The Sleepwalker’s Mansion Chapter 6

“Ah, yesterday….”

Yesterday, I had shamefully cried in my father’s arms. Not a seven-year-old child, but a twenty-two-year-old grown adult, clinging to his father’s arms and sobbing his heart out.

Doeon ruffled his hair and got out of bed. The first thing he did was bend his arm, bury his nose in his elbow, and take a deep breath. It was to check if he could smell the pheromones of a recessive omega.

There were times when a faint scent of herb leaves, like lavender, would appear, and at those times, it was best to take a suppressant right away. Now that there were two alphas in the mansion, he thought he should take his medication in advance, just in case.

Doeon took out a medicine packet containing suppressants from the bedside table and swallowed a pill. The bitter medicine entering his empty stomach made his brow furrow on its own.

There were more than a few things to be careful about. Taeoh and Doha would be in the guest room on the first floor, but he still couldn’t feel at ease.

Opening his door, Doeon peeked his head out and looked outside. After confirming that no one was in the second-floor hallway, he tiptoed his way to his mother’s room at the end of the hall. When he opened the door and entered, he saw that his mother’s room was unchanged from when she had passed away.

Doeon looked around the room with a face steeped in longing. He could see that the spot on the bed where his mother had always lain was sunken in, matching her height. Gulp. He felt like he was about to cry again, so he clenched his jaw tightly.

He carefully opened the drawer of his mother’s bedside table. He knew that his mother kept important documents here. The documents related to the mansion would probably be here as well. He bent his knees and rummaged through the bedside table drawer.

“Here it is!”

Indeed, the documents were neatly placed inside the drawer. True to his mother’s personality, she had even signed them in advance. Judging by the atmosphere yesterday, his father seemed to pity him. He could clearly feel that. Could he really inherit this mansion in its entirety without his secret being discovered until the very end?

He was worried, but for some reason, he felt like everything would work out well. Doeon straightened the documents with a tap, tap and held them to his chest.

Just then, someone strode into the room.

“What are you doing here?”

Doha, wearing a gray sweatsuit and a white short-sleeved t-shirt, was looking at him. Startled, Doeon hurriedly tucked the documents he was holding into his waistband and blinked his wide-open eyes as if nothing had happened.

“Ju-just. I wanted to come to Mom’s room.”

“This is Mom’s room?”

“Huh? Yes….”

Doha crossed his arms and looked around his mother’s room once. His gaze stopped on the platform bed placed where the light streamed through an arched window. The place where their mother had always stayed. The two brothers stared at the same spot, as if they were both seeing their mother’s apparition side by side.

“Aren’t you curious?”

Doeon asked.

“About what?”

“About what kind of person Mom was….”

The question came out without him realizing it, as he felt that his younger brother, who hadn’t shed a single tear when their mother passed away, was cold-hearted.

Doha let out a small laugh, uncrossed his arms, and strode over to the foot of the bed, plopping down. The old mattress creaked and sank, as if it was having a hard time supporting Doha’s weight. Creak. With his long legs stretched out and his chin lifted, he spoke with a face that showed no interest at all.

“I know as much as I need to.”

“What?”

“Her secondary gender was dominant omega. She pathologically hated dominant alphas, so she ostracized Dad and me a great deal. She was so stubborn that she thought you would be tainted if you met us. As if a beta, not even an omega, would change that much just by meeting a dominant alpha.”

“Th-that’s a misunderstanding…!”

The reason it seemed like their mother hated dominant alphas was because he had presented as a recessive omega. She had become overprotective of him, which led to her cutting off ties with the paternal side of the family, and to Taeoh and Doha, that just looked like she hated dominant alphas themselves. Doeon’s insides burned with frustration, unable to openly explain the unfortunate circumstances.

“A misunderstanding?”

“Yes… Mom didn’t hate you… There was a reason for everything….”

“A reason?”

“Yes….”

“Whatever the reason, it’s a fact that Mom chose you over me, isn’t it?”

“…….”

It was true that their mother chose Doeon, and their father chose Doha. But since his father was the CEO of a company called Theogra, Doha must have grown up without any financial difficulties. At least he wouldn’t have lived every single day worrying about running out of rice, and agonizing 24/7 that his mother might die, like I did.

“…Dad seemed kind.”

On top of that, his father was kind. Unlike his mother, who had a somewhat strong possessiveness and paranoid tendencies, he had a broad embrace and a warm heart. Living with his mother, he could feel a sense of camaraderie, but if he had lived with his father, wouldn’t he have been able to feel like he belonged within a sturdy fence?

“That’s all an act.”

“…What?”

“Everyone is fooled. By Seo Taeoh’s mask.”

“Wh-what are you talking about….”

“I’m saying it wasn’t easy for me either.”

When they were young, if their mother’s choice had been different, would their meeting have been different? If his father had chosen him, and his mother had chosen Doha, what would have been the result? Wouldn’t a situation where two brothers faced each other awkwardly like this have been avoided?

“You should know this… Mom missed you too. She was interested in news about you,….”

“Don’t give me your cheap pity. I don’t need it.”

Cutting him off, Doha’s face instantly turned cold. As he watched the chilly back of his brother leaving the room, Doeon felt like he had been left behind with the ghost of his lonely-faced mother.

It was not only because of the trace of a wound he had glimpsed on Doha’s cold face yesterday, but for breakfast, he decided to make omelets, a dish he had learned by watching Ms. Seonhee over her shoulder. Now that Ms. Seonhee wouldn’t be coming anymore, the cooking was his responsibility. He oiled a frying pan, poured in the beaten eggs, and gently stirred the center to make them fluffy.

