X
Join our Discord server and get release updates for every novel you follow.
Join the Server“You’re late.”
“Yes, sorry.”
“As long as you didn’t miss the meal, it’s fine.”
By the time they arrived, the sun had already set. The dining area had been set up in the middle of the central garden lawn. A large table had been placed there, with lights arranged throughout so it looked almost like a nighttime banquet.
It was a bit hard to understand why they insisted on eating outside when there were plenty of rooms indoors, but they took their seats without showing it.
The mild scolding about being late was ignored by both Ha-jin and Woo-seok.
“Indeed. The food hasn’t even been served yet, so what does it matter? It’s nice to gather like this after so long.”
“Yes, Chairman. It feels like it’s been ages. I’m so glad to see you.”
“Haha. My dear son-in-law is always so well-spoken.”
“But… is it okay for me to sit here today? Shouldn’t Omegas be seated over there in the corner…?”
Ha-jin asked as he settled his hips firmly into the chair. It was meant as sarcasm toward their dining rules, but he asked so cautiously that it sounded almost like genuine curiosity.
“Don’t I need to see my son-in-law’s face up close? It’s been so hard to see family properly because of some troublemaker.”
Chae Il-joo looked unusually pleased today. From the way he lightly scolded Woo-seok again, it seemed he also knew why Ha-jin had been unwell. Well, there were no secrets in this household anyway.
“Father, what good does it do to see my brother’s face often? It’s not like you’re leaving him any inheritance.”
“You…! Ugh… this brat. Next time, don’t even call him.”
Even Chae Woo-seok’s father, who usually tried to appear composed, cracked the moment his son spoke. Woo-seok’s mouth really spared no one. Even Ha-jin could tell that tone had a special talent for raising blood pressure.
“Inheritance? Just give me a grandchild, and I’ll hand over all my stocks. Understood, son-in-law?”
“Ah… yes, Chairman. Don’t worry about that.”
Ha-jin lightly rubbed his neck. See? This was exactly why he was here. A useful shield.
Woo-seok had once said this marriage was part of the arrangement, and at the time Ha-jin hadn’t fully understood it, but now it made perfect sense.
“Good, good! Don’t overdo it though.”
The Chairman looked genuinely delighted, as if a grandchild were already on the way.
At that moment…
“Waaah!”
A crying sound, sharp and out of place for such a dinner, rang out.
All eyes turned toward Tae Seol.
“What’s there to show off by bringing something like that here? If it were me, I’d be too embarrassed to even show my face.”
“Shut up, Hunam. Your father is the one who raised you too.”
“Father! I changed my name ages ago…!”
Chae Jae-yi’s complaint was almost amusing. She herself was an omega, an “inferior” one at that. In this household, it was treated as a rare flaw. Beta would have been even worse, but still.
When Jae-yi had been designated as a low-grade omega, the family had been thrown into chaos. It had even affected Ah-seong’s position. For her to now look down on Tae Seol because of classification felt ironic.
“Sorry, just a moment…”
Taes Seol quietly stood up, handed the baby to a nanny, and returned to his seat.
Ha-jin felt a faint emptiness. This was usually the moment when the familiar scolding would begin, but there was nothing.
Silence from Ah-seong.
Uncomfortably so.
“Please mind your words. There’s a child here.”
“Don’t talk to me. You ruin my appetite.”
Even Jun-seok and Jae-yi’s exchange felt strange. It wasn’t their usual sibling-like bickering. It felt colder, almost hostile.
“Enough.”
Chae Il-joo cut in again.
The warning was heavy. One more incident and there would be consequences.
Ha-jin spoke up as he looked at him.
“Chairman, has that child already received inheritance rights?”
“…”
“And why do you dislike that baby so much, sister?”
Silence fell over the table.
It felt like a forbidden topic had been touched.
“Hyung…”
Even Woo-seok tried to stop him.
“What? Did I say something wrong? I mean… I just wondered if there was a reason…”
“Want me to tell you?”
