Chapter 36: This isn’t the newlywed life I imagined

From the moment they arrived at Incheon Airport, the act had to begin. Reporters bribed by SHS were waiting around the terminal, cameras aimed from afar to capture the newlyweds’ return.

It was Lee Ah-seong’s attempt to bury the scandal caused by Chae Woo-seok’s behavior during the honeymoon. So they walked through the arrivals gate looking absurdly affectionate and climbed into the waiting car together.

“Why are we suddenly driving into the mountains? This is kind of terrifying…”

The car eventually entered a bizarre neighborhood. Go Ha-jin had never seen anywhere in Seoul like this before. Massive walls and gates that looked straight out of a historical drama lined the roads.

After driving deeper into empty mountain roads, a checkpoint building suddenly appeared.

There wasn’t even a house in sight.

“This is just the entrance security gate,” Woo-seok said lazily. “We still have farther to go.”

The vehicle rolled to a stop. Several staff members immediately approached, inspecting even the underside of the car and the trunk.

“Did somebody try to assassinate you before or something? Why’s security so intense?”

“It’s because they don’t want to give anyone the chance. You never know what could happen.”

Go Ha-jin couldn’t understand it. Even their own son’s car was treated with suspicion. Maybe people with too much to lose simply became terrified of everything.

After the inspection, they drove for several more minutes. Woo-seok had called that place “the entrance,” but walking here would have been impossible anyway. Then suddenly a massive landscaped lawn appeared like a park, and the car stopped in front of an enormous building.

“We’re here. Get out.”

“Th-this is your house…?”

“I won the bet, didn’t I?”

“…No way…”

Back at the lakeside during their honeymoon, Woo-seok had mocked him. Said his house was even bigger than the castle they’d seen there. Go Ha-jin had dismissed it as nonsense.

It wasn’t nonsense.

The building towered above them so massively that he couldn’t even take it all in from this distance. And unlike fake resort castles, this one genuinely looked like some European fortress brought to life.

“Come on.”

Everything stole his attention. The entrance, the interior, the endless decorations. Giant chandeliers hung from impossibly high ceilings. Marble floors gleamed beneath the lights, and luxurious carpets covered parts of the hallways. He couldn’t even imagine the prices.

“If you told me a king lived here, I’d believe it. How much is all this worth…?”

“Don’t get any ideas. You’re not taking even a vase with you.”

Go Ha-jin muttered quietly enough that only Woo-seok could hear. But Woo-seok found himself strangely surprised. Most people would openly stare in awe at an unfamiliar sight like this, yet Ha-jin moved as though he belonged here already.

He was already acting the role of “real estate tycoon Go Ha-jin.”

If not for the nonstop muttering under his breath, even Woo-seok might have believed it completely.

“Welcome home, son. You must be exhausted. You’ve gotten so thin.”

Lee Ah-seong greeted Chae Woo-seok warmly the moment they stepped inside.

Go Ha-jin offered a polite greeting as well.

She didn’t even glance at him.

“We were just traveling. It’s not like it was hard work. Where’s Father?”

“He’s inside. Let’s go.”

Whatever. Go Ha-jin hadn’t expected a warm welcome anyway.

Still, he noticed something different about Woo-seok the moment they entered the house. Compared to how he acted around Ha-jin, he seemed strangely drained. Even walking looked exhausting for him.

‘Probably part of the act too.’

“There you are. You must be tired from the trip, my dear.”

“Thank you, Chairman.”

That “my dear” made his skin crawl. Go Ha-jin forced a smile at Chairman Chae Il-joo anyway, acting as though he were genuinely happy to see him.

“Sit down first. We have things to discuss.”

Go Ha-jin and Woo-seok sat side by side. Thankfully the table between them was enormous, so they didn’t have to sit too close.

Tea was served almost instantly, as though the servants had been waiting for this exact moment.

“Father, can’t we talk later? I’m tired-”

“Quiet. What gives you the right to speak right now?”

Because of the honeymoon scandal, Chae Il-joo’s gaze toward Woo-seok was sharper than usual.

