Chapter 62: The Accusation

“You came at a good time too.”

“What exactly are you doing?”

Did Ha-jin trust Woo-seok?

No.

Of course not.

Think about the Woo-seok he’d known all this time. Whenever there was conflict within the family, he always stayed one step removed, watching from the sidelines. Even when Ha-jin clashed with countless people, Woo-seok had never truly stepped in to help.

Everything that happened in this house was something Ha-jin was expected to endure himself.

So what could he possibly expect from him now?

At best, this was just a show, proof that whatever happened next wouldn’t be entirely Ha-jin’s fault.

“He dared to steal from me. He actually laid hands on my property.”

A cool hand cupped Ha-jin’s cheek.

Only then did he realize how badly it stung.

Dark eyes met his own.

Only then did he realize how unfair all of this was.

The look seemed to ask, Are you okay?

Ha-jin gave a small nod.

But that wasn’t how he truly felt.

He had been fine.

Annoyed, certainly, but fine.

At least until Woo-seok appeared.

The moment that hand touched his cheek and those eyes silently asked if he was alright, the fragile calm he’d been maintaining shattered.

“Why would my husband steal something like that?”

The hand resting on Ha-jin’s shoulder tightened.

Woo-seok’s voice was frighteningly cold.

An oppressive wave of dominant-alpha pheromones flooded the room.

“Wh-what are you doing-?!”

Aggressive pheromones from a dominant alpha didn’t affect other alphas the way they affected omegas.

But they weren’t harmless.

Anyone could sense the hostility.

Anyone could feel the threat.

Nobody could even open their mouths.

Lee Ah-seong was the first to force out a response.

He couldn’t understand this.

His beloved son would never react this way over something so trivial.

No matter that they were married.

Ha-jin was just an omega.

Woo-seok had spent his entire life treating omegas as disposable.

So why…

“Let’s call the police.”

“Are you insane?! Do you have any idea how humiliating that would be for the family?”

“If an expensive item was stolen, shouldn’t we call the police? Nobody here is a detective, prosecutor, or judge. We can’t just decide someone’s guilty and hold a trial ourselves.”

Under the current circumstances, even involving the police would favor Lee Ah-seong.

There were witnesses.

There was physical evidence.

But once the matter became official, controlling the fallout would become impossible.

The story would spread.

And the embarrassment would belong entirely to Lee Ah-seong.

“No. Family matters stay within the family. Why would we publicize that our omega son-in-law committed theft?”

“I disagree. In that case, we should call Father.”

“Woo-seok!”

To Ha-jin, Woo-seok seemed completely different today.

So different that he could do nothing but stare.

One hand still cupped his cheek.

His gaze never wavered.

Though he spoke to everyone else, his eyes remained fixed solely on Ha-jin.

His expression looked as though something inside him was moments away from exploding.

“Everyone involved will be held responsible.”

Ignoring every attempt to stop him, Woo-seok called Chae Il-joo.

****

“So you’re telling me there was a theft in my house.”

“…”

“And the culprit is Ha-jin.”

Nobody answered.

This hadn’t been part of the plan.

Nobody had expected things to escalate this far.

Calling the police would have been bad enough.

Informing Chae Il-joo was far worse.

At this point, it didn’t matter who the culprit was.

The mere fact that something like this had happened was the issue.

“Hm.”

Chae Il-joo found the situation fascinating.

The incident itself was unpleasant.

But the circumstances were interesting.

Very interesting.

The alleged culprit was Go Ha-jin.

The person who had called him was Woo-seok.

And Tae Seol was a witness.

How could he not be intrigued?

“Tae Seol. Are you certain about what you saw?”

“Huh? I…”

Tae Seol looked far more nervous now than before.

His trembling legs were visible even through his trousers.

“What are you doing? Father asked you a question.”

Jae-yi immediately pressured him.

“…Yes. I saw him leaving the room.”

Whether he was lying or not was impossible to tell.

Tae Seol had always been timid around Chae Il-joo.

“So that’s what happened, Woo-seok?”

Chae Il-joo’s eyes gleamed.

‘Now let’s see what you do.’

