From Divorce to Dusk Chapter 1.7

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Ever since that day, without his father and mother knowing, Jaekyung began to look into how this marriage came to be and what role he played in it. However, for some reason, even the driver and the housekeeper, who had watched over him for a long time, kept their lips sealed and shook their heads. No one would tell him the reason. They would only look at him with pitying eyes.

He had no choice but to set foot where his father was. Director Ha was his father’s close friend and also someone who cherished Jaekyung, so he met with him and asked cautiously. The man let out a deep sigh.

“It is not for me to say.”

“Besides you, sir, there is no one else who will tell me. Please… please help me.”

Director Ha tightly grasped Jaekyung’s hand. He was someone who had taken care of him and been a source of strength more than his own father. That’s why he had come here, thinking this was his last resort….

“Jaekyung. I imagine this must be very difficult for you. But neither Han Taesuk nor NI Company are people who would ever harm you, so do not worry too much.”

“That is not the answer I want. I… I just want to know why I have become not even a chess piece, but one of the sacrificial pawns to protect a chess piece.”

“Jaekyung! A sacrificial pawn!”

“Then what is this situation right now? As an omega, I never dared to covet the position of heir. You know that well, sir. But still… this is not right.”

Jaekyung pulled his hand from Director Ha’s and clutched his head. He would have felt a little less wronged if he had lived selfishly, disobeying his father all this time. But he had tried to live more diligently than anyone. He strived to be a person who would not bring shame to his father or the name of Jaewang Group. But he didn’t know why his future was sinking into a darker and endless abyss. To think that the one who pushed him into that darkness was his own father.

“…I cannot be the one to tell you. However, go and ask Director Ji. She will tell you everything.”

He was startled to hear the name of an unexpected person from the director.

“Director Ji?”

“Yes. She is the one who initiated this whole story, and she will tell you without any hesitation. However, I wish you wouldn’t listen.”

He didn’t want to see the director’s face as he said he was afraid Jaekyung would be hurt even more. If that were the case, he should have actively tried to stop his father and protected him more. However, knowing full well that this had proceeded because the director had agreed to it, Jaekyung told himself it was all useless talk and stood up from his seat. He was determined to find out what he needed to know, even if it meant getting hurt more here. He had to go to the gallery anyway, so Jaekyung moved quickly. Of course, when he moved, he did so with Driver Seo, who Han Taesuk had assigned to him. When he first met Driver Seo, they exchanged nothing more than their names. It was the same for the driver. Other than when Jaekyung was getting in and out of the car, he didn’t even make eye contact and showed no interest whatsoever, so in fact, Jaekyung felt like he was riding in a self-driving car. Not that it was uncomfortable. It was rather comfortable. He hated the idea of making small talk and having his words relayed to that household.

As soon as Jaekyung arrived at the gallery, he went to Director Ji’s study. She was listening to classical music and reading a book.

“What is it?”

Even though Jaekyung had knocked and stated his name as he entered, she remained focused on her book, as if completely uninterested.

“I have something to ask you, Director.”

“Speak quickly.”

The woman’s voice, stiff and devoid of any emotion, gave off a rather chilling aura. Feeling completely crushed by that energy, Jaekyung hesitated, but he clenched his fists and opened his mouth.

“…I am curious as to why you decided on me as your daughter-in-law.”

“I don’t know why you’re curious about that all of a sudden.”

“I believe I need to know.”

“Did Chairman Park not tell you?”

“No….”

Director Ji, who had been elegantly turning the pages, closed the book, took off her glasses, stood up, and came around to the front of her desk, gesturing toward the sofa.

“Sit.”

It was a command, not an invitation. Should he be grateful she wasn’t making him stand? Jaekyung nodded, sat where she had indicated, and straightened his back rigidly. Director Ji sat across from Jaekyung.

“You have a younger sister, don’t you?”

He did. Park Jaeyoung. One of his mother’s sorrows, currently recuperating in Canada because her body was so weak… he saw her maybe once or twice a year. But why was her story suddenly coming up?

“Yes.”

“Do you know that your younger sister presented as an alpha?”