Jae-yi leaned forward immediately.
“Because that kid’s a Beta. There’s only a 5% chance of expressing as a low-grade Omega, and 1% for Alpha. So basically, there’s no future.”
“Oh… I see. Then inheritance too…?”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
Some had expected it. In a society where traits determined value, it wasn’t surprising the child was treated that way.
“But 5% is still… something, isn’t it? When I was tested as a child, it was under 1%. I was told I’d stay Beta until I was ten, but I still manifested as a high-grade Omega.”
“Haa… that was ages ago. And so what if you manifest later? Didn’t you hear me? It’s a low-grade Omega. There’s no chance of Alpha. Low-grade and Beta are basically the same.”
“Do you really think Beta and low-grade Omegas are the same?”
Jae-yi sighed deeply, as if it were obvious.
“But weren’t you also a low-grade Omega, sister? I heard it was the first in decades in the Chae bloodline…?”
“No. Hundreds of years. My father even spent months digging through records.”
“Oh. Hundreds of years.”
A light laugh spread across the table.
Only Ha-jin and Woo-seok weren’t laughing.
Ha-jin spoke carefully.
“But… isn’t 5% still meaningful? I mean… when I was tested, I was almost told I’d always be Beta too.”
“…”
“Isn’t it unfair to judge a baby like that?”
The tone shifted slightly.
Il-joo watched him for a moment.
“…You’re right, son-in-law.”
The tension eased slightly.
After that, the meal continued more normally, business talk, property development, investments.
Ha-jin listened quietly, pretending not to care, but paying attention.
Then…
“Oh, there’s something in my water. You.”
Jae-yi called Tae Seol again.
But this time…
“Enough.”
Ah-seong cut in.
For the first time that evening.
He gestured toward Ha-jin.
“Bring a new glass.”
Ah-seong’s gaze shifted.
And in that moment, Ha-jin understood.
The target had changed, from Tae Seol to him.
“…Alright.”
He stood up calmly.
It wasn’t a difficult task, just fetching water.
But as he walked toward the servant area holding the glass, Ah-seong quietly smiled to himself.
This was just the beginning.
Humiliation, day by day.
He would make sure of it.
But then…
Something felt off.
Why was he carrying the entire water bottle…?
“Unnie, you look thirsty!”
At that exact moment, Ha-jin stumbled forward.
The water bottle flew through the air…
CRASH!
It shattered across the table.
Food and dishes scattered everywhere.
“Oops… my hand slipped. I’m still a bit weak… what should I do?”
Jae-yi was drenched, water dripping from her hair.
“You did that on purpose!”
“Me? Why would I?”
“You were annoyed about being ordered around!”
“Why would I do something like that? Maybe I just tripped.”
After a brief apology, Ha-jin bowed politely and left.
There was no one left to continue the ruined meal.
****
“Ugh… this is not good…”
He didn’t go straight home. He needed air first.
Sitting or lying down now would definitely make him sick.
While scrolling through news, something caught his eye.
Another victim of the “Omega Killer.”
“Another one?”
“Ah- damn!”
A voice suddenly appeared right beside him.
It was Jun-seok.
“…Did you just curse at me?”
“No! I was just startled…”
“What are you looking at?”
“…The Omega killer. You know about it?”
“Yeah. It’s all over the news.”
He sat beside him and glanced at the screen.
“That day again.”
“What day?”
“The day of this incident. The day Woo-seok caused trouble. Right?”
Ha-jin looked again.
The timeline matched.
And for a moment…
A thought he had tried to ignore began to surface.
‘…Could it be that Woo-seok…?’
You think this chapter was thrilling? Wait until you read Crow's Golden Fragment! Click here to discover the next big twist!
Read : Crow's Golden Fragment
If You Notice any translation issues or inconsistency in names, genders, or POV etc? Let us know here in the comments or on our Discord server, and we’ll fix it in current and future chapters. Thanks for helping us to improve! 🙂