“Strange, isn’t it? My husband insists he’s innocent. There are witnesses. The item was found in our house.”

“Very strange indeed.”

“But we can’t have a thief in the family, can we?”

“Certainly not.”

Chae Il-joo decided to give his son the answer he seemed to want.

‘Go on, then. Do as you please.’

“Then let’s throw the culprit out. If someone steals and lies, they can’t remain family.”

Nobody saw that coming.

“Woo-seok! Even so, how can you-”

“Why not? If Father slapped him over this, then surely he was prepared for the consequences.”

Shock flashed across Lee Ah-seong’s face.

This was absurd.

Did Woo-seok intend to divorce Ha-jin over this?

For a brief moment, Lee Ah-seong wondered if that had been his goal all along.

After all, Woo-seok had struck Ha-jin during the incident involving the painting.

Maybe he simply wanted an excuse to get rid of him.

Ha-jin found himself wondering the same thing.

Was that why Woo-seok had been acting so strangely?

Had he orchestrated all of this to dispose of someone who was no longer useful?

Even so, Ha-jin couldn’t say a word.

He still had no way out.

“Hm. Let’s think about that carefully, Woo-seok. Are you saying Ha-jin should leave?”

Chae Il-joo didn’t commit himself.

His words weren’t something he could casually take back.

He needed to determine the best way to resolve the situation.

“Come on. Even if he did it, divorce is a little extreme-”

“Exactly. Let’s all calm down first.”

Everyone tried to stop Woo-seok.

The silence that followed only increased the tension.

Finally, Woo-seok spoke.

“What are you all talking about? Why would I throw my husband out?”

“…What?”

“I said throw the culprit out. Not my husband.”

‘My husband. My husband.’

Lee Ah-seong felt like he was developing a headache from hearing those words.

At least it seemed Woo-seok wasn’t planning to divorce him.

The intimidating man from moments ago vanished.

Woo-seok sank back into the sofa, legs spread casually.

Then he reached over, wrapped an arm firmly around Ha-jin’s waist, and pulled him closer.

Without the slightest concern for who was watching, he even poked at Ha-jin’s side.

“Explain yourself clearly, Woo-seok.”

Chae Il-joo’s smile finally appeared.

What had been interesting was now entertaining.

Honestly, he wanted a drink and some snacks while watching this unfold.

He’d always known his son was a troublemaker.

Apparently, he’d underestimated him.

“Well, you see, our house has CCTV cameras.”

“…What?”

“A lot of them.”

The room froze.

“Why are you all so surprised? It’s my house. I’m allowed to install cameras. I never expected they’d be useful for this, but if we check the footage, we’ll find the culprit.”

Woo-seok’s gaze swept across Lee Ah-seong, Chae Jae-yi, Tae Seol, and Team Leader Yang.

It looked like an ordinary glance.

Yet everyone who received it heard the same unspoken message,

Did you really think I wouldn’t know this was your setup?

“Then why didn’t you tell us sooner?!”

“What’s the difference? If I’d mentioned it earlier, would my husband suddenly stop being a suspect? If I mention it now, does he suddenly become guilty? It’s the same thing.”

Panic flashed across several faces.

Nobody knew how much the cameras had recorded.

Depending on the footage, neither Jae-yi nor Lee Ah-seong might escape unscathed.

After all, Chae Il-joo was now involved.

“Fine. Let’s identify the culprit.”

Lee Ah-seong was the first to retreat.

There was no evidence linking him directly.

“Y-yes. That’s probably best.”

Jae-yi followed immediately.

His gaze stabbed toward Tae Seol.

A clear warning,

Say one wrong thing and you’re finished.

Perfect scapegoating.

That left only the lying staff member, Tae Seol, and Team Leader Yang exposed.

Losing Team Leader Yang would hurt Lee Ah-seong.

But survival came first.

“Well then.”

Woo-seok picked up a tablet.

“Let’s see who stole Father’s bracelet. And who dared to lie.”

Nobody remained calm.

No one knew what was about to appear on that screen.

Then…

“Wait.”

Ha-jin stepped forward and stopped him.

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