Jaekyung was startled. An alpha? As far as Jaekyung knew, she was a beta. But she was much younger than Jaekyung. She had just become an adult, and she presented as an alpha? No, it wasn’t impossible. He himself had presented from a beta to an omega.

“Judging by your expression, you must not have known.”

“No….”

“She presented as an alpha, not even a recessive one. But unfortunately, her body is very weak. That is why Chairman Park came to our hospital and pharmaceutical company himself and pleaded. To save his daughter.”

Father? That couldn’t be. Because she was a beta and her body was weak, his father naturally paid no attention to his sister. Sending her to Canada was not to cure her with advanced medical technology. It was to get her out of the way because having her in sight was bothersome and annoying. And he was a person who had never once called Jaeyoung, not even once a year, nor asked about her well-being. That kind of person came to NI Company on his own accord to beg them to save Jaeyoung? Was it… because she presented as an alpha? Because the family now had an heir? And so he, the omega, was no longer needed….

“As it happened, our researchers had found the cause of her illness and had just developed a drug that had completed clinical trials, so Chairman Park must have been even more desperate. But that drug was extremely rare and difficult to manufacture, so we could name our price, and we had no intention of releasing it to the public just yet… while we were deliberating, Chairman Park made a proposal. He would give us Mr. Jaekyung, and in addition, he promised to collaborate with our NI Company. In a way, it’s a very small condition. Isn’t it? We accepted the condition for an absurd price. Because right now, Director Han needs even the smallest amount of power.”

So this was why. This was why the director tried to stop him and why no one could tell him. It was an equivalent exchange of an alpha daughter for an omega son. He had thought he was being used as collateral for a deal, but he never imagined this would be the reason.

“It’s not a bad story for Mr. Jaekyung either. A recessive omega is not well-regarded in this world. At best, you would become the mistress of some old man in the back rooms or the partner of a mediocre alpha or beta from a mediocre company. But what came back to Mr. Jaekyung is the position of partner to the heir of NI Company. You will live a life of luxury, so if anything, I think Mr. Jaekyung should be grateful to Chairman Park….”

She was probably right. If he had been born into an ordinary family, what would it matter if he were a recessive omega, an alpha, or a beta? He would live his life doing what he wanted, sometimes experiencing hardships. But this world was different. As Director Ji said, at best he would have become the mistress of retired chairmen or… been married off to some mediocre place. Thinking of it that way, this marriage was, by anyone’s standards, a loss for NI Company.

“Even with Jaewang Group behind me… Director Han could have met someone from a better family.”

“Of course. Even after announcing the marriage with Mr. Jaekyung, offers are still coming in tirelessly. Saying they would be fine even being Taesuk’s mistress. But… we don’t deal with families that are too powerful. It gets complicated. It has to be a family we can hold in our hands and manage to a certain degree. It is a flaw that Mr. Jaekyung is a recessive omega, but we chose you because we heard you are smart. It seemed you wouldn’t do anything foolish. Right? Mr. Jaekyung seems to know very well what kind of harm his actions could bring to his family, no?”

You are an easy puppet to control. Why was she saying that simple sentence in such a long way?

He had thought that if he knew the reason, there would be a way to escape. But now that he heard the reason, there was no escape route from the beginning. To have a choice was a luxury and a greed.

His only sister… being so far away, he couldn’t even take proper care of her. Under the excuse of being busy, it was hard to even call and say hello. But he remembered his younger sister, who would call him ‘oppa’ and smile whenever they talked on the rare occasion, and Jaekyung closed his eyes. No matter how painful it was, could he trade it for a person’s life? If his actions caused his sister to lose her chance at treatment, how would he bear that burden for the rest of his life? And how could he face the tears of his already struggling mother? Jaekyung clenched his fists tightly.

“Thank you… for telling me.”

“I am glad your curiosity seems to be resolved. I say this out of an abundance of caution, but you cannot call off the wedding now. We have our reputation to consider.”

“…I will not call it off. The wedding… please proceed with it. I will… do my best.”

“I am relieved to hear you say that. All you have to do is get married and support Director Han well. And give birth to a child to carry on the family line. That is your duty.”

