From Divorce to Dusk Chapter 1

A single stamp to start. A single stamp to end.

I don’t feel empty, nor do I feel sad. It’s just a waste of that piece of paper.

◆

An Omega and an Alpha, major corporations representing Korea. A relationship that would bring great benefits if they joined hands.

In that case, there was only one answer. For the families to form a connection. To make a contract under the name of marriage.

“Director Han.”

As he came out of the courthouse, dreary raindrops began to patter down. Why did the raindrops seem so heavy today? Jaekyung pointlessly reached out his hand to catch the raindrops, but just as he was about to, they splattered and fell to the ground. Just then, a man holding a black umbrella ran over, bowed politely to the man standing like a shadow next to Jaekyung, and opened the umbrella to hand it over. The man took the umbrella as if he had been waiting for it and, with cool yet composed and heavy steps, stomped on the rainwater that had fallen to the ground and got into a black sedan.

It was so absurd that he couldn’t even laugh. Even if they were just a show-window couple, they had been married for 5 years, and today was the day they put an end to that life. But he didn’t even look at Jaekyung, let alone offer a final goodbye. Should I be grateful that he came himself instead of a lawyer? Then again, a lawyer probably couldn’t have come. Although they weren’t visible right now, there were sure to be a few reporters in the building across from the courthouse. The news of their marriage had turned the country upside down, but the news of their divorce caused no major stir other than a drop in stock prices. Only a few gossip and business magazines took an interest. He probably came here today because he was conscious of those reporters. He’d need the title of “parting on good terms” for the end. That way, he could protect the stock’s defense line… Haha. He’s that kind of person to the very end. A selfish person who only thinks of his own interests and the company. A person who doesn’t even acknowledge family that isn’t related by blood…

“It’s over.”

Jaekyung muttered quietly. His life as his shadow, his life as a mute puppet, was now over. Now he was free. Jaekyung looked up at the sky. He had always been conscious of what others thought, unable to wear the clothes he wanted or style his hair the way he wanted. So today, in commemoration of the divorce, he would try to deviate just once. As if he had made up his mind, Jaekyung clenched his fists and ran coolly through the pouring rain.

He could feel his whole body getting unpleasantly soaked, but it was okay. Today was a day he was allowed to get wet.

◆

[Where are you…?]

He got a call just as he arrived at the entrance of his studio apartment, looking like a drowned rat. The caller was his mother. Jaekyung debated for a long time whether to answer, but it was clear that his mother would worry all day if he didn’t, so he sighed and pressed the call button. Just as he expected, his mother’s voice on the phone sounded very gloomy.

“I’m at my studio, Mother.”

[You didn’t come home….]

“Father…”

Jaekyung couldn’t continue his sentence. It was the same for his mother on the other end of the line. The day Jaekyung said he was getting a divorce, his father, of course, flew into a rage and, just like in a drama, swung a golf club and told Jaekyung he would cut ties with him if he went through with it. Those words weren’t scary. In fact, having to live with Han Taesuk as his partner for decades was more terrifying. He felt like he would really die if he lived like that for another year or two. Jaekyung didn’t want to die. That’s why cutting ties with his family was better, and he boldly chose divorce.

As a result, he was banned from entering the family home. His mother told Jaekyung to get on his knees and beg his father for forgiveness, but the words he would hear were obvious even if he did beg, and Jaekyung had no intention of doing so.

“I’m sorry.”

[…Can you send me your address? I’ll come by sometime later.]

“Ah, no. Mother, I haven’t even finished organizing my things… I’ll let you know when I’m done. Please come then.”

[…You have to let me know. Okay? Call me if you’re having a hard time. Hm?]
“Yes. Don’t worry.”

Only after reassuring his mother for a long time was Jaekyung able to hang up the phone. He pressed the passcode for his home and opened the door. The small space, visible at a single glance, made Jaekyung smile with satisfaction. It was the first home he had gotten by searching for it himself. A studio apartment in a university district, rented for 80 million won.

Before his marriage, he had saved up some money from working at the company for a few years, and he also had stocks in his name. He also had the assets distributed from the divorce, so if he put his mind to it, he could afford a multi-billion won apartment in Gangnam, but he didn’t want to spend lavishly. From now on, he had to plan his life on his own, so he had to be careful with every move, and as a contingency, he needed to have money. It was unfortunate, but in this society, if you have money, 80% of your life can go smoothly.

The studio wasn’t bad for living alone. However, there wasn’t enough storage space, so he had to get rid of half of the things he brought. At least he didn’t have a hobby of collecting clothes, so it didn’t take long to organize, but the feeling was strange. Each and every piece of clothing had been carefully chosen to be shown to others. No, they were things that had been carefully chosen for him. At a department store lounge, dozens of outfits would be laid out, and he would meticulously check each one, handing Jaekyung only those that wouldn’t be criticized by others. He never asked if Jaekyung liked them or not. With a gaze that was a clear command to wear this, Jaekyung would thank him like a robot and put on the clothes. Of course, the clothes were chosen with Jaekyung’s style, skin tone, and body shape in mind, so they suited him ridiculously well, but the problem was the heart of the person wearing them, Jaekyung. Jaekyung thought those clothes didn’t suit him, and he got rid of them first.

Thanks to moving diligently for about a week, it now looked a bit like a home. Jaekyung looked around and, with a satisfied smile, took off his wet clothes. He soaked his body in warm water to bring his lowered body temperature back up, then changed into pajamas and lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

Surprisingly, he had no thoughts at all. He wasn’t distraught, nor was he sad. He just felt calm. He tossed and turned on the narrow single bed and looked at his phone. Of course, there were no messages. It was only at thirty-three that he realized that Jaekyung, who was no longer the eldest son of Jaewang Group, no longer the partner of Director Han of NI Company, was needed by no one.

