SATURDAY 44

‘Property dispute.’

It was something I had overheard from the Shaman, but it just came to mind now. Mr. Taeseon arrived the moment those words were spoken, so I don’t know what she was going to say next, but it’s likely related.

Even when ‘Yoon Inyoung’ was alive, the possibility of a property dispute arising in our family was slim. The side giving had no intention of handing anything down, and I, for my part, never expected to receive anything.

Technically, in Korea, where a legal reserve system exists, pre-written wills, waivers of inheritance, and gifts are all useless if I set my mind to it… but the important thing was the fact that I had no such intention.

Since I was very young, I heard the words “do not covet the family property” until they were ingrained in my ears. Thus, I had a clear awareness that the family’s assets were not mine. Along with the thought that I must never covet Inha’s things.

So, when the possibility of a property dispute was scarce even while I was alive, how could a dispute arise after killing me and leaving only ‘Yoon Inha’ alive?

I toyed with my lips with my hand and continued to think. A property dispute… besides the sole heir, another person in the family.

“….”

…Uncle?

Since my uncle is my father’s younger brother, he would inherit the estate if my father passed away. However, a significant portion of the family assets has already been gifted to Inha.

If Inha dies, the property under Inha’s name is inherited back by my parents, and a portion… comes to me.

The portion of the original assets going to my uncle would be considerably reduced.

So?

No, I shook my head. My uncle isn’t that kind of person. In the first place, my uncle probably has more money than the current Inha. He has the wealth inherited from my grandfather, and my uncle’s paintings sell for astronomical prices at every auction. Also, my uncle doesn’t have much greed for money.

Then what on earth…. Ah, it was difficult to think deeply. I’ve never been able to think things through persistently. My head felt tangled like a ball of yarn, so I shook it.

Not long ago, Mr. Taeseon found out that Inha had gone to a dermatologist in secret before he died. They say he got the tattoo on his ankle removed there. Usually, marks remain even if a tattoo is removed, but the part of the Orion constellation consisting of only three dots was erased cleanly without much effort.

That is the scar I felt was strange when I saw Inha’s body in the mortuary that day. Because he was injured so badly and had scars all over his body, I just thought it was something that happened at the time of the accident. To think it was a mark from removing a tattoo….

That would mean the Shaman and Professor Jang told Inha to remove the tattoo in advance. Because those two are the only people Inha would actually listen to.

Added to that, Mr. Taeseon said it seems they tattooed the same thing on my ankle during the week the Shaman and Professor Jang were the only ones guarding my hospital room. Because that tattoo was the biggest difference that could distinguish me from Inha. It means it really was an intentional switch.

“…!”

Suddenly, I got the chills. Inha… I could understand Inha’s thoughts. He must have intended to cause a minor car accident.

They say Inha said several times that he was going to kill me. A way to occupy a pitiful position without dirtying his own hands, and a way to drive me into a corner by tormenting me extremely. By saying that I was the one who pushed him.

No matter how much I denied it alone, there was no way anyone would believe me.

The Shaman and the Professor.

The two of them were quite fond of me, but they were completely stuck on the idea that only Inha was a “living” person. They said the reason they were kind to me was because even if I were a beast and a being that shouldn’t have been born, they had no choice but to pity me since I had already been born.

‘Because of that… since Inha suddenly died, didn’t they try to use me as a substitute for Inha?’

Mr. Taeseon shook his head at the opinion I offered.

‘You can’t erase a tattoo on a dead corpse. It doesn’t explain the reason for erasing the tattoo in advance. Well, maybe it was just a simple whim of Yoon Inha, but I have a feeling that wasn’t it.’

‘Then why….’

‘There must have been some plan from the start. Though I don’t know for sure yet.’

Even erasing the tattoo is suspicious. The Shaman and the Professor were complicit in this.

He intended to cause a minor car accident… but the driver was driving drunk and died right then and there as well.

Was it really just drunk driving? Professor Jang can prescribe psychiatric medications.

I thought it happened because something went wrong. What if there was intention mixed into that “wrong” reason?

But… the fundamental question isn’t resolved. Why kill Inha instead of me? If Inha dies, the family’s property….

Lili climbed onto my lap while I was still lost in thought, sitting on the mat I had spread out. He kept climbing onto my body even while I was stretching with the trainer, which was a bit troublesome.

