Chapter 96: The Successor Plan

To be honest, Go Ha-jin had disliked Chae Woo-seok.

More precisely, he had never once considered him as someone he could develop romantic feelings for.

Ridiculous as it sounded, Ha-jin was almost a fatalist when it came to love. He believed in the kind of love that struck at first sight rather than feelings that slowly grew over time. A destined encounter, something that happened the moment your eyes met.

People might say that meant he only cared about looks, but in his opinion, if someone’s face did not appeal to you from the beginning, how were you supposed to discover the rest of who they were?

It was absolutely impossible.

That was why he believed in love at first sight.

By that standard, Chae Woo-seok had been disqualified immediately.

Ha-jin had disliked his impression from the very first moment they met. He had found him intimidating.

Handsome, yes.

But still.

On top of that, Ha-jin was someone who drew a strict line between work and personal life.

He had never once made the foolish mistake of falling for someone involved in work.

That was not because he had extensive dating experience. In fact, he had very little. Somehow, the people he liked always disliked him, while the ones he disliked were the ones who liked him.

Woo-seok had been someone he approached solely to scam.

He could say with absolute certainty that he had never considered him special.

His only thought had been, ‘Damn it, I got unlucky.’

Throughout the contract marriage, all he had thought about was how to make money.

But he had not known that affection did not require your conscious awareness.

The longer they spent together, the more Woo-seok quietly accumulated inside his heart.

Ha-jin had believed most of those feelings were irritation, resentment, and dislike.

But when he looked back, the emotions left behind in his chest were nothing like that.

Sometimes people became blind because of the beliefs they considered absolute.

They believed only what they already knew and failed to see everything happening underneath.

That had been Ha-jin.

Without realizing it, the worldview he had believed was absolutely unshakable had quietly crumbled.

Ironically, he only realized it when death was right in front of him.

The precious feeling he had never noticed while standing beside Woo-seok became undeniable the moment he thought everything was about to end.

There was no room for doubt.

The fact that the one person he wanted to see one more time, even if he was about to die, was Chae Woo-seok was proof enough.

Looking back, his feelings had been changing shape every single day.

He had wanted Woo-seok to notice him.

He had gotten angry when Woo-seok stayed out late.

He had desperately fought against divorce.

All because of a single emotion.

Maybe it was not love.

That word felt too sweet, too gentle, too delicate for what existed between them.

But it was certainly something very close to it.

Something strong enough to shatter even the absolute rules he had lived by.

“I’m really okay.”

After the brief kiss, Ha-jin pulled away.

Only then did Woo-seok slowly open his eyes.

Had that overwhelming feeling reached him?

Sometimes emotions were conveyed through things other than words.

But judging by his expression alone, Ha-jin could not tell whether his feelings had truly reached him.

“…So this…”

Woo-seok finally spoke.

“So this is how you take advantage of the situation. If you’re okay, you’re okay. Why are you kissing me?”

“Ah- ah!”

Woo-seok pinched one of Ha-jin’s cheeks so hard it felt like he was trying to tear it off.

Right.

Of course.

Expecting emotional sensitivity from this man had been asking too much.

Ha-jin quickly accepted that he had expected far too much and shoved Woo-seok away with all his strength.

The sharp sting in his cheek instantly stripped away every trace of the romantic haze clouding his mind.

“Th-that’s not what it was!”

“Then what was it?”

Woo-seok sat on the bed, calmly looking him up and down.

His gaze seemed to be asking what the hell Ha-jin thought he was doing.

Ha-jin had no intention of revealing his feelings so easily, so he desperately searched for an excuse.

It felt unfair.

The thought that he might be the only one with feelings for this man made him want to sigh.

Seriously, why did this guy always look at people like they were trash?

The more he thought about it, the more he wondered if there was anything lovable about him at all.

“You… you said something before, remember? About whether I could kiss the omega serial killer. It’s like that. It means I’m really okay because I could even kiss you. A kiss isn’t that big of a deal…”

Woo-seok knew perfectly well that Ha-jin was making excuses.