After getting married, he was confined to the house and lost contact with the two friends he had. Thinking about it, he suddenly felt like he had been dropped into a different world. But it’s okay. He just needs to do well. If he lives diligently, with the feeling of starting a new life from scratch, he can surely become happy.

Jaekyung installed a job search app on his phone. He thought about what he could do in his field of experience and interest, picked a few places he liked, and marked them as favorites. He decided to make calls tomorrow, put down his phone, and turned off the light.

The sky outside the window, seen from the small bed of the studio apartment, was so pitch black that it seemed heartless. Just like someone.

“He’s probably working late again…”

As much as he took his precious and busy time to come. He’s probably working late, saying he has to make up for that lost time. As he thought this, Jaekyung shook his head. Is this why habits are so hard to break? No. What habit… I’ve never once ironed his dress shirt, never once prepared a meal for him, there’s no way I have such a habit.

He’ll live well. He might meet someone new and get married soon. He might meet an Omega who can adapt to that family, to that person, and build a dream-like family. Jaekyung pulled the blanket over his head. I should stop thinking about someone who has nothing to do with me anymore… and sleep.

◆

Park Jaekyung and Han Taesuk first met in elementary school… at a party celebrating the 30th anniversary of Nasan Electronics changing its name to NI Company.

The two were aware of each other’s existence but had never met, and since they had no interest, they didn’t even know each other’s faces. At the gathering where their parents introduced them, they were told “this is so-and-so” and “that is so-and-so,” and they only made eye contact once before turning away and forgetting each other’s existence. After that, they went their separate ways. Jaekyung went to study in Japan, and Han Taesuk in the United States, each preparing to become the heir to their families. The next time they met was three months before their wedding, at a blind date meeting.

Jaekyung was the eldest son of Jaewang Group. He had been a Beta but presented late at the age of 20. As soon as he received confirmation of his presentation from his doctor, his father looked at Jaekyung with disdain. The image of his father laughing at him, saying he was a useless Beta who finally turned out to be somewhat useful, only to be a Recessive Omega, was still vivid.

That night, his mother cried for a long time in Jaekyung’s room.

Becoming the partner of the eldest son of Jaewang Group, she gave birth to a son and a daughter. The daughter was a Beta and was so frail that she was recuperating in Canada, naturally removing her from the line of succession, and the son, Jaekyung, was a Beta who presented as an Omega. Although there was no social discrimination against Omegas, in the world of power, an Omega was a useless existence other than as a tool to connect families. If Jaekyung had been the second son, or if there had been just one more Alpha son, the chairman of Jaewang Group would not have treated Jaekyung so poorly. 

Realizing that his expectations had been completely shattered, Jaekyung tried his best to piece together the broken glass. He studied and lived diligently while studying abroad, and as soon as he graduated, he joined Jaewang Group as a new employee and built his skills from the ground up. 

He achieved many accomplishments at a young age, successfully carried out several projects, and even secured the overseas construction business that Jaewang Group had been so eager to foster, showing enough ability to impress the board of directors. They even went so far as to tell the chairman that although Jaekyung was an Omega, he was not lacking as an heir. After that, his father sought him out more often and entrusted him with work, making him think he was being acknowledged. 

Just as he was slowly erasing his past wounds, he was called to a gathering under the name of a family dinner.

That was where he met Han Taesuk for the second time.

A large table. To his right were his father and mother. On the opposite left sat the chairman of NI Company and his wife, whom Jaekyung knew well, and Han Taesuk, whom he had only seen in news photos.

「What are you doing, spacing out? Greet them.」

As Jaekyung stood blankly at the entrance of the room, his father chided him. At that voice, he quickly came to his senses, bowed his head to apologize for being late, and sat in the prepared seat. The seat was directly across from Han Taesuk. He didn’t look at Jaekyung and drank a glass of water. The sound of the teacup being set down filled the quiet room.

The atmosphere… was strange. If it were simply a dinner with the NI Company family, his parents would have told him beforehand. More importantly, if it had been such a lighthearted gathering, there would have been cheerful chatter about how everyone was doing, but there was none of that. The NI couple looked Jaekyung up and down.

「Jaekyung, you’ve grown up well.」

Ji Yeonjoo… the eldest daughter of Kookmin Group, Korea’s leading media company, and now the partner of the chairman of NI Company, and the director of Hanart Gallery. She was the mother of the man sitting next to her, who had a heavy and stiff demeanor.

After her observation seemed to be complete, she spoke a single sentence. The chairman of NI Company, sitting next to her, nodded as if in agreement.

「The fact that he’s a Recessive Omega is a concern… but I received his recent health check-up results from Dr. Kim and saw them… It says there’s no problem with getting pregnant, and if he consistently gets hormone shots, the ‘Recessive’ part can be removed from Recessive Omega, so that doesn’t seem to be a problem either.」

What are they talking about right now…? Just as Jaekyung, with wide eyes, was about to open his mouth to say something, his mother quickly grabbed his arm. Her eyes, trembling with sadness and anxiety, told him not to move or say a single word.

「Then let’s have the wedding in three months. What do you think, Chairman Park?」

「Three months from now would be December. Excellent. It’s a perfect way to wrap up the year, Director Ji.」

「As for the announcement and other details, let’s let the family lawyers and these children decide.」

「Yes, I understand.」

Marriage…?