Ch 51

“Haa……”

Had he not wandered around the market with his grandfather and listened to his explanations, he wouldn’t have arrived at the bus terminal so quickly. The moment he emerged from the winding alleys and saw the health center, Ji-an let out a sigh of relief. After all, the bus terminal was said to be right next to it.

Scanning his surroundings, Ji-an entered the terminal and purchased the earliest departing ticket at the ticket booth. After checking the bus number and boarding, he collapsed into his seat. Catching his breath, he curled up as much as possible, hiding his body beneath the seat.

Among the men in suits, he was certain he had seen Secretary Baek.

It wasn’t Ideun, but Secretary Baek himself had come in person. No matter who else he ran into, he had to avoid Secretary Baek at all costs. That man was truly ruthless. No matter where he hid, Baek always found him, completely indifferent to his circumstances.

To Baek, it seemed that the only person who mattered was the one he served. That’s why he had locked Ji-an in that dark room every single time.

“I’m such an idiot.”

A hollow chuckle escaped Ji-an’s lips as memories of that horrific time brought Ideun to mind. Right. It was Ideun who had hired Secretary Baek. So it was only natural that Baek was sent after him when he disappeared. Why had he even thought Ideun would personally come looking for him? This was the obvious and expected outcome.

Ji-an wiped his face, brushing away the warmth and itchiness he felt on his cheeks. A self-deprecating sigh followed. As his breathing steadied, he lifted his head slightly and gazed out the bus window. The small town’s bus stop was visible.

His eyes darted around anxiously, searching for men in black suits. Each time someone boarded the bus, he stretched his neck out to check them. Only after confirming they weren’t in black suits did he return his gaze to the bus stop.

Gnawing on his thumbnail out of nervousness, Ji-an remained hunched in his seat even as the bus began to move. The ticket booth employee hadn’t been lying—the bus really was departing.

Only when the bus had distanced itself from the village and entered the highway did Ji-an sit up properly. He glanced at the ticket, now crumpled in his grip, and upon confirming his destination, he let out a laugh. He had gone through so much just to escape, but now… After everything he did to get away…

The express bus, making no stops in between, was taking him straight back to Ideun.

Lying back in his seat, Ji-an shifted restlessly. Nothing in his life ever went the way he wanted, but this was just ridiculous.

His bag, containing the cash he had withdrawn, was still at his grandparents’ house. Not that it mattered much—he owed them anyway, and giving them all the money wasn’t something he regretted. But looking at the little cash he had left in his pocket made him sigh.

With around 300,000 won and a newly purchased phone in hand, Ji-an alternated his gaze between the two. He was about to neatly tuck the money into his pocket when he clicked his tongue.

He had worn his grandfather’s jacket by mistake. He’d have to visit them again to return it. Well, that would be an excuse to see his grandmother and grandfather one more time. Without overthinking it, Ji-an emptied his mind and stuffed the cash into the pocket of the oversized jacket layered over his slim-fit designer outfit.

Then, he turned his attention to his phone. Since he had discarded his previous device, there was no data to transfer. One by one, he downloaded the necessary apps onto the blank screen.

“Ha, shit.”

A curse slipped out. While installing his banking app, he realized something—he needed an ID to withdraw money. He had been surviving with mobile payments, but using a card would make it easy to track him.

The only way to get cash was to visit a bank in person with his ID.

“Do I seriously have to get by with just 300,000 won? And today’s Friday?”

By the time this bus arrived… the banks would be closed.

“Ah… whatever.”

Faced with yet another absurd situation, Ji-an pursed his lips and curled up sideways, staring out the window as the landscape sped past. The roads had been cleared after the heavy snowfall, but the bus was still moving more slowly than usual. Workers were still shoveling snow along the roadside.

And yet, Secretary Baek had made it through these conditions? Ji-an always knew he was relentless, but this was another level. Even if it was an order from above, he could have used the weather as an excuse to delay things. And he hadn’t come alone—he had brought an entire group of suited men. Just thinking about it sent a chill down Ji-an’s spine.

There was no way Ideun’s grandmother had sent them. That left only one person. The old woman.

But would he really not hold a grudge after what Ji-an had said to him? Thinking about it, Ideun was probably the person he had treated the worst in his life.

He had yelled at him, snapped at him, ordered the company’s CEO—an elite alpha—around like an errand boy. He had said no, then yes, then no again. He had been the worst kind of nuisance. Told him to leave, then asked him to stay. Accepted countless luxury gifts, eaten the meals he cooked himself, and yet still deliberately said hurtful things.

Remembering Ideun’s unshaken demeanor through all of it, Ji-an let out yet another sigh. What had Ideun done to deserve this? If anything, his only crime was being swayed by pheromones. When an alpha in rut and an omega in heat met, staying rational would have been the real problem.

The one truly at fault was Secretary Baek, who had dragged him around and locked him up.

Ji-an’s emotions, which had softened at the thought of Ideun, immediately hardened into sharp thorns at the memory of Baek.

At this point, Ideun had to know everything. That Ji-an had been his rut partner.

Was that why he had sent people after him? Not that it changed anything. He should have just let Ji-an go. Then, naturally, they would have grown apart and faded from each other’s lives.

So why had he run the moment he saw Secretary Baek? Was it fear? The fear that Ideun now knew his past?

There was a difference between throwing out careless words and having solid evIdeunce. An omega who had been a paid rut partner—it wasn’t something he could ever be proud of. Especially not to someone like Ideun, an old-fashioned alpha who believed omegas should always be under a guardian’s protection.