Whenever Ha-jin lied, he became unusually talkative.

Still, he was relieved.

Relieved that Ha-jin was not blaming him.

Relieved that he was not using this as a reason to ask for a divorce.

“Really?”

“…What now?”

“A kiss really isn’t a big deal?”

“O-of course. Don’t assign some grand meaning to it. I could do it as casually as eating a meal.”

Even if Ha-jin said he was fine, Woo-seok could not be completely fine.

As far as he was concerned, everything that had happened was his fault.

But Ha-jin’s willingness to accept him anyway made his chest feel lighter.

“Then one more shouldn’t be a problem.”

“What kind of- mmph!”

They had gone through a great deal.

But in the end, he thought, it was a blessing that they were still the kind of people who could kiss each other like this.

****

“Anyone watching would think I’m bullying you.”

“…This is a little embarrassing, Father.”

“Smile. I’m not doing this because I enjoy it either.”

At Lee Ah-seong’s command, Ha-jin forced a smile onto his face.

Lee Ah-seong smiled back warmly.

From a distance, the people watching them looked deeply confused.

They had all heard the rumors.

The Chae family’s omega son-in-law had gotten pregnant, been kidnapped by the omega serial killer, survived, and then miscarried.

Every part of that story had been shocking.

Now the very person at the center of all those rumors had appeared in public.

But what shocked them even more was the relationship between him and Lee Ah-seong.

Look at them.

In a place full of people, Lee Ah-seong was looking at his recently miscarried son-in-law with unmistakable warmth and concern.

Given SHS and the Chae family’s reputation, everyone had expected them to grind a miscarried omega into dust.

Of course, that was exactly what Lee Ah-seong intended.

“…You’re really going to use me to the fullest, aren’t you?”

“Of course. You’re not useful for much else.”

Ha-jin had come because Lee Ah-seong summoned him.

He had assumed the man would not even want to speak to him.

He certainly had not expected to be called somewhere this public.

But this was Lee Ah-seong.

Using him for image management was exactly the sort of thing he would do.

Judging by the atmosphere around them, the kidnapping itself had also been deliberately leaked.

“The tragic omega and the warm, supportive in-laws who embraced him. Something like that? You’re good at deceiving people, aren’t you?”

Every word carried a blade, yet his face wore the gentlest smile imaginable.

The contradiction suited him strangely well.

Oddly enough, Ha-jin did not dislike this version of Lee Ah-seong.

He preferred someone whose hostility was honest to someone who hid it behind politeness.

“But don’t worry. You’ll probably get your grandchild soon enough.”

The moment the word pregnancy left Ha-jin’s mouth, Lee Ah-seong’s practiced smile disappeared, replaced by genuine anticipation.

“You’re sure?”

“Of course. Woo-seok and I are still getting along well.”

“I don’t know how you managed to keep my son wrapped around your finger, but do your job properly. Don’t start expecting anything else.”

Lately, every time Lee Ah-seong saw Woo-seok protecting Ha-jin, his mood darkened.

It was good that Woo-seok was no longer fooling around outside.

But seeing him take Ha-jin’s side again and again was deeply unpleasant.

“What could I possibly expect? I’m satisfied with things as they are.”

“In that case, there’s something I need you to do.”

If Ha-jin could still be useful, then he should be used.

Especially now.

“…What?”

A sense of foreboding settled in Ha-jin’s chest.

A man who lacked nothing was asking him for help.

“You know the subsidiary executive reshuffle is coming up soon.”

“I’ve heard about it.”

“Good. That makes this easier.”

Lee Ah-seong leaned forward across the table, his expression unusually serious.

Whatever he was about to say, it was not going to be simple.

“We’re going to make Woo-seok the successor.”

“…What?”

“You’re going to make it happen.”

“If nothing else, prove your value that way.”

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