastes are pretty similar. I really like Duché’s work too.”

The hands setting the tea in front of Ah-seong were extremely careful. Neither fully sitting nor standing, the omega bent one knee halfway and poured the tea respectfully with both hands, placing it neatly in front of him. Ah-seong found that rather pleasing. He had passable manners.

“Impressive… You’re quite cultured. Most people don’t really know Duché…”

At those words, Ah-seong’s lips curved slightly into a smile. The compliment didn’t feel bad. To be honest, he didn’t have an exceptional eye for art, it was knowledge he’d acquired for survival.

Art as investment, or as bribery. Artwork was surprisingly easy to liquidate, so Ah-seong collected it almost obsessively.

There were countless cases where he’d passed paintings as bribes for his parents’ and his husband’s businesses. To do that, he had no choice but to develop a basic sense of discernment.

Well, it was also true that he cherished art. There was no reason not to love paintings that made money. The reason differed slightly from what the omega in front of him meant, but still.

“What’s your name?”

In any case, he didn’t dislike an omega who recognized his artistic sensibility at a glance. And his eye for people didn’t seem bad either.

“Go Ha-jin… that’s my name.”

A kid who owned art like that had to be from a prominent family, yet the name was unfamiliar. He considered probing into Ha-jin’s background, but stopped.

His instincts had already passed judgment. A connection with no nutritional value. Among influential figures in South Korea, there were no families with the surname Go who had omega children.

“I’ve seen the painting. How would you like the payment? Cash would be best, I assume.”

“However you like is fine. I’m going to donate it anyway…”

“Do- what?”

Ah-seong doubted his ears. The amount would easily be in the tens of billions of won. Money that could be passed around under the table without paying a cent in taxes, practically free money. And he was going to…?

“I’m building several schools in Africa, you see. But donations have dropped a lot lately, and on top of that, herds of elephants trampled the crops, so there’s a food shortage-”

“That’s enough. I’m not curious about where the money’s going.”

Ah-seong waved his hand dismissively, cutting off the omega’s gentle explanation of his donation plans. Donation? A word that didn’t exist in Ah-seong’s dictionary.

Well, there had been one time. When his father ran for the National Assembly, he’d once gone to take photos while handing over a donation. That was the only donation he’d ever made in his life. And even that money had essentially been squeezed out of another company.

Realizing he’d made a mistake, the omega, who had introduced himself as Go Ha-jin, lowered his gaze quietly. Sitting with his hands folded neatly in front of him, he waited for Ah-seong to continue. He looked like the textbook definition of a meek omega. Completely unlike Ah-seong himself.

“Give your account number to Seol Gallery. I’ll transfer the money today.”

“Ah… yes, understood.”

“Then.”

Ah-seong stood up first.

“Um, aren’t you going to eat? It’s lunchtime…”

Just before he turned away, the omega who had followed him to his feet spoke in a cautious voice.

“I haven’t eaten yet… I thought it might be nice if we ate together.”

For a brief moment, Ah-seong hesitated. For some reason, the thought crossed his mind that maybe he should. But his evaluation of the other hadn’t changed. “An unnecessary connection.”

For Ah-seong, even a meal required a reason, and compensation. Eating a meal with someone useless was, like that omega’s donation talk, a meaningless act.

“Then.”

Without properly answering, he left the lounge.

“Sir!”

Just before getting into his car, Ah-seong turned at the voice calling from behind. He saw Go Ha-jin running toward him, holding a shopping bag.

“Hah… s-sorry. Please take this. It’s cake from a bakery nearby, it’s pretty good.”

Still out of breath, Ha-jin smiled as he pressed the bag into Ah-seong’s hand. Before Ah-seong could refuse, Ha-jin bowed quickly and got into the sedan parked behind Ah-seong’s car.

“Is something wrong, sir?”

When Ah-seong let out a dry laugh after getting in, the driver asked, puzzled.

“No. You eat this.”

The cake Ha-jin had given him ended up going to the driver. In that brief moment, Ah-seong’s assessment changed. Among useless things, he was a fairly usable piece of trash. At least he knew how to perform a little.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you leaving?”

