From Divorce to Dusk Chapter 1.4

He dragged his exhausted body to bed and looked at his phone to see how the world had spun that day. Between handing over his duties and working at the gallery, he hadn’t even had the time to notice if the Earth was still rotating properly.

—NI Company’s Director Han Taesuk Secures 1 Trillion Won Business Deal in Malaysia

Out of habit, he checked the business section, and his hand automatically went to an article in the main news. The name, which had become familiar, naturally led him to read the article. From beginning to end, the article was filled with nothing but praise for how magnificent and beneficial the business Han Taesuk had secured was for the country. No matter how much NI Company had distributed press releases, it would have been difficult to write such overtly flattering content… Looking at the comments, there were some malicious ones written out of antipathy towards the company, but most were praising him for a job well done.

Scrolling up again, he saw a photo of Han Taesuk signing the contract. It was a face he had seen just a few hours ago, yet it felt unfamiliar.

「Come to think of it, I don’t know anything about this person…」

Han Taesuk had probably already finished his investigation on him. Jaekyung, on the other hand, only knew his three-character name and his date of birth. In fact, he had only recently learned that he was younger than him. Jaekyung thought this wouldn’t do, and he shot up from the bed, grabbed his laptop, sat on the bed, and searched for Han Taesuk on a portal site, looking for news and materials related to him. 

Just because he had no interest in him didn’t mean he should be the same. At the very least, he should make an effort. That’s right. If it’s something I can’t avoid, something I can’t run away from, I should make an effort to change it for the better. Thinking that, all the fatigue he felt until just a moment ago vanished, and Jaekyung stayed up all night, wide awake, studying and studying about the man named Han Taesuk.

And two days later… he came to the gallery again.

This time, it was a little earlier. As soon as he made eye contact with him as he opened the door, pushing past the people fawning around him, Jaekyung didn’t miss his chance this time and, with a confident smile, greeted the man approaching him.

「Hello.」

His footsteps stopped.

「It’s quite cold today.」

He had practiced this one line so many times. Like a subject having their first audience with the king… over and over again.

「…I see.」

He simply received the words Jaekyung had so carefully chosen and walked past. He was a cold person, as expected. But amusingly, because of the attitude he had shown so far, he didn’t expect anything more. Should I be grateful that he even responded?

「Ah.」

Just as Jaekyung was about to focus on the paintings again, Han Taesuk, who had been on his way to Director Ji, turned and came back to Jaekyung. Jaekyung was surprised by his sudden action but tried hard not to show it, forcing a smile.

「The wedding announcement article will be out tomorrow. Have you heard?」

「Ah… no.」
So it’s tomorrow. Finally.

「You’ll have to conduct yourself properly so as not to cause any unnecessary gossip.」

「…Yes, I know.」

Of course. What else would he have to say to him? Jaekyung sighed and futilely watched the back of the man who had turned away so coldly.

◆

“Um… so, I use this like this, and when I’m ringing someone up, I scan the barcode and press this button, is that right?”

On his first day at the convenience store, he was being trained by the manager. The manager, looking satisfied that Jaekyung was a quick learner, smiled and nodded.

“Jaekyung-ssi, you’re doing well.”

“Thank you!”

It had been so long since Jaekyung had been praised that he beamed and returned the compliment. The manager, seeing that Jaekyung smiled readily and was quick to learn the work, got ambitious and taught him various things. It was a bit tough having to suddenly learn and master so many things, but it wasn’t as hard as his time at the gallery. Then again, back then it was more mentally draining than physically…

“Do you think you can handle it on your own starting tonight?”

“Yes, leave it to me. I’ll call you if there are any problems.”

“Okay, okay. Then I’ll trust you, Jaekyung-ssi, and go get some rest.”
“Yes!”

He had heard that the manager usually stays and trains for a day or two, but seeing the manager trust him and go home, Jaekyung didn’t know whether to be happy or sad and just tickled the bridge of his nose with his finger. Then, from behind the counter, he looked around the small convenience store. This was the place he had to guard until morning. He had managed that huge gallery. Of course, the variety of items here was much smaller, but the gallery was also a place that ran on a large and busy scale behind the scenes. Above all, the amount of money that came and went at once was enormous, so this was a piece of cake.

