Chapter 170: Choices That Cannot Be Given Up

“Mmm….”

Hyunwoo felt his vision blur as he slowly closed and opened his eyes.

His still-warm body, fresh from a shower, was sprawled limply across the bed.

He didn’t even have the strength to move a single finger anymore.

Feeling his entire body grow pleasantly heavy, Hyunwoo let out a long sigh.

“Hoo….”

“You should dry your hair before sleeping.”

“Too much work….”

Seunghyuk stepped closer and spoke gently.

But Hyunwoo shook his head and replied in a sulky voice.

Seunghyuk’s hand softly brushed Hyunwoo’s cheek.

“I’ll dry it for you.”

“Mmm.”

“Huh? Good boy.”

Coaxing him along, Seunghyuk lifted Hyunwoo up.

For a moment, Hyunwoo felt slightly annoyed at being treated like a child, but he simply let himself be guided.

Whiiir—.

Warm air flowed out of the hair dryer.

Since overly hot air wasn’t good, it was set to a lukewarm temperature, with moderate strength, blowing against Hyunwoo’s damp hair.

He never bothered drying his own hair properly, yet when it came to Hyunwoo’s, Seunghyuk refused to compromise even a little.

Drowsy, Hyunwoo nodded off as he let Seunghyuk do whatever he wanted.

“Hyung, are you really sleepy?”

“…Look at the time.”

After drying his hair to his satisfaction, Seunghyuk pressed a firm kiss to the back of Hyunwoo’s head.

Like a bird pecking, he kept making small kissing sounds.

By now, Hyunwoo didn’t even feel bothered anymore.

He simply jerked his chin toward the clock pointing at four in the morning.

“Tomorrow’s a day off anyway.”

“It’s not tomorrow, it’s today.”

“Tomorrow’s a day off too.”

“Ha… let’s sleep a bit until we go home.”

Bickering like they always did, Hyunwoo closed his eyes.

Seunghyuk hugged him from behind and pulled the blanket up to his chest.

“Alright, sleep well.”

“Mmm… you too.”

Hyunwoo replied softly and blinked his eyes again.

He saw Seunghyuk turn off the lights with the remote.

Watching him quietly, Hyunwoo spoke once more.

“I’m planning to meet the Chairman next week.”

“What? The Chairman?”

“Yeah.”

Seunghyuk paused and looked down at Hyunwoo lying there.

A hint of confusion crossed his eyes.

“Why?”

“I have something to say….”

“What are you going to say?”

“Mmm….”

“Hyung?”

But before answering, Hyunwoo slowly closed his eyes.

Soon, the calm sound of steady breathing followed, as if he had already fallen asleep.

“…….”

Shaking his head, Seunghyuk turned off the light completely.

He lay down beside Hyunwoo and pulled him into his arms.

A familiar scent drifted from the warm body he held.

‘It’s nothing serious, right?’

He felt a bit uneasy, but Seunghyuk tried to convince himself it was nothing.

Probably just a work-related meeting.

Holding Hyunwoo tightly, Seunghyuk soon drifted into sleep as well.

“Just like you said, I am a bit greedy.”

“What?”

Monday morning.

As they got ready for work, Seunghyuk was tying Hyunwoo’s tie as usual.

But as he carefully adjusted it, Hyunwoo suddenly muttered while looking down at him.

Sensing something off, Seunghyuk lifted his head to look at Hyunwoo.

Hyunwoo smiled faintly, as if it were nothing.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Just that.”

“……?”

“It means I can’t give up either my work or my family.”

Shrugging his shoulders, Hyunwoo slipped on his suit jacket.

Startled, Seunghyuk’s eyes widened as he called out to him.

“Hyung!”

“I’m heading out.”

“Hyung, wait!”

“Mina, Daddy’s going to work.”

“Da-da!”

Hyunwoo walked forward as if he hadn’t heard Seunghyuk calling him.

As Hyunwoo left the house, Mina began to whine.

Seunghyuk picked her up and soothed her, watching Hyunwoo’s back with an anxious expression.

“It’s been a while, Father.”

“Mmm….”

Chairman Joo Munhyeok lifted his head and looked at Hyunwoo, whose expression was calm.

Hyunwoo had only met the Chairman shortly after returning to Korea, as work kept him busy.

Occasionally, when the main house contacted them, Seunghyuk would take Mina along, but each time, Hyunwoo couldn’t go due to work.

With time, Chairman Joo looked visibly older than before.

Now carrying a more solemn air, he slowly looked Hyunwoo over before speaking.

“What brings you here?”

His voice was still cold.

But he no longer used pheromones to threaten him during conversation.

Age was finally catching up to him too.

“I have something I need to tell you.”

“Is it work-related?”

“It will affect work.”

“……?”

At Hyunwoo’s answer, the Chairman tilted his head.

Unable to grasp it, he frowned.

Hyunwoo met his gaze directly and spoke in the same calm tone.

“I plan to reveal that Mina is the child of Seunghyuk and me.”

“…What?”