Getting a painting he liked was more than enough profit for today.

****

“Be honest with me.”

“About what?”

Go Ha-jin felt lost.

“Your father.”

“Which father?”

“Lee Ah-seong.”

“Lee Ah-se-?”

“No, I mean… anyway. Is he really your biological father?”

After meeting Ah-seong earlier that day, Ha-jin had fallen into self-loathing. Thoughts like maybe his appearance just didn’t work on alphas, or maybe he simply didn’t belong anywhere near chaebol families, crowded in on him.

Ah-seong’s blatant disregard made it impossible not to think that way. The memory of being looked at as if he were something less than human lingered painfully.

“Why? We don’t look alike?”

That wasn’t the issue. In terms of attitude, they were very similar. Like all rich people, irritating across the board. Chae Woo-seok was like that, and so was Lee Ah-seong.

But Ah-seong had something more. Like Woo-seok, he was hard to read, and yet he could make people feel humiliated with bluntness while still seeming cultured.

“Don’t joke around. This is important.”

Talking to him for a while made a question surface.

Why?

Why would Chae Woo-seok deceive such a father to marry him? What benefit did he hope to gain by bringing Ha-jin into that family? What was the ultimate goal?

“What do you think?”

Woo-seok answered with a question. Ha-jin decided to share the hypothesis he’d formed. He was fairly sharp in matters like this.

“…Chae Woo-seok isn’t his biological son.”

“Go on.”

Sitting on the sofa, Woo-seok listened as if watching a movie, cracking open a beer and lifting a cigarette to his lips.

“Just don’t light it.”

“What?”

“You told me not to smoke before. If you smoke in front of me, I’ll smoke too. Just so you know.”

“…Tch. You’re really picky.”

It was a reasonable demand. Woos-eok didn’t impose many restrictions, but smoking was a hard no, even though he himself smoked like a chimney. Grumbling, he put the cigarette back without lighting it.

“Continue.”

Only then did Ha-jin speak again.

“Actually… Woo-seok, you’re not the biological son. You’re a child Chairman Chae Il-joo had outside. That’s why you and Lee Ah-seong can’t possibly be on good terms.”

“So?”

Seeing Woo-seok listening intently, Ha-jin added more conviction to his theory.

“You have another objective.”

“What is it?”

“You’re using me… to destroy that family and siphon off all their money.”

After laying out his entire theory, Ha-jin cracked open a beer on the table. Woo-seok, being a chaebol through and through, had stocked up on some foreign brand Ha-jin had never even seen in Korea.

Maybe it was just his imagination, but compared to the sharp bite of domestic beer, this one felt deeper in flavor.

“So you’re saying I’m marrying you to get revenge on my father?”

“Yes.”

Woo-seok, who had been sitting cross-legged and tapping his thigh, set his beer down on the table. Then he got up and sat beside Ha-jin, so close their thighs touched. Ha-jin tried to scoot away, but a hand shot out faster, wrapping around his waist and pulling him in.

“Ha-jin.”

“D-don’t call me that…?”

The touch was awkward and strange enough, but worse was the gentle voice flowing from Woo-seok’s lips. Every time that low, almost melodic voice reached his ears, Ha-jin felt his heart drop.

With the large hand around his waist added in, heat rushed to his face in an instant. Maybe it was just the alcohol kicking in.

“You really seem to… like yourself a lot.”

“What…?”

“Even if I weren’t his biological son, do you really think you’d be enough to bring down SHS Group? Or topple the head of Sehang Group?”

“…”

“I’m not even asking for that much. Just make the marriage happen without trouble.”

A playful hand lightly pinched Ha-jin’s cheek and withdrew.

“And don’t go spreading nonsense like that anywhere.”

“…I just told you because you asked…”

Even after Woo-seok returned to his seat, Ha-jin’s chest kept pounding louder and louder.

Why the hell is he so… unnecessarily handsome…?

The cheek he’d pinched felt like it was about to burst from the heat.