It was the Monday a week after his hospital visit that Seo Jeong-won had agreed to meet Kwon Tae-hee again.
He had come to the flower shop early that morning.
The night before, too tired to clean up, he had left the mess untouched, so there was much to be done.
The floor was a disaster.
Soil had spilled everywhere during the repotting process.
“When will I ever finish this?” he sighed before even starting.
While feeding the small ornamental fish—actually, they were more for company than decoration—in the tank on the cashier’s table, he planned where to start cleaning.
The colorful tropical fish swam actively toward the food.
“Where should I begin? I should sweep the floor first so I can organize the pots, right? Yeah, I think so too. It’s just annoying.”
Grabbing the broom propped against the wall, he swept the passage thoroughly.
As he moved around, he checked on the few newly arrived Chweseolsong plants.
Succulents were supposed to be hard to kill, but even with his care, they kept dying.
Maybe they were sensitive to temperature?
Or maybe he just didn’t have the knack.
He had taken on the flower shop by chance, and except for repotting, he didn’t really know how to take care of plants properly.
Fortunately, his aunt had left behind a notebook with fairly organized information about plants.
That notebook was what helped him run the shop, albeit clumsily.
It contained everything from how much to water and how to maintain the right temperature in the shop, to how to revive seemingly dead flowers and trees.
There were no notes about finances, though, so for several months, he received overdue notices like monthly events.
Although he had been raised by his aunt, they weren’t biological relatives, so it was hard to get a clear picture of the debts.
He later found out his aunt had overextended herself to pass the shop on.
With this much debt, it was fair to say the shop essentially belonged to the bank.
“It’s too rural—hard to find someone to take over.”
Even though the shop had been listed for months, not a single person had come to see it.
Every time Jeong-won passed the small fish tank, he muttered a few words.
“You know I saw my brother, right? He was asleep, so I couldn’t really tell, but I don’t think he’s changed much.”
He tapped the glass lightly with his finger, prompting the fish to gather, thinking it was feeding time.
“I hope he wakes up. I want to ask how he’s been.”
“I hope so too.”
A low voice sounded from behind him.
Without any sign or warning, the man had appeared.
Startled, Seo Jeong-won straightened up, his shoulders trembling.
He was so surprised that he couldn’t even speak.
His heart ached, to the point he could feel the tingling pain.
Seeing him clutching his chest, the voice grew concerned.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m just… startled.”
“Your face has gone pale. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine. Really. I was just surprised.”
Still pressing his hand to his chest, Jeong-won bowed politely toward Kwon Tae-hee.
He looked even more striking than when he had seen him at the hospital.
Maybe it had been the gloomy weather that day, but today, in the flower shop, he looked different—brighter.
Radiant, perhaps.
His eyes were unusually light.
Under the sunlight, they looked like brown paint diluted in water.
Even the fine pattern of his irises within the round outline was clearly visible.
Though he knew it was rude, Jeong-won couldn’t help but stare at him, studying him.
He said he was an executive at a construction company—could he also be a model or actor?
“Should I just keep standing here?”
“Oh, no! I’m so sorry. Would you like to sit over here?”
He looked far too refined to be seated at a rusty metal table, but there was no other option.
Jeong-won, cheeks flushed, continued nervously:
“I only have instant coffee… would you like some?”
“No, I’m fine.”
He politely declined.
When he offered water instead and moved to get it, despite his previous refusal, a paper cup filled to the brim was soon set in front of him.
“This shop is pretty big. More charming than I expected.”
“Oh, this is actually the small part. There are bigger shops with more plant variety elsewhere.”
“Is that so? I wouldn’t know—I’ve never been.”
With a slight smile, Kwon Tae-hee turned away from the flower shop, which he clearly wasn’t that interested in, and opened his briefcase.
As he moved, his deep black eyes followed his hand.
He seemed to enjoy that gaze, slowly pulling out a brown envelope.
“These are copies of the contract I had with Gyu-won, and a draft of the new one we’ll be signing. Please read through them and let me know if there’s anything you’d like to revise or discuss further. I’ll accommodate everything.”
