Chapter 72: The culprit is none other than…

Even now, if you started from the assumption that Woo-seok was the murderer, it did make a certain kind of sense.

He had the looks and wealth to effortlessly lure in almost any omega. Even if someone resisted, he possessed more than enough strength to overpower them. On top of that, he had the perfect social standing to avoid ever being suspected.

“You’re joking, right?”

‘He had to be joking.’

‘Please.’

Ha-jin looked at Woo-seok with desperate hope.

“Haah… I don’t know whether to call this innocence or what. Of course I’m joking. What else would it be? As for that thing before, it was all a coincidence. Are you even sure that mountain we went to was the same mountain where the incident happened? It was just in the same area. We didn’t even know the mountain’s name. There are probably dozens of mountains around there that look exactly the same.”

“Oh. Right…”

That explanation might have been a lie he made up on the spot.

Yet for some reason, Ha-jin found himself believing every word.

And another thought occurred to him.

‘What if Woo-seok really was the Omega Serial Killer?’

Would that actually change anything about their relationship or their situation?

It was only a hypothetical, but even if it were true, nothing would really be different.

The fact remained that he had to maintain this fake marriage.

And while maintaining it, he needed to squeeze as much benefit from it as possible.

Even the fact that one mistake could cost him his life would remain unchanged.

“Ah- !”

“You’re daydreaming again, aren’t you? That relaxed? You don’t even know where my hand is.”

Seeing countless thoughts pass across Ha-jin’s face, Woo-seok suddenly squeezed the n*pple he had been absentmindedly flicking and playing with.

The sharp sensation dragged Ha-jin back to reality.

“Hey! That hurts!”

“Really? Then why does someone in pain keep reacting like this?”

Right.

What did it matter?

“…Because you’re only touching one side.”

“Oh, so you want me to pay attention to this side too? You should’ve said so sooner.”

Woo-seok was just Woo-seok.

He wasn’t even a real husband.

What did it matter who he really was?

****

“Are you coming today?”

“Of course. It’s Ha-jin’s big debut. No way I’m missing that.”

“Debut? What am I, a celebrity?”

He said that, but Ha-jin was just as excited.

Today was essentially the day he would finally receive an official title.

It was the grand opening of the SHS Art Center.

Unlike their relatively modest wedding, this event would be attended by prominent figures from every sector of society.

Business leaders.

Politicians.

Everyone.

Even if Ha-jin carried the title of director, everyone knew the true owners were Chae Il-joo and Lee Ah-seong.

People seeking their favor would flock here like ants.

“Do you think there’ll be a lot of reporters?”

Standing before crowds didn’t make him nervous.

This life he was living was just another role.

The real problem was something else.

“Well, maybe you should’ve committed a few fewer scams.”

“Like I knew this would happen…”

Because of the nature of the event, a large number of journalists were guaranteed to attend.

Until now, Ha-jin had mostly stayed out of the public eye, and there were very few clear photographs of him in circulation.

If proper photos started appearing in newspapers and online articles, his past activities could come back to haunt him.

“Don’t worry about that. We’ll just put my dad front and center.”

“Oh! Since he’s the chairman, that’ll work.”

“And I’ll ask them to use side-profile shots if they publish anything. Don’t stress about it.”

Apparently Woo-seok wasn’t as carefree as he pretended to be.

While Ha-jin had been worrying himself sick, Woo-seok had already thought through solutions and rattled them off without hesitation.

“So stop thinking about embezzling money and do your job properly. I’ll be watching.”

“…As long as I don’t get caught, right?”

He had thought about it.

Quite seriously, actually.

He’d already begun planning exactly how to siphon money out of the Art Center.

The director’s salary was disappointingly low.

“Maybe you forgot, but I’m part of SHS too. Isn’t it a little strange to announce your intention to steal company funds right in front of me?”

“Oh. Right.”

“And if you think you can pull it off while I’m watching, go ahead and try. If I know and somehow miss it, that’s on me. But if I catch you… you know what happens.”

