SPW 14

Matthew Kaia could not legally bind Sarang for at least another year, that is, until he became an adult. From Matthew Kaia’s perspective, it was understandable to be angry at Florian for stealing the groom on the wedding day and brazenly using the guardianship system to legally tie him down.

“So, Kim is not in a safe situation right now. Three months is quite a lot of time for Mr. Wellington to have given you. You probably don’t know how many human resources are being wasted by you staying in that old apartment, do you?”

“…No, I don’t know. What you mean.”

“The Kaia family pretends to be a legitimate business, but it’s an organization whose parent body is the mafia. They commit illegal acts as if they were eating a meal. Of course, they also have the power to cover up the problems that follow. Since the wedding, they have been watching for an opportunity to kidnap Kim. They will definitely try to take Sarang back, if only for the sake of revenge.”

“…”

“There is only one reason why you, Kim, haven’t suffered any rough treatment so far.”

Sarang knew even without hearing the rest.

“It’s because Mr. Wellington has placed a considerable level of, no, elite mercenaries, densely around you, Kim.”

“…”

“So if possible, I would like you to move your home to the mansion right now. I recommend this both as a lawyer and as an acquaintance.”

Sarang could not hide his surprise at the completely unexpected statement. So it wasn’t just a matter of changing guardians. He hadn’t even been thinking about the Kaias, but on the contrary, he had been under Florian’s protection without even knowing it.

“What will you do, Kim?”

“…Will I have time to stop by and pack my things?”

“I will have people sent to pack everything meticulously.”

Neil had thought Sarang would be stubborn one more time here. However, Sarang obediently nodded and opened his plump lips.

“Okay, then can I just write down a few things that I absolutely must pack and give it to you?”

Neil, who had been looking up at Sarang with a genuinely surprised expression, grinned.

“Of course. I can certainly grant that much of a request, Kim.”

Sarang took his cell phone out of his pocket. After he wrote down a few essential items in a memo, he came to a realization. That in the home where he and Colin had lived, there weren’t many things to pack in the first place. This was partly because their financial situation wasn’t good, but also because Colin himself didn’t prefer to accumulate things in the house. Sarang, influenced by him, was not the type to be attached to objects either.

“What is your number?”

Neil, who had been looking at him quizzically after he finished his memo, belatedly took out a business card.

“Please contact me whenever you need to.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Sarang, who first saved Neil’s number, followed him on social media and then sent the memo.

[Picture frames, football, football equipment (it’s in a blue box), jerseys, shoes (football cleats, sneakers).]

“Is this everything?”

“Yes. That’s all.”

“I will stress to them that they must pack everything without fail.”

You don’t have to stress it that much… Sarang thought, but he nodded his head. To Sarang, these were items that could not be lost, not even one.

Neil opened the back door and personally helped Sarang into the car, then offered a farewell with a gentle face.

“See you next time, Kim.”

“Yes, thank you.”

As the door closed, the car carrying Sarang slowly started to move.

‘He probably wanted to screw over Matthew Kaia.’

It meant that ruining the wedding and breaking into the villa was not because of Sarang. Collateral damage. Sarang was probably just that. If Sarang was part of the unavoidable collateral damage that occurred in the process of screwing over Matthew Kaia, then Florian’s goodwill seemed understandable. Florian Dietrich Wellington, just as he was known to be, was a wonderful person, so he was trying to take responsibility in his own way for Sarang, who had suffered collateral damage, instead of ignoring him.

But Sarang thought the next guess was probably closer to the truth.

‘They will definitely try to take Sarang back, if only for the sake of revenge.’

It was Neil’s advice that Matthew Kaia, having been publicly humiliated, would not let it go meekly. Perhaps Florian’s intention was to not only humiliate Matthew Kaia but also to taunt him by displaying Sarang as a trophy.

For the people of the Commonwealth, who placed a particularly high value on things like honor, public humiliation was tantamount to a social blow. It went without saying for Matthew Kaia, who led the Kaia family.

“…”

Sarang, who was trying his best to accept this situation somehow, was finally able to organize his thoughts little by little.

Florian’s goodwill was not without reason. He had offered to be a guardian in exchange for using Sarang. Sarang did not feel bad about being used without his knowledge. Rather, his heart felt lighter. Whatever the reason, it was an incredible stroke of luck for Sarang that the one who had opened that door and come in that day was Florian, not Matthew Kaia. He felt a little more at ease, as if he had repaid that good fortune even a little.