As I supported Lili’s rear, picked him up, and kissed the bridge of his nose, mouth, and forehead, Lili also made a pretty sound and bumped his nose against my lips and cheeks with a “tap, tap.”

Lili has grown about 200g more since I first brought him home, but he is still on the smaller side compared to other cheese cats. He can’t jump very well either. I stroked Lili’s slightly clipped ear and pulled him close into my arms.

‘But why can’t he jump well….’

His estimated age is about 12 months, yet he uniquely avoids jumping. He tended to choose digging his claws in and crawling up rather than jumping.

I wondered if he had some discomfort in his body. Just as I thought I should go to the animal hospital soon, the intercom rang.

The staff member who hurried over to answer the intercom looked at me with a slightly surprised face.

“Director, the Great Madam is here.”

“Director” was the title used for me. Generally, in wealthy Alpha and Omega households, it’s a meaningless title given to an Omega when the Alpha is the head of the household. I wasn’t a director of anywhere. Anyway, that’s not the point.

“Mother…?”

“Yes.”

After a moment of blankness, my eyes widened. Mother has come to visit? So suddenly? I haven’t prepared anything…. I thought that far, then realized that I am currently ‘Inha.’ A normal son doesn’t need preparation when meeting his mother.

“U-uh, tell her to come in quickly.”

When the staff said, “Understood,” and operated the intercom buttons, the sound of a car was heard from outside the gate. A moment later, the front doorbell rang, and the waiting staff opened the door.

Mother walked in with long strides without even greeting the staff standing at the entrance, and her face was completely pale.

As soon as she spotted me, Mother rushed toward me, looking like she was about to cry.

“Inha! My baby…. Why didn’t you tell Mother!”

“M-Mother.”

I instinctively recoiled at her appearance, which seemed almost angry at a glance. However, Mother didn’t even put down her bag and threw her arms around me.

“A miscarriage…. A miscarriage, our Inha…. My poor baby.”

“….”

How did Mother know?

My eyes instinctively turned toward the staff member standing by the entrance. He quickly avoided my gaze. I thought quietly. No one would have heard Mr. Taeseon calling me Inyoung yet. Because he only did that when we were almost entirely alone.

However, the fact of the miscarriage had to be made known to all the staff. In the first place, the day I was rushed to the hospital with a hemorrhage was the day of the formal wear fitting. There wasn’t just one or two people who saw that.

Since there was no word from Mother or the family for a week until I was discharged and came home, I naturally thought they didn’t know, but it seems someone among the staff eventually informed Mother. Or it could be several people. Also, Mother might have planted staff members in advance to be her ears.

Mother was now full of tears and spoke as if rebuking me.

“Why didn’t you say anything? Hmm? Why didn’t you tell Mother?”

“Mother, f-first, please sit down. Please give us some tea.”

I said the latter part while looking at the staff. He hurried into the kitchen. Listening to the sound of clinking as gently as possible, I led Mother to the sofa and had her sit.

“Oh, the Shaman…. The Shaman….”

Mother sat on the sofa, staggering and holding her forehead as if she had a headache. As she did, she continuously murmured, “Oh my heavens, Shaman, what on earth is happening.”

When I sat a bit apart from Mother out of habit, she moved her hips to get closer and pulled me into her arms as if she didn’t even notice. Like me, Mother has poor circulation, and her hands, which were cold in any season, patted my back.

“How pitiful, my baby. What should we do.”

I could feel her sincerity in the touch that caressed me as she kept saying that. I could tell Mother was truly agonized and sad. However, strangely, my heart felt uncomfortable.

Actually, I’ve rarely thought deeply about the miscarriage. It felt like I had lost a jewel I had never touched forever, and occasionally touching my stomach made me feel empty, but….

I was truly sorry that the child of me and Mr. Taeseon could not even be born and vanished. However, I wasn’t extremely unhappy. Perhaps it was because I hadn’t even known about the pregnancy.

Just in time, the staff brought the tea. I naturally pushed Mother away and poured the tea into the teacup. It was a strange thing. I had dreamed countless times of Mother holding me like this, but when I was actually held, my body felt like it was being pricked by needles, just as it had a few times before.

“Mother, please have some tea and calm down.”

“How is our Inha so thoughtful….”

Wiping her tear-filled eyes with a handkerchief, Mother gently stroked my bangs. I offered the tea again.

The scent of hot herbal tea with a calming effect spread through the living room. Watching Mother drink the tea slowly, I thought. What would have happened if I, not Inha, had said the exact same words?