“Not doing it. Definitely not doing it.”

‘Just look at those eyes.’

They practically screamed that he would skin Ha-jin alive.

The embezzlement plan vanished from Ha-jin’s mind instantly.

Money was nice, but not as nice as staying alive.

Suddenly, he didn’t want to attend the opening ceremony anymore.

Maybe he should resign.

“Come on. Let’s go. A lot of people will be there, so don’t mess up.”

“Yeah, yeah…”

It was ridiculous.

Hearing advice like that from Woo-seok of all people.

The man who caused more trouble than anyone else on earth.

****

“And this is…?”

“Ah, our omega son-in-law. First time meeting him, right?”

Ha-jin’s lower back was beginning to ache.

Being dragged around by Lee Ah-seong and Chae Il-joo, greeting guest after guest, was exhausting.

At home they treated him like garbage for being an omega.

Outside, they played the role of affectionate in-laws.

It felt less like family and more like they were proudly displaying an expensive ornament no one else could own.

Every time Ah-seong gently stroked the back of his neck while pretending intimacy, goosebumps ran down his spine.

“So the rumors were true. A dominant omega. Chairman Lee really does have an excellent eye!”

“What’s so special about dominant traits? More importantly, he’s a good kid. That’s enough.”

The corners of Ah-seong’s mouth never stopped rising.

And honestly, he was enjoying himself.

Losing the Art Center to that sly fox Ha-jin had been painful.

And Ha-jin’s occasional insolent remarks certainly didn’t help.

But right now?

None of it mattered.

How long had he dreamed of receiving looks like these?

Jae-yi had become too embarrassing to brag about.

Jun-seok’s marriage had practically been conducted in secret.

Even their children were people he couldn’t proudly show off.

The resentment and disappointment he’d carried for years felt compensated for in a single day.

“Let’s go greet the people over there.”

“…Yes.”

It had been a long time since Ah-seong had felt this way.

It reminded him of the day Woo-seok was born.

That was how satisfied he felt.

Ha-jin, meanwhile, already wanted to go home before the main event had even begun.

‘Woo-seok… where are you?’

He wanted to hand Ah-seong off to him as soon as possible.

“Oh? Excuse me.”

Someone suddenly grabbed Ha-jin’s arm while he was being led toward another group of guests.

“…Yes?”

“Han Ji-woon? Right? Han Ji-woon!”

A familiar voice.

A familiar name.

And a familiar face.

The fog in Ha-jin’s mind cleared instantly.

He recognized the man.

More accurately, he knew him very well.

“You must have the wrong person.”

“Hey! Don’t you remember me? Back when we were in college- ”

Of course he remembered.

This was a man Ha-jin had thoroughly swindled years ago.

Back then, he had been a newly rich fool perpetually high on drugs.

An idiot who lost tens of millions investing in a nonexistent shell company.

Naturally, Ha-jin had pocketed every penny.

After all, he was the one who had conned him.

“After we lost all that money and I lost contact with you… I felt so guilty.”

Apparently he was still an idiot.

By now, anyone should have suspected they’d been scammed.

Yet he still seemed completely unaware of what had actually happened.

“Who is this? Someone you know?”

Even Ah-seong had started paying attention.

Ha-jin forced himself to remain calm.

“I’m sorry, but I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else. My name is Go Ha-jin.”

“What?”

He was confident.

The role he had played back then had been that of a poor, struggling college student.

A young man who had supposedly lost all his savings in an investment scam.

Compared to his current appearance, they were worlds apart.

Even their clothing couldn’t be compared.

“Hyung, what’s going on?”

Just as the man was about to argue further, Woo-seok suddenly appeared and wrapped an arm around Ha-jin’s shoulders.

“Ah, I think you’ve mistaken him for someone else.”

The man had initially thought the person before him looked remarkably similar to the Han Ji-woon he remembered.