She had said that on low heat, you push it to one side, and when it forms a rugby ball shape, you flip it and pat it down. But since the pan was old, the shape fell apart.

“Doeon, what are you doing?”

Just then, Taeoh was entering the kitchen. A scent of trees after a morning dew came from Taeoh, who was dressed in a navy-blue suit. An alpha’s pheromones. His heart began to pound violently again. Trying not to let his hands tremble, he transferred the most beautifully shaped omelet onto a plate.

“It’s an omelet. Please eat.”

“It looks delicious. I’ll enjoy it.”

Taeoh’s eyes drew a round arc as he looked at the omelet Doeon made. Like a sunflower facing the sun, Doeon looked up at him. At first, he suspected Taeoh might have some ulterior motive, but this smile was all an act? That couldn’t be.

“I’ve actually called for someone to look after the housekeeping. You don’t have to do it yourself.”

“Ah, but since I’m the ma-master here… I should treat you as guests….”

The documents related to the mansion’s inheritance were still tucked into his waistband. So that he could show them to Taeoh at the right time and have a talk.

“Master? Hmm, I suppose that’s right.”

Would now be a good time? Doeon was conflicted. Taeoh was a wealthy man with a respectable business, so he probably wouldn’t need this old mansion that required upkeep.

But for Doeon, it was his only asset and a place filled with memories of his mother. It was a refuge and an air-raid shelter for the days to come. It was just as he was subtly bringing his hand to his waistband. Doha was approaching the dining table, shuffling in his slippers.

“Doha, you’re here too. Go ahead and sit down.”

Doeon had no choice but to pull his hand out of his waistband. Taeoh looked back and forth between Doeon and Doha and spoke in a gentle voice.

“Doeon, shall we sit down too?”

“Ah, yes….”

As Taeoh wrapped an arm around the standing Doeon’s shoulder and led him to the table, Doha narrowed his eyes and asked.

“Is there something you want to say? You’re only affectionate when you have something to say. What is it?”

“You rascal, you’re so impatient.”

After seating Doeon across from Doha, Taeoh naturally took the seat at the head of the table. A strange silence flowed between the three of them. Taeoh placed his elbows on the table and clasped his hands together. Not knowing what was going on, Doeon could only blink his eyes rapidly. Taeoh slowly parted his lips.

“It seems I’ll have to be away from the mansion for a while.”

“……!”

“……!”

Doeon’s eyes grew wide. Taeoh’s absence was an unforeseen situation. Leaving right after coming to the mansion? Then what about the inheritance process? The documents tucked into his waistband were uncomfortably poking the end of his spine.

As he fidgeted, interlocking his fingers under the table with an anxious gaze, Taeoh looked at Doeon’s stiffened face and said.

“It won’t take long. About a week.”

“And that’s not long? I have to spend a week with a ‘hyung’ I just met for the first time in nineteen years?”

Doha asked in a voice mixed with sarcasm. His tone also seemed to contain a protest against having to spend a week with a hyung he didn’t like. Taeoh unclasped his hands and crossed his arms. His firm upper arms were revealed, looking like they would burst.

“An unavoidable meeting has come up. It’s a case with high legal risk. I have to coordinate an emergency response with the law firm. You two might not know, but it’s an important time for the company.”

“Yes. I’m sure it is.”

“Seo Doha.”

When his sarcasm went too far, Taeoh called his name in a chilly tone. Doha pouted and swallowed the words he had left unsaid.

“You’ll understand, won’t you, Doeon?”

Taeoh turned his head toward Doeon and spoke softly, his eyes curving. Doeon, who had been sitting there in a daze, quickly came to his senses. One week. If he just endured and waited for one week, could he talk about the mansion’s inheritance process again?

Even though he couldn’t be sure, that was the only hope he could believe in right now, and his heart pounded. Even more so because of Taeoh’s beautiful face, which was looking quietly in his direction.

“It’s not just you, Doeon, I’m also worried about leaving that rascal Doha alone. Wouldn’t it be better for you two to be together?”

He was an unpredictable person who could go off in any direction, but Doha was his younger brother; they were siblings. Siblings reunited after nineteen years.

“I hope you’ll think of this as an opportunity for you to get closer to your younger brother, Doeon.”

As his father said, could he get closer to the rascal on this occasion? Above all, Taeoh’s suggestion had an irresistible power. Like the book of Revelation placed on the top shelf of the mansion’s library. Doeon slowly nodded his head.

“Yes….”

Taeoh’s eyes curved softly, as if in relief.

“Thank you, Doeon. Doha, you need to listen to your hyung as well.”

“I don’t think I can promise that.”

Doha replied, playfully tapping his leg. Taeoh, who had been looking at his son coldly, turned his gaze to look down at Doeon and said.

“I’m only counting on you, Doeon.”

“Yes….”

Because earning points like this would all lead to trust. Doeon tried his best to ignore Doha’s displeased stare and forced an awkward smile toward Taeoh.

Omen

On the day Taeoh left, the sky filled with hazy, dark clouds, and the rainy season began. Swoosh— A tremendous amount of rain poured down, and the mansion filled with the smell of moss submerged in water. The sound of the rain hitting the roof awakened the sunken mansion, and a gray curtain drawn through the windows wrapped the living room in gloom. The atmosphere was dreary, like a prison without bars.