Fortunately, perhaps because it was a weekday, the convenience store was quiet. Aside from being a little sleepy, he was passing the time without any major problems. Growing bored, Jaekyung picked up his phone and, out of habit, pressed the news and business menu.

—NI Company’s Senior Managing Director Han Taesuk Signs Technology Development Agreement with American AI Company.

…He did it again, this man. The only difference from back then was perhaps his promotion from Director to Senior Managing Director.

The AI company was famous for not sharing its technology with any other company. And he knew that they had spent years trying to persuade them. Of course, he had never told him. He had only learned everything through articles or other people. Jaekyung smiled bitterly. This time, unlike before, he didn’t look at his picture. Instead, he looked at a picture of another handsome celebrity and tried to shake off the man’s face that was trying to surface in his mind. It had been a week since the divorce… and still not a single text from him.

◆

—RRRRRR

“Mmm….”

Thinking it was his alarm, he pressed the off button several times, but the continuous ringing forced him to blearily look at his phone screen, and he was startled.

Seeing the caller ID ‘Mother’, Jaekyung shot up, sat on the bed, and looked at the clock on his phone. It was 1 PM. Jaekyung quickly drank a glass of water and cleared his throat. The phone hadn’t stopped ringing until then. She must be very worried. Deciding not to make her worry any longer, Jaekyung quickly pressed the call button.

“Hello.”

[Jaekyung.]

A woman with a warm voice called her son’s name affectionately, along with a sigh of relief.

[Do you know how worried I was, thinking something had happened.]

“I’m sorry. I was listening to music while reading a book, so I couldn’t hear it.”
[Really? You’re not sick or anything?]

“No, I’m not. I’m healthy. Please don’t worry.”

[You say that, but it’s been a month since I’ve seen your face. I have to see your face today, Mom is. Where is your place?]

Ah, so the day has finally come….

“The house is still a mess…”

[How long has it been since you moved? Then I’ll go with the housekeeper. We can clean the house and….]

“Ah, no. Mother. Why should the housekeeper go through trouble because of me? Let’s just meet outside. I’ll invite you to my place next time.”

[Jaekyung.]

“Yes? Mother. Please.”

[…Alright.]

It seemed like if he didn’t see her today, she would find out his address even if it meant hiring people, so Jaekyung quickly found and suggested a compromise. 

They decided to meet at a tea shop in Gangnam that his mother liked, and Jaekyung ended the call and checked the clock again. It now read 1:05 PM. 

Good grief, how long did I sleep… 

He had come home from work at 7 AM, and without even washing up, he had laid down in bed and slept until now. It seems he really can’t fool his age anymore… Unlike in his 20s, the fatigue from an all-nighter didn’t go away easily. It had only been three weeks since he started working, but he still wasn’t used to it, and his body was getting more and more tired. 

On his one day off a week, he didn’t go out and just slept all day. Thanks to that, both his body and mind were getting more and more exhausted, and depressing thoughts kept creeping in. So, today’s outing seemed like a good opportunity for Jaekyung as well. 

Jaekyung groaned and moved his heavy, fatigue-ridden body into the less than half-a-pyeong bathroom that also served as a shower, took off his clothes, and turned on the shower.

Standing under the water, he saw his haggard appearance in the mirror. For the first week after starting the night shift at the convenience store, he had been fine, but why was it so hard now… Still, it wasn’t that he disliked the job or the manager, so he thought he could work more enjoyably if he just got his act together.

After showering, Jaekyung shoveled a handful of supplements into his mouth and took his pheromone and heat cycle suppressants as well. Since he was imprinted anyway, it wouldn’t be a big deal even if his heat cycle came, but there was no harm in being careful.

“Maybe it’s brainwashing.”

Jaekyung smiled bitterly as he packed the pill bottle. The phrase ‘conduct yourself properly’, which he had heard countless times over 5 years, contained numerous meanings. And that applied even now, after the divorce. That must be why they wanted him to maintain the imprint. Even after the divorce, he was still a subject of management simply because he had belonged to that family for a short time.

“Let’s not think about it.”

Just as his mood was about to sink to the bottom again, Jaekyung quickly shook his head and waved away the thoughts in his mind. It had been a while since he had seen his mother, and he felt he should show her a healthy appearance, so he went to a salon to get his hair styled, bought and wore new clothes, and dressed up in a way that wouldn’t bring shame to the title of ‘eldest son of Jaewang Group’ before heading to the meeting place.