But the moment Woo-seok appeared beside him, that thought crumbled.

The ragged, penniless Han Ji-woon from his memories would never be associated with someone as polished as this man.

Then again, that Han Ji-woon could never have attended an event like this.

Unless he’d somehow won the lottery ten times in a row.

Maybe he’d just done too many drugs lately.

Maybe that was all.

“Ah… Sorry. I must’ve made a mistake.”

Even so, his gaze kept returning to Ha-jin.

Go Ha-jin.

Go Ha-jin.

Maybe it was simply because he liked the way he looked.

‘Damn it. People like that always have someone already.’

Even as he walked away, he glanced back several times.

“Tch. Conduct yourself properly. Do you realize what kind of event this is? Associating with people like that…”

Despite having witnessed the entire thing, Ah-seong still found a reason to criticize Ha-jin.

“Come on. Let’s keep greeting people. It’ll look better if my son is with us too.”

“What’s the point of all this greeting…”

“Just today. Bear with it, son.”

Ha-jin nearly lost strength in his legs.

He had maintained a calm expression, but he couldn’t control his thoughts.

Especially after the incident involving Jae-yi not long ago.

Fortunately, Woo-seok’s arm remained around his shoulders, supporting him.

Whether intentionally or not, he also redirected Ah-seong’s attention away from Ha-jin.

“Next, we will hear opening remarks from SHS Cultural Foundation Chairwoman Lee Ah-seong.”

The master of ceremonies announced the start of the main event.

“Me? But Chairman Chae is here. And our son-in-law too…”

Ah-seong acted surprised.

As though he hadn’t known all along.

As though he hadn’t spent days practicing from prepared notes.

Only after the applause grew louder did he reluctantly step onto the stage.

“For a long time, I have regretted the lack of proper cultural and artistic facilities in our country…”

This kind of thing suited him perfectly.

Standing behind the podium, Ah-seong looked more confident than ever.

He loved being the center of attention.

His speech flowed effortlessly.

If anything, he was probably disappointed.

The reporters should have been here for this.

Unfortunately, the press conference was scheduled later, so journalists were still being kept outside.

“Are you okay?”

“…Yes. I’m sorry.”

Lately, Ha-jin found himself saying that a lot.

I’m sorry.

He never intended for any of this to happen.

But it would be a lie to say he didn’t feel guilty about the trouble that kept following him.

When he worked alone, he had never felt this way.

These days, he occasionally felt disgusted with himself.

“You’ll be fine. Just have someone investigate that bastard from earlier. Just in case.”

“I’ll do it before the event ends.”

Woo-seok subtly pulled Ha-jin closer by the waist.

It was his own form of irritation.

That insignificant nobody wasn’t worth worrying over.

And seeing Ha-jin so dejected over it annoyed him.

Maybe it was comfort.

Something like that.

“And now, we will begin the unveiling ceremony for the SHS Gallery commemorative statue.”

Ah-seong’s speech had ended.

The unveiling ceremony was next.

Following Ah-seong’s invitation, Ha-jin took his place before the stage, standing with his back to a statue hidden beneath a large cloth.

It was a standard ceremony.

Ah-seong, Ha-jin, and several board members would pull a cord, revealing the commemorative statue.

Apparently even this relatively small sculpture had cost hundreds of millions of won.

Following the emcee’s instructions, Ha-jin gave the cord a gentle tug.

Then, as rehearsed, he smiled and applauded.

Ah-seong and the board members did the same.

But something felt wrong.

It didn’t take long to realize there was a problem.

The crowd had begun to stir.

“AAAHHH!”

A piercing scream became the signal.

Crash!

Champagne glasses shattered.

People started running.

Camera flashes erupted everywhere.

And in the distance…

Woo-seok was sprinting toward him.

“…What…?”

Instinctively, Ha-jin turned toward the direction everyone was staring.

On the stage where the statue should have stood…

Something drenched in bright red blood was on display instead.

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