A child… his and that man’s child.

“Can Jaeyoung be cured?”

“The first dose of the medicine was administered, and her progress is good. She has to go up to the fifth dose, but… the future of our research also depends on it, so it will succeed no matter what. You don’t need to worry about it.”

“Yes… I will be going now.”

Jaekyung stood up from his seat, said he would go check on the gallery, and left Director Ji’s study. He tried to walk out as if nothing was wrong, but his legs kept losing strength, causing him to stagger. He barely managed to open the door and walk out, then clutched his suffocating chest and walked to the restroom. He locked the door, slid down to the floor, and gasped for breath. No tears came. It was now time to resign himself to everything and accept it.

That night, Jaekyung sent a text to Han Taesuk. To his message asking if they could meet sometime, Han Taesuk designated a date, time, and place without asking for Jaekyung’s opinion. The two met again the night before the press conference, and the place was his office. It was 11 PM, and even though almost everyone had gone home for the day, he was still sitting in his office handling work. Like mother, like son, he too was reading through documents even after hearing Jaekyung enter. After standing silently in front of the desk for about 10 minutes, Jaekyung suddenly found his own situation ridiculous. I’ll have to get used to it. This will be my life from now on.

“You seem busy, so I’ll be on my way.”

Only then did Han Taesuk stop the hand that was flipping through the documents and look at Jaekyung. He then closed the document he was reading, stood up, and gestured to a seat on the sofa, causing Jaekyung to experience déjà vu.

“I heard you went to see my mother to ask why she chose you, Park Jaekyung-ssi.”

The fact that he knew about that day was not particularly surprising. Director Ji had probably told her son with a great deal of scorn.

“Yes, I was curious. Why I was chosen.”

“Did you receive a satisfactory answer?”

“Yes.”

“Then you must not have any questions for me.”

“No.”

“…Why did you ask to see me?”

“I have one request. And I would like for the request I am about to make to be added before tomorrow’s press conference.”

At Jaekyung’s words, he leaned back into the sofa and crossed his legs. His eyes seemed to say, Go on, let’s hear it.

“I would like there to be a clause about not interfering in each other’s private lives.”

“Private lives?”

“Yes.”

“That sounds strange. As if you have another private life.”
He looks at me with an enigmatic gaze. Feeling his intent to probe into my inner thoughts, Jaekyung shook his head.

“I’m sure you’ve already investigated me and know everything, but I am not dating anyone, nor do I have a secret lover hidden away, and I will not create such a relationship after we are married. You don’t have to worry about that. If you wish, you can continue to have people watch me, I don’t mind. Furthermore, I will do my utmost in the position I have been given. Everything I must do as Director Han’s partner. However… I thought that sometimes, I too would need some free time. To be honest, without such time, I feel there will come a moment when I’ll want to give up and run away.”

“In short, you are saying you need time as Park Jaekyung, not as Han Taesuk’s partner.”

“Yes.”

He had thought about it for days. After hearing the story from Director Ji, he had considered going home and unleashing his resentment on his father, but he thought, what’s the use? No matter what he said, his father would not bend his will, and if he did, what would happen to Jaeyoung…? Thinking that, it all felt pointless, but still, he felt he had to create at least one thing to protect his own existence. Otherwise, he would surely crumble when he was truly left alone in the world.

“Fine. Let’s do that. In exchange, I would like to specify the part about secret affairs as well. You’ve asked me to trust you, Jaekyung-ssi, but one never knows with people.”

“If you wish, Director, it’s fine to add that clause. Ah, of course, that would apply to you as well, correct? I also despise messy situations. I have no desire to have a three-way confrontation like in the dramas.”

At Jaekyung’s words, Han Taesuk’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Then I’ll consider our business concluded and take my leave. I’ll see you at the press conference tomorrow.”

All business was finished. Jaekyung stood up from the chair, bowed to Han Taesuk, and left his office without a second thought. Looking at his watch, the time he had spent standing there foolishly, waiting for him to say a single word, was longer than the time they had actually talked. It would probably be like this from now on.