Back when Ideun hadn’t known the truth, he had kept Ji-an by his side. But now that he knew, how would he see him? How would he change?

Had Ji-an ever received such unwavering devotion from anyone before? No, and he never would again.

In the end, he had fled out of fear—fear of being abandoned once the truth was out. He couldn’t bear to face Ideun’s rejection, couldn’t handle hearing those words from his mouth. One of the reasons he had tried to keep his distance was to prevent this exact moment, but now that Pandora’s box had been opened, there was no turning back.

At least Ideun didn’t know about the imprint. Their rut partnership had ended in the fall, and they had only reunited in early winter. There was no way he could know what had happened in between.

Ji-an tossed and turned, unable to shake the dull ache in his chest. Sleeping would have been ideal, but he had already lazed around, well-fed and well-rested, at his grandmother’s house. Sleep wouldn’t come.

Sighing, he tapped his chest a few times and rubbed it before giving up on thinking altogether. Instead, he scrolled through dull news articles on his phone.

“Ah! Right, right.”

Suddenly remembering something, Ji-an quickly searched for a few things before shutting off his phone. If Secretary Baek was involved, he would probably know Ji-an had gotten a new number. And if he knew that, wouldn’t he track his location?

He would only turn his phone on when absolutely necessary.

Now left with nothing to do, Ji-an stared blankly out the window, watching the scenery shift. The snow had really piled up. As they neared the fully cleared roads and the familiar landscapes appeared, the winter sky began to darken.

“…I’m hungry.”

He hadn’t particularly felt any appetite, but whether it was because his grandmother had been practically force-feeding him, a sudden hunger crept up on him. Ji-an rubbed his upper stomach with his hand.

Waking up late, he had eaten brunch alone, then wandered around the market with his grandfather, snacking on various treats along the way. He had already eaten far more than usual, so why was he still hungry?

Regardless, since he was hungry, he would grab a simple dinner as soon as he got off the bus. Then, maybe he’d spend the rest of the evening at a jjimjilbang. Tomorrow, he’d stop by the bank to withdraw some money. And then where? He had already made two hasty escapes after meeting Secretary Baek, so this time, he needed to be more methodical.

Having a car would have made things much easier. He wouldn’t have to walk around in the cold; he could stop at a rest area whenever he felt like it—to refuel, to eat. He could go anywhere he wanted. If he got tired, he could find a pension or motel and sleep wherever he pleased.

Before learning that traveling with a cat wasn’t feasible, he had even dreamed of going on trips with Bobo.

“…I miss Bobo.”

How nice would it be to bury his face in that soft belly? He’d probably get smacked with a few cat punches, but that didn’t matter at all.

“Ah, why does it feel like I’m always running from something?”

Muttering to himself, Ji-an suddenly straightened his posture as a thought crossed his mind. He adjusted the seat he had reclined all the way back and turned his phone on again.

Screw it.

Everything was already tangled up. It couldn’t get any worse. Even if Secretary Baek caught him, wouldn’t he just be dragged straight to Ideun? And what would Ideun even do to him?

With that personality of his, he wouldn’t hit or torment him. He’d probably just say, “Don’t leave. Stay by my side. There’s nothing between me and Haneul. I’ll take care of it.”

Then, was there really any reason to keep running?

The worst Ideun could do was berate him—lash out over the wasted time and money spent on someone like him. Eventually, Ideun would be the one to say goodbye first, and Ji-an would return everything he had received from him. Maybe he’d even take Bobo with him when he left.

The good thing was that, one way or another, he’d get to see Bobo again. The bad thing was… Could it even be called bad? No matter how messy things got, the end was always going to be a breakup.

That man, too—what a headache it must have been, getting involved with him.

Ji-an stopped overthinking. No plan he ever made went smoothly anyway. Instead, he forced himself to focus on the present.

He was too exhausted to think months ahead when he couldn’t even predict the next few minutes. The weather was cold, he was hungry, he had no money, and he had nowhere to go.

More than anything, images of food kept flooding his mind.

Who in the world got to eat whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted? And since when did he obsess over food like this?

He tried to ignore it at first, but strangely enough, the craving for food overshadowed even Secretary Baek’s looming presence or the uncertainty of Ideun’s next move.

Just thinking about it made his mouth water. He had to eat something—right now.

So what if he did? Eat when he wanted, sleep when he wanted, do whatever he wanted.

Compared to the days when he had juggled school, part-time jobs, and hospital bills while caring for his sick aunt, his current life was practically paradise. He had no responsibilities.

It wasn’t like before, when he had stubbornly refused to touch the money sitting in his bank account out of pride. He had already spent some of it. Ideun knew exactly where that money came from and how tangled their relationship had become. There was no reason to hold back anymore.

He had once been prepared to die. Now that he had chosen to live, what was there to hesitate about?

All this time, he had only talked about living however he pleased, about doing whatever he wanted. But in reality, he had never actually done it.

Ji-an’s fingers moved swiftly across his phone screen. After securing the information he needed, he turned off the device with a satisfied expression.

So what if things turned out one way or another?

Unlike when he had boarded the bus, trembling in the cold, his expression was noticeably brighter as he stepped off at his destination.

He was already branded as a damn bastard anyway—what more did he have to lose by going all out?

Without hesitation, Ji-an climbed into one of the many taxis lined up in front of the terminal and told the driver where he wanted to go.