“Ah.”

‘Or maybe, he genuinely developed an interest in football.’

Judging by the circumstances, it seemed Florian had no interest in football.

Then why did he buy a stake in the Rhinos (Rhinoceros FC)? Was that also one of the ways to screw over Matthew Kaia?

While Sarang was pondering various questions, the expensive car slid quietly into the mansion grounds.

“You will be staying here from now on.”

Sarang, who had been blankly looking around the interior, unconsciously pressed his parted lips firmly together. Fortunately, the man who was the mansion’s manager didn’t seem to have seen. He was quietly relieved that he hadn’t been caught in an embarrassing state. The mansion, which had been impressive from the entrance, was so magnificent it took Sarang’s breath away. The room he had lived in with Colin seemed smaller than the mansion’s bathroom.

“Here… alone?”

“Yes, Mr. Kim. From now on, Dan will be responsible for your commute to and from work.”

Lisa, facing Sarang with a kind face, smiled brightly.

“The driver who brought you here just now is Dan.”

“Ah, yes.”

“I manage the mansion, so please call me anytime. I can provide you with everything you need.”

Lisa, who seemed to think for a moment, soon added.

“Within common sense, of course.”

“Yes.”

Lisa, dressed in a casual suit that looked easy to move in, led the way. Her demeanor was no-nonsense and cheerful.

“This is the restroom, this is the bathroom, the bedroom, and on the second floor there is a guest room.”

Passing through a wide hall, Lisa opened the veranda door and continued the tour.

“This is the fitness room, the swimming pool, and—.”

In addition to the swimming pool, the mansion also had a massage room, a powder room, a meeting room, a lounge, a bar, a dining room, and even a mini movie theater. It was almost like a small city. Above all, there was even a lawn where he could kick a ball around. Sarang looked around the mansion with a disbelieving face and his eyes met Lisa’s.

“I tried my best to prepare it, and it seems you like it, fortunately. Mr. Kim.”

“…You can just call me Kim.”

“Shall I?”

Turning around to face Sarang, Lisa offered a handshake.

“Please call me Lisa.”

Sarang, looking into her calm, dark brown eyes that contrasted with her cheerful gestures, took her hand and smiled.

“Yes, Lisa.”

Lisa, smiling with the corners of her eyes as if it were contagious, opened the window and pointed to the building next door.

“That is Mansion 2. It’s where I and the staff reside. You will be living here in Mansion 1, Kim.”

A high red brick wall surrounded Mansion 1 and 2, but the overall yard was wide open, so it didn’t feel cramped. Rather, it looked safe and comfortable.

“You already know Dan. There’s Mick, the chef, David, the conditioning manager, Moore, the stylist, and ten bodyguards. I am in charge of overall protocol, Kim.”

“…”

Sarang couldn’t even part his lips, not knowing what to say.

From now on, in a place like this… alone?

“It’s an unfamiliar place, so it will take time to adjust, but I will do my best to help you.”

Lisa, understanding Sarang’s feelings, soothed him in a gentle voice. He was a professional athlete, but in Lisa’s eyes, he still looked like a young child with baby fuzz. This was the effect of the compassion that had naturally sprung up as she memorized Sarang’s profile, which she had received before taking the job.

A child raised in poverty under a single parent, and a recessive omega adoptive father at that.

A child who lost even that parent early and became an orphan at seventeen.

An unfortunate child whose only escape from the swamp of poverty called 97th Street was football.

Lisa, who first came to know Sarang through documents, felt sorry for the child she had never seen. Florian sometimes seemed cold, but he was inherently a kind and good person. So Lisa didn’t pay any attention to the gossip people were chattering about from all sides. It was clear that Florian’s offer to be a guardian was for the child’s sake, not something like a preemptive claim.

Why would Florian, the most perfect omega among all living secondary genders, resort to a cheap trick like guardianship for a mere seventeen-year-old? He even had an alpha with a 95% matching rate among his partners. That partner had dropped out first due to a severe inferiority complex about being a recessive instead of a dominant, but Florian was not a person so desperate as to have to mess with a minor.

A seventeen-year-old boy who grew up with difficulty in a poor and destitute family and ended up an orphan. He had talent. Lisa, who was from the United States, didn’t have a speck of interest in things like football, but she hoped that this boy’s talent was outstanding anyway. That way, the intentions of his guardian, Florian, would be doubted even a little less.