Jeong-won carefully accepted the envelope placed in front of him.
Even though it was meant for him, opening it felt like sneaking a peek at something forbidden.
The first thing he looked for, as he cautiously pulled out the documents while watching him, was the name “Seo Gyu-won.”
“I realized later that I never asked what exactly my brother had agreed to give you.”
“Oh, right.”
“So, um…”
As he slowly read through the contract, Jeong-won’s eyes widened.
“Wait, hold on,” he said, furrowing his pale brows.
“This is…”
His trembling gaze shifted immediately to Kwon Tae-hee.
His dark pupils quivered helplessly.
Tae-hee raised his eyebrows, as if to say, “Is something wrong?”
“Yes. What I agreed to receive… was a child.”
“I can’t… I didn’t…”
Unlike most children of conglomerate families, who are born with predetermined marriage partners, Kwon Tae-hee had never had such an arrangement.
Despite arranged marriages being practically mandatory in political and business elite circles, his parents had different ideas.
Having lived in a loveless marriage where they never felt affection or interest in one another, they told young Tae-hee they didn’t want to pass down the toxic customs of the wealthy.
When Tae-hee came of age, his parents laid out the condition for inheriting the company: he must marry and have a child with someone he met naturally through society.
It was the only condition—and a firm one.
They wanted their son to build a family with someone he genuinely loved, unlike them.
But their wish was doomed from the start.
Tae-hee had no interest in “natural” meetings, or in wasting time, effort, or emotions on such things.
So he used an elite Omega matchmaking service.
For a price, the past was erased, the person was custom-designed to suit the client’s needs, and even the “ideal first meeting” could be scripted.
The Omega would then be delivered right to the client’s doorstep.
That delivered Omega had been Seo Gyu-won.
He felt no guilt about deceiving his parents.
He only wanted to speed through the formalities and inherit the company.
“W-wait a minute. I… I…”
“What is Jeongwon’s type?”
The low voice did not sound like a question, but the inquiry was definite.
“I’m a Beta. Because I’m a Beta…”
“Ah, Beta. In that case… it seems that Jeongwon, you can’t give me what Gyu-won promised.”
“S-sorry. I didn’t know this would be the case. But… then, how about your brother? How is he…?”
If he had known that such a condition was part of the agreement at the hospital from the beginning, he wouldn’t have agreed.
But now, even in this moment, such thoughts were just tiny fragments in Seo Jeong-won’s mind.
It was filled only with vague thoughts like “What should I do now?”
“Since his younger brother, Jeongwon, can no longer fulfill the contract, you’ll need to remove the ventilator or bear all the costs related to maintaining your brother’s life support system. I brought this just in case.”
Seo Jeong-won’s eyes dropped to the documents being handed over.
His mouth parted slightly, and he let out a small, involuntary sound, as if flustered.
“This is the hospital payment receipt. And these are the caregiving costs.”
It seemed as if he had no lingering attachment, as he stood up from his seat.
“After seeing that, do you still want your brother to keep the ventilator on?”
“Of course… I want my brother to continue on the ventilator.”
“I see. I now understand what you want. I’ll inform the hospital that his younger brother, Seo Jeong-won, will be responsible for all future costs. If you need any help, feel free to contact me anytime. I’ll help in whatever way I can.”
Kwon Tae-hee looked at the small, trembling figure in front of him.
He glanced at the business card next to the documents, wondering when the contact might come.
Maybe in two months?
He figured it would take a month at most, but by the second month, he was certain it would be too difficult.
Watching what choice would be made was somewhat entertaining, but that was the extent of it.
It was a simple curiosity about Seo Jeong-won’s appearance and the aura he gave off.
“You must meet the hospital payment deadline. If you don’t, the forced discharge process will begin.”
It seemed like everything that could push his situation toward the worst was waiting right in front of Seo Jeong-won.
With a smile, Kwon Tae-hee hoped that cheap flyers offering loans would be stuck in places where those clear, innocent eyes would often glance.
“By the way, Jeongwon, do you know? Beta individuals who have been exposed to Alpha pheromones for a long period of time can sometimes manifest as Omegas.”
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