“Well, it’s not entirely Woo-seok’s fault either…”

Lee Ah-seong spoke at last.

Not directly, but Go Ha-jin understood perfectly.

You couldn’t even keep your Alpha under control properly.

That was what she meant.

“Don’t you speak either. Fooling around is one thing. Letting it become public is another.”

Ah. There it was.

Chairman Chae didn’t care about the cheating itself. He was angry because it got exposed.

In the end, parents still favored their own child.

“I’ll be more careful from now on, Father.”

Go Ha-jin clicked his tongue internally.

Not “I won’t do it again.”

Just “I’ll be more careful.”

Meaning he’d simply avoid getting caught next time.

“Anyway, both of you need to watch your behavior. Public opinion settled down thanks to my daughter-in-law here, but if another scandal happens, even I won’t be able to clean it up.”

During the honeymoon, Go Ha-jin’s popularity had skyrocketed. More accurately, he had become SHS’s perfect PR shield.

Every article framed him the same way,

‘The spouse of SHS executive Chae Woo-seok.’

That was enough. In the end, the public only remembered SHS and Chae Woo-seok anyway.

“I’m glad I could help, Chairman.”

“Haha. Isn’t it wonderful when family helps each other? Which is why we prepared wedding gifts.”

At Chae Il-joo’s signal, a servant entered carrying a large silk-wrapped bundle and a small box.

“You take this and get lost. Honestly, I didn’t even want to give you anything.”

He tossed the small box carelessly toward Woo-seok.

Inside was a luxury car key.

Even Woo-seok, usually emotionless, reacted slightly.

“Well… thank you.”

“This brat never knows how to sound grateful.”

Watching this, Go Ha-jin’s heart began pounding.

Expectation.

Even the son who caused a scandal received a car worth hundreds of millions of won.

Then what about him?

The one who had saved SHS’s collapsing public image?

And unlike Woo-seok’s tiny box, his own gift was wrapped in luxurious golden silk.

“…Can I open it?”

He interpreted Lee Ah-seong’s silence as permission.

Trying not to look too excited, Go Ha-jin carefully untied the silk wrapping. Inside sat an elegant wooden box that looked fit for priceless jewels.

But the moment he opened it, his expression froze.

“…What is this, Father?”

“You need to hurry and have a child. That’s the only way you’ll be useful to this family.”

Herbal medicine.

Traditional fertility medicine.

Lee Ah-seong proudly explained that it had been specially prepared by a famous family of oriental doctors and that he must never skip a dose.

Go Ha-jin nearly laughed in disbelief.

So this was the difference.

Woo-seok got a luxury sports car.

He got fertility tonic.

Then suddenly, something Woo-seok had once said flashed through his mind.

“Thank you, Father. I didn’t expect you to prepare something like this for me. But what should I do? Herbal medicine doesn’t suit my body type. I’ll make sure Woo-seok takes it instead. You heard them, right? You can’t skip a single dose.”

He lifted the heavy wooden box and dropped it directly onto Woo-seok’s lap.

Then he snatched the car key from Woo-seok’s hand.

“I think this is enough for me. I’ll drive safely. Thank you.”

His tone was perfectly polite.

No one could openly accuse him of anything.

After all, to people like them, it was “just a car.”

And according to them, the herbal medicine was supposedly just as valuable.

Lee Ah-seong’s jaw tightened, but she couldn’t say a word.

Honestly, Go Ha-jin was a little disappointed. If she’d started talking about “medicine effective only for Omegas,” he’d been fully prepared to suggest Chairman Chae take it himself.

“Fine. As long as you give us a pretty grandchild, it doesn’t matter who takes it. Go rest. You must be tired.”

Thankfully, Chae Il-joo ended the atmosphere before things escalated further.

Watching the silent tension between his father and Go Ha-jin, Chae Woo-seok found himself thinking something unexpected.

Go Ha-jin would definitely exceed expectations.

At the very least, he wouldn’t sit quietly and suffer.

No.

Woo-seok realized he was actually hoping for exactly that.

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