“That would naturally reveal that I’m an Omega as well.”

“What are you talking about….”

The Chairman’s eyes shook violently with confusion.

Staring at Hyunwoo as if he couldn’t believe it, he asked,

“Do you have no intention of becoming Chairman?”

“No. I intend to.”

“Then why?”

Perhaps because he was so taken aback, the Chairman stumbled over his words, unlike his usual self.

That was how shaken he was.

“There will be controversy for a while, but if we endure it and then announce Seunghyuk’s program—”

“Hoo… wait.”

“……?”

Hyunwoo looked at him in confusion as his attempt at persuasion was cut off.

In truth, whether the Chairman helped or not, Hyunwoo planned to leak it to the media anyway.

Calling it persuasion was generous.

In reality, it was little more than an ultimatum.

Perhaps realizing that, the Chairman’s expression darkened.

Hyunwoo fell silent, his chest heavy.

Maybe the Chairman was finally fed up and would cut him off completely.

He had prepared himself for that, yet a bitter taste still rose in his mouth.

But what the Chairman said next was entirely unexpected.

“I knew the day would come when you’d say something like this.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s sooner than I expected… but it can’t be helped.”

“What do you mean—”

Frowning, the Chairman shook his head.

Then he took out a tablet and handed it to Hyunwoo.

“Even while you were in the US, that Lee Seunghyuk bastard kept helping with the program.

We just finished the final test.”

“That can’t be….”

Before the regression, this wasn’t when Seunghyuk had developed the program.

Even if Seunghyuk retained all his memories, finishing development in barely over a year while living so far away in the US seemed impossible.

Hyunwoo stared at the tablet in shock.

“Announce the program immediately after revealing your story.

That should bury the controversy, at least for now.”

“…….”

“But the directors, shareholders, and the public will continue to test you.

You’ll be standing on a far harsher proving ground than before.

Are you prepared for that?”

“Yes.

Thank you.”

“Hoo… honestly.”

The Chairman let out a long sigh, his expression weighed down by worry.

Hyunwoo smiled faintly at him.

“Thank you, Father.

I’ll do my best.”

“That’s enough. You may go.”

“Yes.”

Hyunwoo bowed deeply, then straightened and turned to leave the office.

“…But listen.”

“Yes?”

“…….”

The Chairman stopped him again.

After hesitating, he cleared his throat and continued.

“Bring Mina and come visit the main house more often.”

“…Pardon?”

“Why is it so hard to see my granddaughter’s face?”

“…….”

Turning his head away, the Chairman grumbled.

He looked exactly like a grandfather completely smitten with his granddaughter.

A soft chuckle escaped Hyunwoo’s lips.

“We’ll visit soon.”

“Fine. You must be busy, so go.”

“Yes.”

Many things had changed, and Chairman Joo had changed as well.

Compared to before, it was in a far more positive direction.

Feeling lighter, Hyunwoo returned to his office with a bright expression.

[How Munseong Became a Global Top-10 Conglomerate]

[Director Joo Hyunwoo, Successor to Munseong, Becomes the First Omega Executive]

[Outstanding Leadership That Ends All Controversy]

Three years passed after the truth was revealed.

The moment Seunghyuk’s program was announced, Munseong leaped into the ranks of the world’s top ten conglomerates.

Although Hyunwoo’s secret became public gossip, Munseong’s stock never plummeted.

In that time, Mina grew quickly and turned five years old.

Standing between Hyunwoo and Seunghyuk, Mina—now around 100 centimeters tall—reached up to their thighs.

Holding both their hands, she asked excitedly,

“Daddy, Daddy. Where are we going?”

“We’re going to eat something delicious at a restaurant today.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“…….”

Hyunwoo spoke gently.

But Seunghyuk still looked somewhat displeased.

“Why there of all places?”

“Why not. The food’s good.”

“Still….”

Today was their wedding anniversary.

By coincidence, they had held their wedding on the exact same date as before the regression.

November 1st.

Before, it had been their fifth anniversary.

This time, it was their third.

Back then, Hyunwoo had announced the divorce, and right after leaving the restaurant, he’d been in an accident.

But somehow, today felt different.

He believed that nothing like that would happen again.

Smiling, Hyunwoo took Seunghyuk’s hand.

“It’s okay.

Nothing will happen.”

“Still….”

“Mina’s waiting. Let’s go.”

“Alright.”

Mina, already standing in front of the restaurant, waved her hand to hurry them along.

At last, Seunghyuk smiled faintly and walked forward, holding Hyunwoo’s hand.

Hyunwoo glanced back briefly.

The memory of the accident had faded, barely coming to mind anymore.

Still, he vaguely remembered that his past self had suffered something terrible here.

Coming to the same restaurant on the same day was his way of putting an end to that past.

Only then could he be certain he was living a completely different life now.

“Hyung, hurry up.”

“Daddy, hurry!”

“Alright, alright.”

Smiling, Hyunwoo walked toward the two of them.

This time, not as two, but as three.

And from now on, they would move forward together toward a happy future.

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